© 2006 All Rights Reserved Readers & Writers Ink Reviews

ALL U CAN EAT
By Emma Holly
Erotic romance
May 2006
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 0-425-20977-6

Some writers craft entertaining erotica. Some craft entertaining romance. But few mix the two as well as Emma Holly, and in All U Can Eat she continues to entertain and arouse by combining likable, hot characters with an engrossing story.

Frankie Smith's been dumped by her boyfriend, who's left her for another woman. Frankie can't sit around moping 'cause she's got a diner to run, "All U Can Eat", a local favorite in a small California coastal community. The diner and its owner are a particular favorite with police chief Jack West, but he's too shy around women to do more than fantasize about Frankie, handcuffs and the red leather counter stools in the diner.

All that changes when a woman is found murdered outside the diner and Frankie is a suspect, along with her hunky new cook. Is someone trying to frame Frankie? And if Jack West has to arrest her, does he get to do full body cavity strip search?

Emma Holly's All U Can Eat showcases what she does best, highly charged erotic scenes with likable characters. Quiet people with active imaginations, a pair of friendly and helpful mechanics who specialize in making the ladies hum like well tuned Maseratis, returning soldiers looking for a little peace, quiet and TLC. There's also a murder mystery that's a little obvious, but still handled with skill. And let's face it, no one buys an Emma Holly book because they think they'll find an intriguing mystery. People buy her because she writes well and draws the reader into caring about her characters even as she keeps the sensual tension high.

For those who've been wondering what the attraction is to the romance/erotica genre, All U Can Eat is a good introduction. And for Emma Holly's legion of longtime fans, it's another treat to curl up with on a cold autumn night.

 -- Reviewed by Eve Ackerman

Note:  If using a quote from this or any Readers and Writers Ink Review, we ask that Books at ForumsAmerica.com or CompuServe Books Forum be attributed for the quotation. Please address any questions to Lynne Perednia, Review Coordinator. Reviews are linked from the CompuServe Books Forum and are archived at the ForumsAmerica Books Forum.