Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: March 5th
How I got this book: NetGalley
After fifteen years of marriage, Jessica Meyers’s sex life is, well, a little predictable. Her handsome husband turns her on, but missionary style once or twice a week? It just can’t compare to the hot new world she discovers in the pages of erotic romances. Her fantasies fuel the fire of her desire, adding a new spark to her and Alex’s lovemaking. But Jess is afraid to tell her husband what she really wants in bed—and her secrets start coming between them.
State trooper Alex Meyers is a master at uncovering the truth—except when it comes to his sweet, shy wife. She’s clearly keeping something from him. An affair? She wants out? When he finally confronts Jess, he’s shocked to learn she wants to turn her forbidden fantasies into nightly realities. But when he takes her to a unique B and B—Bondage and Breakfast—catering to couples and multiples, Alex is about to find out just how far he’ll go.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
Every now and then I love reading a good, short, smutty book. When the couple is from a long-term relationship and learning to love each other in new ways, well I just love it all the more. This debut novella from Griffin falls under both these categories: a sweet and sexy short.
Jessica is scared to confide in her husband her new secret passion: reading erotic romance books. She hides the smutty books under her bed, and dreams of what she and Alex could do together if they used her books as guidelines. But Jessica is scared to admit it, and her inability to talk to him is starting to create problems between them.
Alex knows something is wrong with his wife, but doesn’t know what. When she admits she has been reading sexy books, Alex is relieved she just wants to spice things up. One weekend when their kids are away, Alex takes a lesson from her books and secretly plans a weekend getaway for just the two of them – fulfilling all his wife’s new sexual needs.
I thought this book was so very sweet. I loved that Griffin showed how their relationship had become comfortable and routine after fifteen years of marriage, how Jessica and Alex got relaxed in their lives, their relationship and each other. Even though they were still very much in love, it was also obvious that they weren’t putting much of an effort to spice up things between the sheets.
I was a little disheartened with the way the scene played out when Jessica finally told Alex her fantasies. I understand how discussing something such as erotic fantasies can be awkward for couples who have not been together for long, but these two have been married for fifteen years. They have two children, and it almost seemed as if Jessica was still unable to communicate with her husband. While I’m sure it does happen, poor communication is something that tends to annoy me while reading, especially between couples who have weathered through life together on so many other fronts.
Once they do get everything out in the open, the sexy times are very hot. Griffin does a wonderful job of showcasing how sensual and romantic kinky sex can be with a great partner. It was a great resolution for these two and sexy all around. I adored that aspect.
All in all I did enjoy this short novella. While I wish Jessica would have communicated better, and that Alex wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and made more heartache for the two of them than necessary, the book ended well. Jessica and Alex were eventually able to find new ways to turn each other on, and that was sexy in and of itself.
I give Forbidden Fantasies a C+
