Sheryl Browne, Author: Nicky Wells

7 YEARS BAD SEX

BY NICKY WELLS

One wedding. One curse? Disaster ever after…

A seven-years-bad-sex curse? Surely not! Yet something went wrong when rock singer Casey and drummer Alex got married on that beautiful yacht anchored off St Tropez in the south of France. Something went badly wrong. For even on their wedding night, the young couple discovers a complete and somewhat surprising inability to make love. Muddling through their honeymoon with a string of thin excuses for their predicament, the lovers defer finding a solution (and panicking) until the return to their home in London. After all, they married for life and to make rock music, not for the love of sex. Right?

But when they resume life as normal in London, all hell breaks loose. Increasingly frantic in their quest for release, the unhappy newlyweds embark on a string of hilarious and occasionally harmful antics that drives them, their band, and an assortment of random strangers to the brink of despair. But it ain’t over ‘til it’s over or, in this case… it ain’t over ‘til the newlyweds sing.

MY REVIEW:

I have to say (as I suspect a few people will) that as soon as I saw the title of this book I simply had to read it. The first question in my mind was: 7 Years Bad Sex? How? Yes, I was wondering how a newlywed couple (who incidentally had a healthy sex life until the earth moved in a not so good way on their wedding day) would survive seven years without sex. More, though, I was wondering how an author could sustain it: keep the reader engaged and write about failed sexual exploits without writing about, well, the nitty-gritty of those failed exploits. I am super-pleased to say Nicky Wells pulled it off beautifully and with that special kind of laugh out loud humour that still has you feeling for the couple. A certain line, dare I repeat it??? Um, no. That would be a spoiler. Let’s just say the climax was building, we were definitely heading for that Yes, YessS, YessSSS, moment – and then there was an unfortunate reaction … to rubber. Please wash out your minds. It’s not quite what you’re thinking. Yup, I laughed out loud, in public. When I read the workmen scene prior, ditto. Nicky has a fabulous knack of portraying people that makes you instantly recognise them as people you know or have had contact with. The supporting cast, Alex’s best mate and best man with his nudge, nudge, wink, wink ribald mentality, the girlfriends with their get-the-goss and then try to fix it philosophy, James and Rodge, they’re all living, breathing people.

As are Alex and Casey. Along with the humour there are such tender moments as they search for the missing essential ingredient that supposed to seal their marriage. This is a couple that is meant to be together. They are soul mates. Poor Alex, even though he’s absolutely horrified and petrified that he can’t perform, that his manhood is under threat, he recognises Casey’s feelings of inadequacy and hurts for her. I adored his sensitive handling of the, um, sex toy situation.

I give this fabulous book a resounding five, not for its bravado, but for its sensitivity, superb writing and sheer entertainment. Loved it! Definitely highly recommended.

ABOUT NICKY WELLS

Ultimate rock chick author Nicky Wells writes romance with rock stars—because there’s no better romantic hero than a golden-voiced bad boy with a secret soft heart and a magical stage presence!

Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous romance with rock stars—imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity, you’ll connect with Nicky’s heroes and their leading ladies.

Born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and ad-hoc radio show presenter. Rock on!

Nicky’s books: Sophie’s Turn | Sophie’s Run | Sophie’s Encore | Spirits of Christmas

| Fallen for Rock | Fairy Tale in New York

7 Years Bad Sex

Did you know? There’s a single out now by Nicky’s fictional rock band Tuscq come to life! “Love Me Better” is available for download from Amazon, iTunes and many other places.

JOIN THE PROMO PARTY ON 20TH JUNE!

YOU CAN FIND THE PARTY HERE - https://www.facebook.com/events/1000603729951759/

There will be fun and games, Prizes and lots of laughs. Starting online at 9am on 20^th June!

I’ve been challenged by Sue Moorcroft to join in the Lovely Blog Hop to share some of the things that have helped shape my writing and my life.

You can find links at the end of the post to other writers I find inspiring. Firstly though, I’d like to thank Sue, not only for the nomination, but for being one of those inspiring writers. Sue’s novel, Starting Over, was one of the first Choc Lit books I read. From there I devoured a fair few. Good job Choc Lit’s heroes are like chocolate – irresistible. Thanks to Sue and those other Choc Lit authors, I discovered the perfect ingredients to make up a Choc Lit book and I’m super-pleased to now be following in their footsteps. My own book, The Rest of My Life, comes soon – from Choc Lit!

First Fond Memory

Lying on my back in the garden on a warm sunny day, making castles in the sky. I think I was about five. I was obviously a dreamer, even then.

Books

Ah, books. My love of books, or rather awe of, came from my father. An avid reader, he could often be found scowling over the cover of one of his books if you dared look as if you were about to turn over a corner of a page on the book you might be reading. Aaaargh! Sacrilege! Books were to be treated with respect and woe betide anyone who did otherwise. I must admit I can empathise with that now I know the many, many hours of love poured into the writing. My dad's favoured author, though, Charles Dickens, was perhaps a bit heavy reading for a five-year old dreamer, so I tended to go more for Enid Blyton and, dare I say, the ‘Just William’ books by Richmal Crompton, which I borrowed from the library. I have no idea why, except that I was perhaps a bit of a tomboy (my football was tucked under my arm while I was lying in that garden dreaming). From there I went on to read such books as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. Yup, definitely a bit of a tomboy.

Lately, a book that stays with me is The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman. When I first picked this up, I peeked under the cover, read the first few pages, and then snapped it shut and stared at it as if the contents might leap out and bite me. The subject matter is early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, a subject I have close personal experience of and one which is terribly difficult to write engagingly about. I was intrigued to see how the author handled it. I am pleased to say she did it with sensitivity, tenderness and quiet humour. It’s a beautiful, poignant story turning around the love that binds mother and daughter together, and one I would love to have written, though I doubt I could have done it quite so skilfully.

Libraries

Heaven, particularly when you come from a large family. There wasn’t a lot of money to splash about between six children, so the library was my lifeblood and my sanctuary. It was there that I seized upon a book by Marika Cobbold: Guppies for Tea (I was a bit older then!), at the forefront of which is a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother. That book stayed with me. I remember thinking, I want to write like that. I found my first Kathy Lette book soon after, which led me to buy all of her sharply witty books, and from there I went on to read such fabulous authors as Marian Keyes, whose first book, Watermelon, I simply loved. Her books tend to deal with modern ailments, but are always written with compassion and humour, which is now something I strive to do myself. Without libraries to hide away in, I doubt the writing bug would ever have bitten.

What’s Your Passion?

Apart from writing, dogs. Disabled dogs, to be precise. I foster all sorts of odd dogs. Three legs or four, one eye or two, they’re all the same to me. I simply give then what they need: love.

Learning

I was lucky enough to get chosen to attend an art and design school when I was eleven (art was my thing – good job really. I was hopeless at maths!). I was terribly shy, however, and didn’t think I particularly excelled at anything. It was there that my English teacher, possibly seeing someone who needed a little confidence boost, marked up one of my essays as excellent. It worked. I started to believe in myself and my writing then. Early motherhood meant further education was cut short but, being determined (or stubborn, I’m not sure which), I have finally now completed my MA in Creative Writing. It’s only taken me the odd bazillion years or so!

Writing

To quote Sue, I truly think writing is a compulsion. While some might not have a burning desire to put pen to paper, everyone has a story to tell. As a writer you get into the habit of people watching, wondering about their lives, loves and passions. For instance, while I was at a hospital recently, where I found myself having to wait around a lot, I encountered an elderly gentleman. Nothing spectacular about that you might say, but … Well, let me describe him. His hair was gunmetal grey, streaked silver. He wore a blue, pin-striped suit, a waistcoat, from which dangled a gold pocket-watch chain, a white shirt and tie. He used a walking cane, but didn’t have a limp. What struck me most, though, were his shoes. Highly polished and neatly laced, the sole of one of them hung loose and flapped as he walked. Now, he surely has a story to tell.

Thanks for reading!

Other awesome authors I’ve nominated are:

Nicky Wells

Keep safe all!

Lots of love,