With My Body by Nikki Gemmell (4 stars)

About With My Body

Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (June 19, 2012)

A wife, a mother of three, she has everything a woman should want—and yet she has gone numb inside. Locked in a never-ending cycle of chores, errands, and mealtimes, she cannot find a way to live her life with the honesty and passion that once drove her. Even her husband, whom she loves, has never truly touched the core of her being. Only one person has ever come close. In desperation, she returns to the memory of an old love affair—a transformative relationship with consequences she has never fully resolved. Revisiting her past, she will begin an exhilarating journey into her sexuality while finally confronting the hidden truths of her heart.

Exquisitely lyrical, bold, and seductive, With My Body is a thought-provoking exploration of family, sex, marriage, and love—the love we give, withhold, and surrender to.

Review

As a mother, it's easy to get caught up in the minutia of life--to forget about yourself as a woman. In With My Body, this woman loves her husband but has given up on truly giving herself over to him. She opened up once, and it left a hole in her heart.

Can a revisit to her past provide the jumpstart her life needs?

It's interesting. This book is written in second person (you). We never know the main character's name, yet her thoughts are exquisitely relayed. When we are introduced to her, she is a woman who is blessed with a husband she loves and three adorable sons. She's content to let passion be a thing in her past, at least at first. Then, we are transported back to a time when she was sexually raw and open, although a very young girl (late teens) learning from a quite older man.

Too often, erotica features a sexually repressed woman who seeks out passion through affairs and random sex sessions. Here, the woman revisits a time (through memories and later via a visit) when passion consumed her and learns from it.

And it's well-written, emotional, and compelling. Actually the best of the erotica I've read to date, although I'm fairly new to the genre. First and foremost, I want a story that pulls me in and touches me in some way. This one did that. Now, if I could just read some erotica where the husband takes an active role in his wife's passionate needs. I have no problem with a woman finding her strength, as the woman does in this, but not at the expense of a weak man. At least in my humble opinion.

I look forward to more from this author. Which is good, because I'm scheduled to review her latest early in 2014. If you want some hot scenes coupled with compelling and character-driven story, this is an excellent choice.

Rating: 4 stars

And good news... the eBook of With My Body is only $1.99 from today (12/17/13) until January 6. More information here.

About Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell is the internationally bestselling author of The Bride Stripped Bare and With My Body, as well as Shiver, Alice Springs, and The Book of Rapture. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her family.

Find out more about Nikki at her website and connect with her on Facebook.


Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

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