Review: 2  stars.  Not the kind of story I want to read, but I give the author credit for something different.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 11, 2012
CURIO by Cara McKenna.This is relationship fiction.  Two people meet and get to know each other.  There is a lot of explicit sex, but it did not turn me on.  I was uncomfortable watching it.  There was no passionate desire.  It's maybe 2/3 or half the length of a regular novel.Caroly is a 29 year old virgin visiting a male prostitute.  Her first few visits are Caroly telling Didier to do things like bathe and pleasure himself while she watches.  Her thoughts and ponderings are about how perfect and beautiful his body is.  Later when she is ready to lose her virginity, she tells him to pretend he is her boyfriend.  Instead of passionate sex, I felt like he was a Ken doll she was putting in various positions.  It did not appeal to me.I was also unsettled with how she took a sincere interest in him, talking about his interests and his life - as if she were not a client.  She wanted a permanent loving relationship with him.  He appeared accommodating, but it made me think of prostitutes who say what they think their clients want to hear.  We are never in his head, so we don't know if he's acting or being honest.  Although his action at the end implied something positive.  I felt self-conscious and uncomfortable for her.  I wanted to give her advice about finding someone else.DATA:Narrative mode: 1st person Caroly.  Kindle count story length: 2857 (274 KB).  Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words.  Sexual language: strong/erotic.  Number of sex scenes: about 7.  Setting: current day Paris, France.  Copyright: 2011.  Genre: erotic relationship fiction.  Ending:  happy-for-now, sort of.OTHER BOOKS:I've reviewed the following Cara McKenna books.  Dates are copyright dates.4  stars.  Willing Victim  2010  (He and she like the following: she fights him, he overpowers her.)3 stars.  Skin Game  2011 (12 contestants participate in something similar to the TV show Survivor.)