Making Him Want It

I bought Renee Luke's Making Him Want It a little more than a week ago and read it in two sittings. Although the setup struck me as implausible, I enjoyed the book: 4 out of 5.

Successful literary agent Jamal James is tired of by-the-numbers booty calls. He wants something he's never had before, something that goes deep like the no-holds-barred fantasies spun by his star erotica writer, Kat Mason. The sistah's sexy stories, published in every men's magazine, have made him rich . . . and whetted his appetite for more. Someday, he hopes to meet the mystery woman--his perfect chocolate fantasy--in person and act out every one of her sizzling tales in the flesh. For now, he'll have to content himself with some time at the Night Kitty . . .

Kat can't believe she's in this club dressed to the nines in body-hugging lingerie. She may be the hottest writer on the planet, but deep down, she's as shy and straight-laced as they come. Yeah, and she's also out of material. It's time for her to do some research--hands-on research--in a place where no one knows her, where she can be anybody indulging in a night of complete carnal pleasure. And she's just set her sights on Jamal, the one man to take her there . . .

I'm sure you can tell by reading the summary above what I mean by implausible setup. And the erotica writer who needs inspiration is familiar, although in other books I've read, the woman is a sex columnist, talk-show host, etc. I was a little uncomfortable, too, by the way Kat has to have a few drinks before she's brave enough to approach Jamal and follow through on a sexual encounter.

However, I do understand being shy, and I thought it was interesting that Kat slips into a different persona to do things she wouldn't normally do. It's not that she imagines she is someone else--it's more that the persona allows her to do something she wanted but hadn't allowed herself to do.

Making Him Want It is part of Kensington's Aphrodisia line. I've bought a few of them since the line's debut, and they all include a warning on the back cover: "This is a REALLY HOT book." The "warning" is definitely accurate. The sex in this book is explicit, and there's plenty of it.

What makes the book good is the way the sex is integrated into the story. Skipping over these scenes would involve skipping over part of the plot and character development. I particularly liked the scenes where Jamal and Kat realize they love each other; they are especially well done.

I did have a few quibbles. First, Kat mentally refers to the size of Jamal's dick (for example: "Ten-Inches-of-Yummy") too often. Don't get me wrong--Jamal is yummy. I just thought this particular point was brought up so much that it overshadowed his other qualities. I didn't mind a few references, but at some point it crossed the line for me and seemed more like objectification.

Second, their relationship proceeds with Jamal discovering who Kat is, but she doesn't know him. This isn't bad in itself, but I had a problem with the way he reveals his identity. Since I'm about to give spoilers, you'll have to click and scroll over the white space below if you want to read it. Instead of privately telling Kat that he is also her agent, he decides to let her find out when she attends a publicity party as the guest of honor. Surely he would realize this is a bad way to surprise someone. I know this kind of revelation is more dramatic, but still . . .

Despite my quibbles, I enjoyed the book and found it a good read. I'm looking forward to Luke's next book.