"Yummy heroes from a world of telepathy and polygamy!"

Stephanie Armand, Hollywood makeup artist extraordinaire, wants to experience her sexual fantasy, a menage a trois with two men -- but in a safe and controlled environment. She's not really a swinger, just wants to add some sexual excitement to her life after recovering from a very bad relationship. Her sister, Jan, finds what she considers the perfect partners for Stephanie and sets up the whole arrangement: a weekend of fun sex with gorgeous twin brothers Mitch and Kristain. (Fifteen boxes of condoms, a 'jungle gym', and an assortment of very interesting toys! Plus fun things to do with peanut butter and other foods.)

But the guys aren't exactly the wealthy visiting businessmen that they seem -- they are really princes from Aranak, another world, and are here on Earth looking for a bride. Yes, that's ONE bride, to be shared by the twins, as is the custom in their world. Oh, and their wife will become ruler of Aranak, replacing their mother, the current nasty and evil Queen. As soon at Mitch and Kristain see Stephanie, they know she is the one. Of course, explaining all this to her and getting her to believe it is a bit more complicated. And they must deal with their own mixed feelings and jealousy of each other because they each want to be primary in Stephanie's attention. They also have to fend off the advances of a woman they were previously sexually involved with, who isn't willing to give them up and is going to take out her psychotic anger on Stephanie.

I loved the characters in this story, the development of the a-trois relationship, and the intriguing glimpses the reader is given of Aranak culture. This is mainly a character-driven relationship story; the main interest is the interactions between the heroes and heroine. What yummy heroes they are! Definitely in my favorite beta mold -- loving and supportive, very much devoting themselves to caring for their woman, always treating her as an equal. The villains were a bit over the top (completely evil, no redeeming qualities), but it worked for what the plot needed. And I wanted to know a lot more about Aranak, where polygamy is the standard, everyone is telepathic, most male children are twins, and the ruler is always a woman.

I knew Mari Byrne was an author I wanted to hear more from after I read her EC Quickie, DEATH REBORN. I'm hoping that there will be a sequel to STEPHANIE'S MENAGE -- two scenes in this book seem to be setting the stage for a story about the Aranak warrior twins Shan Lin and Vincent.

Sensuality: NC-17. Sex toys, oral sex, anal sex, light bdsm by secondary character.

Reviewed by Raelene Gorlinsky
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted December 6, 2002

Summary

Stephanie Armand, a successful Hollywood make up artist, owns her own company and leads an active life. Being her own boss allows her to do things like going to NASA Space Camp, climbing mountains, and fulfilling every dream she has ever had...well, almost every dream. She still has one fantasy that remains unfulfilled, which is to have a ménage à trois with two men.

Mitch and Kristain are identical twins and are more than eager to satisfy Stephanie's desires. These twins, however, have a secret, and one that will force Stephanie to make a choice...

Sexual Content: NC-17. Genre: paranormal.