Single parent Elias Kohler’s worst nightmare has just come true - his three-year-old son, TJ, is missing from their new home and neither he nor his eight-year-old daughter, Jodie, have any idea where TJ is.  Before he can call the police, TJ is returned home by neighbor Cory Turner, who has enthralled both TJ and Elias with her beauty, kindness and smart-alecky personality.  Although charmed by energetic TJ, Cory is reluctant to act on her attraction to Elias and unwilling to upset a hostile (and likely jealous) Jodie.  Cory is not looking for a ready-made family, no matter how cute the bait. But she didn’t count on Elias’ sheer determination to break down her barriers.

The heat is on with these two and it couldn’t have happened to a better couple.  Cory is no pushover, but Elias sure knows how to push all of Cory’s buttons in the bedroom.  And Elias goes straight into alpha mode when Cory knowingly sasses him.  I just love it when that happens.  I really enjoyed how TJ and Jodie were portrayed as real kids, not just small adults, and their presence (and actions) led to several humorous events.  The Sweetest Taboo touches on several topics with a deft hand – interracial dating, single parenthood, and indirectly, drug abuse.  My only quibble is that the picture of Cory’s hair doesn’t match the description in the book, but other than that, this is one taboo I can get into.

Although not a direct book in the Redemption series, The Sweetest Taboo does contain characters from the series, namely Sammy from Steven’s Redemption.  Ms. Andrews and Ms. Matthews have written another fantastic story, and I hope they plan on writing a story for the eldest Turner sister, Nichelle.