Paperback Reader

Kimber Edgington’s reasons for needing a sexual education are dubious at best: Jesse, the pop star Kimber’s father worked security for, several years ago, and Kimber have been unlikely and unconvincingly pen-pals over the years and Kimber fancies herself in love with Jesse. Jesse, according to the press, has an appetite for the wilder side of life and sex, so Kimber determines that to be with him she must have a hands-on tutorial of a ménage à trois so that she can then go to Jesse and offer her virginity to him and whatever stranger he’s in bed with. Again, credibility is not something Black troubles to build into this story.

Which is how Kimber lands on Deke Trenton and his cousin Luc Traverson’s doorstep. Way back when Kimber was a teenager (five years ago) Deke worked for Kimber’s father (some para-military/security detail that matters not at all) and during that time Kimber heard rumors of Deke’s sexual predilections. These rumors, and Kimber’s dislike of Deke, make Deke the perfect candidate to provide her with instruction. Deke, being a horribly conflicted soul, agrees to take on Kimber’s education because he can’t stand the idea of another man touching Kimber, another man (or men) teaching Kimber the ways of ménage. As an aside, it should be noted that that ménage is the French word for household. It’s the à trois of the phrase that makes the whole a sexual threesome, but Black uses ménage to mean a sexually deviant lifestyle.

Deke, to quote Kimber’s father, “always had a hard-on for you and treated you like hell for it” and is therefore quite thrilled with the prospect of being physically involved with Kimber, if terribly at odds about being with her. For Deke, a crisis of memory emotionally cripples him and makes him question his ability to be alone with any woman (which is why good-old cousin Luc is around to round Deke’s threesomes out, to take the solo responsibility off Deke’s shoulders). Even less-than-savvy romance readers will know Deke’s self doubt springs from the death of a woman he was involved with long ago, making the end-book revelation less than climatic.

And so, this is how things go: Kimber wants to experience a ménage a trois, yet remain a virgin; Deke wants Kimber like he’s never wanted any other woman, yet cannot claim her for himself; Jesse wants Kimber to be the savior of his decadent lifestyle, yet Jesse’s manager fears Kimber’s angelic presence will hurt bad-boy Jesse’s record sales; and Luc wants Kimber, believes she’s the woman who can heal his cousin and make them a happily family of three, yet…there is no yet for Luc, he’s a character along for the ride.

Quickly enough, Kimber realizes that she’s in love with Deke, a given considering his abominable treatment of her and his emotional remoteness, and tells Jesse she’ll always be a friend to him. Meaning the book’s initial conceit carries the plot to the work’s midway point before giving out completely and giving way to a ridiculous threat on Kimber’s life, and a bomb that blows up her father’s house (gee, who could want Kimber out of the way?).

Kimber, Deke and Luc have sex in every way possible way (Kimber’s desire for vaginal chastity lasts for the first third of the book) until Black’s one strength, her ability to write toe curling sex scenes, is exhausted and the reader knows by rote what to expect next: Luc comes from behind to touch Kimber’s nipples, Deke has a claiming kiss, Luc passes through Kimber’s tight ring of anal muscles, Deke stimulates Kimber’s clitoris, Kimber gives porno dialogue such as: “Harder. Now. More!” Repeat ad nausea with the second half madman thread and it’s a formula for repetitive and unbelievable at every turn.

Decadent doesn’t have a credible leg to stand on, a failing Black’s blistering hot sex scenes cannot make up for. Read at your own risk.

You can buy this book here or here and visit Shayla here.