Customer Reviews

Private Pleasures (Pleasures Series)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I wanted to like this book as several friends had recommended it but I just really couldn't get into it. I don't necessarily need a HEA, especially in erotica but this wasn't erotica either.

Whether it's erotic romance, erotica or whatever, I need to be able to like the main character and Nora was likeable for a while but by the end her change of personality was neither likeable nor believable.

The sex was all right, some of it was downright hot, the premise of the story and the idea of the Channel was interesting enough although I liked it in Videodrome better.

All in all, I walked away annoyed and not convinced of much, I thought the dialog was stilted in many places and the character development was weak. I have liked some of Small's other works but this one really wasn't one of them.

This is a new direction for Ms. Small. As a result people should avoid comparing it to her older works such as the Skye O'Malley series. This is a contemporary romance with a little sci-fi thrown in for a twist.

Nora Buckley's perfect little world has come crashing down around her. Her husband has finally asked for a divorce after playing the field for many years. Nora has been so busy being super mom, and super housewife that she now finds herself having to fight her retched husband for her very existance. Her friend turns her on to a special channel that plays out your most secret fantasy. Before she knows it Nora is living in two worlds literally. One is reality, and the other one is with Kyle in the channel and it's sinful, steamy, and sensual to say the least. But can she have it both?

As I stated earlier this is a departure from what Ms. Small has penned in the past and as a result some long time fans may have a problem with the setting. It should also be stated that this is a shorter story then most of her other stories and as a result not as in-depth as we are used to as well. This book is not just sex and there is in fact the storyline regarding Jeff and Nora's break-up that is rather detailed. In any event this story was entertaining and one I would recommend for a fast read. Ms. Small is one of the best and you should come to this story with an open mind.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

I was beyond disappointed with Small's novel. Not only did the ending make little to no sense at all, but the whole work was obviously overlooked by an editor. There were plenty of spelling errors, not to mention horrible exposition and a tremendous problem with redundancy. If you somehow skim over an event, don't worry: It will probably be explained three more times. (Por ejemplo: The main character--Nora--does something or other. She calls up her best friend to tell her what happened. Her best friend tells her husband. Nora calls both her children and her mother and tells them what happened. And so on.)

And granted: I'm aware that this is fiction, even fantastical fiction. But the novel is written so poorly and so unrealistically that I keep being drawn out of the story by the characters' unbelievable conversation and ways of speaking, especially the men in this story--aside from Jeff--who speak somewhat femininely and are all wrapped up in interpersonal relationships. Small knows her audience is primarily women, but that's no reason to be sloppy about it.

As a previous reviewer mentioned, Nora is not even likable. Her blind trust and naivety is nauseating, and will annoy many modern readers. The only reason readers may experience any sympathy from her is because she's a foil to her husband Jeff, who has not one likable characteristic to his name. I kept turning the pages in hopes that Nora would kick him in the crotch or something to that effect. Alas.

After many years of being a Bertrice Small fan, I am very disappointed by this book. I couldn't even read the whole thing, which is a first for any book by this author. I don't think I will be preordering any more of her books. Her quality seems to have fallen lately and I am not interested in a book that is just sex without a fabulous story to support it. Her works in the Skye O'Malley series and the Kadin are fabulous and this book is nowhere in the same league with them or in my opinion, even in the same league as her more recent works. I am disappointed and sad to have to say such things about a talented author.

I loved this book! I wish I could subscribe to "The Channel". Wouldn't it be great if we all could simply escape reality and full our wildest fantasies?

when devoted wife finds out that her husband is cheating on her, she is devastated. until her friends tell her of a cable channel that women can switch to when they are alone and have their sexual fantasies come true.

the love scenes are a little lame, especially for a writer as talented as ms. small, but it is nice to let go of your inter inhibitions and wish that we could actually do that with our cable provider. boy would the cable channel make a forturne.

Private Pleasures is filled with promise, but it did not satisfy as I had hoped. I will start with The Channel; it is an absolutely fabulous idea and the Author has really outdone herself! With this inventive escape, Nora and her friends are able to live out their most secret, intimate fantasies. Just imagine the possibilities in real life? It's every woman's dream come true!
I think that some of the difficulty I had with this book was how deep the Author takes the fantasies and how dissimilar certain parts are from what I would call erotic and arousing. I really enjoyed the `outside The Channel' part of the story and I was very happy to see Nora standing up for herself. At several points in the storyline though, I felt a disconnection from the book; I lost interest for a few pages. I understand that it is Nora's dream world and her own private settings, but I was a little grossed-out by some of the sex-play. Some of the love scenes are very erotic, filled with incredible sexual tension and spicy lovemaking, while other love scenes are somewhat cheesy and reminiscent of a poorly written porn video. There are 3 more books in The Channel erotica series and I have high hopes for them; I'm looking forward to some variation and some other types of sexual experimentation. It was an interesting read and eye-opening too. I encourage you to pick up a copy to read if you are into some varied and graphic erotica that breaks boundaries and makes no apologies.
**If you don't want to read any potential spoilers, please don't read past this point in the review!**
I was really turned-off by the anal play and anal sex...not that there is anything wrong with it, it just isn't something that I find sexy or arousing. The man on man action was a little icky too; yes, it's another thing that doesn't appeal to me, sad to say.

(6 out of 10 Diamonds) - I enjoyed it


© 2008-2009 Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (Book Reviews By Bobbie).
All rights reserved.

I loved this book. The cable channel portion was exciting, but I also looked forward to what was happening in her real life. The end was quite a twister. I am more the romance novel type reader, but this book came highly recommended to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was very disappointed in this book. The characters are not fleshed out very well, and Nora Buckley is a little too perfect, it's hard to believe she had no idea her marriage was in trouble. Also too much kinky sex which doesn't seem real. This book in no way comes up to the excellent standards I've come to expect from Beatrice Small.

I have to be honest and admit the previous "erotica" books I read have been down right naughty, dirty, some even hard core wow!
However it does get boring and predictable after a while.

Then, a friend told me about this book and I gave it a try. At first I was like "Where's the sex?"..but then I realized I was enjoying the story. I was enjoying the character development, the fantasy of a almost perfect world of the friendships she had minus the terrible husband who wants a divorce. So to me this had a story along with really really good sexy parts. I read some other comments and some people say it's not like Smalls other books, but I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to friends. And now Small has gained another fan, I just bought 2 other books of hers right after finishing Private Pleasures.