Entertaining Mr Stone

by Portia Da Costa

Office life is heating up When reformed bad girl Maria Lewis takes a dull job in local government back in her home town, the quiet life she was looking for is quickly disrupted by the enigmatic presence of her boss, Director Robert Stone. A dangerous and unlikely object of lust, Stone touches something deep in Maria's sensual psyche and draws her to an erotic underworld, a far cry from life in the dusty offices of Borough Hall.

Genres: Erotica, Romance, Audiobook, M F Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Menage

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2006

About the author

I'm a Sunday Times, New York Times and USA Today bestselling British author of romance, erotic romance and romantic fiction. My novels have been published by a variety of different houses, both in the US and the UK, and translated into many languages including German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian and Japanese. I'm best known for my many novels for the pioneering British erotica publisher Black Lace and I writing books with contemporary, paranormal and occasionally futuristic settings. I'm now venturing into historical erotic romance too, with a new novel for Harlequin Spice set in London in the year 1890.

I also write as Dorothy Starr and Megan Paul

I've been writing for publication since 1990, and have had over twenty novels published and around 100 short stories. I've contributed to many different short story anthologies and women’s magazines. I've also written a number Spice Briefs for Harlequin.

I'm a member of Romance Writers of America, the Passionate Ink RWA Chapter, the Romantic Novelists Association [UK] and the Society of Authors [UK].

I live in the heart of West Yorkshire, UK, with my husband and my cats. When I'm not writing I enjoy reading, watching TV and movies, hanging out on Twitter and Facebook, and online life in general. I was formerly a librarian and have also worked in local government.

Reviews

[**Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

utterly sinful and entertaining

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Stone is my idea of a perfect man. In the realistic sense of the word...not the romance novel sense. He's not young and arrogant, but he still has the spark of sexuality that'll knock a woman off her feet. He's good looking but not a Greek god. I've known men like him...men who command attention when they walk in a room, men who exude power and authority. I may be in the minority here, but here's my fantasy version of Mr. Stone:



or

I love Maria -- I can see a lot of me in her. The book has a great humorous bent to it, almost as if Mr. Stone and Maria both know not to take themselves too seriously. This book is the only one I know of that includes a "dogging" scene in it -- very unique to Britain. And, just when I thought the book couldn't get much better, the author, Portia Da Costa, throws in one of the hottest M/M scenes I've ever read. Technically, it ends up being a M/M/F scene. I LOVE this book and highly recommend it!

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maria takes a job with the local authority after moving back to her hometown. Totally bored she soon becomes obsessed with her boss. In return Mr Stone develops a bit of a thing for her and it leads to some kinky shenanigans in the council offices. Entertaining indeed.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Above average for odd and unusual erotic encounters. Some were unsettling. Definitely unpredictable.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Read this for the erotic scenes, not for the plot or characters. Although Mr. Stone is an unusual character. I think I’d prefer a different storyline, but for readers wishing for a turn on, this should do it.

STORY BRIEF:
Maria gets a job as a clerical worker at Borough Hall (similar to City Hall). Mr. Stone is Director of Finance (one of top management). He is average looking, middle aged, slightly graying, and somewhat thick around the middle. Maria is extremely attracted to him. He has a commanding sexual presence. They have several secret rendezvous at work. He doesn’t call her for a while after each one, and she wonders if he’s lost interest, and then he sweeps her into another encounter. A major storyline is Maria is drawn to Mr. Stone but doesn’t know where she stands. There is still some of this even at the end. Another storyline is Mr. Stone is always planning some new and unexpected sexual encounter, usually with the risk of being seen. There are a lot of sex games including self pleasuring, handcuffs, spanking, whipping, sex in public, men with men, women with women, group sex, and bathroom activities.

DATA:
Story length: 237 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: erotic. Number of sex scenes: 14. Setting: current day town in England. Copyright: 2006. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.

OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I've read one other book by Portia Da Costa. My 3 star review of Suite Seventeen Copyright 2007 was posted 2/11/08.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book. I had a smile on my face from page one. It was light; sexy; funny; well written and contained a good dose of whimsy. What makes me think the author had her tongue firmly planted in her cheek when writing this?:)
I'm not usually a fan of first person narrative but Maria's telling of this story was so 'entertaining'!!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a thin line between romance novels and erotica novels, especially these days. The "spicy" romances can be REALLY spicy. So while this is sold as erotica, I was surprised and impressed by the romance inside. The reader stays with Maria, the heroine, rather than seeing any internal conflict with Mr. Stone, but he lets some emotion out through his eyes or tone of voice, so Maria's narration feels well rounded.

S and M isn't my bag, but this plays out more like light control games than anything else, so don't let that frighten you off as a reader. Maria engages in sexual play with people other than Mr. Stone, but at all times, they are focused on each other as partners. They show tenderness and caring for each other, so again, this could be read as a very spicy romance.

I would have liked some of the non-erotic parts to be fleshed out more, something that I imagine was sacrificed because it was written for the Black Lace imprint. Trying to avoid spoilers, I will just say that there is a photo that I would have liked more discussion about. Also, more to the ending. The resolution is okay, but a longer epilogue, more to make the reader believe that the couple will make it, even if they make it in a nontraditional way, would have been more satisfying to me.

[Saskia Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping office shenanigans by the British Queen of S and M! This first person narrative sucks you in from the first lines. Maria is bored by her new job in a big government building, (I could relate to that,) so when she finds out the sort of sexy goings on that happen behind the scenes, she's more than ready to get involved. Her boss, Mr Stone, is an intense, sexy man, and when she gets tangled up in a hot liaison with him you better be ready to be riveted to the pages! If you enjoy kinky erotica with a strong romantic undertow, you'll love this latest Portia Da Costa novel. Portia Da Costa writes quirky yet believable erotica that will arouse, amuse, and entertain.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portia Da Costa's latest alpha male, Robert Stone, is described as "...all roughness. All earth. Beastly and primal" and I loved him. He walks the corridors of Borough Hall with his long dark overcoat flying behind him like a caped crusader. Oh my! Directors of finance at the Council have never been so hot! Da Costa makes working for the Council sexy! (She herself once worked for her local Council) Plus, who knew Council bins could be so erotic? Loved the last scene in the infamous Waverley hotel too!

This is a 3 1/2 star read. In my opinion, it could have done with a couple of extra chapters focusing on just Maria and Stone.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this novel as it has a very boring plot and I didn't really care about the characters. I started out feeling nothing for Mr. Stone or Maria. The author went overboard describing Mr. Stone as plain and unattractive. I started envisioning him as a really old, haggard-looking man and that made the rest of the book less enjoyable. He does nothing to endear us to him other than act like yet another version of a less charming Christian Gray (which isn't saying much). The DOM-SUB relationship was unremarkable and I felt like the author just added in 'gross-sounding' things just to humiliate the main character.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly deep story of what seems to be a boss and underling dabble in an affair. There is kink, and a sweetness, a thoughtfulness, that is really lovely. There are some bad guy machinations which are well done - I loved how they were resolved. The sex scenes are quite graphic and unpolished - deliberately. If you don't like the first person stream of consciousness, beware.

Bought from kindle

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book greatly. loved the characters, particulary the protagonist & the tension between her & Mr. Stone. Portia Da Costa is an author who can tell an erotic tale well & with a sense of humour. this is not common in contemporary erotica, in my experience.

[Tarawhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic characters-they feel like people I might know-drew me right into the story. And the sex is hot!

[penelopewanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Lace. I've read some by Da Costa I enjoyed very much, others I found quite so-so. So far this one is fits in the better category.
Continued to be one of the better ones.

[Penelope Merrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the voice and characters in this story.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mari astarts a new job and has the hots for her boss Mr. Stone.

[Sandi Monypenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poorly written - seemed like a string of e very possible sexual scenario strung together by a flimsy story. Have read better books by this author. Erotic tales that lack passion and romance

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good character and plot developementd for this genre. Sex scenes above average. I enjoyed the read.