Review: 4.5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2008
Eden LaCroix is involved in a battle to save the community center she manages.  Repairs and updates are needed yes, but to completely tear down the building?  The last thing she expects is for her old flame Billy Buchanan to be brought in to evaluate and decide the fate of the community center.Billy isn't quite prepared for his reaction when he first sees Eden again.  He last saw her ten years earlier when he ran from the temptation of a sexual encounter with Eden after the prom.  He's been brought in by Feather Light Consulting to evaluate the Community Center which should be a completely unbiased review but his reaction to keeping his feelings for Eden and his opinion on the state of the building separate may prove to be very difficult.Things quickly heat up between Billy and Eden but she's not looking for a happily-ever-after.  Billy has his own life in Illinois and he'll return there once his job is done.  There's nothing wrong with indulging in a little mutual pleasuring while they're together though, is there?Popular drummer/singer Jon WhiteFeather, Eden's friend and sometimes lover, has just come off the road and returned to town and the situation seems to be easy enough to handle since they don't have any expectations of each other.  Eden even tells Jon that she is seeing someone and agrees to meet up with him later and bring Billy so that the men can meet.  Unexpectedly, Jon and Billy meet before the `date' because Jon and Billy just happened to be staying in the same condo.  They form a fast friendship and the evening goes much smoother than she'd even hoped.  The only downside are the snide petty comments and racial slurs of from a couple of women whom Jon and Billy turned down.Eden's so hurt by the comments that she wants only to leave the bar and return home to `lick her wounds' but Jon and Billy have different ideas.  They take her to the condo - originally just to talk so they could find out what upset her so much but then once they start comforting her... well, let's just say Jon and Billy have no qualms about making a girl's fantasies a reality so that she feels like she's the most desirable woman in the world.Billy hurt Eden deeply once; dare she hope that she won't get burned if she allows herself to admit to loving him?  What will happen if his recommendations for the community center aren't what she was hoping? What about Jon?  Will he be willing to give up the `friends with benefits' role he's been playing with Eden?Lorelei James's contribution to the MENAGE & MORE anthology delivers quite a storyline with wicked situations, a fast paced plot, characters readers will care about, and of course lots of down and dirty sex.  WICKED GARDEN delivers an unexpected pang to readers hearts as you read about the community center and the importance it plays in the lives of so many in the surrounding area.  Eden, Billy and Jon's liaison works on so many levels but the thing that really stands out in my mind is it's based on friendship first and the respect they share for one another is almost overwhelming at points.WICKED GARDEN is a wonderfully endearing story.  If you enjoy ménage stories and looking for more sinful storylines don't forget to check out the other books in the MENAGE & MORE anthology.NICE AND NAUGHTY by Jayne RylonandA QUESTION OF TRUST by Jess DeeChrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)