By Her Touch

Starred review from March 20, 2017
Anders returns to the town of Blackwood, Va., in this gripping, emotionally satisfying second Black Canvas contemporary (after Under Her Skin). After infiltrating and exposing the Sultans, a vicious biker gang that killed his sister, undercover cop Clay Navarro just wants to stay alive long enough to testify in trial, but the tattoos covering his face and body—especially the one that says “DEAD MAN”—make hiding difficult. Recognizing a fellow wounded soul, dermatologist Georgette Hadley, still mourning her late husband, offers tattoo removal off the books and after hours, no questions asked. Sparks begin to fly as soon as skin contact begins, testing George’s professional boundaries and fanning Clay’s fears that both his untreated PTSD and the gang members hunting him down put George’s safety in jeopardy if they indulge their growing passion. Once again, the town’s citizens, particularly the astute and kindly Sheriff Mullen, begin to gently break down the walls around two compelling and deserving lovers, drawing them into the community and giving them the courage to risk their hearts.

March 15, 2017
Anders continues her Blank Canvas series, following Under Her Skin (2017). Clay Navarro is hiding in a small town in Virginia until he has to testify against the Sultans, a vicious motorcycle gang in Baltimore, where he has been an undercover ATF agent for months. He was almost killed there, and he has serious PTSD as well as tattoos, mementos of all the violence he saw and had to be part of to maintain his cover. When he goes to Dr. Georgette Hadley for tattoo removal, he finds himself drawn to her and to her soothing touch. She, in turn, understands intuitively that the seeming hardened yet damaged man seeking her help is good, and they slowly fall for each other until the Sultans arrive, seeking revenge. Anders has created wonderful variations on the beauty and the beast theme and the damsel-in-distress trope, a greatly tormented hero, and a powerful mix of menace and romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)