Friday, June 22, 2012

THE NINETY DAYS OF GENEVIEVE


TITLE: THE NINETY DAYS OF GENEVIEVE
AUTHOR: LUCINDA CARRINGTON
Pages: 269
Date: 22/06/2012
Grade: 4-
Details: Received from Book Geeks
Own

Genevieve Loften is young, ambitious and determined to get James Sinclair to sign an advertising contract with the company she works for.
James Sinclair is rich, arrogant and used to getting what he wants. When, at the end of her third sales presentation Genevieve asks him if there is anything else she can show him she presents him with his opportunity on a silver plate.
What he wants is to see and have Genevieve however and whenever he desires for the next ninety days. If she sticks to the deal he will sign the contract. If she refuses, he will walk away, there will be no contract and no promotion opportunities for her.
Genevieve really is ambitious; she wants this contract and she wants that early promotion. Genevieve is also excited by what it might mean to be at Sinclair’s beck and call for the next three months. When Genevieve agrees to the offer she has no idea what exactly she is letting her in for or what she will discover about herself.
Only too soon Genevieve discovers that what Sinclair has in mind is anything but conventional sex. He supplies her with sexy clothes she has to wear for him, has perfect strangers touching her and puts her in other sexual situations she could not have imagined and would never have believed herself capable of submitting to, never mind enjoying.
At the same time it seems that she is not the only one after this very attractive contract Sinclair has on offer. And although nobody knows what she has submitted herself to in order to get his signature, her colleagues and friends are only too happy to share gossip about the man with her; gossip that implies that he is a ruthless womaniser and not to be trusted.
As Genevieve’s feelings towards Sinclair change over the three months and she discovers an appetite for adventurous sex she never suspected she had, she has to face that for him this is just a cynical business proposition and that he will more then likely drop her as soon as the ninety days are up. Or is she misjudging him?

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book.
I should start by pointing out that this is a re-release of a book previously published in 1996. And, in many ways, the story is a product of the times it was written in. While in those days some people did go to extreme lengths to make their way up the corporate ladder, these days the whole proposition of submitting yourself in exchange for a signature on a contract seems very far fetched.
My biggest problem with the book was that I really couldn’t like either Genevieve or Sinclair. As far as Sinclair is concerned that was because the reader doesn’t really get to know him, which was a shame. We only see him through Genevieve’s eyes and she doesn’t seem to see (through) him at all. In fact, I think the story would have been more interesting if we had been given a few more glimpses into what might be going on in his mind.
Genevieve on the other hand we do get to know and I found myself losing patience with the way in which she found it perfectly acceptable that she had signed herself over to him and was constantly reminding Sinclair that all they were doing together was only a business deal while at the same time getting very upset about the fact that he didn’t seem to care for her at all.
What I did enjoy was the way in which the author makes Genevieve rediscover herself, and I have to admire Lucinda Carrington’s imagination when it comes to all the experiences Sinclair puts the ambitious young woman through.

Overall this was a quick and easy read with some rather exciting moments. I’m sure that anyone who enjoys erotica will have fun reading this book. On the other hand, I’m not sure the story quite lives up to the pink sticker on the cover which reads: “If you like Fifty Shades of Grey You’ll LOVE this!” If I had to come up with a slogan for this book it would probably be: “Sexy, but not seductive”.

No comments: