Masked Innocence by Alessandra Torre
You’re invited…
What: Masked Innocence
When: This Friday, 10 p.m. ‘til dawn
Where: The Franklin Estate, Irongate
Attire: Masked Sexy
Consideration: $5,000/couple
We welcome you to our quarterly party. The theme is Masked Innocence. Please dress accordingly. As always, we must have your current credentials on file. Party rules are standard but are listed below for your reminder. We look forward to your presence.
Ladies make the rules.
No means no.
Men cannot approach women.
Proper credentials and protection required.
This invitation may seem shocking to you, but elaborate sex parties are just a day in the life of Julia Campbell and Brad De Luca. Alessandra Torre is back with the follow-up to her debut novel Blindfolded Innocence. Her new release, Masked Innocence, finds our favorite characters—law intern Julia Campbell and hotshot lawyer Brad De Luca—still together and ready for more sexual exploration. The couple just changed their relationship status to “official” but that doesn’t mean that their sex life has fizzled.
It may be hard to imagine that Torre could top her last book after the hot and steamy threesome in Blindfolded Innocence but she weaves together the story—full of sex, murder and scandal—with skill and ease. Masked Innocence provides plenty of hot and heavy scenes (we can’t forget the threesome between Julia, Brad and a beautiful blonde Russian woman) but we also see the development of Julia’s character as she becomes closer to Brad and starts to think about him in more complex terms:
“God I was in trouble. In more ways than I could count. I didn’t know what I would become if I stayed with him, to what further depths I would plunge inescapably into, a slave to his sexual drugs. And I didn’t know what I would become if we parted, and how I would ever again find sexual satisfaction without the man.”
Just as soon as the two lovers begin their descent into full sexual awareness, a murder occurs and all signs point to Brad. Torre constantly surprises her readers with her intensely vivid descriptions—take this depiction of the murder scene:
“His body was facedown on the plush cream carpet, a pool of blood surrounding his head and torso. He had been shot twice, twin holes of death marring an otherwise average body.”
Torre has truly pulled off an erotica novel full of very believable suspense. The plot is perfectly paced and Julia and Brad are likeable, well-formed characters who easily draw you into their life of passion. Things become complicated for both Julia and Brad when the murdered man turns out to be Julia’s boss, Kent Broward. It just so happens that Kent and Brad were also on bad terms. Just before his death, Brad has a heated conversation with Kent concerning Kent’s illegal dealings with the Magiano mob. Accusations against Brad start to swirl as he is embroiled in the murder investigation.
Once Julia is questioned by the police and admits to hearing a scandalous conversation between Kent and the Magiano mob, her life also becomes entwined in this messy murder case. When Julia’s life is in danger, Brad swoops in to protect her at all costs. By the time Julia realizes that Brad is more connected with the Magianos than she thought, she is in too deep. Will Brad end up as Mr. Nice Guy with a penchant for wild sex and save Julia from harm, or is he just a crooked lawyer who had her blinded by his charms from the beginning?