Maverick's Black Cat by Maggie Casper & Lena Matthews

TITLE: Maverick’s Black Cat
AUTHOR: Maggie Casper & Lena Matthews
PUBLISHER: Ellora’s Cave
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 57k)
GENRE: Contemporary BDSM erotic romance
COST: $5.95

Writer Caterina Vaughn wants to write a BDSM romance. Only problem is, she knows nothing about the lifestyle. Logging onto a chat room, she hopes to do her research online, but the captivating messages of a man who calls himself Maverick push her farther than she ever thought she’d go. For his part, Maverick is tired of women who’ll bend over backwards to please him. He wants one who will challenge him…right before bending over backwards to please him. When these two come together, it’s combustible. Until the online world becomes just a little too small for the both of them…

It’s another oldie today, but not because I’m reading my TBR pile. I picked this one as interesting because of my experience with one of Lena Matthews’ other titles recently. It won an EPPIE, as well as sounded interesting, so I said what the hell.

Now I wonder what it takes to win an EPPIE. Because being technically superior sure isn’t it.

I almost didn’t bother reading this. Nothing irks me faster than finding editorial problems in a book, though I’ll usually forgive the occasional typo. However, when the authors has the error, there was someone out there willing to act out even the most bazaar of fantasies, 150 words into the story, it doesn’t usually bode well. I actually rolled my eyes and shut down the document, filing it to my “cold day in hell” folder for later perusal. It took me a week to try looking at it again, because I just couldn’t fathom how an EPPIE winner could be so blatant with errors. Although that is probably the worst of the word misusages, the authors also occasionally slip on POV (which I hate), and then halfway through the story, start spelling the heroine’s last name differently. How is it possible to take a book seriously when both authors and editors can’t care enough to get stuff straight? It’s very difficult, let me tell you.

It also doesn’t help that I loathed both main characters. Caterina is meant to come across as strong and independent, but her bitchy attitude in the first encounter with Maverick went just too far. I could not understand at all why Maverick was so intrigued by her. Then, when things got moved to the next level, his worst personality traits came to the foreground, and lo and behold, the guy who admits to needing control in every aspect of his life turns out to be a jerk who acts like a jerk, too. This was the one time I agreed with Caterina when she tried to break it off. Too bad she lacks a spine and didn’t stick to it.

But now comes my confession time. I can probably figure out why this book won. I know I’m a stickler when it comes to spelling and grammar mistakes, or editing inconsistencies, or POV shifts. I also know some readers don’t even notice those. If a book sucks you in, it gets even harder to see errors because you’re so completely invested in the story. And that’s what happens here. In spite of technical issues, in spite of characters I absolutely hate, in spite of a trite premise that feels like it’s been done a million times, the story is HOT. Hotter than a lot of stuff I’ve read recently. I could not stop reading the damn thing. The BDSM in this is all about power, with a little bit of spanking thrown in on the side. Maverick might have pissed me off outside the bedroom – much like he did Caterina – but hell if I wouldn’t have been one of those women bending over backwards for him.

I think that’s what must have happened with the EPPIEs. The judges had their brains short-circuited from the heat this story generates. And actually, I’d probably say that’s really not a bad way to go.

Readability	8/10 – Editorial mistakes. Occasional slips on POV. Characters I didn’t like. None of it was enough to tear me away from this.
Hero	5/10 – He’s a jerk. And I have absolutely no idea why he falls for the heroine. But damn if I wouldn’t bend over and beg for his hand if I had the chance.
Heroine	4/10 – I liked her even less than the hero, a bitch at the start that I couldn’t fathom anybody wanting to get to know better. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t wishing I was her by the end, though.
Entertainment value	8/10 – Yes, it’s an 8. Even though I don’t like the characters. And found the premise trite. It works so well as erotica in spite of that, though, it deserves a higher score here.
World building	4/10 – I never really believe or know much about the world outside their cybering.
TOTAL:	29/50