Review: Great sex surpasses the story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2012
Four stars for some seriously steamy sex.  Michael and Clarissa have been married for nearly twenty years in 1830's London.  For the past year, their previously satisfying sex life has suffered due to Michael's impotence.  Well, not complete impotence; he can't perform with Clarissa, but he has no problems acting out his fantasies in a bordello.  Michael attempts to draw a line in what is "acceptable" adultery by engaging in voyeurism, while keeping his hands...ahem...to himself.  Clarissa is increasingly frustrated by and suspicious of Michael's inattention, and she follows him one day and learns his secret.  Clarissa is determined to win him back, and she confides in the madam.  The madam gives her a few toys, as well as instructions to return to the bordello in disguise as a French prostitute, with Michael as her unwitting customer.And thus begin some very hot sex scenes, and Michael's previously drawn line quickly evaporates.  The story requires some major suspension of disbelief; namely, that a husband would not recognize the body, voice, hair, and behaviors of his wife of nearly two decades, with only a mask for disguise.  The couple's boomeranging emotions were difficult to follow and did not always ring true to me.  This was easy enough to ignore, though, since the focus is primarily on sex, and that part is very well-done.This book is probably not for anyone who does not want to read about an intended sympathetic character committing adultery.  (Granted, the physical acts were with his wife, but Michael did not know this.)