Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00870FFZA.
After her employer goes out of business, Tessa Greer is so desperate for work she leaves Michigan and travels to Houston where jobs seem more available. She’s thrilled to land the “Receptionist Plus” position at Maddox Brothers Inc. Now she can continue to pay the bills for her mentally ill mother’s care facility. But Tessa is shocked by the punishments her handsome new bosses dole out for her very minor mistakes. She’s even more shocked at how aroused she becomes when they discipline her. The stakes seem to get higher with each round of punishments. How far will this one-upmanship between the brothers go? And with one of them, Tessa finds herself wanting him to take her farther than she’s ever gone before.
Content Warning: Not for readers offended by fantasy inappropriate office behavior. Like many Lyla Sinclair stories, this novella contains various BDSM elements, including domination, restraint, corporal punishment, anal sex as well as unconventional use of office supplies. (This is not a ménage story.)
As most of you know I love me some BDSM, but this was just borderline abusive, the ending sucked, there was no character development and it went from her meeting him to her loving him in what felt like a blink of her eye. The whole thing with Dix's brother was just weird and unnecessary, Tessa is a weak willed and whiny woman that I kinda really want to slap and Dix...despite being the only decent character in the book was still lackluster and pales in comparison to so many other dominant males I've read. I really want to say something nice about this book, but when I only paid $0.99 for it on amazon, I shouldn't be surprised that I got what I paid for.
Tessa Greer is forced to move to Houston, Texas after her place of employment goes out of business. Since Texas is where many of the job postings on the internet are found, Tessa feels this would be the smartest move she could make. She doesn't have time to waste since her brother and sister are depending on her share of the monthly cost to keep her mother in the mental care facility that has been in charge of her care for some time. Tessa immediately applies for a position with Maddox Brothers Inc. A position entitled "Receptionist Plus." Tessa is more than qualified and is hired the same day as her interview which was conducted by both brothers. Tessa embarks on her new career with excitement in the future possibilities and with the new windows of opportunity that may open to her. After all, no job has ever paid her as much. There must be more to this job that she will have to learn. Tessa feels all her worries are behind her until shock replaces her initial excitement when minor mistakes bring harsh punishments from both of her bosses. What's even more shocking than the escalation of the punishments is the escalation of the pleasure she begins to feel with each harsh act. How far will it all go? Needless to say, this is a novella of an erotic nature involving mild BDSM. The dramatic content of the story is not as strong as its erotic/bdsm side, but for a quick pick-me-up, it worked. Lyla Sinclair will be an author at the top of my list when I'm interested in this type of story. Well done sexual scenes that did not seem too cheap or too superficially done. A strong 3 rating!
This was not what I was expecting when I first started this. I was expecting the typical office erotica, but it turned into the two brothers trying to one up each other to win Tessa over. Need less to say at some points it got awkward for me. In the end she ended up choosing Dix, but had to end up leaving to go take care of her mom in Michigan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I found this book to be like a short from play girl. There was a lot of sex not a lot of character development and I had a hard time getting into the story
This book left me a bit dazed and confused as the book seemed more focused on the seemingly one-sided sibling rivalry than on any actual “training.”
It’s Tessa’s first or second day on the job as a “Receptionist Plus,” a position which she accepted without knowing what the actual “plus” entailed. Imagine her surprise when she is called into the office of one of her two handsome bosses because of a typing error and told to bend over his desk to be disciplined for her mistake. Tessa is shocked to learn that she enjoyed being disciplined and finds herself looking forward to more.
The chemistry between Mason, Dixon and Tessa is uneventful at best. Dixon spends a great deal of time trying to one up his older brother, so much so that when he appeared to get angry at Mason’s choice of punishment for Tessa, I was left wondering “Is he for real?” It took me a while to really grasp the fact that he actually had real feelings for Tessa and wasn’t just trying to outdo his brother. Up until my “AHA” moment, I was thinking that Dixon’s anger was part of the brothers “good dom/bad dom” schtick because the romance aspect, what little there was, wasn’t explained very well.. if at all. I wanted to know why Dixon felt the way he did about Tessa.
Mason, on the other hand, was indifferent and unemotional in my opinion. Sure he disciplined Tessa, spanked her, had her undress, ogled her but never had any intimate contact with her. Heck,I don’t think he even touched her…AT ALL! It’s like he wasn’t attracted to her. I kept waiting for a kiss, some chemistry, sexual tension, hell even hatred at this point but nothing. Over all, this book contained nothing more than sexual BDSM aspects with little to no substance. The only saving grace for me was the ending, I must admit that it did leave me wondering what happened next. As much as I hate to admit it, I will more than likely, be purchasing the second installment in Ms Sinclaire’s “Hot Texas Bosses” series if for no other reason than to tie up the loose ends left by “Training Tessa.”
I'm not going to build a more formal review of "Training Tessa" because I don't feel it's worth that kind of time and analysis.
I bought this ebook after seeing the title appear on B & N's bestseller page. I admit I was intrigued and expecting a lot from the book. I mean, if an erotic BDSM is selling well, it must be exceptionally well-written and interesting. Am I right?
Hmmm... Well, maybe not.
"Training Tessa" isn't one of the worst-written books I've ever read, but it's not great or even good. The characters are one-dimensional and I honestly found the erotic content sort of dull. I think my disappointment is my own fault, though. I expected something "big" in terms of theme or characterization, or some genuinely evocative writing, and it wasn't there.
The book involved a romantic storyline that needed better pacing and more realistic progression. A last-minute conflict in the story screams "SILLY CONTRIVANCE!!!" at the top of its lungs. I couldn't understand it because Sinclair already had some pretty good conflict elements at play within the story.
Overall, I can't recommend this book as is. There's much better writing and storytelling out there. That said, I wouldn't dismiss future books from this author. There were some fleeting good moments in this read. I believe greater development of Sinclair's talents would make for a great book.
Tessa is broke and needs money to keep her mother's medical care in order, so she agrees to take a "receptionist plus" position with the Maddox brothers without really reading the contract thoroughly.
Turns out, that contract has quite the disciplinary clause along with an interesting amount of wardrobe stipulations. Mason and Dixon both administer unusual punishments to Tessa, however it soon becomes clear that they are doing so for different reasons. Tessa quickly develops a attraction for Dix, while tolerating Mason's issues. Can Dix and Tessa turn this kinky arrangement into a lasting relationship?
Less than 80 pages this book went quick. Obviously you need to be prepared or BDSM, humiliation, reluctant sexual punishments, and inappropriate work behavior. What I did like was the ending, it wasn't a wrapped-up-in-two-weeks-or-80-pages kinda romance, we got a bit of a cliff hanger. Overall, I enjoyed the story.
I liked this story. It's only 98 pgs. Good story and detailed, but cliffhanger. Tessa needed this job to help pay for her moms care. Excited about the job, Tessa never read the contract, which stated she will be punished if she does wrong. Mason is a control freak with sever OCD and germ issues. Dixon is the easy spirit one. When Tessa does something wrong, mason punishes her, then Dixon gets mad and comforts her and does the punishments the right way. Dixon and her fall in love, but he has issues with how his brother keeps controlling her. When an issues happens, Dixon freaks and it takes a while for them to reconnect. Then Tessa gets a call to come home for a job and take care of her mom. She has to go but doesn't want to leave him. She they do a 6 month split. Now we need to read book 2 for more info.
Short, but sweet. Wraps up a little too neatly. I wasn't a fan of the male characters, and towards the end it gets into a weird grey zone I wasn't too keen on.*** To each their own I suppose. I'm pretty new to this genre, so maybe I expect a little too much character depth, it is porn, so I shouldn't be so picky, but I have hard time believing the characters and their motivations. It's worth the .99 I paid for it.
* ** ***(spoiler) But that's because I believe having a conversation solves more problems than anal sex to prove your innocence. (/end spoiler)
If you think 50 Shades is bad, try this one. This is one amazing piece of crap. I mean... REALLY. The main characters are completely flat. This book shows abuse and lack of any respect for women. There's idiotic plot, if I can call it that way. I have finished only because it was short, but still it took over a month to get to the end. And the ending is so totally lame I can't believe it. So this... "book" is a one big DO NOT READ sign.
Awesome book series.. Can't wait for the second book to come out.. The characters were great and really I liked each scene that went on.. Not for the faint of heart because it has some erotic scenes in it, but if your into that its a good read.
Tessa's character from the start was great and really I liked how it took a turn, at the point where she was getting to know all about her job " I was like WOW.. O.o" but I couldn't put the book down..
Tessa has no job, no boyfriend and the added expense of helping her brother and sister pay for the care of her mother in Michigan. With no job prospects she moves to Houston and gets an interview with the Maddox Brothers. She is hired but in her rush to sign the contract she doesn't read the fine print. For every mistake, she is disciplined and not in the usual way. But she has feelings for Dixon the younger brother but Mason is also punishing for mistakes.
This book was a recommendation and also a cheappurchase on my kindle. Let's just say I'm glad it didn't cost much. Th ere really wasn't any character development and the ending well just happened. There want any thing that led to it. The love story had do much potential that just didn't satisfy. Over all really let down by this story.
Ok book...Not sure I would go for a series. Not going to comment more to avoid spoilers. may be good for some. Not for the faint of heart... but not terrible either.. I personally did not like the flow/ sequence of events. and it is a very short read. felt like I paid for a chapter and not a book.
I almost gave this 2 stars -- it was almost OK! There's just not much to this book. I could forgive that's it very short, if only the author had written a story with characters that I cared about and that acted like real people. There's not much of a plot either; it reads almost like a series of weird encounters between the characters rather than an actual story with a beginning, middle, and end.
100% book porn...just like the gardener who goes inside to drink a glass of water when everyone knows he could have had a sip from the garden hose, this book makes about that much sense---the women keeps getting it, just because. This book is for you! But if you are looking for some BDSM that incorporates trust over blatant control maybe not so much for you.
I loved this first book in the series that I had too read this book twice. This author did an amazing job and I would suggest you pick up this book if not for anything than the title lol I just began reading the second book so I will write a better review once I have finished the book, Awesome though
Way over the top but fun. I would have liked a bit more story, as it sometimes seemed as though poor Tessa was falling from one round of beating and humiliation into another. I liked the idea of a good and a bad brother. The way this worked out in the end was quite cool.
I'm not too sure I would be prepared to go on to the next in the series though. One round with Tessa seems to be enough.
Just about done reading 'Training Tessa,' and so far it's FANTASTIC!! Tessa, Dix, & Mason are such believable characters, and the LOVIN' scenes are SMOKIN' H.O.T.!! Well done Ms. Sinclair as usually your novels are WICKEDLY ENTICING!! 5 STARS!!
This was a good read, but kind of dark and freaky the way the brothers treated her at the new job.... but then the story went from freakyness to a hot love story....
Worth the read... was on Amazon's Free Kindle List for a bit....
This was a good read, but kind of dark and freaky the way the brothers treated her at the new job.... but then the story went from freakishness to a hot love story.
042213. This book was a poor excuse for a book. Within something like 2 or 3 weeks all this sex and falling in love happens......and then the characters are so boring. I am sorry this book may have lots of sex, but it lacked excitement.