Charade

Charade
M.E. Ellis
Freya’s Bower
ISBN: 1-934069-24-8
Fiction, Erotic, Short Novella
Reviewed by Jasmina Vallombrosa

Shirley Langford is a stay at home mum with a desire for something new. Not only does she spend her days watching her four kids who can definitely add to her stress levels with their behavior, she has a little addiction to the Internet. Along with taking breaks from her otherwise boring days by doing online quizzes, she spends quite a bit of time emailing her friend Kathy. Otherwise happy, she begins to question the meaning of life when her eldest daughter begins having a social life of her own.
Things change when Kathy’s marriage hits the rocks. To pick up her spirits, Shirley suggests a night out on the town. Unfortunately this falls through, but Shirley’s husband decides to take advantage of the situation and plans a different type of evening all of his own. Taking care of all of the details, the night’s entertainment includes visiting a local bar, renting a hotel room, and all of the other romantic gestures to seduce his wife.
While I enjoyed the story, I couldn’t help but get lost in the flurry of emails listed in the text. As a result, the plot was difficult to follow at times which unfortunately took away from the reading pleasure. However, Ms. Ellis was successful if creating a realistic story with a happy ending. Just for that I would recommend this for anyone looking for a good laugh and true understanding of how married life can sometimes become.