The Red Diary
By Toni Blake

    Twenty-seven year old Lauren Ash has been keeping her innermost desires and fantasies in a little red diary. Expecting that she'll never share this with anyone, imagine her surprise when she meets Nick Armstrong and he seems to connect with those desires and fantasies she'd been keeping a secret.

   Lauren lives in the beautiful area of Clearwater Beach, Florida. She is the daughter of a rich man who runs Ash Builders. Lauren is single and sick of the men she is meeting. Her best friend Carolyn, however, is not. Lauren resorts to writing in the diary all the things she wishes she could find in a man and the way she'd like to be treated. How could the man who has come to paint her house resemble the man she has been dreaming about?

   Nick has come to work at Lauren's house as a painter. Nick has his own secrets. Lauren has no idea that her family and Nick's have crossed paths many years before. Is Nick after revenge? Does he find a way to get it when he discovers Lauren's secret diary? When Nick begins to live out Lauren's secret desires with her, does she realize what's happening, or will Nick use her and break her heart in the end?

      This captivating story takes you on a little adventure and combines revenge along with sexual fantasies. Is Nick the man Lauren has been searching for? Is Lauren the woman Nick really wants, or does he just want to hurt her and her family? I enjoyed reading this story. While at first I thought it was going to be a bit too heavy on the sexual fantasy and not enough substance for a story, I was pleasantly surprised to find an interesting tale begin to weave along and capture my attention.