Title: Inhibitions
Author: Anne James
Genre: Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: May 28, 2014 by Ellora’s Cave
Rejected by the Ton, Olivia lives a quiet life in the English countryside, hiding from painful memories and cruel judgments in her past. What she doesn’t expect is the lusty activities of her maid, who does much more than help her lady undress. Olivia never knew being with another woman could be so fulfilling. As Olivia is learning about this new side of herself, she receives an unexpected visit from an old friend who challenges her to explore even more.Jason has been in love with Olivia for years. Tired of her hiding, he vows to win the love of the beautiful woman. To help him, he enlists the aid of four friends who want to introduce Olivia to their lustful way of life.
Having multiple partners, both men and women, was not something Olivia would have ever thought of but the group helps her move past her inhibitions and discover pleasures she never dreamed existed.
Inside Scoop: Whether they’re making love outdoors or getting naughty in the library, these six lovers pull out all the stops when it comes to loving each other.
Reviewed By: Babs
Why I Read This Book: I was curious how the author would handle the setup described in the blurb.
In a Nutshell: I have issues with this one. The steamy sex scenes are good.
The Set Up: Olivia is a young miss isolated in the country who begins sexual adventures.
What I Liked: I found this book to be short, to the point. With the “point” being lots of sex. I thought the sex scenes were very hot.
What I Didn’t Like: And my issues with this book start with all the sex. The sex starts almost right away and is on just about every page of the book. I didn’t get any sense of build up or anticipation. Olivia would be aroused by someone and then have sex with them—male or female. I didn’t get any sense of flirting or building sexual tension. I just got Olivia’s “I want him/her” and then sex. No anticipation of “where will this lead?”, “are they attracted to me too?”.
My biggest issue with this one is I’m missing the “why”. Why did Olivia suddenly start having sex with everybody after four years locked away in the country? She’s recovering from a scandal that forced her to leave London. Why did all this start four years afterward?
And why did Jason decide to come to the country for Olivia after all this time? I read one reference like “it was time” for her to be his or something but that’s it. I need more than that. And why did Jason and his friends have their arrangement? I don’t remember any explanation of why they became friends and started their “activities”. I definitely could have used more backstory. I have a lot of unanswered questions.
And for me, this was missing emotional involvement. Olivia has sex with all these people but I didn’t sense any emotional connection. But she falls immediately in love with Jason after seeing him again and just for a few days. And is instantly comfortable with his friends without knowing anything about them. I don’t remember any post-intimacy chatting or anything like that where they’re sharing secrets or dreams—no getting to know each other at all besides having sex.
A small point—there were plenty of sexy times between the women and the men and women but not between the men. I would have liked to read about the men being intimate.
Overall Impression: I can’t recommend this one if you’re looking for a fully developed, emotion-charged read. Sexy times—yes; emotion and romantic feelings—no. If you’re looking for a read with multiple partners (including male/male) with more substance, I recommend Jayne Rylon’s Powertools series. The books are contemporary, not historical. But I thought those books had more story and emotional connections along with the sexy times.
Bab’s Rating:
Hm that's too bad there wasn't a little more depth and explanation to things.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was frustrating!
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