Review: Personal Research by Cari Quinn

I won a copy of Personal Research by Cari Quinn in a blog giveaway. Personal Research is an erotic novella published by Ellora’s Cave. a well-known publisher of erotic fiction. In this particular book, Elena is a legal secretary who writes erotic novels in her spare time and sometimes at the office when work is slow. Elena keeps the true nature of her novels secret because she comes from a very conservative and buttoned up family. Her parents know that she is a published author, but they think she writes contemporary romance, and her family isn’t interested enough that they’ve read any of them. Elena occasionally fantasizes about the really attractive IT guy that works in her office. His name is Nunzio, a sexy half-Italian, half-Irish graduate student.

One day, when Elena is printing out a draft of her latest novel, Nunzio is at the printer and happens to pick up the pages and starts reading. Flushed with embarrassment, Elena rushes to the printer, snatches the pages out of his hands and tells him that she was printing out some work for a friend before scurrying back into her office. Unknown to Elena, Nunzio has had a crush on her for quite some time and reading those pages has spiked his libido into overdrive.

Nunzio seduces Elena into a very hot office tryst later that evening. Elena’s been going through a significant dry-spell and and she an Nunzio embark on a secret office affair. Elena considers this personal research for her erotic novel writing and writes some of their best sex write into her novel. Soon, Elena discovers that mean Nunzio is actually the boss’s nephew, but she’s so addicted to him she continues the risky affair. Nunzio begins to fall for Elena and attempts to start a real relationship with her.

I appreciated a lot of things in this book. Elena is troubled by some of the decision she makes and doubts her decision to continue seeing the boss’s nephew and questions whether or not she should continue her erotic novelist moonlighting. I also appreciate Quinn’s use of safe sex practices in the book. I liked that Elena and Nunzio were more than sex. I also liked that Nunzio was, at least initially, was the character most interested in having a real relationship instead of just a fling.

I thought Elena being an erotic author was slightly cliché. At one point, Elena receives a fan letter thanking her for for writing books that have helped save her marriage. This scene seemed a bit self-serving to me. I didn’t care for Nunzio being happy that Elena was adventurous but hadn’t had many partners.

I have come to the conclusion that pure erotica is not my favorite genre. I like a hot steamy sex scene as well as the next woman, but I prefer them (and find them hotter) as part of a more fully developed story and relationship arc. Although I haven’t read a ton of straight erotica the ones I have read seem formulaic, sort of “oh look, it’s time for anal now” yawn. That being said this was a fun, sexy, read and I would recommend it to someone who enjoys books with very explicit sex. I rate it 2.5.

Buy Personal Research
Kindle