Samhain Publishing, $3.50, ISBN 978-1-60504-474-3
Contemporary Erotica, 2009

Carson Scott was the king of one night stands, at least until his friend decides to hitched and he starts wondering whether he still wanted to go boinking random women. Still, that doesn’t mean he will stop himself from having a hot shag with some woman he meets at the bachelor party of his friend. And she swallows, too. Carson’s in love. It is a good thing, therefore, that he gets to meet Holly Lawson again when she shows up as a hot waitress at the wedding. But Holly is too busy playing the doormat to her family, so will she come to her senses in time to enjoy her time with Carson or will she experience a nervous breakdown first?

Heat of Passion is a readable short story and Carson makes an attractive fellow to rely on even if I find his quick transformation from rutting cow to Mr Dependable Boyfriend a little too abrupt to be believable. I never knew a threesome with a friend and this friend’s future wife can be so effective in curing a man of his randy tomcat antics. Perhaps this friend has a bigger penis and that sobers up Carson, eh? At any rate, he may not be a believable reformed former male slut but he makes a pretty nice hero here.

Holly, on the other hand… well, let’s just say that while I’m glad she develops a spine by the end to tell her family no, her coming to her senses is the plot here, and heavy-handed one at that. It is as if Ms Kennedy has used sex scenes as a lure to get readers to read her very important moral message here: just say no to people who believe you to be their doormat.

No matter, for a short story, this a quick and readable one, which makes it more than adequate as a nibble-sized appetizer if you’re in the mood for such a thing.