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Insatiable
How far would you go for a taste of ecstasy?
Crystal never dreamed her engagement would end this way - with her fiancé breaking her heart the day of the wedding…and his best man stepping in to mend it. Now she’s about to embark on her dream honeymoon with the sinfully sexy best man. But when the groom shows up determined to win her back, she ends up in a highly unusual situation…on a honeymoon for three. Caught between two gorgeous guys — each determined win her hand by showing her the most pleasure — Crystal has an impossible decision to make. Who will she end up with once the honeymoon is over? And how can she follow her heart when it belongs to two men at once?
Crystal never dreamed her engagement would end this way - with her fiancé breaking her heart the day of the wedding…and his best man stepping in to mend it. Now she’s about to embark on her dream honeymoon with the sinfully sexy best man. But when the groom shows up determined to win her back, she ends up in a highly unusual situation…on a honeymoon for three. Caught between two gorgeous guys — each determined win her hand by showing her the most pleasure — Crystal has an impossible decision to make. Who will she end up with once the honeymoon is over? And how can she follow her heart when it belongs to two men at once?
276 pages, Trade Paperback
First published February 14, 2012
31 people are currently reading
662 people want to read
About the author
Opal Carew
166 books1,894 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Opal Carew loves cats, Zentangle, and wild nail polish!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
March 14, 2012
So. How did this novel start?
Very very promising!
We had a straight man and woman madly in love!
The problem? The man’s best friend was also in love with the woman. Oh! Drama on the horizont! Ta-da-da-dummm!
It all started when the other man kissed the bride to be-on her wedding day-making her husband to be take off to parts unknown. The bride and best man hit it off in the aftermath, and all is well in paradise with a new love blooming!
That is...until the almost husband returned ad decided to fight for his woman!
How? By orgasms!
*screams from joy over the plot*
By this pont I was panting with excitement at having a grand big ménage! I haven’t read a good ménage in a while,folks.
I was also very curious to see how the author was going to introduce the ménage because the husband to be, Brent, was a bit of a stiff neck, and not somebody I could imagine taking a step to the wild side.
So, how did the author do it?
By making an other woman fondle the heroine on a beach! Eh? Yeah,I was a bit skeptical also, because frankly? Our heroine is only slightly more loose than future hubby Brent. Her character up to there should have slapped the woman and scrammed. But still. What do I know? It served the purpose it was supposed to-made our heroes so hot they HAD to have her! Feeeewww! *fans herself*
Now, everybody who thinks our two heroes and the heroine had mind blowing sex and lived happy ever after ….
…..they are wrong!
After this the whole book went down the drain in such a hurry I almost could not keep up.
A talk with her new booby touching friend makes the heroine sad because her men have not done a DP with her. She, instead of taking a deap breath and letting her fears go in order to share something really special with two men that have never done this before….gives them to her booby touching new slutty friend Sarah.
I kid you not.
Because that was just the most logical thing ever! Give away men that you love to a random skanky chick you meet on a beach, so they can ‘see it all from a new perspective’.
What new perspective you ask? I have no idea. The one they will see while sharing a first time experience with a random woman while the woman they love watches.
Let me inform you of one more thing:this was also supposed to be a voyeuristic scene. Sadly, the only thing I got to read about was how the heroine was left out. She had some fondling from the booby toucher but after that she just stood on the lines looking in-in a very non sexy way.
How can it be non sexy?
Well, we have this scene in a partial POV from one of the man and he ‘Forgets everything and everybody around him but the soaking pus*y and Evan’. Let us do the math…we have Evan, Brent, the OW, and the heroine. If Brent forgot EVERYBODY but the OW and Evan, who does that leave us with?
I know you see where I am going with this.
So, after reading this scene, I felt alone and like somebody sucked all the romance out of me-leaving only literotica. And when I say literal porn I mean hard-core-almost-insulting only-sexy-to-man literotica at that.
Hoping nothing could be worse than this, and having a slight OCD when it comes to finishing books, I read on.
THE AGONY!!! OH THE AGONY!!!!
Seemingly out of nowhere, men that were friends for 20 years, men that never had a gay tendency in their life, and finaly, men that did not even feel very free with sharing a woman…develop a strong need for each other’s penis.
It was not subtle, it was not written well, and it was not believable.
So, why was it there?
Because this is a whole new issue that is threatening their happy ever after!!! Oh!
(yes…they STILL have no happy ever after, even thou nobody knows WHY)
The heroine has a light bulb moment! What could help? Why, going back to the booby toucher’s villa and getting it on with her and her casual love partner with a big penis.
OMFG? Right? Could somebody more step in to this relationship? Maybe the heroine’s sister?
At this point the former best man,also know as the man that basically started the spin of this whole story, is all open to new things. He is open to some more sex with Sarah, he is open to having sex with Sarah’s male lover…thank God there were no pets around, he would have probably wanted to tray that on for size. So, I was starting to ask myself…why did he not just leave the heroine and Brent alone? I mean, even thou he is so very much in love with the main girl he is prepared to wreck her wedding and fu*k over his bf, he is also very eager to stick his penis in to ANYTHING. Because it is fun. And he is such a easygoing guy! Riiiiigt.
Also, out of nowhere the author broke out the big guns:
BDSM.
Sarah, apparently, is a dominatrix mistress.
Yeeeeah. It seems only the kitchen sink is now waiting to be thrown in.
(at this point I was having the HUGEST headache of all time)
Any way…moving on.The whole group sex scene was plain old cringe worthy.
I know we were supposed to learn SOMETHING, but I have no idea WHAT…
Kane, Sarah’s lover, did a BJ on the other two men. Well, ok…what ever. Introduction to gay sex. I guess. But then Sarah gets naked and, strangely, it is again all about her.
Evan, the above mentioned eager beaver, is the first to jump at the opportunity to do DP on Sarah with Kane, thus confirming my theory that Brent and Crystal are better off on their own, without these other creeps.
Why do I call them creeps? Well, while Brent and Crystal are happy in their bubble-Sarah has a hissy fit and decided to punish them for doing it all alone , because duuuh, she is THE MISTRESS and she says so.
The heroine is now having sex with the huge penis-ed lover of Sarah while Sarah is jumping on Brent.
Why, oh why, you ask?
Because Sarah is just so special, and we should all love her!
*shudders*
The book continues on trough more silly issues that have no place in the story. Even thou they seem to get along just fine with having sex with EVERYBODY, the two men fret over Crystal picking out just one of them.
I personally, snorted every time any one of the characters thought this, because frankly…going back to normal after all these shenanigans? Pft.
To my utter horror, but true to the authors leitmotiv, there is one more HUGE Sarah and Kane scene right smack at the end. After a big grand revelation that what they all did was sex and it was now time to think about doing something with the initial love (and the initial characters) Crystal runs to consult with Sarah but finds a naked Kane (?). Her men are of course not jealous. No! They want Kane to have sex with her (?). Soon enough Sarah comes in and it is all about Sarah again. (Like you did not know that was coming!)
At one point all THREE men are having sex with Sarah while the heroine stands on the lines (?).
Brent, the big unflappable straight-laced dude form the beginning has a super sexcapade with Kane. (because it seems Evan infected him too and he is now ready to have sex with anybody. Even OTHER MEN. OTHER MEN THAT ARE NOT EVEN EVAN.)
All this orgy goodness fades to black and we have a final scene in which nothing happens. Just the heroine all happy on the beach because she now has two men, and oh joy! They like one another.
Bottom line? No issues are resolved but the book still ends suddenly on a false happy note. Nobody in the whole story is exclusive (I am still staggered by the fact that not even Evan and Brent had stayed true to each other. It seems that in the end this was not even a gay-for-you book. It was a ‘screw whatever has a whole’ book. Which makes the whole dealings even less special.) and the author never gave me even one romantic scene. A real romantic ‘I love you-we can do this’ scene.All in the name of sensuality.
(that btw was not there. Because nothing in the whole book was subtle and tought trough plot-wise)
So….So…ehm…so…eerrrmm…WHAT A MESS! This book has officially turned me indefinitely from ménage sex and gay for you sex! Maybe even from any erotica books at all! I am now too scared to start reading anything because THIS book had such an innocent blurb. You almost had no idea it was going to be a ménage! Let alone a sex buffet with take anything you like for 99$.
All in all, horrible and not worth your time. Any erotica reader and ménage lover worth their salt, will want to bleach their brain after this.
Me included.
Very very promising!
We had a straight man and woman madly in love!
The problem? The man’s best friend was also in love with the woman. Oh! Drama on the horizont! Ta-da-da-dummm!
It all started when the other man kissed the bride to be-on her wedding day-making her husband to be take off to parts unknown. The bride and best man hit it off in the aftermath, and all is well in paradise with a new love blooming!
That is...until the almost husband returned ad decided to fight for his woman!
How? By orgasms!
*screams from joy over the plot*
By this pont I was panting with excitement at having a grand big ménage! I haven’t read a good ménage in a while,folks.
I was also very curious to see how the author was going to introduce the ménage because the husband to be, Brent, was a bit of a stiff neck, and not somebody I could imagine taking a step to the wild side.
So, how did the author do it?
By making an other woman fondle the heroine on a beach! Eh? Yeah,I was a bit skeptical also, because frankly? Our heroine is only slightly more loose than future hubby Brent. Her character up to there should have slapped the woman and scrammed. But still. What do I know? It served the purpose it was supposed to-made our heroes so hot they HAD to have her! Feeeewww! *fans herself*
Now, everybody who thinks our two heroes and the heroine had mind blowing sex and lived happy ever after ….
…..they are wrong!
After this the whole book went down the drain in such a hurry I almost could not keep up.
A talk with her new booby touching friend makes the heroine sad because her men have not done a DP with her. She, instead of taking a deap breath and letting her fears go in order to share something really special with two men that have never done this before….gives them to her booby touching new slutty friend Sarah.
I kid you not.
Because that was just the most logical thing ever! Give away men that you love to a random skanky chick you meet on a beach, so they can ‘see it all from a new perspective’.
What new perspective you ask? I have no idea. The one they will see while sharing a first time experience with a random woman while the woman they love watches.
Let me inform you of one more thing:this was also supposed to be a voyeuristic scene. Sadly, the only thing I got to read about was how the heroine was left out. She had some fondling from the booby toucher but after that she just stood on the lines looking in-in a very non sexy way.
How can it be non sexy?
Well, we have this scene in a partial POV from one of the man and he ‘Forgets everything and everybody around him but the soaking pus*y and Evan’. Let us do the math…we have Evan, Brent, the OW, and the heroine. If Brent forgot EVERYBODY but the OW and Evan, who does that leave us with?
I know you see where I am going with this.
So, after reading this scene, I felt alone and like somebody sucked all the romance out of me-leaving only literotica. And when I say literal porn I mean hard-core-almost-insulting only-sexy-to-man literotica at that.
Hoping nothing could be worse than this, and having a slight OCD when it comes to finishing books, I read on.
THE AGONY!!! OH THE AGONY!!!!
Seemingly out of nowhere, men that were friends for 20 years, men that never had a gay tendency in their life, and finaly, men that did not even feel very free with sharing a woman…develop a strong need for each other’s penis.
It was not subtle, it was not written well, and it was not believable.
So, why was it there?
Because this is a whole new issue that is threatening their happy ever after!!! Oh!
(yes…they STILL have no happy ever after, even thou nobody knows WHY)
The heroine has a light bulb moment! What could help? Why, going back to the booby toucher’s villa and getting it on with her and her casual love partner with a big penis.
OMFG? Right? Could somebody more step in to this relationship? Maybe the heroine’s sister?
At this point the former best man,also know as the man that basically started the spin of this whole story, is all open to new things. He is open to some more sex with Sarah, he is open to having sex with Sarah’s male lover…thank God there were no pets around, he would have probably wanted to tray that on for size. So, I was starting to ask myself…why did he not just leave the heroine and Brent alone? I mean, even thou he is so very much in love with the main girl he is prepared to wreck her wedding and fu*k over his bf, he is also very eager to stick his penis in to ANYTHING. Because it is fun. And he is such a easygoing guy! Riiiiigt.
Also, out of nowhere the author broke out the big guns:
BDSM.
Sarah, apparently, is a dominatrix mistress.
Yeeeeah. It seems only the kitchen sink is now waiting to be thrown in.
(at this point I was having the HUGEST headache of all time)
Any way…moving on.The whole group sex scene was plain old cringe worthy.
I know we were supposed to learn SOMETHING, but I have no idea WHAT…
Kane, Sarah’s lover, did a BJ on the other two men. Well, ok…what ever. Introduction to gay sex. I guess. But then Sarah gets naked and, strangely, it is again all about her.
Evan, the above mentioned eager beaver, is the first to jump at the opportunity to do DP on Sarah with Kane, thus confirming my theory that Brent and Crystal are better off on their own, without these other creeps.
Why do I call them creeps? Well, while Brent and Crystal are happy in their bubble-Sarah has a hissy fit and decided to punish them for doing it all alone , because duuuh, she is THE MISTRESS and she says so.
The heroine is now having sex with the huge penis-ed lover of Sarah while Sarah is jumping on Brent.
Why, oh why, you ask?
Because Sarah is just so special, and we should all love her!
*shudders*
The book continues on trough more silly issues that have no place in the story. Even thou they seem to get along just fine with having sex with EVERYBODY, the two men fret over Crystal picking out just one of them.
I personally, snorted every time any one of the characters thought this, because frankly…going back to normal after all these shenanigans? Pft.
To my utter horror, but true to the authors leitmotiv, there is one more HUGE Sarah and Kane scene right smack at the end. After a big grand revelation that what they all did was sex and it was now time to think about doing something with the initial love (and the initial characters) Crystal runs to consult with Sarah but finds a naked Kane (?). Her men are of course not jealous. No! They want Kane to have sex with her (?). Soon enough Sarah comes in and it is all about Sarah again. (Like you did not know that was coming!)
At one point all THREE men are having sex with Sarah while the heroine stands on the lines (?).
Brent, the big unflappable straight-laced dude form the beginning has a super sexcapade with Kane. (because it seems Evan infected him too and he is now ready to have sex with anybody. Even OTHER MEN. OTHER MEN THAT ARE NOT EVEN EVAN.)
All this orgy goodness fades to black and we have a final scene in which nothing happens. Just the heroine all happy on the beach because she now has two men, and oh joy! They like one another.
Bottom line? No issues are resolved but the book still ends suddenly on a false happy note. Nobody in the whole story is exclusive (I am still staggered by the fact that not even Evan and Brent had stayed true to each other. It seems that in the end this was not even a gay-for-you book. It was a ‘screw whatever has a whole’ book. Which makes the whole dealings even less special.) and the author never gave me even one romantic scene. A real romantic ‘I love you-we can do this’ scene.All in the name of sensuality.
(that btw was not there. Because nothing in the whole book was subtle and tought trough plot-wise)
So….So…ehm…so…eerrrmm…WHAT A MESS! This book has officially turned me indefinitely from ménage sex and gay for you sex! Maybe even from any erotica books at all! I am now too scared to start reading anything because THIS book had such an innocent blurb. You almost had no idea it was going to be a ménage! Let alone a sex buffet with take anything you like for 99$.
All in all, horrible and not worth your time. Any erotica reader and ménage lover worth their salt, will want to bleach their brain after this.
Me included.
April 18, 2012
(April) More like 1.5* I have read a couple of other OC books and from what I recall - they are forgettable sexfests. The only reason I read this is I came across a very funny review and though "nah, can't be that bad..." but oh yes it is! This trainwreck of a book is the kind of book that gives all erotica a bad name. And the sex, while plentiful (and I mean plentiful!!) is not even all that hot.
There is barely a story - on her wedding day, the best man confesses his love to the bride. She ralizes she's always had feelings for him and passionately kisses him - and the groom sees this and walks out on the wedding (bride has no idea he's seen this). She's devastated to be left at the alter - so she gets over her sadness by having sex w/the best man, deciding to then take him on her two week honeymoon! Groom shows up as well, full of apologies and wanting her back. Bride is like "hmmm...my fault for kissing someone else - but he walked so maybe if we marry he'll walk at the first sign of trouble...what shall I do?! I know! Have lots more random sex because that will help me decide who I love."
And off she goes - she has sex w/the groom, the best man, a woman she meets on the beach, that woman's boyfriend, anal, oral, threesome, etc. The men, meanwhile, also have sex w/Beach Woman, and discover, out of the blue, they've always had feelings for one another so they also have sex w/each other and w/Beach Woman's guy. After many orgy-like scenes, the bride, groom and best man decide they will make it work somehow - probably w/lots of sex - they will live HEA w/(probably) no marriage but kids and dogs and a white picket fence (I've lived in the suburbs my whole life and have yet to meet any poly families, but boy romances like these make them seem so normal!).
There is barely a story - on her wedding day, the best man confesses his love to the bride. She ralizes she's always had feelings for him and passionately kisses him - and the groom sees this and walks out on the wedding (bride has no idea he's seen this). She's devastated to be left at the alter - so she gets over her sadness by having sex w/the best man, deciding to then take him on her two week honeymoon! Groom shows up as well, full of apologies and wanting her back. Bride is like "hmmm...my fault for kissing someone else - but he walked so maybe if we marry he'll walk at the first sign of trouble...what shall I do?! I know! Have lots more random sex because that will help me decide who I love."
And off she goes - she has sex w/the groom, the best man, a woman she meets on the beach, that woman's boyfriend, anal, oral, threesome, etc. The men, meanwhile, also have sex w/Beach Woman, and discover, out of the blue, they've always had feelings for one another so they also have sex w/each other and w/Beach Woman's guy. After many orgy-like scenes, the bride, groom and best man decide they will make it work somehow - probably w/lots of sex - they will live HEA w/(probably) no marriage but kids and dogs and a white picket fence (I've lived in the suburbs my whole life and have yet to meet any poly families, but boy romances like these make them seem so normal!).
June 13, 2012
**Spoilers**Just when I thought the story had a good premise going, the improbable happened: Crystal, who claimed to be in love with her fiance, Brent, finds herself in a heated kiss-fest with her soon-to-be husband's best friend, Evan, just thirty minutes before her wedding. But that's okay, right, since she's always had a certain sexual attraction to Evan. Then the groom doesn't show and of course the good friend steps in and before you know it, they're knocking boots in the honeymoon suite. Okay, maybe it'll get better, I tell myself, but then they're off on the honeymoon trip--together. Good grief. The groom follows, nursing a broken heart because he witnessed their heated embrace yet Crystal feels that's not as bad as being jilted. Sure she feels just a little guilty for having already slept with Evan, but that was justified, right? Stop already. No amount of erotic scenes with however many partners was going to make up for Crystal and Evan's duplicitous behavior. I just couldn't get past that and didn't finish. One star.
February 5, 2019
1.5 ☆
Y esto es lo que pasa cuando lees un libro sin antes leer la sinopsis. Te llevas una sorpresa y en este caso nada buena. Que decepción.
Siendo muy generosa le puse 2 estrellas.
Entiendo que hay libros que tienen contenido sexual, no me molesta para nada. Pero este libro se va de tema. Prácticamente no tiene otro contenido.
La trama muy mala la verdad. No lo recomiendo.
Y esto es lo que pasa cuando lees un libro sin antes leer la sinopsis. Te llevas una sorpresa y en este caso nada buena. Que decepción.
Siendo muy generosa le puse 2 estrellas.
Entiendo que hay libros que tienen contenido sexual, no me molesta para nada. Pero este libro se va de tema. Prácticamente no tiene otro contenido.
La trama muy mala la verdad. No lo recomiendo.
August 28, 2015
Super sexy and incredibly hot!
April 26, 2012
Rating: 2.5 / 5
By far not the worst Opal Carew book that I've read (that honor goes to Six), but this book falls short of what I want out of an erotic romance.
Series Note:
No known series connections.
Summary:
Just before Crystal's wedding is to take place her groom's best man, Evan - a friend of hers as well - confesses that he is in love with her and asks her not to get married. They share a kiss but Crystal plans to go through with the wedding. Unfortunately, her groom, Brent, sees the kiss and runs away, leaving Crystal almost at the alter. To get over the devastation, Crystal still goes on her honeymoon to the Cayman Islands, but she takes Evan, the best man, with her. Why not see where things could go with him. Though she's always tried to deny it, she's always been attracted to him.
Then Brent decides to chase after Crystal and win her back. But when he gets there, Crystal can't just toss Evan aside and go back to Brent. She proposes they spent the rest of their time their as a threesome and at the end, she'll pick who she wants. In the course of their sexual escapes, some surprising things come to light and at the end, Crystal isn't sure if she can pick just one.
Review:
I knew going into reading this book that there was a good chance I might not like it. I've read a handful of Carew's books and they're very hit or miss, more miss than hit. But I saw that it was a bi-menage story, which I generally can't turn down. So I thought I'd give it a go.
There are a lot of problems with this book, but oddly enough, I didn't hate it and liked it to a certain extent. At the same time, it was lacking in a lot of areas and does not deliver what a reader tends to want out of an erotic romance.
The premise of the story is that you have three friends: Crystal, Brent and Evan. Brent and Evan have been best friends for like 20 years. Crystal and Brent are getting married with Evan the best man. Just before the wedding Evan tells Crystal he loves her and wants a chance. Brent sees and runs off, Crystal ends up going on the "honeymoon" with Evan and Brent comes after her. The three end up having lots of kinky sex together while Crystal has to choose between them.
Initially, it sounded like an interesting premise but once you get into it and see what's really going on things seem rather shallow and you kinda shake your head and say whatever.
But for me, the biggest fault in the setup of the story - and it's something I've noticed with Carew's books before - is almost a total lack of character portraits. By that, I mean, your average romance book sets up it's characters...you get a portrait, with words, of the characters: age, general physical appearance, full name, job, etc etc. Facts that let you know who you are reading about. It helps you connect with the characters. Carew has not yet mastered this technique. In this book, you're left knowing very very little about these 3 main characters. I don't think any of them were given a last name, you only had a general inkling of their ages, I don't know that I could tell you what any of them looked like. Unless you want to know what their dicks looked like. The author spent more time describing Brent and Evan's dicks than she did the characters. That's a major fault in my mind. By the time I finished the book I felt like I hardly knew anything about these characters...except for what their dicks looked like.
It's a fault that sometimes pops up in erotic romances. Not so much these days as I think erotic romances have gotten a lot more well-rounded, but some of the first erotic romances I read were like that. Not enough focus on the characters and the story and just a lot of sex. And that's kinda what you end up getting here. I was hoping for a solid story with good character development, lots of emotion, and some hot sex with it. I think this book started off on the right foot, in a way, minus the lack of character portraits. I was actually maybe halfway through when it occurred to me that the book was rather tame for an Opal Carew book. But then things go a more than a little crazy.
Suddenly, a story based on the romantic conflict between the three characters - who was Crystal going to choose, how would things work out, etc - morphs into a story that was a sexual free for all. The three hook up with a sexually open couple in the villa next door and then you're getting sex in just about every way imaginable. What could have been a decent bi-menage story of three people adjusting to a new situation just degraded in a story of sexual experimentation. It makes you go a little cross-eyed and wonder WTF? I don't fault the sexual experimentation except that it came out of left field and didn't fit the story, in my opinion. It takes the focus off what you want the story to be about.
Then there's the bisexual issue of the story where Brent and Evan start messing around with each other. Now, I certainly don't care that that happened. I absolutely love bi-menage stories but this one was off. You've got the two guys who have been best friends for 20+ years with nothing sexual at all between. Then boom, Brent's wondering what it would be like to suck Evan's dick. And you're left wondering, wait, where did that come from? It comes off as something that's just plopped in there for the sake of adding some M/M sex and to make the menage relationship more complete. It makes things more on the unbelievable side.
The book as a whole is just a bit whacky, chock full of gratuitous sex, and lacking the development to make it a well-rounded story. But oddly enough, I didn't hate it. It's definitely a hot story, but it's not a fulfilling one. I wanted more.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex, explicit language, oral sex, anal sex, m/f sex, m/m oral & anal, f/f oral, m/f/m bi-sex, m/m/m/f/f group sex of various sorts, some light bondage, some semi-public sex, and yeah, you get the point, right?
By far not the worst Opal Carew book that I've read (that honor goes to Six), but this book falls short of what I want out of an erotic romance.
Series Note:
No known series connections.
Summary:
Just before Crystal's wedding is to take place her groom's best man, Evan - a friend of hers as well - confesses that he is in love with her and asks her not to get married. They share a kiss but Crystal plans to go through with the wedding. Unfortunately, her groom, Brent, sees the kiss and runs away, leaving Crystal almost at the alter. To get over the devastation, Crystal still goes on her honeymoon to the Cayman Islands, but she takes Evan, the best man, with her. Why not see where things could go with him. Though she's always tried to deny it, she's always been attracted to him.
Then Brent decides to chase after Crystal and win her back. But when he gets there, Crystal can't just toss Evan aside and go back to Brent. She proposes they spent the rest of their time their as a threesome and at the end, she'll pick who she wants. In the course of their sexual escapes, some surprising things come to light and at the end, Crystal isn't sure if she can pick just one.
Review:
I knew going into reading this book that there was a good chance I might not like it. I've read a handful of Carew's books and they're very hit or miss, more miss than hit. But I saw that it was a bi-menage story, which I generally can't turn down. So I thought I'd give it a go.
There are a lot of problems with this book, but oddly enough, I didn't hate it and liked it to a certain extent. At the same time, it was lacking in a lot of areas and does not deliver what a reader tends to want out of an erotic romance.
The premise of the story is that you have three friends: Crystal, Brent and Evan. Brent and Evan have been best friends for like 20 years. Crystal and Brent are getting married with Evan the best man. Just before the wedding Evan tells Crystal he loves her and wants a chance. Brent sees and runs off, Crystal ends up going on the "honeymoon" with Evan and Brent comes after her. The three end up having lots of kinky sex together while Crystal has to choose between them.
Initially, it sounded like an interesting premise but once you get into it and see what's really going on things seem rather shallow and you kinda shake your head and say whatever.
But for me, the biggest fault in the setup of the story - and it's something I've noticed with Carew's books before - is almost a total lack of character portraits. By that, I mean, your average romance book sets up it's characters...you get a portrait, with words, of the characters: age, general physical appearance, full name, job, etc etc. Facts that let you know who you are reading about. It helps you connect with the characters. Carew has not yet mastered this technique. In this book, you're left knowing very very little about these 3 main characters. I don't think any of them were given a last name, you only had a general inkling of their ages, I don't know that I could tell you what any of them looked like. Unless you want to know what their dicks looked like. The author spent more time describing Brent and Evan's dicks than she did the characters. That's a major fault in my mind. By the time I finished the book I felt like I hardly knew anything about these characters...except for what their dicks looked like.
It's a fault that sometimes pops up in erotic romances. Not so much these days as I think erotic romances have gotten a lot more well-rounded, but some of the first erotic romances I read were like that. Not enough focus on the characters and the story and just a lot of sex. And that's kinda what you end up getting here. I was hoping for a solid story with good character development, lots of emotion, and some hot sex with it. I think this book started off on the right foot, in a way, minus the lack of character portraits. I was actually maybe halfway through when it occurred to me that the book was rather tame for an Opal Carew book. But then things go a more than a little crazy.
Suddenly, a story based on the romantic conflict between the three characters - who was Crystal going to choose, how would things work out, etc - morphs into a story that was a sexual free for all. The three hook up with a sexually open couple in the villa next door and then you're getting sex in just about every way imaginable. What could have been a decent bi-menage story of three people adjusting to a new situation just degraded in a story of sexual experimentation. It makes you go a little cross-eyed and wonder WTF? I don't fault the sexual experimentation except that it came out of left field and didn't fit the story, in my opinion. It takes the focus off what you want the story to be about.
Then there's the bisexual issue of the story where Brent and Evan start messing around with each other. Now, I certainly don't care that that happened. I absolutely love bi-menage stories but this one was off. You've got the two guys who have been best friends for 20+ years with nothing sexual at all between. Then boom, Brent's wondering what it would be like to suck Evan's dick. And you're left wondering, wait, where did that come from? It comes off as something that's just plopped in there for the sake of adding some M/M sex and to make the menage relationship more complete. It makes things more on the unbelievable side.
The book as a whole is just a bit whacky, chock full of gratuitous sex, and lacking the development to make it a well-rounded story. But oddly enough, I didn't hate it. It's definitely a hot story, but it's not a fulfilling one. I wanted more.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex, explicit language, oral sex, anal sex, m/f sex, m/m oral & anal, f/f oral, m/f/m bi-sex, m/m/m/f/f group sex of various sorts, some light bondage, some semi-public sex, and yeah, you get the point, right?
December 15, 2019
Protagonistas: Brett/Evan & Crystal
Profesiones: Asesor Empresarial, Empresario & Editora
Paises: USA & Islas Caiman
Profesiones: Asesor Empresarial, Empresario & Editora
Paises: USA & Islas Caiman
October 8, 2013
I gave up on page 63. The writing style is adolescent. I couldn't stand the dialogue when the two guys started fighting over the girl.
Do guys really have these kind of discussions with each other? This sounds more like a cat-fight between two teenage girls to me. Try to imagine two girls fighting over a guy like this, and I find it more realistic. Here's an example of the writing style (from page 59-60):
Evan watched Crystal stride away, then turned his gaze back Brent to find himself staring into the piercing brown eyes of his friend. Or rather ex-friend, from the look on Brent's face.
"How the hell could you do this to me? I thought you were my friend."
Evan felt as though he'd been kicked in the gut. "I am."
Brent's fists clenched. "You have a f-cking lousy way of showing it."
"I'm sorry about the way this worked out. I really am."
"Why don't I believe you? You stole Crystal from me right before our wedding. Now she's here with you on the honeymoon. It seems to have worked out pretty well for you."
"She's only here with me because you didn't show up for the wedding," Evan shot back
Brent took a step toward Evan, his eyes blazing. "I didn't show up for the wedding because I believed she'd already decided to run off with YOU."
Evan sucked in a deep breath, realizing this was only making things worse. He took a step back and held up his hands. "Brent, look, we both made some mistakes."
"So you admit you made a mistake?"
"Only in waiting so long to tell Crystal how I felt about her."
Brent glared at him. "Some f-cking friend you are."
"Just hear me out." Evan leaned against the back of the couch. "I've had feelings for Crystal for a long time, but I suppressed them. She was your woman."
"Damn right. So why the hell did you change your mind?"
"Mainly because those initial feelings of attraction turned into something deeper, until I finally realized I was in love with her." Hi wiped his clammy hands on his shorts. "If you two got married, I knew I could never keep being friends with you, feeling about her the way I do. It would be too difficult. I also started wondering if maybe she had feelings for me. I thought I'd sensed something between us."
"F-ck, did you hit on Crystal before?"
Evan shook his head. "No, nothing like that, but occasionally I'd see her looking at me and...I don't know, it just seemed--"
Brent scowled. "So my girlfriend gives you a sidelong glance and you think you have the right to tell her you love her?"
"Damn it, Brent." Evan pushed himself from the couch and paced across the carpet. "Try and see it from my point of view. I was in love with her. There was a chance she returned those feelings, but momentum was carrying her forward to marry you."
"Momentum?" Brent's sharp voice slashed through Evan.
"I know she cares about you, but what if it's me she really loves? Don't you want her to be happy?"
"Don't give me that crap. Of course I want her to be happy. And I'm the man who'll make her happy."
Anyone as sickened by this sordid drama as I am? Blech!
Do guys really have these kind of discussions with each other? This sounds more like a cat-fight between two teenage girls to me. Try to imagine two girls fighting over a guy like this, and I find it more realistic. Here's an example of the writing style (from page 59-60):
Evan watched Crystal stride away, then turned his gaze back Brent to find himself staring into the piercing brown eyes of his friend. Or rather ex-friend, from the look on Brent's face.
"How the hell could you do this to me? I thought you were my friend."
Evan felt as though he'd been kicked in the gut. "I am."
Brent's fists clenched. "You have a f-cking lousy way of showing it."
"I'm sorry about the way this worked out. I really am."
"Why don't I believe you? You stole Crystal from me right before our wedding. Now she's here with you on the honeymoon. It seems to have worked out pretty well for you."
"She's only here with me because you didn't show up for the wedding," Evan shot back
Brent took a step toward Evan, his eyes blazing. "I didn't show up for the wedding because I believed she'd already decided to run off with YOU."
Evan sucked in a deep breath, realizing this was only making things worse. He took a step back and held up his hands. "Brent, look, we both made some mistakes."
"So you admit you made a mistake?"
"Only in waiting so long to tell Crystal how I felt about her."
Brent glared at him. "Some f-cking friend you are."
"Just hear me out." Evan leaned against the back of the couch. "I've had feelings for Crystal for a long time, but I suppressed them. She was your woman."
"Damn right. So why the hell did you change your mind?"
"Mainly because those initial feelings of attraction turned into something deeper, until I finally realized I was in love with her." Hi wiped his clammy hands on his shorts. "If you two got married, I knew I could never keep being friends with you, feeling about her the way I do. It would be too difficult. I also started wondering if maybe she had feelings for me. I thought I'd sensed something between us."
"F-ck, did you hit on Crystal before?"
Evan shook his head. "No, nothing like that, but occasionally I'd see her looking at me and...I don't know, it just seemed--"
Brent scowled. "So my girlfriend gives you a sidelong glance and you think you have the right to tell her you love her?"
"Damn it, Brent." Evan pushed himself from the couch and paced across the carpet. "Try and see it from my point of view. I was in love with her. There was a chance she returned those feelings, but momentum was carrying her forward to marry you."
"Momentum?" Brent's sharp voice slashed through Evan.
"I know she cares about you, but what if it's me she really loves? Don't you want her to be happy?"
"Don't give me that crap. Of course I want her to be happy. And I'm the man who'll make her happy."
Anyone as sickened by this sordid drama as I am? Blech!
March 29, 2012
This was not a favorite read of mine.I should have known better that this writer is just not my cuppa.I mean,come on,on the day of your wedding to a man you supposedly loved ,his best friend comes to you and tells you that he loves you.Gee ,what is a girl supposed to do ,but admit that she has feelings for him ,sexual or otherwise and promptly begins to kiss each other.Not known to them,the fiancee sees them in a passionate kiss and leaves,thus standing her up.Well now,the sexxing begins.......she has sex with the best friend on the day of the aborted wedding and in the Cayman Islands where she was supposed to go on her honeymoon.Guess who shows up at the villa they are staying at,the now ex.Poor guy,she feels bad for him and she does love him,so sexxing again.Goes to the beach and meets very attractive woman,well she just had to put suntan lotion all over her breast,and who but her two fav boys sees this happening.Well ,this just turns them on even more.......this book starts out with her having sex with one man,then another,lets just throw in some oral sex with the woman,then having sex with the woman's lover because she wonders what it would be like with a man that is that hung,REALLY!!!!,then throw in a group orgy.Did I forget to mention that said fiancee and best friend do the DEED also with each other and the well hung stud. they have feelings for each other,how did that happen? Oh,well,they are on a vacation and things do happen.I have read alot of erotic romances in my time,certainly not a prude when it comes to the sex in them,but I like that there be some LOVE between the participants.Just did not feel it,only lust.So if you want a book with sex,sex,sex,and varied multiple partners,then this is it.Certainly did not buy the Hea in this one.
April 11, 2013
I had a hard time buying into this one. I was ok with Evan telling Crystal he loved her before the wedding, ok with Brett running after seeing them together. Where things went wrong was just hours after being left at the alter Crystal has sex with Evan. Even with the big confession I can't see that happening. Things went further off the tracks when during the honeymoon when all three are there together things turn into a sexfest, where anything and everything goes, m/f, f/f, m/m, plus up to a 5 person orgy. I also had a hard time buying into that all of a sudden Brett and Evan, who have been life long friends, not are into each other as lovers too, not just a menage with Crystal. All of the sexual exploration seemed to come out of thin air and all of a sudden it became okay to try it all. I guess they were just lucky enough to find another couple to help them explore this side of themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2013
This was one hot read! Enjoyed the beginning and the sex scenes were off the charts! I think this could have been a great read if it had more substance between the main 3 characters. I hated the fact that while on the honeymoon the author decided to throw in 2 random people to the sex mix which in my opinion negated the Love "factor"!
March 13, 2016
✰✰½
Typical OC read with even less believable plot than most of her other books. Sexfest with any and all and two guys friend who had never had an inkling of wanting man-on-man sex are jumping cock first into the pool.
Yet I still read them or at least skim them. ;)
Typical OC read with even less believable plot than most of her other books. Sexfest with any and all and two guys friend who had never had an inkling of wanting man-on-man sex are jumping cock first into the pool.
Yet I still read them or at least skim them. ;)
September 1, 2012
HA this book was a joke... The words she used were cheesy and the outline and story details were horrible. I couldn't wait to finish it and give it a one star
February 28, 2018
The idea of the story was good and it was off to a pretty good start; however, the plot didn't really flow throughout the rest of the book (at least to me). Also, Crystal's character lacked in depth and I wasn't really enjoying watching her struggle with this conflict. I understand that she was torn, but towards the end of the book, she just seemed to be attracted to the idea of just passion verses a relationship. That's just how I viewed her.
I love Opal's books, I really do. I was so excited to read this one, but I just did not like it as much as her other work.
*Story Spoilers*
I did like how Evan was so persistent and passionate about letting Crystal know how he felt during the wedding. The whole discussion at the beginning had my heart aching for her to accept him and run away from the wedding. It was a rather scandalous romantic feel to the book with them running off to the honeymoon resort and got to explore the connection and heat between them. (which was well done and the steamy scenes with them were the best ;)
But then when Brent showed up, it just felt like the story kind of went off on a downward slope. I understand meeting Sarah and being able to discuss her dilemma with her. Also, I get why Sarah helped them relax with the idea of them being together, but when it came to Crystal's obsession with fooling around with Kade...it just seemed weird. She was supposed to be focusing on the love triangle with Brent and Evan, not suddenly add another man into the mix just because of his looks or his body. It just felt like the story went off the train tracks from there.
Continuing into the last five chapters of the book, I had to push myself to finish the book because I just felt uncomfortable with how things went. I understand that Evan and Brent feel conflicted with the idea of sharing Crystal, but it just felt like beating a dead horse and repeating the problem over and over. First Brent would leave and then come back. Then Evan would leave and come back. It was just a repeating process that I was growing tired of.
Then in the final scene with all five of them...it just felt weird. I've read other books by Opal where she does scenes like this and it didn't really bother me that much, but this one just annoyed me so much because of Crystal's crazy obsession of being with Kade. Kade wasn't even a big character in the book! He had like only a few lines and most of them were in those final chapters. He just felt like a wasted character that was only used for sexual purposes. Sarah at least had some depth to her and I did like her character.
I'm sorry but this was just a book that didn't end well for me. I like a happy ending where the main characters get together, but in the story I just felt unsatisfied with how it ended. Maybe if there was more to the relationship than just passion or Crystal had more personality to her character or something like that, maybe I would have enjoyed the book better. I adore Opal's books and I will continue reading them, but I probably won't reread this one in the future.
I love Opal's books, I really do. I was so excited to read this one, but I just did not like it as much as her other work.
*Story Spoilers*
I did like how Evan was so persistent and passionate about letting Crystal know how he felt during the wedding. The whole discussion at the beginning had my heart aching for her to accept him and run away from the wedding. It was a rather scandalous romantic feel to the book with them running off to the honeymoon resort and got to explore the connection and heat between them. (which was well done and the steamy scenes with them were the best ;)
But then when Brent showed up, it just felt like the story kind of went off on a downward slope. I understand meeting Sarah and being able to discuss her dilemma with her. Also, I get why Sarah helped them relax with the idea of them being together, but when it came to Crystal's obsession with fooling around with Kade...it just seemed weird. She was supposed to be focusing on the love triangle with Brent and Evan, not suddenly add another man into the mix just because of his looks or his body. It just felt like the story went off the train tracks from there.
Continuing into the last five chapters of the book, I had to push myself to finish the book because I just felt uncomfortable with how things went. I understand that Evan and Brent feel conflicted with the idea of sharing Crystal, but it just felt like beating a dead horse and repeating the problem over and over. First Brent would leave and then come back. Then Evan would leave and come back. It was just a repeating process that I was growing tired of.
Then in the final scene with all five of them...it just felt weird. I've read other books by Opal where she does scenes like this and it didn't really bother me that much, but this one just annoyed me so much because of Crystal's crazy obsession of being with Kade. Kade wasn't even a big character in the book! He had like only a few lines and most of them were in those final chapters. He just felt like a wasted character that was only used for sexual purposes. Sarah at least had some depth to her and I did like her character.
I'm sorry but this was just a book that didn't end well for me. I like a happy ending where the main characters get together, but in the story I just felt unsatisfied with how it ended. Maybe if there was more to the relationship than just passion or Crystal had more personality to her character or something like that, maybe I would have enjoyed the book better. I adore Opal's books and I will continue reading them, but I probably won't reread this one in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2021
I’m usually a fan of Opal Carew so it was nice to discover a book from years and years ago that I hadn’t read. While the summary teases a bit of what we’re to expect, There’s so much more to this story than meets the eye.
Yes, we’re introduced to Crystal on the day of her wedding, she’s getting ready for the big ceremony and all the fanfare that lies ahead. Her fiance’s best friend Evan comes by to calm her nerves a bit and to share a little bit of what he’s been feeling for years. This is something that the summary doesn’t share. Evan’s been in love with Crystal for a long time and while he knows that she’s going to marry his best friend, he owes it to himself and to her to share how he feels in case that has an impact on her decision to go through with the wedding. So of course, it’s that moment, when Evan admits his feelings to Crystal and they ’embrace’ – that’s when Brent sees them and decides that he can’t go through with the wedding. Crystal is left at the altar, and Evan swoops in to help get her away from it all.
This leads to an afternoon of passion that neither expected, and as a result, to a honeymoon trip filled with all sorts of heat and chemistry. They realize that maybe there is something to explore and that’s where our story takes us – on that journey, watching as they learn about each other more and more, see how they are beyond physically connected and able to give the other what they need. until brent shows up.
You’d imagine that this would be a tough situation right? Crystal now has to choose between her fiance and someone that she may have stronger feelings for, and instead of forcing a choice right then and there, we watch the beginnings of a threesome develop, as they vie for her attention, and realize that sharing a woman plays right into a fantasy that these guys have had for ages.
We see this get naughtier and naughtier as the pages go on. There’s an introduction of a sexy neighbor that’s down the lane from them who brings out things in Crystal that she never knew were there. It inspires passions amongst everyone that this book ups the ante with steam.
Add to that a complete new couple making this a group thing rather than just a threesome, and then there’s the notion that there’s interest from Brent to Evan, something that he never realized or explored, but we watch how these men also explore what’s possible with each other.
So, in my opinion, this story is less about the relationship and more about the group sex and kink that they get into, but what’s my opinion here right? We do know that there’s a choice to be made at the end of all this, if it’s Brent or Evan and Evan knows that it’s going to be Brent, even if he did leave Crystal at the altar. He just knows that he’s not willing to go out without a fight, and that’s where we’re finding the ending of this story. A choice to be made, an interesting turn of events, and some very very sexy times had by all.
Yes, we’re introduced to Crystal on the day of her wedding, she’s getting ready for the big ceremony and all the fanfare that lies ahead. Her fiance’s best friend Evan comes by to calm her nerves a bit and to share a little bit of what he’s been feeling for years. This is something that the summary doesn’t share. Evan’s been in love with Crystal for a long time and while he knows that she’s going to marry his best friend, he owes it to himself and to her to share how he feels in case that has an impact on her decision to go through with the wedding. So of course, it’s that moment, when Evan admits his feelings to Crystal and they ’embrace’ – that’s when Brent sees them and decides that he can’t go through with the wedding. Crystal is left at the altar, and Evan swoops in to help get her away from it all.
This leads to an afternoon of passion that neither expected, and as a result, to a honeymoon trip filled with all sorts of heat and chemistry. They realize that maybe there is something to explore and that’s where our story takes us – on that journey, watching as they learn about each other more and more, see how they are beyond physically connected and able to give the other what they need. until brent shows up.
You’d imagine that this would be a tough situation right? Crystal now has to choose between her fiance and someone that she may have stronger feelings for, and instead of forcing a choice right then and there, we watch the beginnings of a threesome develop, as they vie for her attention, and realize that sharing a woman plays right into a fantasy that these guys have had for ages.
We see this get naughtier and naughtier as the pages go on. There’s an introduction of a sexy neighbor that’s down the lane from them who brings out things in Crystal that she never knew were there. It inspires passions amongst everyone that this book ups the ante with steam.
Add to that a complete new couple making this a group thing rather than just a threesome, and then there’s the notion that there’s interest from Brent to Evan, something that he never realized or explored, but we watch how these men also explore what’s possible with each other.
So, in my opinion, this story is less about the relationship and more about the group sex and kink that they get into, but what’s my opinion here right? We do know that there’s a choice to be made at the end of all this, if it’s Brent or Evan and Evan knows that it’s going to be Brent, even if he did leave Crystal at the altar. He just knows that he’s not willing to go out without a fight, and that’s where we’re finding the ending of this story. A choice to be made, an interesting turn of events, and some very very sexy times had by all.
September 25, 2025
It's Crystal's wedding day but a sudden declaration of love causes a misunderstanding with Brent the groom and Crystal winds up jilted. Whisked away by the best man, Evan, Crystal is convinced to go on her dream honeymoon and chooses Evan to go with her. Then Brent shows up to win her back. Both men love her and are willing to fight for her and Crystal cares for both of them. Can an unconventional relationship be the perfect answer....
August 25, 2019
I flew through this book. I finished it in one day. I enjoyed it but there was also parts that made me cringe. I didn’t like the guy on guy stuff. Maybe it because i wasn’t expecting it, I’m not sure. But I didn’t enjoy it in any case. If that hadn’t of been there I feel as though it would have got a higher rating from me.
May 8, 2022
I listened to the audiobook!!! The narrator was awful!! I hate to say it, but it had to be said! The book is full of sex, which works for me, but the story has so much potential and I don’t think the author took advantage of that. It ended up going unreasonably fast instead of building out the plot a bit more!!
December 16, 2019
Two men, best friends and loving one woman could be trouble. Both men fighting for her love willing to go the distance. This can go really good or really bad. This is a very HOT and steamy erotica and exploring many different sexual experiences and fantasies.
March 31, 2020
Wow. I hardly put this book down. Thank you quarantine, that I could binge read it. I'm not so sure the praise on the back cover "beautiful, real, and powerful." is accurate, at least not the 'real' part. That being said, do I want more? yes, PLEASE!
November 24, 2025
So many words saying the same exact thing. The narrator was comically bad especially during the spicy bits. I thought I could do it but had to stop at 30% - there are only so many times you can ask the same f'ing questions in different ways.
February 4, 2019
From jilted bride to lucky cow! Am loving this author!!
April 1, 2019
Opal Carew’s books never disappoint me and this story between Crystal, Evan and Brent is no different.
November 8, 2020
Owned
Ok
Ok
December 27, 2020
Bue... este es más Opal Carew que los anteriores.
Una serie de advertencias no estarían mal... fuerte la cosa. Y no lo digo solo por el trío.
Una serie de advertencias no estarían mal... fuerte la cosa. Y no lo digo solo por el trío.
library
July 30, 20210
March 10, 2022
Amazing
April 25, 2022
Pretty good read didn't enjoy it as much as some of Opal Carew other works
May 26, 2022
Can it really be this bad? Yes
Erotica read by a robot with no plot and actually not sexy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Erotica read by a robot with no plot and actually not sexy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 10, 2022
I really liked this one. It was a typical Opal Carew book, totally unbelievably, but still sexy af.
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