Rating: 
Summary: A thought-provoking, compelling story!
Review: Julia Sterling would seem to have it all. She and her husband are the perfect team, raising money for his non-profit foundation for Fathers In Trouble. They move among the elite, working closely together. When a writing job leads Julia to train as a phone sex operator, the illusions are shredded one by one - and she is left to confront herself at the most basic level. Without the props she's used for years, what will she find? LIP SERVICE is the story of one woman's journey of self-discovery, using her awakening sexual realization to highlight every area of her life. Ms. Rose has crafted a thought-provoking, compelling story that will mark you with the need to reconsider your own 'self'.
Rating: 
Summary: MJ Rose has a real gift!
Review: I absolutely loved LIP SERVICE! What an amazing story. Julia frustrated me a little bit because she seemed to be so weak and wouldn't stand up to her husband. All I kept thinking was what I would have done to the bastard. But then, she actually became a much stronger person than I think I could have ever been not only by what she did to help the police but how she overcame her sexual inhibitions. I look forward to the next book. MJ Rose has a real gift!
Rating:
Summary: Very erotic and seductive . . . written intelligently.
Review: This book was very well written without out it being vulgar. Ms. Rose is a very classy author. Lip Service is a seductive novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. Haven't enjoyed a seductive book like this one since Lady Chatterly's Lover. Well written, seductive, and exciting. Looking forward to Ms. Rose's next novel . . . CAN'T WAIT!
Rating: 
Summary: Ignore the 4 and 5 Star Reviews
Review: This book is junk. No insights, just soft core porn (and pretty flaccid soft core at that - it wouldn't stimulate a monk with hormone shots)
Rating:
Summary: Steaming and Sexy
Review: M.J. Rose has written a surprisingly compelling story. Who would think a book about a 38 year old woman in a loveless marriage would turn out as fun as this was. Jack was a sensational man, how I wish I knew one like him.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth your time
Review: This book could have been pretty good, but I felt the phone sex scenes were too explicit and close to what I would label pornography. It was predictable and sterotypical. The author's editor did not do their job. It felt like a first draft.
Rating:
Summary: Great read! Erotic, sensitive, and thought-provoking!
Review: Lip Service is a very different story. It takes the reader into the world of phone sex, and at the same time explores one woman's struggle to stop being what her "loved ones" expect her to be, and to start being herself. I thought it was very well written, providing both entertainment and food for thought.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but not 5 stars...and what's with Paul?
Review: I was quite surprised at the effusive praise for this book. I felt it had kind of an amateurish feel to it. In addition, I had a BIG problem with the absolutely ridiculous portrayal of Paul the husband. I can appreciate that the author envisioned him as a controlling, pedantic, and rather passionless man, at least in his dealings with his wife. That's fine. I'm sure there are plenty of people like that. But Ms. Rose took these characteristics to such an absurd extreme that he became, for me, a totally unrealistic and unbelievable person. Instead of being "fleshed out" (as well drawn characters are sometimes described) , he was the opposite of that: a stick figure, a characiture, a completely one-dimensional character with no nuance whatsoever. Every single line out of his mouth (and I mean EVERY line) was some variation on one of the following: 1. You're upset/not in control/not up to it. 2. I know what's best for you. 3. Go back to taking your medication. 4. You're in too delicate a condition. PLEASE! I found it to be totally unrealistic either that Julia would have been attracted to him in the first place or that she would have stayed with him all those years. I don't mind if Paul is controlling, pedantic and passionless, but at least make him a human being and not a complete joke of a character.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating view of one woman's internal blossoming
Review: One starts reading the book and wonders how the author willdevelop the treatment of such an erotic subject without turningdistinctly pornographic. Intrigue follows as the main character emerges from the wallowing of co-dependence through the sexual escapades she is forced to experience as fodder for her book. It is the act of self-awakening tied to the metaphors of her orchid's state of being that gives the hint of what is to come. A great twist at the end and a wonderful reversal of a phrase most often heard throughout the novel brought a wide smile and a chuckle at it's irony. The book is a bonafide great read and emits pure emotional and thought-provoking scenarios that are easy to relate within one's own life. Especially great book for those who have a difficult time with accepting their natural sexuality. Great job M.J. Rose, don't stop now.....
Rating:
Summary: A terrific, erotic thrill
Review: MJ has written a wonderful book -- the natural evolution from Henry Miller, Erica Jong, etc. The heroine was believable, but I did find myself wishing she would gain some self-esteem and stop believing all the crummy psychiatrists in her life! The ending surprised me, though it was hinted at... great book, MJ. When's the next one coming out?
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