Cover Image: The Swing of Things

The Swing of Things

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Member Reviews

What a crazy life a swinger leads! This book has lots is steamy sex scenes, and an interesting look into an alternative lifestyle.
I liked the twists that happened. This wasn't just a story about sex. There is a lot more to it.
I did not like the Male narrator in the audible book. He just didn't read it like it was a real story.
I recommend this book of you like a bit of sexy with a plot. .

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The Swing of Things by Linda Keir

Brief Summary: Things have gotten too predictable and comfortable for power attorney Jane and her stay at home father husband Eric; so when they meet Mia and Theo, a blissfully happy couple at the center of the social circle; they can’t help but be enticed to learn the secret to their happiness. But the swinging lifestyle involves more than they bargained for and how far will they go to obtain a picture perfect life. I requested this book knowing little about swinging but thinking that it might benefit me to learn given so many of my patients have sexuality issues.

Highlights: I really found this plot interesting and enjoyable long before the bombshell drops about two thirds of the way through; which was very engaging for this ripped from the headlines Law and Order SVU fan. I was enjoying the novel prior, but that definitely turned it into a page turner; from a rom com to a thriller. I found the rules and practice of the winging group fascinating. The sex scenes were graphic but not grotesque.

What makes this book unique? The swingers storyline was definitely unique and I haven’t read another novel like it.

Explanation of Rating: 4/5; I’m feeling this this novel is much better than the Good Reads Rating indicates. If you like Rom Coms and thrillers and are open minded enough to appreciate varying sexual preferences give this one a shot; you wont regret it. I’m sorry it sat on my shelf so long…..

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

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I don't mind sex in books, but this book was completely about sex, and that didn't hold me attention. It just wasn't very interesting.

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Be careful what you wish for, gentle reader. Let’s say you’ve been married a while and feel as if your union is in a rut. You want to spice things up, reconnect with your sexual side, add a little zest to the festivities. You expect that you’ll have to work this out with your partner, right?

For Jayne and Eric, an otherwise pleasant evening spent at a potluck for school parents turns into quite the opportunity. When most of the crowd departs, Jayne and Eric realize they’re left with the hosts, Theo and Mia, and a few other “cool kids.” An hour or two of skinny dipping later, Jayne and Eric may have found the spark they sought.

Except it isn’t quite that simple. Theo, Mia, and the other skinny dippers are part of a swinging scene, and before too long, Jayne and Eric hop on for some fun.

Linda Keir (the pen name of a writing duo) give you the immediate sense that this will not end well. It’s one thing to go into swinging with a shared set of expectations and desires; it’s another to have undisclosed needs and yearnings. To have certain weaknesses that swinging could exploit, if not cause to be your ruin.

There are some pretty steamy sexy times in this book. And let’s just say that some of the participants enjoy some additional psychedelic, pharmaceutical-type fun. I think that’s where Linda Keir lost me a little. It’s one thing to go all-in on the lifestyle; it’s another to snort a few lines and take some Viagra in order to participate. There also is a rather sharp shift in tone in the latter chapters. Linda Keir go from exploring swinging as a consensual, fun, dare I say productive way for a couple to explore their sex lives to a rather condemning castigation of that pursuit.

One thing I did particularly like is the ending. I felt like Linda Keir were faithful to their characters and story with it, even as I know that some readers may not like it. If you have an open-minded book club, this book offers all kinds of avenues for discussion, particularly that ending.

I enjoyed reading this. It’s hot, but it’s also an interesting look at a marital dynamic too easily condemned as deviant. I didn’t always like the characters (Jayne, in particular, is almost entirely unlikable for most of the book), but I dearly wanted to see what happened to them.

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The title should have given me a clue, but when starting this novel I remained clueless as to how much sex I was going to read about. Eek! Nonetheless, it was entertaining enough to finish. It's made to sound like a thriller or mystery, but there isn't that until the very end, and then it's wrapped up kind of abruptly.

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The cover really grabbed me. I’m a sucker for domestic fiction/suspense. This was a good book. It wasn’t a great book but decent. It started out strong. I was buzzing through the pages wanting to know where it was leading. Then about half way thru, it just got really wordy and strung out. I found myself skimming the pages just wanting to get thru it. The premise was great however and I would read more by this author.

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I think I'm being a little generous with my stars here. Let's just say I would rather give it 2.5 stars.

The simple way to sum up <I>The Swing of Things</I> is that it's all fun and games, until it's not...

Jayne and Eric decided to try a new and exciting experience to spice up with they felt like was a dull existence in suburbia. Hanging out with the popular crowd always seems to end up badly.

As I read, I slowly began to dislike the characters...all of them...and almost wished bad things would happen because of their carelessness. I'll let you read it to find out if I got my wish. If swinging, erotica, and watching marriages break down are your cup of tea, then you need to pick up this book.

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When starting this book I expected a fun, hot, and steamy read. And it was just that until about halfway through the book. The book takes a dramatic turn for the second half of the book and I found myself mad and frustrated with the characters. While it was not what I was expecting, I did finish the book because Linda Keir was very good at keeping my attention and interest.

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Jayne and Eric have been married a while, and things are starting to get...boring. Jayne works as a lawyer, while her husband stays home, and plays in a band a few nights a week. Everything is getting mundane, so they decide to spice it up- with other couples. Hence the title. The novel changes perspective, between him and her, so you really get a an understanding of how both are feeling. A little unsure, but wanting to try to please the other.
Things inevitably go wrong, and shows what can happen when you get what you wish for.
The chapters can be very steamy- which was not something I was expecting. But overall, I really enjoyed the book.

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First time reading this author and I definitely will be back for more! This was a sexy fun read with a bit of a thriller thrown in . A wonderful story of a couple who go looking for a thrill and find more than they bargained for. Definitely not for the prudish reader .

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Even from the title I didn't know where this book was going and I hadn't read about it on the blogs, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Eric and Jayne married with a little girl. Jayne is the bread winner, hubby stay at home dad and a good home maker. The marriage is beginning to be in a bit of a rut and Jayne wants something to shake it up to get back to their earlier spark. Eric seems more set in his ways and happy with his very comfortable life.

When Theo and Mia invite them over for a small dinner party, Eric and Jayne are more than happy to go - to be in the inner circle as it were. When the party ends in skinny dipping and light hearted flirtations all around, both of them are aware that this is a taste of what is to follow. Jayne is more looking forward than Eric is but as a couple they agree to be part of a small group of swingers. Theo gives Jayne valuable advice on a major case she is presenting, which will give her fast track to partner status, and though both have reservations how much further this can go, both are now more than excited to participate.

As would be expected there is a fall from this elevated plateau, and the machinations which have gone on behind the scenes is a bad scenario. More will be spoilers.

Characterization, plot and descriptiveness was spot on. Sexual scenes not overly explicit but sufficiently so!!!!

I read this till three am so it was an interesting .

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The cover for The Swing of Things speaks volumes. In a neighborhood full of drab gray and brown homes there's the home of Mia and Theo, brightly colored with cars gathered outside and their pool full of revelers. Who wouldn't want to be their friends and hang out with the cool kids?

Jayne, an attorney, and her stay-at-home husband, Eric are quickly swept up in the allure of Mia and Theo after attending a potluck at their home that ends with skinny-dipping. Like a lot of married couples, Jayne and Eric's sex life has become passionless and perfunctory at best, so when they are presented with the idea of swinging with several other couples, at the invitation of Mia and Theo, they quickly get into the swing of things. See what I did there? 😊

I could easily relate to Jayne and Eric, although I wish the peripheral characters had been a little more developed. I would have liked to have known what led them all to this lifestyle and how the decision had affected their lives.

This story does get a little wordy at times, bogged down with elements that do not progress the plot at all. Yes, there is a lot of sex in this book but it's not overboard or provided as a salacious shock factor. The scenes are quite short and not nearly as descriptive as an erotic love story.

The swing parties are interesting chapters, jaw dropping at times. However, I would have liked to have spent more time with Jayne and Eric's lives outside of the parties. The book seemed to jump from party to party with not near as much time spent on the consequences of this lifestyle for my liking.

At around the 70% mark a huge curve ball is thrown in that changes the trajectory of the story, and while interesting, I couldn't help but feel like it was an afterthought and, therefore, poorly executed and rushed.

Overall this is a fun read about a taboo subject but done tasteful manner. I gotta say, I enjoyed this book far more than I would have predicted.

3.5 Stars

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This book was a fast, fluffy read.

Bored wife Jayne and her would be rockstar husband Eric find themselves in a rut.
Simply looking to add some spice to their marriage, they start looking outside their marriage for companionship. Obviously it's not going to be that easy.

This book did not have a gripping back story, although an attempt was made, and it didn't have the same "love factor" like other popular books in this genre. But it was an ok book and an ok read.

While I may not run out to the book store to pick this one up, and while I probably wouldn't recommend it to a friend it was enjoyable for what it was.

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Eric and Jayne's marriage has become stale. So when new neighbors move in and talk to them about their swinging 'lifestyle," both Eric and JAne decide to try it out in a desperate attempt to spice up their marriage.
Feelings and emotions can't be controlled however, and the couple soon find that the very thing that was supposed to rescue their marriage, may very well destroy it.
Keir's Eric and Jayne are real and complex, not to mention equally unlikeable and readily willing to blame the other about the shortcomings of their marriage. However, this is what makes Keir's novel realistic and relatable, a portrayal of an authentic marriage and the ups and downs of keeping a long-term relationship alive.

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Thank you Lake Union Publishing for an e-ARC of The Swing of Things for an honest review. Jayne Larson is a hard working attorney who is trying to make partner at her firm. Her husband Eric stays home with their only daughter. When their marriage falls into a rut of weekly, predictable date nights, Jayne is tempted to mix things up.
I have to say, for a book about swingers, The Swing of Things is less sleezy than you might imagine. I am still conflicted about the ending which I will try not to spoil, but was not my favourite part of the story. If you have read it and want a chat, that would be wonderful. Other than the last handful of chapters, I thought The Swing of Things was a lovely look into a marriage that has become stale but still full of love. They mix things up in a very unconventional way and learn a lot about each other along the way.
The Swing of Thing is available August 28, 2018.

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Wowzers! This one is hot and steamy! This novel sucked me in immediately. By the third chapter, I was completely hooked. What can I say about The Swing of Things? It was very exciting and action-packed. And by action, I mean sex, sex and more sex! It follows Eric and Jayne, a married couple looking to spice things up in the bedroom and divert from their same old routine. So what do they do? They join a swingers club! Makes the most sense, right? Ha! Oh boy! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough with this one.
It's definitely one of the most entertaining novels I've read in a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union
Publishing for this free digital advance readers' edition in exchange for my honest review.

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The suburbs will never be the same. I'm not really sure what to say about this book. The pacing seemed off to me and it was unclear, for a large portion of the story, whether there was going to be more to this book than just the parties these parents attend. Still, I can't help but think that this has the potential to be the next 'it' book that everyone is talking about.

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I loved this book! When I began reading I had forgotten what the description of the book was, therefore it allowed me to keep an open mind as to where the book was headed. With that being said, the ending was not as expected, nonetheless, I found it to be a great end. The contents really had me thinking about my own relationship. I found myself angry and jealous alongside various characters. Very relatable! The reading questions at the end were well thought out and made me begin to think about the book more thoroughly.

The cover is captivating and what drew me in to begin with.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest. The opinions expressed in this review are those solely of my own.

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Awful. The legal plot to this book would have been enough. The questions that arise in a marriage, the possible temptations, would have been enough. The ridiculous “swinging” theme, was like the cheesy porn the author describes in one chapter of the book. I hope this author has another book in the because I will read it. I think the author can write and has a knack for character development but it was lost in the sensationalism of “swinging.”

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The Swing of Things, written by two authors under the pseudonym of Linda Keir, tells the story of Jayne - an attorney, Eric - stay-at-home musician and their take on marriage and relationships. As a normal middle class couple, living in the suburbs, they might look like average spouses to the eye of an outsider, but it would be a mistake to assume that there's such thing as average or normal.

The novel might take a more different approach to portraying Jayne and Eric's relationship than majority of the general fiction out there, but at its core are the same underlying issues that couples face - lack of clear communication, unwillingness to talk about feelings and problems, and withholding the truth. We are made to believe that besides the years of built silent resentment, Jayne loves her spouse. But it didn't exactly come across this way. Perhaps she loved him in her own way, but I wished we saw more of their inner world together. What bonded them besides their child? What made them fall in love with one another? What keeps them together now?

I have an inkling that the authors wanted to partially justify Jayne's decisions as a desire to fit in and falling under the 'peer pressure', but they are not the same things. I could see flashes of her wanting to fit in the 'cool kids' crowd since younger, but this is not equal to peer pressure in any way. She did what she thought was best for her and Eric at that point and slowly down the road things took an unexpected turn none of them really predicted. Nothing they did is to be judged or generalized. It's their life and their choices. Unfortunately for them, it didn't make them happier than they were, but this turn of events did help them see each other in more genuine light, help them finally open up about their true feelings and contributed to their growth as individuals and a couple.

Ultimately The Swing of Things is about love, commitment and trust. It's also about communication and openness.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange of a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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