Denice Holt’s erotic romance novel Sarah’s List explores what happens when a wife’s sexual fantasies come to life.
After a girls’ night out with her best friend, Sarah comes home drunk, and in between throwing up the tequila shots she downed, she blurts out to her husband Jack that “I have a perfectly adequate sex life with my husband’s perfectly adequate penis.” Still drunk, she confesses her sexual fantasies. Jack, a type A executive, refuses to settle for “just adequate.” “I’ve never shot for ‘adequate’ at anything in my life,” he proclaims.
The novel then follows Jack’s goal of fulfilling every desire Sarah confessed. The list starts out with a rather tame visit to a sex shop, but this married couple keeps pushing the boundaries until they are full involved in a swinging lifestyle with multiple sex partners on a regular basis.
Sarah’s mom, who babysits their four-year-old son while they’re out exploring Sarah’s fantasies, discovers a vibrator and has concerns that Jack is forcing her into an exploitative lifestyle. Her growing worries provide the novel’s tension.
The story’s dialogue is often funny and poignant. Meanwhile, the sex scenes are numerous and realistic without being cringe-worthy, and the way the couple maintains safe boundaries for their adventures is nicely tailored to women readers.
On the flip side, some readers might find it unrealistic that neither Sarah nor Jack become jealous of the sex they have with other partners. Most, however, should find this forgivable within the context of the light, fantasy-driven story. More problematic for the book’s commercial viability is the cover, which telegraphs a rom-com. Readers will be surprised to find that it skews erotic, albeit with moments of humor and romance sprinkled in.
Despite the cover misfire, readers who appreciate erotic romance will find Sarah and Jack’s adventures entertaining—and even endearing—as they lovingly conquer Sarah’s list.
Also available as an ebook.
