Charlene Teglia – Wild, Wild West

Copyright: 2007

Pages: 320 (trade-size paperback edition)

Setting/Type: Contemporary/Straight Erotic Romance, D/s

Grade: B

Three sexy city girls from Seattle are enjoying a night out at a chic coffee house in downtown Missoula, Montana, the heart of the old West. When a gang of cowboys mosey in looking for trouble, they find trouble of the best kind… and these boys are primed and ready to ride. There’s Gabe, the hard-bodied rancher with a wicked imagination. Chet, the rodeo cowboy who’s charmed the pants off more than a few country girls and vows to remain a bachelor for life. And Reuben, the former Army ranger with a taste for edgy sexual games. As the couples embark on a scorching night of passion and play, they experience the most exquisite pleasure—and discover kinky new thrills they never dared to imagine. Because when it comes to knocking boots, cowboys do it best…

This book by Charlene Teglia found its way onto my wishlist thanks to a review from the fantastic Dear Author blog. I wouldn’t give it keeper status, but after a long absence of any erotic romance in my reading habit, it proved to be a great book to return to the steamier side of romance.

The three person anthology plays in a contemporary Western setting in Montana. Now I have to say, I do love myself a good Western setting, be it contemporary or historical 🙂 … a very good start!

In the first story, A Man’s Word His Bondage, we have Gabe Wilson lusting after Willow Daniels. Willow wants to be a writer of fiction novels. She’s already an established poet but would like to advance her writing, and, in the long run with it her income and lifestyle. When Gabe sees Willow, he’s sure she’s the woman for him and does his best to convince her during their night together.

Ready to Play is the story about Jolie McIntyre and Chet Andrews. Before going back to an exhausting job, Jolie is looking for one summer of fun and relaxation and some man candy in the form of Chet is the icing on the cake. Chet knows he wants more from Jolie than a short time of torrid nights and therefore tries to capture her heart as she did his.

And last but not least, in Reuben’s Rules, enigmatic and mysterious Reuben has decided that Lemon Espresso Coffee-shop owner Laura Jamison is the right woman to become his submissive. After a horrible past, Laura has started a new live in Montana. When she gets a chance to act out some of her submissive fantasies with Reuben, she doesn’t count on a master who plays for keeps.

My one only real complaint with this anthology is that there was too much sex and too little plot. I know, I know, it’s erotic romance, it’s supposed to be steaming on every page until the paper goes up in flames. For I haven’t read any erotica/erotic romance in a long time because of this fact, I kind of felt a little under-entertained after the umpteenth love scene. All the more pity, for the love scenes are exceptionally well done and highly erotic. Especially where the first story is concerned I needed to rein in my incredulity, because our hero, Chet, puts a Duracell bunny on Viagra to shame. The third story does have an overall D/s theme, but it’s certainly the softest, downiest and most harmless D/s story I ever came upon but not less erotic for that reason. So anybody who would cry BDSM … MEEE = NOOO, can put his mind to rest.

I did like the characters, all six of them. The heroes belong to those romantic species of men who want to conquer and capture their women for eternity, come hell or high water. And which girl doesn’t want to sigh and dream from time to time about such men and be romanticized by a bunch of good looking hunks in cowboy boots, with English literature on their lips and wicked toys in their bedside drawer? The heroines, too, are some lovely ladies with a sure combination of heart and brain . Self-reliant, strong and with a confident mind to take what they want. I especially liked Laura from the 3rd story. Despite the shortness of the novella her past was vividly portrayed and consequently the reasons why she started a new life with a new job.

I already went over to Ms Teglia’s website and YES, it’s updated and full of information about her upcoming novels. Inexplicably a nice fairy put them on my wishlist 😉 and thanks again for this entertaining and sexy read!