Customer Reviews

Switch

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

After hearing only good things about Megan Hart's books, I jumped at the chance to read and review her latest, Switch, for Amazon Vine. Either she's having an "off" book or I miss her allure. Given that it's taken nearly three weeks to slog through it, though, the question is...does it matter? Not to me.

Here's a thumbnail sketch of the storyline: A woman determined to move up in the world discovers her mojo by secretly asserting her power over the men in her life and by doing so, becomes fully self-actualized.

Paige will do anything not to repeat her mother's mistakes. After divorcing her high school sweetheart, she earned a college degree, moved into the cheapest apartment in a high-end building in a high-end neighborhood, and has her first "career" position. She indulges her obsession with expensive stationary whenever she can; writing on a beautiful piece of paper for her is a nearly sexual experience.

Though she decides to live as she means to go on, she can't seem to shake her ex-husband Austin, even though she's also attracted to a handsome neighbor in her building. When mysterious notes written on expensive card stock end up in her mailbox, she can't help but read them. They are instructions meant for submission...and they are not meant for her.

Day after day Paige reads the notes, returns them carefully to their envelope, and puts them in the correct mail slot. She secretly follows their dictates - they are not sexual - but when she determines the intended recipient, she has an epiphany. She'd rather direct than submit. She gives things a trial run and realizes the thrill of having two men in her momentary thrall...and when she tries it out at the office, discovers how assertiveness effects her relationship with her boss.

The first-person narrative didn't create intimacy, as it should have, and the author had an annoying habit of dropping important pieces of backstory into the narrative far later it would have helped to have them. The result? A clueless reader. Worse than cluelessness, though, is Paige's emotional distance from everyone around her: She's estranged to some degree from the man who illegitimately fathered her; her step-mother looks down her nose at Paige; her mother doesn't understand her need to have a different life; she mostly feels sorry for her step-siblings (although all of them were raised in more stable environments); she doesn't really like her best friend; her boss is an exacting, precise man very difficult to please; and though she and her ex-husband use each other as fuck buddies, he wants more than she's willing to give. And her unwillingness in this regard was pathological.

As for the hunky neighbor, well, he's a good guy, but Paige is too complicated for "good." And, it turns out, he's not quite what he seems. That she knows it - but he doesn't know she knows it - provides her a kinky thrill, and it's only when Paige reminisces about sex, engages in kinky thoughts or actions, or writes on expensive paper that she truly comes alive.

It can make for a powerful reading experience when an emotionally disconnected character re-engages, but not in this instance. Her emotional disconnect was my emotional disconnect, and had I not committed to reading and reviewing it for Amazon Vine, I'd have given up a few days in rather than forcing myself to finish it over a period of weeks.

I really enjoyed Megan Hart's voice in Switch. The relaxed, conversational tone of the novel made everything that happened seem so real. The dialogue was great, never forced, and used realistic phrases. I loved that Paige was concerned about sounding "like a total douche." The novel was a fast read and had some very humorous moments. The story rang true with it's message that sex and power are linked in ways we don't always see. Being that this was an erotic novel, I feel I have to judge the sex scenes a little. Unfortunately they just weren't working for me. Realistic? Mostly. Scorching hot? Not really. When read for the story, this book is very good. When read for titillation, Switch falls a little flat.

The plot and the cover were definitely misleading. I expected a romantica story on the scales of Jaid Black, Angela Knight, Evangline Anderson, or Lora Leigh. Instead, it was a first person perspective of a woman that I could not bring myself to care of at all, nor feel any degree of interest in any of the characters from her family, boss, or partners.

I've never read a book in this type of category where I struggled to read to the end to this degree. In fact, it was an unenjoyable chore to do so. And in finally doing so, this book will definitely not be on my keeper shelf. Neither the romance or the so called steamy scenes worked for me.

I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone especially if you like romantica types of series. This is the first novel I have read from this author. As of this book, I am not inclined to try another of her books.

Paige is a lover of stationary and pens. She appreciates the different colors, textures and thicknesses of good writing paper. She appreciates the silky smooth flow of the ink when it meets paper. She even enjoys the unique smells inks and papers have.

When she opens her mailbox in the lobby of her upscale apartment building, she is puzzled and equally thrilled to find an envelope and card, made of the high quality linen, containing instructions for the beginning of a sort of game. The card gives simple instructions for the reader to make a list of 5 flaws and 5 strengths and deliver them to an address by a certain date. When Paige looks closer at the address on the envelope she discovers that the envelope was placed in her box by mistake. She reluctantly puts the envelope in its correct box but decides, for kicks, to follow the instructions anyway.

Over time more letters and instructions are mistakenly placed in her box and Paige always opens them, reads them and then promises herself to obey the instructions before placing the cards in their correct mailbox. The cards instructions range from the simple, like what to wear, to the sexual, like writing in explicit detail an essay about your most erotic experience.

The notes add a mystery to the story, as to who is sending them and who is really receiving them. They also add a sexual and voyeuristic aspect to the story. Paige discovers a little bit more about herself via the letters and their tasks.

While the letters are an important part of the book, Paige's relationships with the people in her life are really center stage. Her family, her boss, her friend, her ex-husband and the hottie in her building, all add to the fabric of this compelling tale.

What I like about Megan Hart's writing is she always has me assuming the story is going to be about one thing, like this one and the letters, and then she always surprises me with added complexities and emotional ties that place her books on a whole other level. It's not just about the sex, although that is always a huge plus, it's about all those other human reactions and emotions that come into play in and out of the bedroom.

She has Paige exploring all the feelings and emotions that spark with a new love interest, the excitement that comes with the new and unknown, the promise of discoveries and firsts. Then she has Paige reexamining old relationships and the excitement that comes from comfort and the knowledge of each others bodies and of wants and needs and the fulfillment of those things without having to ask or instruct.

I was completely spellbound by Switch from page one, and could have devoured it in one sitting. The erotica is exemplary, the story salacious. Switch is highly recommended to fans of erotica and anyone who enjoys both complete control and complete submission.

Cherise Everhard, March 2010

This was my first Megan Hart book and I wasn't sure what to expect. From the cover I expected Switch to be steamier than it was. Don't get me wrong, there is lots of smex and steam, but I found the story to be more about Paige figuring out who she is.

Paige is a young, mid twenty year old woman. She has a weird obsession with stationary. I have to admit I have never thought about paper and pen in the ways she does.... but I enjoyed reading about it! At first I had a hard time connecting to her, or even liking her. She came across as harsh sometimes, especially in her reactions with her ex-husband Austin. Even after finishing the book I am not sure that I understand what went so horribly wrong in their relationship and why she was so hurt by him. I don't want to give anything away, so I am being vague, but there was a flashback that I think was the supposed reason however I found myself siding with Austin in that scenario. I am happy to say that Paige did grow on me as I got to know her. I enjoyed seeing her grow through the tasks she took upon herself from a neighbors' anonymous notes.

Paige finds herself torn between her ex-husband Austin and a dark and sexy neighbor Eric. What is worse is that I found myself torn between the two men! One chapter I was rooting for Austin and wishing he would just show up on her door and stay there until she came to her senses. The next I was cheering Eric on hoping he would make a move! In the end I was totally Team Austin, but it was a close race. His devotion and trust in Paige was so sweet, I couldn't bear to see his heart broken.

Outside of the relationship plot, I enjoyed the story. I liked her quirky boss Paul and the relationship she has with her half siblings. The story borders on being too busy when you add in the work and mom/dad plot lines and because of that drags a bit in the beginning. I would have liked to quick epilogue and I really really really want to know what was in the last note. Maybe I can bribe the author with cookies? Switch overcomes these minor flaw with its' steamy eroticism, interesting personal adventure, and sexy men! This will definitely not be my last Megan Hart novel.

Paige must choose between reuniting with her ex-husband Austin or perusing a dom/sub type relationship she inadvertently started by returning misdirected notes to her neighbor Eric.

Like all of Megan Hart's books this one is well-written, emotional and involving. However the first chapter is boring. The first half is very slowly paced and hard to get into, and the story is slowed further by all the back story and flashbacks in the first half. Some of the mundane detail gets a little plodding and I wondered why I was reading it. Then the big "switch" occurs on p. 221 and the story moves forward, becomes far more interesting and I couldn't put it down. That's a long time to wait for a book to get good, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

The idea of Paige becoming a dominatrix via note and text was very interesting and well-handled and I liked the juxtaposition of the real relationship Eric had with Paige vs. the fantasy relationship he had with her alter-ego. The red-herrings were great; I couldn't guess who sent the original notes. I didn't know until the final three pages who Paige would choose. I really enjoyed the last half.

I felt the ending somewhat unsatisfying, not because I disagreed with the heroine's choice -- I did, but I figure that's an author's prerogative -- but because it needed more than two pages to wrap up the complicated secondary relationship. The ending was strongly implied, but I wanted to read the confrontation, if there were repercussions from her choice, or read the contents of the note, not just be told she sent one that ended it. I needed a longer conclusion. And maybe I needed a little more convincing that guy A was a better choice than guy B. I think that may be one reason why I found the first half so slow, Hart was setting up the choice and I think it was just the less interesting relationship.

Overall, I liked the book after I got through the first half. If you're a Hart fan, stick with it and you won't be sorry. If it's your first Hart, I'd recommend a more evenly paced book such as "Broken", "Dirty", or "Tempted". Recommended with reservations about first half 3.5 stars.

First, let me say that I loved this book. The characters were vivid and very three deminsional, the story line was neat and easy to follow and the writing was superb. This was my first erotic novel and I can easily say that I have new genre of writing added to my favorites. I'm especially interested in checking out Megan Hart's other novels.

I received this book as a review copy from netgalley and then...uh...kind of bought the book out of my OCD to have the really good books as a print copy.

At first I really loved this cover. It represents the book really well and it is just nice to look at. Then I remembered the discussion about "Is he sniffing his armpit?" (BF thought that too by the way) and now I always have to smile when I look at it.

Just to warn you in advance: I'm such a sucker for Ms. Hart's writing and I can hardly leave out all the adoration and awe I feel while thinking about her books.

Like always while reading a book by this author I was highly surprised to get something different from what I expected. After reading the blurb I thought about a highly erotic game in a D/s relationship. But again this book is so much more.

Paige is a very complex character although her life is nothing exceptional- she is the illegitimate daughter of a businessman and his secretary. She is in her twenties now and already divorced once. She has a strange love for paper and ink and quite quirky boss but otherwise her life is completely ordinary. Until she finds the first note in her mailbox. The note is not for her but who would put a unsealed note down before reading it (not me- I would be reading it ASAP too). And OMG what a message this note is:

Shall we begin?

This is your first list.

You will follow each instruction perfectly. There is no margin for error. The penalty for failure is dismissal.

Your reward will be my attention and command.

You will write a list of ten. Five flaws. Five strength. Deliver them promptly to the address below.

So huh? Now you all feel nosy? I so did. The journey Paige goes with these notes is eye-opening not only for her but for the reader too. Or so it was for me. I really adored the way Ms. Hart developed Paige's view of relationships, men and sexuality through these little notes. I won't tell which direction this takes but it was a surprising one.

On the other hand we have Austin. He is Paige's high school love and ex-husband. Austin has his good and bad sides. I couldn't decide at the start if I liked him or not. But with time he really grew on me and sometimes I was more on his side and would have loved to tell Paige what I think of her decisions.

We also have her sexy neighbor Eric. He's a real eye catcher and a very nice person but was way too nice for me. I was praying the whole time that he would make a move on Paige but you have to read that for yourself. *wicked grin*

This book, as all books by Megan Hart, was a wild ride for me. It's not a great tearjerker as the former books I read but perhaps I got glassy eyes ones or twice. *wink* I always love that her books are so full of emotion and they have such an intense and real feeling that I can only say: you all should read one of her books. Her novels are always so much more for me than just an erotica. Don't get me wrong, I like my erotica smutty and all but hers are always so emotional intense and thought inspiring. It could be that this is only my impression but I just can't stop buying her books (only 2 this week *guilty face*). Megan Hart's writing is a new addiction of mine and I can't wait to get new fix!

I see several other reviews for this book complaining that it wasn't erotic enough. I will admit it wasn't as sex-oriented as many other erotica books I have read, despite having its fair share of very explicit sex scenes. If that is all you are looking for, then yeah - you should probably get a different book. Explicit, yes. Totally focused on sex? No.

This is the first book by this author I have read, and I was *very* impressed with her skill. Many erotica books are ONLY about sex. This one was so, so much more than that. The characters were very real - fully fleshed out, with complicated families and issues and problems, just like we all have. It actually had a plot - which so many erotic books seem to forget. This book held me captivated to the last word and I started and finished it the same day.

The most impressive part of this story was the author's understanding of dominance and submission and what it is really all about. Sexy erotica abounds with people getting tied up and spanked and all that. But those who truly live the lifestyle know it goes a lot deeper. This book illustrated it in a way that vanilla readers can still understand and relate to. Kink doesn't necessarily include pain and toys and all the trappings of a Dominatrix. It can be (and most often is) as subtle and powerful as this story.

In my opinion, this was an EXCELLENT book, a great read and thought-provoking at the same time.

I confess, I love Megan Hart's novels. I love it that she writes erotica, and my secret pleasure in her novels is that I grew up in the city where she sets all of her stories. I love all the tiny, constant references to the capital city. I have to ask Megan if the Speckled Toad is really the Freckled Frog because I think it is! Reading erotica is a truly guilty pleasure and it makes it even better for me that it is set in Harrisburg, a fact I discovered by accident when I picked up my first Megan Hart book -- Broken. I was looking for an excellent romance and Megan Hart came highly recommended. I suggest two things, if you like this genre. Read all of her books, but don't read them back to back. Read one, then take a break. Then read another. Her compelling characters and inventive storylines will definitely satisfy you, but I do like some of her books better than others. This was not my favorite Megan Hart book but I still rate it very highly because it's been a few months since I read anything by her so I was tremendously entertained. Her main characters typically have intimacy and trust issues and I find that extremely absorbing.