5 Cherry Review for More Than a Stud

More Than a Stud by Eliza March

More Than a Stud by Eliza March
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (35 pgs)
Other: M/F
Rating: 5 cherries
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

With her biological clock ticking away, Carina Roth, CEO and owner of a corporate security company, wants a child. On the night of her forty-second birthday, Carina's 35-year-old corporate intel officer, Evan Douglas, offers to be her baby's daddy. Evan not only wants to father Carina's child, he's ready to prove he can fulfill her every need and that, for Carina, he wants to be...more than a stud.

This romance gets a high five for being a seductive delight that was both charming and stimulating.

For a short story, this book felt complete. Even though Ms. March had to jump into the sexual high points fairly quick, she chose effective and believable disclosures from the hero to make me believe his feelings and commitment to the heroine were genuine and not fly-by-night.

I am pleased and amazed as to how well the author paced her tale so that the buildup had a rock-solid feel to it. The explanation of where Cari was in her life and the decision and fears she had were done naturally during the course of the story It never felt like a narrative with the author trying to justify the quick progression. No, Ms. March was a masterful surgeon, giving me what I needed to know in just the right way and in just the right amount. Could it have been longer? For most short stories, I’d say, yes. But not this time. Maybe it was how the book ended, I’m not absolutely sure, but I felt pretty happy with the outcome.

Evan was a hottie. Not just his looks, although the author certainly made him sound quite dreamy. It was his brains and the fact that he was ex-military and how he applied himself in the civilian sector. When he revealed just how he’d first met Cari, I was vastly amused and intrigued. Turns out that Cari’s strong personality turned on Evan’s motor up to hyper-drive from the very first and after the disclosure, I could understand why. I really liked how passionate and tender and commanding he was while respecting Cari all the while. It takes a strong man secure in his emotions and place in life to handle things that well.

The best thing? How they were really falling in love the whole time they worked together but either didn’t know it or could not acknowledge it. When Cari finally started letting herself think things through is when her blinders fell away. All her pithy justifications scattered to the wind as soon as he got her in that little room and kissed her, and then some. It was seductive, sensual and very convincing.

When Evan made his announcement, of what he wanted to do with Cari, and where he wanted to be in her life, I just swooned. Ms. March nailed it; the romance, the emotional connection, the satisfaction of a story well told. The editing was great, the dialogue fitted their personalities and the plot character driven.

More Than a Stud is a sigh worthy read filled with the best things that make a romance work. I just adored the dynamic of Evan and Cari’s relationship and appreciated that Ms. March didn’t let it get bogged down by Cari’s thinking she was too old for Evan. He wouldn’t let her anyway. I like that in a man. I am so glad I got a chance to read this book because it made the romantic in me extremely happy. The title may mislead a reader but don’t let it fool you, this story has style and substance. 

Thank you Diana Carlyle for the excellent editing. Eliza