Lights Out by Ann Campbell

Story: 8

Presentation: 7.5

Total: 15.5

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Erotic

To Purchase

Blurb: Spending time with your best friend makes life on the mountain perfect. But when your best friend is the man who stars every night in her most erotic fantasy--and has a girlfriend--what’s a girl to do? Forced to spend the night alone with Caleb and trapped by a snow storm, Payton finds herself yearning to do much more than talk to pass the long hours. Caleb has spent the past four years harboring secret fantasies about Payton. When the lights suddenly go out and they find themselves surrounded by candles, will they realize they could be more than just friends?

Review: Ms. Campbell has written a refreshing short story that delivers on the classic friends to lovers storyline. What sets Lights Out apart is the author’s attention to detail. The scene is set, the characters--their desires and the torment of knowing they can’t have what they want is brilliantly crafted. Once the lights go out, the story heats up. The sex is hot, but what brings the encounter to life is the emotional connection between Caleb and Payton. And while I wished there was less setup and backstory in the beginning, the end was charming and left me smiling.