Review of modern romance for you & no one else by Roni Loren, with rant about the logistics of mental health treatment

 

 for you & no one else by Roni Loren is a mildly engaging modern romance that could have been significantly more engaging.  

I would have loved to hear more about hero Beck's back story growing up on reality TV in a religious cult a la 19 Kids & Counting -- although the actual reality of that is much, much darker than Loren's version.  It would be great if Loren's next book stars Beck's ex-wife, who in this book escapes from the cult.  

I was surprised when I finished the book and read Loren's bio to learn that she, like heroine Eliza, is a therapist.  While Eliza is clearly good with her clients and puts effort into developing her business through social media, there is little mention of the reality of being a therapist in private practice.  If you've read a lot of my reviews you know that specificity about work is my kink.  (Well, that and naked sex slaves.)  I would have loved to see Eliza address the fact that there are simply too few therapists to meet today's need. Granted, this issue became much more desperate during the pandemic -- which, like many 2022 books, for you & no one else ignores, either because the book is set before the pandemic or because it's in an alternate reality -- but even beforehand the sheer administrative work of screening clients overwhelmed many a good therapist.  Eliza is able to easily get a character admitted to a mental health ward, with no indication of how very difficult it is to find available beds in those wards.  And what about insurance reimbursement?  There is mention of Eliza doing paperwork, but this seems to be notes on sessions, not coding and submitting bills. If she had decided to accept only private-paying clients, that's fine, but I want to know more about that.  

Note from Jasmine Gold: As the name of this blog indicates, I write erotica. Check out my dark, dystopian novel about naked sex slaves, Mindgames. Your darkest fantasies, with a phenomenal plot and characters you will come to think of as beloved friends. Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited  and in paperback.  Or read my book of short stories about hot, consensual sex, The Mature Woman's Guide to Desire, available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.