What do you think?
Rate this book
Calendar Girl
Merritt Evans is expecting a lot out of her marriage but what she is not expecting is to come home to find her husband Drake diddling with the local trainer. Thanks to friends in high places, Merritt's divorced by the new year. She’s ready to put her old life behind her and her best friend Jeffrey--drag queen and fake psychic extraordinaire--comes up with a game plan.
A year of fun, frolicking and hot sex. No strings, no expectations and did he mention hot sex? A fresh guy every single month to get all the needs and kinks and cravings out of her system so she can move on. Merritt’s doing well with her plan until Penn Fratila shows up. Hot, Romanian and sexy as hell. Oh yeah, and he wants her. Bad.
A year of fun, frolicking and hot sex. No strings, no expectations and did he mention hot sex? A fresh guy every single month to get all the needs and kinks and cravings out of her system so she can move on. Merritt’s doing well with her plan until Penn Fratila shows up. Hot, Romanian and sexy as hell. Oh yeah, and he wants her. Bad.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2010
14 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Sommer Marsden
267 books280 followersProfessional dirty word writer, gluten free baker, sock addict, fat wiener dog walker, expert procrastinator. That sums it up.
Sommer Marsden has been called “…one of the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic” (Alison Tyler), “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen),and "Erotica royalty..." (Lucy Felthouse). Her erotic novels include Restricted Release, Restless Spirit, Boys Next Door, and the Zombie Exterminator series. Sommer currently writes for Harper Collins Mischief, Ellora's Cave, Xcite Books, Pretty Things Press, Excessica and Resplendence Publishing.
You can find Sommer's short works in well over one hundred and twenty-five (and counting) erotic anthologies.Visit her at Unapologetic Fiction http://sommermarsden.blogspot.com
Sommer Marsden has been called “…one of the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic” (Alison Tyler), “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen),and "Erotica royalty..." (Lucy Felthouse). Her erotic novels include Restricted Release, Restless Spirit, Boys Next Door, and the Zombie Exterminator series. Sommer currently writes for Harper Collins Mischief, Ellora's Cave, Xcite Books, Pretty Things Press, Excessica and Resplendence Publishing.
You can find Sommer's short works in well over one hundred and twenty-five (and counting) erotic anthologies.Visit her at Unapologetic Fiction http://sommermarsden.blogspot.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 13, 2010
The title points to the premise: Merritt is recently divorced and hurting, and had only one serious relationship before her marriage. Her Sassy Gay Friend decides that what she needs is more experience, some confidence boosters, and lots of good sex, and sells her on the idea of dating one new man per month of the new year.
It’s really a brilliant plot device. There’s a reason to have a wide variety of very different lovers, all in a context that makes sense, and there’s the chronology moving forward, but in a contained amount of time.
As a reader, I fell immediately into the same trap Merritt did: I really liked Mr. January! Why couldn’t she just stay with him?? But at the same time, I did buy into premise, that it’s hard for Merritt to really know what kind of man is best for her if she’s never had very many. So, like her, I regretfully watched the very sexy Mr. January exit and Mr. February enter (and he was great too). The Lovers of the Month were all sexy, and all in different ways. Merritt is, as they say, “good, giving, and game” and she gives them all a fair chance; treats none of them poorly; and has just a ton of hot sex.
It’s also a plot device that could bog down if adhered to too closely. I mean, if Chapter 1 was January and Chapter 2 was February, and so on, till December in Chapter 12, you might find yourself getting bored with the predictability. So yay for a clever author who knew that and threw in some surprises and twists. I don’t want to give any of them away; suffice to say that the main plot allowed for a clever, structured story line that never became too restrictive.
There were two things I especially liked about this book (in addition to Mr. January): 1) very good sex scenes, and 2) the various subplots. Each of Merritt’s men is very different, which means that the sex is different, but even within one month the descriptions were just the way I like them: explicit without being crude, affectionate without being precious, and varied without depending on a lot of odd synonyms for body parts. OK, wait, three things, with 3) being her writing style in general. I especially liked some of the humorous descriptions from the first-person narrator, such as I wiped my nose and checked my face. Red nose like Rudolph, red cheeks, red eyes. Basically when I cry I start to resemble a cherry tomato. Or a lifelong drunkard.
Many of the subplots involve family members. At the same time that I read Calendar Girl, I reread Anna Karenina. Even if you’ve never read it, you may be familiar with its opening line, because it’s just That Famous: All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. When I first read Anna Karenina in high school, I thought that line was very clever. As an adult, though, I find myself disagreeing. I know lots of happy families who are very different from one another. And, just going out on a limb here, I’m going to say that the happy families in Calendar Girl are like nothing Tolstoy ever knew. Now, granted, Calendar Girl is a different type of fiction — it’s light, humorous, exaggerated, and intended to arouse. Still, though, the sentiments rang true for me. There are brothers and mothers (and mothers-in-law) and spouses and ex-spouses (and friends), and they fight and feel frustrated and misunderstand one another — but they love one another and work through their problems. While some of the scenes were pretty wild, the feelings were familiar. This is how complex, loving family members deal with each other. It wasn’t the main point of the book, perhaps, but it was a nice side element, as was the treatment of Merritt’s job.
Great plot device. Enjoyable writing. Hot sex. Rich characters. Zany situations. Hot sex (it’s worth saying twice). Yes, I recommend this book.
It’s really a brilliant plot device. There’s a reason to have a wide variety of very different lovers, all in a context that makes sense, and there’s the chronology moving forward, but in a contained amount of time.
As a reader, I fell immediately into the same trap Merritt did: I really liked Mr. January! Why couldn’t she just stay with him?? But at the same time, I did buy into premise, that it’s hard for Merritt to really know what kind of man is best for her if she’s never had very many. So, like her, I regretfully watched the very sexy Mr. January exit and Mr. February enter (and he was great too). The Lovers of the Month were all sexy, and all in different ways. Merritt is, as they say, “good, giving, and game” and she gives them all a fair chance; treats none of them poorly; and has just a ton of hot sex.
It’s also a plot device that could bog down if adhered to too closely. I mean, if Chapter 1 was January and Chapter 2 was February, and so on, till December in Chapter 12, you might find yourself getting bored with the predictability. So yay for a clever author who knew that and threw in some surprises and twists. I don’t want to give any of them away; suffice to say that the main plot allowed for a clever, structured story line that never became too restrictive.
There were two things I especially liked about this book (in addition to Mr. January): 1) very good sex scenes, and 2) the various subplots. Each of Merritt’s men is very different, which means that the sex is different, but even within one month the descriptions were just the way I like them: explicit without being crude, affectionate without being precious, and varied without depending on a lot of odd synonyms for body parts. OK, wait, three things, with 3) being her writing style in general. I especially liked some of the humorous descriptions from the first-person narrator, such as I wiped my nose and checked my face. Red nose like Rudolph, red cheeks, red eyes. Basically when I cry I start to resemble a cherry tomato. Or a lifelong drunkard.
Many of the subplots involve family members. At the same time that I read Calendar Girl, I reread Anna Karenina. Even if you’ve never read it, you may be familiar with its opening line, because it’s just That Famous: All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. When I first read Anna Karenina in high school, I thought that line was very clever. As an adult, though, I find myself disagreeing. I know lots of happy families who are very different from one another. And, just going out on a limb here, I’m going to say that the happy families in Calendar Girl are like nothing Tolstoy ever knew. Now, granted, Calendar Girl is a different type of fiction — it’s light, humorous, exaggerated, and intended to arouse. Still, though, the sentiments rang true for me. There are brothers and mothers (and mothers-in-law) and spouses and ex-spouses (and friends), and they fight and feel frustrated and misunderstand one another — but they love one another and work through their problems. While some of the scenes were pretty wild, the feelings were familiar. This is how complex, loving family members deal with each other. It wasn’t the main point of the book, perhaps, but it was a nice side element, as was the treatment of Merritt’s job.
Great plot device. Enjoyable writing. Hot sex. Rich characters. Zany situations. Hot sex (it’s worth saying twice). Yes, I recommend this book.
July 14, 2013
This was an interesting read with great characters and witty dialogue. Merritt went through a tough divorce after finding her husband with another man and sets out to have purely sexual relationships with a different man each month for a year before attempting to open her heart up for anyone else. Her monthly men were definitely creative and each brought something different to the table but Merritt becomes hung up on one of her clients and can't help thinking about him throughout her sexcapades. Although Penn and Merritt are drawn to each other, I just didn't feel their connection. They spent the entire book apart so I think that distance prevented me from believing their relationship was credible. The writing felt choppy and one scene ran into the next so I did a lot of rereading to keep track of where I was in the story. I loved the secondary characters. They were hilarious, especially Merritt's mom and her gay drag queen best friend. I did find the ending abrupt which mad the story feel unfinished I actually searched to see if this was a series and it's not. The story had potential but there were just too many distracting things and parts that felt unfinished.
May 25, 2011
This was a fab, easy read. Funny and sexy, it is the story of one womans quest to have a different man every month for a year- even if she likes him, she must wrench herself away and move on to number two- full of hints on how to catch him, and warnings about what you could be letting yourself in for....
August 6, 2018
Scorching! Such a variety of men (one per month!) ... each with his own kinks, etc.
Merritt gets a sampler before she finally decides what she wants to feast on.
Merritt gets a sampler before she finally decides what she wants to feast on.
March 19, 2023
Literally just skimmed the whole book was so bad💤
April 2, 2015
Merritt is having a bit of a bad time. She came home early from work one day and found her husband in a clinch...with their male trainer!!! She is divorced by New Years. Her gay Drag Queen best friend (think chocolate Gok Wan) cajoles her into have a year of freedom, she will become a calendar girl. Each guy gets a month, no more, no strings and no commitments. What follows is a romp through this newly singles love life. She has a bite from every pie including domination, exhibitionism and flood of other kinks.
She's also having to deal with her overbearing mother, newly out gay brother, her confused ex husband and dealing with her own company!!!
The Men of the Month were all sexy and different. Some where so close to being what she wanted but...things don't always work out.
The sex scenes are explicit, affectionate and downright intriguing!! Hot sex, great writing, believable characters and some downright weird scenarios, just like real life!!
She's also having to deal with her overbearing mother, newly out gay brother, her confused ex husband and dealing with her own company!!!
The Men of the Month were all sexy and different. Some where so close to being what she wanted but...things don't always work out.
The sex scenes are explicit, affectionate and downright intriguing!! Hot sex, great writing, believable characters and some downright weird scenarios, just like real life!!
June 11, 2013
This book started off slow for me, I wasn't sure if I was going to finish. Once this book took off it was excellent.
Merrit catches her husband with the trainer. Bring in her gay and oh so fun drag friend Jeffrey. This is where the plan comes into play, a different man for each month. Each man brings along his own kinks, March was funny. Fast forward to Penn, I would have liked to read more about him, but that's just me.
Jeffrey actually made this book and everyone needs a clone of this guy!
Merrit catches her husband with the trainer. Bring in her gay and oh so fun drag friend Jeffrey. This is where the plan comes into play, a different man for each month. Each man brings along his own kinks, March was funny. Fast forward to Penn, I would have liked to read more about him, but that's just me.
Jeffrey actually made this book and everyone needs a clone of this guy!
June 1, 2013
I laughed!!!!!!! This is a good book that will make any person laugh at parts in this book. There are real life issues in here and real life situations that with an open minded person are down right hilarious!!!!!!!!!!! Good job on the book. Next time I am down and need a pick me up I will grab this book and have a much needed laugh.
June 9, 2013
I loved, loved this book. That is pretty much all I can say. I think I was laughing on every other page and jeez the sex was hot. I am even considering becoming a "Calender Girl". Hell it seems like a lot of fun, well only if I come across guys like she had. This is truly a laugh out loud book and it is really sweet and even had me tearing up a couple of times.
June 14, 2013
A very good book Loved it very much, the characters are very strong and loving. I really liked the idea of her being a calendar girl a different guy each month. i really like what happened in the month of June and it really got me thinking of my life of course August was my favorite guy. and im so happy with the way it ended, Awesome book i will recommend this to my friend.
June 10, 2013
I love this book until the end. All through the book, the author was very descriptive with all her "men" but when we got to Pen, it was too fast. I wanted more of Pen and Merritt, not just the few pages at the end. Overall, I did enjoy the book.
June 16, 2013
The cove is deceiving. LMAO! This book had me in tears it is absolutely Hysterical. You can't but laugh out loud. I loved It! I pretty much love everything from this terrific author. Thank you Sommer! I look forward to more delightful work!
Joanne
Joanne
December 5, 2013
Ms. Marsden is a dirty girl and her books are good, fun, often funny and really sexy. First book I found of hers was Wanderlust. Wow. This was a fun and really good book. Probably not for everyone but if you like sexy you can find it with Sommer.
August 11, 2012
Sommer Marsden is the mistress of her genre, and she does not disappoint with Calendar Girl.
Want to read
June 6, 2013Amazon freebie 6/6/13
July 2, 2013
Sorry, I couldn't get into this book, a woman having sex w/ different men every month, just doesn't do anything for me.
December 20, 2013
damn. i actually couldnt wait till i was done with it. good book.
June 24, 2013
4.5 stars
February 12, 2016
the kink these guys had in the book was crazy funny and sometimes sexy
3.5 did I need that convo stars
3.5 did I need that convo stars
March 12, 2016
Quick hot read, though the big build up was a let down for me. The ending almost felt rushed. Not as much care was put into it.
September 22, 2016
A wonderful feel good story that doesn't marginalize how a woman feels when she gets cheated upon.
August 23, 2014
I loved this book! It was smart and sexy and made me laugh and cry
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews