Genny loved her husband Max, but something was missing—a sexual charge that was instead ignited by his business partner, Sean. He was ruggedly handsome, with a heart-stopping smile and a slow, sexy New Orleans drawl that made Genny weak. The more time they spent together, the stronger the attraction between them became and when her husband offered to share her with Sean for one intoxicating night, both Genny and Sean were too tempted to refuse.
That night in the company penthouse, Max and Sean showed Genny the heights of ecstasy. But it was Sean who scored her very spirit, and one-on-one, they were red hot. But as Genny learns, there’s a price to pay for such impulsive pleasure. What began as a night of forbidden desire spirals into a whirlpool of murder, sensual submission, secrets, and a scorching passion that threatens to consume everyone it touches.
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Sean and Genny were both likable characters. Although they were already in love when the book starts, through flashback, we see how that happened, and what happened to tear them apart.
There is a light suspense subplot, but it mostly serves to keep Genny and Sean in the same apartment together. I liked them both, and thought that Kery did a credible job of showing the D/s and Genny's thought processes during it. (Did I mention some hawt sex? It's Kery, duh.)
The one thing I didn't care for, and it seems to be a recurring theme with me this year in several books, is the New Orleans accent that Kery insisted on showing us. Sean calls Genny "girl" all the time, and several times it's mentioned he says it "gull". That just made me think of Genny as a seagull... sorry. There are other places that Kery felt the need to show exactly *how* Sean says particular words. Just telling me he's from New Orleans and has a Southern drawl is enough to get me there.
Aside from that issue, I did enjoy it. Lots of emotion-charged scenes, the characters are honest with each other and (for the most part) talk things out so they don't come to a head. Not as raw as Wicked Burn or as engrossing as Daring Time, but a satisfying and good read nonetheless.
Cool. Another Beth Kery fan. I enjoyed this book as well. Funny thing about accents. I had no issues with Sean's accent but I have trouble with strong Scottish brogues. I don't know why that is.
ReplyDeleteI love the stories but get tripped up by the dialogue.
I loved Wicked Burn but Release didn't work so well for me. I really didn't like the way Sean called Genny "girl" - for some reason it just got to me - I think it was because I saw it as demeaning - kind of like I'd picture some fat old guy calling out to a waiter "come here boy" (in a Southern accent too no less). It just seemed rude. But, when I hear "girl" in a song, it's not insulting. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the heroine's name was Genevieve Bujold like the actress. I think it would have bothered me less if it was acknowledged in the book - you know, some line like "oh, like the actress?" to which she replies "yes, my mother was a fan" or "I get that all the time but I wasn't named for her" or something. But there wasn't any of that.
I do like Kery's voice though and I will certainly read another of her books - I'm just hoping it will be more like Wicked Burn and less like Release (at least for me!).
BTW, I commented on another blog a while back about this one and said similar to above and then I went back and looked at the comments which followed a few days later. I cringed when there was a very nice comment to the blogger from Beth Kery herself thanking her for the review. I felt so guilty. Truly Release didn't work so well for me as Wicked Burn and I think I expressed it in a non personal non confrontational way (or at least, I hope I did) but I felt embarrassed and awful like I'd kicked her puppy or something. Has that ever happened to you?
Hi Kaetrin,
ReplyDeleteYeah, the "girl" thing didn't work so well for me either. And I did notice that her name was Genevieve Bujold and I remember the thought crossing my mind, wondering if she would need permissions to use her name. LOL.
I've never heard or seen you be anything other than kind or straightforward in your comments here, so I can only assume you were the same on that other blog. Don't worry. I'm pretty sure that she can handle it. I do agree that Wicked Burn was a stronger book than this one, though.
Awww. thx Lori!
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