This past weekend I curled up with a pretty good book.  Beth Kery’s When I’m With You was an excellent way to spend my weekend, and I’m gonna give you the good and the not so good about this book.

This novel is an erotic Romance set in Chicago. A very wealthy Lucien Lenault has moved from Europe to escape his past.  However it runs right into him at his own restaurant when he finds Elise Martin, an old friend and an “out-of-control party girl” in his office.  She’s come to town to prove herself worthwhile not only in her eyes and that of society.   Elise wants to find out what the mystery around his new life in Chicago is all about, and he wants to tame her compulsive and dangerous ways.

Here’s the good:  It had a BDSM element to the plot with Elise submitting to Lucien in the bedroom. Some couples keep their D/s in the bedroom only, and this is a great book toward that group.  There are very hot sex scenes, and the way he chooses to bind her hands is extremely creative and pretty.  The plot beneath the sexual tension is strong enough to make the reader continue reading if only to find out how it all gets resolved.

What I got out of this book:  The secondary plot is just as important as the primary romance. Beth Kery does a great job of providing a plot that drives the reader to keep on reading to the very end. The weaving of the plots is something I struggle with and this book is a good example of how to do that.

The not so great:  There was a bit more murmuring and muttering going on than I like.  I think the book that shall not be named has killed those two descriptions for me, especially because they are rarely used properly.  Also, Lucien’s nostrils flared a bit too often for me, but I think these are things that probably true for all books. We as writers find a trait in our characters that we really love…and then sometimes we beat it to death.

End result: I had a great weekend of reading and found a new author to follow and learn by her examples.  I will definitely be reading more from Beth Kery.

Beth Kery is going to be giving some workshops at the Spring Fling RWA Chicago North on April 26th and 27th along with participating in the book signing there as well.  This is exciting for me because I’m attending this conference, so I’ll be sure to look for her workshops as well bring this book with me for a signature!  

Want to know more about Beth Kery, here’s her website. www.bethkery.com