I had hopes for this book, it sounded great. But there was nothing there! The woman is a witch with a capitol B; the man is a sniveling wimp and the supporting characters need to be hit upside the head. This book is too raunchy and detached for a romance and not hot enough for an erotica novel.
I wonder if there was a book deadline due and the publishers were just too damn clueless to see this as bad.
Please give Emma Holly a try; just don't start with this book.

I loved this book. Many people have already wrote what this book is about so I won't get into that. All I have to say is this book was excellent also it was a pretty good thriller. I fell in love with David...he was such a sweetheart and romantic that my husband needs to take pointers! At times I hated Chloe for how she treated him although I understood her lack of trust and love issues, and she was the perfect witch but with a capital B! Near the end I just wanted everything to be perfect and they live happily ever after because they both deserved it. Sato's character had me crying. I felt so sorry for him, he loved David soooo much and David was oblivious to any affection he showed. The only thing I would have changed was I would have added a threesome between David, Sato, and Chloe, although that might have complicated things alittle but Sato deserved happiness and in the end I think he found it. IT was a perfect erotic romance, one I think men would also enjoy. Keep up the good job Emma!

In the Flesh
Emma Holly
Cheek, 2004, $12.95, 281 pp.
ISBN: 0352339039

After a successful announcement of acquiring a financially troubled Korean hardware firm, Japanese American David Imakita, CEO of the number one entertainment and gaming software in the world, heads to his car with his best friend and bodyguard Sato. However, they intercede in an incident between a couple; Sato restrains the male but the woman kicks her opponent in his treasured parts. When David tries to keep her from damaging her antagonist further, she goes wild after him; although receiving bruises he subdues her. Thus David meets cheeky Chloe Dubois, the model for his Laura Fleet software program.

Out of loyalty Sato worries for his boss because of how he seems smitten with Chloe. He has her investigated and learns that she has some nasty skeletons in her family closet. Still, Sato is unable to stop David from falling in love; to her shock the siren reciprocates her employer's feelings.

No one does erotic romance integrated into a solid contemporary love story better than Emma Holly as the sex scenes enhance the lead couple's relationship as opposed to being tossed in to shock readers. The glimpse into the software gaming world adds intrigue while the support cast especially Sato and her family to include her missing sister Mary Alice add depth to the enticing plot. Though some readers may feel disturbed by a homosexual encounter and the use of profanity (it is the most descriptive concise verb, noun, and adjective of the sexual act), sub-genre fans will appreciate submissive reading IN THE FLESH.

Harriet Klausner

I am a huge Emma Holly fan and I've looked forward to reading all of the books she wrote for Black Lace. Having read Menage, Cooking up a Storm and Velvet Glove, I couldn't wait to read In the Flesh. This novel started out great. I liked the story of a beautiful exotic dancer and her torturous past and the sweet and sexy Japanese-American businessman who wants to protect her... among other things. It had an amazing premise, and the erotic mind games that Chloe subjected David Imakita and his faithful servant to were second to none. I especially loved the scenes in which Chloe teased David without allowing him to get the release that he needed. Also, I enjoyed all of the Japanese culture references. But the story lost vitality after Chloe opens the erotic dinner theatre. I was not able to connect with the characters anymore. I didn't care about them as much as I did for the characters in her other books. And the sex scenes left me cold thereafter as well. I had looked forward to a man-woman-man encounter between Chloe, Sato and David, but that, too, was disappointing. This is my least favorite Emma Holly novel by a long shot. I am still a big fan of hers and I look forward to reading Top of Her Game, her last Black Lace book.