Sex and the Romance Novel: Satisfaction by Sarah Mayberry

Source: Someecards

Source: A review copy was provided by the author.

Remember the Four Horsemen of the Tropecalypse? One of them is back, only with a slight variation.

Meet Maggie, our poor, orgasm-less heroine, who, after trying everything on hand (pun intended!), decides to get under the sexy, hung tattooist who gave her BFF a tattoo and the best sex of her life. Maggie figures that if his magic dong doesn’t give her an orgasm, nothing will, so she makes an appointment and accidentally tries to seduce the sexy tattooist’s identical twin, in what must be the most awkward scene I’ve ever read.  

But fear not! This is a Romance novel, after all, and humiliation makes for a great meet-cute. It turns out that Mr. Sexy Twin, also known as Rafel, is so smart and intrigued by Maggie, that he puts two and two together and realizes that, holy shit! She’s never had an orgasm, and lookie here, he happens to have the right tool to alleviate her ailment. That’s how they embark on a relationship that’s based on unconventional motivations, so of course things go pear shaped fast. The good news is that these two are mature individuals, so they actually deal with it accordingly. Well, Kind of.

First things first, I really, really liked this book. I’m not a fan of the trope for many reasons, some of which I’ll expand on this post, but is no secret that Ms. Mayberry’s book almost always work for me, and Satisfaction was no exception. It’s not her most cohesive book, and objectively speaking --or as objectively as one can be when writing an opinion--this book isn’t as good as her previousself-published novel. And yet I enjoyed it even more. I liked the main characters and their love story, the secondary characters were interesting and well integrated to the plot as to not feel intrusive or like obvious sequel-bait (although there was a bit of that too), and even the evil ex was interesting enough to make me wish she had her own book.

Pure enjoyment aside, however, this was an equal parts flawed and thought-provoking story. As I mentioned, the book isn’t entirely consistent. I was discussing the book with my friend and fellow blogger, Nath, and we concluded that the first half read like an Erotic Romance and the second half read like a Superromance. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but once the orgasm is out of the way, the book shifts from a story about sex in which the romance develops through the sexual relationship, to a conventional contemporary that needs external conflict to keep going. These two aspects aren’t at odds, and having lost the patience to deal with abundant and never-ending sex scenes, I was grateful to focus on something else, but there was something off and unnecessary about the whole thing. To illustrate what I mean, I present you the hero: this guy is charming, sensitive and self-aware, so in terms of character and personality I have no complains, but on the other hand, he’s a sex-god, tattoo artist, who also happens to be a millionaire, real estate developer. See? It’s too much.

And then we have the sex. We know that the genre has a fixation with penis-in-vagina (PIV) sex and with vaginal orgasms. And to me, this book was a missed opportunity to break those ingrained, potentially hurtful conventions. On the one hand, our heroine takes action and pursues a relationship that’s entirely designed to pleasure her. Yes, the hero is the one who provides the satisfaction, but she is actively taking control over her body and sexuality, yet in the end, it all comes down to PIV sex and orgasms.

I had a similar issue with Courtney Milan’s latest*, and I’m sure I’ll continue to have it. Romland is filled with sex talk, but the conversation is monotonous and not as critical as it could be. When we defend the genre to outsiders, we usually say that it allows women to explore and express desires, fantasies, and sex. But can we talk about a true exploration when the sex always reaches the same tired conclusion? Where is the variety? When are we going to take a closer, critical look at the message we send when we constantly portray PIV sex and multiple vaginal orgasms as being inexorably linked to romance, love and happiness? Is there no happiness to be found in other types of sexual relationships? Is there no satisfaction outside of an orgasm? Just as sex is a key element of the genre, critical discourse is fundamental for the growth of the community, so I hope books like Satisfaction encourage more discussions.

*I didn’t review it, but here’s my favorite review of the book, which also touches on the subject. 

ETA: The first time she has an orgasm is through stimulation of the clitoris, so it's not a vaginal orgasm, although he is the one doing the stimulation while penetrating her. I should have re-read the scene before writing the review. My concerns and questions are still valid --I think-- but I didn't want to be unfair to the book with my inaccuracy. 

Grade: 3.5/4 I don't know, so stop asking!!

Sensuality: McSteamy

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

Maggie Hendricks loves her life. Great job, amazing friends. Everything just how she likes it. There's just one small problem. When it comes to sex, Maggie can’t quite get there. No fireworks, no screaming orgasms. And while she tells herself she’s fine with that, she can’t help wanting more.
When her friend shares the intimate details of a one night only fling with an extremely talented lover, Maggie makes a desperate pact with herself. She will seduce this man and if he can’t get her there...well, then she’ll hand herself over to medical science. A simple enough plan. What could possibly go wrong?
Within minutes of meeting Rafel Oliveira, Maggie knows the answer to that one: plenty. Rafel turns out to be far more than simply talented in the bedroom. As he takes her on a journey toward the ultimate pleasure, Maggie finds herself craving a lot more than his beautiful body. But can she win the one thing that will leave her truly satisfied...his heart?

Satisfaction by Sarah Mayberry

Small Cow Productions. February 27, 2014.