When Penguin Canada contacted me about reviewing a yet-to-be released book by a Canadian author, I was a wee bit excited, to say the least. When I found out that I’d be reading and reviewing Claudine, I was even more thrilled.
You see, at the risk of causing some of my readers (Mom!) to blush (and
perhaps even blushing myself while I type this) I have just recently forayed
into reading erotic fiction and have been very pleasantly surprised. Well, let me take a step back. I read the now famous “shady” trilogy and was
extremely disappointed for several reasons (which I will not get in to
here). But then I read another fantastic
erotic fiction trilogy by a Canadian author and was absolutely delighted. This is a genre I had never explored before
but was interested in reading more.
The story of Claudine is about more than just the “steamy scenes” and
that’s what I liked most. Having said
that, said steamy scenes are hot, Hot, HOT and pretty enjoyable ;). Maria, who moonlights as a high paid escort
named Claudine, is a strong, in control, Yale graduate student. She fulfills her clients’
fantasies, but is always in charge and delights in the experiences as well.
Maria, who was a Hungarian orphan, hasn’t led the easiest life and as the truth about her childhood and upbringing surface you begin to empathize with her and understand why she is who she is. The painful experiences that shaped her character were very sad and at times, hard to read. These pieces of the story are, however, essential to character and plot development and in no way do they bring the tone or story down nor do they dominate the book.
Another great element to Claudine is that not only is this a
work of erotic fiction, but it’s also a thriller! When Maria’s and Claudine’s worlds begin to
collide, her safety is jeopardized.
There were some edge-of-your-seat moments that had me really intrigued
to know what was going to happen next.
No spoilers, but there are a few close calls!
Ladies, if you haven’t read any erotic fiction yet, you should start and I recommend starting with Claudine. You’ll get a good story with interesting characters and a bit of mystery too. Claudine was released by Penguin Canada on September 2nd, so don’t delay in picking up your copy! You and your husband/partner will thank me ;)
