Pros: Very erotic and imaginative; great character chemistry
Cons: Main character starts out rather unlikable
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review copy (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 7/1/2008.
Visit Jasmine Haynes/Jennifer Skully.
Trinity Green is Little Miss Perfect. Her makeup is never smudged; not a hair on her head would dare be out of place. She has a good enough relationship with her husband, Harper, yet she dreams of having the same kind of adoring, passionate marriage her best friend, Faith, has. Then one day she comes home early to find Harper having all-too-passionate sex with another woman—one who’s decidedly not perfect—in her own home.
Trinity’s had enough of being perfect. She’s going to get a job and eat dessert. When she spends the first night in a hotel after finding Harper with his other woman, she decides to indulge in a little personal pleasure, too. The businessman next door overhears her, however, and falls immediately in love with her voice. Surprising the both of them, he asks to watch her—and she agrees, kicking off weeks of passionate encounters. She knows who he is, but he knows her only as his Jezebel. Every time he approaches the idea of wanting more from her she flees the scene, and he has no idea of where to find her.
I’ll get my sole negative out of the way right off the bat: it’s hard to like Trinity at first. She’s a trust fund baby who thinks finding purpose in life is as simple as asking Daddy for a job at the family company. It never occurs to her that it’s perfectly reasonable for her new supervisees to imagine she’s been hired only because of her connections and to resent her intrusion. She’s hopelessly naive in some ways. For the first while, it’s difficult to sympathize with her or connect with her emotionally because of this.
However, what makes this okay in the long run is the fact that she grows as a person. She ultimately learns to take responsibility for herself and her job, and it’s enjoyable to watch once that process begins.
The book has a handful of minor plots going on, including a touch of blackmail, some family problems, etc., but front-and-center is Scott and Trinity’s relationship. It’s hot as hell; Jasmine Haynes clearly has a way with erotica! She doesn’t shy away from voyeurism and exhibitionism, which I rarely see explored in mainstream romance/erotica novels. Obviously the sexual material is graphic and explicit (for adults only), and boy does it sizzle. Show and Tell does a great job with the romance and character growth and development, but the focus is definitely the erotica as Scott and Trinity explore their fantasies together. If that’s what you’re looking for, I think this book is a fantastic choice!
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