Review: Review: Tryst (Sexual Education #2) by S.L Jennings
Erotic Romance M/F/M
Released: November 10, 2015
Avon

Reviewed by Sheena

From the author of Taint, comes this steamy novel of a happily married couple who decides to take a walk on the wild side in order to add spice to their sex life—but end up in a situation that neither could have ever bargained for.

Favorite Quote: His words are ice but the look on his face is all fire. And even through all that…even through the bitter bite of his insults, I see his pain.

Familiar trope.  Settled, married couple, loves one another to the moon and back, professional husband, driven wife. He – great in the sack and would do anything to please her.  She – tendrils of dissatisfaction with an unfulfilled kink leaking into the marriage.  He wants to make love, she wants to be tamed and ridden.  Solution: Interloping man enters stage right, cock in hand, ready to put on a show for the husband and become an emotional and physical vice for the wife. Simple! Eh!

Heidi DuCane is a New York publicist on the fast tack.  A “Big Apple Ball Buster/Blonde Olivia Pope Ice Queen” hybrid who has been married ten years to a loving husband, Tucker, who is a psychiatrist and could be a saint in her eyes.  Too bad she is more interested in him watching her be full of sin in their bed- with someone else.  Which is not exactly unheard of, however, her character succumbs to  what most of the wives in these sorts of tales devolve into- a selfish self-important, over indulged chick that rhymes with which unable to choose between her fractured husband and spiraling lover.  Fortunately for me, the road to this particular hell is paved with some pretty hot and heavy sex that almost takes the sting out of the crazy series of events…almost.

Almost immediately we meet Heidi who is planting seeds of “honey wouldn’t it be great if we…” and her unassuming husband (who by the way can barely conceive a fantasy that does not star her front and center *eye-roll*) is eager to oblige.  On Heidi’s fantasy hit list is sexy rocker Ransom Reed with whom she has a professional relationship that predictably turns personal when he joins Heidi in her fantasy as her husband watches.  Ransom is not a hero I could rally behind.  He was self-destructive and unstable.  As soon as I figured he would be an emotional liability, I was under no disillusions that their M/F/M arrangement would not spiral completely out of control.   There really wasn’t much more to this than watching Ransom implode and nearly take Heidi down in the process while poor emasculated Tucker waits in the wings.

“This is happening.  Against all my better judgement, against the niggling voice in my head that tells me to shut this shit down right now and escape with my marred dignity and what’s left of my marriage, I’m seriously going to do this.”

And do this they did. Tryst is quite an emotional tale.  In addition to the jam-packed sex and deception there were some authentic scenes where the characters were brutally honest with themselves that I found refreshing.  The writing was solid. Engaging even with a loose and unappealing plot.  My problem with this story on the whole, was how whimpy Tucker was in general, how power drunk and mewling Heidi could be and how train wreck – in a totally unsexy way- Ransom became.  He and Heidi embarked on the weirdest co-dependent relationship at the expense of Tucker of course because who really gives a freak about his head shrinking dutiful ways?  Though, he did pull a twist toward the end that was dangerous and irresponsible, but given that his wife was completely unreliable as a partner by that point, I kind of gave him a pass for at least getting a little pissed and doing something about it.

Tryst did not lack originality in many facets. Ransom had a shaky bond with a lover of his own to contend with and there was intrigue to balance the hardcore carnality of it all.  I would read another S.L. Jennings book, however, I believe I will give this ‘unfulfilled married couple- hey-let’s-be-voyeurs-and-bring-a-man-to-bed-for-me-because -well-honey-I-want-to-be-ravished’ troupe a rest.  I have yet to find a story along these lines where the husband retains his alpha dude role, the wife does not bitch out and the hired penis does not get weird on me.  The endings to these plots always blow too!  Not an ounce of romance to be found, HEA’s nowhere in sight, just a bunch of emotionally spent, sexually sated and fractured people going back where they came from and licking their wounds.  I felt bummed after reading Tryst.  Not at all in the mood for a cigarette or glass of wine like I’d hoped.

Grade: C-
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