Blush by Opal Carew

BLUSH by Opal Carew

Contemporary Erotic Romance

June 2008

St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN-10: 0312367791

ISBN-13: 978-0312367794

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From the publisher:

For every woman who's ever been curious about the ancient sensual arts of Tantra and Kama Sutra, Opal Carew delivers a thrilling new erotic romance that's sure to make you blush...

Hanna's relationships have always have always fizzled because she's never been able to shed her inhibitions and get comfortable in the bedroom. She recently ended a two year relationship with Grey, a guy she was crazy about, because there just weren't any sparks. Enter J. M., an instructor who teaches workshops on Tantric sex and Kama Sutra. When a friend asks him to give Hanna some hands-on lessons and help her learn to relax, he's intrigued. As they embark on a tantalizing path of discovery, they explore the sensual arts and discover new techniques that allow Hanna to unlock her most taboo fantasies and make them a red-hot reality. But when Hanna's ex-boyfriend Grey re-enters her life determined to show her sensual bliss, Hanna has an important decision to make. Both men delight her senses, but which man will win her for keeps? Watch the book video, or read an excerpt

Review:

This book consistently rates high, and I was very eager to read it after the rave reviews, and reading the back cover. I had high expectations (beautiful cover, enticing synopsis, great review...), but was sadly and disappointing.

The characters and the love story seemed underdeveloped and took a back seat to the sexual encounters, which were numerous, explicit, but lacked depth, feeling, and many felt stunted and incomplete. Sometimes (but not all) it felt more about the technicalities of sex, rather than making love.

Several obstacles are presented for the characters to overcome, both personally and/or within the relationship to achieve a happily ever after, but unfortunately the reader is cheated from experiencing how the characters feel, or what motivates them to the choices they make. It all just seems to miraculously and happily resolve. I like to read what the characters think and feel, it's what makes a story compelling and allows you to connect with them. You never find out why Hannah was repressed or how Grey overcomes his issues with Hannah having feelings for J.M. One minute Grey is asking her to leave after their ménage with J.M., next thing you know Grey is asking Hannah to marry him, with J.M. as their third partner. There seemed to be a lot of "fast forward to..." moments that left a lot of the story unfulfilled.

For me it was just an ok read. It's one of those books that if you never had the time to read it, you wouldn't be missing out on much. It wasn't necessarily bad, and many will disagree, but it just did not live up to my expectations of what an erotic romance should be.

Ratings:
Romance= 2.0
Passion= 3.0
Kleenex= 1.0
Overall= 2.5