Review: Pheromones Are Us
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 11 28, 2013
This was certainly a fascinating look at two very physically and emotionally damaged people, both subjected to unspeakable abuse, starving for healthy love and discovering…….well, something…… in each other.  The author tackles some very difficult subject matter, not “typical’” or comfortable for this genre (torture, homosexual encounters, repeated verbal and physical abuse). That was the appeal of this book, and why I thought I’d try it out. I respect out-of-the-box romance that is done well.Unfortunately, the only other thing these two had in common was an excessive dose of pheromones. Although I am not reticent to read something with a strong erotic kick to it (and believe me, this one did that part well!), this story seemed entirely dependent on the lust part to give it momentum. Not to give too much away, Gaspard and Claudia are in a linen closet playing naughty games within an hour of introduction. Hmm. The book continues in this manner for much of the story. Every time they are together, the clothes come off (or are shifted out of the way). I didn’t see any opportunity for either of them to truly discover each other in any way except physically. This was disappointing. I hung in there until the end, thinking there would be some turning point or some event that would allow them to see something in each other, other than physical attraction, but it never happened. I like my romances to show some development of trust or respect, or something resembling character. Not so in this one. Two people getting’ it on, over and over during a relatively short period of time. Callin’ it love. The end.The transition from scene to scene was awkward. The scene would sort of flash forward, and folks are now in a different location, different setting, with no lead up or explanation.  It’s an interesting technique, but left me scratching my head. Other characters just show up on other continents, with little to no explanation how they got there. It seemed convenient, but I thought it impaired the flow of the story. I didn’t care for it.Not to trash it entirely, I think this story had such promise – the characters were fascinating, and you certainly feel for them. The author was brave to tackle such uncomfortable topics, and I thought her insertion of their abusive pasts was very well done.  I just didn’t buy their development of (lust)  love.