Ravaged

Basketball player Jordan Ransom and Mensa member Miriam Ransom, a graphic novelist, shared a single scorching night together before the start of Simone's grating second BURNED, Inc. romance (after Heated) and have since agreed to be "just friends"--a feat at which they are failing spectacularly. The slightest provocation--from a brief touch, to a look, to the other person simply entering a room--elicits aggressively horny inner monologues and improbable physical responses from the dual narrators. ("Heat flares so hot, so suddenly, low and deep inside me I wouldn't be surprised if my ovaries are covered in soot." "My cock pounds out a steady beat.") Why ignore such obvious chemistry? It's Miriam's policy that she "doesn't do" athletes, having been burned before. Her friendship with Jordan already erodes this boundary, but she draws the line at dating. That is until Jordan, in a self-sacrificing move, sets her up with a widower teammate, Daniel, who's interested in dating for the first time since the death of his wife, and Miriam, hypocritically, agrees. The ensuing lackluster love triangle feels largely pointless; Daniel never stands a chance, and both Miriam and Jordan come off like jerks for allowing him to hope. Readers will struggle to root for this couple's happy ending. Agent: Rachel Brooks, Bookends Literary. (Nov.)

Miriam Nelson is unfazed by running a full-service breakup company called B.U.R.N.E.D., Inc. (Breaking Up, Reversing Nuptials, and Evading Disasters) with her siblings, but it's not her passion. Most of their clients are pro sports players who want help dumping their latest paramours, which is enough to make Miriam swear off dating athletes altogether. But her resolve is weakened by her best friend (and former fling), basketball star Jordan Ransom, whose tattoos and Viking good looks make Miriam go weak in the knees; the one night she spent with Jordan has been extremely hard to forget. Jordan, for his part, is well aware of Miriam's rule and knows he's been relegated to the friend zone, but they struggle to maintain a platonic friendship, as each is afraid to admit their feelings for the other--not to mention the other secrets they've been keeping. In her second "Burned, Inc." romance (following Heated), Simone creates likable characters, but the overwrought inner monologues and familiar tropes may leave readers unsatisfied. VERDICT An optional purchase.--Nicole J. Suarez