Management Skills by January Rowe
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (64 pages)
Other: BDSM, M/F, Fetish, Toys, Spanking, Voyeurism
Rating: 3 cherries
Reviewed by VioletWhen CEO Grant Edmonds meets with his new production manager, he immediately recognizes her as Silver, an exotic dancer who once mesmerized him at an exclusive fetish club. Though he was forbidden from pursuing her back then, there’s nothing standing in his way now. He’s not looking for an after-hours fling—he wants to own her. In every way.
As much as Allie Fairfax tries to deny her past, and the way her body responds to Grant, she soon finds herself having mind-blowing sex with the boss. Despite her own desire to surrender to Grant’s sexual authority, she’s not willing to risk her career. After all, she’s been owned before, and it ended badly.
It’s all or nothing for Grant. If Allie wants more of the fiercest orgasms she’s ever experienced, she must consent to his rules…
Management Skills has one of the most original takes on “attraction across a crowded room” I’ve ever read.
Grant Edmonds first sees Allie Fairfax when she’s performing as “Silver”, an erotic dancer in a production he designed the lighting for. Grant is immediately attracted to her, but the club has a no interaction rule between dancers and patrons so he can’t even meet her. He meets her again when she’s hired as a production manager at his lighting effects company. He immediately realizes she’s the “Silver” who has fueled his sexual fantasies for years.
Grant is a strong character who knows what he wants. He comes from a large family and is very grounded. He tells Allie he doesn’t just want a relationship, he wants to own her. I questioned his forthrightness because he had no idea of her background. He also has a strong insistence for the truth. Yet I never understood if there was a reason for this, or if this was just part of his character.
Allie has fought hard to erase her past as an erotic dancer. She’s strong, confident, and dresses for the job she wants. She finished school, and worked her way up. She’s excited at her new job until she meets her boss, Grant, who recognizes her from her former life. You will observe the effect of the on line levitra medicine within 4 to 6 hours. Men cialis online price who get stuck in their life and are searching for a natural alternative then male enhancement pills are the best source for you. Booster capsules viagra online uk are the best herbal supplements to cure sexual disorders. After inserting penis, you can operate the pump with just one hand too. buying generic cialis When Grant tells her he wants to own her, she doesn’t immediately say yes because she was previously in a D/s relationship that ended badly.
Although the book started out strong, it was an interesting combination of strong ideas, great sex play, abrupt scenes, and incomplete storylines. Some great starts included: the overall setting of a high tech lighting company, hot office sex, the Bed and Bondage, orgasm denial, and Allie rebelling against orgasm denial. Some abrupt scenes include: Allie deciding to have sex with Grant, the gaps between them being together, and the ending. Orgasm denial would have worked if they were interacting together. But when orgasm denial simply means that you don’t see each other due to business trips, it didn’t work for me. And the ending left me questioning what the relationship would ultimately be. Watching them transform from Grant simply owning Allie to a loving relationship would have been beautiful. I would classify this as a happy-for-now romance.
Still, the author’s voice is solid. There are no noticeable grammatical or spelling errors. The sex scenes and play were steaming and left me hot and blushing. What was needed to make this a truly stellar story is some follow through with character motivations. For example, Allie says yes to being owned by Grant after a business meeting with Satin who was previously owned by Grant. Something was there, but I didn’t know Satin and Grant’s story. I was left wondering what Allie saw that convinced her to be his submissive. I see great potential in Ms. Rowe’s writing and I’ll be looking for more from her as she continues to grow as an author. It’s one step from the magic that would have made this book great.
If you’re looking for a hot romance with interesting characters and a unique setting, try Management Skills. You’ll especially enjoy the twist at the end.
The 19th century women’s rights movement and the rise of public education intertwine with one woman’s story of struggle, perseverance, and love.
Lisa Ard is the author of the new historical fiction novel Brighter Than Her Fears, which is based on her great-great-grandmother’s experience in 19th century western North Carolina. Her previously published children’s books include Fright Flight, Dream Team, and the Kay Snow award finalist Saving Halloween. When not writing, Lisa enjoys reading, hiking, golfing and sharing her love of history as a bike tour docent with the Palm Springs Historical Society. She and her husband live (and golf) in both Palm Springs and Portland, Oregon.
Framed by cops and chased by crooks, a white ex-con and a rebellious black woman become fugitives. They didn’t plan to fall in love.
Mike Nemeth, a Vietnam veteran and former high-tech executive, writes love stories tucked inside murder mysteries highlighting America’s social issues. THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY won the Beverly Hills Book Award for Southern Fiction and the Frank Yerby Prize at the Augusta Literary Festival. The novel inspired singer/songwriter Mark Currey to compose the song Who I am. PARKER’S CHOICE won a Firebird Award for thrillers and American Fiction Awards for Diverse and Multicultural Mystery/Suspense, and for Romantic Mystery/Suspense. Other credits include The New York Times, Georgia Magazine, Augusta Magazine, Southern Writers’ Magazine, and Deep South Magazine. In 2018, I was named Atlanta’s Best Local Author by Creative Loafing magazine. Mike lives in Villa Rica with his wife, Angie, and their rescue dog, Scout.
When the British arrived in Winnipeg in the 1800s it was convenient for the men to take Metis wives. They were called a la vacon du pays – according to the custom of the country. These women bore the brunt of ensuring survival in the harsh environment. Without them the British army and fur traders would not have survived the brutal winters. However, as society evolved it became accepted that wives must be white, schooled in British ways, fashionable in the European sense and married by the Anglican church. The Metis wives and their ‘country born’ offspring were thrown out and forced to fend for themselves. The unrepentant husbands continued to live comfortably with their ‘new’ wives. It was inevitable that some discarded wives did not accept their fate quietly and hard feelings on both sides were unavoidable. When the bodies of two discarded Metis wives, Marguerite and Marie-Anne, are found floating in the Red River, Guilliame Mousseau, sets out to get to the bottom of his sisters’ murder.
Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta, The League of Canadian Poets, and the Canadian Authors Association. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction with over 20 published novels. Her work has been included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century and Vistas of the West Anthology of Poetry. Her poetry is also being included by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program. 
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Doc has been a member of the Desert Rebels for a long time. He had his own clinic until a sweet, beautiful nurse came on board and ruined everything. Harlow is married and a complication Doc didn’t need. He tried; he really did. But after a while he couldn’t stand working beside a woman he wanted more than he needed air to breathe.
GIVEAWAY!
It is the year 2030, and the Roman Empire never fell. Emperor Nero II rules half the world, but half the world is not enough for the unpredictable Emperor.
Tom was born in Essex and at 4 months old he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers. He has a fiancée, baby daughter and a cockapoo.
