ELLE

The erotic education of former escort Elle Lorand continues, plunging her into a world of sensual delights. But she soon finds herself on a quest not only to solve the mystery of her ex-fiance’s birth, but also to save her partner from jail.

Having broken her engagement to David Barlet and fallen in love with his older brother, Louie, her sexual tutor, Elle impetuously asks for Louie’s hand in marriage. Startled yet pleased, Louie consents, on the condition that Elle complete her amorous education through a series of tests. Elle agrees, and the games begin. Mars (Hotelles, 2014) excels at orchestrating elaborate, emotionally charged sex scenes, making the physically implausible ring psychologically true in this, the second novel in a steamy trilogy translated from the French. More Anaïs Nin than E.L. James, Mars weaves a psychologically complex tale; she creates a world in which sex sanctifies. Elle and Louie do truly communicate through their bodies, planning sexual adventures for each other that test trust and vulnerability. Yet an art exhibit at Louie’s gallery sends the entire enterprise spiraling down. Tipped off that the gallery would project pornographic images into the night sky, the police descend, arresting Louie. While Louie awaits his trial, Elle faces a number of quandaries: Can she physically survive without Louie’s addictive, sensual touch? Has she lost her identity in his bed? Who has stolen their shared journal, detailing each erotic encounter? Is Louie truly behind the blog spilling all of their secrets? Bereft and bewildered, Elle cannot resist David’s offers to help, despite her suspicions that he may be less interested in exonerating his brother than in covering up more secrets of his own. Perhaps the answers lie hidden in the Hotel des Charmes.

An explicit, erotic, entrancing detective story for the seriously committed lover of erotica.