Rating: 4 stars

Wham, bam, no-thank-you, ma’am.

In the world of mandatory-Sunday-sex, that about sums up the sex life of Claire Doolittle (no pun intended).

Miserable in a marriage that’s gone from yearnin’ burnin’ flames to dull clinkin’ embers, Claire is at the end of her rope. Not-so-happily married to Jack – once the man of her dreams, but now a modern-day version of the bossy, dull Ward Cleaver of 1950’s sitcom fame. Gone are the glorious days of flings in elevators and broom closets. Jack? All he needs is a cardigan and a billowing pipe to become the domineering father figure Claire never wanted. The man NEVER LAUGHS!!! And looking at her body in the mirror, Claire would cast herself as Lump.

Claire and Jack once had a world of color, of wanton frivolity, of fourteen hour marathon sex sessions. Now, life is black and white: a blah sitcom in reruns … and a not-very-funny sitcom, at that … and sex is now a chore, a weekly obligation to be met and endured.

When an old boyfriend – the ‘one who got away’ – reappears on the horizon, and an office hottie sets out to seduce Claire’s ball and chain … watch Claire’s world spiral out of control.

Man, I sure didn’t think that this was going to be a 4.0 when I started. In fact, I specifically asked Sheila to NOT send me this book, and cursed her viciously and inventively when she did so.

I won’t say that this didn’t start out slow because it did. But Claire builds up momentum fast, especially when Todd (her old flame) reminds her of what a fire-starter she used to be, and she starts to realize how and when things started to go astray – both on her, and her husband’s, part.

That’s the wonderful thing with this novel – both parties end up taking responsibility. Sure, the ratios may be a bit skewed at times, but for the most part it does even out. The great thing is that you can not only enjoy this read, but that if you are experiencing any issues (or have experienced any – and odds are, if you’re human, you have), you actually have the chance to learn from it.
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ISBN: 978-0-505-52747-9
Publication date January 29, 2008, through Dorchester