Just Sex (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It had nothing to do with you," he told her..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Year, Diet Coke, Joe Marcioni (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Law's latest opens, Ellen Markham, a Minnesota housewife who considers Diet Coke her only vice, is having her hands pulled off her philandering husband Tom's neck by an extremely expensive marriage counselor. After the disastrous session, Tom throws down the gauntlet and tells Ellen that she should have an affair to even the score and realize that sometimes a relationship can be just sex. Hyperbolic comedy drives this not-quite romance from veteran Law (One Lonely Night, etc.), as Ellen, with help from best friend Jill, warily embarks on the challenge to meet Mr. Right Now. The madcap plot awkwardly juxtaposes with the complex feelings Ellen faces as her marriage erodes (the couple have two children), and everyone around her, including Ellen's 15-year-old daughter and Jill, harbors debilitating secrets. There's a surprisingly bitter aftertaste to the novel's often sugary sweet setups.
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Product Description

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425215237
• ISBN-13: 978-0425215234
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #325,404 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Summer Read for the 40ish Crowd, June 23, 2007

By	Kirstaine A. Smith "library_diva" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I took a day of holiday to just read and relax... I bought this because the premise intrigued me. I started reading it in the late afternoon and found myself still up and reading at midnight. I couldn't put it down! It was sad, funny, and enjoyable. It's a good summer read. No, it's not for everyone, but it was worth the cover price to me! That's high praise from a librarian who is a cheapie and rarely buys books. Also, the Joe character is a bit like the Joe Morelli from the Stephanie Plum books. I wanted him to be a bigger character, but the glimpse was good! :)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a sweet journey of powerful self-discovery., September 10, 2007

By	Rendezvousbooks.com "Australia's romance bkstore" (all over Oz) - See all my reviews

It's been a long time since we heard from this fabulous author, and she's gone contemporary on us! But, wow! Just Sex begins during an explosive scene with Ellen and her husband Tom in counseling, where he airily declares the sex she caught him doing with someone else `had nothing to do with you... It was just sex.' I still can't believe Tom actually lived past the first page! With a nudge from the counselor, Tom (!), and her effervescent and fiercely loyal friend Jill, Ellen's prodded to have `just sex' too, and discover the freedom for herself. But who with? And when? Where? How? She's got two teenage kids at home and she's been out of the game for her twenty year marriage. Plus, she's over 40. The idea of getting naked with someone new is terrifying! Then she meets Joe, an old school mate, now a cop; and Bobby, a fellow plane passenger when she goes on an all-expenses paid holiday to Sizzle, a resort island. Then there's Jake, the younger, enigmatic bartender, who helps Ellen sort out possible sex partners from the Sizzle crowd, and they `pick' Mark. Then Tom wants back in her bed. Who to choose? Discover for yourself how triumphant it is to be a woman, with the ability to choose and to love, and to do it well.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting family drama , June 10, 2007

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ellen Markham's husband Tom insists that he loves her and that his serial affairs are simply "JUST SEX". Rather then give up on the hot action he craves, he attempts to persuade Ellen to try it; she refuses as all she wants is a monogamous relationship with as faithful of a partner as she is to him. Instead after two decades of marriage Ellen leaves her spouse taking their teens with her.

Needing some time by herself and encouraged by her best friend Jill, Ellen heads to the Tropics where she plans to heed Tom's "sage advice and find a lover. Still as she seeks a hunk to help her find her groove, she knows she just wants her Tom, but without his womanizing.

Susan Kay law provides an interesting family drama starring strong characters. Tom is fascinating as he rationalizes his sexual encounters outside of the marriage as just safe sex to spice up his life; Ellen sees him as just cheating. When she decides to "test" his hypothesis using a free "get out of jail" card handed to her by Tom, readers will root for her to find more than just a fling; instead readers will sympathize with the heroine and hope she obtains a new faithful love.

Harriet Klausner