Claudine

by Barbara Palmer

Maria Lantos is a post grad Yale student researching illicit 18th-century literature. She’s become exceptionally well-versed in the narratives of classic erotic fantasy.

She’s also Claudine, an in-demand escort specializing in sexual role play for an elite clientele. Anonymous. Satisfying. And discreet.

Until the tenuous separation between her worlds starts to crack. It begins with the murder of a stranger. Where it leads is to two men who will test Maria's limits of control and awaken her own sexual desires.

As her private nights bleed into day, Maria will discover the dangerous places that extend beyond the imagination, and secrets no longer consigned to the dark.

• ISBN10: 0425276724
• ISBN13: 9780425276723
• Publish Date: 2 September 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425276723

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

The synopsis is what made the decision for me to review the book. On occasion, I enjoy a little erotica in my books and I’m a sucker for suspense/thriller type reads so I had high hopes when I started Claudine. Unfortunately, as I worked my way through the story, I realized that the book was going to be a challenge.

Keeping the review spoiler free, I won’t go into specific details but I will say that often times, Maria’s internal dialogue felt clinical. This could be due to the fact that I didn’t like Maria’s character at all. It’s not the content of the book that I’m speaking of; it was coming to terms with the delivery of the story that soured the reading experience for me.

The story failed to evoke my emotions. I started the book with an open mind but the content never lit a spark of interest. There were a few instances when Maria revealed parts of her VERY horrible past that I felt sympathy for her, but her character was stoical making it difficult to relate to her.

I also wished there was more of an emphasis on the eighteenth–century literature aspect in the book; it seemed like more of an afterthought than an essential part of the story. The concept of the plot was promising but the story just didn’t do it for me.

Reviewed by Elizabeth for Cocktails and Books