Reminds me more of Erica Jong than typical genre romance. The tone is lighthearted and bubbly, but not vapid. There are some really fun scenes-- I think my favorite is when Jeanette's maybe-suitor is telling her a Breton ghost-story, which provided a nice touch of scary/funny to the overall story. The primary focus, though, was Jeanette's relationship with Amaury and Marie-Elise. LaVey was somehow able to make an implausible scenario believable and touching. I guess my only complaint is that I'd like to read more about how their relationship develops over time... which as complaints go, asking for a sequel is really not a big one. ( )

I liked it a lot just for the book it was, but the thing that really won me over and made me love it, were the quirks that colour Inara's characters. Inara can't help but inject a little of herself into the characters she likes and you always feel as though someone somewhere is definately being mocked with the erm, less sympathetic characters, but it adds a softness and charm to the story, without which it would be another entertaining romp, enjoyable, even memorable, but among many. The feel for character, the affection and humour are what makes Inara a stand out in an industry where plenty of people can write a decent erotic scene but few can make you love the players. ( )