"Necessary Madness" is Lisabet Sarai's first gay novel - and one could never guess! An established romance/erotica author, she has written a somewhat paranormal thriller with an abundance of romantic and sexual situations that are sure to get your blood flowing faster.
The protagonist, Kyle, is a homeless man with a curse - he is haunted by visions of future deaths and he is unable to do anything about them. After a particularly intense vision, he ends up in the hospital, where he is interrogated by Rob, a handsome policemen. Rob offers a spare room until Kyle can get back on his feet and it is not soon before they start a passionate relationship. However, Rob's ghosts of the past are threatening to compromise their relationship - as well as a mysterious man from Kyle's visions.
There are two things that should be talked about when it comes to this book. The plot and the sex scenes. Plot-wise, the book is a tight, solid thriller. Although I would have preferred to find about a little more about the antagonist's background, the cast of characters is a solid, interesting bunch. On the other hand, the sex scenes are always explicit and arousing - Sarai knows her way with words and I'm certain veteran erotica readers will enjoy Necessary Madness immensely (on the other hand, less experienced readers are certain to blush throughout). Another thing I loved about the book was that the paranormal element wasn't overused - it is there and crucial to the story, but the two lovers are human.
What I had a minor problem with was the way the plot and the sex were combined. There are fantastic instances where sex itself is a major plot device (the chilling finale is a great example of this). On the other hand, it sometimes feels like filler - as well as the reason for Rob and Kyle's romantic co-dependence. This is a small bone to pick, especially when the sex scenes are written so deliciously. Luckily, there is room to extend the story to a second book and I sincerely hope this will happen.
RATING: 4/5
This book counts towards my GLBT challenge.
5 comments:
Yeah, I hate it when sex is a filler! LOL
This sounds good! At first I thought "Oh no, another vampire book... but"
So you surprised me.
I do like books that have that "vision thing" going on.
Good job on the review.
Hello, Nikola,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and enthusiastic review! You are one of my first gay male reviewers and so I'm really excited that you found my sex scenes plausible and arousing.
I've gotten a couple of requests for a sequel and I'm definitely thinking about it.
Thanks again!
Warmly,
Lisabet
Hm, I'm thinking this is NOT a book for me, huh?
Hi! You've won an award over at my blog; come and check it out!
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Great review! I have been meaning to pick this book for a while now, and your review has helped move it to the top of my buy list.
Thank you - Miranda ~ Sweet Vernal Zephyr
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