Jenny's Review: Love in Lingerie by Alessandra Torre

Title: Love in Lingerie
Author: Alessandra Torre
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Alessandra Torre
Pub Date: January 16, 2017
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Our thoughts...

  

Love in Lingerie is an enjoyable read about a woman who goes to work for a man who owns a floundering lingerie company. They become fast friends, fighting the urge to become more. The book spans over several years so don’t expect anything quick to happen. This is a slow ride, meant to tease and cause you to become invested in the characters.

I liked that the relationship between Kate and Trey started off as a firm friendship and eventually becoming best friends. There may have been instant-lust but their love starts in a basic form that cements a firm foundation. I also liked how the business was a main part of the story. I find that, often times, something like that would be pushed to the background but it’s such an important part of who they are individually and as a duo.

I did find a few spots that seemed unrelated to the story and a bit random. I would find myself wondering what that part was about and then never having a resolution. For example, Kate mentions her college friends and a discordance with one of them, going into more detail than a one-off character should get. The story she tells holds no bearing on the story or character at all. This happens a couple of times and threw me off each time. It is not something I typically experience in Torre’s books so it caught me off guard more than usual.

I think the main source of my discord, though, is how the marketing of this book led me to form expectations that weren’t delivered on. It’s not that I didn’t like the finished product, it’s just that I was told to expect more than was there. Let me clarify: This book is being marketed as erotica (the blurb does not do this but the marketing itself) but I argue that it is more contemporary romance. Which is totally fine and this story works as a contemporary romance, but my expectations were erotica. I did some research and found a great article by RT Reviews that explains the difference between the two categories because let’s face it, it can be hard to find the line that divides them. It essentially comes down to the focus of the story. Is it the sex or is it the romance/relationship/anything else? This story is about a relationship that goes from colleagues to friends to lovers. They daydream and fantasize about sex but the primary focus is on the developing relationship and the business they run. Sex is not a primary player. So, I was expecting erotica and didn’t find it. I did find a fun, sexy book with a great relationship and fun characters to follow.

My star rating is a fluid 3.5 stars because I am not giving a lot of weight to my issues but I also can’t look past them. I enjoyed the story and I was rooting for Kate and Trey, it’s just not what I was told it was going to be.  

Love in Lingerie on Goodreads