Champagne

by Inara Lavey

Jeanette Wilson is an American girl on the trip of a lifetime to the wine regions of France. Unfortunately, she's trapped with her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Darryl, a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing, self-styled wine expert bent on swirling, sniffing, sipping, swishing, chewing, swallowing and occasionally spitting his way through the wineries. Between his endless lectures and insufferable putdowns, her insignificant other is quickly turning her dream vacation into a nightmare.

But things change for Jeanette once they come to the zenith of their French road trip, the Champagne house of Chateau Roux-Dubois. Their hosts, Amaury and Marie-Elise Roux-Dubois, turn out to be both charming and attractive, and go out of their way to extend a warm welcome to her. And they make it very clear that it is she, not Darryl, who is their special guest, particularly when the striking Marie-Elise takes Jeanette down to the wine cellar for a very personal tour, followed by an unusual French lesson from Amaury.

When she and Darryl are invited to stay and participate in the harvest festival, Jeanette finds herself caught up in a ménage a trois with the Roux-Dubois, both intent on teaching her many things...and not just about wine.

Genres: Menage, Erotic Romance, Erotica, Contemporary

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Champagne for its idealized, yet realistic portrayal of a woman's introduction into a menage and later a polyamorous relationship. Usually, when you read an erotic romance it has all the "glitter" elements that make it sexy, but lacks the lead-in thereby making it completely unfathomable to the average person. Lavey's writing is funny; her cheeky heroine (Jeanette) makes you smile as she wanders through the French countryside with Daryl, whom is obviously going to be her ex-boyfriend after the trip. While they traverse the countryside sampling wines they have an extended stay at one winery and both Daryl and Jeanette discover a great deal more about themselves.

I rated this just a 4 for purely selfish reasons--I wanted more. My only wish is that the actual budding of the polyamorous relationship between Jeanette and Amaury and Marie-Elise was explored further. I guess that would be the playground of a sequel; one I would eagerly like to read.

[luv2reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would give this a 4.5. As a wine lover it was fun to have accurate descriptions of the wine world intertwined with a steamy read. I knew I'd like it right off with lines like this "I watched Daryl swirl, sniff, sip, swish, chew, swallow, and sometimes spit his way through countless glasses of Bordeaux and all I could think was that someone who spent so much time and care on all the oral and olfactory acrobatics involved in wine tasting should really be more adept at oral sex"

Great engaging characters, fun lighthearted ffm menage story. I would have given it a 5 but I felt like there wasn't enough relationship interaction with Marie-Elise, Amaury and Jeanette to give the ending (which I won't give away) as much punch as it could have.

[LVLMLeah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Champagne is a fun, light ménage story, with an interesting backdrop for a contemporary and an eclectic group of characters. I really enjoyed reading it.

Jeanette, the main character whose POV this story takes place through, is one of those heroines you feel immediately at home with. She’s playful and easy going, while at the same time coming across as self depreciating and completely normal.

What really made me all hot and bothered about this story was the lack of angsting. Jeanette goes along with being seduced by Marie-Elise and her husband Amaury and actually falls in love with them. She doesn’t bother about that she’s with a woman or in a ménage internally even though it’s a first for her. All she knows is that she feels good with them and wants to be with them, especially Marie, and I liked that.

Marie-Elise seduces Jeanette first. How that happened was very yummy and I wished for more actually. Marie has a warmth about her that was very appealing; she was always treating Jeanette in a loving way even when she's being a bit predatory…in the beginning. Then Amaury seduces her but in a totally different way. He’s definitely a dom in that, spanking her and telling her to behave (only during sex), but Jeanette has fun and goes right along with it not taking it too seriously.

Marie-Elise and Amaury are two people who I feel are very mature and loving. And the fact that they knew they wanted Jeanette and seduced her was kind of hot. Another thing was that I found it refreshing to have characters who act in unclear and somewhat cold ways take responsibility for it and really apologize, which is what Marie and Amaury did in the end after realizing that they acted in a way that left Jeanette unclear about their intentions.

The backdrop to this story occurring in Champagne, France and the world of wine making was written in colorful detail that felt very authentic. The setting, landscape descriptions, food and wine descriptions kept this contemporary more compelling than the usual fare. It gave me the feeling of being on a fun trip with all the expectations of doing something new and exciting.

There were a few things that bothered me though about this story.

I almost got pissed off at one point by the direction the story was going. One of my most hated tropes was involved, the big misunderstanding. There was a set up by the author that introduced another character to the mix after Jeanette gets with the Marie and Amaury that had me thinking, no, no, no and why? Plus, I couldn’t stand that character. But this character is a friend of Marie and Amaury’s and they practically push him on Jeanette. This left me a bit confused as to why they would do that. Do they want Jeanette and him to get together? Do they usually include him in their little manage trysts and want this become a foursome of sexual games? I was confused because Marie and Amaury don’t come across as this type in the beginning.

The other thing that bothered me in this story was the lack of build up and follow through with the relationship between Jeanette, Marie-Elise and Amaury in the beginning. I felt teased by a delicious seduction that had me wanting more. But then the story shifts to Jeanette and Marie and Amaury’s friend. The author makes it very clear that Jeanette really wants to be with Marie and Amaury so I was disappointed that there wasn’t more interaction or tension created between those three before the end. But it was still an engaging read with a very satisfying ending.

Champagne is a definite recommend for a sweet f/f/m ménage. One in which all the characters really want each other and it’s clear they will work it out.

Heat level: 4 – some graphic sex scenes with some minor D/s play. M/F, F/F, F/F/M

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me more of Erica Jong than typical genre romance. The tone is lighthearted and bubbly, but not vapid. There are some really fun scenes-- I think my favorite is when Jeanette's maybe-suitor is telling her a Breton ghost-story, which provided a nice touch of scary/funny to the overall story. The primary focus, though, was Jeanette's relationship with Amaury and Marie-Elise. LaVey was somehow able to make an implausible scenario believable and touching. I guess my only complaint is that I'd like to read more about how their relationship develops over time... which as complaints go, asking for a sequel is really not a big one.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this one from the late, lamented Fictionwise.

Interesting, I liked it. Committed m/f couple, invite another woman to join them for fun. Warning: She is traveling with her almost-ex-boyfriend. They both cheat, but their relationship is described as all but over. be ye warned if you dislike cheating.

The best part of the book are the lovely descriptions of wine, food and the French countryside. I was really craving champagne after this book. There is a HEA, closer to a HFN. Different, refreshing.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably a 3-star, but I bumped it because there are so few f/f/m stories. This is a simple tale, but the story is well told. Our heroine is a bit lost, knowing that she's done with her boyfriend as soon as their vacation through France is over, she's vulnerable to suggestion. But she's not TSTL, so I wasn't annoyed. The writing is smooth, and the wine-making couple she is seduced by is warm and wonderful. There isn't much plot here, but the emotional story is solid.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good menage F/F/M...with a plot! :)