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The Satin Sash (2009)

by Red Garnier(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0451228030 (ISBN13: 9780451228031)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

NAL Trade

review 1: Writing in this story could be tighter. I found myself skipping over many sections because the author overcooks the romance scenes - must have had too few words to satisfy the publisher. Unlikely premise, but then, it is fiction. Grey Richards is deeply in love with Toni. They have well established relationship, until she meets his travelling business partner, Heath, and sparks fly. Conflicting needs struggle with common needs between the three.
review 2: "Your woman wants me." That's the opening line of The Satin Sash by Red Garnier. When Grey Reynolds hears his best friend and business partner, Heath Solis, say this, his blood runs cold. He and Antoina "Toni" Kearney have been lovers for two years. And in those two years, Grey has been consumed by his strong... more feelings for Toni. From the moment he met her, he knew that he wanted her. And she has made him happier than he's ever been. She soothes the darker side of him, and she enhances his life in ways he can't articulate. Not even by saying "I love you." Toni is blissfully in love with Grey. She's adored him from the moment she met him, and always wants him. Her desire is a palpable thing for him, and he fulfills her every need. They are, for all intents and purposes, living together at Toni's place. Sure, Grey picks up the rent, and spoils Toni excessively, buying her anything her heart desires. Which can make her feel a bit like a kept woman. Especially because Grey has never brought up marriage, never even said I love you. But overall, Toni is happy and mostly content in her life with Grey.Until she dances with Heath Solis. When Toni meets Heath, she is immediately attracted. She can't help herself. She adores Grey, but Heath intrigues and attracts her in ways she can't begin to explain. She and Heath share a very heated dance. That coupled with the fact that Heath has flat out told Grey that she wants him, leads to an uncomfortable ride home with Grey that night. Grey is tortured by the idea that Toni and Heath might be attracted to each other. Heath is like his brother, really his only friend. Toni is his port in the storm. The idea that they are attracted to each other torments him. He can't stand the possibility of losing Toni to Heath. Grey and Heath had a wild childhood, often indulging in threesomes and other sexual encounters that were...a little less conventional. So Grey decides that he needs to see Heath and Toni together, and see what happens. He decides to plan a weekend in Cabo for the three of them to see what happens. Of course, Toni is appalled, but also can't help but be intrigued. She's very attracted to both men, and wants this to happen, but knows that Grey is extremely jealous. Her hope is that being seeing that her attraction to Heath would never impact the way she feels about him. But she doesn't count on Heath's determination to have her, nor her increasing attraction as she gets to know him better. Will the three be able to work out a way to come together? Or will the men's jealousy of each other destroy everything that Toni wants?The Satin Sash is a humdinger of an erotic romance. It seethes with tension. So much so, that even at the end, I wasn't sure how things would turn out. I found Grey to be an intriguing character, one who is a total dichotomy. He's at times jealous, nasty and confrontational, but also tender and loving with Toni. I never fully understood his motivation for planning the weekend in Cabo, given that he was so jealous of Toni and Heath's attraction. It felt almost like self-flagellation. But his feelings for Toni were undeniable, and easily conveyed throughout the story. I wish that the author had offered a bit more backstory on Heath and Grey's relationship, as it was so competitive. Throughout the book, I waffled back and forth, rooting for both heroes to win the girl. As the story raced towards a close, I still wasn't sure how it would end up. This is a very dark book, with lots of darker emotions and uglier sides of characters coming out. Both Heath and Grey have very unlikeable moments. Only Toni remains mostly pure in her dealings with the men. As a reader, I really understood both men's attraction to her, especially given how full of angst both were. She seemed like a ray of sunshine.Overall, The Satin Sash features some extremely hot, very emotional love scenes, and a lot of dark angsty-ness. Which of course, satisfied me as a reader. I'm not sure all readers will enjoy it, just because of the male leads both being extremely conflicted. I also wish that the book had had an epilogue, it was so dark, it would have been nice to see the characters in an HEA. Especially because I wasn't completely convinced of the HEA, given the antagonistic relationship between the male leads. But overall, the book worked for me, and it's one I'd recommend to lovers of darker erotic romance.Final grade: B- less

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