Thursday, April 19, 2012

Review of Don't Call Me Baby by Elizabeth Black

Having been spoilt with doing reviews of books between 50 and 150 pages recently, I felt momentary panic when I remembered Don’t Call Me Baby is over double the maximum I have done recently. Not one to allow myself to baulk for long, however, I was still eager to get in to this review.

I have heard nothing but praise about Ms Black’s writing, and I’ll freely admit I was hooked from the first page. The leading lady, Catherine, is a lusty woman only interested in men for the pleasures that comes from sex and what she can get from them. Trust issues mean a committed relationship is the last thing on her mind.

The fact that this isn’t set in now, but rather 1983 is quite a refreshing change. It gives the whole story an air all its own, and despite being set three years before I was born, I still get the sense of the era due to Elizabeth’s writing. In fact, I almost get a sense that Catherine is possibly loosely based on the author’s personality, a though I find very enjoyable.

A particular point that I found myself nodding to is the double standard that males can brag about their sexual prowess and conquers without judgement, yet women who do the same are looked upon as “sluts”. It is a sad statement on society, in my opinion but enough of the political statement. Back on topic: the review.

Ms Black builds strong characters and weaves a fascinating plotline that had me drawn in and enjoying the story rather quickly. I recently discussed how some stories need to be kept short and to the point, but others needed lots of “fluff” to add flavour and allow the reader to fully enjoy the story. It can be tricky sometimes to tell which one suits each story, but this is a prime example of a full-flavoured story that ambles on at the perfect pace with the right amount of details to keep readers wanting more; a sign of an excellent seasoned writer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Don’t Call Me Baby and I look forward to reading more by Elizabeth Black in the future.
You can find the link to buy this book from All Romance ebooks on my first Promo Monday.