Cover Image: Body Language

Body Language

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Member Reviews

I love all books by this author, can highly recommend. Just wonderful. The main characters are well developed and its so well written you feel personally involved in the journey.

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It took me a while to look past the way this premise was presented by Mika. It didn’t ring quite true as something someone would offer, or that anyone else would accept. (I later heard the author do a reading of that portion, and totally bought into it. Note: if you ever get the opportunity to attend a reading - virtual or otherwise - by Renee Roman, *do* give yourself the pleasure of attending!)

But I am often skeptical of how a book’s premise starts, so don’t assume most people would have that same reaction.

And, besides and more importantly, the book helps both MCs gain needed confidence in parts of their lives that they need the most.

There were many sex scenes (never a bad thing IMO). And not that I’m above a gratuitous sex scene or two, but they didn’t feel gratuitous. Every one was a small step toward Jennifer gaining confidence in her body, her sexiness, her “performance.” And they required Mika to hold back, hold back, hold back, even when it was nearly impossible. Which had the added side effect of her seeing her worth as not just a sexual being.

While this is a professor and a student, please note the student does not have any of the professor’s classes, she’s older than the other students, and their relationship is tutor/student. There are no grades on the line. Frowned upon by some, perhaps, but not unethical.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is a voluntary review.

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Beautiful!

Mika finds herself having to stand on her own two feet when her latest lover heads off after finding a better deal. Back at college, Mika is finally trying to achieve her degree but is struggling, until Professor Jenny Long comes along to help. Mika’s own professor has enlisted Jenny’s help on Mika’s behalf, and although hesitant to accept help for fear of pity, Mika comes around to the idea when she realises she might be able to help body conscious Jenny in return.

Such a beautiful passionate story and so much more than I initially bargained for. Not only do I love the idea of this book and all the story promotes, it has a gorgeous cover that is super enticing and just made me want to pick it up without even reading the blurb, and I am so glad I did. The whole story was emotional, even if you have never been in either of the characters shoes, you can still relate, and I most certainly did.

I loved Mika, she was confident yet deep down her struggles to succeed made her vulnerable. It quickly became clear what Mika appeared to be and who she actually was were completely different people. The fact she had vulnerability but this wonderful ability to help bring out the best in Jenny and be so accepting and just see past the physical made me love her! I was rooting for Mika to succeed and get all she deserved from the very first chapter.

However, I adored Jenny. One way or another we have all experienced what Jenny was going through. For many it may not have been for same reasons has Jenny, but we all have our hang-ups and we all are conscious of something about ourselves, either physically or mentally. I felt so overwhelmed with emotion for Jenny, and for someone who is also very conscious of my weight (although everyone argues I shouldn’t be), I really related to all she was going through. When you just don’t feel confident or like what you see when you look in the mirror it really does impact you. What I loved so much about this story though, was through all Jenny’s insecurities, Mika’s affection and genuine love for her helped her to do those things for herself, and it just goes to show how heavily you can be influenced by other people’s perceptions of you. For Jenny this was true on so many different levels, not only Mika’s view of her, and her own, but her family, and friends too. Support is important in you believing in and loving yourself, without it, it is a hard fight.

Mika and Jenny’s relationship was fantastic! Their dynamic was perfect and I loved how Jenny was constantly questioning why Mika would want her because of who she was and how she looked. Again, it was just something we can all relate to, and even Mika had those questions she was asking herself about why Jenny would want her with all her issues and problems. The story perfectly highlighted the mental struggle of why someone would even like you, which is exhausting, as I know and when you constantly ask yourself such things it is so hard to try and believe anyone really likes you, just as you are, but Mika and Jenny’s story should provide that reassurance.

The best bit though was that this wasn’t just romance, the erotic edge with the hot, steamy scenes gave it an edge and something so much more. Renee took what would have been a sweet romance and also showed that insecurity and difference isn’t something that shouldn’t stand in the way of you feeling and being sexy and enjoying all that comes with being intimate with others. A very important message!

I loved that Renee took such an everyday, sensitive subject that we all can relate to, not matter what, and delivered an engaging and exciting story that I totally fell in love with. This was my first book by Renee, and it definitely won’t be my last. I highly recommend this book and I think it is one we should all read! It’s fabulous!

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Erotic, professor (but not your immediate professor)/student romance with a plus-size lead and the other with a learning disability.

College professor Jennifer Long makes an unlikely - and kind of not okay - deal with Mika James. Mika struggles with college, not the learning but the conveying information particularly in writing. Now on her second attempt at college, Mika is once again at risk of failing out. Dr. Long, an English professor, volunteers to help Mika with her coursework. But Mika is reluctant to accept any assistance for free, so instead Mika proposes a trade - sex for studies. While their unlikely arrangement works for a while - Dr. Long increases her physical confidence and self-acceptance, while Mika improves academically - feelings start to be involved.

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Let's be honest: I totally judged this book by its cover. As an overweight lesbian, I wanted to see someone like myself represented in romantic fiction. Jen (who I assume is the character the cover portrays) is a smart, successful woman who is not comfortable in her own skin, a fact exacerbated by her mother's constant comments on her weight. Jen is going to start tutoring Mika, who has decided to go back to college after a woman dismisses her as someone who will not have a future.

Mika as a bit of a gigolo, who dated rich women and saw nothing wrong with the mutually beneficial relationships she has cultivated. Which is why she does not enjoy the imbalance in her relationship with Jen... and why she suggests tutoring Jen in the one subject Mika has excelled in.

The rest, as they say is history.

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I was looking forward to reading this but it was a bit disappointing.
I lost interest about half-way because the dialogue/inner monologues were the same, the characters weren’t developing or changing and it was just average.

I think it’s important to have representation in literature and I enjoyed reading a f/f romance, with a fat character too. I’d hoped that there would have been more progress with regard to the body confidence/positivity but admittedly, these things don’t change at the flick of a switch in real life either.

I also thought it was great that the other main character discovers that she has a learning disorder and we see her coming to grips with being diagnosed with dyslexia.

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Negotiations with a give and take can be very tricky. One reason being equal or one-sided. After reading, I think this negotiation was fairly equal and very hot. Mika James, smooth talker and has a way with women, rich women. She "uses" these women to keep a roof over her head, realizing that the women also "use" her. Professor Jennifer Long, enjoys teaching and helping students be the best they can be. Jenn struggles with her weight and that plays havok with her self-confident and self-esteem. Mika decides that a return to college is her best course of action. While attending classes she is a waiter at an upscale restaurant. Jennifer wants to move up in rank and continue to make a difference in her student's lives. When a colleague suggests that she help a student that is struggling in her class, Jennifer is in for quite the journey.

I appreciated the self-talk and the supportive brother (Rob) and friend (Karen). Both Mika and Jennifer needed and wanted a change. The self-talk provided the reader with the struggle each of them is going through. Both women wanted to feel better about themselves.

Although the miscommunication and struggle was repetitive, I though it was necessary because considering what they were dealing with, it is not just straight ahead with no looking back or backtracking.

The body positive message along with adult dyslexia was refreshing and informative to read about.

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3.75 stars

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it slightly more than her other book, Hard Body.

Let's just start with the cover model. Wow! Stunning! On that front, I'd hoped this would be a body positive book, (I'm mean look at her, she looks so bubbly and happy) but for the most part, the heroine was self-deprecating. So much so, in the beginning, it was uncomfortable to read about.

Statements like "Everyone says I'm a cow so I must be..." made her sound like she was five rather than earn my sympathy. And before anyone pounces, I've battled with my weight all my life, so I get it.

Moving on. Let's talk about sex, baby! This book has it in abundance, along with the word baby. In fact, if the sex was cut, this book would be half the length, but then it wouldn't be an erotic romance, which I believe it's being marketed as.

All in all, this is a story I'm sure many readers will enjoy, and I'm equally sure each will take something different from it.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley

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Loved this story. Mika and Jen were such a good couple together their relationship was hot and sexy. You could really tell that they only wanted the best for each other even when fighting their own insecurities in their relationship. This is the first book from this author that I have read but, it won't be the last. This book touched on some really hard subjects that everyone should be aware of such as body shaming, diabetes, and abusive relationships. I would definitely recommend this author to my friends and family.

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2.5 Stars

Okay so “Body Language” is a book I really really wanted to love because it features an overweight character and that is basically unheard of in lesfic. And while I didn’t hate it, it left me frustrated in the end and that was disappointing.

Mika is in need of a tutor after she decides to go back to college at 32, Jen, is a professor that is brought in to tutor her. Mika doesn’t want to accept a handout after years of being a self-described female gigolo so she makes a deal with Jen. She’ll let Jen tutor her in school if she can then tutor Jen in sex.

My first issue was the plot. I understand Mika doesn’t want to accept handouts but Jen is a tutor…it is literally her job to tutor Mika, she isn’t doing it for free or out of the goodness of her heart. However, I reminded myself that this is fiction and didn’t let it bother me too much and I moved on, mostly.

My second issue with this was the body positivity and maybe my expectations were greater than what this book was meant to express. It’s listed as an erotic romance and we certainly get the eroticism in spades with many and varied sex scenes throughout. I was hoping for a more positive body positivity storyline with Jen than what I feel like was delivered. Jen is full of self-hate and negativity about her body and that never goes away throughout the book. She had no confidence in her abilities in the bedroom because she was too ashamed to sleep with women. I kept waiting for her to finally accept herself and find her self-confidence in her body in and out of bedroom and she never did. She did learn to become more comfortable with sex and being intimate but even in the end she was having self-doubts about herself when comparing herself to others.

Miscommunication was also a big problem for the last third of the book. I feel like most of the angst/heartache could have been easily dealt with had Mika and Jen had a conversation.

On a positive note, I enjoyed Mika’s story about her dyslexia. She had a difficult time admitting she was having a problem in the beginning and seeing her try new and different ways to overcome it and achieve her dream of getting her diploma was refreshing.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

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I have never read a book by Roman before but I picked this mainly because of the cover. It is so rare to see a plus sized woman on book covers especially on an "erotic" book. So yes the cover is what first drew me to this book but I am so glad I picked it up.
As a lesbian it can be so hard to find good romances even when looking at indie authors. A lot of lesbians novels feel cheesey or even forced but not this one. I loved both the MCs. I know some people may have an issue with Mika's job but I was honestly really pleased to see sex work represented in at least a simipositive light. Sex so often over used in erotica as something to be saved from or something the woman hates. This book didn't really give me that vibe.
Speaking of this book being called an erotic romance: I wouldn't let that scare you off. Yes there are sex scenes in this book (and they are very hot!) but I have read plenty of romances with more smut in it than this book. The focus of this book is the romance, the smut is just a happy bonus.
I loved this book and if you are looking for a great lesbian romance with characters who don't feel so by the book then this is the book for you. I am definitely going to be reading some more of Roman's books. If her other books are as good as this one then I may have just found my next favorite lesbian author.

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There was a lot to this novel that I really liked. Firstly, I loved the body positivity message within it. I also loved Mika as a character - she was gentle, kind and devastatingly handsome. I was a little put off by Jen's self hatred though. It runs so deep that it began to feel quite uncomfortable for me to read. I'm glad that this novel explored her self-esteem journey though.

The whole exchange of sex for tutoring was a bit strange and was not believable at all (but we are reading a novel so no criticism there!). There is more depth to the story than just sex though, as I enjoyed reading about Mika's learning difficulties and Jen's work in helping her succeed in her studies. The romance itself was nice, albeit a little run-of-the-mill.

My first read from Renee Roman and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴.

That’s probably Jen right there in the cover, brilliant as a professor but lacks the self confidence in the love/lust department because she’s overweight and has health issues. When the sex magnet of a student she’s asked to tutor cuts a deal with her, she surprisingly accepts.

Tired of being treated as a sex object to the high society people she casually dates, the handsome Mika goes back to college but is on the verge of flunking out. Mika refuses to accept Jen’s offer to help her save her grades because she no longer wants to accept handouts like she did before, so she offers sexual favours in return.

First, I would like to say that I love the body positive messaging of this book, from the cover to the story. I think it’s the right way to go and we need to have more books that focus on such strong and healthy messages.

This book belongs to the teacher-student romance trope but it doesn’t have the same kick as other books in the sub-genre primarily because it doesn’t have that same power imbalance we are familar with. But it's alright because that wasn’t Roman’s focus anyway.

The real theme of this book is self-confidence and the subtext is about finding the right partner to help build that confidence. This isn’t a one-sided story as Mika too must battle insecurities about her learning abilities and learn to accept help, which she does with Jen’s help. But given that this is an erotica, a lot of attention is still on Jen, her inability to trust anyone fully in bed because of her esteem issues, and how Mika progressively builds that trust with her.

I really like how meaningful this book is, but I think parts of the book can be cut down and the same message would still be delivered without it being a slow-burn erotic romance.

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Body Language is an enjoyable read with likable characters. Mika James uses her talents in the bedroom for her sugar mommas. She isn't really a prostitute but kinda sorta is. She is finally forced to make some changes in her life when her rich girlfriend dumps her. She decides to go back to college, but is struggling with her coursework. Jennifer Long is a professor at the same college Mika attends. She has major body issues mainly because of her mother and previous lovers body shaming her. These two come together when Jennifer is asked to tutor Mika because she is struggling with her coursework.

I loved that this romance tackles body image. It was refreshing reading about a woman who is not a size 6 who is found to be attractive by someone who has a body that is fit and trim. The circumstances of them falling for each other is slow because they aren't dating each other. They are both offering services to one another. Tutoring for Mika, sex/positive body image for Jennifer. It was a unique concept that I haven't read in other romances. There even is some well done angst that plays out towards the end.

4 Stars!

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Mika and Jennifer's relationship starts off as a business deal. But it grows into a more real relationship quickly. I thought the story overall was alright, but it didn’t capture my attention the way I had hoped it would. I had to force myself to come back to it, and found myself skimming a lot.

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I totally first judged this book by its cover. I thought "hey, we got a real woman there!"
I did think that their first arrangement went very easy and it did not seem very believable, but if you close you eyes for that you board on a nice story, one that brings two women who support each other and, as a bonus, you get to read some very steamy scenes!

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I absolutely loved this romance between Mika and Jennifer, but I’ll admit I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Mika in the beginning. The premise of her character as a self-described female gigolo who trades sex for being pampered with gifts by her temporary girlfriends was a little off-putting - I’m glad I gave it a chance.

At the outset, the two main characters find each other as a mutually beneficial solution to their problems. Their business-like arrangement includes Jen helping Mika work through her learning struggles, and Mika introducing Jen to embracing intimacy. But similar to a fake-fiancee setup, spending time causes the lines to blur quickly as feelings enter the picture.

Ultimately, this is a story about two women who have both suffered significant setbacks in different parts of their self-esteem. Mika feels like she’s too unintelligent to have more value to someone than physical pleasure, and Jennifer believes she’s too unattractive to ever be physically appealing.

On a side note, for anyone considering taking a pass on it for the ‘erotic’ word in the subtitle, I’ll say I’ve read plenty of romance novels that aren’t categorized as erotic with far more explicit sex.

This book is, first and foremost, a romance. The sex is relevant because of their histories and personalities, but it’s there to advance the romance and isn’t the most important part of the story - even though it matters. You should definitely read this book if you’re interested in a healthy, positive, growth-focused adult romance.

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The synopsis of this book did not do it justice. Based on the synopsis, I almost didn't download this book, but I'm so glad I did. This book was so much more than erotic fiction. The book began with Mika deciding to go back. to school to begin her journey of becoming a physical therapist. Jen, a professor at Mika's university, was asked by a colleague to tutor Mika. Jen was extremely intimidated by Mika at first sight and struggled through their first conversation. They quickly struck a mutually beneficial deal where Mika gets tutored in writing and Jen gets tutored in sex. Win-win for both!

What follows is a really wonderful ride where two flawed women, learn to trust and become vulnerable with one another. I was able to identify with a lot of Jen's negative body image thoughts and I loved that she was able to become comfortable in her own skin. This book does have some amazing steamy scenes but it also deals with self image issues, body issues, learning disabilities, self love, self esteem, and abuse. Mika and Jen were really special mains and I loved the development of both of their characters.

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So at the first mentioning of their arrangement I was kind of disappointed because it was just too... easy. And sooo unrealistic. Why suggest this? And why agree so easily if you really struggle this much with your self esteem? But I kept reading and after their second meeting it kind of grew on me nonetheless. Their arrangement. It was really hot. And I very much like how it went in the end.

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I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Mika knows she has it and doesn’t mind using it to get women. Mika thought using her charms was better then doing something good with her life. Mika decides to prove she can be something more then what she doing with her life so she goes back to college.

Professor Jennifer loves her job she knows she great at it. Jennifer have issue with her weight especially when her mother constantly tells her how she looks and how no one would want her.

Mika realize she needs help with her course work and asking for help is something she never wants to do but when she realize that she can help Jennifer they strike up a deal to help each other out.

The erotica in this book was hot. Both MCs deal with not being good enough especially when outside forces constantly tells you. I understood where Jennifer was coming from because I dealt with weight issues but I learn that I only have one life to live you may get a second chance at it but you should live it how you want your life because you have to live yourself before you can let someone love you.

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