An Indecent Proposition
Author: Stephanie Julian
Reviewer: B.
Rating: B+
What I’m Talking About:
Julianne Carter may be only twenty-two years old, but taking on the debt from her mother’s cancer treatment and trying to keep a roof over both their heads after her father left them with nothing has taken its toll. Tired, but not beaten, she’s determined to make the best of the situation and hang on to her dreams. When she’s offered half a million dollars for a one-night stand with an attractive millionaire, it’s an offer she doesn’t want to refuse. But getting more than what she bargained for wasn’t part of the plan, and now that she has two men in her life, holding on to them could cost her everything she’d never even known she wanted.
Friends since college, Erik Riley and Keegan Malone have worked hard to build Tin Man Biometrics into an extremely profitable company. But the explosion that nearly destroyed their life’s work left Erik scarred and bitter, unable to ignore the unwelcome pity of others, participating in his own life from the shadows. Yet, from the moment he spied Julianne working as a server at one of their office parties, she awakened a part of him he’d long thought buried, and he knew he had to see her again, even if he could never touch her himself. Now he and Keegan will have to battle through the past that still consumes them, and decide just how far they’re willing to go to keep her.
I’m always excited to read stories that give “alternative lifestyles” the attention they deserve, especially when they feature well-written characters, as is the case in An Indecent Proposal. Julianne is a very honest and sexual character: she likes sex, isn’t afraid to pursue her fantasies, and is willing to put up with society’s intolerance if she has a chance at true happiness. Good for her. Despite the fact the every choice has a consequence, she remains true to herself and then to Keegan and Erik as well. Her status as an “outsider” to the other clique-ish, spoiled women in the story, and her handling of the confrontations she didn’t want yet had to deal with, made me like her instantly, that affinity extending to both men as well when they quickly recognized just how special Julianne is.
Erik and Keegan make up an interesting pair on their own. Though they are best friends, and discovered early on in their friendship that they enjoyed being in a threesome with a woman, they aren’t sexually attracted to each other in any way. While their partnership has withstood both Keegan’s failed engagement and Erik’s injuries from the explosion in the lab, it is the things they very carefully don’t say that poses the real threat to their relationship. The conflicts that the two engage in were some of the only moments that I felt detracted from the overall flow of the story, one or two of these instances seeming a little repetitive, or that might have been better worked into another debate. These were minor issues, however, and I still enjoyed reading both characters a great deal. That they had so much more growing to do than Julianne wasn’t unexpected, but I enjoyed their struggles to do so all the same.
As an erotic romance, An Indecent Proposition certainly delivers. The sex is consensual, plentiful, and explicit. Julianne, Erik, and Keegan don’t hold back one bit, and Julianne is adept at keeping the two men honest about their desires, not just with her, but also with themselves. As they reveal more about their own sexual natures, Julianne discovers new desires and fantasies of her own, her unapologetic and direct pursuit of pleasure unfettering all of them, in turn.
An Indecent Proposition is a sexy, sweet tale of loss and redemption that should make any fan of multiple-partner stories very happy. Julianne is a strong, resilient, and determined heroine whose experiences and self-awareness make her a perfect match for Erik and Keegan. Both men are, by contrast, a perfect combination of vulnerability and obstinacy, ensuring that any other woman simply won’t do for them. While there is an element of mystery surrounding the accident that injured Erik, this story is mostly about the erotic journey all three characters embark on in order to find fulfillment with one other. Once again, Ms. Julian has proven that she’s adept at creating not only scorching sexual connections, but also strong, relatable female characters that can more than hold their own against the men that they love. Overall, I’m delighted I had the opportunity to read this story in its entirety, and highly recommend it for any fan of the genre.
Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
About the Book:
One woman. Two men. Half a million dollars. One night…
One night. That’s all Erik and Keegan want with Julianne. And they’ve come up with the perfect plan: Offer Julianne a half-million dollars. Julianne is in debt up to her eyeballs due to her mother’s illness. Five-hundred-thousand dollars would pay off her bills and give her a start on a new life. All she needs to do is have sex with a man she’s never met.
An explosion left Erik with scars, physical and psychological. Work is his only refuge. Until he sees Julianne through a surveillance camera. And he discovers a desire he thought had been burned out of him.
Keegan has watched his best friend retreat from the world for too long. If his desire for Julianne brings him back to life, Keegan will bring her to him, whatever it takes.
Julianne is young, adventurous and not afraid to take what she wants. And she wants these men.
But what happens when the night is over?
Well, that’s the best part of the story…
Release Date: December 27, 2013
Publisher: Moonlit Night Publishing
ISBN: #978-0984663187
Genre: M/F/M, Erotic Contemporary Romance
Format(s): Paperback (294 pages), e-book
note: this book was originally released as a five part serial.
Book Source: Author
Purchase Info:
An Indecent Proposition
I don’t really read Erotica, but this story sounds complex and the characters layered. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts. And yeah, Julianne does sound like an honest and refreshing person.