A PRIVATE VIEW

TITLE: A PRIVATE VIEW

AUTHOR: CRYSTALLE VALENTINO

Pages: 313

Date: 28/08/2013

Grade: 3

Details: Received from Black Lace

Own

The Blurb:

Welcome to the world of the elite...

As a model, Jemma is used to being the centre of attention. And when Dominic Vane, the world-famous photographer, asks her to pose for him, she knows it's not just her pictures he's interested in.

But in a world where pleasure is pursued above all else, will falling for Dominic's masterful touch come at too high a cost?

From the glamorous South of France to the luxuries of Monte Carlo, A Private View will take you on a wild journey of sexual discovery.

======================================================

 

As blurbs go, this is not the best one I’ve come across recently. Yes, Jemma is indeed a model. Yes, Dominic Vane does want her to pose for him and yes, the story does take us to the South of France, but other than that?

I would describe this book along these lines:

Jemma is a successful model who is pleasantly surprised and intrigued when Dominic Vane, a famous erotic photographer, invites her to pose for him. Having an adventurous nature and healthy sexual appetite, Jemma imagines that the time she will spend with him will be a lusty combination of art and sex. And she’s not completely wrong. 

From the moment she meets Dominic it is clear that he’s attracted to her, if the bulge in his trousers is anything to go by, but he flat out refuses to touch her intimately. While that is frustrating enough for the easily stimulated Jemma, the fact that she appears to be the only woman he doesn’t want to touch infuriates her even more. 

During her time in the South of France Jemma will have numerous sexual encounters with various people. But getting Dominic to act on the attraction he obviously feels for her may just be one seduction too far. Unless Jemma can figure out why Dominic is so afraid to be intimate with her and help him overcome those fears.

And that is more or less the complete story in this book. Because in reality this book is more or less a collection of sexual encounters between Jemma and numerous other people; a steward on the plane, Dominic’s agent and his wife, staff working for Dominic, all of them will have their intimate moments with Jemma. And although there is Dominic’s reluctance to get close to Jemma to deal with, there is little to this story besides the sex.

Don’t get me wrong. As you may have noticed I rather enjoy my erotic novels and don’t shy away from even the most explicit stories. But, and there lies the rub, I do like there to be a real story to accompany the sex. And in this book there was very little story to back up all the sexual encounters.

I wouldn’t have a huge issue with that either, if those encounters had been a bit more varied than they are in this book. But, while we do get encounters between Jemma and just about every other male and female character we meet in the story, and even a little bit of M/M action, there is very little variation when it comes to what actually happens and what she experiences.

I had a few other issues with this book as well. For starters: early on in the story we read the following passage:

“For too long she had been stuck with predictable, reliable Steven, using their life together as an excuse for not pursuing a more hedonistic, sensual lifestyle that she could truly embrace and enjoy.”

Which would be fine provided this Steven was indeed predictable. But, from the glimpse we get of him, Steven comes across as intriguing, adventurous and tolerant. What is more, they are supposed to be in an open relationship so in theory at least, there shouldn’t be anything standing between Jemma and the hedonistic, sensual lifestyle she is longing for.

The writing is at times inconsistent. In one chapter Jemma refuses to look as Dominic has sex with a stewardess and in the next chapter she muses about everything she saw while that was going on. Somehow that seems impossible.

But what really got on my nerves after a while was the constant and repetitive use of the word “bush”; “fiery bush”, “thick bush”, “silky blond bush”… the list goes on and on. It was quite a relief when one of the female characters in this story decided to shave herself.

So, what did I like about this book?

I liked the idea behind the story – the reason Dominic refuses to touch Jemma and the consequences of his refusal and her persistence in trying to change his mind. I can’t help feeling that a lot more could have been made of that story idea though.

I can’t deny that until they became a bit repetitive, Jemma’s escapades where quite hot and enticing. And, apart from the irritations I mentioned above, this book was quite well and smoothly written and very easy to read.

If you’re looking for an easy to read book with a lot of erotic content and not too much story-line or character development to get in the way of all the action, you could do a lot worse than pick up this book. If, on the other hand, you prefer it when the sexual action moves the story forwards and aids the development of characters, this may not be the book for you. For me this was a quick, easy and at times quite hot read, be it one that won’t stay with me for very long.

THE SILVER CHAIN

TITLE: THE SILVER CHAIN

AUTHOR: PRIMULA BOND

Pages: 369

Date: 19/08/2013

Grade: 4

Details: no. 1 Unbreakable Trilogy

            Received from Harper Collins UK/Avon

            Through NetGalley

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

“Bound by passion, she was powerless to resist.

One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever…

Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.

To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.

As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?”

==============================================================

Aspiring photographer Serena Folkes leaves behind the lover of her teenage years when she travels to London, convinced that she is done with men. It is a conviction that will last less than 48 hours.

While she is out about town on Halloween night she meets an intriguing man. She knows she should be careful about engaging with strangers but something about this man cuts right through her reservations. This man, Gustav Levi, doesn’t send of a dangerous vibe - well he does, but in an intriguing way, not one that makes her feel threatened.

“But Gustave Levi is not just any old company. I have the weirdest feeling that he’s picked me.”

While Serena cuts her evening with Gustav short, she can’t get him out of her head. And when they meet again because she has left her camera in his care he offers her a deal that will ensure that the two of them will get to spend a lot of time together. He will show a collection of her photographs in his gallery if she signs herself over to him until all the pictures have sold. Delighted to be given this opportunity and intrigued by and attracted to the man, Serena doesn’t have to think twice before she signs on the dotted line. A deal Gustav seals by locking a silver bracelet around Serena’s wrist. A bracelet to which he can, and will, attached a silver chain; proof that she is fully connected to him.

“But the instant I’m chained to him, I’m anchored.”

While Serena is mesmerized by Gustav there is a lot about him she can’t explain. He obviously has issues that stem from a past he is reluctant to share – issues that keep him far apart from her even while the chain seems to imply they’re very close. As Gustav’s past is slowly revealed it feeds into Serena’s issues. Having never felt loved or wanted in her life, it is only too easy for Serena to believe that she is not what Gustav wants or needs. And worst of all, his actions seem to confirm that she is not what he is really looking for. Misunderstandings, mistrust and miscommunication appear determined to keep these two characters apart. It will take a lot of pain and confusion before Serena realizes that:

“At last it’s me he’s seeing, Nobody else.”

This was a very enjoyable read. There is a lot to like in this story. Yes, it does resemble a lot of other books in that it features a young girl falling under the spell of an older, more experienced man. This is certainly not the first time I’ve come across a relationship haunted by dark pasts and deep seated insecurities. But, while similarities like that have irritated me in the past they didn’t so much this time around. I liked that Serena is a girl who knows what she wants and how to get it. She is not the poor little girl who needs the older and richer man to make her way in life. At all times, while reading this story, I felt that Serena would have made it on her own – that Gustav only fast-forwarded the process. I also liked the fact that although there definitely are some aspects of bondage and domination in this story it shows both sides of that particular coin – how it can break relationships just as easily as make them.

As far as the sexy part of this book is concerned, well, it's different. A lot of the action takes place only in Serena's mind. Gustav has a, rather mysterious, reluctance to fully engage with her. In fact, while he is only to happy to help her climax, and have her return the favour, he doesn't kiss or have full blown sex with Serena for the longest time. This much to the frustration of both Serena and the reader. That doesn't make the sexy bits any less steamy though. If Serena's fantasies are anything they are vivid. And when these two characters do come together they sure know how to heat up the pages and keep this reader squirming in her seat.

While I mostly enjoyed this story and the characters in it, there were times when Serena’s character was a bit too volatile for me. She seemed to jump from one, strong, emotion to the exact opposite emotion from one paragraph to the next. While her insecurities made perfect sense, I would have preferred it if the changes in her state of mind had been a bit less sudden and frantic. There were pages where I had a hard time keeping up with what exactly she was feeling and why.

Overall though, I really liked these characters and their story. And with the sudden, and to me completely surprising, revelation on the very last page I can’t wait for the sequel, “The Golden Locket”, even if I haven’t been able to find a release date for it.