Saylor Oz leads a quirky life, aided by the fact that she has eccentric friends, she counsels people with sexual problems and she lives in the DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood.  That’s right – Saylor is a sex therapist that caters to a unique crowd, but really this is the most normal aspect of her life since her best-friend Gwen died in an apparent suicide.  But Saylor is certain her friend didn’t commit suicide as Gwen wouldn’t have been caught dead – literally – in a fanny pack!  So as Saylor begins to investigate, she pulls in Benita, their hot-headed Latina friend to watch her back.  While Saylor juggles a lot of things at once something is bound to crash on her head and it looks like its Gwen’s killer.

So now Saylor is on a quest – to find Gwen’s killer.  But when said killer comes to Saylor to get a mysterious tablet that Gwen hid, Saylor’s quest becomes to stay alive long enough to find the tablet and nail the bastards that killed her friend.  Easy, right?  Not when you are Saylor Oz…

Aphrodisiac is an off-beat romantic comedy that will have you laughing out loud at the over-the-top capers that Saylor engages in and the absurdity of most of her actions.  Saylor is an interesting blend of sexual knowledge, naïveté about the world in general and a pinch of “dumb blond” reactions every so often.  While on her quest to find Gwen’s killer, Saylor manages to catch the eye of the local bad-boy boxer, have one of her prospective patients ask her out on a date and discover the bloodthirsty side of Benita.  In my opinion, Allyson Roy did a wonderful job of writing a light and funny book that’s chock full of overblown reflections of reality that will leave you wishing you could be just that quirky for one day.  However, please note that the romance aspect of this novel is at best a minor storyline and has an uncertain outcome.  Still, if you enjoy Stephanie Plum and Betsy Taylor type characters Aphrodisiac is a must read for you!