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Eastofoz's Reviews > The Art of Desire

The Art of Desire by Sheri Whitefeather
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it was ok
bookshelves: contemporary, erotica, western-frontier

A sex-fest is all this book was –we’re talking every 5 pages or so it seemed there were some very graphic sex scenes, and that’s all well and good if there was at least some emotional development between the h/hs. Unfortunately there wasn’t, so what I had anticipated to be a good read that had an original story line turned out to be just a tedious romp that got boring fast.

The book has a very good title. It describes both the desire felt by the woman who painted her Indian outlaw lover and the gallery curator who is having a torrid affair with the great great (maybe another great in there) relative of the Indian outlaw. The story is mostly told in the present from the gallery curator’s end, Mandy, and how she’s having this ongoing roll in the hay with her lover Jared. He’s Mr-Hot-to-Trot-I-Screw-Anything-that-Breathes. His “hotness� gets old and his intimacy issues get even more annoying. He comes across as too smooth, too suave and way too much of a player, but he’s good in bed and then some so Mandy puts up with the rest. She likes the adventure and the unexpected with this self-proclaimed bad-boy. The guy’s got a fat head and needs to go down a notch or two if you ask me. This is also one of those May/December romances. There is one part where Mandy and her friend hook up with this really skanky broad named Amber (Jared's former lover) who regales them with all her sexual exploits –and the woman has been around the ol� block a few more times than average that’s for sure. It feels like teenagers trying to get one up on each other.

The parallel story is set on the American frontier where the woman who painted the painting in the museum, Catherine, ends up with the Indian outlaw, Atacar. She keeps a journal describing their love affair and her story is told through the journal, so it's first person writing. The heroine in the contemporary is trying to find this long lost journal for the gallery. Catherine is this wild bohemian who left her parents in England because she just didn’t fit in so she goes to America where things are more relaxed. Sounds like a good story right, well it’s not. It’s very clear early on that the ladies are horn dogs which is fine and they are more than satisfied with their lovers sexual prowess, but that’s about it. I didn’t feel any connection outside of the mad bad sex between the couples. The story turns out to be very one dimensional when all is said and done. There is an interesting side story about the language of flowers, what they mean and how people communicated secretly back in the day that I thought was well-done.

As for the sex, well it’s one of those burn your eyes out of your head and your fingers off your hand kind of story, but there’s just way too much. It’s a fine line that an erotica author has to walk between a good story that doesn’t stagnate, graphic sex without going overboard and putting in sex scenes for the sake of doing so because it’s erotica. The sex here is really “in your face�, blatant, anatomical almost. There is no anal sex or BDSM but believe me you get more than enough "variety" with what's given. It lacks sensuality and there are some really ick/yuck moments that had me going “ew� a few times. Graphic sex works if there’s good emotional development to go along with it. If it’s just gratuitous, well, I think you have to like reading that to enjoy the story. The writing is generally good, a few typos here and there but nothing major.

So here's the scoop: if you’re looking for sex every which way till Sunday to be the focal point of a book then you just may like this one. If you want a strong story with the sex, then pick up something else because you won’t get that here. 2.5 stars for me.
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Reading Progress

Finished Reading
September 3, 2008 – Shelved
April 30, 2009 –
page 100
32.89% "A bit too heavy on the sex so far."
May 7, 2009 –
page 304
100.0% "Finally finished and not a minute too soon :-/"
July 23, 2009 – Shelved as: contemporary
July 23, 2009 – Shelved as: erotica
July 23, 2009 – Shelved as: western-frontier

Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)

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message 1: by Auntee (new)

Auntee Oh boy, finally not one I need to have, since I just got done reading one like this.:) When you start wanting to skip past the sex scenes in a book then you know something's missing in the story...

"Horn dogs", huh?:)


Eastofoz The horniest of the horn dogs I've read in awhile Auntee (!)


message 3: by Marion (new)

Marion Thanks for the great review. One less I have to buy.


Eastofoz Thanks Marion. It really is too bad it wasn't good because it had so much potential to be great :(

You changed your pic! Niiiice ;)


message 5: by Tammy (new)

Tammy Mr-Hot-to-Trot-I-Screw-Anything-that-Breathes. *snickering* Funny review East! I'm sorry you got stuck with another stinker, but I look forward to your reviews when you do!

Nice avatar Marion. I've been drooling over it all morning!


Eastofoz Thanks Tammy ;)


message 7: by Daisiemae (new)

Daisiemae Great Review, East! I hope your next book is much better:)


Eastofoz Thanks Daisie. Not having much luck with my current read either: Sharon Page's "The Club" --I can't seem to get into it for some reason :-/


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