Explicitly English

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Synopsis

Three months ago, Laura Makham lost her parents in a tragic car accident. Ever since she's thrown herself into her work as an interior designer and has just landed her dream job working on a sixteenth century, English, country cottage, owned by a wealthy, young stockbroker. Her recent loss has shown her how short life is, so she's decided to shed her inhibitions and live life to the fullest. On the train to her new job, she can't help but notice the man sitting across from her is gorgeous enough to set her body on fire and has been looking at her with a gleam of lust in his eyes. She daringly offers to self-pleasure for him, thinking she'll probably never see him again. But before they reach their destination, she discovers to her chagrin that he's none other than her new employer.

Stephen Cambridge fell in love at first sight with the beautiful woman sitting across from him on the train, and when she put on her daring little show, he knew she was the woman of his dreams. When he finds out she's the interior designer he hired to remodel his cottage, he couldn't be more pleased to have her under his roof for the foreseeable future. In fact, he wants forever with her, but can he convince Laura he's serious when they've only known each other for a day?

Review

Explicitly English is a stand-alone, erotic romance short story of about forty-five pages. Laura is a newly minted interior designer who has just landed her dream job restoring an old English country cottage that dates back to the sixteenth century. She recently lost both her parents in a car accident, and because of that, she's decided to shed her inhibitions and live life to the fullest in every minute. On the train to her new job, she's seated across from a devilishly handsome man who makes her body hum with desire and who, she notes, is practically undressing her with his eyes. She daringly puts on a little show, self-pleasuring for him, thinking she'll probably never see him again. But by the time they reach their destination, she's realized he's actually her new employer. Stephen had fallen in love at first sight with Laura, even before she put on her little show, and now he's certain that she's his dream woman. But convincing her that he's serious about wanting her to stay with him forever may prove a challenge.

Explicitly English was a fun and steamy story. It takes place in only one day's time, so it's not entirely believable that two people could fall in love so quickly, especially when they know virtually nothing about each other. There isn't a great deal of character or relationship development. It's mostly sexy times, interspersed with a few tidbits of introspection and dialogue. Insta-love isn't my favorite romance trope, but here, at least, I felt some connection between Stephen and Laura, just enough that I could see things going well for them in the future. I also couldn't help but be drawn in by the fantasy of it, and Stephen is a charmer. Overall, this was a well-written story that I enjoyed reading and that's left me open to checking out more from this author.

Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual content, including a scene of exhibitionism/voyeurism, which could be objectionable to sensitive readers.

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Rachel Leigh