Today’s book review… really can’t be summed up in a few flowery words. Spice & Vanilla was one of the most emotionally charged stories I have read. Definitely in my top five for tear jerker, soul crusher, and heart destroyer.
The beginning is a little vague and for the first three-ish chapters I was a bit confused. I am used to having two main characters in a romance, three if there is a menage (I do so love those, feel free to check out my “About Me” page to submit for menage reviews!), but the dynamics of Di, Rafe, Lucie, and Hugh confounded me for a time.
That is, until we discover that Lucie and Rafe are one and the same. Yes, in that moment I sat up a little straighter in my chair and paid just slightly more attention.
I want to tell you a lot about this story, but I don’t want to steal the unexpectedly, but exquisitely emotional journey from you that I found myself on. Di and Rafe have something special. A deep and immediate connection that grows as they discover each other more. Rafe and Hugh have something special as well, fortified by a decades long friendship. And Lucie? Well, Lucie ripped my heart out, stomped it into a puddle of mush, and left me crying silent tears for her more than once.
This story reminds us that true love encompasses the entire human, not simply the first face we meet, or the socially acceptable veneer. The whole being. The secret side, the scarred one, the tortured soul at the core, terrified to show their true colors.
This is a beautiful and touching polyamorous, gender fluid love story with some intense BDSM scenes right off the bat. While this story may not be for everyone, I have to strongly encourage open minded lovers of romance to check this out. The heart of Spice & Vanilla is stunning and should be shared.
Amelia Foster 