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This book features three women, all sharing the same name and hungry to break out of their routines and claim power and sexuality for themselves. In this trio of short stories, each selection focuses on a woman named Susie in an intimate predicament. In “The Price,” Susie falls in love with her tennis instructor and begins a series of dangerous and secret liaisons that put her life at risk and her marriage in jeopardy, but her heart yearns for more. In “The Office,” a night out with her friend Michele puts Susie at risk in the hands of a group of riled-up teens when the mysterious Stud comes to her rescue. And in “The Hot Tub,” the loneliness of Alaska is filled by a lavish getaway spent at Susie’s friend Diane’s house, but the attention of the handsome Leon threatens to tear friendships apart.
More than just a series of erotic interludes, these stories take time to develop, and each “Susie” undergoes her own morality checks and personal liberation. Also, more than just romantic fluff, there are plenty of direct details and choice adjectives designed to excite and entice the reader. While adults will know exactly what they’re getting into, it’s worth noting that the threat of rape is raised multiple times during the narrative and could be troubling to some readers. The core thread of each story here is women taking control of their bodies and their circumstances, even under duress or danger. The conceit of having different characters with similar descriptions allows each of the three stories to offer a unique setting or dilemma to work out. Readers looking for passion, danger, and character growth will be intrigued by this brief anthology.