When you want to read about a controversial relationship, look no further than books by Cydney Rax. So far her writing arsenal is chock full of daring, scandalous affairs that make readers balk at the mere concept of such relationships. Her debut, My Daughter’s Boyfriend, proved dynamic and edgy in its exploration of a woman’s by-chance pursuit of her daughter’s boyfriend—clearly a cougar to the nth level. Her next title was My Husband’s Girlfriend, followed by My Best Friend and My Man.

With My Sister's Ex, Rax’s fourth novel, she delves into more of the same talk-show topic drama. This time it’s a sister’s newfound love for her half-sister’s ex-boyfriend. Although the two sisters—Marlene Draper and Rachel Merrell—do not have the same mother, their father insisted that they grow up together and love one another. The two built a relationship, and as adults they live together as roommates. When Marlene does the unthinkable and begins dating Jeffrey Williams, the man Rachel couldn’t bring herself to marry and ultimately broke up with, all hell breaks loose.

Marlene is so happy in love she doesn’t know what to do. But Rachel is so angry at her sister’s betrayal she’s ready to fight - literally. At the apex of this crazy love triangle is Jeff, who shows genuine admiration for Marlene but seems to be holding on to feelings for Rachel and still carries around the engagement ring.

So what is his agenda? How could he date sisters who are also roommates? Does he even know what love is? Readers will plug away at this book just to find out what Jeff is up to and whether or not the relationship between two sisters can be repaired.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Rax’s debut novel because it was believable and well-written, My Sister's Ex doesn’t deliver the same drama, intensity and emotion. The pacing is very slow and some twists seem to have been thrown in for drama’s sake but don’t have the intended impact. As a reader I wanted more from the characters. While the ending was a surprise, it wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped.

Although I was a bit disappointed with this offering, it won’t stop me from reading Rax again. It’s often hard for an author to surpass the success of a debut, but with Rax, I think the best is yet to come.