This was my first Carina Press read, and I have to say it was fun. A nice way to pass the time, for sure. It’s a novella, a short and sweet erotic romance that you could read in your lunch hour, were you so inclined.

Bea and Eli work together in an ad agency, but although they’re described as colleagues, they act more like boss and PA. she always comes to his office, and even calls him “Mr. Eliott” at the start. Later, when she calls him that, it’s because they are acting a sub/Dom relationship.

I liked that they wanted each other, without the other knowing about it – dramatic irony that worked well because it didn’t go on too long. The beginning of the story is mostly fantasies, but the first fantasy is so hot that it’s difficult to top, if you’ll excuse the pun, and in fact, isn’t bettered, although there are some cute scenes to come.

Eli has dreams and fantasies of Bea in a submissive role, but he’s not sure what to do with them, or if they’ll ever come to life. He’s never engaged in such a relationship before. After he finally acts on his instincts and has a pleasurable spanking session with Bea in his office, he backs off, but Bea wants more.

Bea offers to do his laundry, and here I wasn’t sure about the motivation. I get that she needed to do it, to get into the theme of the series, but doing someone’s shirts for nothing strikes me as a definite no-no, and if, as I suspect, Bea was hurriedly elevated from PA to partner by the editors at Carina, it would make more sense if she did it as a PA. The boss/employee relationship isn’t too well regarded by many publishers, although of course the parent company of Carina, Harlequin, has a line with many examples (Presents) and while I read them, many prefer not to. However, lip service is paid to the problem, and if you don’t dig too deep, it works fine.

Bea was submissive in real life as well as in the fantasies she eventually shares with Eli, and that can be a warning signal in a sub/Dom relationship. However, Eli doesn’t have aims to make a servant of Bea anywhere but the bedroom, so I think they’ll do just fine. The final scene has an innovative use of an ordinary household item that made me smile. While the BDSM and sub/Dom elements are fairly mild, they are fun, and Eli and Bea are beginners. Their mutual explorations are hot and fun.

Coin Operated by Ginny Glass
(Carina Press, June 2010)
Available at: Carina Press

© 2010 Lynne Connolly. All rights reserved. Content may not be copied or used in whole or part without written permission.