Just Sex by Susan Kay Law **June 5, 2007**
Check out her site, it has been redone. And there is a new excerpt up or at least new to me. LOL I said I would end up reading this right ;). I will tell you what I think of the book soon.
Ellen just got handed the
dream of half of the wives in
America—her husband told
her to have an affair.With her CEO husband, her kids, and her house keeping her busy, passion was never Ellen’s first priority. But somehow her husband managed to make time in his schedule for it—with other women. Now he wants Ellen to believe that his reckless liaisons were nothing more than “just sex.” In fact, he’s so desperate to prove his point that he’s challenged her to find out for herself.
After so many years, Ellen is hauling out her rusty flirting skills and following her free-spirited best friend into a world she thought she’d left behind at the altar. She might not have any more faith in this marriage, but she’s about to find some in herself—and what starts out as “just sex” might end up being a second chance to find something better.
hmmmm… well… uh…
Have I mentioned how much I like Susan Kay Law’s historicals? I have seen this title mentioned with other books from historical greats moving to… whatever you want to call this… women’s fiction? contemporary fiction? stuff sybil really doesn’t want to read? kicking the historical fan while she is down? soon to be lifetime movie of the week?
I am sure there is some sort of label for it. But… is this REALLY the dream of half the wives in America? More importantly…
Is this really what readers want? Or is this like all the editors buying paranormal in bulk while readers seem to be ready to put on the brakes.
Some of the sales points say this is “smart women’s fiction”, “a great premise” and “will appeal to thirty to forty something readers”. Really? What do you guys think?
Personally I think the premise bites and is down right depressing. Of course I am on the low end of 30 but hey I will be 31 in three days. And I read romance… I want the HEA. I like the hope it has and the fact (if the author does her job well) at the end I will have a H/h I like.
Maybe it has to do with I don’t put myself in the place of the heroine. I don’t want to be her or need to feel a connection. I don’t want to fall in love with the hero. I want to fall in love with their love story. At the same time I don’t need to be empowered by her or inspired. Maybe it has to do with the fact I believe more in JUST SEX than I do HEAs , soul mates and fidelity. I don’t need real life in my fiction, I want possibilities. Prolly why I think women’s fiction sucks, well and it makes me cry and generally not in a good way.
But does this appeal to the rest of the world? Should I expect to keep losing great authors to this stuff? I know we are a very small portion of the readers out there but who read this summary and thought hot damn I WANT that book.
Other than cece of course… cuz this has her name all over it *g*
The dream of half the women in America? I’m thinking they should set their sights higher than that, but, whatever. Seriously, I’m with you Sybil. I love this author’s hisoricals and while I have nothing against Womens Fiction…read it and enjoy it when it’s done well…I haven’t been impressed with the track record of historical romance writers turning contemp. I’ll have to read a few favorable reviews on this one before I try it.
Love that cover though. Not sure what it has to do with the story, but it’s nice IMO.
Me and Cece, actually.
I’ve not read her previous titles though.
I’m with you too Sybil. Love her historicals but the premise of this doesn’t work for me at all. It’s based on infidelity and seeing as I never had even an inkling to cheat on Ron and if he had on me, he would have been kicked to the curb, I know I wouldn’t be able to relate to this heroine from page 1.
Is it normal to just want to read about a short fat suburban housewife having really good sex?
Well it is enough to make me interested in the book… I mean IF it has a HEA what would that be? The hubby and wife kiss and make up? They decide to be swingers? She dumps the jerk and runs off with some young stud?
It sort of feel like one of those awful books that have no ending… the sort that just STOP and you are suppose to, hell I don’t know what you are suppose to think.
Either way I don’t care enough to read it. Interesting choice though… May can tell us if it is any good *G*.
Oh well Erin I am the last person in the world to ask what is or is not NORMAL. lol It does sound more like the plot to an erotica story than WF though…
Wow, sounds like a book I desperately need to read. Not.
A book about an unfaithful husband telling his wife to go out and get laid? Oh yeah, that’s really got my grits going.
I might work for me if she dumps the husband. But if she stays with the asshole, then goes about finding an affair, it wouldn’t work for me. Hey, I’m all for the gal having some fun – but lose the asshole who has been cheating on you first….
Doesn’t appeal to this married woman at all. Or the writer in me. Or the romantic… or, well, it doesn’t appeal to me on any level.
Well, I think I’ll pass on this one. Yikes, talk about not sounding at all enjoyable! This sounds like it’s about as far from a romance as you can get. Don’t people get married because they don’t want to have meaningless relationships anymore?
It will be interesting to see what the reviews say. I would read it if it showed up on my door. Which ::checks publisher:: hey it could… and will check out the last chapter in the store if it doesn’t. But it doesn’t scream OMG I WANT to read this book.
I do wonder how she will end it and if she can make likable people out of those two. But really it is sad… I WANT MORE american historicals aka westerns. Damn it.
Sybil, when you said, “I do wonder how she will end it and if she can make likable people out of those two. But really it is sad” you read my thoughts exactly. It is a sad premise for a book. I suppose there can be happy endings after infidelity–but, oh, what a painful journey. This author is very courageous. If anyone reads this, I’d love to read their comments.
I’ve already ordered it. I totally trust Susie to pull this off.
lol Alison can tell us if it ends well ;).
Really this is a post I started forever ago. The fact that I keep going back to the book means something. That the author can make me think and wonder about it shows it is an interesting idea.
And Susan says straight up front – THIS is not a romance. I respect that and for that alone hope she is successful. If this is the type of book she wants to write, I am happy for her.
I could see me reading it, time willing, because I adore the authors historical work and am interested in seeing how she ends it. But I would not want to invest the time for a story that ends without ending.
I hate open endings. Oh they make you think… they leave you wondering… they let the reader decide how it ends.. blah blah blah.. fuck that. To me at least part of the authors job is to end her book.
So that would be the first thing I would need to know. Does it end, is there resolution to the conflict. Then regardless of it if fits my idea of how it should end I would want to see how the author makes it work or not.
At the same time, it makes me really sad if this is what publishers decide to overload us with next. If a few well written books sell well with one type of plot or setting is that going to be the next ‘trend’. It would be nice to see more publishers do more then just give voice to – oh we don’t follow trends, we just want a good book.
If that was the case we wouldn’t have a million paranormal books with 90% of them being the same damn thing and 85% of them being badly written. We wouldn’t have a million erotica/romantica/erotic romance books with 98% of them being the same damn thing and 90% being badly written.
We have publishers telling amazing romance authors here try something different this isn’t selling and publishers who don’t publish romance telling authors not writing romance here we are putting this nifty romance label on your book because that is what sells.
We have publishers putting out novels that are poorly written, badly edited, have a bigger font and less pages at a higher price sitting back wondering why sells are down. It all makes my head spin and makes me cringe when I think about the next big book to come along. But really… that is a whole different post *g*
I’m with Shiloh – this is not my idea of a fantasy. You want a real married woman’s fantasy? Have the husband learn to pick his underwear up off the floor. Really. That’s a married woman’s fantasy. A guy gets all kinds of hero points for managing that act.
Do love this cover. Just not loving the premise.
*sits next to May*
😀 I migth have to check this out just to see what you’re fussin’ about hon.
I read somewhere recently that the scales have officially tipped–single women outnumber married women (by a few percentage points but still) and a record # of single women bought houses last year–just thought I’d throw that out there.
What does that have you to do with anything? Silly girl I am divorced 🙂
I just thought I’d throw that out there 😀
LOL well as you can see… I knew you would like the idea *g*
cuz I’m weird like that 😀
all I can say is that that is a fake Hermes croc kelly on that cover (I can tell from the stitching) 🙁
Never read this author and from the premise of this one I wont start here. I’m with you Sybil!! I
do like the cover although if it’s a fake Hermes I’m a bit disappointed 🙁
Oh Ana she has some fab westerns if you like that. I even have a post I am sort of surprised it doesn’t ‘relate’ but that related post thing is weird.
It is here
Thanks for the link Sybil 🙂 I saved it and I’m going to start looking for some of the titles.
What do I think? I think editors should read your blog.