THE JOY OF LOVE: LABOR OF LOVE and LOST LOVE by Christy Poff

THE JOY OF LOVE: LABOR OF LOVE and LOST LOVE
CHRISTY POFF
Erotic Historical and Erotic Contemporary
Sensuality Rating: Sweet
Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
ISBN# 978-1-59374-993-4
102 pages (44/68)
$4.99
eBook - Available November 2007

Rating: 3.5 Enchantments

This book contains two short stories, LABOR OF LOVE and LOST LOVE.

LABOR OF LOVE is a sweet tale of an older woman and younger man who find love and comfort in each other. Savannah Michaels has lived a life of lonely solitude. She found love as a younger woman, but the war took her fiancé from her. When Cody Brooks arrives at her door, looking to be a temporary laborer on her farm, she is shocked at the reaction her body has to him. She hasn't felt like this since her fiancé's death.

Cody is captivated at the first sight of Savannah. She is everything he has been looking for in a woman even though he is twenty years her junior and inexperienced. Cody starts to work for Savannah and she becomes his teacher in many things, including the art of making love. As Savannah and Cody's relationship and feelings grow, it becomes easier to forget the age difference. But this is 1927, and people will talk. Then Savannah becomes pregnant. Will that be the end of their dreams or just the beginning?

LOST LOVE is an erotic story about a Philadelphia police detective and his wife. Ryan Williams and Kendall Egan met and fell in love in college. After being married for six years, Kendall can longer take Ryan's job; she is terrified that one day he won't make it home and she will get 'that' knock on the door. A phone call from a mobster threatens her life and Kendall leaves without a word and sues for divorce. The divorce devastates Ryan, but he can't give up being a cop.

Three years pass and the mobster case has finally made it to trial. Ryan gives testimony for three days, then he and his partner are kidnapped from the front steps of the courthouse. His partner is killed; he is tortured and left for dead. When Kendall hears the news, all she can think of is that she wasted three years of time that she could have had with him. As Ryan recovers, his thoughts center on the only woman he has ever loved. Can these two be reunited and find happiness again? Can Kendall look past Ryan's career or will their happiness be destroyed again by Ryan's job?

I was a bit disappointed in the first story. As a big fan of Ms. Poff (THE REBIRTH OF RACHEL is a must-read), it did not seem to have her usual attention to detail - the dialogue felt stilted and the sex scenes, although frequent, seemed lackluster. With that said, it is a bittersweet story with heart-warming characters and is not to be missed. The tenderness between Savannah and Cody was deep and humbling. The plot was very original, keeping my attention and making me want to know more, while the ending startled this reader. I give this story 3 Enchantments.

The characters in the second story were fuller, with rich, complex personalities. My emotions were engaged from the very start, jumping from delighted to exasperated to sorrowful and back many times in this brief romance. This reader felt like she was experiencing the story along with the characters instead of just being told a narrative of what happened. The sex between the characters was lush and imaginative. The secondary characters had interesting roles, and added to the emotional element of the story. This story gets 4 Enchantments from me, for a combined rating of 3.5 Enchantments for THE JOY OF LOVE.

You can visit this author's blog at www.cpoff.bravejournal.com or read her biography at www.whiskeycreekpress.com/authors/Christy_Poff.shtml.

dawn
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
August 2007