The Hot Box
Zane is known for her steamy tales about African American women seeking love and sexual fulfillment, and her latest certainly fits the bill. Best friends Lydia and Milena are each involved with two men. Lydia has been in a stable relationship with Glenn for three years, but she can’t keep her hands off his best friend, Phil. Milena has eschewed romantic entanglements of any kind ever since she left her fiancé, baseball star Jacour, at the altar eight years ago after discovering he cheated on her at his bachelor party. Now Jacour has returned to the small town of Kannapolis, North Carolina, intent on winning Milena back. Determined to fight her feelings for him, Milena invents a boyfriend and finds an attractive homeless man, Yosef, to play the part. After cleaning Yosef up and learning of the sad circumstances that left him destitute, Milena finds herself falling for him—even as she’s battling her feelings for Jacour. Zane keeps her readers on their toes with some unexpected twists in this appealing and scintillating tale. --Kristine Huntley