Tuesday, March 25, 2008

SATISFACTION by Charlene Teglia

St. Martin's Press
March 2008
ISBN 978-0-312-36945-3

Trade Paperback
Contemporary Erotic Fiction




Rachel Law has no social life. She has been working too hard at achieving her professional goals. When friend and co-worker Sabrina Daniels shows her a brochure for The Capture Agency she can hardly believe such a dating agency exists. A company which vets, tests, and matches people who are interested in capture and bondage to like minded partners? And it says satisfaction guaranteed.

Office manager Emma Michaels overhears and is quick to add her interest in the service much to her two colleagues’ surprise. Her marriage has fallen apart; her husband sleeping with another woman. This sounds like just the way to take control of her personal life again and work at finding what she wants and needs.

Hard MatchOwner of the agency, Chase Hunter is less than pleased at an employee finding him a match through their system. Granted his profile, which was used strictly for software testing purposes, is the only one that corresponds with this client. Chase is ready to explain to the woman that there is no one currently in the database who would suit. One look at her and he changes his mind.

This one is a nice lead-in to the book, giving us a bit of background to the unique agency. The hero is just right in taste and intellect for Rachel. He surprises her from the first meeting and continues with an open reassuring attitude mixed with seductive stern play. While that is terribly important in the situation, he is also wonderful both in and out of the bedroom. It gives credibility to the romance.

The Perfect Stranger
Kane Woods is a big strong man who has had to keep careful control when making love to a woman. He has wished to be able to give free reign to his passions, at least once. It doesn’t take much to persuade him that it would be for the good of his career. The petite younger woman he is matched with gives him some pause. She looks delicate, has a naughty pirate fantasy she wants to experience and proves to be quite the firecracker. The man has a secret in a chest. Whatever will she think of it?

Kane and Sabrina make one smile. He quibbled over her lack of sturdy frame to take what he had in mind and fretted over their age difference. He also had outrageous speculations from off the cuff that amused. Readers will love his concern for his partner and his quick wit. Sabrina in turn was appealingly irrepressible as she steamrolled over his protestations and into his heart.

Ex Marks the Spot
When his wife leaves him without explanation or indication of what is wrong, Gage Michaels is shaken. Never having fallen out of love with his wife, and not wanting to imagine life without her he is intent on reconciliation. When he overhears her discussing their relationship and her declaration to use a fantasy dating service he is absolutely stunned. There must be a way to make her speak with him; give them a chance to work out their marriage. Inspiration strikes.

Emma and Gage’s story was a particularly rewarding read. It was, however, difficult to understand the heroine’s lack of reaction when she did discover her husband instead of a stranger. This couples’ exploration and recapturing of passion was wonderfully sexy and movingly portrayed, particularly because the seduction was interspersed with honest discussion. Layers of difficulty in personal insecurities and lack of communication gave their situation authenticity.

Ms. Teglia’s latest work shows some restraint…er, not that kind…well, yes there are scenes of….never mind about that. The rather quirky humor and extreme heat that readers associate with the author is a bit subdued in this book. Though the tales certainly capture and hold the reader’s attention, the stories don’t sound so much like capture nor are the scenes played out with these strong males as dominant as one might expect.
That said, these are three very different couples who find love from pursuit of partners compatible with them and their fantasies, thanks to The Capture Agency. The stories are charming and luxuriously sensual.




Reviewed by Lil

No comments: