Kate Richards (1)

This was fun and surprisingly accurate with the BDSM, for the most part. It is an office romance (Boss and employee) with a dash of light BDSM play for flavor. The characters were likable, though not relatable for me, but that has more about me than the characters/writing.

While Mona (aka Ms. Whitman) had never experienced BDSM play prior to the start of the story, she was well versed in it thanks to porn. This won her a lot of points from me, because I’m sick and tired of all the show more wide-eye, innocent, female leads who somehow make it into adult life with absolutely no contact with pornography or masturbation. Not Mona. She’s knows what she likes and isn't afraid of asking for it. Oh boy does she ask for it.

Mr. Marks resembles the typical buttoned-down alpha male of most office sex romps, only he’s hiding a secret in his private office bathroom (namely a play kit that would make most sexual Dominants green with envy). He’s well versed in the scene and hesitant to mix business with this very private part of his personal life.

It was refreshing to read about a Dom/Boss in a position of power who never crosses or even skirts that sexist, dickbag threshold that most Alpha males in these kinds of romances always piss on. He is strong, restrained, but also so very into Mona’s curves.

Oh, yes. She’s curvy and sassy, and these are the things he loves about her. See, I like that a lot and it made me enjoy them.

If those are things you want in a smutty, fun with some light BDSM than this is the book for you.

However, I should point out that this book needs a good editing. Sentences ended with prepositions, some of the phrasing was confusing and words were used incorrectly. It happened often enough to pull me out of the story.

It isn’t horrible. I've read worse, but I wish that it wasn’t there so I could give the book a higher rating. I know a lot of friends who would really love this book if the errors weren’t there.

Still, if you don’t mind these kinds of things then I suggest you give the book a read. It is smutty fun, with likable characters and sexy spanking play. show less

The Virgin and the Playboy is the second story in Decadent Publishing’s popular 1Night Stand series, which follows couples who are matched by the mysterious Madame Eve, the owner of 1Night Stand Dating Service, who can always seem to find someone’s perfect soulmate no matter the circumstances. They then meet up at the Castillo Hotel in Las Vegas, ostensibly for a one-night stand, but it’s bound to turn into something more. In this one, Julia managed to make it through college without show more giving up her virginity, but now she views it as an encumbrance. She’s tired of waiting for Mr. Right, and nervous that telling any man that she’s still a virgin might scare him away. So she asked Madame Eve to pair her with a handsome playboy to take care of her pesky problem without having to reveal the truth. Mark is the last of his friends to couple up, but enjoying his carefree bachelor lifestyle, he thinks he has no real interest in anything deeper. He only signed up for 1Night Stand on a dare from his friends. Almost from the moment they meet, Mark and Julia share an instant chemistry. Julia is very pleased with Madame Eve’s choice for her, and Mark loves that Julia is nothing like the women he usually dates. But can a one-night stand turn into something deeper for them?

The Virgin and the Playboy is a short story, so the plot and character development are minimal. However, despite that, I did feel a palpable chemistry between Mark and Julia. Given the brevity of the story, it’s mostly about the sex, but I liked that they were both generous lovers. I also liked that Mark figured out that Julia was a virgin and they had a little bit of discussion about why she’d want this type of setting to be her first time. Their interactions were both sweet and steamy, which is perfect for me. There are no unrealistic declarations of love, and the story concludes on an open-ended note, which doesn’t always work for me. Here, though, I could see Mark and Julia getting together in the real world and making it work. In fact, I just discovered after finishing the story that they will appear in The Virgin and the Best Man, another 1Night Stand story, in which they’ll get their HEA, while also helping some friends find theirs. So overall, this was an enjoyable read for such a short one. It was my first by Kate Richards, but it has definitely left me open to checking out the follow-up story for Mark and Julia, as well as the author’s backlist.

Note: I’ve categorized this short story as an erotic romance, because the ratio of sex to page count is high, but the content of the love scenes is more on par with steamy mainstream romances with nothing kinky or unusual. show less

Terci is a newer author of BDSM. She goes to a conference where her favorite author Mariana Martin will be paneling as well as signing. Terci keeps wanting to meet Mariana but her fans come up to her to talk with and have her sign their books so she never is able to connect with Mariana. Terci also decides, since she is out of town, to use Madame Eve's 1Night Stand services. She wants a Domme who can teach her more about BDSM so she knows whether is it just the fantasy she is into or does show more she want to be dominated in real life. Little does she know who will be her teacher.

I enjoyed this quick read. Terci is the perfect newer author. She does not realize that fans will change her life and her privacy though she is touched by them. Mariana is mysterious and aloof. Her agent's representative is comic relief as are her thoughts about him. Terci's fantasies get her ready for her date but the reality is better than she can imagine.

I liked that Terci went to a Domme in the lifestyle to get her information for her books. This makes the story realistic. It also makes the story correct.

I like the 1Night Stand series and will be reading more of them. show less

Karma finds a card in her fiancé's wallet for Animals night club. She and her friends decide to go there for her bachelorette party. There is a long line and their cab has left so she decides to see if she can enter the club to use their phone. She sees things she shouldn't see and is thrown out by the owner who feels an instant attraction to her. Karma then finds another way in where she finds her fiancé having sex with another woman. Warren, the club owner, notices a disturbance on the show more dance floor and notices Karma. She is brought to his office where he learns her story and is more attracted to her. Will he learn her story? Will both give into the attraction they feel? What will Karma do when she learns the truth about Warren? What will she do about her fiancé?

I enjoyed this story. I liked Karma. She is totally out of her depths but she learns fast. Warren is cool. He is scary but he is trying so hard not to scare her while trying to restrain his bear. This story is hot! When Karma compares her fiancé to Warren, the fiancé is toast. He was a jerk, a user. I am glad that Karma got a second chance and found Warren. show less