With the Kisses of His Mouth by Monique Roffey REVIEW

With the Kisses of His Mouth by Monique Roffey
Published by Simon & Schuster UK
Ebook
Published 1 January 2011
359 pages
Owned

Author website WHAT'S IT'S ABOUT

Monique Roffey had found her soulmate. But then the love affair she had always longed for came to a sudden and heart-breaking end.

Devastated, Monique felt that she could never love again. But as time went on, she began to ask questions. Does ruling out love have to mean ruling out sex? Can you have great sex without love? And, conversely, can a great love survive without sex?

This is an eye-opening, inspiring story of one woman's quest to heal a broken heart and to find her own answers to some powerful and resonant questions. It takes her from the personal ads to a libertine's resort in the south of France to tantra workshops and beyond - until she finds that she might just be able to love again, after all...

EXTRACT

The night before, for the first time, we'd talked seriously about splitting up.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I love Roffey's fiction and had high hopes for this memoir. Judging by the blurb, I thought this book was going to be revolutionary about a woman's sexual awakening after a celibate relationship finally dies. With promises of sexual escapades and discovery I thought the book would be refreshing, funny and a bit naughty. Instead, With the Kisses of His Mouth is flat and tedious at times. I enjoyed reading about her casual sexual encounters via Craig's List but the memoir goes downhill from there. Roffey's inability to get over her ex becomes irritating as she moons and sobs over him like an infatuated teenager. With the Kisses of His Mouth doesn't paint Roffey or her ex in a very good light. Roffey claims to deeply love her ex. They were soul mates. He was the great, irreplaceable love of her life. Yet, she admits, to his face at once point that she never fancied him. Colour me cynical but I don't believe it's possible to deeply love someone as much as Roffey claims to have loved her ex if you don't fancy them. This stank of b***s*** to me. Roffey seems surprised that her ex had an affair which tore them apart. What did she really expect? He must have known Roffey didn't fancy him so of course he's going to cheat. She also seems surprised he moves on so quickly, chalking up another two failed relationships while she's mooning about him and going to tantric workshops. Her ex was hardly going to moon and sob over someone who told him to his face she didn't fancy him. Of course he wanted to prove someone could desire him. In the end Roffey's sexual escapades are very dull and her obsession with her ex is weak. With the Kisses of His Mouth did not impress me.