Time moves forward and Janie finds herself in a life she loves but discovers even more.
What They Say:
The Baumgartner series continues, this time exploring Janie’s world as she moves to New York to try to make it as a writer, all the while serving as part-time lover in a polyamorous relationship with Veronica and TJ and full-time nanny to their daughter.
The Review:
My first experience with Selena Kitt was with Under Mr. Nolan’s Bed, a title which proved to be exactly the kind of material that I didn’t expect to see with my first foray into ebook erotica. Suffice to say, I asked for what was best to read of hers next and she even personally responded by suggesting the Baumgartner’s books would be my best bet. With the first two books of the series that introduced us to the Baumgartners, a babysitter and a story that leapt forward several years with the sequel to introduce us to the kids that are all grown up. The ending of the sequel brought us to an interesting place where Janie ended up becoming involved with Veronica and TJ, essentially taking on the role that Veronica herself wanted to explore more fully when she was younger. Taking things in a generational context, it was no surprise that another book would roll out that would have Janie’s story told.
Janie’s story certainly has a bit more to it as she’s now living with Ronnie and TJ and has a really good year or so with them, taking care of Beth and attempting to get her writing career off the ground. She’s in the position of being good at things but stretched out and not able to really accomplish anything big. Janie’s a big part of Beth’s life, the two are fast friends with Beth being in the second grade, and Janie is also a very important part of the adult relationship with TJ and Ronnie. The bond between them is strong, mostly honest and completely loving. Much like when they first got together, the sex is intense and passionate as the trio knows all the right buttons to push to pleasure each other, repeatedly. They’re very comfortable in it all, but there are issues rising up through it as well. When Ronnie reveals that she’s pregnant, concerns come up about how well she can carry it term after the trouble she had with Beth and Janie’s also very concerned that she’ll end up being caught up more in raising the child, less in the relationship with the adults and eventually finding herself more on the outside.
While Janie has that really good relationship overall and spends time clubbing with her friend Lil, there’s still something missing. Amusingly, it comes in the form of a husband of a woman she’s been with before at the club who as it turns out prefers women overall. While Janie has a really good time with Catherine, it’s the encounter with her husband Josh that sets things alight. It doesn’t take long for the two to really come together, their passions building up and then igniting completely, enough so that it starts a wave of changes in both their lives, some desired and some not.
After the first two books, I was really looking forward to the Janie book. Moving the story forward to another generation is always interesting, though it can be off-putting for some when you start with a character that was introduced to you as a young child that is now older. The Reunion book put the reader through the grinder with seeing both Janie and Henry growing up and this one takes it a step further. While that book was more about the getting busy and exploring things, this book is more about the loving nature of relationships. The portrayal of the main trio is really nicely done overall, but there’s an undercurrent to it where they’re not completely talking about things they’re feeling. With a polyamorous relationship, dialogue is hugely critical and Janie, being as young as she is, hasn’t shared some of her insecurities well and that has her extra nervous when the news of the baby comes along. She handles it naturally, which means extra time in the club, but that feeling of being on the outside is there and she doesn’t try to work it through with her lovers.
When Janie does find the relationship she’s looking for, having to deal with her non-traditional relationship and explaining it to her new found man is awkward. Enough so that it doesn’t come up for quite awhile, which isn’t a surprise since there isn’t exactly a guide to telling your new boyfriend how you’re involved with a married couple. Josh comes with his own baggage and ends up with a very attractive woman quite a few years younger than him. That the two feel something is definitely well presented here, especially from Janie’s point of view since we get the internal monologue. Josh is a little less clear, since he falls for her pretty hard, but the intensity of it and his need is very understandable considering how his marriage had gone. Finding someone he feels about like that after so long has him not wanting to make the same mistakes, so he goes all out while still being playful and passionate.
When it comes to the actual sex, this book does a pretty good job overall. The threesome scenes are very well done with the way they slide between each of them and pleasure each other as a group. There’s a lot to like with the loving nature of it but also a whole hell of a lot of eroticism. Especially when you add in Veronica’s extra sensitivity. Janie’s explorations elsewhere are enjoyable as well, as she has her one on one with Catherine and then a number of times with Josh. What surprised me was that Kitt does a good job with the phone sex dialogue. Enough people have a hard time with the concept of phone sex never mind actually participating in it, but to be able to do the dialogue for it and make it work was a very pleasant surprise. With the variety to the sex here, the teasing and the mix of characters, there’s always something interesting on the next page to move onto once the current part is finished.
If there was an area I didn’t care for too much with it, it’s that the book is a little too self aware of the time it takes place in. The inclusion of Jim Carrey as someone in the club didn’t fit well, though it has a nice payoff later on. The references to Facebook and other mainstream media buzzwords was something that took me out of it at times. When it focused more on the original parts and the fun of the book that Janie herself was involved in, it felt fresher and more real. While we may throw these kinds of words and topics around in real life, it’s something that can badly date a book, and with this series already stretching back a few years with all of the characters getting older, that makes it all the more apparent.
Baumgartner Generations: Janie was for the most part what I was hoping for with it. While I would have liked to see a lot more of the relationship of the polymarous couple gone over in some detail, to see a stronger push towards its loving nature and the positive ways it can work, I wasn’t surprised to see it go with the idea of Janie finding the real passion in her life with Josh. The thrill and excitement of a new relationship tinged with the ending of another makes it a difficult read at times, because you want to find a way for it all to work in the end, but experience with the Baumgartner’s has certainly taught the reader that it’s always changing. The inclusion of those from the previous books was another welcome element and the hint that there’s more to come certainly makes the reader smile since this is a group of people that I want to see more of, to see if it can get more interesting without becoming even more complicated. While it’s not as good as the first two books, it’s very close.
