Mark takes a Caribbean cruise - unexpectedly by himself, after his girlfriend breaks his heart. Onboard the ship, he meets a teenage girl named Riley and her family. The family asks Mark to participate in a very special tradition, one that he's never heard of. The story covers what happens on the cruise, and what happens in subsequent years, as Mark and Riley try to maintain their relationship.
Size: 631 KB (122,111 words)
Genre: Coming of Age
Sex Contents: Much Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, Ma/ft, Fa/ft, Teenagers, Consensual, Romantic, BiSexual, Heterosexual, Fiction, Group Sex, First, Safe Sex, Oral Sex, Masturbation, Exhibitionism, Slow
Review by Bud Ugly [other reviews by Bud Ugly]
Reviewed:
I have to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with this story. It's about a man in his mid-20s who's chosen to deflower a 15-year-old, and what happens after that.
This is a romance, and as I've said in other reviews, I'm a sucker for a good romance. It's a good story, solid throughout, with engaging, believable characters. I found it easy to immerse myself, but for one problem: Chapter 5, where the International Society for Protection of The Arrangement is described. For me, an important part of every story is believability. Of course, you have to suspend disbelief for many of the genres represented here on SOL, and that's why I tend to stay away from time travel, sci-fi, fantasy, and so forth. I'm sure I miss some good stories, but that's the price of my neurosis. Well, when I got to Chapter 5 of this story, my bullshit meter pegged so hard it bent the needle. I'm sure there are those for whom this will not be a problem, but for me it's impossible to believe there's a secret society that approves these liaisons, and has a list of approved doctors to check out the participants--to me it smacks of the Illuminati and tinfoil hats. Had the author chosen the route that aroslav took with The Agreement in "Living Next Door to Heaven", i.e. something passed on via word-of-mouth, I could have bought that. But this, no.
Technically it's very well done; I've no complaints of significance.
I'm sure that for many folks there's no problem here, and they'll enjoy an excellent story. I also expect I'll get some hate mail; so be it. If you don't think it'll bother you, then I recommend the story.
Review by Xalir [other reviews by Xalir]
Reviewed:
This story is the tale of a man who finds himself asked by a girl's parents to initiate her in the arts of love. I personally really like this tale. It's gentle and sweet and caring from all the standpoints. It's a tale of love, not lust, though lust has its own part.
The main characters are well-thought out and have their own personalities. The side-characters do too, but they drift away to the periphery and outside the focus of the story. The pacing feels very appropriate for the story and it's a great read overall.
I didn't really notice much in the line of spelling or grammatical speedbumps on my way through and the dialogue flows fairly well. I find myself looking forward to the next part and those parts keep coming on a regular schedule which keeps my addiction fed comfortably while spacing things out just enough to remind me to keep an eye on the author's page.
I sincerely hope that the author continues to write. When this tale comes to its end, I can see "The Arrangement" being the basis for a whole series of separate, but connected stories of new arrangements for new couples. I, for one, will be looking forward to reading about each of them.
