Sandy M’s review of The Wicked Wife by Alice Gaines
Contemporary Erotic Romance ebook published by Red Sage 1 Nov 08
Hmmmmm. I’ve had this ebook for a bit, obviously, as noted by the publication date. I have no idea now why I would have requested it for review. Maybe I was in an erotic state of mind and something about it sounded titillating. Too bad I didn’t read when I was in that mood, if that was the case back then. Because now, a year later, it doesn’t do very much for me at all.
The author says she loves the bawdiness of the classics and the retelling of Lysistrata her way seemed like a good idea. Well, I’m not one for the classics, don’t know the story of Lysistrata, so if I’d known I had two strikes before I started reading, I may have just put the book aside and left it at that. So going in without that knowledge, the only thing that works for me are the two main characters and the sex. The storyline I could have done without.
Brad and Dan are best friends. They’ve been fighting like cats and dogs lately and their wives are tired of it, especially because the guys don’t want to try to call a truce, work things out, share their toys. They’d rather duke it out if it comes to that.
But Lisa and Paz have other ideas — withholding sex until the men come to their senses. Shouldn’t take that all that long, men can’t do without their sex. The boys, of course, after they get over their shock, whine a little, Brad even tries a couple of sneaky ways to get some lovin’, and then they commiserate and come up with their own payback.
The bickering between the men seemed a little too petty for such measures, and of course once the pettiness started, it just got worse and worse and sillier with each scene. Even the bit when they start to be friends again is a little much when they begin to compare equipment, but at least it got them moving toward a resolution of the whole darned thing.
I do like Brad and Lisa. Well, when Brad isn’t being a jerk with his supposed best friend. They’ve been together for a while, the last five years in wedded bliss. They have a healthy sex life, so I’ll give Lisa a point for knowing her man when it comes to the bedroom. So I’m glad he surprised her by holding out as long as he did and then coming up with his own plan. The only secondary characters are Dan and Paz and since Dan is a jerk just like Brad when it comes to their friendship and Paz is a follower — though the ladies do know how to get along as friends — they didn’t add much to the story except basically as props.
This is just one of those books that didn’t work more than it did, but it has small bright spots here and there. Not enough to bring the grade up, but if you’re looking for more sex than storyline, go for it.
Grade: C-
Summary:
After five years of marriage, Lisa and Brad still have dynamite going for them in bed. When Brad’s feud with the next door neighbor, Dan, leads to blows, Lisa takes drastic action. She and Dan’s wife, Paz, declare no more sex until the men stop their fighting. Can Lisa live without Brad’s special brand of loving, and what punishment will he dole out when he can finally have his hot-as-a-firecracker wife back again?
Read an excerpt.
