TELL ME YOU NEED ME by Joya Ryan is the first book in the Search and Seduce series. After two years of having a fiery, strictly sexual, affair of seeing each other sporadically, Gage McGraw is looking to add some depth to his relationship with Chloe Franklin. There are a lot of interesting dynamics to this story and this relationship, but I think Joya Ryan does a great job of tying everything together and making it work. Gage and Chloe find themselves at cross purposes when it comes to the direction they want to go with their relationship.

I love stories that have the hero in hot pursuit of the heroine, so I enjoyed Gage's determined pursuit of Chloe in TELL ME YOU NEED ME. I also really liked the unusual circumstance of it being the man who is looking for the deeper relationship with more commitment, while the woman is trying to keep things on a strictly physical level. Another thing that keeps TELL ME YOU NEED ME interesting for me, is the catch-22 aspect of Gage's intentions. He is completely sincere in his tender feelings for Chloe and his desire to expand on their current relationship, yet he wants to keep their relationship semi-long distance because of his search and rescue career. He's pursuing commitment while still trying to have his independence and not understanding why that is not fair to ask Chloe to accept.

Part of what makes TELL ME YOU NEED ME so great is the well-developed characters. In spite of the impracticality of his plan, Gage's genuine affection for Chloe and sincerity about wanting to be able to be always on call whenever people in danger need him, make him more than just another super sexy buff guy in camo gear. Likewise, Chloe's attachment to her mother and abandonment issues make her more than a woman running from commitment for reasons that are unknown to her. Both characters are engaging and easy to care about. The passion between Chloe and Gage is very visceral and erotic. The cover of TELL ME YOU NEED ME references a very specific and steamy scene involving rain and some down and dirty fun.

TELL ME YOU NEED ME combines earthy sexuality and character-driven, emotionally powerful storytelling. Joya Ryan keeps the heat level high, even as the relationship between Chloe and Gage evolves and they become more emotionally invested in each other. I hope to read more about Gage's friend East and Chloe's friend Natalie in the future. I look forward to reading another red-hot romance by Joya Ryan.