Eastern Shore Swingers Books 1-3 (Boxed Set) by Phoebe Alexander – Review by Liz Vrchota

Eastern Shore Swingers Books 1-3 by Phoebe Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is never enough words to review the words of Phoebe Alexander’s Eastern Shore Swinger’s Series. Each time one comes up for a release day I preorder and start counting down the days till it hits my kindle. To say I adore this series would be an understatement, so when I found out that you could now get these in a beautiful box set I had to snatch this up! From the gorgeous covers to the beautiful stories inside you can’t go wrong. Here’s my individual review for each of the books included in the set. Happy reading!
Book #1: Fisher of Men:
“Clearly the simple fisherman was much more than she had given him credit for.”

I just have to applaud Phoebe Alexander for really hitting this one out of the ballpark, way beyond a home run. This was such a well written, encompassing, and informative, as well as entertaining and full of a beautiful love story, novel that I am still reeling from finishing it. If I could give the novel more than five stars I would most certainly do so. With that said, this book is not for those that can’t keep an open mind and is not willing to learn a thing or two. I personally read and write erotica, practice a lifestyle most would definitely not define as ‘vanilla’, and I still have six pages of notes from this book that I loved and had to write to keep with me. It will be hard for me to decide which of the juicy details to share with you and which ones to make you go one click and read this now! I assure you will be canceling all plans until this one is read beginning to end.

So, with that all out of the way this book is a contemporary erotica novel that delves into the world of the swinger’s lifestyle. I believe it is a standalone, but there is an accompanying book or two in the works or one may be out already. This one follows Leah Miller and Cap Sheldon, and the journey they take to find their place in the ‘lifestyle’ and in the world really.
I will start with Leah; she is a vibrant, young and hard-working woman. She was the preacher’s daughter in the small town of Wahoo Nebraska (small town Nebraska girl here so I get it). She wanted nothing more to leave to and find her own place in the world. Not follow in the footsteps of her parents. After graduating college, she moves to a small resort town off the coast and becomes a successful guest manager at The Pearl hotel. It is there, covering for a sick bartender, during a fundraising event being held in the ballroom that she meets Captain “Cap” Chris Sheldon. There is an instant spark between the two. It made Leah rethink her simple life was maybe ready for some fun and affection.

“I guess it’s just been so long since I looked at a man and saw anything more than a father, a brother, a boss, or a guest at The Pearl… Maybe I’m just longing for my next romantic adventure… Maybe it means I’ve healed. Finally.”

It is also the time that Cap reveals the true reason for the party, and the odd behavior of the guests… “It’s a swinger party, Leah. We’re swinger’s.”

“Everything clicked: The provocative attire, the kissing and groping, the exchange of partners on the dance floor. But still swingers? It seemed like a mythical construct to her, like Santa Claus, or Big Foot, instead of the real thing.”

Despite the revelation shaking up Leah and her shoulder angel and devil the evening goes well and it the group asks to continue booking with The Pearl for future events and fundraisers. All Leah can thing about it Cap.
“Despite her careful attention to all of those important matters that Cap character from the party from the party kept triggering little flashbacks. Those ocean-blue eyes and dimples were simply unforgettable.”

What follows is the relationship budding between these two and the dynamic that goes on in a relationship that isn’t necessarily a conventional one, but is still one none the less. The most fascinating part is each chapter begins with a passage from the bible that does work directly with that chapter. The main concept being that this is not really a viable reason to disavow the lifestyle choice to be a swinger. On a religious viewpoint in general there is just way too many outdated viewpoints in the current scriptures that do not back up those that use that as a way to defend their bigotry towards something they do not understand. If you have questions and want to read a sweet love story all at once this is really the book for you. I will leave a good passage from the book that I found to be really profound personally here at the end of my review, and I hope that people do decide to read and enjoy this book. I know I personally will be back for more of this author’s work in the very near future!

“In the old Testament, the Israelites are forbidden to wear clothing that has more than on type of fiber. So that means anything that a blend-like cotton and polyester together- would be a sin… There’s other things too. Like when a woman had her period, she was unclean for 7 days and could not be touched… My point is there are a lot of laws and commandments in the Bible that we don’t not follow anymore. Not only that but most of the scriptures regarding marriage and sex are completely outdated today because marriage was a much different institution than it is now. Back then, wives were property, bought from their fathers for a dowry. Adultery laws were more about stolen property than infidelity. And what about the multiple wives’ thing? Men could have as many wives and concubines as they could afford. Polygamy is illegal now.” (Mary a friend, spiritual leader, and fellow swinger of the couple.)

Book #2: The Catch
The Catch is technically the second book in the Fisher of Men series from Phoebe Alexander. It could be read as a standalone without confusion, but I promise that you won’t want to miss the first one! The books are fabulous. In fact, I may be a bit partial in the consideration that Phoebe is a one-click for me. I don’t ever question, I just buy when it comes to her novels, but she has never ever let me down, and this was no exception to the rule.

As with most of Alexander’s works there is a strong tie to body positivity among her lead female character, Paisley. Something we all could use a little more of in our lives. I loved Paisley, and learned a thing or two from her myself. I too am a curvy and vivacious woman, and I too have my own demons. I appreciated how Paisley handled hers and could relate to her on a very personal level.

Paisley has been on the run from her past for a long time now. Her current situation finds her helping out at “The Factory”, a local swingers club in a small Maryland town. Yes, I said swingers club, so if some spicy romance scenes are not your thing heads up, but really it is done with the utmost class and absolute realistic approach. Something rarely found in fiction related to alternative lifestyles.

It is at this club that she meets Calvin. Where Paisley finds a comfort and release in the lifestyle Calvin does not. It is not something he disapproves of, he just doesn’t want to live the lifestyle. This is all well and good and leads to a good friendship between the two instead. At least until the twist you don’t see coming is thrown in their path. What will happen when these two are thrust together to protect Paisley from her past?

“What takes anyone anywhere? Love and heartbreak. Those are the two forces that move people.”

Book # 3 Siren Call

Siren Call is the third book in the Eastern Shore Swingers series by Phoebe Alexander. It can be read as a standalone novel since Phoebe does a wonderful job of filling the reader in on the background of the previous books enough to fully understand this novel. I have read book one, Fisher of Men and loved it, but have not read book two and had zero issues with reading this one out of order.

I absolutely love this series. We are taken back to The Factory, an exclusive club just off the eastern shore near Ocean City. This book focuses on Jessie, a local cop and loyal friend of the owners and operators of the club. They have asked her to help them out with a bit of a mystery they have surrounding one of the newest members in the club, Sirena. There are a lot of rumors going around and none of them are good, not only are there rumors but suspicions and feelings of unrest amongst everyone, that something is wrong with Sirena that she isn’t letting everyone in on.

“Ah, okay. So basically what we have here is a Unicorn who is exactly what couples are looking for, but exactly the competition- perceived competition, anyway- that women don’t want.”

In a hope to protect the club from coming under fire and to help her friends, Jessie agrees to look into things and get to know the elusive Sirena.

“Well there’s nothing I love more than a good mystery… But she would do just about anything for Paisley, Calvin, Casey, Cap, and Leah. She thought of the whole staff as family.”

The journey that this takes Jessie on is one that she will never forget and will teach her more about herself than she ever anticipated. Will she be able to help Sirena too along the way or will she push away the one thing that will give her the answers to all her longing and dreams?

“Cut the ending. Revise the script. The man of her dreams is a girl.” -Julie Anne Peters, Keeping You a Secret

View all my reviews