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Taboo
Who is he?
He’s the eighteen-year-old lifeguard at the pool.
I’m a twenty-eight-year-old woman babysitting for the summer, before going to grad school.
He’s one step away from jailbait (his birthday was eight days ago. Yes, I checked).
I’m not necessarily a cougar yet, but closer to cougar than high school girl.
He’s hot, and by hot, I mean holy crap. And by holy crap, I mean, when I first saw him, I thought he was twenty-one. Minimum.
But he’s not twenty-one. He’s eighteen and off limits. But he has this back and these shoulders and everything about him is yummy and I just want to touch him.
Once.
He’s the eighteen-year-old lifeguard at the pool.
I’m a twenty-eight-year-old woman babysitting for the summer, before going to grad school.
He’s one step away from jailbait (his birthday was eight days ago. Yes, I checked).
I’m not necessarily a cougar yet, but closer to cougar than high school girl.
He’s hot, and by hot, I mean holy crap. And by holy crap, I mean, when I first saw him, I thought he was twenty-one. Minimum.
But he’s not twenty-one. He’s eighteen and off limits. But he has this back and these shoulders and everything about him is yummy and I just want to touch him.
Once.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2013
About the author
Roxy Queen
9 books77 followersRoxy lives in the South with her family, two dogs and a semi-feral cat. She loves to hang out with her friends, ogle hot young men and then write dirty stories about them.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 23, 2013
Let’s face it. All of us grown-assed women (and men) have looked at a fine specimen and appreciated the view. Sometimes they are attainable, other times not. Yet, we love to live in the fantasyland of our brains where we can totally do that actor we saw in the movies, that model we saw with the nice rack, that UPS man with the fantastic guns, that NBA player whose body is a sculpture, that football player whose pecs are perfection. During the Olympics, men and women alike got the chance to positively gawk at the bodies of athletes in their prime, parading around in tiny scraps of clothing that left very little to the imagination. We might as well admit it. That was a pure unadulterated lust fest.
“Taboo” is a great, quick read about Ruthie, a young woman in her late twenties who’s just suffered the demise of an engagement. The summer before she enters the Physical Therapy program at Duke, she works as a nanny for a thirty-something couple in Raleigh, NC. As she cares for her tiny charges daily, making lunches, taking them for appointments, and making sure they get the obligatory summer pool-time, Ruthie and another nanny she befriends while away their time scoping out the HOT, young lifeguard.
She learns quickly that he is only eighteen, and this deflates the joy of seeing such a beautifully muscled back and toned swimmer’s body on someone who’s taboo for a woman her age. Although she first denies she’s going to do anything but look, she finds herself obsessed and summarily drawn to him as they interact at the pool on a daily basis. Soon her fantasy becomes reality when Carter, the beautiful boy lifeguard who looks at least twenty-one, returns her interest.
This story was told in such an engaging, measured way, delving into all the reasons why, if they were to have anything, it had to be physical relationship only. As Ruthie embarks upon a hot summer fling with the lifeguard, she convinces herself that she’s helping to prepare him for all the loves he’ll invariably have in his life as he goes on to college. Carter is cool with their arrangement, because he’s been so focused on school and sports; he’s not had a lot of experience with girls. Ruthie is eager to teach him everything she knows, and to assuage him of all that pent-up sexual frustration.
Like art imitating life, Ruthie and Carter exist in a blissful sexual bubble for awhile. However, when the rubber meets the road, they’ll have to make some hard choices about where a relationship could conceivably go for them. Ultimately, they’ll make a choice based on where she is in life and where he isn’t, and she doesn’t have the luxury of waiting on him to get there. So, suffice to say, reading “Taboo,” can be a glorious trip down memory lane for those who’ve experience a May-December romance, and for those who haven’t had that experience, it will be glorious exercise in “what if.”
Will Ruthie and Carter’s relationship end after summer as planned, or will they find a way to build something lasting from what was only meant to be a summer fling? Find out by reading “Taboo,” by Roxy Queen. I’m all but ready to hail her as the “Queen of Steam,” because “Taboo” will definitely get your mojo working.
I give Taboo four and a half out of five stars.
“Taboo” is a great, quick read about Ruthie, a young woman in her late twenties who’s just suffered the demise of an engagement. The summer before she enters the Physical Therapy program at Duke, she works as a nanny for a thirty-something couple in Raleigh, NC. As she cares for her tiny charges daily, making lunches, taking them for appointments, and making sure they get the obligatory summer pool-time, Ruthie and another nanny she befriends while away their time scoping out the HOT, young lifeguard.
She learns quickly that he is only eighteen, and this deflates the joy of seeing such a beautifully muscled back and toned swimmer’s body on someone who’s taboo for a woman her age. Although she first denies she’s going to do anything but look, she finds herself obsessed and summarily drawn to him as they interact at the pool on a daily basis. Soon her fantasy becomes reality when Carter, the beautiful boy lifeguard who looks at least twenty-one, returns her interest.
This story was told in such an engaging, measured way, delving into all the reasons why, if they were to have anything, it had to be physical relationship only. As Ruthie embarks upon a hot summer fling with the lifeguard, she convinces herself that she’s helping to prepare him for all the loves he’ll invariably have in his life as he goes on to college. Carter is cool with their arrangement, because he’s been so focused on school and sports; he’s not had a lot of experience with girls. Ruthie is eager to teach him everything she knows, and to assuage him of all that pent-up sexual frustration.
Like art imitating life, Ruthie and Carter exist in a blissful sexual bubble for awhile. However, when the rubber meets the road, they’ll have to make some hard choices about where a relationship could conceivably go for them. Ultimately, they’ll make a choice based on where she is in life and where he isn’t, and she doesn’t have the luxury of waiting on him to get there. So, suffice to say, reading “Taboo,” can be a glorious trip down memory lane for those who’ve experience a May-December romance, and for those who haven’t had that experience, it will be glorious exercise in “what if.”
Will Ruthie and Carter’s relationship end after summer as planned, or will they find a way to build something lasting from what was only meant to be a summer fling? Find out by reading “Taboo,” by Roxy Queen. I’m all but ready to hail her as the “Queen of Steam,” because “Taboo” will definitely get your mojo working.
I give Taboo four and a half out of five stars.
December 23, 2014
Once I got over being a little ticked off that the so-called "taboo" was that of a woman dating a man 10 years younger (What century are we in?!), the very light plot did resolve into a sweet love story. If you are looking for real taboo and dark romance, this is not it. I don't consider it erotica, either. There are some explicit scenes, but they are written as more of a telling of what they did rather than in a sensory style that carries the reader along.
If you are looking for very light summer-love romance with some steam, you may enjoy Taboo...
If you are looking for very light summer-love romance with some steam, you may enjoy Taboo...
July 26, 2015
I really liked this book about an 18-year old lifeguard and a 26-year old nanny who takes her charges to the pool every day in the summer. The nanny falls in lust with the 18-year old hard body but has big problems with the age difference. The lifeguard returns the lustful feelings and decides he wants something more. I love these books where the supposed "youngster" is really the mature, adult in the room and the older heroine comes unglued about what other people might think.
A delightful read.
A delightful read.
March 5, 2013
This was a very funny romantic book. Ruthie is the older woman who, like all the other women around the local pool, lust after 18 year old Carter who is a lifeguard. Ruthie takes on the Mrs. Robinson role and teaches him how to treat a woman sexually. What she doesn't plan on is falling for him.
A very romantic fun read with some pretty hot sex thrown in for good measure.
A very romantic fun read with some pretty hot sex thrown in for good measure.
January 9, 2015
Because this is (supposed to be) our summer fling. We were never supposed to be a real thing.
But what can I do ?
He’s the most genetically superior eighteen-year-old I’ve ever seen.
And I fell miserably for him....
I always hv a thing with Older-younger couple story...
Well, actually I prefer older man rather than older woman, but I still can enjoy the story very well...
This Carter guy really....ugh....HOT !!!
Tall, broad, hot-shmexy, charming and smart ?
And he's only eighteen ?
Can you imagine ??
Hell, I always hv weird fetish with swimmer athlete tho' !
Overall...
It's fun-hot-short-reading....
And I do enjoy reading it...
May 3, 2013
I really didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed this story. What guy doesn't want a hot mature yound women to teach him the ropes sexually. And what women wouldn't want a very well endowed man with tons of stamina.
Throw in some romance and a great friendship and you have yourself a very well rounded short story.
Throw in some romance and a great friendship and you have yourself a very well rounded short story.
February 24, 2019
Light read. I wish it had more sidestory- anything besides Aqua man- but again, light read... Heroine did creeped me out with her comments and shallow views of him. At the beginning I couldn't recognize an adult between the two, and it wasn't that it got better later, but H&h grew on me.
April 4, 2013
I was quite surprised by how much i like it. Well written and a light read.
July 24, 2013
A HOT little read!! I loved it, just wished it was longer :D
April 11, 2014
This book was so freaking funny and damn cute.. Such a great and happily ever after reading !
May 5, 2014
Loved it!!! Younger guy/older woman - love that combo. Friendship between Finley and Ruthie was LOL hilarious. Plus, beta hero!!! Highly recommend.
July 19, 2023
Actual rating is 3.5 but Goodreads won't let me do the half star
January 22, 2016
3.5 stars
I was given this ebook to read under the category of "Younger Male/Older Female Romance", and that's... what I got, I guess.
Other than a nine-year age difference between the male and female lead, I felt as though there wasn't much of a gap between their mentalities. In terms of a literary point of view, that's bad, because it just made Ruthie seem childish and horny 24/7. But seeing as the book revolved around a whirlwind fling involving just reckless sex, it didn't impact the overall impression.
Carter, our eighteen year old male, on the other hand, is obviously too perfect to be feasible. At times, I was just waiting for some tragic event or disgusting display of behaviour to hinder his perfect image. It's like Roxy Queen invented him without flaws. It actually got kind of annoying at times.
Physically, he is described like a typical mid-20 year old man. His description definitely doesn't fit one of an 18 year old boy - "genetically superior" or not.
Most of the times, the novel was pretty much about a group of moms and middle aged women lusting over this described-older-than-18 boy.
This factor irritated me to no ends at some points of the book.
Another irritating factor is that other than the author stating that there is a decade difference in age between the female and male lead, I didn't feel like that was true at all. They both seem like the same age, and are just constantly into having sex in strange places because they can't keep it in their pants.
Putting the erotica and character failure aside, I did enjoy it because it was a fast, quick read and it didn't cause any disturbances emotionally like how most romance novels do. After the constant sex-having part was over (meaning the last two-three chapters), I really did enjoy the book. Their relationship nearing the end started to blossom and I felt as though the two characters cared about each other more than just physical pleasure.
I just wished that I enjoyed the rest as much as I enjoyed the last few bits.
I might re-read this one one day, but I'm not planning to. Still a good read, it's fast and light paced, so it doesn't make you suffer from a book hangover.
I was given this ebook to read under the category of "Younger Male/Older Female Romance", and that's... what I got, I guess.
Other than a nine-year age difference between the male and female lead, I felt as though there wasn't much of a gap between their mentalities. In terms of a literary point of view, that's bad, because it just made Ruthie seem childish and horny 24/7. But seeing as the book revolved around a whirlwind fling involving just reckless sex, it didn't impact the overall impression.
Carter, our eighteen year old male, on the other hand, is obviously too perfect to be feasible. At times, I was just waiting for some tragic event or disgusting display of behaviour to hinder his perfect image. It's like Roxy Queen invented him without flaws. It actually got kind of annoying at times.
Physically, he is described like a typical mid-20 year old man. His description definitely doesn't fit one of an 18 year old boy - "genetically superior" or not.
Most of the times, the novel was pretty much about a group of moms and middle aged women lusting over this described-older-than-18 boy.
This factor irritated me to no ends at some points of the book.
Another irritating factor is that other than the author stating that there is a decade difference in age between the female and male lead, I didn't feel like that was true at all. They both seem like the same age, and are just constantly into having sex in strange places because they can't keep it in their pants.
Putting the erotica and character failure aside, I did enjoy it because it was a fast, quick read and it didn't cause any disturbances emotionally like how most romance novels do. After the constant sex-having part was over (meaning the last two-three chapters), I really did enjoy the book. Their relationship nearing the end started to blossom and I felt as though the two characters cared about each other more than just physical pleasure.
I just wished that I enjoyed the rest as much as I enjoyed the last few bits.
I might re-read this one one day, but I'm not planning to. Still a good read, it's fast and light paced, so it doesn't make you suffer from a book hangover.
September 7, 2013
synopsis:
ruthie has taken a job as a nanny for the summer before she starts her fall semester at duke university. she's recovering from a failed engagement, and is on the lookout for a summer fling. when she takes the kids to swimming lessons, her attention is caught by a gorgeous specimen. when ruthie finds out that he has just turned 18, (she is 28) ruthie decides that she can still look, but not touch. when carter shows her that he is interested in her, ruthie decides that she can teach carter a few things about women sexually and emotionally, and that all his future girlfriends will appreciate it. she makes sure that they both understand it is a summer thing only, and that they have to keep it secret. as the summer progresses, though, both ruthie and carter become more and more involved, until it is much more than a summer fling. they do break it off once they start school, though, and even though ruthie is sure that she's doing the right thing, she still hurts.
what i liked: the story, even though it was short, didn't feel as though it was missing anything. there was good character developement and you got to know both characters, as well as the surrounding characters. i liked ruthie and carter together and how they both grew into something more with each other, that it wasn't just an older woman
teaching a younger man, there was give and take there. i liked that carter wasn't afraid to show his emotions or say what he felt. i also liked that, when they broke up, carter did actually date and experience a little bit more of what there was out there, so that when they did finally get back together, it felt like it could be forever. i also liked the ending, when they took their relationship public at the pool.
what i didn't like: that ruthie didn't recognize a good thing when she saw it. i understand that they needed to break up to see if it was more than just a summer fling or fleeting attraction; what i didn't like was that once they started running into one another again, it took ruthie so long to realize what she had.
ruthie has taken a job as a nanny for the summer before she starts her fall semester at duke university. she's recovering from a failed engagement, and is on the lookout for a summer fling. when she takes the kids to swimming lessons, her attention is caught by a gorgeous specimen. when ruthie finds out that he has just turned 18, (she is 28) ruthie decides that she can still look, but not touch. when carter shows her that he is interested in her, ruthie decides that she can teach carter a few things about women sexually and emotionally, and that all his future girlfriends will appreciate it. she makes sure that they both understand it is a summer thing only, and that they have to keep it secret. as the summer progresses, though, both ruthie and carter become more and more involved, until it is much more than a summer fling. they do break it off once they start school, though, and even though ruthie is sure that she's doing the right thing, she still hurts.
what i liked: the story, even though it was short, didn't feel as though it was missing anything. there was good character developement and you got to know both characters, as well as the surrounding characters. i liked ruthie and carter together and how they both grew into something more with each other, that it wasn't just an older woman
teaching a younger man, there was give and take there. i liked that carter wasn't afraid to show his emotions or say what he felt. i also liked that, when they broke up, carter did actually date and experience a little bit more of what there was out there, so that when they did finally get back together, it felt like it could be forever. i also liked the ending, when they took their relationship public at the pool.
what i didn't like: that ruthie didn't recognize a good thing when she saw it. i understand that they needed to break up to see if it was more than just a summer fling or fleeting attraction; what i didn't like was that once they started running into one another again, it took ruthie so long to realize what she had.
March 17, 2013
Since I've written a similarly-themed taboo book, I enjoy reading other books like it to see how different authors treat this subject matter. I was glad I did with this one. I started reading it around midnight tonight and just finished at 4 AM. I had every intention of reading until I fell asleep, but never did. It was just that engaging. There are hot scenes, funny dialogue, and a satisfying love story. There were times when I felt our story lines were very similar--too similar, in fact (my book was published in 2011)--except Taboo focuses solely on the main relationship, whereas my book has secondary characters and story lines. Taboo is written in first person (which I love) and present tense (which I hate) and that still did not affect my enjoyment. Colleen Hoover's Hopeless is another first person present tense story that I enjoyed, so maybe it's time for me to stop saying I hate that style. I'll just say it's not my preferred style of writing, but with great story-telling, it really just doesn't matter. There's a great story here.
Roxy's book was free on Kindle when I got it (thanks!) and worth reading for those who can leave judgment at the door and view this older woman/younger man tale as fictional entertainment.
Roxy's book was free on Kindle when I got it (thanks!) and worth reading for those who can leave judgment at the door and view this older woman/younger man tale as fictional entertainment.
December 1, 2013
Truthfully, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I happened to stumble upon it and figured it was worth a try. I'm glad I gave it a shot because Taboo hooked me instantly. I loved its fun and flirty vibe and it was overall very entertaining. Carter was really sweet and I loved him with Ruthie. They had great chemistry and Carter allowed Ruthie to be young and live again. As someone the same age as Ruthie, I could understand her concerns completely with having a relationship with Carter, who was nearly 10 years younger than her. They hit a few bumps in the road and didn't always communicate well but I think that it all made sense and everything worked out the way it should have.
"You have plenty of years to be old, but only so much time to be young."
Taboo was a well-written enjoyable read with a fun, lighthearted story line, relatable characters and secondary characters, and humorous banter. It is one I'd gladly recommend especially if you're looking for a light, fast-paced read.
"You have plenty of years to be old, but only so much time to be young."
Taboo was a well-written enjoyable read with a fun, lighthearted story line, relatable characters and secondary characters, and humorous banter. It is one I'd gladly recommend especially if you're looking for a light, fast-paced read.
April 26, 2013
This book kept coming up in my Recommendations, and I thought about reading it, but just wasn't sure. One day last week, one of the authors that I follow on Twitter tweeted that it was free, so I thought, 'why not?'. I must admit that the age difference weirded me out, but Carter was rather mature for his age, so it wasn't as much of an issue. I could totally understand where Ruthie was coming from in terms of her misgivings, but I also agreed with Betsey and Finley when they told her to just go for it. Not sure how I expected things to turn out at the end, but certainly not the way that they did - and I loved it!
Totally enjoyable story!
Totally enjoyable story!
January 7, 2014
Ruthie and Carter (AKA Aquaman): He's the hottest 18 y/o lifeguard, possibly ever, and she's the grad student/ babysitter who stalks him by the pool. "Does he even know I gave him a mental blow job? Because I did." It's 'Taboo' because of the 10 year age difference. At first, he is her secret boy toy. She teaches him how to pleasure a woman, and he's an eager learner. But if he gets his way, Carter wants to show her that their summer fling can be so much more. Carter is definitely book boyfriend material. As this story moves from summer fling to something more lasting, I enjoyed it even more.
January 14, 2016
I honestly didn't know what to expect once I started reading this, except that it was going to be sexy, and it was between an older woman and a younger guy. So I definitely wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, and the amount of feelings, and fine, depth. Ruthie actually tried resisting Carter, for all the reasons we all think it wouldn't work out, and they were both miserable during that period.
I loved it. Just the right amount of drama, but the sexy times all but made up for it. Ruthie and Carter do actually seem like they're a great fit for each other.
I loved it. Just the right amount of drama, but the sexy times all but made up for it. Ruthie and Carter do actually seem like they're a great fit for each other.
January 11, 2014
Isn't it great to start a book with no expectations, just with the hope of a read, that is worth your time?
So I decided to read this little book and then the following happened:
After the first few pages, I found myself either giggling, laughing out loud or with a bride smile etched into my face.
This is how good this was!
Funny, flirty with spectacular sympathetic characters.
I wanted to jump right into my kindle, to hug them and never let them go...
So I decided to read this little book and then the following happened:
After the first few pages, I found myself either giggling, laughing out loud or with a bride smile etched into my face.
This is how good this was!
Funny, flirty with spectacular sympathetic characters.
I wanted to jump right into my kindle, to hug them and never let them go...
November 1, 2020
I liked this book very much. I know I know...older women younger man...So what?! I see a lot older man with younger women and society has no problem with that.
Now keep in mind this is kind of a short read so at the beginning you won’t see much more than a sexual relationship between the main characters. But towards the end gets better. I believe the author did a good job with the story seeing that the book is not that long.
Now keep in mind this is kind of a short read so at the beginning you won’t see much more than a sexual relationship between the main characters. But towards the end gets better. I believe the author did a good job with the story seeing that the book is not that long.
April 4, 2013
Oh yea, this book ended up being so much better than I thought it would be. It's always nice when you stumble upon a free book and it ends up being so much better than the description implies. The taboo portion is marginal (he's 18 and she's 28), but something I myself would worry about. This ended so well.
Definitely took me by surprise, making Roxy Queen an author worth watching.
Definitely took me by surprise, making Roxy Queen an author worth watching.
August 10, 2017
More like 3.5 stars. Way better than I thought it would be! Unfortunately, between the female leads constant fangirling over his body and Carter being the epitome of a one dimensional hot guy (the most compelling conversations NEVER involved him) I couldn't really buy that they were in love. They just seemed a tad obsessed... fun, but not deep.
April 4, 2013
I was a little nervous reading this book, since involves a very younger man. I'm glad my curiosity got the better of me!! This book rocks!! There were so many times I literally was laughing out loud. The author did the subject matter very tastefully!
August 7, 2013
I loved this....loved it. I admire Ruthie for going after what she wants even though she feels it's wrong. I so wanted more, I was so sad when it was over. I look forward to more books from Ms. Queen.
November 5, 2013
Hilarious! Not so much in a laugh out loud kind of way, but hilarious in the -you know you've been there- kind of way!
Quick, glaze over any type of plot etc. kind of read.
Would recommend for any chick in their late 20's-early 30's looking for a fun read.
Quick, glaze over any type of plot etc. kind of read.
Would recommend for any chick in their late 20's-early 30's looking for a fun read.
March 7, 2013
this was a nice read. the story was cute and light reading. The age difference was quite the problem for Ruthie. Nice ending would like to know more about them
April 8, 2013
This was an Amazon Kindle free read that was not salacious. In fact, Taboo turned out to be heartwarming and funny.
June 18, 2013
Interesting perspective on this subject. Hot sex! Quick read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews