18+ Review: Forbidden Fruit by Eden Bradley

The following review contains content that may not be suitable for minors. 

Forbidden Fruit by Eden Bradley
Paperback, 303 pages
Published November 8th 2012 by Black Lace (first published October 22nd 2008)
Source: review copy from the publisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary: Ever been tempted?

While Mia Curry's university students cram into her class on sexuality, Mia has always kept her own private fantasies carefully under wraps- until now...

Jagger James is everything Mia wants and everything that is taboo: he's young, gorgeous, and a student.

But how can Mia resist?

From the bestselling author of The Dark Garden comes an irresistibly romantic tale of forbidden attraction.

In a nutshell, Forbidden Fruit was a well-written and interesting story. At the moment I'm reading another book by this author and I can safely say, Eden Bradley is not one to be missed if you like some steamy reads every once in a while.

Despite the fact that the summary poses a conflict-the relationship between a teacher and her student, it doesn't play that big a role in the plot. The issue is resolved quite quickly and without much fuss. More important is the exploration of fetishism. Mia Rose is teaching sexuality, and she has all the scientific facts about various sexual behavior. But it doesn't help her understand the emotional side of her cravings. She's kept it hidden until she meets Travis-who has some preferences on his own.

There is another story line in Forbidden Fruit, the relationship between Mia's friend and colleague Karalee and the dean Gideon. Both of them have some emotional baggage to part with before they can admit that what they have is more than just sexual attraction. I found their story to be just as interesting as the main plot, and alternating between these two storylines keeps the book from descending into a rut.

Mia Rose being a professor adds some substance to the steam. Coupled with Eden Bradley's elegant writing and superb descriptions, I'd recommend this book to someone just starting with the genre because it's not too extreme, and it's much more than just sexy scenes and a happy-ever-after.