At His Service

April 6, 2015
In this light erotic contemporary, originally published online in four parts, two hardworking, stressed-out people discover their compatibility in the bedroom before realizing that it could lead to emotional and professional joy as well. In preparation for a wedding in the family, Leo Perconti (known as the General) descends on Boston to shape up operations at the ritzy family-owned Palazzo Hotel, which is being mismanaged by his brothers. Karin Norell’s hospitality degree depends on successful completion of her internship at the Palazzo; however, when she finds herself unexpectedly trapped in Leo’s penthouse suite, her desire for “a glorious night of passion” leads her to risk everything. Pretending to be a call girl, she willingly submits to his command: “trust me with your pleasure.” For Leo—who spends his days contending with scandal-seeking press, business rivals, a conniving ex, a mutinous staff, and his own demons of anxiety and depression—Karin’s submission sparks possessiveness and a desire to “explore some fantasies he had been hiding all these years.” The background drama lacks suspense, but Rock (the Carnal Coed series) nicely uses the extended, explicit bedroom scenes to convey growing respect and affection between appealing protagonists. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency.

April 15, 2015
Magnate Leo Perconti comes to Boston to save his family's hotel company, focusing on turning the luxury flagship Palazzo around and curbing his siblings' extravagances, but meeting intern Karin Norell is a sexy distraction that helps and hinders his progress. The Perconti family fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. Brothers Marco and Dante have been treating the Boston Palazzo property like a personal playground, running their finances into the ground and ignoring the details of running the business. When eldest brother Leo comes to town, he has specific plans to address the situation and get the business back on track, plans that will take attention and discipline. What he does not need is a sizzling sexual encounter with a sexy maid in his suite or his inability to stay away from the woman, who turns out to be not a maid at all but the hotel's incredibly business-savvy intern. Karin is smart and sexy and has years of experience running hotels with her family. Plus, as an insider at the Palazzo, she has insight into what's been going on and some great ideas for making changes. Of course, since she's an employee, sleeping with her is highly problematic for Leo, and embarking on a red-hot affair's even more so, especially just as years' worth of Perconti misconduct and mismanagement boil over. Rock presents an intriguing premise in this erotic novel, apparently the beginning of a series revolving around the Perconti siblings, which touches on a few popular tropes-sexy billionaire, a vague Cinderella theme, the prim girl awakened to naughtiness. But while the plot and the writing can be fun, the book doesn't hang together well. The many sex scenes are repetitive and flat, while the characters make annoying choices, undermining our belief in them. Karin careens back and forth from empowered woman to shrinking victim so often we're dizzy, and how the leader of a billion-dollar empire can "suddenly" step in on the brink of bankruptcy surely makes us question his competence. A decent idea with uninspired execution.

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