The Good, the Bad, and the Naughty by Lena Matthews

TITLE: The Good, the Bad, and the Naughty
AUTHOR: Lena Matthews
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 28k)
GENRE: Contemporary erotic romance
COST: $4.99

When her right-hand man gives his notice, lingerie designer Maryam James finds herself at a loss on how to replace him. The trick of it is, though, Xavier has no desire to actually leave. He just wants Maryam to realize how badly she needs him off the clock, too…

I knew going into this story that it would focus primarily on the sex. I just wasn’t expecting the sex to be the weakest part of the story.

Maryam James is a high-pressure designer with even higher standards, both for herself and for those around her. Few can put up with her, but her assistant/right-hand man Xavier Sun handles her better than she can handle herself. They’ve been working together for seven years, but now, Xavier has given his notice, and she has four weeks to find his replacement. She doesn’t want to. Nobody can replace Xavier, but he’s not budging in his decision. For Xavier, it’s a deliberate ploy. He wants Maryam to finally admit to herself that there’s something between them. Leaving is meant to force her hand. But his plans get fast-tracked when an impromptu kiss leaves them both breathless.

There was never any doubt this story was meant to focus on the erotic. I mean, it’s a het romance from Loose Id, written by Lena Matthews. I knew all this going in. I was prepared for it. What I wasn’t prepared for was being turned off by the eroticism rather than vice versa. This author has worked for me in the past, and I adore the hotness potential between the two leads – Maryam is African-American, and Xavier is Asian/European – but the actual execution left a lot to be desired. Its primary fault is that it ultimately tries too hard. For instance, in an effort to keep the prose as varied as possible (since so much of it is sex and repetitive), there are more euphemisms than I generally like. The sex pretty much lost me at “crinkled star” in the anal scene. The attempts at dirty talk always felt over-the-top and unrealistic, even within the context of such a fantasized scenario. That’s because the author had already set up a very realistic contemporary feel with the banter between her two protagonists in the non-erotic scenes. Their dialogue was often funny and unforced, flowing far better than anything created within the sexual escapades, and the contrast ultimately lowers any heat their coming together might have created for me.

It took me a while to warm to Maryam, too. Frankly put, she’s a bitch at the top of the story. She knows it. Xavier knows it. I didn’t like her. My opinion didn’t change until I got to see her through Xavier’s more knowing eyes. His perspective turned her from a harridan into someone human, and I could finally relax and enjoy their chemistry. Or at least, I could until they hit the sheets.

By the end of the story, I found myself wishing it had been done for a different publisher that didn’t have as much emphasis on the sex. Perhaps somewhere else, the characters could have spent more time outside of the bedroom (and the shower, and her desk…) and grown into the people they had the potential to be, but ultimately were not.

Readability	7/10 – Fun banter makes up for the over-the-top sex scenes
Hero	6/10 – I always felt like there was more there that we never got to see
Heroine	6/10 – My first reaction of what a bitch was tempered by Xavier’s perspective
Entertainment value	5/10 – Oddly enough, too much sex because it was definitely the weaker aspect of the story
World building	5/10 – Not a whole lot of attention paid to it
TOTAL:	29/50

Head Over Heels by Lena Matthews

TITLE: Head Over Heels
AUTHOR: Lena Matthews
PUBLISHER: Samhain
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 35k)
GENRE: Contemporary erotic romance
COST: $4.50

In this modern re-telling of Cinderella, Cyn Elder runs the family business, a shoe store in San Francisco called The Glass Slipper. When her best friend insists on taking her out to a brand new club opening, she never expects to run into one of the owners, or to be completely taken by his looks and personality. Parker Maguire is used to be kowtowed to. As so-called Hollywood royalty, when he runs into someone who is unimpressed by his money or career – or ignorant of it entirely – he always looks a little bit closer. Cyn is beautiful, intelligent, and speaks her mind, whether he wants to hear it or not. Intrigued doesn’t even begin to cover how he feels about her…

When I think of Lena Matthews, I think of HOT. So when I saw this novella come up at Samhain, and the excerpt made me smile, I snapped it up. But honestly, of all the work I’ve read of hers, this isn't nearly as hot as other books. It still has its sizzling moments, but those are overshadowed by the banter between the two leads, and the sheer energy that whips the story from beginning to end.

Cyn and Parker have chemistry from the very start. Cyn is no-nonsense, smart, and funny, and Parker is a little taken aback when he first meets her. He’s used to people bending and scraping because of who he is, so her fresh attitude immediately interests him. She plays it cool from the beginning, and they go back and forth, giving as well as taking, until there’s little doubt these two are perfect for each other. It’s this relationship that fuels the entire story. There are secondary characters, like Cyn’s gay best friend and her drag fairy godmother, but the story shines brightest when Cyn and Parker are on the page together. As a character, Parker isn’t as fully fleshed as Cyn is, but for a stereotype, he’s likeable enough.

I must admit to being a little disappointed by some of the editing. I’ve come to expect sharper things from Samhain, so I’m always taken a little surprised when I find easy mistakes in their books. In this one’s case, it’s things like Parker’s last name changing spelling, or using stripped for striped, that pulled me momentarily out of the story. They’re little things, though, and to be fair, most readers probably wouldn’t even notice them. In the end, it certainly wasn’t enough to turn me away from enjoying this. It’s a sharp, entertaining tale that flashes by before you even realize it’s over.

Readability	8/10 – Not as cleanly edited as most Samhain works, but the sharp dialogue keeps it popping
Hero	5/10 – A little flat and stereotypical, but he definitely had chemistry with the heroine
Heroine	7/10 – Spunky and fun
Entertainment value	7/10 – The snappy dialogue and swift pacing, along with the chemistry between the leads, made the story for me.
World building	6/10 – There’s not a ton there, but then again, the focus is on the zing, not the world around them
TOTAL:	33/50

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

When Angels Fall by Lena Matthews

TITLE: When Angels Fall
AUTHOR: Lena Matthews
PUBLISHER: Ellora’s Cave
LENGTH: Short story (roughly 14k)
GENRE: Contemporary erotic romance
COST: $2.99

Full-figured Lauren knows the angel costume she’s chosen for her father’s company Halloween party is too revealing, but she isn’t quite prepared for her fiance’s angry reception. For his part, Evan has never seen anything so sexy, and the thought that others will be ogling the woman he considers his drives him to push Lauren harder than he’s ever pushed before. Soon, he’s pulling off the road and giving her a taste of the aggressive sex he’s always wanted – and feared losing her over.

One of the things usually lacking in erotic quickies is any type of genuine emotion. Too often, authors are focused on the hot and heavy instead of the feelings that generate it, which makes most of them both interchangeable and forgettable. Not so with this one. In this particular story, I believe Lauren’s insecurities long before the sex actually occurs, which makes it that much more enjoyable to lose myself in the carnality of the acts. Not only is Lauren a size eighteen, but she’s also the only daughter of a wealthy businessman. It makes sense for her to be insecure enough to believe that someone as gorgeous as her fiancé Evan would only be interested in her for the social standing and career advancement marrying her brings.

The author makes the right choice in letting us in Evan’s head as soon as possible. There is no doubt in the reader’s mind that Evan loves this woman, and the differences that lie between them are based purely on misconceptions. Granted, this is an overused romance trope, but because I believed in the characters’ motivations, it was easy for me to overlook that. Evan, when he takes control, is sexy as hell, and Lauren takes it without ever being a wimp about it. Submissive, yes. Wimp, no. For me, there’s a distinct difference.

The sex in this erotic short worked for me on a lot of levels. It’s not perfect – I’m still not sure why so many authors insist on characterizing pussies as weeping when a woman is wet – but in spite of being pulled out by the occasional phrase that makes me frown, I was able to get sucked back in with relative ease.

This is a hot short story, designed especially to play into the fantasies of every woman who isn’t a size two and feels insecure about it. Sexy in this case equals emotionally satisfying, too. A very nice change of pace.

Readability	8/10 – Fast and simple, with only a few of the annoying turns of phrase that can pull me out of a sex scene
Hero	6/10 – Hot and fun, though I would have liked more explanation about the duality of his personality
Heroine	7/10 – I’ve known too many women like her not to see real behavior when I read it
Entertainment value	8/10 – Sexy as hell, one of the better erotic flings I’ve read lately
World building	6/10 – Not much space for it, though really not a huge need for it either
TOTAL:	35/50