Review: Project Virgin by Megan Crane

Project Virgin is a very quick, very hot, sexy read. Initially I didn't find the description of the book all that interesting, but Megan Crane, when writing as Caitlin Crews has written some of my favorite romance reads, so I decided to give it a try. Very glad I did.

I feel like this is the story Fifty Shades tried to be, or should have been. Wait, no. I hate it when people compare things to Fifty Shades because I'm not a big fan of that book and it gets way too much attention. I feel certain that the people who like it are people who haven't had a lot of prior exposure to good, sexy romance novels. When I learn that people like it, I always feel obligated to provide them with a list of better, hotter romance novels. Let me try this again.

This is how hot sex between an inexperienced, young woman and successful, powerful man should be written. Better? Maybe. I'm not usually a fan of this type of story. Big power imbalances make me uncomfortable. But this isn't so much a "billionaire story" - he's not crazy wealthy, but rather a very successful attorney at the law firm and he has connections at nice clubs and restaurants and a great view of San Francisco from his bedroom. Also, I get the impression that the woman in this story is just a few years away from being as successful and powerful as the man who has caught her interest.

Scottie is only a year out of law school, and a few hours out of a long, sexless engagement to a jerk. She's on her way to a deposition with Damon Patrick, one of the top attorneys where she works. He's sort of her boss - but not technically. On their way out of the office, he comments on the absence of her engagement ring. Then, much to her horror, while in the car, he happens to read a text message she's sending to a friend - and in doing so, discovers she's still a virgin. This results in some awkward conversation and confessions, that resume
at dinner, after their work day is over.

Scottie decides she's ready to make some changes, and Damon is happy to help her out.

What I especially liked about this story is that Scottie is smart, self-aware and completely in control of what she's doing. She's not being pressured into anything because she's ashamed or embarrassed. She's making a mature, adult decision and going after what she wants. She realizes she's spent too much of her life living in a way that someone else wanted. And I know Damon is supposed to be a "bad boy" as the cover describes this book as a "bad boy short" but he seems like a pretty nice guy. He's not being a creep and having to convince her of what she wants or needs. The only "bad" thing about him is that he has a lot prior sexual experience (which is sort of good thing in this case, you want a guy who knows what he's doing) and he's not romancing her, or trying to convince her he's in love with her to get her in bed. They both enter into this with a clear objective, and they're being very honest with each other.

I liked this story a lot. Can easily be read in one sitting. I think it's probably less than a hundred pages. But it doesn't feel too short. This isn't a grand romance, it focuses on one night with a few hints as to where that one night might lead.

This was exactly what I needed to read to balance out my previous read, the heavy nonfiction story about World War II.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.