black lace books

Taking Liberties is the first novel from Susie Raymond that I’ve read, and I’ll be honest, I won’t be rushing to read more of her work.

The book tells the story of Beth Bradley, a thirty-something woman who is divorced and has just gone back to work so she can become independent of her ex-husband. Returning to the financial world, she is employed by Simon Henderson, a high-flying financier. He’s also a womaniser, and Beth is quickly added to his list of conquests.

Determined to turn the tables on her philandering boss, she goes on a training course to better herself and eventually get out of his company, and his clutches. The course itself is in-depth and useful, and Beth’s happy with her progress. But she’s also incredibly distracted by several other members of the course – and its tutor and her libido leads her into all sorts of sexual adventures, both during and after the training course.

I’m not saying anything else, as I don’t want to give anything away and ruin the ending for anyone. However, I wasn’t a fan of this book. The writing itself isn’t bad – though not great – but I just didn’t enjoy it very much. I couldn’t identify with the main character, who seemed to fancy everyone in sight, male or female, and they all miraculously fancied her, too. Yes, she’s written as attractive, but that doesn’t mean that everyone should fancy her. I didn’t particularly like any of the male characters, either. Unfortunately, to enjoy a book I have to engage with the characters, or fancy them myself. And I didn’t get any of that. Some of the sex scenes are pretty hot, but they would have been much hotter had the characters been more likeable – or at least that sort of people we love to hate.

Overall, a disappointing read. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t finish it, but nor was it the sort of book that I couldn’t put down because I was so into it. You may enjoy this if you’re into pseudo-forced sex or random ménages, but it certainly did nothing for me.

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
The Book Depository
Waterstones