Briefs are Elena Thomas’s life, whether they’re legal at her day job or on the men in the erotic novels she writes. She’s just fine with saving her imagination for her books until temptation appears in the form of Nunzio, the smokin’ office IT guy. When he discovers one of her scorching books shooting out of the printer, Elena’s not sure if he wants her because she’s inventive or because he thinks she’s desperate. That doesn’t stop her from taking advantage of his “services”.
On her desk. On the copier. And, oh yeah—in her boss’s chair.

Nunzio’s shocked to learn Elena’s wall-hugging persona hides a wildcat of a woman with delicious fantasies and an enticing wit. She’s exactly what he’s been looking for in an adventurous lover—and girlfriend. He knows she enjoys their sexual research. Now he just has to convince her that sizzling sex is only the first chapter of their blazing-hot romance.

Title: Personal Research
Author: Cari Quinn
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year of release: 2010, September 17
Format: eBook, 84 pages
Source: Bought via Jasmine Jade Enterprises
First line: C#ck. Manroot. Penis. Phallus. Hard-on. Shaft. Dick. Elena Thomas smiled and settled back in her office chair as she scanned the list of synonyms.
Memorable Scenes:
- Opening paragraph > it hooked me right away!
- boss' chair/office smex scene > oh yeah, even hotter than the desk smex, *where is my cooling pack?*

After a steamy encounter with the IT-guy following his unintended discovery of her writing legal secretary by day and erotic romance writer by night, Elena Thomas, embarks upon a search for the hot vixen, hiding deep within and Nunzio gladly accompanies her from affair to something lasting.

Nunzio McGinty went straight to my favorite heroes list! He’s a sweet, romantic, dirty-talking, smokin'-hot Italian/Irish IT-guy. He’s definitely not a pushover and hot-tempered when he needs to be. I loved his little outbursts when Elena would do or say something that made no sense or when Elena was burying her head in the sand.

Elena Thomas is a contradiction if I ever read one. The juxtaposition of conservatively raised, almost shy Elena and the naughty stuff she writes, works really well in this story. It was difficult for me to get a firm grip on her character as she had such contradicting stuff going on but in the end she figured it out and so did I. In her job and daily life she tries not to attract attention, not to stand out and she is a wall-hugger who is obsessively organized. Hot-blooded and spontaneous Nunzio sets her world upside down but she does every effort to resist him for fear of giving into something that doesn’t fit in the plans she has for herself. However, at the same time she craves what he can give her, both sexually and emotionally.

I really liked Elena and Nunzio's chemistry and dynamics as a couple. I also appreciated how Elena took a step back after the first sex scene and questioned some things instead of mindlessly diving into a sexual relationship with a virtual stranger. Admittedly she could have been a little less bitchy about it as Nunzio didn't deserve her snappy attitude there, but still I liked it. I also loved the way Nunzio didn't accept Elena's bitchy attitude quietly and answered to it adequately, putting her in her place and showing her that there’s a line she cannot cross. But I also have to point out that both Nunzio and Elena are characters with a depth to them that blew me away and they were so much more than you'd think reading the blurb and at first glance.

Once again I was enthralled and unable to tear myself away from the book so it was one of my rare one-sitting reads. I adore Cari Quinn's voice. It’s intense and arousing, crisp and clean, smooth and so, so hot! With it she delivers another scorching hot read that was awesomely written and with a trope that's one of my favorites: office romances. And for the sex scenes alone she deserves an extra point. I gobbled it up! Everything meshed and clicked perfectly: the characters, even the few secondary ones, the sex, the romance, the pace, the writing, the little conflicts and their resolution.

I really don't know how to adequately express my love for Cari Quinn's writing. It's gutsy, sexy, smooth, and addictive from the first page to the last. Just because I'm greedy for more of her work I'd love to read a full-length and bask in her talented writing for longer than 80-100 pages but she doesn't need full length to wow me as her novellas are sublimely written and pack more punch and are more layered than some full-length books I've read.

In short: Cari Quinn has left a lasting impression on me and I hope she'll keep giving me more of these awesome reads for a long time!

Favorite Quotes:
Score two for Tall, Dark and Sinful. Zero for chastised sex bunny.

He didn't know her name, which was why he'd taken to calling her Bella in his mind. Bella for beautiful, for absolutely magnificent. Bella for I'd love to f#ck you senseless in a closet, on your desk, hell, even on the floor in the middle of the department.

"Looking for something?"
Him. The voice. Oozing sex and Italian charm and arousing her in ways she'd given up thinking she could be aroused.

She clung to him, floating away in a slumberous kiss full of tongue and sleepy passion.