Who is your ideal man? Is he a hunky movie actor? Maybe he’s a well-dressed international businessman. Then again, he might be the soft-spoken computer geek who works in the cubicle next to you. Better yet, maybe your ideal man is a mixture of all three. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to design your ideal man, your perfect lover? Val Anders has that option in Madelaine Grant’s new book, My Virtual Lover . The odd thing is Val doesn’t realize she is designing her perfect male.

Life isn’t bad for Val Anders, but something is missing, mainly the protective, passionate lover she’d always imagined she would have someday. Her present man, Tony Chapman, seems to be not with her even when he’s present. When she first met Tony, she was crazy about the attractive businessman. That’s just how life is, she consoles herself, until her best friend and business partner, Trish, reawakens the dream by having her describe her ideal man. The possibility of having a sensitive-to-her-needs type of male causes her to salivate at the prospect. Val knows better than to imagine such a guy exists—still, fantasies are better than nothing. Right now with Tony, she practically has nothing. He always seems to be gone on a business trip and when he’s home he takes her for granted.

Val’s perfect man is a good six feet tall with wavy, dark auburn hair and warm green eyes. He’s athletic, broad shouldered, and has a sense of humor. The dream man only talks about things that interest Val instead of the usual chatter about sports and stocks. He is old world in the aspect that he is cultured and looks out for his woman. His main drawback is, of course, is that he doesn’t exist. Or does he?

Val and Trish’s art gallery is always launching new artists. Their latest show features a German artist who works with plumbing. As interesting as that sounds, Val is more interested in Trish’s husband’s friend, Peter Flynn. The broad shouldered visitor is the embodiment of her perfect man. Not only does he look like her perfect man, he hangs onto her every word, he holds her hand too long, and then there’s the promising look in his eyes. Val finds herself attracted to Peter while wrestling with her commitment to Tony. It is so hard to know what to do. In a perfect world, she could have both Tony and Peter—the possibility is mouth-watering. All the same, there is something not quite right about Peter. Is he as good as he seems? Is he even better? Val knows she has to make a decision soon.

My Virtual Lover moves well, setting up the initial premise of the story and introducing characters. The intimate scenes sizzle with sexual tension. Tony strikes me as a regular guy—as opposed to being totally thoughtless and self-absorbed. Peter is too good to be true and you do find out why in the end. Trish as a secondary character is fleshed out and believable as a thoughtful friend. The first person narration by Val gives the story a different flavor.

My Virtual Lover is a satisfying experience. It starts slowly at first, which isn’t always a bad thing, and builds to a shattering climax. I would recommend it as a change of pace from science fiction romance. It makes the future look very—promising.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© October 2006