Jenny and Brian were both virgins when they married at twenty-five. Showing great restraint, they were rabid for each other by the time vows were exchanged. For the first year they were insatiable and inventive and their passions knew no bounds. By the second year it was still hot and randy and yet, something indefinable was beginning to be lacking.

By year three they had tapered their spontaneous passion into a sex-night and due to time constraints a sex-calendar was relied on. When even this was failing to recapture the spark, Brian decides to take matters into his own hands and suggests to Jenny they tried a bit of kink, maybe some bondage and definitely some toys. And so Sunday becomes Bondage Night.

Happily it reawakens their libidos and this experimenting injects new life into their relationship. They even decide to throw caution to the wind and sex night becomes once again spontaneous fun. The only problem is their experimentation is done by trial and error. Finesse is definitely lacking and though neither complains, it's a little like stumbling about the other's person's body, trying ideas that may or may not work.

Then out of the blue, a short, plump woman in her mature years shows up at their door. Enter into the story 'Mistress Charlotte.'

They don't know where she came from, or who sent her services, as she insists she has already been paid to help them. They do know they'd be crazy to engage her to teach them the rules and fine art of bondage. So they send her away and try things avante garde once more.

The idea of professional bondage instruction weighs heavily on Jenny and Brian's mind. Jenny meets 'Mistress Charlotte' and finds the woman not so odd after all and so the woman's services are engaged and the fun begins.

I enjoyed the quirky premise of 'Mistress Charlotte' and the irony of a newly married couple's dwindling passion as the years pass was humorous and I suspect hits closer to home than many couples would like to admit. This story never takes itself too seriously and seeks to entertain with laughter. And for those who like a twist, Mistress Charlotte has her own secret and it's quite a stunner. The drawback to the story would be the sex was more light-hearted in telling, lacking sensuality and descriptiveness overall. But to lighten up a dreary day and bring a smile to a reader's face, Mistress Charlotte is sure to do the trick.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Torie West
May 27, 2004