Review: Free Kindle teaser for upcoming release
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2013
Important note: This is not a complete short story or novel. It is the beginning and/or prequel to a complete romance novel,Tempted by Her Boss, which will be released by the publisher in early July, 2013. As such, this teaser purposely ends in a cliffhanger, which is meant to stimulate the reader to purchase the actual book. For those who hate cliffhangers, it would be a good idea to wait to read this teaser until the complete novel has been released, because the writing of this sample is so good, you will very likely want to purchase the full book immediately. I certainly did, instantly clicking through and pre-ordering a copy. I have rated this free sample based on its effectiveness as a teaser. I have not judged it adversely for failing to be a complete short story, since that is not its purpose.The dream of twenty-something, small-town girl, Paige Stewart, was to come to New York City and work as a nanny, providing loving support to the young children of busy, professional parents. For a year, she was living her dream, until the ugly moment when her boss sexually assaulted her, and in the aftermath, his wife blamed Paige for being a "temptation" to him and fired her.Paige is flat broke and sitting in a coffee shop debating whether she should contact her parents to wire her money to come home when she meets Claudia Renaldi, a beautiful older woman, and her adorable, young grandson, Matty. Matty and Paige instantly bond, and Claudia draws her out about her background and current situation. When Claudia learns Paige is a nanny, in spite of what happened to her at the hands of her former boss, she hires Paige on the spot. It is highly significant to Claudia that Matty is so taken with Paige, because he has not gotten along with any of the long string of nannies his father hired since Matty's mother died two years before.When Paige is introduced to her gorgeous new boss, Matteo Renaldi, they are both instantly and massively drawn to each other, but they are afraid to admit to their feelings because of the unequal power dynamics between them as boss and employee. In addition, Paige is worried that she would seem like a hypocrite if she hit on her boss after claiming to be traumatized by her ex-boss's sexual assault, and Matteo, who is a decade older than Paige, is convinced that he's much too old and jaded for a woman as young and fresh as Paige. They tiptoe around each other for an entire, frustrating month, until the night that Claudia urges Paige to take advantage of the huge, unused, jetted tub in Matteo's bathroom while he's away from home.I was very impressed with Karen Erickson's writing. Paige and Matteo are very sympathetic protagonists, and the sexual chemistry between them is strongly and convincingly portrayed. The sole sex scene in this sample is extremely well written, conveying a great deal of emotion as well as intense sensuality. I was impressed enough to pre-order the book, making this one of the best-done teasers for a novel I've ever read--and they've been around for decades in the romance industry, long before the ebook revolution.Before reading this teaser, I had somehow never experienced the work of a Samhain Publishing author of short, contemporary romance. There is rather more crudeness in the language employed by the hero than I am accustomed to from Harlequin contemporary romance authors, but it was mostly in his own mind, not in his conversation. The descriptions of the one sex scene in this teaser is also a bit more blunt in its language than I've encountered in a Harlequin, even in a Harlequin Blaze, but I personally found that language only mildly off-putting.Overall, I rate this teaser for the author's upcoming novel as follows:Heroine: 5 starsHero: 5 starsSubcharacters: 5 starsRomance Plot: 5 starsEffectiveness as a showcase of the author's romance writing: 5 starsOverall: 5 stars