Review: Short story that leaves ya hangin'
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 13, 2013
First in the Right Kind of Wrong erotic romance series.Do be aware that this is a very short, short story; AND that I received this from the author!My TakeFox does well with this snapshot moment in Lauren's dirty weekend, even if she does leave us hanging a bit at the end, wondering huh what? about a number of issues.I'm, sort of, becoming accustomed to this new trend (new to me!) in writing shorty short stories intended to grab the reader's attention and steer him/her into purchasing more to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, the trend finds me being pickier about what I will continue on with and skeptical as well. I rather resent buying a short story only to find it's more of an advertising ploy to tease more money out of me. And no, I don't feel this way about all the short stories I read. There are just some that hit me that way. And yes, this is one of those. If an author's strategy leans this way, then I expect a good, well-rounded, well-paced story. I expect clear writing; well-written characters; and, a beginning, middle, and end to the story.Okay, rant over...It is an interesting conundrum: the clichéd hopes, dreams, wishes most women are indoctrinated into expecting after sex versus today's more egalitarian approach to sex as merely a desirable activity---the approach many, most?, men have had towards sex through the centuries.Reading erotica can become boring after awhile. After all, it's essentially the same motions over and over again. What makes it interesting is the same thing that makes any story interesting: characters, plot, theme, action, a twist on the expected, and the interaction of all these with each other as well as the point the author is attempting to make.Fox has made good on the twist and the action [the sex].Oh man, for a person of the "older generation", Lauren has got some fantasies! However, Lauren is a hypocrite. She dives in to explore her sexuality then falls back on woman's age-old expectation that sex equals love when the whole point of her upcoming dirty weekend is strictly sex. The problem is that Lauren starts "expecting" much too soon, and it makes no sense that she's wanting so much more before she even physically meets the guy---definitely an oh brother moment.Then, of course, after we've endured her bemoaning the whole in love issue, when the answer she desires appears, she backpedals. She's also busily protecting her privacy so if anything goes wrong, she has a safe haven, then she turns on Marc when she discovers his protective ploy. Then when she's awaiting another visit, Fox is stating that Marc's ship is still several hours out of cell range, and she has Lauren worrying when she doesn't get a text message from him. Arghhh. What is her problem? She's more work than she's worth...At one point, Marc says "One of the best things about a man's job, babe, I have no problem letting you know where you belong." This statement took me aback with all sorts of connotations. Then Fox goes on to have Marc bluntly state what, in retrospect, seems obvious. I have to assume it's a summary of what the two of them have been discussing all this time.If you're looking for pure sex with a bit of domination, this shortie is a good choice as Fox writes the sex well. As for the characters, well, they're definitely human in all their contradictions. I just wish Fox had been as clear in her philosophizing as she was with the sex.The StoryFeeling protective of her privacy, Lauren has arranged to meet her online lover for the first time at a hotel. A fantasy about to come true.The bigger problem is her own "old-fashioned" expectations. The engrained beliefs Kate has warned her cannot be held.The CharactersLauren is of an older generation, accustomed to "connecting and bonding with others by...deep...conversations, face-to-face or by phone". Kate Markham is her younger friend filled with words of caution.Marc is younger than Lauren and works on a cruise ship, sailing throughout the world. He has a sister who happens to be his best friend and a brother-in-law who are both very interested in his dirty weekend.Hmmm, I have a prejudice against authors who can't be bothered to give their characters a last name. And, you may have noticed, that only the secondary character has one...The CoverThe cover finds a naked Marc facing us as he sits in a chair with an almost naked Lauren straddling him.The title says it all, It's Just Sext, or at least, that's all it's supposed to be.