On Travel: A Review of Wanderlust by Elieba Levine

As I said yesterday, I promised to review this book, and so I shall. Because it's an erotica book, we're going to make this review 18 and over (just in case).


I like erotica, but reviewing it is always a bit problematic for me. I always have the same problems, it seems, and this book was no different. The plot is shallow, everything stops in the name of sex, all development happens through sex, basically all world problems can be solved through sex. I keep waiting for a book that proves me wrong and goes a bit deeper, but until I find one, let's just review the book we have.

We follow Jane on her journey to find herself through exotic travel and lots of sex. She goes from African safari to Bali to Australia, and so forth, finding a guy or two to fool around with at every location. Eventually she meets one that she has real feelings for, perhaps even loves. She doesn't let that slow her down, though, as she continues her journey with  what may be the love of her life in pursuit.

I would compare this book to watching a friend try on shoes for three hours--except this friend is trying out different cultures and penises. It's kind of fun at first, watching Jane move from experience to experience, from mysterious guy to nice guy to unbelievably hot guy. After awhile, though, the fun wears off, and at the end of it you don't feel like much got accomplished--you don't feel satisfied with the story. It's hard to relate to Jane and what she's trying to discover about herself. I'm not actually sure she learned anything, but for the fact that she likes sex and she might possibly have the capacity for lasting love...But who knows, this is only the first book in the trilogy, so there is a lot more banging to be done.

The sex itself is not bland, but it certainly isn't shocking. No one scene stood out to me as something your average romance author wouldn't include in her story, except there are more of them and more partners. I tend to think that's a shame, since I can't imagine someone going on a journey of sexual discovery and not trying out at least one eyebrow raising kink.

So the bottom line, of course, is would I recommend this book? Well, it isn't impressive, but it's also completely harmless. There's nothing upsetting about it, just as there's nothing particularly exciting about it. It might be a good choice for the reader that is new to erotica or just prefers it a bit soft core. I can't see myself reading farther into the series, but I won't caution against it either. 2.5 stars.