Having come back home from his last tour of duty in Afghanistan only two weeks ago, Johnny Ramos is now just looking to stay out of trouble while waiting to be reassigned to General Grant's Special Defense Force team. Trouble finds him anyway, in the form of Esmee 'Easy Alex' Alden. Once the good girl who was class valedictorian and the object of bad boy Johnny's every high school desire, Esmee looks to have come a long way from the smartest girl he knew. Dressed in red lace and leather, the last thing Johnny ever thought Esmee would become was a hooker.

When her father's life is threatened by a vicious bookie he owes money to, Esmee's father turns to her for help. As a private investigator and art-recovery expert, Esmee has been in her fair share of scary situations, but this time she's going to need some help. The job was supposed to be easy: pose as a dominatrix, recover a stolen painting, return it for a fee and use the money to pay off her dad's bookie. Things start to go awry right about when her high school crush walks in and almost blows her cover. Right behind him are some very bad men who would love to get their hands on Esmee. Before she knows it, her carefully laid plans drastically change and Esmee's on the run with Johnny Ramos. As if being chased by ruthless killers isn't enough, things are starting to heat up between Esmee and Johnny, again, and this time, she knows exactly what she wants to do to the bad boy she's always dreamed about.

I have adored Tara Janzen's Steele Street/SDF series since I read the first book in the series, and this book is no exception. LOOSE AND EASY is a fast-paced, action packed thrill ride that will leave you catching your breath. Ms. Janzen seems to get better and better with each book. Esmee and Johnny are explosive together. The action builds as they race to get away from their pursuers while trying to keep their hands off each other at the same time. With constant drama, you'll never get bored in the middle of this story and the non-action will keep you riveted to the pages. The return of some old characters will make you nostalgic while the introduction of new ones will keep you engrossed in the series. I can't wait for the next book, which unfortunately won't be until spring 2009.

Book Summary

He's the bad boy she always wanted.

She's the good girl that got away.

He’d know her anywhere. Johnny Ramos had just come off a tour of duty in Afghanistan to find Esmee Alden trolling the mean streets of Denver in red lace and leather. The smartest girl he ever knew turning tricks? Not even close. Esmee’s in danger so deep, only Johnny can get her out—which is why the elite government operative is shadowing her every move. Esmee had everything planned down to the last detail: dressed in disguise, she’d recover a stolen painting and pay off her dad’s ruthless bookie. Until Johnny Ramos, her high school crush, blows into town and nearly blows her cover. Now Esmee, a P.I. and an art- recovery expert, has a mother lode of bad guys on her trail…including the one bad boy she always wanted: Johnny. But passion will have to wait. Because when bullets start flying, suddenly they’re on the run, playing it fast and loose—and heading straight into the line of fire.…