My Lady’s Choosing

As the kids raised on Choose Your Own Adventure books grow up, they turn the form into more adult entertainments of the same type. That’s what My Lady’s Choosing is — a pick-your-options story set in the vague milieu of historical romance by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris.

You might fight spies with a dashing rogue in Scotland. Or flirt with minor lords in ballrooms while defeating a con artist trying to claim the estate. Or even have a sapphic adventure in Egypt with a globe-trotting lady.

The story twists wildly through various genres, and romantic endings may come abruptly, but that’s the fun; every choice might be your happy ending. Even the ones that don’t sound good turn out well in creative ways. As needed for this type of book, the characters are mostly stereotypes, so you can grasp the situation quickly. The most surprising thing about any of them is when quiet guys turn out to be amazing at love-making.

Some of the endings are explicit. There’s nothing wrong with reading about a woman who really likes sex, but the language in such cases as “play[ing] a sensual symphony on his magic flute” or “slip[ping his hands] over your slick glen” made me cringe. And I don’t ever want to see again the phrase “a kiss so brazen it makes your sex drip sunlight” ick ick ick.

It’s a shame that the writing isn’t better, even in non-explicit cases. In one scene, you’re supposed to attract the handsome cousin through witty banter, but it’s not that sparkly. Still, most people won’t be paying attention, instead playing along to find out what happens next and what the choices are. There’s plenty of imagination in that area!