This is a terrific story.  Not so much for the narrative, which is interesting all by itself, but for the moods and the settings.  These are as palpable as the humidity on a hot summer night in New Orleans.  This story is marvelously languid and decadent, tinged with unseen mystery, spiced up with sultry sex.  It gives off an aura of lives that have decayed because of lost wealth.  This makes it unique in a special way.  I felt almost enveloped by the story, and that I had lost something valuable, thought I didn't quite know what it was, when I had finished it.

Ricki is a terrific character. She has so many facets and what at first appear to be conflicting motivations.  It is a real mark of your skill as a writer that you were able  eventually to pull all those many parts of her into a coherent whole.

While the narrative is interesting, you would have really needed a story at least twice as long to flesh it out properly.  As it stands, it seems rather telescoped, with too much happening unexplained (although none of it is illogical).  

Great job, darlin'  You have added another outstanding page to your already impressive list of credits.

Interesting and memorable.  Great love scenes, lots of terrific passion. You may wish to resubmit the last few chapters of the second installment where Ronnie suddenly became "Robbie" without explanation.  I'm guessing this was a typo... or did I miss something?  Small stuff notwithstanding -- a terrific story that I enjoyed reading.

Love and huggs,
Sheryl S.

This story is beautifully written, and develops a really different hot-house atmosphere. Ricky is an interesting creation, beautiful but somehow corrupt, like a rare orchid... I haven't read any of this author's previous stories, and I'll definitely have to take a look.

One rather odd thing though. Greg is described as teaching courses in "European history and culture prior to nineteen seventeen". Why 1917? It was August 1914 when the First World War fell like an axe across European history. Of course the Russian Revolution occurred in November 1917, and the United States entered the war in April 1917, but neither event changed European culture to the degree that the war did.