Lead Me On

3 1/2 stars

I read Start Me Up last year by Victoria Dahl in which Jane Morgan makes an appearance and I enjoyed it. So with twitter all abuzz about Dahl's next release Lead Me On I was quite looking forward to reading it.

Jane Morgan has reinvented herself over the years. She projects the image of a straight-laced, buttoned-up, unflappable professional. But is it all just a façade she's built to keep the deep dark secrets she's hiding dead and buried?

Jane has a lot of dysfunctional family issues; a brother in trouble with the law, a step-father, who even though she has a good relationship with now is an ex-con and a mother she barely tolerates. The family dynamics combined with some very promiscuous behavior during her teenage years have all contributed to make Jane the person she is today.

But Jane's world is about to self-destruct and demolitions expert William Chase is just the man for the job to pick up the pieces.

Chase is drawn to Jane at their 1st meeting when he stops by the architectural firm where she works as the office manager to pick up some plans. He is understandably very confused about those feelings because the standoffish vibe Jane is giving off clearly indicates that she is not interested and quite frankly he is not up to the standard of men she normally dates.

Throwing caution to the wind Chase does invite her out for dinner, but Jane declines because secretly she is shaken by Chase as the sexy, jean-wearing, tattooed bad boy is the kind of guy Jane has avoided at all costs since reinventing herself.

One night after a few drinks, Jane decides why not? Why not just use Chase for a one- night stand, a sexy, fantasy inducing affair. What starts out as a non-relationship soon blossoms in much more (full credit to Chase here), no matter how hard Jane tries to deny it and fight her feelings.

I found Jane and Chase's relationship complicated. Jane was in it at the start for sex only (generally that's the guys' story) and she wasn't shy about showing her wild side - multiple times; a complete contrast to Jane to professional. Throughout the affair, it was Chase who was the understanding, patient one, who wanted more that just sex and he wasn't willing to settle. At one point Chase flat out tells Jane he isn't going to sleep with her anymore unless until she's ready to admit and accept that she wants to have a real relationship.

This was just an ok read for me. I wasn't head over heels in love with it and I didn't hate it, I was somewhere in the middle. I honestly felt Jane had multiple personalities which is why the Three Faces of Eve reference at the start of this review (interesting note: the third stable personality in The Three Faces of Eve was named Jane - coincidence?).