Publisher Fairy Books

I somehow got on a publisher mailing list I'm too lazy to get myself off of. Getting free books isn't exactly a hardship.

This month's surprise offering is Michele Bardsley's CUPID, INC., which is labeled as "An Erotic Novel." A more accurate description would be "light-hearted collection of erotic romances." I'd rate it 3 out of 5 mainly because the stories were underdeveloped and the premise was strained. But it was a fast, entertaining read with likable characters and cute romances. Bardsley seemed to be having a lot of fun here. Also, I guess the stories were sexy, but I didn't really detect an erotic charge.

Here's the set-up of the framing story: Greek gods Psyche and Eros establish a sex fantasy service business in Las Vegas as a way to get couples together. Eros' mom, Aphrodite, interferes quite a bit, and other Greek mythological characters pop up here and there. The four main stories are about

1. a virgin secretary with an office sex fantasy who accidentally gets matched up with Cupid, Inc.'s accountant,
2. a wedding chapel owner who wins a Cupid, Inc. date with a gun-shy Hollywood movie star (obviously based on Keanu Reeves),
3. a women's magazine writer with a mile-high-sex fantasy who is paired up with a men's magazine editor, and
4. a waitress with a spy fantasy who is paired with a suave ex-thief, complete with British accent, to outwit bad guys and steal a golden apple (sounds more like a cat-burglar fantasy, doesn't it?).

So, I was a huge Greek myth fangirl growing up, and this amusing interpretration of the characters is appealing. But, c'mon, the Greek gods settling in Las Vegas was a stretch despite the tongue-in-cheek presentation. Also, because these romantic comedy novellas are focused on sexual encounters between two people who had just met, the true love part felt strained regardless of whether the gods of love were involved or not. But this book was fun enough that I'd consider reading more Bardsley.

By the way, scanning my TBR stacks for a new book to read--I think I've decided upon Eloisa James' KISS ME, ANABEL--I saw I'd received a trade paperback last month from Signet Eclipse, too. SUITE FANTASY, by Janice Maynard. This was another collection of stories, this one revolving around an exclusive hotel that caters to fantasies. I read two out of three stories, but nothing here really grabbed me. Again, these were firmly erotic romances, and on the sweet side at that, but the way the book is packaged would indicate it's more mainstream erotica. I think the publishers are missing the boat here. They should position these to appeal, I'm thinking, to readers of Brava books.