For Audrey her body is her worst enemy. For Graham it’s his biggest temptation.
With his assistance she must embark on a journey to conquer her fears by allowing herself to discover feelings of pleasure, the power of her body and the thrill of sex.
With each revelation they sink deeper into one another, merging into the other’s lives in and outside their protective bubble.
There’s only one goal. One objective and together they’ll break new ground, layer by layer, until Audrey’s exposed.
If you are looking for a one of a kind
book this is it. I have never read or heard about another book with a
similar plot as Audrey Exposed. I found page after page of realistic
emotions, angst, humor and courage that blew me away.
Audrey is a normal young woman to
society. There aren’t any deep dark abusive secrets in her past.
She was the normal teenager who at the age of 16 began thinking about having
sex. She then went to college and had a run in with a guy at a party,
nothing happened. Now she has recently broken up with her boyfriend who
wants to talk to her but she is done. Audrey is perfectly normal except
for one thing………she has panic attacks when it comes to having sex. Now we
aren’t talking fast heart rate nervous, we are talking paralyzing terror kind
of attacks. When she has finally decided that her life will revolve
around her career and friends, that she will forget about ever having sex or a
husband, her friend talks her into going to the doctor and giving it one more
try. When the doctor tells her nothing is physically wrong with her but
there is an experimental study being done, Audrey agrees to try it after some
hard thinking and an abundance of nerves.
Graham is a psychology student who is
helping the doctor who is conducting the study. While going to school he
is using his upbringing of free love and open sex to earn some extra
money. When he agrees to work with Audrey he knows he is going to have to
give up sleeping with the three women for his extra income but he is ok with
that since he has been saving and wants to further his career as a sex
therapist. Graham’s sexual history dates back to his childhood really
when he was able to get the girls in high school and then progressed to getting
the mothers of kids he went to school with in bed. I tell you this so you
will understand he has no issue with seducing a stranger with the goal of
getting her in bed, for him this starts out as a chance to expand his knowledge
and reputation, but little did he know Audrey might become more than a study
project.
The author takes the reader through
each step in Audrey’s therapy letting you into the emotions and fears along
with the success when each tiny step is conquered. She painted a picture
of Audrey’s life that I think most women, even if you don’t have the same
issues, can connect with. I love how she wrote Audrey as a woman who had
pieces of her that were broken but the courage to seek out a solution. I
can only imagine if I had been Audrey, would I have had the courage to sign up
for such an experiment/study. The author leaves us at the end of the book
with mixed feelings. While it wasn’t written as a cliff hanger for me
personally it did leave a door open that I could see another book coming out,
continuing their story. I hope she does give us more of Audrey and Graham
because I didn’t feel their story was over by a long shot.
If you are looking for a unique read
that draws you into the characters’ lives then I would highly suggest this
story. It keeps you interested, intrigued and provides not only the fear
and doubt Audrey had but also the sensual victory she is striving for. I
also enjoyed getting the chance to experience Graham’s take on life as a free
spirit that doesn’t allow society to dictate how he feels regarding sex, love
and living. You can tell the author worked very hard at giving the reader
a great balance with these characters because they are as different at night
and day, yet they make it work.
I wipe my hands on my dress, staring at the numbers 806 on the gold metal plate. This is it, Audrey. You’ll walk in that door a girl and eventually come out a woman.
“I’m such a loser,” I mumble to myself, and twist the doorknob.
A man hops up from the love seat when I enter. He has dark hair and a defined, closely shaved jaw. He’s handsome, definitely not smelly or gross, and strangely familiar.
“Have we met before?” I blurt, trying to place him.
“Um… I don’t think so,” he says, flashing a heart-stopping smile. His eyes meet mine and they’re bluer than blue. Henry Cavill.
“Oh, I saw you going up the elevator last week.”
“Right. Of course, I remember that,” he says with an even brighter smile. Adorable dimples appear on his cheeks. He holds out his hand. “You were loitering in the lobby. I’m Graham.”
I remember why I’m here and my face burns, surely, turning bright red. I take his hand anyway and say, “Audrey.”
“Right.”
“Right,” I repeat feeling like an idiot.
“Would you like to sit down?” he asks.
“I guess so, thanks.” I take the same spot as the other day but this time I sit in the middle, hoping he doesn’t try to sit next to me. What am I doing here?
Graham sits across from me and says, “I know this is all new for you, but please don’t be uncomfortable. Dr. Markson has told me all about your situation and I just want to help. I think together we have a really good chance of defeating your anxiety.”
His speech is so sincere and he’s giving me the most empathetic smile. I want to die of humiliation. Covering my face with my hands, I groan. “Oh God, this is so embarrassing.”
“Why?”
“Because you know I’m a defective misfit; and you’re here to help me with something I never share with anyone. Like ever, yet you’re just talking about it like its normal.”
“It’s your normal,” he says.
“Yeah. Whatever.” I cross my arms over my chest and nervously look around the room, anywhere but at him. I notice a small black journal on the coffee table. “What’s that?”
“Those are our instructions and guidelines for the day.” He picks the book up, and says, “Want me to read them?”
My stomach burns from anxiety. I want run from the room and never look back. “I guess we may as well see what this is all about.”
Roxy Queen
Roxy lives in the south with her family, two dogs and a semi-feral cat. Her office window looks over a tree-fort and she secretly obsess over the college-aged neighbor down the street, zombies and how much glitter is too much (answer: there's no such thing). All of her books are rooted in a glimmer of reality with a heap of fiction.
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