Review: Unrealistic but titillating
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2012
Improper Relations starts with an improbable scenario of a young widow risking her reputation and livelihood by succumbing to the seduction of her cousin through marriage. Unwittingly Hannah witnesses a tryst between the marquis' second son, Leo, and Ida the maid. Instead of making her presence known, she watches and confronts Cousin Leo in a very direct discussion.So begins Hannah's education to the pleasures of the flesh.The continued seduction itself is a very clinical business. They never kiss as Leo shows her how to masturbate and how to perform certain sex acts to him to all of which he reciprocates in kind. And yet it works as a titillation.Due to the length of the novella, the presence of plot is minimal, but I mostly liked what I read. That is until the highly implausible ending. I was resigned to accept some unlikely resolution where the two lovers would be together but live as social pariahs or maybe even cross the Atlantic in hopes for a better future. Unfortunately Ross felt like they had to have it all, and frankly, I didn't think that the modicum of suffering earned the couple all their luck.With a little more realistic ending this would have been a four star read for me.**I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.**