Review: 3  stars.  Good character development.  My only complaint is that it's short.  Some may not like the long spanking sex scene.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 8, 2011
UNDER HIS HAND by Anne Calhoun.STORY BRIEF:Tess was brought up in foster homes.  She now barely supports herself as an industrial design artist.  It's hot outside, and she can't afford to repair the air conditioner.  She leaves the windows open for relief.  Her boyfriend Drew is a Navy SEAL.  He just came back from a mission and is angry to see her windows open.  She lives in a rough neighborhood.  It's not safe.  He had made her promise never to do that and threatened to spank her if she did.REVIEWER'S OPINION:This is good for an erotic short story.  Most of it is one long sex scene with some interesting conversation interspersed.  I liked the subject of Tess' upbringing which left her with fear and abandonment issues.  By spanking her Drew shows that she can trust him not to leave just because she did something to make him unhappy.  Drew offers absolution and commitment.  I don't recall that subject being done much in the romance I've read, at least in the way the author did it here.  So I liked that.  It was more than just hot sex.  If you're ok with spanking, I'd say the sex was above average, maybe not the hottest but good.The characters are very well done.  Drew's emotions, intensities, and physical condition made me feel like I was right there with a real Navy SEAL.  It was so much better than just "saying" he was a tough Navy SEAL.  This made me think less of other authors who never showed SEALS this way.  The author paints him well.  She also did some interesting things with Tess' feelings.  I like this author.  She is coming out with a longer book (maybe next year?) which I plan to buy.DATA:Ebook story length: about 50 minutes.  Kindle count story length: 612 (195 KB).  Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words.  Sexual language: moderate.  Number of sex scenes: about 3.  Setting: current day San Diego, California.  Copyright: 2011.  Genre: erotic contemporary romance.