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41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing............., September 7, 2008
This review is from: Decadent (Paperback)
Decadent stars Kimber Edgington as she's tracking down ex Army Ranger Deke Trenton and his cousin, Luc Traverson for help. She needs a crash course in menage so she can prove to her girlhood crush, Jesse McCall, that she's not afraid of his menage proclivities and can handle it. Since she was seventeen she's been fascinated by Deke and the rumors surrounding his love life and she hopes he can be the one to teach her. Luc is only too happy to step in as her sexual tutor but Deke has his reservations. He's wanted Kimber from the moment he saw her, but his own personal hangups prevented him from making a move, plus there was the added fact of her being underage at the time and her father threatened to cut off his balls if he so much as looked in her direction. At first he tries to scare her off, to show her how intense being with two men can be, but when he realizes she'll only go to someone else for lessons, he agrees to teach her. He agrees that he and Luc will play sexual tutor with their little houseguest for two weeks, with the understanding that there will be no emotion involved. Deke is trying to protect his heart and a secret that he's been hiding for twelve years and he's afraid Kimber is going to blast right through all his carefully erected barriers. Luc is also hiding behind a facade and has his own reasons for agreeing to Kimber's plan. He is putting all his hopes for a perfect life with the three of them and is going to use every manipulative, sensual weapon he has. While the fun and games begin, there is a dangerous stalker out to get Kimber's father through her and after a vicious attack the men snap into protective mode and hide her away for protection. This only isolates the three of them in close quarters where they are forced to confront past secrets and bitter jealousy to find the ultimate winner of Kimber's heart. In the first part of the book, the sex in Decadent was as decadent as could be. I was fully enjoying everything until the emotions started running amok. For a man who had insisted on emotions playing no part in their menage, he's sure got a lot of inner turmoil. Deke is just one hot mess. His deep, dark secret from when he was sixteen has scarred him for life and he's carried those wounds ever since. At first it was nice to know that a great big Army Ranger can be hit by feelings of uncertainty, doubt and even fear, but this took it too far. He needed a shrink. Luc does too, but Deke far more than Luc. As if there wasn't enough emotional hysteria running around in this steaming pile, Shayla Black adds in Kimber's emotional train wreck of a boyfriend, Jesse McCall. Now there's a crash and burn if ever I saw one. Jesse latches onto Kimber with a pathetic, whiny, selfish need that thoroughly grates on the nerves and you almost wish she would put the boy out of his misery and just shoot him. The villain of the book is hardly mentioned, it's more alluded to that he gets caught, and there is also a surprise villain that leaves you feeling stunned stupid. Where the heck did that come from? I didn't even have good hot, nekkid sex to get me through this book because it was too uncomfortable with all the angst. With menage I don't want any feelings of jealousy or bitterness. I want the guys to love being with the girl and to also love being with the guy. Not in a sexual way, but to be almost comforted by their presence, like they can feed off each others emotions making the whole experience that much more erotic. Right from the beginning Deke has proprietary feelings towards Kimber and resents Luc's presence and during the middle of the book, Kimber also resents Luc's presence and wishes it was just her and Deke. Well, it sucks to be Luc. I felt extremely uncomfortable knowing that three of them were having sex and wishing one of them was gone. Luc was very much the third wheel and I felt on edge reading the book, waiting for the shoe to drop on Luc's participation in the menage. All in all, some of the sex scenes were good but it focused too much on her butt. Since Kimber is saving her virginity for Jesse, that leaves that orifice out and so the men work with what they've got. I don't have a problem with anal, just thought there was too much of it. I'm also not going to mention the absurd rationale of saving your virginity by taking big, hard c**** up your butt and down your throat, because to do so would take up too much time and will probably end in me cursing, so I'm just going to stop while I'm ahead. Read Decadent if you like lots of anal action, don't mind menage a trois, like a lot of angst and inner turmoil and don't mind if your heroines (and heroes) are slightly stupid.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
There are better books available., May 4, 2010
This review is from: Decadent (Paperback)
I loved Shayla Black's "Wicked Ties" so I was sure I would also like "Decadent". I was wrong. It plays too much on a particular feminine weakness. That we can "fix" or "heal" a "broken" man if we love them hard enough and take their abuse long enough. Here's the story: Virginal girl goes to broken special ops friend (a self proclaimed broken and half a man) and cousin for sexual training. Special ops friend and cousin seduces her sexually and then emotionally and verbally abuses her. She runs away, Special ops friend goes after her. The sexual training starts in ernest and then more verbal and emotional abuse. She runs away and then comes back to them. A lot more sexual stuff goes on. Love is professed on all sides and then more verbal and emotional abuse. Secrets to Special ops torment are revealed. She runs away again. Special ops friend goes after her, again. Saves her life, professes love - again and this time devotion too. Shows her that she's "healed" him and all looks good for a happily ever after ending. The irony of the story is the back story where virgin tells long time sweetheart that she can't heal him or fix his out of control life-He needs to do that for himself. Then she pursue Special ops guy in ernest and try to "heal" his broken soul and fix his own shallow existence of a life. I know it's all fantasy but "REALLY!?". This is a story a women would write to entertain women? "Really??" By the last couple of chapters even the sex couldn't save it. I was just skimming past the sexual parts to get to the finish.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's good to be "Decadent" -- 3.5 stars, April 23, 2010
This review is from: Decadent (Paperback)
Despite the fact that Deke and Luc definitely had their share of hangups, "Decadent" was a pretty good read. There were some moments that felt unrealistic or awkward or uncomfortable so I didn't give it 5 stars. SPOILERS 1. Why would Kimber even consider a relationship with Jesse if she didn't think she'd care for his sexual practices? That didn't make sense. 2. As Deke and Kimber began to realize their feelings for one another, the menage was really uncomfortable for me to read. I felt so bad for Luc. It was almost like he was a voyeur or something. It was just weird. 3. I didn't totally buy the extent of Deke's psychological trauma. Yes, his past was troubling, but it just seemed more like a plot device on the author's part to include menage in the book. 4. The second book in Ms. Black's series had yet another stalker? Nope, that didn't really work for me. I realize the author was trying to create drama and suspense but this was too repetitive. END SPOILERS Positives: Deke and Kimber were great together. This big, gruff, ex-military guy who wouldn't take anything off anybody was total putty in her hands. He allowed himself to be vulnerable to her. For her part, Kimber was an admirable character. I liked her intelligence, her resilience and her patience with Deke. "Decadent" had a very sweet, believable and ultimately satisfying ending.
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