In Ruins

In Ruins
Amanda Jean Kelly
Phaze
ISBN: 1-59426-497-X
Fiction, Erotic Romance
Reviewed by Dave Thompson

A pair of archaeologists are trapped in a cave-in on the final night of a dig in the hills of Belize- Raul, a hard-swearing fanatic, who has sunk his entire life’s savings into what now looks like a suicide mission, and Theresa, an ambitious woman with a vague Indiana Jones fixation.
It really isn’t an ideal situation, all the more so since both are so headstrong that their entire relationship seems to be built around abusing one another. But, when the last lights go out, there’s still a spark between them, and this most unusually paced erotic thriller can finally kick into high gear.
Author Kelly’s writing is as sharply-honed as Raul is rough. Indeed, sometimes, the story feels too tailored, as though every sentence has been imbibed with a portentousness that it doesn’t necessarily require. But the wordiness works; you can feel the darkness, taste the cold and, when the flashlight strays over the river bed, and Raul catches sight of what lies there, his excitement is palpable.
If it’s no-holds-barred brute force sexuality you’re looking for, the well-mannered In Ruins probably won’t light your candle. As a study of one of the more extreme situations in which such an encounter can take place, however, it’s a dramatic, successful and, again, an unusual tale.