Review: Deep Desires by Charlotte Stein

This is one intense read. You get deep into the character of protagonist Abbie, hearing her thoughts as they arise in all their fucked-up but totally realistic honesty. The entire story takes place within the confines of an apartment block and, although background is skilfully woven in, the sharp focus on such a narrow geographical space ramps up the tension. Stein squeezes every drop of emotion and sensuality out of the two main characters’ developing relationship. It’s got mystery; it’s got violence; it’s got damaged psyches; it’s got witty conversation; it’s got BLT sandwiches; it’s got... after a long and agonising build-up... damn hot sex. Fluently written, with quirky turns of phrase and imagery, and rich in detail, Deep Desires is a gripping tale that had me hooked.

In the grand scheme of erotica, it manages to get into the territory of trust and surrender without any of the accoutrements of kink (unless you count one blindfold and Ivan's 'rape-me' video). It is also thankfully free of romantic stereotypes and clichés. Very dark a lot of the time, but ultimately uplifting as Abbie and Ivan find hope in each other, this is a delight to read.

As an entirely pointless aside, I noticed the cover image had been used in a feature in Woman magazine from October 8th: 'My husband was secretly gay.' It was my gran's copy, all right?!

I bought Deep Desires from Amazon UK. Published by Mischief Books.