Erotic Research

Wicked Fantasies #1

by Mari Carr

It was just a little innocent research.

Romance writer Julia Martin is fine with her life, just the way it is. Her simple apartment, successful career and Thursday night pizza dates with her too-hot-for-words editor Ross are more than enough for her. At least that’s what she thinks until her cat dies.

Ross Philips has spent years lusting after his shy best friend, but fears his rather strong sexual desires will be too much for Julia. When she falls into a depression and stops writing, Ross decides she needs a change.

His suggestion? A new genre—erotica. And, of course, being such a good friend and editor, he plans to help her do some research.

Includes a bonus free story, In the Running.

What happens when the man of your dreams is also the chief of state? Noelle falls head over heels for Tom after they meet online. When they decide to meet in person for the first time over Christmas, Noelle gets a hell of a lot more than she bargained for from Santa!

This book was previously published.

Genres: Erotica, Romance, BDSM, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2008

About the author

Writing a book was number one on Mari Carr’s bucket list. A New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller, Mari’s computer is now jammed full of stories — novels, novellas, short stories and dead-ends.
Mari writes contemporary sexy romance novels. To learn more about her spicy stories, click here.
Join her newsletter so you don't miss new releases and for exclusive subscriber-only content.
Find Mari on the web at
maricarr.com
Email: mari@maricarr.com

Reviews

[Elena R a.k.a. Lunies R · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel drove me insane!!!


Julia Martin is a Historical Romance novelist by trade,she has spent the last 10years,hiding away in her small apartment,writing about damsels in distress,hunky lords and knights and glorious adventures. In reality she thinks she doesn't need a man to be happy........ YEAH RIGHT!! Honestly? What year is she living in?

Now as For her Publisher/Best friend, Ross Philips.Ross has tried for many years to pull Julia outta her thick cocoon, and give her advice to open up and live a little. So his suggestions were for Julia to make a change and write novels on Erotica Romances......But little does she know,Ross is into the kinky bondage,buttplugs,whips,paddles,vibrators,nipple clamps,etc.

Well that said.Julia agrees to Ross's thoughts on "Her needing a change" so she let's him convince her to escape the city and to a luxurious cabin high in the mountains of West Virgina,so she can start on writing her new novel........Which in Ross's mind,he set it her up to seduce her ,shag her and help Julia with her writing. It's so obvious that she is a total ditz,and had no clue her best friend/publisher had the hots for her.How didn't she notice that?

Now,everything I wrote above are just somewhat of a summary on what this novel is about.I'm not much of a detailer. Now for my thought's on this novel: YES! YES! That's the Word WTF?


C'mon! It's suppose to be an Erotica Romance novel. Why are they constantly talking? I don't care to know about the Heroine's constant bantering on her insecurities and how she has no experience with Sex at all.People learn as the go! Damn That Woman! How many times does a guy have to repeat himself over & over that he wants her for you just who she is? Get over yourself! As for Ross,seriously dude? Stop Talking! You're just adding more fuel to her fire,now Jules won't shut Up! I want hot smutty sex scenes! Damn it! Not Blah,blah,blah, *spank,orgasm, talk,2min quickie,talk some more,orgasm,spank again* Bla,Blah,Blah, That shit is boring!

Here are a few things that were a turn off for me,I hate when either the H/H talks about the guys cock like it's just to die for.


“I—” she stumbled, unwilling to take her eyes off his very
large appendage. She was sure she’d never seen anything
quite so big and her curiosity outweighed her
embarrassment.“My God,” she whispered, awestruck as the monstrous
cock seemed to grow even larger before her eyes. Without
a thought, she reached up and nearly touched it before a
growl above her and a strong hand on her wrist stopped
her..........Mmmmmm...Not my thing

This is the constant talk & insecurities I tried explaining above,so annoying
“Why are you doing this? It’s humiliating enough without
you laughing at me.” His continued torture infuriated her.
He’d proven—yet again—that she was an inexperienced,
naïve fool. How many more times tonight was he going to
make her feel stupid, unsophisticated, unworthy of his
attention? She simply couldn’t compete with the Bridgets ofthe world.
“Humiliating?” Slowly, he turned her over and cradled
her in his lap. “Oh, Jules, I’m not trying to humiliate you. I just
want to show you what you’re missing. Look at me,” he
demanded, lifting her chin to face him. “Look at me, Jules.”
Slowly, she raised her eyes to his, almost surprised to
see Ross. Her same, sweet, comfortable friend Ross. He
smiled at her and she couldn’t stop herself from respondingin kind.
“I’ve made a mess of this, haven’t I?” he asked. “As far
as seductions go, I have to admit, this has been my worst.”
Unwilling to hear Ross berate himself, Julia immediately
tried to console him. “Oh no. This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I
—I’m afraid I don’t know exactly how to do all of this. It’s

“If you come without permission, I will beat you.” SAY WHAAAAA?

All in all,it was not might kind of Erotica,I'm not sure if I should continue the series and cross my fingers that it would be better than this one or if I should just toss it and never look back again.

[Rosa Ramôa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Som de Tom Waits...Closing Time!
http://youtu.be/NEyTyHtiptk
Fantasias e banquete...
Cardápio variado com carboidratos e tudo:-
Mm-hmm.
Adultos
Ross e Júlia
Olhos castanhos e mel...
Sais de banho.
Odor e sabor!
Render ou recuar?
Anjo
Entrar sem protecção...
Oh Deus!
Aumentar a velocidade...
Mais.
Bem fundo...
Vamos ao mar?
Uhhh.
Quinta-feira é dia de pizza@gmail.com
Atirem água fresca...

[Rejane]

It is what it is. And we’re back to it again. Female mc is speechless when she sees a (big) dick. A writer nonetheless supposedly smart and so insecure, zero self esteem. Eye rolling

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Til · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review de Rosa Ramôa:
Som de Tom Waits...Closing Time.
Fantasias e banquete...
Cardápio variado com carboidratos e tudo:-)
Mm-hmm.
Adultos
Ross e Júlia
Olhos castanhos e mel...
Sais de banho.
Odor e sabor!
Render ou recuar?
Anjo
Entrar sem protecção...
Oh Deus!
Aumentar a velocidade...
Mais.
Bem fundo...
Vamos ao mar?
Uhhh.
Quinta-feira é dia de pizza@gmail.com
Atirem água fresca...
5 lik

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun, omg. The setup, the characters, the feelings, the SEX!! This was one steamy book and I loved every second of it. Not to mention the emotions you could feel behind it, my heart pounded more than once during this. Ross would just think the most stunning things about Jules it was unreal. I want what they have, honestly. The relationship backed up by a decade of friendship really sold it for me, they genuinely loved one another.

[Cyn Mistress Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great best friend to lover short story. LOVED the hero who is an editor and I loved that the heroine is a romance writer. I got a little mad at her in the end when she was so mean to Ross. The thing I did like though was it didn't have a quick resolution to her insecurities but took some soul searching on her part to find her HEA. This story had some 5 alarm sex and Ross is one creative guy. Yummy.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 31%

WAY too manipulative from the hero. He literally admits to planning to manipulate the heroine into sleeping with him and to trick her into a relationship with him.

We see an attempted sexual assault on the heroine (past, but on-page), which the hero rescues her from. And yet he still pins her down, tells her not to fight this, shouts at her when she says no, and spanks her (without previous negotiation), because she tried to get away from him.

This is framed as friends to lovers, but he’s a pretty shit friend.

Plus it plays into some heroine stereotypes I hate — emotionally damaged woman (death of parents, death of cat) escapes her sad reality by writing romance novels; so insecure she can’t imagine this big-dicked man could ever want her; sexual assault as character development; etc

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/20/2021)! 🎁

[Seanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Laughable and this isn't a comedy

Overall, not even steamy. Sure there's sex scenes, but it's so laughably written and it isn't even a romcom 😆😆 at one point Julia even laughs I'm Ross ' face when he is honest about his feelings...🤨 I cannot make this stuff up. I figured I would try it as it came up on my 'FreeBooksy' daily email of free Kindle books. If you want to laugh at some poorly written smut, go ahead. I'll go back to my fan fiction for good smutty scenes. 😆

[Justine Schaper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this was a non-stop smut ride and I was here for it.

[aftellemath · Rating 2 out of 5]

oh this man is the absolute worst 😬

with regards to the smut i have mixed feelings on it solely based on the lack of communication leading up to it along with precautions like safe words before some of the more intense scenes. good premise, could have been better executed.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia and Ross have been coworkers and best friends for ten years. She is a best-selling romance novelist and he is her editor. But for those same ten years, Julia has been somewhat of a recluse - she hardly dates or goes out. Ever. And then her cat dies and she loses it.

To help her out of her funk, Ross suggests she try writing erotica and he gives her a ton of books and the keys to his mountain cabin so she can go do "research". But underneath his helpful exterior, Ross is plotting to seduce his best friend. He's been in love with her forever and he can't keep it from her any longer. BUT, he fears his somewhat kinky sexual tastes might scare the somewhat vanilla Julia.

While Julia is secluded in Ross's cabin during the winter, he drives up from the city for a surprise visit (and hopefully a seduction). Of course, they get snowed in together. And that's when things really begin to heat up. (bad pun, *rimshot*)

The sex is, whoa, incredibly hot. And about as un-vanilla as you can get! While it starts off as "research"....or at least that's what Julia thinks....it quickly turns into so much more. What these two crazy kids had was a failure to communicate! Both have always had the hots for the other one, but neither of them ever had the balls to admit it. But I swear, during the story....I just wanted to slap them both to make them confess their feelings to each other. They're bubbling just barely below the surface....it's the subtext of every word they say to each other.....and yet it goes unsaid for so long! It's so frustrating as a reader, but as frustrating as it is.....it's that much more satisfying when their feelings true finally do come out.

I can't think of a hotter fantasy than best friend turned love of your life. And if said best friend-turned-true love can also manage to give you the best sex of your life....well, that's all just icing on the cake, baby.

[Geeky Girl Review Cafe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sexy Snow In

This was my first book by Mari and I'll admit the title had be pausing my search in Kindle, then the blurb had me doing a one-click.

I am a huge fan of several things this book had: friends to lovers trope, a bit of kink, and books that have a writer/author as a main character.

I loved that this was also an author/editor romance besides being friends to lovers, the fact that they were in the romance writing field shifting into erotica was something I could get into and enjoy.

[Barrie Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn’t a fan of Ross. He was introduced as a player for the last 10 years that Julia had known him. When he arrived unexpectedly at his cabin he offered Julia for alone time to write a new erotica book, he seemed manipulative. They had been friends for a decade but he arrived with a backpack full of sex toys, with the plan to cajole her into “research” for her new book. He wasted no time. Then he proceeded to shout and yell a lot, both in their sex play and when Julia was confused by the new turn in their relationship. Yikes. Run, girl.

[Jamie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. what a great read! loved the plot and wow. sizzling "research". loved it!

[Phoebe Bonded By Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

Funnily enough, a woman can be innocent without being stupid. A woman can be curvy without hating every part of her body. Also curvy women don't want to hear "oh I hate thin women" and definitely not multiple times in the first 30% of a book.

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
From what I understand, this is Mari Carr's first published piece and frankly, it kind of reads that way. I liked the two main characters and enjoyed their connection, plus there were some places with decent chemistry and sizzle. Overall though, it all felt very inconsistent. At some points Ross seems very alpha, at others we're told he's alpha but really see no evidence of that.

The beginning of their sexual relationship felt a little awkward, with them running hot and cold and bouncing around back and forth on what they understand their relationship to be. The whole thing felt choppy, the love scenes short, jumping from one to another, then skipping a few days, etc. There were only a few lines in each scene that started to make me feel hot and bothered, and then it would sizzle away. It sometimes seemed like the ingredients were there, but for some reason they didn't come together as they should and it ended up feeling ... flat.

One HUGE complaint I have> They start off almost at the beginning with role-playing - and role-playing in which Julia is a captive or sex slave, i.e. she's supposed to be somewhat resisting. While resistance is not a big part of the role-playing, it's still present, so I found it extremely disturbing that there was no safe word and they didn't lay down any rules or understandings beforehand.

As I said before, I liked Julia and Ross and really enjoyed their friendship and the dialogue back-and-forth between them. I think the story could have turned out far better if that part had been more heavily explored and the sexual component of their relationship slowly integrated in. A really fantastic example of this that I read recently was Claire Matthews' Intimate Friends . That novella is even shorter, so the length constraint is greater and they start sleeping together pretty early on, however it felt much smoother and worked far better than in this case.

{ Romance Novella Recommendations }
* Intimate Friends by Claire Matthews (4.5 stars)
* Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye (4.5 stars)
* Willing Victim by Cara McKenna (4 stars)

(Written August 11, 2011)

[MaggieReadsRom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Historical romance novelist Julia Martin is in a bit of a rut. Personally because it seems like everyone she loves, dies or leaves her, most recently her beloved cat. Professionally she's experiencing a bit of writers' block. Her editor and best friend Ross Philips suggests a change of genre from historical to erotic to get her creativity back and offers to help her with the research. But soon the research takes on a serious character unveiling simmering feelings between Julia and Ross.

Ross is the ideal hero, planning Julia's seduction and demanding not only her sexual abandon but also emotional commitment from her. Since he knows her so well, he knows exactly how to get both. He's been in love with Julia for a very long time but has never acted on it, afraid that she won't accept his darker sexual needs.

Julia's fiery personality lies just below the surface waiting to be ignited by the right man, in her case Ross. Though she wants to protect her heart, she knows her surrender to him both sexually and emotionally is inevitable.

Ms. Carr's debut is a delightful, intense and solid erotic romance. With all the elements I require from an erotic romance she touched dark sensual desires and combined these with deep emotional dilemmas. The characters that have enough of a background and are very likeable complement the hot erotic love scenes. Even with the limited page-count (only 114 pages), she managed to write a fully and well-rounded story that contained more than just steamy erotic scenes. However, with such a small page-count little room is left for true depth in the characters or their backgrounds. Still I thought Ms. Carr did a good job in giving Julia and Ross a background that went beyond the story at hand.

I liked both the premise and the execution of the story. There are no secondary characters because it's just about Julia and Ross and the exploration of their (sexual) relationship. Right before the end the book dropped a bit in pace and intensity but she more than made up for that with the ending. It was heart breaking and beautifully done which earned this e-book an extra half star.

This was a purely character-driven book that had enough body to it to keep me interested from the first to the last page and in the vast amount of erotically charged romances Mari Carr has definitely captured my attention with a story that I found myself fascinated with to no end and I'm glad I have more of her books in my possession.

[Dianne Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

GIST
After her pet cat dies,romance novelist Julia's long-time editor Ross suggests she try her hand at writing erotic romance. She goes out to a cabin after nearly a month of book research, not realizing that he has lured her out there under false pretenses. He has been secretly in love with Jules for years, and vice versa.
The problem is that Julia has trouble letting people past her defenses for fearing of losing somebody else that she cares about. She also has a low self-esteem from all of the failed relationships and an attempted rape. Neither wants to jeopardize a decade-long friendship either, but Ross dares to take a chance, sneaky devil that he is.
Anyhoo, Ross arrives at the cabin only to be snowed in by a blizzard, thus allowing him time to work on the big plan of seducing her as a way to convince her to let her guard down long enough to trust him with her heart. Self-delusion convinces her that the intimacy he suggests is just research for the book. However, sexual intimacy has a habit of complicating things.
MY THOUGHTS
I expected purely erotica when I started reading this short story, but it became apparent from page one that it was anything but. The characters and narrative were engaging. I started caring about the two protagonists immediately. The dialogue and internal monologue added to this, with the author careful not to overdo it. It was a delicate balance, but Mari Carr has proven once again how talented a writer she is.
The often kinky sex scenes added to the story, showing the vulnerabilities of each character and helping their relationship to evolve over the span of their time at the cabin. The emotional overtones were ripe but not overbearing. Readers will note the use of a deadline for the pair at the cabin. This works well, adding to the drama. The couple also had an existing relationship, instead focusing on the action.
CONCLUSION
I really enjoyed the story, hence the high rating. The characters are complicated yet cute, the sex scenes emotional yet spicy, dialogue sweet and clever, plot progression spot on. All in all, an awesome read!

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up to have something to read while I was out at the cabin. Rarely do I want to read anything remotely heavy while I'm out there because I'm constantly picking it up and putting it down. Plus, I like motoring through a handful of books while I'm out there, despite how shitty they might be.

This was one of those books that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Granted, it was nothing great but I flew through it and didn't complain.

The protagonist was a little too ditzy for me at times. She was this shy thing that did a weird sort of flip whenever she was with the male lead. But I didn't find her too virginal which tends to piss me off in other books. I liked that she could be shy but didn't have to be this innocent virgin at age 30-whatever.

The male lead wasn't anything special either. I was a little irritated with his 'studliness' and his surprised feelings of love for the protagonist. However, he did sort of have to work for her so that always makes me happy. I did find him melodramatic at the climax when he knew about the protagonist fear of love through the entire beginning of the novel.

The ending felt a little forced and rushed but it was a soft read and I didn't mind it.

[Nicci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... Interesting.
On the one hand, we have a delicious friends to lovers read which features a clueless damsel and a handsome, kinky, rake - 2020's style!
On the other hand, we have a clueless muppet of a woman with zero self-esteem and a dude who should have pulled his head out his ass years ago and claimed his woman before she descended to these depths of neuroticism!
So, I don't think I have to say that I'm highly conflicted when it comes to what I think about this book!
Part of me really enjoyed it and part of me was eye-rolling and growling all the way through.

I adored Ross but Julia got on my nerves super quickly!
The sex was a bit mild considering the build up and there wasn't a lot of it - which is a bit strange given it's supposed to be an erotic romance! It was a book with more talk than action... Which would have been okay if it wasn't for massive communication problems and an epic misunderstanding! How can people who talk, talk, talk not freaking communicate?!!!

So yeah. I don't really recommend this one but I don't not recommend it either. I'd say if the blurb strikes you as appealing then give it a go and make up your own mind because I still can't make up my own!

[Karagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like Carr spent the first part of this book doing all she could to make me hate Ross. As I recall, she did the same with my last read of hers too, Scoring, but then she flips this switch and in seconds, I love the guy. You get a fairly good back story as Julia shares her memories of meeting Ross, and that one stupid night he had to come to her rescue. Even Ross shares a memory or two. There's seduction and spanking, bondage and roleplay. Oh, yays for the roleplay.

Great ending! ... epilogues are awesome.

[Sofia Lazaridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia is an author and her best friend and editor Ross sugest that she should write an erotic novel.He even gives her books to make her reseach and sents her to a cabin in the middle of nowhere.He visits her and a blizard forces him to stay there.Since he is going to stay for a while he proposes to "help" her.

The book was nice.Happy to see that after 10 years the got together.The epilogue(s)was Epic.

Epilogue one
Later that night
Julia gave Ross the best blowjob of his life

[~ Stephanie Lynn ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia is a writer who's switching to erotic writing. Ross, her editor, suggests she go up to his cabin so she can have some time alone to start on her novel. A big snowstorm hits and Ross decides he better go up to keep Julia company and help her with her researching her new novel. Ross isn't aware that Julia, who is also one of his best friends has always had feeling for him so when he basically offers her sex, it's hard for her to turn him down. Julia is a little naïve when it comes to sex and Ross is more than happy to show her what she's been missing.

[Melanie Milburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Yet Dark

Julia and Ross have known each other for a decade and are best friends. He is her publisher and she the author that helped him launch his company. He's been a girl a month guy while she's been afraid to connect, except through her historical romances. When he suggests she make a change and write erotica, she takes him up on his offer to stay in his secluded cabin and research the box of erotic fiction he has given her. Ross shows up to "help her research" and but he has a secret agenda. Can friends become more than just lovers?

[Trayce Swingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ross, Julia's editor, has sent her to stay at his cabin in the woods to write her first erotic genre novel. Little does Julia know that her sexy editor has plans in store for her and they are more intense than anything she has every experienced.

While the story has pretty decent sex scenes, I would not qualify this as a BDSM novel. The story also lacked more depth and feelings on the part of both characters.

[Maida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so good!!! It's a short novel, but the the content is great & the story progresses nicely. As I mentioned in another review, Mari Carr is a very talented writer, & I do believe that she's one of the best writers in this genre.... She has a very fluid writing style; her books are always well-edited & the content is both entertaining AND informative. I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in sexual self-exploration & BDSM. *4/5 stars*

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Julia and Ross's story. Julia is a very successful historical romance author. Ross is her womanizing editor. Neither one realizes the other has strong romantic feelings for one another until Ross sends her to his cabin in West Virginia so she can begin her new career as an erotic sauté or. He's finally decided enough is enough and gets her to agree to experiment sexually, all in the name of research. This book was extremely hot and extremely enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lovely, sexy read. Quite light on the BDSM scale even though it does hint at the beginning that it will be more intense. Fun with no stress although I was a bit put out that Ross claimed to know how Julia would react to his love and when she does, he holds it against her. But for me that was the only downside. I enjoyed this book very much.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was generally a good story. But I had some problems. I was a little wary of how quickly Julia agreed with Ross and how it all played out. There should've been more buildup. There were other minor stuff as well. I like the ending though, very interesting! More like 2.5, but I liked Ross the mc a lot