Hi there and welcome to my stop on the Armchair Squid‘s friendly collection of book reviews. What we do is simply pick our fave read of the month, and present it to the community at large. You’re invited to link up with us, if you like. Info is below.

I’ve read a lot of books this month, but I’ve held Kitty French’s KNIGHT & PLAY special because…reasons.

No, seriously, I’m an Anglophile. I love books about other cultures, and this erotic romance hit all the right notes for me.

Sophie Black is looking for more. More in life than her lecherous boss, and more in love than her (presumably) cheating–and definitely inattentive–husband. She takes a chance applying as the personal assistant to Lucien Knight, chairman of Knight Inc–a corporation that owns shops selling ‘marital aids’ and operates a number of sex clubs throughout Great Britain. In the interview Lucien is more than direct–how can a woman who can barely talk about sex hope to work in this environment? He’s harsh with her, and she demonstrates an inner strength he finds surprising–and he’s intrigued again by her defensiveness when it comes to her marriage.

See, Lucien has a bad history with marriage. His own idyllic life turned tragic when his mother eye-witnessed his father’s infidelity. Suspecting Sophie’s marriage is likewise bound, Lucien hires Sophie with the intent to prove to her how very sexy and worthwhile she is.

Okay–so, to begin–the sex is fantastically hot. Everything sexy-dirty you would blush-cringe over? Lucien makes it delicious. There’s no Dom/sub dynamic, just a hedonistic exploration of a woman long-neglected. It’s an awakening both emotionally and sexually for Sophie who learns shortly after succumbing to Lucien’s irresistible advances that her husband’s “business trip” is a sham, a lover’s getaway with his girlfriend.

We get a lot of Sophie’s angst over her own actions, without it feeling preachy–and a few slices of her husband’s remorse over the subterfuge he’s been running. But mostly, we get a realistic look at the heartbreak of a woman experiencing a crumbling marriage as she’s simultaneously swept away by a man who is by turns tender and demanding. Lucien doesn’t let Sophie wallow, and forces her to embrace the fact that she is appealing and exciting, even if her husband is a cheater. It’s a very refreshing take on the rebound romance–particularly as Sophie didn’t know she needed a “rebound” until she was in the midst of it. And Lucien isn’t terribly interested in keeping Sophie–he just wants her battle-ready, able to tell off her loser husband and walk away unscathed–or so he thinks…

It turns out that KNIGHT & PLAY is the first of a trilogy. It has an ending that is at once closure, and at the same time a cliffhanger. (Not the kind that makes one wish to hurl her iPad across the room, in my experience. Yet, I moved to purchase the second book toot-sweet!) It is rare that I enjoy the middle book of a trilogy most, but in this case, I do. That notwithstanding, I adored all three books and highly recommend it for readers of women’s fiction, contemporary romance, or erotica.

Interested in KNIGHT & PLAY? You can find it Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble…

If you’ve read it, or pick it up, don’t forget to come back and let me know your thoughts!

I always exhort my followers: keep reading my friends!  But, in this case, I’ll ask you to keep clicking my friends!

Below are links to my fellow coffeehouser’s reviews. You never know what might strike your fancy. Last month I learned about Kevin Jakubowski’s 8-BIT CHRISTMAS which was a super fun read I reviewed earlier this week. So check out what they read and maybe you’ll find a gem for yourself!