HI guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today's review post is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY, or at the very least, the book featured is, as we close out the month of September with a timely title. First, September is Self-Care Month as well as Sexual Health month, and while I won't dive into either topic very deep, I will say that our title on deck definitely does, and in rather healthy way, at least to this reader. It presents us with a problem that we know is out there, but even in today's wide open world, is still considered taboo by many, and shameful to those that suffer from it. Have I peaked your interest? Great! Then let's turn down the lights, and get the mood music playing because today's blog tour guest and title of choice have arrived...
Love, Only Better
by
Paulette Stout
About the book...
For Rebecca, sex is a joke missing a punchline. No crashing waves. Only pangs of inadequacy. At twenty-eight, shouldn’t she have had one by now? Her snickering ex thought so. His taunts echo in her ears as he rolls out of her bed. Then out of her life.
Lost, Rebecca seeks expert help, joining a study for women who can’t “finish” in the bedroom. There is such a thing? It’s unconventional, for sure, but she’s desperate for answers. The no-sex mandate is a no brainer. Who’d want to be with her anyway?
Then Kyle moves in. Her blue-eyed, black motorcycle-riding dream of a neighbor lives a heartbeat away. Sparks flew immediately. But could the timing be any worse?
If he learns her secret, she’ll lose her best chance at love. But if her lessons fail, she’ll be left eternally broken. Unlovable.
What started as a search for fulfillment, has suddenly become a quest for something far greater.
Love, Only Better is an intimate quest full of heart, blending a fun next-door romance with steamy dates-for-one. Perfect for fans of Helen Hoang (The Kiss Quotient), Jennifer Weiner (Good In Bed), Jojo Moyes and fans of women's fiction full of wit, spice and soul.
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Rebecca may not think she was a brave woman, but she was, really and truly. It takes a lot to admit you have a problem, but to own it and do something about it, that's where the real winners are uncovered. She was treated badly in her relationships in the past, and over something that really had no baring on the other person, but it did directly affect her...and if she wasn't complaining, who were they to? Watching her feelings get hurt by even those she called friend, seeing her try medical advice, and then undertaking a place on that unusual study, understanding that while her interactions with Kyle stoked something, she was still far from where she wanted to be...all of these steps and missteps went into creating a character WITH character; someone that readers could feel a connection with, even if they didn't relate to her struggles, and ride the emotional rollercoaster by her side.
I admit, I couldn't do it. I mean, that study...talking to those people, even if I didn't really know Adam from Eva, the things shared were just beyond the boundaries of what I feel I'd be comfortable broaching. I get where she was coming from, and where her mother was coming from. Growing up a generation or two back, throw in the Catholic background, and you just didn't talk about these things. You might get a crash course when you hit your first cycle, but the standard 'birds and bees', the late night relationship discussions, the curious questions about what happens when and what to do...it just wasn't done. You picked up things from either doing them, those that did do them, or read about them...and that was that. It wasn't to be close minded, or prudish, just simply more private. Bedroom talk was for the bedroom, not the living room. So you see, her surprise, later on in the story, with her mom, didn't surprise me in the least because yeah, as time goes by and you've reached a more mature or elevated adult age in their eyes, some things get shared that you weren't privy too, but it still wouldn't be open season or an open bedroom discussion. Anywho...
All in all, the story does well not only to entertain as any Contemporary Fiction, or Women's Fiction title should, but it also informs, and brings awareness to an issue that has long been there and still is, but remains shuddered behind closed hearts and minds. There's no harm in seeking help for anything that ails you, so why should there be when you have a mental or emotional block keeping you from fully experiencing everything love has to offer? Rebecca is a character that certainly champions this issue for women, and her relationship with Kyle, though it had its disastrous moments, felt realistic enough to root for. I still feel that the book is better aimed at adult readers due to content as there are frank sexual discussions and some between the covers scenes, but once you've hit the age of majority, I'd say it's fair game.
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About the author...
Paulette Stout is the fearless author of Love, Only Better, a contemporary novel and bedroom rallying cry for women everywhere.
Born in Manhattan, Paulette is the gold-star wordsmith and owner of her content marketing agency, Media Goddess Inc., where she crafts content for her list of global clients. Prior to MGI, Paulette led content and design teams at several tech companies, and one educational publisher where her elimination of the Oxford comma caused a near riot.
Paulette’s prior career as a media buyer/planner in New York earned her three industry awards, including a MediaWeek All-Star. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Cornell University and her MBA in Marketing from the Lubin School of Business, Pace University.
You can usually find Paulette rearranging words into pleasing patterns while wearing grammar t-shirts.
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Special thanks to PR by the Book for the chance to bring this review to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, or the author, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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