Rating: 3.5 / 5Before reading this one, I heard that a lot of people liked it less than the previous book, Bound and Determined, but for me, I found them to be fairly equal. Both were decent books...above average, probably, but didn't entirely capture me.Summary:In the previous book, Mark Sullivan is a mostly absent character who is in jail, suspected of embezzlement. His sister works to prove he is innocent and in the process discovers Mark's wife had set him up to take the fall for her actions. Mark was freed but his life was not the same after. He lost all faith in relationships, women, and his ability to see a woman for who she really is. He quit his job and took one from his brother-in-law as a CPA and financial investigator.Now he's been offered a chance to investigate the Mafia connection behind his now ex-wife's actions. He's been asked to free lance for the FBI by going undercover at a male strip club in Las Vegas that the authorities suspect is being used for money laundering. The FBI doesn't think the owner, Nicki DiStefano, is involved but they don't know for sure. Mark's job is to secretly look into the club's finances and to investigate those around the club, including Nicki.But from the moment he meets her, Mark can't resist her. They begin a sizzling affair despite Mark's growing belief that Nicki is involved in the money laundering. Only he doesn't know if it's his past affecting his opinion or if his investigative conclusions are correct. He's torn between his feelings and the past and his indecision may cost Nicki her life. And even if he manages to save her, he may not get his to forgive him.Review:I thought this book had a very similar feel to Bound and Determined in the sense that both are about a man and a woman who get involved thinking it's just a sex thing - a casual fling. And in both the people involved end up developing feelings for the other person but fight it. And in each at least one of the characters is reluctant to enter a relationship because of their past.So the books had a similar feel...it didn't feel like I was reading the same thing. The books were unique enough, but the vibe was similar. Which is probably why I ended up liking the books about the same amount.Like some other reviewers, I did find Mark a bit frustrating...not as much as some other readers did, but enough that it got annoying now and then. He's so up and down about Nicki...he likes her, wants her, then thinks she's guilty, pulls away, regrets it, goes back, etc etc. He's just very, very, very affected by what his ex-wife did to him and it colors his every action regarding Nicki. And it did get a bit old as I was reading. But it didn't totally frustrate me.What kept me from loving this book, and the previous one as well, is the sort of lack of action. I don't necessarily mean action as in suspense and all that, but action in general. It seems like there's a lot of space spent on character introspection. A lot of paragraphs with what the character's feeling, thinking, wanting, etc and I just wanted some more scenes of things actually going on. Couple that with all the sex and the book gets kinda one-dimensional (or if you're a math geek - 2-dimensional). I think I would have liked the books a lot more if there were fewer bulky, long paragraphs and more action.Still, not a bad set of books. I liked them enough and don't feel like I wasted my money. I am a little disappointed that there is apparently no book for Nicki's sister, Lucia, and Blade. There was something interesting going on there and I was really hoping there was a book for them but I haven't found one. Bummer.WARNING, this book contains: moderate to very explicit sex and language, light bondage, toys, a little ass play and that's about all, I think
This is a very good whodunit without a murder. The theme is learning to trust. Mark was introduced in Bound and Determined to which this is the sequel. I feel one should read the two of them one after the other, although this also works well as a stand-alone. This book appears to be set roughly a year after the action in the first story. My edition lists the author as "Shayla Black writing as Shelley Bradley."Nicki is a nightclub owner seemingly unaware that someone in her club is using the operation to launder money for the mob. Accountant Mark is working undercover as a male exotic dancer (with stage fright, no less) to find out whether she is the guilty party or not. The guilty party has been setting her up to take the fall. Mark's motivation is that the unknown guilty party is probably the same one who helped his (currently ex-) wife set him up to take the fall for a crime in Bound and Determined. Naturally, this has made him suspicious of any woman's motives and honesty. His parents' early deaths also tend to make him unwilling to commit in a relationship.I liked that Mark's previous experiences and analytic nature prevented the character from making the error of "I've fallen for her so she must be innocent." He cites his tendency to fall for evil women like his ex. The fact that Nicki is not evil and Mark is uncertain causes some misunderstandings that serve to forward the action and strain the relationship. This is excellent plotting.We are given a lot more of Mark's thinking and feelings than Nicki's. She is portrayed as a class A bee-yotch when running her club. The biggest weakness of this book is that, rather than having incidents illustrate and reveal this part of her character, the author just has people say it about her. She is described rather than the reader coming to know her. (This is the same thing I did not like about Jane Austen's writing.) The contrast between Nicki's dominant personality outside of the bedroom and the sexual submission Mark inspires in her would have been much more powerful had Bradley fixed the problem.As to the sex scenes, hot hot hot hot hot! This story straddles the line between steamy romance and erotic romance. The sex scenes actually serve to forward the plot and to illustrate theme and characterization, so whichever side of the line one feels the book falls upon matter less than the fact that few authors in the romance genre can say the same of their sex scenes. Well done, Ms. Shelley Bradley/Shayla Black or whatever you name really is (copyright shows an LLC).Many of the secondary characters are not very well drawn. That did not affect the story, but it might have been better had they been. (Too bad, so sad, and all that.)As to the crime being solved, I like that the reader is sometimes left in doubt as to whether Nicki is guilty or innocent. The climactic scene of the whodunit seemed a bit contrived to me, but it served to create a rift in the relationship that seemed insurmountable. The later climactic scene of the relationship seemed very real, so I did not mind at all. Definitely worth re-reading.
What do You think about Strip Search (2013)?
Author Shelley Bradley aka author Shayla Black (Wicked Ties, Decadent - erotica)Book spine says "Romantic Suspense" -- but imo it's more accurately "Erotic Suspense"!Wow, can this woman write scorching *hot* steamy sex scenes!!! Lora Leigh (much as I love her) has nothin' on Shelley/Shayla!"The Feds want to nail a Mafia kingpin, so they plan a trap. Enter Mark Sullivan, CPA/financial investigator, who'll go undercover as a male stripper in the mobster's Vegas club.The perk? Nicola DiSteafano, the club owner and mobster's niece. Mark and Nikki have a sizling sexual chemistry, and each have their share of secrets and motives ... with the mob closing in, what gets exposed is irresistible and dangerous!"Bound and Determined, an earlier book by Shelley Bradley, features characters who appear in Strip Search as supporting characters. I'll *so* be reading that one, real soon!You may want to keep a fire extinguisher close by as you read this ;-)www.shelleybradley.com
—Ladiibbug
STRIP SEARCH by Shayla BlackThis was one hot-tastic story.The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story. If the feds want to nail a thug with ties to the Mafia, they need a slick trap to catch him. Enter Mark Sullivan, who’s totally built for the job—to go undercover as a male stripper in the Vegas club where the mobsters works. The perk? The club’s owner. Sure, she’s got some unsavory connections, but how can anyone with those legs be all bad?When it comes to business, Nicola DiStefano’s a pro. As for pleasure, she’s been out of commission too long to care. If anyone can strip her of her inhibitions it’s the new guy who’s stirring her wildest G-string fantasies. But Mark and Nicki have more in common than sizzling sexual chemistry. They each have their share of secrets and motives, and with the mob closing in, what gets exposed is as irresistible as it is dangerous.
—Adriana
I just finished this book tonight and I am already sad. I hate when a great story comes to an end. I always find myself invested in the characters and I love when their stories continue so I can feel like they are still a part of my world. Sad, I know, but true.Shayla Black does a great job in continuing the stories of her characters. In Strip Search she continues the story of Kerry and Rafe from Bound and Determined but in Strip Search she focuses on Kerry’s brother, Mark. Mark is bruised from his ex-wife’s betrayal and out for revenge. He goes undercover as an exotic dancer at a club owned by Nicki DiStefano. His physical reactions to her begin at the mere glance of her picture and burst out of control when he finally gets his hands on her. Once again Shayla Black wrote an amazing love story that she interlaced with a little mystery and suspense. She remains one of my favorite authors in this genre for that very reason and I can’t wait to read another one of her books.
—Kitty Berry
