Levi Walsh, who recently bought into the Beaux Hommes
club, just noticed to his horror that someone is cooking
the books. And just as he is wondering what to do about
it, who should knock on his door but Senior Criminal
Investigator for the IRS, Ms. Harper Banks. Levi is also
the headlining exotic dancer at the club and he tries to
sweet-talk his way into Harper's good graces, but she's
very by-the-book; she seems immune to his considerable
charms. Harper suspects that the club is a front for tax
evasion and fraud, and Levi wants to find out what is
happening before Harper has a chance to look at the
books. Harper has personal reasons for being so efficient
at nabbing embezzlers, just as Levi is determined not to
have his club shut down, be ruined by the IRS, and have
everyone lose their jobs. Levi then suggests that Harper
visits the club to have a better idea of what goes on.
And Levi is dancing that night...
PULLED UNDER is such a wonderful surprise! I expected a
fun piece of fluff, given that the hero is a male
stripper, which I did find intriguing, but PULLED UNDER
has a lot of substance: Ms. Ireland weaves a captivating
and suspenseful story, featuring complex and very well
fleshed out characters, even down to the secondary ones.
Even though it is the third instalment in the
Pleasure before Business series, no one misses a
thing. PULLED UNDER is all about not judging a book by
its cover; it is also a delightful twist on role
reversals. PULLED UNDER is exceptionally well-written;
Ms. Ireland's prose is flawless, light and elegant, yet
eloquent.
Harper is a heroine who has a lot of bite, and Levi seems
very sure of himself without being arrogant. The
dialogues between Levi and some other male characters -
Daniel, Harper's IRS partner and Harper's father - ring
especially true. And who could forget the surprising and
very funny scene, when Harper first walks into Levi's
office! Both Levi and Harper make initial assumptions
towards the other, Ms. Ireland handles the issue very
cleverly, and they get to know each other better under
interesting circumstances. The romance is entirely
believable because even though they are attracted to each
other, it happens in a reasonable amount of time, and
when it does, the sex scenes are tasteful yet very
erotic. There is not a weak moment in PULLED UNDER; a
book that is not to be missed!
Just weeks ago, Levi Walsh became the proud part-owner of
Beaux Hommes, a bar featuring the sexiest exotic male
dancers in the city—including himself. But as Levi, a
financial whiz in his own right, goes over the books, he
realizes something is definitely not right. And then the
IRS
comes knocking on his door.
IRS investigator Harper Banks is determined not to notice
that Levi is hot, ripped and seriously sexy. Her job is to
investigate dirty businesses, not indulge in even dirtier
pleasures. But even as his skilled seduction melts her
rigid
self-control, Harper is certain of one thing: Levi is
lying
to her. Which means she'll have to strip him down - and
pull
him under!