A quick easy read about a married couple making some changes ( )

4.5 Stars. Forbidden Fantasies is an engaging read that has appealing characters, a great deal of depth and a unique storyline. Jodie Griffin beautifully explores how erotic romance can be used to spice up a predictable sex life. To read my review in its entirety, please http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/03/05/forbidden-fantasies/ ( )

Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

I really like stories where the main couple has an established relationship. Most of the time we get books about couples meeting and falling in love but it’s not often that we actually get a story about what happens after the happily ever after, so when I saw that this novella was about a married couple I couldn’t wait to read it.

Jessica has been happily married to Alex for over 15 years. They have two kids and their relationship is just plain great. But one day Jessica discovers an erotic romance and things change. She comes from a very conservative background so things like BDSM and fantasies are unfamiliar to her, what surprises her is that not only does she enjoy the book a lot but also starts fantasizing about doing the things she reads. As consequence their sex life improves because she feels invigorated, but she also feels guilty about it because having those fantasies, some of them involving threesomes and people watching, feel like cheating to her. So she keeps quiet, has great sex and feels guilty afterwards.


Alex, on the other hand, becomes more and more aware of his wife’s estrange behavior. She’s unstoppable in bed but then withdraws, he keeps asking her what’s wrong but she doesn’t say anything, so he begins to fear that she is cheating on him. But when he finally confronts her, he realizes that this may open new possibilities for their relationship. And that’s when things get interesting.

This novella basically has two parts. The first one where Jessica worries about the fantasies and Alex worries about the cheating, and the second one where she comes clean and they take it from there. I was a bit annoyed by Jessica’s insecurities and her unwillingness to trust Alex. They had been married for all those years and at that point she should have known that communication was key. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of trust, she was shy and sheltered but fifteen years is a long time to overcome that and to learn to trust your partner. However, this was pretty much the only thing that I found mildly annoying, the rest I thoroughly enjoyed.

Alex was a sweetheart and his reaction to Jessica’s confession made me fall for him. Jessica was likeable, insecurities and all, and they were a nice couple with lots of chemistry. My favorite part was to have an established couple as the main characters. I wish romance had more couples like this one because it allows us to explore different types of conflicts.

It is an erotic novel so there’s hot sex, nothing over the top and all very vanilla, but it fit the sweet overtones of the story. I liked the fact that the sex came later in the story which gave me time to get to know the characters first.

Forbidden Fantasies is a sexy and cute novella, perfect to read in one sitting. It has a lovely romance, a few steamy sex scenes and two likeable main characters. Recommended to fans of contemporary romance, and to people who might be testing the waters of erotic romance, this was mild compared to other erotic romances so I think it’s a good place to start. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Griffin.

Grade: 3.5

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes. ( )

Why I read it: I picked this new release from Carina Press up at NetGalley and the blurb looked interesting. I do love books featuring established couples dealing with a conflict.What it's about: (from Goodreads) After fifteen years of marriage, Jessica Meyers's sex life is, well, a little predictable. Her handsome husband turns her on, but missionary style once or twice a week? It just can't compare to the hot new world she discovers in the pages of erotic romances. Her fantasies fuel the fire of her desire, adding a new spark to her and Alex's lovemaking. But Jess is afraid to tell her husband what she really wants in bed—and her secrets start coming between them.State trooper Alex Meyers is a master at uncovering the truth—except when it comes to his sweet, shy wife. She's clearly keeping something from him. An affair? She wants out? When he finally confronts Jess, he's shocked to learn she wants to turn her forbidden fantasies into nightly realities. But when he takes her to a unique B and B—Bondage and Breakfast—catering to couples and multiples, Alex is about to find out just how far he'll go.What worked for me (and what didn't): This is a little gem of a book. It's short, just under 85 pages, but Ms. Griffin managed to tell a complete story in that space, in a way that I found very engaging. I've often thought it is harder to write short than long (this from a person who can't shut up!). Some of the things that make it easier to tell a whole story in that time is to have an established couple (check) and to keep the story relatively simple (ie, not multiple conflicts/storylines) (check again). Sometimes, a story like that can be boring however. This one was not. Not at all. The first paragraph was a bit clunky in that it gave the impression that Jessica and Alex had had a fight - but actually, the problem was more that they had NOT had a fight (or a discussion) about the sexual fantasies Jessica wanted to explore. She felt horny and guilty but embarrassed and unable to talk to Alex about it for fear he would think she was "dirty" and that it might threaten the otherwise happy status quo of their 15 year marriage. She has too much invested to rock the boat. Alex, for his part, has been trying to get Jessica to talk to him - he's noticed how much more interested in sex Jessica is (and he's pretty happy about that) but she is withdrawing from him emotionally after sex and this has him very concerned. However, I'm pleased to say that once that first paragraph or 2 was done, the book definitely picked up and the story hit its stride. It's simple, it doesn't try to be more than it is and it is definitely sexy. Unlike another book I read recently which was full of sex scenes which appeared to be there only to titillate, in this book, the sex scenes had a purpose. The demonstrated the connection between the couple and served to gradually resolve the "conflict" of the book - whether Alex could "cope" with Jessica's newly discovered sexual fantasies. The sex scenes were plentiful and well written. Oh, there were a couple of things that I raised my eyebrows about in that they didn't altogether fit with Jessica's previous reticence in the sexual arena and her reluctance to talk to Alex about it but the rest of it was so good I was happy enough to go along for the ride. I'm not usually a fan of the not talking type story, but it made sense in the context of this book. For a start, normal life meant that sex wasn't on this couple's mind 24/7 - Alex is a cop and he's very busy and often gets called out at all hours on cases etc. Plus, Alex and Jess have 2 children which keeps them busy anyway. The other thing is that Jess is presented as having been very sexually inexperienced and raised in a puritanical household - it made sense to me that she would need some time to sort out what she wanted in her own head before broaching it with her husband. And, finally, the book starts with Jessica finally being ready to talk to Alex about it so I didn't have to suffer through the "will I/won't I" part and I got almost straight to the "let's deal with it" part (which is always more interesting).If you like a hot little m/f read - I think you might like this one.What else? I believe Forbidden Fantasies is the author's debut release. I'm looking forward to reading more from her.Grade: B ( )