TWICE AS HOT

Author: Gena Showalter ISBN: 9780373774371 2/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: HQN

Belle Jamison is finally starting to feel like a normal girl again. Her job as a paranormal investigator is going well, she's learned to control her supernatural abilities (mostly) and she's just gotten engaged to Rome Masters, the ultra-sexy operative who once tried to neutralize her! But planning a wedding is never easy, especially when the bride keeps accidentally torching her dress, the groom returns from a dangerous mission with selective memory loss and the man responsible now wants Belle for himself. With Rome's ex determined to win him back and a new band of supervillains on the horizon, it will take all Belle's powers—plus a little help from her trusty empath sidekick—to save the day, salvage the wedding and prove that true love really does conquer all.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

TWICE AS HOT is the follow-up to PLAYING WITH FIRE, a novel that came out half a decade ago, but recently was re-released to be timed with this sequel.  The books tell about normal, average, everyday girl Belle Jamison after ingesting some chemical formula that messed with her insides, giving her the power over the four elements.

At the end of PLAYING WITH FIRE, Belle had it all—hot fiancee; decent paying job; friends she could count on; some control over her powers.  Sure, there were at least half a dozen bad guys (they knew about) coming after her, but she was alive and she was having hot sex; she was happy.  The beginning of TWICE AS HOT sort of sends her love life back to square one. 

In most other books I'd accuse the author of using a cheap play to keep the romantic tension going between Belle and Rome, but Showalter doesn't do that.  It does mess with Belle's emotions, and she is a wreck without Rome with her; but she becomes someone stronger because of it.  Other than a few indulgences in self-pity, Belle fights for her man, and proves to him—in his amnesiac state—that she an excellent agent.

Rome is amusing to read about.  It's a case of listen to what I say, not what I do for him, really.  He keeps saying 'I want nothing to do with you, I love Lexis'...and then can't keep his hands off of Belle.  He claims he doesn't care at all for Belle...then gets jealous if she flirts with his long time friend Cody.  Watching them re-build their relationship wasn't déjà vu we just witnessed in the last book, because in this one, they are on more equal footing. 

I admired Belle in this book far more than I did in the first book.  She doesn't cave in to her feelings of despair; she makes some clever moves and faces down against a tough enemy.  If Rome hadn't fallen in love with her all over again, I probably would have murdered him myself. 

Lexis, Rome's ex-wife, gets off easy, if you ask me.  Her part in what happens to Rome is despicable.  Her reasoning is sympathy inducing, but her methods are less than honorable.  Way less than honorable.  Rat-like even.  The addition of Elaine, who drains energy, and Jean-Luc, who steals memories to cast, aren't intrusive at all.  I felt bad for Jean-Luc, more so than Lexis, who did the right thing in the end even though it nearly killed him to do so.  Elaine was a sarcastic, angry pixie with spirit.  I loved her.

TWICE AS HOT was more than worth waiting for.  It's fun, it's amusing, and has hot sex. What more can you ask for?

Alexandra Cenni