APHRODISIAC – Allyson Roy
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-22323-9
September 2008
Romantic Suspense

Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York – Present Day

Sex therapist Saylor Oz is trying to get over the suicidal death of her childhood friend, Gwen Applebee. Gwen and Saylor were always considered to be odd ducks since Gwen was known as "the scarecrow" and Saylor was nicknamed "the munchkin", since she stands barely five feet tall. Now with Gwen gone, Saylor still has one good friend in her life, and that is Benita Morales, who was her college dorm roommate at NYU.

Things have been a bit sketchy lately ever since Benita and Saylor's apartment was broken into while they were living in the Brooklyn section of Williamsburg. They quickly moved to Saylor's aunt's loft and felt safe again. But as they were leaving a poetry reading one night, they were almost attacked by two muggers who seemed to be waiting for them. There are too many coincidences here, and Saylor thinks it has to do with Gwen's death. The way Gwen died was very strange, especially the fact that she was wearing a fanny pack which Gwen would have never worn alive since she was big into fashion. Plus the suicide note she left is full of secret messages that only Saylor would understand.

Saylor goes to the police thinking that Gwen could possibly have been murdered. The police laugh her off. Saylor is then kidnapped by some dangerous thugs who think she is in possession of something Gwen had that their boss wants. They want a tablet that has a top-secret formula for a perfume and have given Saylor five days to find this tablet, or they will kill her. Since the cops are no help, Saylor has no choice but to do what they want.

Soon Saylor and Benita must search for this hidden tablet and try to figure out who wanted Gwen dead and why. And if that weren't bad enough, Saylor has to put up with her aunt Lana, whom she adores, but who has the bad habit of walking around naked; the constant jokes about her last name; and retired boxing pro, Eldridge Mace, who gets Saylor's blood pumping and not from exercise. Mace tends to be around whenever Saylor is in trouble and wants to help her even though she feels she can handle things on her own. She wouldn't mind having a little fling with the Mace-man, but since her life is on the line, all thoughts of romance will just have to wait. Hopefully she and Benita can find the villain who killed Gwen and save the day, or, at least, save their own hides.

This may be Allyson Roy's first book, but it was definitely written like a pro. Roy can sure tell a story, and I believe she has a hit on her hands. APHRODISIAC had me chuckling over Saylor and the horrible situation she has found herself in. The plot may seem a bit loony at times, but the character of Saylor, and especially that of Benita, shows two great friends bonding in a time of distress.

There are so many other characters that add to the story such as Saylor's Aunt Lana, who is a great support for her niece, and the various friends of Benita and Saylor who bring some lighthearted moments to the story. Even the goons who threaten Saylor add some flavor, though the head goon, Curtis, is truly a nasty piece of work, especially when he has the gall to smack poor little Saylor around! Then there is the sexy and mysterious Eldridge Mace, who gets under Saylor's skin. Saylor and Mace have some interesting interactions, especially one such scene on a moonlit beach, but that is ruined when Saylor's nemesis, multimillionaire life coach Tara Buckley, comes along to push Saylor's buttons and lay claim to Mace.

Overall, APHRODISIAC is one story that has everything from an excellent murder mystery, engaging characters, and a few scenes that will give you a good chuckle or two. I would definitely keep an eye on any future releases by Allyson Roy because Saylor Oz is one character not to be missed. Hopefully, this is the start of even more books to come with Dr. Saylor Oz.

Kate Garrabrant