Fetish [Paperback]

Eroticism at its best in this vampiric tale of a 47-year old overweight woman (yes, 47-years old) who decides to pay $5,000 to indulge her fantasies at a club called Fetish. The owner of Fetish, Violanti d'Arco, takes an immediate shine to the heroine and things go from there. GREAT vampire erotica--lots of steamy scenes and my favorite--the ultimate alpha male. I highly recommend this book~

This is one of the best Ellora's Cave novels I have read. I enjoyed Sherrie L. King's novel Bitten from the Moon Lust series, but said novel was nowhere near as well written as this one. Fetish is not just a vampire romantica -- it possesses a memorable story that you'd want to reread later on. Forty-seven-year-old Aerin Peters is tired of her lonely, unappealing existence. She is overweight and (according to her) unattractive and is a virgin spinster. But she couldn't resist visiting the club Fetish after reading about it in a flyer. There are no taboos at Fetish. Is it possible for her to find a night of pleasure? She gets more than she bargains with ultra-sexy escort Violanti D'Arco. He is determined to show Aerin the depths of her sensuality and have her see the beautiful, voluptuous woman that she really is. No sooner does Aerin begin Violanti's insatiable lessons than strange changes begin to occur. And Violanti's chameleon-like eyes, penchant for bites and other quirks are not normal. What has Aerin gotten herself into? There are various twists throughout the novel.

The course of the story and the changes and revelations within the same are the most realistic in this sort of genre. I like the fact that Aerin's attitude doesn't change overnight. And I loved the fact that she isn't the typical drop-dead-gorgeous, petite twenty-two-year-old that most romance novels prefer. The discovery of her sensuality is the best I have read in quite a while. The erotic scenes are incredible and delectable and Violanti D'Arco is one sexy vampire! He is a truly scrumptious character and the ultimate alpha male. King did an amazing job with characterization and story development in a 190-page novel. My one complaint about Ellora's Cave novels has always been that they are too short. I wish this one had been longer. As for Sherri L. King, this is an author whose work I will look forward to reading in the future. As said earlier, I loved Bitten from the Moon Lust series, but this one is better by a long shot. I cannot recommend Fetish enough!

From all the glowing reviews, I had to read this book TWICE to make sure I wasn't confused. Same cover, same book - vastly different takes.

As a reader too used to heroines who are strong and self-assured, and frankly I prefer them that way, 'Fetish' was like a nasty kick in the gut. Truly, the only saving grace was the hero, Violenti D'Arco, an extremely sexy and wealthy vampire who runs a private sex club called 'Fetish' where NOTHING is off-limits. He finds his soul mate in the most unlikely and unappealing heroine I've ever come across.

This supposed "heroine", Aerin Peters, was every comprised of nearly every bad fat-girl-gets-skinny-and-suddenly-everybody-who-ignored-her-now-thinks-she's-hot trope that I'd thought with the advent of e-publishers and authors who went against the grain to write about feisty full-figured women had long since died out. Aerin was forty-seven, going through menopause, mousy, a virgin (huh?) and works as a typesetter (job which allows her to be invisible) and just bascially sounds like some old lady who lives alone with a thousand cats.

In all fairness, women do indeed go through issues of body image, but in romance/romantica - the idea is that no matter what the size or what we look like, we should be able to love ourselves fully first before anyone else can. Maybe I've been too influenced in real life by feisty big women like Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique to have much sympathy for a character who seems to whine as incessantly as Aerin Peters does.

The first chapter of the book was torture as sad-sack Aerin goes through her mediocre-by-choice life, eating her bland luch, bemoaning the fact that she's fat, boring and supposedly unlovable. There's no spark, no *anything* to her that indicated to me as a reader that perhaps this was just a bad hormone day, and when she finally comes across a flyer advertising the club'Fetish', I'm frankly surprised that someone like her would have taken a chance, much less spent the sum of five-thousand dollars to have her every fantasy indulged.

I was also put off my the so-called 'transformation'. That suddenly after a few visits to 'Fetish', Aerin becomes more 'normal'and acceptable as a romance heroine. She loses weight, gains curves in all the right places and gains more confidence. I just didn't buy it and honestly felt the whole notion of needing a man to re-create a sense of self-love/self-worth didn't belong and left a bad taste in my mouth. And even in spite all the changes which everyone around her notices, Aerin simply cannot give up her cherished victimhood as undesirable fat girl.

The saving graces of the book:

1. The Cover: Come on, what's not to like about a naked Violenti wearing nothing but hair and vinyl fetish boots with buckles (I've been trying to find a pair of those myself)?

2. Violenti as a character was the more fascinating and multi-facted of the two (not difficult considering) and dare I say extremely patient. His background, how he became a vampire and the leader of the Clan of the Violent Dark was interesting and I would have loved to have read more about that.

3. The Erotic scenes between himself and Aerin were tender and hot at the same time, and there's was a sense of Violenti celebrating and embracing the body Aerin already has and while reading them I hoped that Aerin would finally wake up and smell the roses.

It is for these reasons alone that I'm giving this book 2-Stars. To say I was highly disappointed would be the understatment of the decade.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 13 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars