By: Susan Smith Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Bold Strokes Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 218 Publication Date: August 12, 2008
Product Description: Jocelyn "Joey" Fellows is having a bad day.
At 24, she's a college dropout who just got savagely dumped by her ex, Psycho Barbie. Joey works as a waiter in a pretentious, er, upscale Buffalo restaurant, the Heritage Room, with her best friend Steve. Steve is a gorgeous serial dater, gay man candy. He's had enough of Joey crying in her beer over Psycho Barbie, and convinces her to get back on the horse. Joey is adamant that she doesn't want a relationship, as her first lasted four years and destroyed her: Psycho Barbie shredded her self-esteem, deflated her bank account, and pressured Joey to drop out of college and work in the restaurant full time to support her, all while cheating on her. Joey needs time to heal and find out who she is. Steve informs her that she can find herself and get laid.
After two bottles of red wine, Joey goes online and posts a personal ad on a dating site: Newbie seeking erotic adventures, good-hearted, would-be ethical slut with no experience seeks experience. No men, no cheating, no relationships. Just good clean sexual fun. Joey ends up going on quite a few adventures, and along the way discovers a joy in sexuality, a new sense of self, and a woman, Leela, who teaches her how to embrace life, lust, and laughter.
Disappointed Another erotic novel, although this one didn't need to be titled as such, the cover was a big giveaway (and a turn off). The reason I read it was that I adored, simply adored and loved and cherished, Susan Smith's previous novels, Of Drag Kings and the Wheel of Fate and Burning Dreams. They had such a rich, layered story tell, with a cast of characters so well developed and so worthy of having their story told and having it told well.
So maybe I came to this with expectations a tad high ;)
The main character is well-developed, a young lesbian searching for her (sexual) identity. Unfortunately, the other characers aren't and the story as a whole feels kind of flat. And the sex wasn't that sexy either, though I'm not sure why. It had all the elements of being hot, but wasn't.
It did provide a bit of entertainment to a sleepless night (stupid full moon) but really isn't memorable. Even a few appearances of the characters from the first two books won't make me keep it.
A tad uneven but ultimately satisfying I don't want my review to necessarily put any readers off from this book. This offering is definitely in the average to above-average range of the majority of enjoyable books out there, a high three stars, but my experience in reading it was an uneven one, and having really loved the author's Drag King duology, I had high hopes, and that may have also led to my disappointment.
At its best, this book portrays the sympathetic and likable character of Joey with art and feeling. Joey has good friends, and works hard, but is also still searching a bit for her own identity, having been left a bit tattered by her first, disastrous love affair. Her ex pops into the picture once or twice, and you just have to shudder in relief that Joey pretty much escaped her clutches. At her best this author displays a flair for language and metaphor that are a delight to read, and a curiosity about motivations and relationships that infuses Joey's search for herself.
At other times, this reader wonders what she's trying to say, or where she's trying to take her audience. Scenes seem kind of randomly inserted because they're good, but don't quite connect to the main thread of the story. The ending is very abrupt, and though happy, surrounded by rather sudden events that didn't quite fit with the rest of the tone. And through the novel I felt the author never adequately established or supported the erudite and well-educated manner her characters converse in, so occasionally it seems false, and at its worst pretentious, which bugs me a bit. It must be a fine line, because at times I couldn't feel more delight in the wanton and joyful way this author plays with language.
The sex is hot. The characters are interesting and sympathetic (or easily identified as the villains). The romance is sweet, and not just run-of-the-mill girl-meets-girl, but has some creativity and flair. Also, the love this author has for Buffalo really comes shining through, and adds additional depth to this story. It just could have used a little more structure.
Due to the cover (not ugly, just a little much) you can't read it in public, unless you cover it or have a very high threshold for embarrassment. Fortunately it's a fairly quick read most will probably blow through in an evening. It was defintely worth my time. And I will eagerly check out future works from this author.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
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