Lush . . . and a Contest

I enjoy Sasha White's books, so I was excited to read Lush. I had an interesting reading experience and thought I'd report it in a way I've seen Rosario do.

"The Principles of Lust"
Sleek and sexy erotic art gallery owner Teal Jamison knows what she likes and isn't afraid to let carpenter Zack Dillon know that her current fantasy features him in all his masculine glory. But Zack has a deliciously different game in mind for a woman accustomed to taking charge . . .

"Passion Play"
Quick to follow where passion leads, then back off when things get too close, jewelry designer Mia Jones's sensual odyssey with singles columnist Dominick Jamison is perfect: hot, sweet, and with no risk of complications. But how long can her heart stay cold--when she's lost in the heat of a man devoted to every forbidden pleasure her body craves?

"Sexual Healing"
When massage therapist Caitlyn Ellis shows photographer Jack Lowell the joys of sensual self love for the camera, he can't resist the erotic invitation to take pleasure in her lush curves--or deny himself the hands-on ecstasy of loving a beautiful woman determined to heal his battered soul . . . by setting his body on fire.

Before opening the book: Love the cover. Wish I had hair like that. LOL!



"The Principles of Lust"

Page 3: The prologue for "The Principles of Lust." Whew! This one jumps right in to the erotic. That's Sasha for you. I like the heroine's unusual occupation: opening an erotic gallery.

Page 7: Teal (interesting name) knows what she wants. I like that, and I like the fact that she's not a repressed woman who is all show. That's an all-too-common scenario in romance novels.

Page 13: I definitely want to know more about Zack. Like Teal, I'm curious about why he backs away when he so obviously wants her.

Page 14: Enter another woman . . . uh oh. The word "Master" makes me stop reading. This is apparently a hot button for me. I read on to the end of the chapter, but the scenario doesn't do much for me. I set the book aside.

"Sexual Healing"

Before reading: OK, I'm skipping ahead to this story.

Page 179: Another heroine with an interesting occupation, this time a massage therapist. The story gets off to a sensual start. I'm intrigued . . .

Page 183: The first chapter offers a strong introduction to Caitlyn. It's clear what she wants and where her lines are.

Page 203: Jack is a wounded hero; I'm a sucker for those. He and Caitlyn are definitely generating sparks . . . and a lot more. Good stuff.

Page 208: Ah. Caitlyn wants to help Jack heal. This could be a recipe for disaster, but so far it's working.

Page 217: It's working really, really well.

Page 224: This is a great chapter. Yeah, Jack says he just wants to "f*ck," but it's clear there's a deeper connection between these two.

Page 232: Love this section.

When he's snapped a dozen pictures and showed no sign of stopping, she clued into something. He was a photographer. A man who made his living looking through a camera, and she bet he saw a lot more clearly through a lens than he ever did with the naked eye.

Words didn't mean a lot to this man. What he saw did. Actions did.

A wonderful description of Jack.

Page 248: I love the way this chapter ends.

Page 250: Oh, that was terrific. This is a great story--I just wish it had been longer. Still, it makes me excited to read another story.

"Passion Play"

Page 91: Interesting. This story is told in first-person (the other two are third-person stories). This heroine is a jewelry designer.

Page 95: Oh, good. We get the hero, Dominick's point of view as well, also told in first-person.

Page 101: OK, the first meeting of Mia and Dominick is terrific. They've got energy, heat, and fun banter.

Page 105: Hmm. She's left him behind. Should be interesting to see how he tracks her down.

Page 117: He tracked her down. :)

Page 135: I like these two together, and I'm invested in the characters.

Page 138: Oooh, I like the direction Dominick is going with his writing.

Page 150: The sex-only relationship is becoming something more . . .

Page 176: Another terrific novella. Dominick and Mia are memorable characters, and this ends up being a sweet love story. With a lot of sex, of course. :)

"The Principles of Lust," Take Two

Page 19: I've liked the other two stories. I'm brave. I can go back to this one.

Page 23: Now there's a mystery--who is sending the notes against the gallery?

Page 29: Teal confronts Zack about his interest in her. Good for you, girl. Now he's going to make her dinner.

Page 37: Zack shows Teal his basement. (No, that's not a euphemism.) I like that they don't immediately get revving. Instead, it's back to dinner.

Page 43: I'm liking Zack and Teal more. They're good together.

Page 46: Love the fact that they don't even get to the basement this first time. ;)

Page 51: Another memorable passage.

Brina was looking at her like she was crazy. "What's wrong with regular sex? There's a reason missionary is the most popular position, Miss I-know-everything-about-lust."

"Yeah?" Teal smirked at her. "And what is the reason?"

"It's the most intimate."

It hit her right between the eyes. That was why she was so freaked-out by Zack. Somehow, someway, he'd managed to control their whole night, without using any physical restraints, and it had been extremely intimate.

Now I understand the point of the earlier scene that kind of turned me off. It serves to contrast with the simple intimacy Zack and Teal share.

Page 88: I like this story more than I thought I would. Much more.

The novellas in Lush are trademark Sasha White--the stories make you think and the characters make you care: 4 out of 5.

Now, for the contest. I have an autographed copy of Lush to give away, and I want to do it this week. One thing I liked about Lush is the unusual jobs the characters have. To enter, post a comment here about an unusual occupation you'd like to see in a romance novel. I'll accept entries through April 15, 2007. You can list as many occupations as you like, although you'll be entered only once. I'll choose a random winner on April 16.