The Club

By: A.L. Brooks

Narrated by: Sophie Hunter Scott

For many of the women who visit The Club, no-strings excitement is exactly what they are looking for and what they get. For others, however, with emotions running high, one night of sex changes their lives in ways they couldn't have imagined.

For Lou, her weekly visits enable her to set aside her shyness and loneliness and feel intimacy, however briefly. Kath, who cares for her mother at home, finds The Club a welcome escape from her everyday toil; while Max needs distraction from her troubled relationship, even as she tries to tell herself she isn't really cheating.

Tania and Jacky find an outlet for a tricky block in their sex life. Cassie and Nina, two bar staff at The Club, find themselves staying on after hours. And, Stephanie, struggling with her sexuality, finds her life changing in so many ways once she plucks up courage to enter.

The lives of these women intersect, merge, and mingle, and watching over them all is Mandy—the owner, whose own ghosts play a pivotal role in the existence of The Club.

Contains mature themes.

©2016 A. L. Brooks (P)2022 Tantor

Spicy

Such a great audiobook. A must listen. I’d say a one “hander” but it’s more like a no “hander”. I hope there is a book two.

The best in its genre

There is erotica and there is pornography. Avoiding porn, some erotica gets too boring and avoiding erotica some porn gets too crude. This straddles a perfect line and is also good writing, weaving together the lives and motivations of compelling characters. The best I’ve ever read on the genre.

About 80/20 spice/story

A large cast of characters. Two timelines. Multiple countries. Many accents handled skillfully by this new to me narrator. (I was really impressed by her!)
Written almost as a series of vignettes, I spent most of the book wondering when these seemingly disparate stories would converge. They did, eventually, at the very end of the book. Satisfying ending.

The writing was good. The spice was spicy. Mild kink. I particularly liked that the characters weren’t all cookie cutter cliches. They, and their wants, and their ‘activities’ were as varied as you’d expect from a group of real people with different backgrounds, body types, and personalities. It was all handled very well, almost like the author knows or has personal experience with a variety of different people in the queer/lesbian/kink community! Very sex positive, with characters who do not apologize or fret about what they like and want. Refreshing to see women written this way.

I like that this was not a hallmark movie or after school special. I’ve been quietly lamenting for years that I couldn’t find more gritty non-mainstream non-heteronormative books (with great narration) in the WLW genre. With this one I’ve found a new author and narrator to follow.

Great set of stories

More than just “erotica” this is a sett of stories, complex to keep you interested but still hot enough to make you worry who might be nearby watching your face get very warm

Loved the spice!

I loved all the stories and characters in this storyline. When I say spicy and delicious! I loved how each character rolled right back to Mandy's evolution of the past and present in her own club. I loved that somehow what you normally think of a club like this it was the complete opposite. I would really love to see Mandy find her true and lasting love. This will definitely be in my favs group and re-read a million times over! 10s across the board!