Chad Prince had known, and perhaps loved, Shirley Kiner for half his life. But, for the last half, she'd been away. Everyone knew that, years ago, she'd posed for Penthouse. But there was more: the rumors about her were disturbing. Who was Shirley, today? And how much had she changed?
Size: 143 KB (26,539 words)
Genre: Romantic
Sex Contents: Some Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, Romantic, Heterosexual, Caution, School
Review by Andrew Johns [other reviews by Andrew Johns]
Reviewed:
In "Woman With A Past", we have the story of a man who goes to his 15th High School reunion, and sees the most infamous former student sitting by herself. Her Penthouse spread has caused her to be isolated, so our hero invites her to sit with him and his friends. Read along to find out how things proceed from there.
The sex in the story is all off-screen, and the story codes reflect that. As such, there is no stroke value to this story.
The plot itself is pretty decent. The characters feel believable and the dialogue is well done. This is a very character driven story, and the author did a good job making me want to keep reading about them.
Technically, the story could use some work. The author was a little comma happy in this story, and I found it distracting. There is also a tendency to use a capital first letter to emphasize a word, making the eyes expect a proper noun where there is none. There were no spelling errors that I noticed.
Overall, this is a decent story, but not spectacular by any stretch. This story was originally posted back in 2005, so I don't know if the technical aspects mentioned are still the norm for this author or not.
Review by Woody [other reviews by Woody]
Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
Chad Prince was a high school nerd and completely inept with the girls. Now he's a computer science professor at a small, Missouri college. On pressure from his friends, he goes to his 15th year high school reunion and meets Shirley Kiner, homecoming queen, school beauty, unattainable dream for the like of Chad. But Shirley is a woman with a past, among other things she was a Penthouse Pet of the month.
Being a genuinely nice guy, Chad befriends Shirley when she is shunned by most and tries to start a relationship. Will her past get in the way? Of course it will but you'll have to read the story to find out what happens.
I've ready several of Tony Stevens' stories and I like this one the most. Maybe I just identify with a HS nerd but I prefer to believe that it's the quality of the storytelling. Characterization is great for a medium length story. You definitely come to feel what the characters are experiencing. It has a real life flavor to it in that no one is evil but no one is completely virtuous either. The banter between Chad and his friends is great and his best friend's wife certainly earns her title as the smartest person Chad knows. You can probably predict the ending but not the path.
Editing quality is great as is the case with all of this author's contributions. This one is not a stroke story at all. While sex is discussed, described, contemplated, and desired, there is are no explicit scenes.
Try this one for a fun read with realistic characters that leaves you feeling good.
Review by Erik Thread [other reviews by Erik Thread]
Reviewed:
What an excellent story. Enjoyable. Compelling. Real-seeming. I am glad I chose it to read—and especially glad that Tony Stevens chose it to write.
The plot of Woman With a Past was well-planned. It went where he chose, directly and unerringly, but it reflected the same patience that his characters showed in their lives. The slow development of the story wasn't just a device, cute and delaying. No, it was the natural flow (that he crafted) to a story that was an outgrowth of the rich characters he designed and the context he created for them.
The characters seemed real. I wish I could meet them! I think I'd enjoy being a friend with Chad and I'd love to see some of the pictures of Shirley! He created full-fleshed characters, deep yet inviting.
The proofreading is superior, a joy to read on-screen where so much is so often distractingly error-filled. The editing is direct, clear, and polished. The plot, even though we could guess where it was going from pretty early on, contained enough twists and some strategically placed conflicts to keep the story interesting all the way to its satisfying ending.
The explicit sex is mostly anticipated—or referred to from the past. Woman With a Past is coded no-sex, but that's not entirely true. The rom is filled with a "sexual" context, helping drive the story forward with hope, fear, and expectation.
I have now read two of Tony Stevens' stories and find them intriguing and enjoyable, with excellent characterization, good plot development, outstanding beginnings, and quality presentations.
