Genre: Erotic Romance
My Review - 5 Stars
In general, I’m not interested in romances about married couples. I’m single and one reason why I read romance is to see how it works out for other people. But none of my romance reading preferences are hard-set and when an author I love has a book with my least favorite trope or I’m intrigued by a premise that’s the opposite of my usual tastes, I’ll give it a shot. In this case, Elia Winters made a believer out of me. This was amazing!
They say you never stop learning about your partner, no matter how long you’ve been together. That is especially true for Abby and Sam who have been together for 10 years and married for 7 of those. After attending Abby’s college reunion, Sam hears stories about Abby’s wilder side and after a chance experience with voyeurism, the two decide to spice up their relationship and I was here for it.
This book is deliciously steamy and it does a great job of exploring kink and polyamorous relationships. But what I really loved was the way it delved into Abby and Sam’s sense of identity as individuals and as couples. They each had an idea of who the other person was, particularly Abby’s belief that Sam was predictable and dependable and would think less of her for her past exploits. Abby has to work through her shame about her past and figure out whether some parts of her adventurous side are worth resurrecting. Sam, on the other hand, has to work through and accept that what he thought was off limits and wrong is actually just right for him and for their marriage. As they try out their fantasies, they have to keep checking in with themselves and each other. Their reactions and fears and interests felt so organic. Their ability to be honest with each other through each evolution of their relationship was wonderful to see and a great roadmap for any relationship.
Elia Winters is quickly becoming one of my favorite erotic romance authors and this book is a perfect example of why. I can’t wait to see what she does next in this series!
Synopsis
Abby Burke put her wild days behind her, determined to be the adult she thought she needed to be. It was just a phase, right? But when her college reunion reveals her...adventurous...past to her straitlaced gentleman of a husband, Abby is terrified he’ll reject her.
Except Sam is more than intrigued by what has his normally bold wife flushing with embarrassment…and desire. So when he and Abby stumble onto an especially hot scene that takes them over the edge, he proposes a challenge: confess their deepest fantasies and fulfill them together.
As their playful explorations escalate, their forays into exhibitionism and kink shift the way they see each other and their relationship—for the better. But when Sam finds himself longing to see her pleasured by other men, and Abby’s all in, they wonder if this will make their marriage stronger or end up tearing them apart.
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Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
