Taint
ARC provided by author to facilitate this review
Right now, you’re probably asking yourself two things:
Who am I?
And, what the hell are you doing here?
Let’s start with the most obvious question, shall we?
You’re here, ladies, because you can’t fuck.
Oh, stop it. Don’t cringe. No one under the age of 80 clutches their pearls.
You might as well get used to it, because for the next six weeks, you’re going to hear that word a lot. And you’re going to say it a lot.
Go ahead, try it out on your tongue.
Fuck. Fuuuck.
Ok, good. Now where were we?
If you enrolled yourself in this program then you are wholly aware that you’re a lousy lay. Good for you. Admitting it is half the battle.
For those of you that have been sent here by your husband or significant other, dry your tears and get over it. You’ve been given a gift, ladies. The gift of mind-blowing, wall-climbing, multiple-orgasm-inducing sex. You have the opportunity to f*ck like a porn star. And I guarantee, you will when I’m done with you.
And who am I?
Well, for the next six weeks, I will be your lover, your teacher, your best friend, and your worst enemy. Your every-fucking-thing. I’m the one who is going to save your relationship and your sex life.
I am Justice Drake.
And I turn housewives into whores.
Now…who’s first?
This. Books like this are the reason I read. I feel like I have been waiting for S.L. Jennings to release this book for about a thousand years. (Obvs, it was only a few months, but I’m a greedy, impatient hag.) Take it from me, Taint is worth every second of that wait. First off, this book has the prestigious honor of having one of the best blurbs ever to grace the back of a book. Then the front of the book…LAWD. If the husband would let me, I’d totally have a poster-sized print of this cover on my wall.
First off. A book told entirely from the male POV. YES. I love male POV. I live for it. However, it’s really easy to go wrong with male POV, and having the book sound like a woman writing a man. Thankfully, S.L. Jennings was able to get this one just right. I loved Justice. (Having cover model Mike Thurston in my head the whole time didn’t hurt!) Justice Drake really is a multidimensional character, and I felt like I was peeling away layers of him in every chapter. On one hand, he’s a controlled, determined, solitary man. He’s kind of an asshole, but he totally owns it. However, as his story progresses, we learn that there is so much more to him, he just needs the right person to bring it out.
Justice’s inner dialogue is fabulous, and I love the way he “speaks” to the reader. It really draws you in, and makes you feel like you’re “experiencing” this story, instead of just reading it. I’ll be honest, at first, I wasn’t sure I trusted Justice’s motives, I was expecting him to be someone entirely different than who he is. Getting to know Justice Drake was one of my favorite parts of this book, and S.L. Jennings has given me one of my favorite male leads ever!
Enter Allison. How much do I LOVE Allison? Quirky, funny, and fiery, I think she might be my FBFF (Fictional Best Friend Forever) I GET her. Her “flaws” are what make her so desirable, and the way she thumbs her nose at conventional society make her REAL, not just some stuffy rich-guy’s wife. The connection between Justice and Allison is definitely not forged under ordinary circumstances. Their relationship is one perfectly defined by the old phrase; “How can something so wrong feel so right?”
Yes. Cheating. And I was rooting for it. That’s how you know you’re reading a good book, when you’re so sure that the characters belong together, you actually encourage them to commit the ultimate betrayal. I’m not one that has a problem with cheating in a book, if that’s what the story is about. But I’d be hard pressed to remember a couple I was so excited to see commit adultery!
This book was definitely not anything that I was expecting. I was anticipating something more on the erotica side, but this book was honestly so much more. Steamy, yes, but not at the expense of the story. The sexual tension is high, even before the two get together. The book just sizzles with it. And FUNNY! There were literal laugh-out-loud moments for me, and some of the references in this book had me cracking up!
The emotional moments surprised me as well. Some parts touched me so much, that I had to go back and re-read them right away, just to let that moment live in my heart for a little while longer. Then there are parts that are raw, stripped bare, letting the reader in on another level.
My heart was in my throat for the last 10% of this book. And that last chapter? My stomach was in knots. I was literally afraid to go on. I almost put it down and walked away. But S.L. Jennings tells this story in a way that made that impossible. I couldn’t put it down, I HAD to know how it would all end.
I thought I knew what TAINT was going to be like. I was wrong. Ultimately, it’s the story of two lost souls, finally letting someone SEE them, not afraid to let the other in on their vulnerabilities. It’s about the emotional minefield you sometimes need to navigate to claim the one that was meant for you, and the zealous hope that you’ll be able to find them on the other side of that.
Taint releases on May 20, 2014.
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Meet S.L. Jennings
Most known for her starring role in a popular sitcom as a child, S.L. Jennings went on to earn her law degree from Harvard at the young age of 16. While studying for the bar exam and recording her debut hit album, she also won the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking invention of calorie-free wine. When she isn’t conquering the seas in her yacht or flying her Gulfstream, she likes to spin elaborate webs of lies and has even documented a few of these said falsehoods.
Some of S.L.’s devious lies:
The Dark Light Series
- Dark Light
- The Dark Prince
- Nikolai (A Dark Light Novella
- Light Shadows (coming 2014)
Love this so much! Awesome Review!!
Thank you, Kate! Definitely a compliment coming from you!
I’ve met Justice. I love Justice.
Me, too! He’s so…he’s just….**Sigh**