Kindle Edition Amazon Siren_Bookstrand Publisher Amazon.com Category:  Romance Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand ISBN-10:  1610341570 Pages: 124 Copyright: March 16, 2011 ISBN-13: 9781610345248 Price: $3.82 (eBook) A contemporary erotic romance written with the romantic notion of men in mind. A reviewer's quote: "It's a throwback to the old style romanticism" Imagine if you will a story begun in the halls of Mount Olympus long before this modern tale was conceived. It was a time when the god Hermes flew on his winged sandals and carried messages from the gods to the mortals below. And between that time and this, couriers became postmen and handwritten letters became bytes. It is said the gods still speak to those who listen… Left bruised and brokenhearted after a cruel breakup, Vivienne Bennet finds herself mired in a world of self-doubt and low self esteem. To her surprise, she receives an email that challenges her to rediscover the sensual woman she once was. Together Vivienne and the enigmatic man known only as S embark upon the world of anonymous Internet communication where suggestive emails lead to erotic chat, where cybersex leads to Skype, and C2C sends both into the arms of a love they’d believed lost forever. Excerpt Hermes Online - The Kiss: I closed the Word document and absently twirled my hair, lost in thought. There was so much of me in there, even the decorations in Jonathan's house said much about me. The fact that Lily looks identical to me was rather Freudian too, come to think. I laughed out loud at the thought. It's funny how our subconscious mind tells us what's what sometimes. The subconscious mind intuits what the conscious mind misses at first glance. Yes, the phone sex story was a whim, and who would have thought six years later, it would help me find my way back to myself? I wished in that moment my pen pal stood right here so I could say thank you. I'd thank him for lighting the match that eventually relit the candle of my self-confidence. I'd kiss him for real. I pressed my fingers to my lips, imagining this curious and compelling green-eyed, chestnut-haired, large-handed, well-endowed man kissing me. And unbelievably, my panties got soaking wet. I flexed my fingers and crafted a scene from the sizzling phantom fire playing over my lips. Having experienced amazing kisses in my life added just enough realism to the blend of movie kisses. I told the screen, "So, you want a kiss, eh? Then what will you think of this?" S, There is so much more to kissing for the first time than meets the eye. The would-be lovers laugh and smile and delight in each other's company. They talk, getting to know each other, trying to find the choicest morsels of their life and personality to share. They might hold hands for hours as they wander here and there. And when they sit side by side, perhaps on a bench at a museum, they'll look in feigned interest at the passersby, glance again and again at the exhibit, but not really seeing it. First, one will turn inward, the movement slight, barely noticeable. And then with no clear knowledge of doing so, the one will magically mirror the other. Their knees may touch, and one set of clasped hands might rest innocently upon a knee. And then a noise, a temporary distraction, might take their attention for a second, and both heads will turn to the sound, inadvertently closer now than before. When one turns back, their faces will be mere inches apart. Their eyes, green and gray, will hold each other's gazes, darting from one sparkling pupil to the other. They might unfocus to drink in the entire face for a second, perhaps lingering on the person's smile before meeting the gaze once more, a gaze noticeably warmer than a moment ago. One face may turn a little, and in mirrored image, the other follows, only slightly tipped in the opposite direction. And the eyes ask the silent question as two thoughts become superimposed -- May I kiss you? Will you kiss me? The answer is subtle, missed by nearly everyone passing by, everyone save the smiling elder couple holding gnarled hands and assisted by their canes. Perhaps they, too, once shared a kiss sitting there, or plan to again later. But locked in their own world, they don't notice the elder pair walk by. They are aware now only of each other, aware of little things, the flush on her cheeks, the gleam in his eye, the color of her moist lips, the imperceptible flare of his nostrils as he subconsciously reminds his body to breathe. They touch now. The kiss is at first soft, the lips asking permission for the firmness they crave. Another kiss grants this and another and another as faces turn to fit around chins and cheeks and noses. And then loose and pliable, those lips part now to make way for tentative tongues. These too begin their searching, gently at first then becoming bolder as they instinctively react to the warmth of each other's mouths and thrust as hands cup cheeks and arms wind around shoulders, drawing each other ever inward into the private space that shuts the waking world out and lets the dream begin. V Little did I realize when I began this kissing scene that I would abandon the amalgamated movie kisses. I stopped and read those words, my words, my kiss. That kiss had been real, as had the love behind it. My eyes filled with tears, but I sent it on. Feeling alone, I rose from my chair and walked away.

5-Stars The Book Binge
The Book Binge
Does it feel too far fetched to think of today's connections through the internet as messages from the gods? Certainly it is now possible to get email from the farthest reaches of the planet in a matter of seconds. Perhaps it is our contemporary connection to the long-forgotten gods and their messenger Hermes. No more far fetched than some of the sci-fi fantasies that have become reality in just the past three or four decades. That being said, it certainly felt like a message from some benevolent god when Vivienne began experiencing the positive responses to an erotic short story that she posted on the net. She had been a different person when she wrote it, and even though she posted it with no expectation that anyone would pay much attention, she was especially drawn to comments by the illusive S whose response seemed to be more personal and self-affirming than the others. Even the words he used to address her as V began to call to a person within her that she had begun to believe had been crushed to death by the disregard and cruelty of her ex who had walked out on her, dumped her even as he blamed her dullness for his infidelity.
Now don't get the wrong idea that Vivienne was a gullible gussy and a woman who was so hungry for affirmation that she put herself carelessly in the clutches of an internet scumbag. As carefully as possible, Vivienne began to respond to S, limiting her comments so that he would have to reveal himself as much as he was asking her to do so. Little by little they expanded their comments to become erotic encounters, all of them slowly but surely peeling away the layers of self-doubt, hurt, unhealed wounds and the persona of a frightened and apologetic woman she had assumed. As their encounters became more and more personal, Vivienne experienced a kind of self-expression that even amazed her, and as she and S became more and more comfortable with one another, she agreed to opportunities for reveal herself, even to the point of meeting S halfway between their locations.
This is a story that is not necessarily intended to laud the romance possibilities of meeting someone online. I don't think any considerate person would be unaware that such opportunities should be carefully explored with an eye to the many cases of fraud and crime against women and teens that have become all too commonplace. Rather, I think this story is more about the way that the kindness and warm expressions of appreciation for Vivienne's writing and verbal skills began to unfreeze her from a self-imposed tomb of pain and self-doubt. That it slowly began to morph into a series of was almost more than she could have expected, but that it brought out the best in her, helped her to re-connect with the sensual woman she was, turned out to be a result she could never have expected.
Vivienne is like so many who have become the walking wounded and this story brings that to life in this character. Told in a poetic and creative way, this series of encounters seemed to tap into not only my love for a great romance and happy endings, but I was enthralled with the writing itself. Ms Anderson brings such a spirit of inventive thinking to this story and it reminded me that I had truly enjoyed her first book which I read some months ago. Once again she has envisioned a story that might not have been real, but may indeed be the kind of romance many would view as a fulfillment of a long-cherished fantasy.
I have to admit that I would never have thought of internet email and chat as metaphors for messages from the gods. But for this character and for millions of others, email can bring a serious connection to people who feel disconnected from people around them. In Vivienne's case, it was a life-changing experience. And it is a testimony to the power of words that can arouse the true self as it did with her. Even those of us who are incredibly invested in the print media forget the power of words to hurt and destroy as they can do just the opposite. It was words that slowly tore Vivienne away from connection with her true self just as it was S's kind, loving, complimentary, and erotic words that gave Vivienne a new lease on herself, on love in general, and ultimately on S in particular.
This is unlike any story I have ever read and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. I admit to being just a little concerned for Vivienne when she began this exchange with S, worrying that she was getting herself into a situation with this man that would further hurt her. I suppose that is the cynicism that has become the norm for many of us relative to the internet. But I was most pleasantly surprised and found the story one of those "feel good" kinds of reading experiences. I think romance fans will find this a creatively different and most enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.I give this novel a 4.5 out 5 rating.

5-Stars Happily Ever After Reviews
Vivienne had fallen into a rut in the year since the breakup of her last relationship. As many of us do when life deals lemons, we pine for better times. We look back at that one hot relationship that didn't work out and think "What if?" Throwing caution to the wind one night, she posts an erotic story she wrote on a free site. People say nice things and one man challenges her to do a little more via the privacy of email.

I liked this story. It's a throwback to the old style romanticism. Nobody leaps into bed with a stranger. While they titillate one another with erotic emails, they get to know each other. Because it's told through first person point of view, we don't get to know S as well as we might. I admit I didn't trust him not to be a serial killer, and I definitely bit my nails when she agreed to meet him in person. However, it needed to be done because I was a little tired of them not having actually met. Once they meet, the pace of the narrative picks up and sparks fly.

The best thing about this story is the ending. The plot twist definitely appeals to the romantic in me. It's a thoroughly sensual read and a feel-good story.

4 Tea Cups!

5-Stars Fictional Bookshelf
Hermes Online is an erotic romance with two characters that will be hard to wipe from my mind. When you read the lovemaking scenes and the foreplay in between you won't be saying, "Oh that's a sweet moment", and then forget about by bedtime. You will want to nudge your partner awake to help cool the tension Rose Anderson created when she wrote Hermes Online.

The heat level is smoking hot -- not just a little flame that an itty-bitty fire extinguisher can put out. Imagine a much bigger flame, -- the kind it would take a slew of men in their fire department gear using the big hoses. Trust me you'll need to find a way to cool down once you read this.

The heat in this story gets an A+ from me.

What I loved about the book.

1. The heat. It was erotically written.
2. The overall plot was unique and flowed very fast. I couldn't put the book down when I started reading it even when I was blushing from the very vivid scenes.
3. Vivienne, the main female character, was easy to like and very believable. I felt like she sat next to me and I saw her highs and lows personally. To give you an idea of what type of woman she was outside of the bedroom here is a passage from the beginning. This passage happens to be one of my favorites because it happens in real life. I hate seeing history being replaced and discarded without a second thought.

The house would be coming down within the month, the second significant landmark lost in as many years. Why couldn't they see? Did everything have to make way for progress? Was the new chain store really that necessary?

4. I like the fact that there was steam between the two main characters from the very beginning but they didn't actually come together until much later.
5. This is a book that I will come back to for those moments when I need cheered up or just want to blush again.

Now for the rating, which happens to be a sneak peek into how I will rate the books I review starting June 24, 2011. See rating system page for more information.

Hermes Online receives 5 out of 5 red crows, which means it's amazing.