Only
One Man Will Do by Fiona McGier
Eternal
Press, 2013
Alexandra
Blackstone lives a double life. During the week, she’s the
tough-as-nails CEO of a top marketing firm in Minneapolis. On
weekends, she dons her leathers, mounts her Harley and heads for the
country to become Alex, flame-haired queen of a biker gang into hard
riding, hard drinking and no-holds-barred group sex. In both roles,
Alexandra is on top, and that’s the way she likes it.
Her
prodigious sexual appetite can’t be satisfied by a single man, or
so she believes, until she meets Dimitri Illyanovitch. The charming,
infuriating Russian with the shadowy background challenges her in
every way. His sexual stamina and erotic ingenuity keep her coming
back for more, even though she’s convinced she’ll tire of him
eventually, as she has of all her other favorites. Then there’s his
gourmet cooking—not to mention his expert massages! Even as Alex
worries that she’s giving the ex-KGB agent the wrong idea about a
possible future, she can’t stop reacting to his burly physicality.
For
Dimitri, searching out Alex’s secret identity was just business,
fulfilling a favor for an influential friend. Their first carnal
encounter, on Alex’s desk, is enough to change everything. In the
sensual, bossy red-head he recognizes his perfect partner—a woman
who’s smart, passionate and dedicated to living her life on her own
terms. He wants to be the only man in that life, her permanent lover
and comrade.
When
her father jettisoned her mother for a young trophy wife, though,
Alex swore she’d never belong to any man. Even the most ecstatic
sex on the planet isn’t enough to convince her to give up her
polyandrous ways and settle down. What will it take for Dimitri to
change her mind?
Only
One Man Will Do is hotter than
Hades and hugely entertaining. What vicarious fun, being in
Alexandra’s head (and voluptuous body)! She’s a kick-ass heroine
who can be ruthless, but ultimately turns out to care deeply for her
gang and for Dimitri. As for the Russian charmer—Ms.
McGier is fond of saying that she writes beta heroes, but I don’t
see anything beta about Dimitri, unless it’s the fact that he’s a
whiz in the kitchen. I’d fall in love with him in a minute, but
then I’m not as stubborn as Ms. Blackstone.
A
good deal of the book is devoted to the wild, delicious sex that Alex
and Dimitri share. I was impressed by the variety Ms. McGier included
in the sex scenes, despite the fact that all were heterosexual and
vanilla. Her protagonists have a phenomenal capacity for pleasure
that reminds me of my younger, wilder days.
Ms.
McGier’s writes clean, careful prose that moves the story forward
at a brisk pace. Although the POV alternates rather frequently
between Dimitri and Alex, there’s none of the confusion associated
with head-hopping. My most serious complaint about the book’s craft
relates to the treatment of secondary characters. There are several
scenes early in the book that involve members of biker gang, but
they’re treated more or less as faceless extras. In the second half
of the novel, though, the identities and personalities of her cohorts
suddenly become important to the plot, and all at once they turn into
distinct individuals. This felt somewhat awkward to me. It would have
been smoother to have developed these characters from the beginning.
Overall,
though, I really enjoyed Only One Man Will Do.
It’s a sexy and satisfying romance—
especially recommended if you’re tired of doormat heroines! I
strongly identified with Alex. I
too believed I could never be happy with just one man. For once, I
was glad to be proved wrong, and so, ultimately, is she.
3 comments:
Thanks so much, Lisabet! I'm so glad you enjoyed my fiery redhead. I've had reviewers dislike my books because they thought the heroine was too alpha. It's wonderful that a reader enjoyed just that: *an alpha broad with a huge sexual appetite.
*Note: just like me in my younger days also!
Oh yea--fiona.mcgier@gmail.com.
Great review and Alex is the best alpha heroine out there. I can't stand weak heroines.
Marika/Harlie
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