Blurb:
Book one in the Tales from Rainbow Alley Series

A good car thief needs sixty seconds, but grand theft heart might take even less time than that.

Freedom and trust; opposite sides of the same coin that could give expert car thief, Marky, the win he’s looking for. Little does he know escaping his gang ties will lead him through heartbreak and into cuffs he hadn’t even thought to watch out for.

Now he can trust the powerful man who wants to help, or he can keep running. It all depends on how much he values his freedom, and whether or not Roland has managed the impossible; hijacking Marky’s carefully guarded heart.

Publisher’s Note: This story has been previously released as part of the Stealing My Heart anthology by Total-E-Bound

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review:

Hotwired Heart is a quick, enjoyable short story from Jaime Samms. I’ve been a longtime fan of Samms writing and consider her one of the most underappreciated great writers in this genre. Her skill with a short story is really quite impressive and this is a good example. The short is well written with enough character development and sex to satisfy but not overwhelm. There is an interesting story offered with a good ending that I really wish hadn’t been marred by the numerous editing mistakes of misspelled words, erroneously added words, and the like. If those won’t bother you, consider giving this fun short a chance.

The story starts with Marky, a gang member and car thief trying to get out of the life. He’s stealing his last car with his ex-boyfriend and hoping that the two will be able to get out of the gang with this last feat. Unfortunately everything goes wrong leaving Marky on the run and his ex-boyfriend dead. A twist of fate and bit of luck sends Marky into a nearby BDSM club and into the arms of its wealthy, gorgeous owner Roland. Roland wants to help but Marky needs to stand on his own in this fight.

The plot reads very similar to classic rags to riches themes. Marky is a penniless ex-gang member trying to go straight and Roland is a wealthy, kinky club owner who happens to fall in lust at first sight with Marky. Roland is willing to whisk Marky away from the gutter and give him everything he’s ever wanted. Thankfully the characters are developed enough and Marky has enough quirky spunk to not take this easy out and thus the story is far more interesting. Marky is an interesting young man in his confusion and growing independence. He doesn’t necessarily want the easy out and he’s stubborn, fearful, arrogant, and kind. He finally finds a good partnership with Roland and they fit well together.

The romance is a nice element and although there is a hint of BDSM with Marky often lightly bound, this is more for the symbolism of the emotions involved than any heavy kink. Roland is slightly too good to be true with his near instant love for Marky but the events that unfold do allow for a dramatic declaration and heightened feelings so while I’m no fan of instant love, I think the writing did a commendable job in selling why it could happen with this couple.

The writing is engaging and easy. There’s a warmth and charm to the prose that keep you reading and interested in what’s going to happen. The story is very good at showing action instead of telling and offering a few secondary characters that peak your interest without stealing the attention. These make for a nicely filled out, well rounded story that satisfies with the shorter length. I would have enjoyed this short more if there weren’t so many errors and I think Samms’ writing deserves a much more careful screening as these mistakes are often distracting and obvious.

That aside I think this fun and entertaining story may please a lot of fans and hopefully those new to this author will check out her great backlist. It’s definitely worthwhile.