In Relationship Resuscitation: The Juniper Court Series by Jennifer Theriot, it is Wednesday, the traditional Hump Day Hangout day in Juniper Court. When Jayne Miller arrives at Nina’s door, armed with cream cheese pastries, she doesn’t expect to be privy to her neighbor’s sexual news. Even though the two women share just about everything, Jayne is still rattled by her friend’s diverse bedroom practices. Nina and her man are engaging in ways to spice up their sex life to the extent of BDSM. While the idea strikes Jayne as a drastic reality, she cannot deny the appeal. Jayne and Phillip Miller already enjoyed open communication concerning their marriage and sex life, so she isn’t shocked by her friend’s new way of adding excitement to a waning physical relationship. The seed is planted, and Jayne gets busy on her own relationship resuscitation.

Relationship Resuscitation: The Juniper Court Series by USA bestselling author Jennifer Theriot is a different kind of romance. Set in the unique location of Juniper Court, neighbors are tight-knit, making the community a home of extended family. While the narrative is free-spirited and comfortable to its participants, this is not necessarily this reviewer’s cup of tea. Personal tastes aside, though, I find the camaraderie among the women and men of Juniper Court to be refreshing and inspiring in their relaxed attitude toward sex and relationships. The dialogue is at times lacking in conviction, but I believe that is due to the continuous use of italic interruptions in the text. Relationship Resuscitation: The Juniper Court Series is a great beach read.

In her comments on Relationship Resuscitation, Jennifer Theriot warns reader/reviewers of “explicit language and sexual situations”. If you’re going to select this book for a light afternoon read, don’t say you weren’t warned, and if you’re not comfortable with in-your-face descriptions of a husband and wife enjoying each other in bed, don’t choose this book. But on the other hand, if in fact you’d enjoy reading something that touches on the nitty-gritty of lovemaking between mature married couples, then reach for Relationship Resuscitation…and you might just come away with some great ideas to spice up your own stale married life.

Jennifer Theriot delights us with her story of how Philip and Jayne Miller met, fell in love, married, had children and were one of the first families to buy a home in Juniper Court where neighbours become so close and friendly they share intimate details on their sex lives. Prepare yourself for some of the very intimate moments between Philip and Jayne as they work toward resuscitating their sexual relationship, along with some hilarious results when the best laid plans are interpreted differently by local law enforcement.

How this Juniper Court Series of stories came into existence is fascinating. One of the writers in this series decided it would be fun to have a group of her writing associates each pen a story about each of the families living in Juniper Court. All of the writers involved read each other’s stories and advise if and when needed. Writing a series this way is quite possibly far more interesting than having one writer tell a group of stories about each family in Juniper Court. If you’re intrigued by this approach, you’ll be pleased to know there are 6 books in this series, each by a different writer. Worth checking out the rest if you liked Relationship Resuscitation.