Into the Blue by Ann Cory

TITLE: Into the Blue
AUTHOR: Ann Cory
PUBLISHER: Total-e-bound
LENGTH: Short story (roughly 13k)
GENRE: Contemporary erotic romance
COST: ₤1.69

Samantha Jensen accepts a surprise invitation to a pool party as a means to an escape her frantic workaholic life, but the guests turn out to be more interested in sex than swimming. One gorgeous man takes her eye, but she never expects that he’s as taken with her…

Fantasy fluff. That’s what I call these kind of stories. I don’t mean fantasy in the otherworldly sense of the word, but rather in the daydreaming, never going to happen sense. It’s very hard to take them seriously because they’re so devoted to creating an entirely over the top experience. They have their own niche, however, and I do enjoy them to break up my patterns. There’s absolutely zero thought required to reading them, and this one is no exception.

Any depth of characterization is abandoned in favor of the erotic. Samantha is painted as a workaholic, but in the confines of this particular story, we don’t get to experience it, just hear about it all secondhand. She is too wrapped up in the sensual experience of the party, and taking every ounce of pleasure she can from the man determined to give it, even when it means getting his buddy to help break down her defenses at one point. Cole, the hero, lacks any sort of personality, but honestly, if you’ve bought this story, you’re not reading it to find out what kind of a conversationalist the man is. He’s a hot body – a very hot body – used as a means to get the heroine off. And in that context, it works. It more than works. In spite of mild headhopping, I enjoyed the dip into the daydream pool.

Just don’t forget that’s all it is. Late attempts to add depth to the characters never really work; the description of Cole’s life outside of the pool party made me laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. The strength isn’t in the story; it’s in the sex.

Readability	7/10 – Mild headhopping and definitely a trip into fantasyland, but its erotic scenes more than work.
Hero	4/10 – This isn’t about personality; this is about a hot body giving a woman everything she wants.
Heroine	5/10 – Some of her so-called flaws seemed painted on, rather than integral to her characterization
Entertainment value	6/10 – As long as I never forget this is just about a hot fantasy and nothing remotely real or romantic, it’s fun.
World building	5/10 – I don’t for a second believe any of the exterior set-up for these two, but then again, it’s a fantasy.
TOTAL:	27/50