Book Review: The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce & Keep the Man that You Want by Karrine Steffans

Review of The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce & Keep the Man You Want by Karrine Steffans

Synopsis:

The Vixen Manual combines self help, how to advice, sex tips, and humor. The book is divided into fifty short chapters and five main parts: (1) Being Single, (2) How to Attract Him, (3) How to Engage Him, (4) How to Release Him, and (5) Maybe It's You.  Don't read Karrine's manual for revolutionary concepts, instead compare her advice to what you've heard and learned over the years.   

Review:

Some statements from The Vixen Manual reminded me of advice I'd received from my grandmother with a twist.  Being Single covers the basic attitude and approach towards dating, love, and men.  Karrine describes the concept of the "dance card" of the 18th century and discourages women from being too quick to commit to one man which is an inefficient use of scarce time. Karrine's advice is similar to the "collect and select" suggestion that I'd heard from my grandmother. But Karrine adds her own twist to this: collect men, rank them using a written list, and let them know how they compare. But be careful not to throw casual sex into the mix because women are wired to feel an emotional connection to our sexual partners.

Similarly, in Chapter 10, Preparation Meets Opportunity, Karrine recommends that any single woman looking for love should prepare for her man now - get fit, keep your place neat, and act as though you're in love and you'll attract the man that you want.  She does point out that getting ready extends beyond your looks to cover educational, financial and emotional preparation.  Though this advice isn't new, it is useful and surely can't hurt.  It's easy enough to procrastinate on your fitness regimen or other aspects of our lives and we all can do with the gentle  reminder  to take good care of all aspects of yourself.  

The advice is interspersed with humor.  For instance,  "Dating Younger Men" has tips like "Check ID when dating someone significantly younger and be sure you're not breaking any laws" and "Never hang out with him and his friends. You are a cougar; see him only in your den." Similarly, the chapter "How to Handle Rejection" listed the things you should not do and watch out for, such as, "you don't want to wind up having your voice mail played over and over to a room full of his buddies as they knock back beers and laugh at what a loon you are...think of every message you leave as a potential sound bite that can work against you."

I should mention that the chapter on Sex has quite explicit instructions and diagrams of various recommended techniques.  

While some advice predated the women's lib movement, Karrine Steffans is likely to be laughing all the way to the bank.  

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 13, 2009), 272 pages.
Courtesy of Hatchette Books Group.

About the Author, courtesy of the Publisher:
Karrine Steffans became a New York Times best selling author after releasing her debut tell-all book Confessions of a Video Vixen in June of 2005. Since the success of her books, Karrine speaks at universities and celebrity panels. She has also established The Karrine Steffans Girls Club, The Karrine Steffans Book Club , and The Steffans Commentary on MySpace. Check out Karrine's website at www.karrine.com

Watch Karrine Steffans on the Today Show.

Want your own copy? Until July 28, 2009, you can enter the contest for The Vixen Manual on Starting Fresh at http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-giveaway-vixen-manual-how-to-find_30.html

Thank so much to Anna and Hatchette Books Group for this opportunity and for sponsoring the book giveaway!