Reviewed by Katie L.
July 15, 2005
"...a great way to spend a rainy afternoon..."
Diana Laurence's Soulful Sex Volume II is a blend of erotic romance and fantasy. There are six stories and each skillfully woven to reflect the character's inner thoughts and feelings from the soul. The first three stories take place on Vernal Night in the ancient culture of Etaen. It is a ritual that allows a woman the opportunity to find love, a lover, or both. Three men are picked by the Shaman of Etaen who are worthy to be considered for such a special task. Throughout the night each man is allowed time alone with the woman for conversation, while the other two are not far away and serve as chaperones. By dawn the woman may choose one of the men to marry or couple with, but she also has the opportunity to wish each a fond farewell. For every citizen of Etaen knows that to find a wife on Vernal Night is rare.
"Vernal Night: The Trio" tells of three friends, Tibolt, Arjent, and Frayn, who have been picked to participate in Vernal Night with the young woman Raisi. Though she finds each man desirable and they reciprocate, only the silent, serious, merchant, Tibolt, finds his way into her soul.
Laurence gives us a heroine who is strong and a good match for the hero. Raisi is a young woman drawn to a man who is known and liked for his seriousness and business sense.
"Vernal Night: The Infatuation" is the story of Crissada and Frayn, the artist. Frayn finds himself competing against Etaen's most eligible bachelor, Leonyte. Many years before when Crissida was fourteen, she often visited Frayn because of her interest in art and her infatuation with Frayn. Once Frayn realizes who Crissida is and remembers her interest, he becomes determined to rekindle that flame and be her chosen one at the end of Vernal Night.
I enjoyed the character Frayn. He is the typical artist who is on a quest to create a piece of art that will cause a ripple among people. Laurence continues her Etaen series by immersing the reader further into the inhabitants of Etaen and those involved in this timeless ritual.
"Vernal Night: One Hundred Women" tells the story of the musician Arjent and his lifelong love for Delinn. Throughout Vernal Night, Delinn learns of Arjent's hurt at their separation.
This story was the best of the three. Arjent's game of Ninety-Nine makes the story a very fun and interesting read. Laurence uses this game not only to build the sexual intensity between the two characters, but to immerse the reader entirely into the story.
"Je t'aime Etienne" starts with a brief affair with twenty-one year old college student Shannon and eighteen-year-old hockey player Etienne. Their encounter leaves an ever lasting mark on their souls. Now seventeen years later, they have found each other again and discover neither one could forget what that night meant.
This story falls into the classic "what if." What if I had stayed? What if I had told him I loved him? Laurence explores this question in depth and allows it to have a hopeful ending. The young lovers were wonderfully fresh and innocent. As the couple ages seventeen years, Laurence ages their thoughts, feelings, and the part of their soul that continually asks the "what if" question.
"As Commonplace as Rain" takes place in Novatia, a female religious order. Most of its members have never seen a man in the flesh. What they have learned about the male species have been found in books and paintings. This story is about Novat Pasha, a young prodigy of the order. She suffers from what is believed to be a psychological disorder. The High Novat Eigan believes her young friend would benefit greatly from a visit with Tristan, a knight of the Uni Order. If this visit works, Eigan would like for the Unis and the Novats to regularly intermingle, thus allowing good health for all.
Though I found Pasha's innocence refreshing there were times it was too sweet, almost forced. Laurence wrote a strong, likable hero and gave him plenty of patience which parallels Pasha's trusting nature. The base of this story would make a wonderful series if Laurence chose to develop this religious order further.
In "Fantastic Toys", Paulie's quiet, attractive neighbor, Eric maintains a garden of red roses. Paulie is very surprised when they start blooming white, yellow, and pink buds. She visits Eric to find out when he replanted the bushes. After spending the day with Eric, Paulie finds herself very attracted to Eric's strangeness and intrigued by his job of connecting people with items (toys) that represent their memories.
Diana Laurence presents six erotic stories of romance and fantasy that offers a look at the emotional and spiritual as well as the physical side of love and sex. Though the sex is steamy, Laurence deepens her characters by adding the spiritual aspect of two lovers coming together. Each story is nicely written, an enjoyable read, and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon in front of a fireplace.
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Book Description for Soulful Sex Volume II: Erotic Tales of Fantasy and Romance
Soulful Sex Volume 2: Erotic Tales of Fantasy and Romance follows in the "erotica with soul" tradition of its bestselling and award-winning predecessor. Another six delightful couples explore timeless, archetypal themes of desire, intimacy, submission, conquest, and the union of souls through erotic experience.
In "Je t'aime, Etienne," a woman who fell for a young French Canadian hockey player years ago is reunited with him for a night of intense romance; can she possibly have a future with this man she has loved from afar for years, even though he is now a star in the NHL? In "As Commonplace as Rain," a member of a spiritual order segregated from any contact with males finds the only thing that can keep her from madness may be the ministrations of a man--and she has never seen one before. In "Fantastic Toys" a young woman becomes smitten with her eccentric and mysterious neighbor, only to find out a secret about him so bizarre it turns her whole world upside down. And in the "Vernal Night" trilogy of tales, an ancient culture's annual mating tradition offers opportunities for romantic adventure for three disarming heroes: a merchant, an artist, and a minstrel.
