Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: The Sex Ring
AUTHOR: A.J. Llewellyn
PUBLISHER: eXtasy Books
LENGTH: 101 pages
RE-RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2019
BLURB:
Struggling filmmaker Kristofer Edan accepts a cash pay day to model the leather ensembles owned by recently deceased, celebrated artist Rafael Ortiz at an auction. Kristofer soon finds himself coveting one jacket in particular that has an unusual addition– a sex ring dangling from its epaulette.
When Kristofer wins the jacket in a second-chance bid, he’s in for a big surprise…the sex ring seems to have an intense energy, that when in use, conjures up sexual dreams and powers that Kristofer never had before. He soon becomes obsessed with the ring and the dead artist…painting huge canvasses that people say resemble those of Ortiz himself. Kristofer starts to feel the dead man’s presence and senses that Rafael is just as obsessed with him…or…is Kristofer possessed by him?
REVIEW:
This was a really cute little book. It’s a fast read, only 101 pages but it’s packed with plenty of story for your money.
Kristofer is an interesting character. An aspiring filmmaker, he is currently making a living by taking ghostwriting assignments online. He’s been singularly unlucky with his subjects, to the point he believes there might be favouritism going on. This is only the first of his rejection/abandonment issues, which is a recurring theme throughout the book.
When Kristopher is obsessed/possessed, he gets involved with all kinds of colourful people, primarily porn stars, and although he suddenly becomes a tiger in bed, and a fantastic artist, he continues to suffer the same self-doubt and anxiety. Despite the efforts of his brother and best friend, Kris just isn’t the type to put himself out there—except that he’s started to put himself all the way out there.
One of the most interesting characters is Jake, the porn star who undergoes not so much character development as a slow reveal of his true characters. He’s a bit gung ho with the sex but he’s such a sweet person. He’s the kind of guy that will drive you nuts in the bedroom, then drive you to the shop for tea bags and buy treats at the same time. More a dog guy that a cat guy.
There is a lot of sex in this book. Given its short length the ratio of sex to pages is high. I have to give the author credit for keeping it fresh and every sex scene is different, and not all the twists are body contortions.
Due to the length of the book, there isn’t an awful lot of space for character development but the author gives it their best shot and packs in some good characterization of MC’s and support characters. She even manages to give personality to sex toys. I’d never heard of a Tenga before.
My one complaint about the book is that it leaves so many loose ends untied at the end. I’m not going to list what they are because I don’t want to give any spoilers. I’m fine with leaving a few things dangling, if they’re not important, but this book reads very much like the first in a series and there is just too much that needs explaining. I didn’t come away satisfied, but frustrated.
That being said, such content as was there was very satisfying and I thoroughly enjoyed Kris’ adventure. Just a word of warning, if rats give you the creeps you might want to stay away, or at least read the book from behind the sofa.
RATING: 
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