I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Wild, Wicked, & Wanton
by
Jaci Burton
erotic romance, erotica in Paperback edition that was published by Berkley HEAT on May 1, 2007 and has 326 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Mountain Moonlight, Unlaced, Riding on Instinct, The Perfect Play, Riding the Night, Fall Fury, Changing the Game, Heart of a Killer, Forbidden Fantasies, Taking a Shot, Playing to Win, Nautier and Wilder, Thrown by a Curve, One Sweet Ride, Straddling the Line, Melting the Ice, All Wound Up, "Hot Holiday Nights", Unexpected Rush, Hot to the Touch
An erotic story of love involving three women pushing each other past their own imposed boundaries.
My Take
We all need a friend (or friends) who will push us to step out and try for something we really want. Knowing that that support is there, no judgments.
Technically one novel-length story, it’s really one of the rare ones in which an author writes three short stories about three different women and makes it work. Burton sets it up presenting the women as close friends who set a bet and then uses the weekends to connect each story one after the other. For all the erotica, there was a nice homey feel to the collection with the emphasis on true love.
The Story
It’s Abby’s last day at the clinic, finishing up her internship when she’s called in to Dr. Nottingham’s office where she is blindsided by their proposal. Both Mike and Seth want to date Abby, singly or together. And they’re willing to abide by whatever Abby wants.
Not what Abby was expecting. It’s such a surprise that she calls up her best friends and begs them to meet her for lunch. She needs advice. It’s that lunch meeting that spells doom for all three as it’s there that Blair comes up with the bet. The other two will choose the man with whom the third one must spend a weekend. Having wild, wanton, and wicked sex.
So it’s Abby’s turn first and, surprise, surprise, Blair and Callie choose both Mike and Seth for her weekend of love. A weekend that starts at the country club and progresses to Mike’s place with both men. It’s Blair’s turn next and Abby and Callie choose the man she’s been avoiding for years. It’s about time Blair got past her desperate need to control everything in her life. Finally, it’s Callie’s turn and, in some ways, she has it the hardest — oops, I should say, the most difficult — as there wasn’t anyone opposing the others’ romances. Both Callie and Jack have a secret fantasy that could ruin Jack’s career. A career for which he’s worked very hard.
The Characters
The ABCs are Abby Lawson, Blair Newcastle, and Callie Jameson. Friends since their childhood. Friends through all the crap adulthood can throw at you. Abigail is finishing up her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree as well as her internship at the animal clinic after a much-needed divorce; Bailey has almost made it to the altar three or four times, but even she realizes the men she’s chosen are too weak for her; and, Callie has spent the last five years mourning her husband and building up her coffee shop business.
Mike Nottingham and Seth Jacobs are the doctors at the animal clinic who both want Abby. Rand McKay is the sheriff of Silverwood and has been in love with Bailey for 15 years, just waiting for her to come to her senses. Jack Fellows has just made partner in one of the most prestigious law firms in town, and he reckons he can take some time to pursue the lovely Callie.
The Cover and Title
The cover is quite subtle. Almost as though someone had pulled one gauzy shade up and another down leaving a red-tinged view through the middle of a man nuzzling the jawline of a woman.
The title is accurate enough as all three ladies are Wild, Wicked, & Wanton with the goad of their bet egging them on.
