Stroke of Luck

I enjoyed this steamy erotic romance with complex characters and a steamy MFM romance that kept me entertained and intrigued from start to finish. I liked the attraction and undeniable chemistry between April Smith and business partners Quinn Taylor and Austin Wright. This is the first book I have read by Opal Carew but I would like to read more by this gifted author. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I’ve only read a couple of books by Opal Carew prior to reading Stroke of Luck, one of which I really didn’t like and one that I did like, and since the Netgalley blurb sounded intriguing, I requested an advance reader copy of this one, and while I was pretty much hooked by the prologue, and was hoping for a great read, in the end, I had very mixed feelings about this novel, and can only give it a 3 star rating–it was an okay read, but not a great one.

The basic story line isn’t a new or original one, April Smith, the heroine, is in Las Vegas for her wedding to wealthy Maurice, to whom she’s been engaged for the past two years. On the night before her wedding, she finds Maurice having sex with another woman, and the wedding is off. April doesn’t want to hear his explanations, realizes that he never really loved her, and after crying her eyes out, by the next morning, Maurice is gone, leaving her with an unpaid $100,000 hotel bill, no credit card (they had a joint one), and no money. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then contacts the hotel management and demands that April return his engagement ring, as well as everything he ever bought for her, leaving her with not much more than a few toiletries and items of clothing he didn’t buy for her, no job (he owns the company where she worked), and no place to live (his company held the mortgage on her townhouse).

As April is sitting in the hotel lobby, brokenhearted, broke, and in shock, her stroke of luck appears, in the form of Quinn, her college boyfriend, and his friend and business partner, Austin, now both multi-millionaires. Quinn was once in love with April, but now assumes she left him for Maurice because she was just a gold-digger, and in college he wasn’t rich. Quinn wants revenge because when April chose Maurice over him, she broke his heart. Quinn, without being asked, pays off her hotel debt, but April insists on somehow, someway, paying him back, and then the trio goes off on a drinking binge to raise April’s spirits.

The next morning, April wakes up in bed with both Austin and Quinn, notices they are all wearing wedding bands, and is shocked to learn that she’s now married to both men. Quinn finally comes up with a way for April to repay him–sleep with both him as her Master, as well as Austin, for the next month, do whatever they want her to do, annul the marriage thereafter, and, with no alternatives, she eventually agrees.

This certainly wasn’t quite the M/F/M menage romance I was expecting, which was part of the problem I had with this novel, because although there were more than enough sex scenes, they all became rather redundant and unimaginative, except for one scene near the end, and Austin, who has only just met April, comes off as a much nicer guy than Quinn does. Had these two men done this sort of thing before? It’s a question I felt should have been answered at some point, yet it was never addressed.

Beyond the all too frequent sex scenes, these three seem to get along quite well, until Maurice starts texting his apologies to April, and wanting her back, not only making Quinn jealous, but making it clear, as least to Quinn, that April is only interested in his money, and affirming his complete lack of trust in her. And yes, I had a problem with April as well. How does a woman, who, when dating Quinn, was saving her virginity for marriage, and who, in the ensuing years, has only slept with one man since then, Maurice, suddenly have no problem entering into a menage, when she’s only just met Austin? With all the time and verbiage spent on April’s feelings about herself, I found that she came off as rather shallow. I simply couldn’t buy into a woman who just lost the man she’d loved for two years and planned to marry, suddenly jumping into a menage, no matter how hot the men involved were, or the debt Quinn repeatedly told her that he didn’t want repaid.

I had problems with Quinn as well. Other than April’s looks, and her willingness to accept becoming his and Austin’s sex slave for a month, what exactly were his reasons for loving her? His feelings seemed to go from hot to cold and back again with regularity. If he had such feelings, they certainly weren’t explained to this reader. In fact, the only character in this novel I actually did like was Austin, but we never really learn his story either.

If you’re new to menage romance fiction, you’ll probably find this an easy, enjoyable, somewhat sexy, second chance romance, but as someone who has read more than a few menage romances, I found this novel and its characters to be rather under-developed, not terribly exciting or sexually creative, and all in all, rather shallow.

As stated at the outset, I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

April came to Las Vegas to marry the man she thought she loved, but after she found him having sex with another woman, the marriage is off. Her now ex-fianc is angry that she wont accept his infidelities and is bent on revenge. He cancels their joint credit card, among other things, leaving April to pay the massive bill at the luxurious resort where she is staying. While she is arguing with the hotel manager, they are interrupted by Quinn Taylora man April once loved. Quinn orders the manager to put the charges on his credit card. April wonders why he would do this because their breakup was acrimonious. She soon learns that as part of Quinns plan to help her, she must agree to have sex with himand his best friend, Austin Wright, who is also in Vegas on vacation with Quinn.

The idea of having sex with two men should scare April, but it thrills her, especially after she meets Austin. Both are virile and handsome, and they ooze sex appeal. She must admit that shes attracted to both men. The agreement between them is that the relationship will last as long as theyre in Vegas, but when she wakes up the following morning after spending an incredible night with them, she discovers that shes marriedto both men.

STROKE OF LUCK takes readers on a sensual ride as April lives out the fantasy of having two men at once. Quinn is her old love who still wants her after all these years despite their painful breakup. Is he over her, or does he still secretly love her? Readers know that he hasnt ever forgotten her, while she had moved on with another man. April suffers from feeling the lack of financial security as she grew up in the foster care system. When her ex, Maurice, dangled security in the form of never having to worry about money again, she jumped at the chance, leaving Quinn behind. Quinn went on to build a successful business that could rival her ex when it comes to wealth. The sparks still fly between Quinn and April, but can he trust her, or she a gold digger looking to cash in once again?

Throwing Austin into the mix, April has two men who love having sex with her. Theyve never shared a woman before, but once they watch the other have sex with April, it makes the whole arrangement even hotter. Also, is marriage to two men at the same time legal? How did it happenand why? In STROKE OF LUCK, everything comes all together so that readers get the answers, as well as a sexy story. Will what happens in Vegas stay there, or will April, Quinn, and Austins erotic arrangement continue once their vacation is up? Find out by picking up a copy of STROKE OF LUCK. Oh, and dont forget to grab a bag of ice. Youll need it to read this sizzling hot tale.

And she’s back! I have enjoyed Opal Carew’s books in the past but the last couple fell a little flat that is until this one because it is exactly what I was hoping for from her.

April Smith and Quinn Taylor had a relationship in college but she called things off and started dating Maurice Dubious who she was planning on marrying. Only things didn’t exactly turn out the way they should have when she found him cheating on her the night before they were to say I DO.

Quinn and Austin Wright, Business partners and friends, are in Vegas taking a much needed vacation after a big project they were working on was completed when Quinn runs into April who broke his heart years earlier.

Quinn helps April out of a tough spot and you could tell not only that he still had feelings for her but she did as well. I loved the chemistry between April and both men. Opal did a wonderful job with this story and I hope to see more of this type of writing from her in the future.

If you enjoy steamy menage contemporary romances with a second chance at love element I would recommend this book to you.

Happy Reading!!!

**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine’s Obsessed with Books**

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