I really liked Heath as a secondary character in the first book in Foster’s Wild Boys After Dark series as a caring older brother to Logan that stories male lead and a caring physician who treats Stella’s injuries. I was a bit shocked and disappointed at the Heath I met at the start of his book. As the story opens Heath is finger fucking our female lead Allyson Jenner (whom he just met in a bar at a medical conference in Vermont) to orgasm on an empty elevator on the way to Allyson’s room where they continue what they started. Heath goes all Christian Grey on Allyson by insisting on no strings, sharing nothing beyond first names and their bodies, and binding her hands with his tie (which she’s totally on board with) much like Christian told Anna, “he doesn’t make love, he fucks.” Beyond incredible sexual chemistry and a fondness for the same kink Ally and Heath share the same, “Get in, Get off and Get out” philosophy about sex. Although Ally does invite Heath to spend the night with her for more orgasms which because he’s afraid of clingy women who will want more of his time, he declines. This might sound strange coming from someone who has posted over one-hundred reviews of contemporary romances on Goodreads, where casual no strings sex is common place , but I’m not a fan of casual sex in real life or stories. I’m not a fan of characters who like these two, treat sex like it’s no more significant and intimate than a back massage. As Ally says, “she enjoys sex!. She occasionally hooks up with strangers for a one-night stand because sex relieves stress and rejuvenates her.” Well that and as we later find out both Heath and Ally have been cheated on in previous relationships so they’ve put up walls around their hearts so they won’t be hurt again. This is meant to justify their very casual sexual liaisons, but it really doesn’t for me. It’s also interesting that the way these two first met, causes both of them to have a modicum of mistrust over whether the other can remain faithful. Understandably because why would you trust somebody who is willing to fuck perfect strangers they meet in a bar? Fortunately, before we get too much further into the story, Foster redeems these two characters in my eyes. Like Christian with Anna, Heath discovers he can’t get Ally off his mind the next day and she has similar problems forgetting the guy who gave her multiple orgasms the night before. They find each other again at the hotel bar the next night, the last night of the conference for round two of bedroom gymnastics and it’s just as good as the first time. Heath tries to do is usual “walk away and don’t look back routine but can’t help himself from asking Ally for her phone number even though he still doesn’t know her last name, where she lives or what she does for a living. Ally who is equally as ignorant to any knowledge about Heath other than she now knows he’s a doctor and the best lover she’s ever had, gives him her number. I guess if its with the right person sex is more than just scratching an itch even for these two who are committed to not committing. Fortunately for both of them they discover later that they both live and work in New York City. They exchange flirty texts and have phone sex. Heath inexplicably finds Ally working in the lab at the hospital where he’s doing rounds. I really wish Melissa would have explained how in a city of nine million people Heath found out where Ally worked and what she did there considering at this point he still doesn’t know her last name or even if she works in NYC? Foster doesn’t imply that Heath just happened to see Ally while she was working on the hospital floor so how did he know where to find here? IMHO that’s a pretty big hole in the story to leave unfilled.
From the beginning this book very much follows the same pattern as the first book. I had to deduct a star because the stories are in many ways so similar. Like the first book the story opens with our couple having intense sex early on. Logan describes it to Heath as “Hate Sex” because both he and Stella were trying to work hate, (not for each other) out of their systems. Like his brother Logan before him who was also a non-relationship guy, Heath quickly falls for Ally and all of his rules about no strings fall away. He’s totally into Ally and can’t spend enough time with her. He doesn’t hold back communicating what he’s feeling for her and like Logan is infinitely patient with Ally as she drags her feet for reasons she’s not completely sure she herself understands. Like Stella in their book but for different reasons, Ally waffles back and forth about her feelings for Heath, willing to go out with him, have torrid sex with him and falling in love with him but trying to deny it to herself and slow their relationship down by refusing to allow him to spend the night with her. Unlike Logan and Stella’s story there’s no threat to Ally’s safety, just her heart if she allows herself to fall completely in love with Heath. Heath does his best to show Ally that their relationship, their connection isn’t just about the sex. In the end of course love wins out and Ally accepts and confesses her love for Heath and they live happily ever after. One small thing that bothered me in this book is that for an author who loves to bring back characters from previous books, Stella doesn’t make an appearance in this story. She gets mentioned but that’s about it. The reason I enjoy reading series so much more than standalones is the opportunity to see the characters from previous books again. IMHO it would have seemed natural for Ally to meet and become friends with Stella at some point since they’re dating brothers and eventually go to Sunday dinner at Mom Wild’s house every week. But nope, while we hear how in love Logan is with Stella, she never actually makes an appearance. I found that disappointing. The heroine is sexy as hell (which is always a plus for me) and the hero was a great guy who laid his heart bare for her. Just for the reasons I’ve articulated I found it a good book, but IMHO not great.