Sensuality Rating: Steamy

Multicultural Romantic Suspense: White man, Black woman

In the interest of full-disclosure and in accordance with that fucked up blog law, I acknowledge that I received this book gratis from the author. I further acknowledge that I’d already bought the damned thing as Cullars is an auto-buy for me.

In the beginning of the story we’re introduced to Eric, who goes by the name Dele. He is an undercover cop who has infiltrated a motorcycle gang. Cullars lets us know from the very beginning what kind of sociopaths we’re dealing with here. Dele is suspected of having stolen a stash of heroin from the leader of the gang, and things are about to get ugly. Then when they couldn’t possibly get worse, we’re introduced to the heroine, Nailah. Nailah is a bit down-on-her- luck and unemployed. Having had a bad job interview she has decided to pick up some ribs from a favorite barbecue joint. The gang causes her to drop her much-coveted ribs in the street, and she retaliates by hurling the ribs after the bikers. (Yeah, I almost lost it laughing at the notion of assaulting a motorcycle gang with meat.)

Embarrassed, the gang snatches Nailah off the street and makes her Dele’s property as he was the target of her rib attack. So Dele has to keep himself alive, keep Nailah alive and collect information to put the motorcycle gang away.

I read this story in one night because I absolutely had to know what happened to these characters. Nailah annoyed the crap out of me at times, but honestly her reactions were very real and given the circumstances, understandable. She wasn’t a TSTL heroine, but at times she came close. Eric makes a very good hero and shows a great deal of savvy in dealing with the gang leader who is pretty much one of the craziest mofos I’ve come across in a while. This book is gritty, and some of the language used, including racial epithets, can be a bit brutal, but this is a motorcycle gang, and I didn’t find the usage over-the-top by any stretch of the imagination. The gang’s casual violence is chilling and some passages are so vivid I had a hard time reading them. Dele and Nailah make a great team, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the story.

This book had only one failing; it simply wasn’t long enough. I think with a longer story, we could’ve gotten more of a sense of Dele and Nailah as a couple. As it is, all the action takes place over a very short period of time, just a few days, and it’s hard for me to believe in the HEA. Still, as an action/suspense it is quite engaging and gripping.

Snatched can be purchased here.