7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The plot was fun and just believable enough while being fresh, November 17, 2008
This review is from: Aphrodisiac (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)
Meet Saylor Oz. Yes, like the place where the wizard lives. And no, it does not help that Saylor, a sex therapist, is a rather small person. Of course, people like to nickname her Munchkin.
She's really more of a poking-into-things kind of person, like Dorothy. When Saylor's oldest friend, Gwen Applebee, is found to have committed suicide, Saylor is sure that it was a setup and that Gwen was murdered. For what, she doesn't know. But Gwen would never be caught alive with a fanny pack on her waist --- and that's what she's been caught dead in. The police won't listen, so Saylor enlists her best friend and roommate, Benita "Binnie" Morales, to help solve the mystery.
Just as soon as Saylor starts digging around, Gwen's murderers grab her and give her an ultimatum: she has seven days to hand over Gwen's tablet. Saylor has no idea what the tablet is or how she's going to find it, but she and Benita are determined to figure it out and save their lives.
That's enough for any girl to handle, but Saylor also has normal things to do, like work (she's hosting a party to sell Do-Me-Good sex toys). There are all the guys she's meeting and dating. Eldridge Mace, a bad boy boxer, is a curious one, and then there's the famous Hollywood director whose biggest reason for wanting to date Saylor is that she's not gorgeous like all the other women he's gone out with.
As Saylor and Binnie unravel more pieces of Gwen's mystery, they learn the real reason she was murdered. It seems Gwen's latest hobby and passion was perfume. Not only did she collect it, she was also working on developing her own. The tablet Saylor is searching for may have something to do with an ancient formula for a perfume that's more like a love potion, thanks to a love goddess older than Aphrodite.
While the Manhattan sex therapist uses her own knowledge on people and relationships, she comes closer and closer to clues leading to Gwen's tablet, both useful ones and failures. She and Benita learn more about a friend they thought they knew well, and they are led to more friends and foes, all of whom could have a tie to this strange perfume.
This sexy, exciting race against time is a gripping, fun read that is hard to put down. Just when things get a bit too tough, we, along with Saylor, are treated to a little romantic reprieve. There is just enough going on to keep the story interesting, but it never gets close to being smutty or too heavy-handed.
Obviously comparable to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, APHRODISIAC (the first in a sure-to-be successful series) has a bit more substance and more going for it. It is certainly more diverse, with characters of different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientation. The Brooklyn setting lends itself to an array of different moods and supporting characters. Saylor's and Benita's lives are refreshingly like the lives of a lot of people --- there's some fun and glitz when you can manage it, like attending the launch party of a brand-new designer fragrance, but there's also the pressure of keeping track of friends and family, performing well at your job and paying rent. That depth makes the book a great read.
The plot was fun and just believable enough while being fresh. I've certainly never read another crime novel about perfume, and I'm excited to see what comes next for Saylor.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!, September 14, 2008
This review is from: Aphrodisiac (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)
The "noir-ish" cover of this book first attracted me, and now, having devoured the book, can heartily recommend it! The main character, Ms. sex-therapist Oz is likable and real. She and her friends have an adventurous time solving a murder, with bravado and style. There is a humorous undertone to the book which I really enjoyed. The author is quick witted and very observation of the human condition which adds immensely to the enjoyment of the book. Set in a well-observed gritty section of New York City, the story is fast, funny and suspenseful while adding a sexual tingle throughout.
Buy it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Aphrodisiac, September 16, 2008
This review is from: Aphrodisiac (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)
Saylor Oz leads a quirky life, aided by the fact that she has eccentric friends, she counsels people with sexual problems and she lives in the DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood. That's right - Saylor is a sex therapist that caters to a unique crowd, but really this is the most normal aspect of her life since her best-friend Gwen died in an apparent suicide. But Saylor is certain her friend didn't commit suicide as Gwen wouldn't have been caught dead - literally - in a fanny pack! So as Saylor begins to investigate, she pulls in Benita, their hot-headed Latina friend to watch her back. While Saylor juggles a lot of things at once something is bound to crash on her head and it looks like its Gwen's killer.
So now Saylor is on a quest - to find Gwen's killer. But when said killer comes to Saylor to get a mysterious tablet that Gwen hid, Saylor's quest becomes to stay alive long enough to find the tablet and nail the bastards that killed her friend. Easy, right? Not when you are Saylor Oz...
Aphrodisiac is an off-beat romantic comedy that will have you laughing out loud at the over-the-top capers that Saylor engages in and the absurdity of most of her actions. Saylor is an interesting blend of sexual knowledge, naïveté about the world in general and a pinch of "dumb blond" reactions every so often. While on her quest to find Gwen's killer, Saylor manages to catch the eye of the local bad-boy boxer, have one of her prospective patients ask her out on a date and discover the bloodthirsty side of Benita. In my opinion, Allyson Roy did a wonderful job of writing a light and funny book that's chock full of overblown reflections of reality that will leave you wishing you could be just that quirky for one day. However, please note that the romance aspect of this novel is at best a minor storyline and has an uncertain outcome. Still, if you enjoy Stephanie Plum and Betsy Taylor type characters Aphrodisiac is a must read for you!
Sabella
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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