Raisi hopes to find her mate out of the three assigned to her. Arjent, the minstrel, is tall and lean, easy-going and fair of coloring and Raisi finds him to her liking. But the handsome merchant Tibolt, with his serious airs and muscular build fires her imagination. And finally Frayn, the wild, unpredictable artist captures her interest and stirs her heart. The choice is to be made that night and each suitor vies for the honor of Raisi's hand as well as becoming her lover.

In Vernal Night: The Infatuation, Crissida is assigned Heaven's Hill as her trysting place. Her suitors are again as different as they are handsome and virile, and Crissida cannot help her passionate response to one of them. The Vernal Night tales end with One Hundred Women and Delinn's dilemma on who should share her bed and life.

The next story is my favorite. Titled Je t'adore, Etienne, a young woman meets a hockey player at the beginning of his career and becomes his first lover. They meet again years later, after he is a seasoned professional. This story is told so sensually and skillfully I found myself totally entranced and would highly recommend this book for this story alone. It's a rare gem of erotic romance that is more sensuous than erotic and yet it seems far more personal than any romantic story I have read in a long while.

The story As Commonplace as Rain deals with a female society where Novat Pasha is wasting away from an illness that only a man can cure. She is allowed to seek the company of the noble Tristan and through his skillful touch heals her mind and heart.

In Fantastic Toys, Paulie finds a unique way to get close to her neighbor Eric.

I found all the stories in this volume a little different from the norm in erotic romance. For one thing none of them are, as I would term, erotic per say, but rather sensual in nature. Nothing too graphic and much left to the imagination. It's not quite what I expected in an erotic read and readers should be prepared for R content. That aside, as I have said, my favorite is Je t'adore, Etienne, which was far and away the best in this compilation and I highly recommend this book for the pleasure of reading that rare jewel.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Torie West
August 8, 2005