I cannot remember what drew me to Teaching Elena other than the title sounded sexy as all get out. And that is what this novella turned out to be: sexy as all get out.

Elena (Lanie) Richardson is a virgin and the owner of a lingerie store. She needs to hire a stock boy and wants to be relieved of the stigma of her virgin status. Her virginity has been something of a problem for her. Her community contains few eligible males, and the size of her brother intimidates those who date her. It does not help that she has been upfront about sex with the men she has dated. When Luke Thomas shows up, she naturally assumes he is here to take the stock boy job. She finds him very attractive, and she quickly informs him of the secondary job she wants him to fulfill.

Luke is the new owner of the building Lanie's lingerie store is in. He comes by to introduce himself and is attracted to her on sight. Although astonished at the corollary job duty, he does not tell her he is not her job applicant. Of course, when the real job applicant shows up a day late, Lanie realizes Luke has misled her, but she is not attracted to her new employee. When Luke does appear, she is angry, but he can take care of that. What he cannot take care of is the fear that she is just like his cheating ex-wife, since she seems awfully cozy looking at snapshots with Grant, the new employee.

Teaching Elena is a fast-paced contemporary erotic romance. Despite the incongruity of Lanie needing instruction in kissing (I surely knew how to kiss before I had sex for the first time), Teaching Elena is a simple and sexy read that will please readers of this genre as it did me.

Reviewed by Catherine
© February 2005

The review is of a previously published version of this title.