Format Read: e-ARC provided for Review
Length: Novella – 90 pages
Series: Bandicoot Cove, Book 4
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance, Ménage a trois
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Formats Available: eBook, Kindle, Nook
Purchasing Info: Publisher, Author’s Website, Goodreads, Kindle, Nook

Book Blurb:

Adolescent fantasies can grow into very adult realities.

Sienna James has come to Bandicoot Cove to mourn the end of her eight-year relationship with Ben Cowley. The last person she expects to meet is the star of every one of her high school fantasies.

Joshua Lye is not only as appealing as he was in high school, he reveals she was the main feature in his adolescent wet dreams. As kids they never got it together. But they’re adults now, and there’s nothing keeping them apart.

When Ben arrives at the resort determined to win Sienna back, finding another man in her bed kind of throws a spanner in the works. But he isn’t deterred. Rather than admit defeat, he comes up with an alternative plan: Let Sienna sleep with both men—at the same time. Then she can make an informed decision as to which man she wants.

Sienna shouldn’t want to go through with this shockingly sexy plan, but she does. Desperately. Except after the sexual storm passes, she could have it all…or be left holding an empty heart.

Warning:
Contains a suggestion beyond risqué, a solution beyond orgasmic, and two men who know how to play dirty. Really, really dirty.

Excerpt

My Thoughts:

Sienna James is another of resort manager Kylie’s good friends invited to the soft opening of the Bandicoot Cove resort. Island Idyll is the fourth and final novella in the series of erotic ménage stories. As mentioned in the synopsis, Sienna is at the cross roads of her life having recently ended an eight year relationship with her fiancé Ben. As therapy, she stands on the Bilby Island shore tossing shells into the water, each shell represents one of her troubles. There is also some yelling associated with the tossing. Sienna then goes for a skinny dip.

Meanwhile Josh Lye, a heartthrob from Sienna’s school days is running on the beach and discovers her bits of clothing laying in the sand, then sees said naked nymph frolicking in the water. Josh decides to make himself scarce before she notices the jig is up, but does find her later when Sienna is again on dry land and clothed. Josh and Sienna never dated while in school but there was a major case of unrequited love on both their parts. It doesn’t take long for banked fires to blaze between them.

I mentioned in a previous review of a novella in this series that the pheromones are literally zinging around the Bandicoot Cove Resort. I now know Sienna is the source of a vast number of these pheromones. This heroine has more orgasms, as in multiple orgasms in the span of a few hours than I can ever remember reading in a contemporary erotic romance. I’m all for passion in my romance reading but when the heroine experiences one climax after the other with barely a breath in-between, eye rolling ensues, not to mention thoughts of exhaustion.

Then the ex-fiancé sneaks up behind Sienna in the dark of night while she is waiting for Josh, her new lover at a planned rendezvous point. There is no indication given as to how Ben knew where the woman he has been estranged from for months was there. They proceed to engage in foreplay bringing orgasmic Sienna to another climax, all the while she thinks the dude is Josh with whom she had just spent the afternoon making love! It was at this point the heroine of this story became TSTL in my eyes. While Ben, who looks and sounds nothing like Josh touches Sienna intimately there is much “gee something isn’t right” introspection on her part. Um, ya think?

I quite liked Josh who is an extremely appealing hero with a rags to riches story and I felt great empathy for him when he comes upon his new lover who he has wanted for a good part of his life in a clinch with her ex who wants her back. The waters get even more muddy when Ben proposes that they have a threesome so that Sienna can decide who she wants to be with. What?? I mean, seriously, these guys clearly didn’t like one another as evidenced by the fact they were on the verge of beating each other senseless, and they are both going to get into bed and have sex with the woman they are fighting over?

While I recognize this story is pure erotic fantasy I had considerable difficulty suspending belief and accepting that these people would engage in an ill conceived, warped threesome. Further, I thought poor Josh was like a fifth wheel in the scenario, to make matters worse he feels remorse and humiliation at having agreed to the tryst. The bottom line is that I knew someone was bound to walk away very hurt from the fiasco, which indeed happens because Sienna does choose one of the men. At the end of the day this reader had no idea why the man she chose would want her.

Unfortunately Island Idyll was not my cup of tea.

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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