What do you think?
Rate this book
By Appointment Only
A good marriage is based on love, commitment, and enough hot sex to last a lifetimeÂ…
Hannah loves Morgan enough to become his fiancée, but that doesnÂ't mean she wants to get married. In her experience, everything goes downhill after you say “I do”—and it all starts in the bedroom. For Morgan, marriage isnÂ't the end, itÂ's the beginning, and heÂ's aching to get started.
They find the perfect compromise with a new form of counseling—premarital sex therapy. Each private session brings them closer together, revealing the quirky, kinky sides of their deepest desires. As the role-playing sessions heat up, Hannah discovers that marriage might be the sexiest game of all.
Hannah loves Morgan enough to become his fiancée, but that doesnÂ't mean she wants to get married. In her experience, everything goes downhill after you say “I do”—and it all starts in the bedroom. For Morgan, marriage isnÂ't the end, itÂ's the beginning, and heÂ's aching to get started.
They find the perfect compromise with a new form of counseling—premarital sex therapy. Each private session brings them closer together, revealing the quirky, kinky sides of their deepest desires. As the role-playing sessions heat up, Hannah discovers that marriage might be the sexiest game of all.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Janice Maynard
541 books431 followersJanice Maynard came to the writing life early! When her third grade short story, “The Princess and the Robbers”, won a red ribbon in a school arts fair, Janice was hooked. She followed up that early success with a more commercial piece in the sixth grade… “Why My Mom Loves To Drink Coke”. No advance for that one, but she won a six-pack of Coke… remember those great little bottles?
In junior high Janice began circulating her work to a wider audience. A dozen or so notebook pages stapled together made the rounds in some particularly boring classes, with the riveting tales carefully hidden behind textbooks.
High school meant the big time… editor of the school newspaper, the Maroon and White. Janice used her insightful editorials to delve into such meaty subjects as “locker room odor” and “why we need two-ply tissue in the student bathrooms”.
College brought lots of writing, but very little of it creative… four years later, Janice stepped into the adult world as a fully certified elementary teacher.
Despite motherhood, full-time employment, and keeping up with an “always into something” husband, Janice never lost her love of writing or the desire to be published. In 1996 she realized her long-time dream when Kensington Publishing bought her first book, Sweetheart. That exciting moment was followed by the sales of two more books in the Precious Gem line.
In the fall of 2002, Janice left the classroom to pursue writing full-time.
In junior high Janice began circulating her work to a wider audience. A dozen or so notebook pages stapled together made the rounds in some particularly boring classes, with the riveting tales carefully hidden behind textbooks.
High school meant the big time… editor of the school newspaper, the Maroon and White. Janice used her insightful editorials to delve into such meaty subjects as “locker room odor” and “why we need two-ply tissue in the student bathrooms”.
College brought lots of writing, but very little of it creative… four years later, Janice stepped into the adult world as a fully certified elementary teacher.
Despite motherhood, full-time employment, and keeping up with an “always into something” husband, Janice never lost her love of writing or the desire to be published. In 1996 she realized her long-time dream when Kensington Publishing bought her first book, Sweetheart. That exciting moment was followed by the sales of two more books in the Precious Gem line.
In the fall of 2002, Janice left the classroom to pursue writing full-time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 24, 2010
This one has an original story line. Well at least to me, anyway. Couples having marriage issues join a ‘sex therapy’ group in hopes to improve their relationship. It features three couples, but focuses mostly on Moran and Hannah. Hannah has major hang-ups with marriage. She doesn’t believe in it because in her life, she’s never seen an example of a good one. She’s a huge adventure lover outside of her love life, but when it comes to long term she’s never going to make that leap. Her mother was a flake and claimed to not know who her father and was dumped on her grandparents very young. She was so found of her grand parents that after they passed, she starting working as a personal shopper for the elderly at various retirement homes.
Morgan is a just one of the most loveable heroes I’ve met I a while. I just wanted to hug him all the time. He instantly falls for Hannah, and asks her to marry him after 6 months. She accepts his ring only because she doesn’t want to disappoint him. Does he ever have his work cut out for him.
The start going to these unique counseling sessions which consist of group meetings with the other couples and other appointments on their own. During their own private sessions they are sent to a room to be intimate and they have to follow whatever directions are left for them when they get there. Some are romantic, and some are downright kinky. Ms. Maynard can surely write a hot sex scene! Whew. I wouldn’t say this book is erotic, but it defiantly earned its spot on the ‘extra steamy shelf’.
I sided with Morgan the entire book, and at times Hannah bummed me out. I mean how could she not want to be with this wonderful guy? It has a very sweet happy ending however, and I recommend to any romance lover.
Morgan is a just one of the most loveable heroes I’ve met I a while. I just wanted to hug him all the time. He instantly falls for Hannah, and asks her to marry him after 6 months. She accepts his ring only because she doesn’t want to disappoint him. Does he ever have his work cut out for him.
The start going to these unique counseling sessions which consist of group meetings with the other couples and other appointments on their own. During their own private sessions they are sent to a room to be intimate and they have to follow whatever directions are left for them when they get there. Some are romantic, and some are downright kinky. Ms. Maynard can surely write a hot sex scene! Whew. I wouldn’t say this book is erotic, but it defiantly earned its spot on the ‘extra steamy shelf’.
I sided with Morgan the entire book, and at times Hannah bummed me out. I mean how could she not want to be with this wonderful guy? It has a very sweet happy ending however, and I recommend to any romance lover.
May 20, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release: July 2008
When I received “By Appointment Only” by Janice Maynard, I was looking forward to a frothy, steamy read. There was certainly steam, but not so much froth! According to the back cover blurb, the premise revolves around a couple taking pre-marital sex therapy. What I actually found was a book that took a quick look at marriage and commitment, and what that means to different people.
The hero, Morgan, is bumped by the heroine, Hannah, and she catches his attention as she is dressed like a bride and dashing across a busy street. He follows her to the wedding she’s attending, and they quickly exchange a hot kiss. The hero apparently decides right away that she’s the one for him. Based on one hot kiss? Her body? Instant attraction I can see, love-at-first-sight…not so much. The book then skips forward six months and now they’re engaged!
The premise of going to therapy comes about in his effort to coerce her into setting a wedding date. Coerce a wedding date? In a contemporary novel? Ummm, I find that hard to believe. She is hesitant because of her past…good for her. While we would all love an instant guarantee of happily-ever-after, one hot kiss and six months of apparently great sex just don’t quite do it for me.
What I did like about the book were the two other couples and what we learned about their situations and relationships in therapy. One couple was two very young 20-somethings who married because of a pregnancy. They were in therapy to overcome the sexual issues attendant with a baby. The other was an older couple suffering from sexual dysfunction with the empty-nest syndrome. Both of these couples were much more realistically depicted and treated in my opinion.
This book has lots of kinky, steamy sex. Now, don’t get me wrong…kinky, steamy sex can make a great book. But here the author seemed to want to go beyond the sex and that just didn’t pan out for me. The plot seemed to be worked in around the sex, rather than sex as part of the plot…even with the sex therapy premise.
I did finish the book, and although for whatever reason it wasn’t a hit for me; it could be that this is just the book for you. I’ve read other works by Janice Maynard and found them sexy and amusing and the author can definitely write hot love scenes. But in the end “By Appointment Only” just wasn’t good therapy for me.
When I received “By Appointment Only” by Janice Maynard, I was looking forward to a frothy, steamy read. There was certainly steam, but not so much froth! According to the back cover blurb, the premise revolves around a couple taking pre-marital sex therapy. What I actually found was a book that took a quick look at marriage and commitment, and what that means to different people.
The hero, Morgan, is bumped by the heroine, Hannah, and she catches his attention as she is dressed like a bride and dashing across a busy street. He follows her to the wedding she’s attending, and they quickly exchange a hot kiss. The hero apparently decides right away that she’s the one for him. Based on one hot kiss? Her body? Instant attraction I can see, love-at-first-sight…not so much. The book then skips forward six months and now they’re engaged!
The premise of going to therapy comes about in his effort to coerce her into setting a wedding date. Coerce a wedding date? In a contemporary novel? Ummm, I find that hard to believe. She is hesitant because of her past…good for her. While we would all love an instant guarantee of happily-ever-after, one hot kiss and six months of apparently great sex just don’t quite do it for me.
What I did like about the book were the two other couples and what we learned about their situations and relationships in therapy. One couple was two very young 20-somethings who married because of a pregnancy. They were in therapy to overcome the sexual issues attendant with a baby. The other was an older couple suffering from sexual dysfunction with the empty-nest syndrome. Both of these couples were much more realistically depicted and treated in my opinion.
This book has lots of kinky, steamy sex. Now, don’t get me wrong…kinky, steamy sex can make a great book. But here the author seemed to want to go beyond the sex and that just didn’t pan out for me. The plot seemed to be worked in around the sex, rather than sex as part of the plot…even with the sex therapy premise.
I did finish the book, and although for whatever reason it wasn’t a hit for me; it could be that this is just the book for you. I’ve read other works by Janice Maynard and found them sexy and amusing and the author can definitely write hot love scenes. But in the end “By Appointment Only” just wasn’t good therapy for me.
September 16, 2008
This was an "extra" book I received from queuemyreview.com and I put off reading it, however I really enjoyed it. This story focuses on Hannah and Morgan, a couple who love each other very much. However, Hannah is terrified of commitment because of her screwed up mother. So when Morgan proposes and Hannah accepts, yet she is unwilling to set a date, Hannah decides to enroll the two of them in some pre-marital sex counseling. Morgan is reluctant, however he will do anything for the woman he loves.
The sex counseling part of the book is fun, as well as very emotional, and from here we are introduced to a two secondary couples whose stories play a part towards the end of the book. The couples ages range from very early 20's to parents who's college age sons have left home.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Its not necessarily lighthearted, although it does have some great sex. Its more emotional and touching and really talks about some of the very average issues that many married couples of all ages deal with. I would definitely pick up another book by Janice Maynard.
The sex counseling part of the book is fun, as well as very emotional, and from here we are introduced to a two secondary couples whose stories play a part towards the end of the book. The couples ages range from very early 20's to parents who's college age sons have left home.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Its not necessarily lighthearted, although it does have some great sex. Its more emotional and touching and really talks about some of the very average issues that many married couples of all ages deal with. I would definitely pick up another book by Janice Maynard.
May 26, 2009
Really enjoyed this. The attitude shift in the characters could have been explained a little more and the psychological dynamics were a little unclear.
All in all It was great and I give it 4.75. Not the best that I've read, but damn good.
-Joe-
All in all It was great and I give it 4.75. Not the best that I've read, but damn good.
-Joe-
July 6, 2021
I really liked this book. While it was a "dirty book" it also had a bit of a story line.
June 29, 2009
Hannah Quarles is a committment phobe and Morgan Webber isn't. This is new. I like how Maynard crafts her descriptions and words to create erotic imagery to the reader. I know that an author who is being overly verbose in his/her writing tends to bother people, but Maynard is a great writer, even for something that's fast-paced and exciting, as well as kinky and sexual. The story does tend to shift focus to the other couples in the sexual counselling, and it doesn't bother me because I don't mind reading about them. The meeting between Morgan and Hannah is pretty quick in the beginning, and it makes the book not a full-fledged novel. The romance between the two blossom faster because the book isn't as long. This book does communicate a lot of messages, but the key is COMMUNICATION. This bothered me because it was the same with all of the couples besides Hannah and Morgan. I still recommend it though, for fans of Maynard or anyone who's looking for a good romance/erotica read. 3.5/5 stars.
January 19, 2024
A female MC with commitment phobia? Oh, I am SO here for it. That's my favorite type of character!
This book had lots of spice, and with the two sub-plots incorporated throughout the MCs' struggles, there were plenty of viewpoints in which to view marriage. The dialogue was immersing, with light banter and seriousness where necessary. I often find most of the books written to market during this time can sound wooden, but this pleasantly surprised me.
It's typical of this trope (for me, anyway) for the female MC to get annoying while holding onto whatever psychological issues caused her commitment phobia in the first place. This got a bit predictable toward the end, but it's a formula that works, and I like it.
No trigger warnings to my knowledge. Kick back and enjoy it if you like some spicy noodles with your romance ramen reading!
This book had lots of spice, and with the two sub-plots incorporated throughout the MCs' struggles, there were plenty of viewpoints in which to view marriage. The dialogue was immersing, with light banter and seriousness where necessary. I often find most of the books written to market during this time can sound wooden, but this pleasantly surprised me.
It's typical of this trope (for me, anyway) for the female MC to get annoying while holding onto whatever psychological issues caused her commitment phobia in the first place. This got a bit predictable toward the end, but it's a formula that works, and I like it.
No trigger warnings to my knowledge. Kick back and enjoy it if you like some spicy noodles with your romance ramen reading!
March 2, 2010
My besty gave me this to read and I was a little apprehensive. However, I quickly loved it. Its dirty but not in the silly romance novel sort of way. Three couples, each in different stages of a relationship, seek counseling in an unconventional sort of way and learn something about themselves, each other, and relationships. Fun fast read
did-not-finish-skimmed-to-end
October 2, 2009I just wasn't feeling the heroine.
August 14, 2010
Just couldn't get into this book for some reason.
August 19, 2010
Too much for me.
September 3, 2011
Decently written, but with some very sudden out-of-character personality switches that ran counter to how those characters had been described and defined.
February 23, 2014
Soft porn meets pseudo-psychology in couples therapy.....meh.
April 12, 2014
It was a good book. It keep me entertained and a break from what I normally read. If you indeed want something a little saucey good book to read :)
March 17, 2016
This book was dr Phil meets dr drew.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews