Katrina Spencer, has a bit of a wild side but is always the light of her family’s eye. Five days before her wedding to the son of her father’s best friend, Katrina seeks solace on the private island the family owns for a few days before saying I Do.  Lazing on the beach, topless, and contemplating the years ahead, Katrina’s musings are shattered by a half-naked, muscular, tall drink of water that washes up on her beach.

FBI agent, on the run from the thugs after him, and the one man who Katrina wanted more than anything when she was younger, Brock Denton shatters her world. She hasn’t seen Brock since her eighteenth birthday and can’t believe that of all the men in the world, he’d have to be the one to land on her island.  Upon learning of the danger surrounding Brock, it’s just another layer in the turmoil her life suddenly becomes.

How will Katrina resist Brock, the man she wanted to take her virginity years ago, for five days…and nights!?  Will Katrina return home to marry the man she doesn’t really love? Will Brock finally lay claim to the offer that was once made to him years ago?  Perhaps it’s best if whatever happens on the island…stays on the island…

Swept Away by Toni Blake is an aptly named title for this story. Katrina and Brock are explosive and it's a story you just can't put down! From the memories depicted throughout the story – Katrina at age eighteen and Brock at twenty-two – the chemistry was there then, and even more when they meet again.  Within this story, Ms. Blake sweeps her reader away with danger, intrigue, memories, powerful chemistry and ultimately friendship between the characters, as well as a smooth flowing story that is superbly written.

I’m a huge fan of unrequited love stories; in fact, I think there’s nothing better. Ms. Blake delivers everything I love in these kinds of stories. Ultimately the thing that works best for unrequited stories is the connection between the characters. In Swept Away, from beginning to end, the reader feels that connection and it never falters. Brock and Katrina have this great connection that makes the story soar. Yes, they have the past to work through and the future is uncertain, but they have a friendship as well that grows in the story – albeit with a few bumps in the road – but the connection is strong. I can't help but wonder what will happen with Bruno, Brock’s brother. Though he doesn’t have a sterling past, there was something about him that struck a chord upon meeting him -- people can change, so perhaps we'll see Bruno again.  And let’s not forget Katrina’s best friend, Nina --- perhaps a story with Nina and Bruno in the future…?  The characters are memorable and a reader wants more – obviously – of Ms. Blake’s stories like Swept Away after completing this one.

Swept Away is steamy, mouth-watering, fun, character-driven and a true page-turner.  A recipient of The Road to Romance’s Reviewers Choice Award, this one-sitting read, will leave you breathless. Take the wild ride with Toni Blake and be swept away.

Reviewed by Tracey West for The Road to Romance

June 26, 2006