Some of the side characters also appear in this first book and we begin to discover the awful past which is Eve's driving force. When a senator's daughter is killed, the secret life of prostitution she'd been leading is revealed. The characterization, interactions, feel to the developing relationship, and writing felt the same, but the focus wasn't on the romance. But New York City Detective Eve Dallas knows that the irresistible impulses of the human heart are still ruled by just one thing-passion.

I do think that it was a bit too insta-lovey on Roarke's part and I was surprised when he said the he was in love with Eve. I won't say more except this is a favorite book of mine in its genre-- and there are many many more books about this heroic policewoman that will delight you. But Eve, she was amazing tough, (considering her past) independent who took her detective job as the most important thing in her life. There are six books in the series so far, with the seventh, Holiday In Death, coming out next month.Solid, incredibly intelligent, bad-ass cop who fights for justice, because of the shit she’s faced in her past. I think that it helped that the underlying aspects were so dark that I didn't think the story would go there. And all the flattering Roarke talk is totally justified because he's such a mysteriously delicious, sexy alpha hero! Eve is the one woman who can change Roarke's playboy emotional detachment, and the fact that she has no intention of doing so only makes it more plausible.

I say particularly b/c pretty much everyone finds the notion upsetting, but as far as this kind of thing goes, it's not too bad. I like that he pushed and she pulled it wasn’t anything frustrating or OTT I say it was just right for their personalities. Death was caused by a handgun, now a thing of the past, and both method and motive seem decidedly twentieth century.

Mystery-solving, some world-building (in this case, futuristic instead of paranormal) - it all is only background noise. ALSO, if you're into audiobooks, definitely, definitely worth a try, especially if you can pick them up from your library, and I'd imagine most would have them considering how popular and long-running this series is.