Web of Wind
by J.F. Rivkin
1987 Ace
Corson the barbarian and Nyctasia the sorceress start off in a tavern, as one does, and end up in jail, hooking up with a thief. Instead of completing the party with a paladin or druid, they ditch the thief and spend two thirds of the book milling around with Nyc's rich family. Page after page of talking about titles and manners and how the vineyard's crop is this year.
As with the first book, all the characters are casually bisexual and non-monogamist, able to pine for their true love while hopping into to bed with whoever strikes their fancy. Despite this open attitude, and the open neckline on the cover, this book is entirely sexless. It doesn't even fade to black, we just have people getting out of bed in the morning and we just assume. I think someone's shoulder gets kissed, is as hot as things get. No real romance to speak of either, no relationships getting advanced, or even much flirting.
After a while, a long while, a story gets started, and things go from Jane Austen to Nancy Drew. The gang dig around caves looking for a buried treasure, and we get the bare minimum of an action scene before things wrap up.
I imagine there's an audience for this kind of thing and I'm clearly not it. Nyctasia casts a light spell for a few seconds and Corson throws a dagger, almost mockingly doing the bare minimum to be put on the shelf in the fantasy section. Rivkin can't be blamed for the branding, but if you're going in expecting something like the similarly cleavage covered Raven series, you'll be disappointed.
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