Review: Sazerac Seduction by Eden Elgabri

He was Remy Allemande, a tall, good-looking, totally built attorney at one of the lawyer's tables in the court. She was Cynthia Leblanc, a statuesque, blond, beautiful attorney committed to closing Crawdaddy's, a local restaurant known for its world-class gumbo, attached to a bordello that was seldom matched anywhere. Some men saved up all year for a night at Crawdaddy's. Cynthia needed to go there undercover, to investigate, she said. What she really wanted was to find her sister who had disappeared. She approached the handsome local standing by his Bayou piroque, asking for the water taxi. It was already gone. The stranger offered to take her, but somehow they ended up at his trapper's cabin, supposedly to "check his traps." In truth, Remy had been instructed by his client--Crawdaddy's -- to keep Cynthia under wraps until the court case could be dismissed.

The seduction began with gumbo and sexy talk and was furthered by round after round of sazerac, a Bayou concoction guaranteed to keep one in a pleasant state of haze. And when all was said and done, Cynthia had the erotic night of her life, a night that came close to fulfilling all her fantasies. In the morning, she still needed to find her sister.

This is an all-out erotic love tale full of sizzle and packed to the brim with erotic encounters between these two individuals. There are the edgy suspence aspects, leaving the reader to wonder just what is going on with her sister, what is really going on with Crawdaddy's, will the court case be derailed, will these two recognize one another, can Cynthia manage to investigate Crawdaddy's without blowing her cover--in a bordello, of all places? This little story is built around sazerac, that incredible and flavorful beverage unique to the Bayou and packing a high-proof punch, playing a significant role in the encounters between Remy and Cynthia. It is not well-known anywhere else in the world, and I think it stands as a metaphor for the unique flavor of the Bayou and the somewhat mysterious nature of life in that curious part of America.

Readers of erotic romance will certainly find lots to like in this short story. The author has demonstrated a sure hand in telling this compelling story in a small number of pages. That is never easy to do. This is the first work by this author that I have read and I was impressed with the flow of the narrative, the plot and storyline, the development of the characters so adequately, the evidence of solid research and the author's command of the local lingo. All in all, it is a very good story and all the strands of the tale come together in a somwhat surprising conclusion. The twists and turns in the storyline keep the reader's interest engaged from start to finish. The educational quality is balanced with the entertainment factor, and the reader will certainly find strokes for the libido. I have to be honest in saying that short stories have never been my favorite literary form; I would have liked this tale to be longer. The meeting with Remy and Cynthia was far too brief. I give this short story a 4 out of 5.