Customer Reviews

Explosive

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

STORY BRIEF:
Sophie is a doctor (internal medicine). Tom is an investment advisor who has an office in the same building as Sophie. Tom previously was an explosives expert for the NAVY. Sophie and Tom have seen each other frequently, being in the same building. They have been attracted to each other but never acted on it.

Sophie takes a few weeks off to spend time at her parents' lake cottage in central Illinois. To her surprise Tom shows up at her door. He has a bruise on his head. He desperately needs to have sex with her - she is willing. He leaves the next morning. She follows him back to Chicago to try to figure out what is going on. She realizes he has amnesia and doesn't remember going to her lake cottage. An FBI agent sees Sophie with Tom and tells her that Tom is in danger. Sophie asks Tom to come to her lake cottage for a few days. She wants to help him with his amnesia, plus she is falling for him.

There have been some murders of people close to Tom, and he may be next. His amnesia isn't helping. But during this time, he has an insatiable need for sex with Sophie. And there is lots of it. It's explicit and includes rear door activity, sex toys, light bondage, and mild spanking.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Tom desperately hungers for Sophie in all ways, and she's happy to comply. The sex scenes were hot. I actually found myself with goose bumps a couple of times which surprised me. I wasn't sure whether it was the book or the room temperature (probably the book). Don't expect any relationship development which would have been nice.

An undercurrent is Tom's amnesia, causing him to be distant. Tom hears Sophie talking on the phone about him. She's getting advice from her psychologist friend. She doesn't tell this to Tom and she doesn't tell him about his amnesia because it may hurt rather than help his coming out of it. Therefore Tom is suspicious which creates some conflict/tension between the couple, which was ok.

The suspense part of the story relates to murder and Tom's adopted father being investigated for organized crime activities. This is a minor part of the story and happens mostly at the end of the book. It was not typical romantic suspense which has bad guys interacting with good guys throughout the book. But the suspense part was good. The ending was very nice. My favorite Beth Kery books are Daring Time and Release, but this is worthwhile if you like her style.

The title of the book touches several things including Tom's past work in the NAVY and a warehouse explosion. But I see it mostly relating to explosive sex, explosive relationships in Tom's past, and Tom's current temperament.

DATA:
Story length: 326 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 14. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 104. Setting: current day Chicago area and central Illinois. Copyright: 2010. Genre: erotic romantic suspense.

There was so much I liked about this book, but along the way I couldn't help feeling as if the story was being streteched out simply to make it a longer book. For me, that served to dilute its strengths. I liked both characters very much. Their attraction and the intensity of emotion between them was palpable. Though it exploded in an instant (and then many further instances), I believed in the veracity of their growing feelings because I believed what the author shared about the dance of interest/attraction they'd done since they'd first met.

But with the story artificially stretched (in my opinion) the tension of the danger/plot was diminished - and though the intimate scenes were very well done, they began to feel repetitive.

I would still recommend this book, but readers may feel impatient for more action (plot related) and feel as if key points had been made and re-made with regard to why Thomas was suffering behaving as he was, etc.

Explosive was exactly as the title implies. I found this to be a very well written book. Beth Kery weaves subtle little hints into the story that build and all come together at the end. I would explain this further but do not want to provide any spoilers. There's a lot of romance and it's hot, emotional and explosive too. A highly erotic read that just kept building. I highly recommend Explosive.

I really love Beth Kery and was anxiously waiting for this story, but was so disappointed. It seemed so bizarre to me that Tom would show up and demand sex from Sophie and she just gave it to him. I didn't feel any connection at all between the two characters. In all of Beth's other stories, despite the explosive sex there was always tenderness and love and this story to me, completely lacked that. I felt no connection to either character despite the fact Beth did delve into their pasts. While it was not the story I had hoped for my dislike for it will certainly not stop me from buying her next book!

I had a hard time getting into Explosive. It was one of those things where I had to read a page over again. I felt as if I were starting a book where a previous book left off or something. I really don't like how the beginning of the story was constructed; it kind of stutters, the words/action not flowing too smoothly. There was also a lot of telling the reader this or that happened. We hear about Tom and Sophie's previous interaction; we hear that his brother and nephew are murdered; we hear that there is a warehouse explosion; we see that Tom ends up with a knot on his head from some altercation somewhere and with someone. None of these events we experience or see happen first-hand. And on top of that, Tom has amnesia, because let's not pressure Tom to remember anything, which means we as readers don't get to remember anything as well. This makes me agree with jerseygirldownsouth's opinion that the story seems drawn out. I feel the plot was unnecessarily prolonged, until all of a sudden we're at the end of the book and everything is resolved along with Tom's memory block.
I do like Beth Kery and her writing, but this story falls flat for me. I think Wicked Burn is a much better book. She certainly does know how to write a hot, alpha male; and I do have to say Tom is a seriously sexy, demanding and dominating man. The sex play between Tom and Sophie was super hot, with spanking, domination, anal and oral sex, and some light bondage thrown in the mix. While this was explosive, the overall story was not.

Explosive is everything a reader could want in a romantic suspense novel and more. A real page-turner!

Thomas Nicasio, our hero, is a complex, dominate but appealing alpha male. He recently lost his brother and nephew in an accident and is still grieving. To make matters worse, the FBI is investigating his adoptive father's involvement with organized crime. After suffering a head injury Thomas instinctively reaches out to an acquaintance, Dr. Sophie Gable.

Sophie is a well-respected doctor who has an office in the same building that Thomas runs his business from. Their prior encounters have been brief, although they are clearly attracted to each other. Sophie responds to Thomas' insatiable need to consume her and they become lovers. While Sophie tries to solve the mystery surrounding Thomas' memory loss, they hole up at her house on Haven Lake. With his life and emotions spiraling out of control Sophie is the only thing that can provide him with stability. Sophie fear unraveling the mystery of Thomas' memory loss could have dire consequences for both of them.

Explosive contains a number of plot twists and still manages to be a compelling erotic love story. Sophie and Thomas have a number of issues to solve for their relationship to survive. There is a lot of action and intrigue to keep the reader's interest as well as some blistering sex and tender love scenes. Highly recommend this for fans of romantic suspense.

One thing that really struck me about Explosive was how aptly named this book was because everything about it was...Explosive.

Thomas Nicasio was an explosives expert in the Navy, there's a big explosion in the storyline and Thomas and Sophie's relationship exploded off the pages...again and again, lots of times...they both experienced multiple...errr explosions. Getting the picture? This book was explosively good.

Dr. Sophie Gable is so looking forward to a month of rest and relaxation at her secluded lake house. Nothing to do but decompress, swim, read and relax. AHHHHH sounds like heaven! So nothing could prepare her for the shock of finding an acquaintance from work Thomas Nicasio on her dock the first night of her vacation. What?

Sophie and Thomas know each other in a "Hi. How you doing" polite greeting kind of way since they both worked in the same office building and the are "aware" of each other. Sophie knows immediately that Thomas is out of sorts and is acting very strange indeed but she doesn`t want to make a wrong move or push too hard. So she's pretty surprised by what happens next since it's so totally out of character for her when they fall into bed together and have mind-blowing sex. And I guess it really did blow Thomas' mind since he can't remember it the next day. That's got to be a little hard on a girl's ego?

Sophie's right. Thomas isn't acting normal. In fact he's suffering from traumatic amnesia after several events in a row have sent him over the deep end - the death of his adopted brother and nephew, his adopted father is being accused of being a mob boss - something Thomas absolutely refuses to believe and it's all just too much. He's a mess the night he shows up at Sophie's lake house but one thing's for sure - he's got a powerful, inexplicable sexual hunger for Dr Sophie Gable - Explosive!

It almost seemed like Sophie was Thomas' lifeline, his only salvation to keep whatever memories he was repressing so he didn't completely splinter apart. He was like a live wire, on edge, ready to crack at any moment. Sex with Sophie seemed to be the only way to keep him marginally sane. So they have lots and lots of sex. Ms. Kery knows how to write steamy, erotic romance, explosive sexual encounters, but even I may have thought there was too much focus on the sex. The story was good enough and Sophie was a professional woman, I felt she was above just being used by Thomas for sex for whatever was wrong with him especially when their actions took a turn that I felt was totally out of character for Sophie.

I don't think there was any mystery where this story was headed, but I was hooked wondering what would happen when Thomas regained his memory and how he would deal with the fallout and what it would mean for his and Sophie's relationship.

The suspense story in Explosive was actually pretty interesting and when Thomas finally does regain his memories - well it was explosive!

This book had a good plot and I was definitely rooting for Sophie and Thomas. The organized crime element and the amnesia suffered by Thomas kept me in suspense. Nice ending.

As a reader, I don't think I could find a more apt description of Dr. Sophie Gable and Thomas Nicasio's love story then the title of the novel. ~"Explosive"~ Thomas himself is a powder keg of whirling emotions related to something that has happened to him during a short period of time when he suffered memory loss. Sophie knows something horrible has happened to Thomas, but what? She has her suspicions and is very worried about the man who turns up on the dock of her summer retreat, obviously traumatized. She has previously only had a passing flirtatious acquaintance with Thomas, so why has he sought her out at Haven Lake? Then there is Thomas' explosive sexual need for Sophie which Ms. Kery deftly depicts in scenes describing their passionate encounters throughout the narrative. Lastly there is a suspense subplot that involves murder and an FBI investigation into the mechanizations of the `Outfit' a Chicago crime organization.

Dr. Sophie Gable is a well respected specialist who works in a group practice in the same building that houses the office of Thomas Nicasio a reputable businessman. Thomas' brother Rick Carlisle was seeing a psychologist who is Sophie's friend and colleague. She would often see Thomas on Wednesday nights waiting for his brother. I think it is safe to say, that Sophie has been infatuated with Thomas but never acted on the attraction.

"Thomas liked women, and they typically liked him. He was experienced enough to know that Sophie Gable was very aware of him, as well; knew instinctively she returned his interest.

But he'd always shied away from her, wary of her clean scent, girl-next-door glow . . . an appeal like body-warmed, sex-mussed sheets on a sunny bed. He was too complicated for Sophie Gable. Too dark. He'd get her dirty; mess her up. It amazed him to know he'd actually avoided her to protect her as much as himself."

Explosive © Beth Kery

In Thomas Nicasio, Ms. Kery developed a complex, very strong, appealing alpha hero who is accustomed to being in control. He has lost two of the people closest to him on earth and is grieving this loss. In addition, the FBI is investigating his father's involvement with the Outfit. As Thomas' life and emotions spiral out of control he reaches out to Sophie, who responds not as a physician would to an ill patient, but to his need for her as a lover. Thomas doesn't understand his desire to consume Sophie, he just knows it is insatiable, and making love to her is the only way he can quench the fire burning him from the inside out.

"He pressed his forehead to her temple, wanting the small contact with her while his body recovered from the raging storm. He wanted to hold her, but his heart and lungs demanded their due, paralyzing him for a moment."

Explosive © Beth Kery

There are a number of plot twists and surprises in "Explosive". While yes, it is an emotional, erotic love story about two people who are perfectly suited for a variety of reasons, it also offers nail biting suspense involving murder and subterfuge, as well as an action packed conclusion. I loved the main setting for "Explosive", beautiful, peaceful Haven Lake and Sophie's rustic cottage. If you enjoy an emotional, erotic romantic-suspense story, that will draw you into a web of intrigue and danger, you may like to give "Explosive", a try.

On vacation at Haven Lake Dr. Sophie Gable is taken aback to see Thomas Nicasio on her dock as he is a suit who works in the same Chicago high rise as she does; though she is attracted to him and believes he is to her. Sophie also knows tragedy has hammered at Thomas' soul with the deaths of his brother and nephew, and the FBI investigating his adoptive father.

Although still reeling with the recent traumas slamming his family, Thomas cannot resist the lure of Sophie who he has wanted from the first moment he saw her at her office when he visited her colleague Dr. Lancaster. She willingly submits to his dominance. However, as they fall in love she fears he will end their relationship once he regains his equilibrium while he fears staying with her will endanger his beloved from those who want him dead,

The heat is on from the moment Sophie and Thomas stare at each other as lust changes to love while danger stalks them. Filled with tons of action and sex and plenty of spins and twists, fans of erotic romantic suspense will enjoy this Explosive thriller as she may be his sub and he her dom, but each knows who is "killing" who daily.

Harriet Klausner