Review: Sexcapades
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 7, 2013
Petra started her blog Sexcapades after breaking up with her boyfriend, she wanted to help empower women to take control of their sexuality and give them the kind of advice that she wishes someone had given her years ago. Petra spends a lot of time writing about sex but since she doesn't have a lot of experience most of her knowledge comes from research and her own personal fantasies. Her blog has grown in popularity since she started sparring online with the owner of the Mantastic blog, she is able to say things online that she would never have the guts to say in person and her internet persona is a long way from the shy and socially inept woman she is in real life. Now her blog has been nominated for an award and Petra has to venture out into the real world to attend the award ceremony. At a pre-award event Petra is delighted to bump into her crush from the local coffee shop and before too long their flirtation leads to a night of explosive passion. What Petra doesn't realise is that Darcy is also the owner of Mantastic which makes him her online nemesis who just happens to be nominated for the same award as her. Now she's facing the very awkward possibility of falling for the competition but with the award ceremony holding a spotlight on both of them and other competitors accusing them of cheating that is just the beginning of their troubles.I love Christine d'Abo's Long Shots series so when I saw her latest novel Sexcapades come up for review on Netgalley I jumped at the chance of reading it. If the author's name wasn't enough to sell me on it then the fact that both of the main characters are bloggers definitely would have! Having read some of this author's other books I was expecting it to be a hot read and I wasn't disappointed because it was scorching. What I wasn't expecting was the humour, this book had me laughing out loud all the way through, the witty banter between the main characters, the way Petra was so awkward (her first attempt at talking dirty was hilarious!) and the whole light hearted feel to the book was just what I wanted. This is a book I know I'll be reading again at some point and I hope we're going to see more stories in a similar vein from the author in the future.Petra's confidence was really knocked by her ex, he was constantly putting her down and telling her she was abnormal for wanting to experiment in the bedroom. She is a fun, friendly woman with people she knows but she finds it very hard to interact with anyone new or in large social groups. On her blog she can be as outgoing and saucy as she likes but it is one thing to say outrageous things when you have time to plan in advance and another thing entirely when you're talking to someone face to face. I love the way her confidence starts to grow as she gets to know Darcy, he is more than happy to encourage her inner vixen and he helps her see how much fun she can have with a willing partner. Darcy himself is part modern man and part Neanderthal. Some of the things he comes out with on his blog are outrageous but when it comes down to it he is a really nice guy and I love the way he gets Petra to open up to him.Sexcapades is a great fun read with fabulous relatable characters and super hot sex scenes full of experimentation (you may even pick up on a few ideas to try at home!). If you've not read anything by Christine d'Abo before then this would be a great place to start - although I definitely recommend her Long Shots series too - and if you're already a fan you won't want to miss out on this book.