Voyeur By: Lacey Alexander Star Rating: Sensuality Rating:

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Synopsis

Laura Watkins is a cozy mystery author who is suffering from writer's block. Her best friend, Monica, thinks she just needs to get laid to free up her creativity. Laura dismisses that notion, insisting that what she really needs is a writer's retreat to a secluded location where she can focus on her work. Luckily for her, Monica's cousin owns a cabin in the Colorado mountains that he allows his family to use on occasion, so she arranges for Laura to go there. Once settled in the luxury cabin, Laura still can't seem to put words to the page and her deadline is fast approaching. Realizing she has nothing to lose, she decides to take Monica's advice - minus the man - and try a little self-pleasuring. As she relaxes on the sofa and begins touching herself, she remembers the webcam across the room that Monica said her cousin sometimes uses to check the cabin. Laura wonders if he's watching right now, and finds that the thought rather excites her. Although she thinks it's pretty unlikely, she fantasizes that he is behind the camera and experiences some of the headiest pleasure she's ever felt.

Braden Stone couldn't believe his eyes when he turned on the webcam just to see if his houseguest had arrived and found her putting on a sexy show. It turns him on like nothing else ever has before, so the next day, he strikes up a conversation with her via instant message. He instantly recognizes that Laura is a good girl on the outside with an underlying passionate nature he wants more than anything to unleash. He coaxes her to self-pleasure for him two more times, before her guilt kicks in and she begins to protest that she doesn't know him well-enough for such intimacies. Braden knows it's time to meet his little vixen in person to put an end to her arguments, so he surprises her by arriving at the cabin to stay with her for a while.

Ensconced together in the warm cabin as the snow falls outside, Braden introduces Laura to more pleasure than she ever could have dreamed of, and with each new experience, her writer's block seems to be disappearing. Although she tries to convince herself it's just sex, Laura's heart is soon entangled in the affair, but she knows that Braden doesn't do commitment. So what's to become of their relationship once her book is finished and it's time to go home?

Review

Voyeur is one seriously hot and steamy read. With it being my first book by Lacey Alexander, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it. This story was definitely my kind of erotic romance. The characters were relatable, there was actually a plot, and the writing itself was pretty solid. The sex scenes were not only hot but loaded with variety that kept them from weighing down the book or becoming boring. There's also a little story within a story as Laura breaks through her writer's block and things finally get moving with her mystery book. There are excerpts of Laura's new novel peppered throughout, and her main character finds herself in a relationship, which mirrors Laura's relationship with Braden. I have to give the author props for this, because as a writer myself, I know how difficult it can be to focus on developing just one story, so for Lacey Alexander to write two simultaneously, even though Laura's isn't as detailed, is still pretty impressive to me. All in all, Voyeur was a fun, enjoyable read.

Laura is a mystery author suffering from writer's block. Her best friend thinks she needs some sex to get her creativity going, but then again, her friend thinks sex is the answer to everything. Laura doesn't take her too seriously, but she does take her up on an offer to use her cousin's cabin in the Colorado mountains as a writer's retreat. When that alone doesn't seem to be working for her, she decides to indulge in a little self-pleasuring to see if there's anything to her friend's assertion. Even when she realizes there's a webcam in the house, she figures no one is likely watching, but the idea that someone might be only heightens her arousal. This one fateful decision opens the door to a whole world of sexual exploration and experiences she never knew existed. I really loved Laura's "good girl" persona. She's always been a sensible girl, who's only had sex in committed relationships, and never thought she would ever do any of the things she finds herself trying in this secluded moutainside cabin. She obviously has a very passionate side that she's really never explored before, and Braden was the perfect man to help her do that. I could totally relate to and understand her temptation to play the part of the exhibitionist but then feel guilty and uncomfortable about it afterward. The more Braden encourages her to do and the further she explores her passion with him, the more comfortable she feels in her own skin, until she finally owns that side of herself fully.

It takes a little while to get a feel for Braden, because at first, he's a mostly anonymous guy behind a computer screen, watching all the naughty things Laura is doing. When he finally shows up in the story in person, I liked him from the start. He's a wealthy playboy who's had his fair share of women, but there's something about Laura that calls to him like a siren song. He loves her air of "innocence," and he loves being a part of her experiencing all these new sides of her sexuality. He's an incredibly generous lover, who wants to draw Laura out of her sensible shell and give her the most incredible pleasure she's ever experienced in her life. I love how seductive and gently persuasive he is. He's confident that she'll love everything he suggests if she can only bring herself to do it, but he always gives her a choice and is never forceful or demanding. Because of his parents' failed marriage and not having many other happy marriages to draw from for example, he's never really been a relationship guy. He's happy in his playboy lifestyle, but with Laura, everything feels a little different. Her hesitation to do what he asks is beguiling to him, and he derives so much pleasure and satisfaction from simply showing her what she's been missing. Despite her lack of experience in some of the things he wants to do with her, she ends up being the best and most memorable lover he's ever had.

In the beginning, both Laura and Braden view their relationship as a temporary affair, but in spite of that, it never felt tawdry or like simple lust gone wild. Their interactions are laced with emotion. Both of them are so generous and caring toward each other, focusing more on giving the other pleasure than on receiving. Laura gradually begins to trust Braden and he never does anything to break that trust. I think that's why their relationship felt so real to me, because IMHO, to reach that level of complete sexual surrender, trust is essential. Of course, by the time her retreat is drawing to a close, Laura's feelings have gotten tangled up in it, making it difficult to say goodbye. Even though he's pretty reticent about it and tries to blow it off, the reader can tell that Braden is starting to struggle a bit too with the idea of Laura leaving. There is a long separation at the end, but neither of them is truly able to move on with someone else, leading to a satisfying and happy ending. I think it can be rather difficult for erotic romance authors to find that perfect balance of hot, steamy sex and a deep emotional connection, but IMO, Lacey Alexander succeeded in spades. Voyeur completely hit that sweet spot for me, and now that I've finally read it, I'm kicking myself for waiting so long and can't wait to try more of this author's work.

Note: This story contains explicit language and sexual content, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, use of a sex toy, intimate shaving, spanking, anal sex, and a M/F/M menage a trois. There is also a brief F/F/M menage, but it only takes place in the hero's fantasies, not in real-life.

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