Review: Beautiful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2012
Curio is sexy and moving: Cara McKenna is an excellent writer!  I finished Curio two days ago, but Didier and Caroly's story continues to haunt me.  He is a French prostitute and she is his client.  A dubious beginning, I know.  But McKenna's story is not designed to titillate readers with sleazy voyeurism, tab A into slot B.  She focuses on characterization, and the result is beautiful, erotic, unforgettable.  Caroly and Didier come alive on the page, and I like them both a great deal, because of their strengths and their flaws.  Even though the story is told from Caroly's first person point of view, Didier is a multidimensional presence--sexy, tender, confident, and incredibly vulnerable. What will become of Caroly and Didier? Who can say? They are two imperfect people who might just be some kind of perfect together.  The fearless Mckenna offers some resolution, but it's really a beginning, an affirmation of hope and possibility. And that's it.  No neat HEA.  After all, life makes no promises.  Grab hope and love while you can.