The L’Amour Romance from California Exotics is a flexible silicone vibrator with multiple speeds and patterns, primarily suited for internal stimulation in the female-bodied user. With effort, it can provide pinpoint stimulation to the g-spot in the form of vibrations. It works well for thrusting, and can be used for external stimulation as well.

Its primary function is solo use, but it could be incorporated into couple play, thanks to its quiet motor. It's also waterproof, for bath or shower hijinks, as well as ease of cleaning.

Since it lacks a flared base, the Romance is not recommended for anal use.

The body of the Romance is made of body safe silicone, which is phthalates free, non-porous, easy to sterilize, and odorless. It has no taste, and the matte texture is soft to the touch, with some drag, or ability to grab the skin. The control pad at the base of the unit is ABS plastic, which is also odorless.

While it's a very minor annoyance at most, I would like to note that the toy has a slightly visible seam, which does not detract from the appearance, but which can feel like a stray hair during the cleaning process. I'd advise against picking at it. In use, the seam is not noticeable at all.

The Romance has only the slightest curve at the head, meant for targeting the g-spot with the pointed tip. The motor is housed in the head, so it delivers its strongest vibrations right on target. The body is fairly straight, yet flexible, with defined ridges marking the bendable portions of the toy.

There are some toys on the market that have the ability to bend and then hold their shape, but the L’Amour Romance is not one of them, so do not let the similarity in appearance mislead you. Also, while those ridges appear prominent in photos, the offer very little additional stimulation in use.

The diameter given in the Romance's product specifications are correct, with a diameter of an inch and a half as confirmed with a pasta measuring device. The tip is quite tapered, and the body has some give to it. So while this toy is slightly on the large side for a beginner toy, I think most users will be able to manage the size, and this would be a good choice for those new to vibrators.

The website for California Exotics claims that this toy is only available in blue. However, the one I received has a distinct lavender tint to it.

While the L’Amour Romance does look like a vibrator, and therefore lacks discretion, it is not particularly phallic in appearance, and could be passed off as a shoulder massager, at least to more gullible snoops. For traveling, simply remove the batteries to avoid embarrassing incidents.

The vibrations are well placed in the tip of the Romance, making pinpoint stimulation effective. The motor is extremely quiet -- on the lowest setting, it's barely audible at arm's length in a silent room, while the highest setting can be almost completely muffled with a blanket, or masked with music. It's not audible through a closed door, even when it makes its slightly louder noise of complaint at being held up in the air, upsidedown. Clearly this position angered the motor, but unless handstands are a regular part of your sexy times, you'll probably never notice this oddity.

The Romance features three speeds of steady vibration, a very nice escalating pattern, two pulse patterns, and a pattern that mixes escalation with pulsing, for a total of seven settings. I found this to be a nice variety, without being overwhelming.

As for the controls, the buttons are a touch hard to press in the heat of the moment, but by the second trial all difficulties ceased. The toy has a learning curve, but certainly not a steep one. It also has a dedicated power button, meaning that the vibrator can be turned off without cycling through a bunch of patterns. This saves valuable seconds, and could prevent an embarrassing incident, should an unwanted interruption approach.

The L'Amour Romance is waterproof, and survived complete submersion for the purpose of cleaning without incident.

The strength of the vibrations was quite good, but not earthshaking. I found that it performed much better with off-brand alkaline batteries than it did with rechargeables, and the difference was notable. With rechargeables, the vibrations were merely sufficient for my moderate tastes, but I'm quite sure that many users will need to use the stronger options.

I appreciated the deep, rumbly nature of the vibrations, which did not feel at all buzzy on any of the settings. It worked well enough for external stimulation, performed very well as a thrusting toy, and while not exceptionally intuitive at seeking out the g-spot, a moderate amount of effort did allow pinpoint stimulation of the area. Users who like focused vibration on their g-spot will enjoy this toy, while those who need more of a hooked toy to reach the area, or a broader surface to provide firm pressure to it, should look elsewhere.

Overall, the L'Amour Romance is a very good vibrator, especially for its price range, provided it matches your needs. For those just beginning to explore toys, it provides enough variety to really help determine those needs.

Since the L'Amour Romance is silicone, it requires water-based lubricant. The chemicals in silicone based lubricants are there to keep the silicone in a liquid state, and will liquefy the silicone in toys as well, creating a permanently tacky mess.

Likewise, silicone toys should not be allowed to rest against silicone composites, such as TPR, lest those chemicals attempt to bond with the silicone toy, melting both toys in the process.

The L'Amour Romance is waterproof, and therefore can be washed in hot, soapy water, or toy cleaner. It can be wiped down with a baby wipe or toy wipe before use, and when sterilization is required, it can be wiped down with a 10% bleach solution. Do not boil toys with motors, as it will overheat the mechanical parts.

I store the Romance in a small cosmetics bag from the free trade store, but any lint-free cloth will do, whether it's a separator bag meant specifically for toys, or just a folded towel. It should be stored sans batteries.

Also on the subject of batteries, I found it necessary to shake this toy like a stubborn ketchup bottle in order to extract mine. Don't panic, and avoid violence. They're not stuck. As for battery insertion, look closely at the inside of the cap. The positive terminal of the battery needs to line up with the circled contact point.

The packaging neither added to nor significantly detracted from the presentation of this toy. It came in clear-colored recyclable plastic, which lacked any offensive or risqué images, but also lacked discretion in that it displayed the toy.

For gift-giving, it's not a particularly sensual or impressive package, but as long as it's not opened in mixed company, it should be suitable for any occasion where a sex toy makes an appropriate gift.