Divorced and underpaid, Charly Stephens works a 9-5 job that allows her to continue the freelance writing she enjoys. Wanting to make a little more than what is currently offered for her regular pieces, Charly decides to write erotica. Her inspiration for this venture is her new neighbor, whose bathroom window happens to face her home office. Unaware that Charly sees him at night, Mr. Long Dong Hunk brings her to heights that her ex-husband never could. But Charly is shocked beyond belief when she literally runs into her “muse” at work. Turns out Ryan Holt is a recent hire at her company and has offered to help her with her writing after he reads her scribbles in a notebook she left behind after their run-in. With equal parts eagerness and suspicion, Charly accepts his help but wonders what she has gotten into.

It turns out that Charly is Awakened to a lot more than she realized. As someone who had an unsatisfactory sex life as a married woman, Charly definitely makes up for lost time. The cover depicts two men and one woman; it happens, but I can’t reveal any more for fear of spoiling the story. 

Awakened is told from Charly’s perspective, so I understood her fears, desires and concerns. But I didn’t get much insight into Ryan and, as a result, I couldn’t comprehend the evolution of his feelings for Charly or the speed with which everything happens. I wish Ms. Zant had spent a little more time providing more background on this. I also wish a little more time were spent on editing. Some odd homophones popped up from time to time, which were distracting. Overall, Awakened is a good read and if you’re a fan of Ms. Zant, you will enjoy this one as well.