Trigger warning. This novel does contain sexual harassment and mild sexual assault, stalking, amateur male domination, and kinky phone sex conversations.
Clarissa Darcy didn't think life could get any worse.
A single mum of two young boys, with an arsehole for an ex-husband who never helps. Thank god she has her two best friends, Becky and Hayley, and an open mind.
Stuck in a customer service job she hates, a pervert boss, and outrageous child care costs, Clarissa doesn't have two pennies to rub together until Hayley suggests a new way to earn a living: phone sex chat lines.
Shock turns to empowerment when Clarissa unexpectedly finds her niche. Not only does she earn good money in her new job, but she also finds her lost confidence, female sexual power, and a renewed lust for life.
What she also doesn't expect is to bump into a hot and sexy nerd who wants her to become his Dominatrix.
Who knew that a single mum could find happiness dominating powerful men, and so many men had freaky and funny fetishes?
Looking for a good laugh, then you've found it! I laughed out loud and giggle snorted my way through this entire book! May not be the best book for reading in public if you get embarrassed easily, but I say read and giggle with pride! A full-bodied divorced mom is struggling to make ends meet when her friends push her to take on some part time phone sales work that she takes to like a duck to water and the hilarity ensues. This rom com deals with some very serious issues that many of us have had to face in our lives such as sexual harassment and dead beat ex's, but manages to find the humor even while presenting reality very well. Great characters that exhibit great friendships and support are inspirational to read about and the hijinks they get up to are even more fun! If you are looking for a fun read to chase the world away for a short time, then this is the one you should check out!
YIKES. I finished it because it was a friend’s recommendation but the writing was absolutely atrocious and amateurish. I rolled my eyes throughout, especially how Tobi and the other husbands always called their wives gorgeous, beautiful, hot stuff, and never by their names. This was just….not good.
Calling Clarissa follows, you guessed it, Clarissa a single Mom (or Mum as Beth Worsdell is English) on her journey through life as she deals with the trials of raising two sons on her own, a pervert boss and a deadbeat ex husband.
While not everything in life may be going according to plan for Clarissa is is lucky in the department of two very best friends. I truly love the relationship between the three of them, a bond so strong.
Clarissa’s life takes an unexpected turn and she ends up in a new, very unique profession. As she guides herself through her new schedule and income she meets a new man. And let me tell you things HEAT UPPPP!
There were a few twists and trials for her to overcome, but Clarissa is indeed a strong female main character.
Calling Clarissa has it all. Real life problems, unexpected twists, a whole lot of spice and laughter throughout.
I definitely recommend this book. Beth, thank you for reaching out and allowing me to have an advanced copy. I thoroughly enjoyed the read! I’m incredibly grateful to have indie author friends. It takes seconds to help them but engaging and sharing for them on social media. Every little bit helps. ❤️
This book is just a laugh out loud kinda scene You never know what's going to happen next. . Carissa has got it going on. Although I'll say, be careful when you're reading and drinking at the same time... This book is a hoot..
This was the first book for me by this author and, well, it was definitely a awesome read... She will keep you in a jolly mood that's for sure.. Lots of laughs..
I'm actually Considering reading it again because it was such a hoot.
I absolutely loved this book! I really really need best friends like Clarissa’s! Man they had me laughing so much! Clarissa is the embodiment of a woman going through it. From a struggling mom, to a deadbeat ex and father to her kids, to struggling with her job dealing with harassment from her boss, to overcoming her insecurities and grasping what it means to do whatever it takes to support your family. I loved the fact that she took the calling job and embraced all the weirdness and crazy fetishes of her callers! The slippy penguin is still my favorite lol I was dying laughing!! But overall I really loved how she became something more than she ever imagined! This story will have you laughing, it’ll suck you in with some drama, intrigue, excitement, and some spiciness and you’ll find yourself saying out loud “yesssss girl”! Beth is my favorite author and will not disappoint in any of her books! But this one is my favorite now!! Thank you Beth for letting me read another fantastic story you created!! I loved it so much I even read aloud to my husband a few parts and he’s like that’s a good one! So again thank you Beth I loved it!!!
Having been involved from day one with the authors great thought process of how this story would flow. I was lucky enough to get a forward copy. And she did not disappoint. The storyline as a whole was hilarious. Rom com, would not normally be my go to read, but this one is special. It has heart and love. Filled with fun and laughter, a single mum who many will be able to sympathise with. And men that really need a swift kick. Dealing with more serious subjects and men that many would love to see get their retribution. It a real life funny, serious, heartwarming and eye opening story . Well done …
Calling Clarissa is a hilarious and incredibly entertaining book. The main character Clarissa is absolutely loveable. She’s sweet and sassy and I was constantly cheering for her. Her friends and family are loyal, hysterical, and rowdy in the best way possible. The chat line calls are wildly amusing! Clarissa is such a fabulous heroine; she takes some out of the box risks and ends up creating an amazing life for herself. This was brilliantly funny and a definite binge read!
Just finished reading Beth’s new book Calling Clarissa! Yes, I did read it in 5 hours!
From struggling single mother to successful dominatrix, Clarissa goes through it all to make sure her children are taken care of, falling in love unexpectedly and starting her own business were perks she was not expecting.
I promise you will laugh, cry and be stunned on every page! Now I have to wait again for the next one! Love this author no matter the genre she writes in!
Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I read it based on the synopsis and 4+ star reviews. But I didn't find this book nearly as funny or entertaining as everyone else apparently.
The hero isn't even introduced into the book until after the 40% mark. And then, Tobias falls in love at first sight and admits he loves her pretty much the first time they chat. But I guess when you wait that long to introduce the hero, there's little room left to actually develop the love story between them. I didn't understand the need for the instalove. I don't feel like we really ever got to know Tobias that much since he was introduced so late and then was just like a little puppy dog when it came to Clarissa.
Then there's the fact that Clarissa is apparently a natural at everything she does *insert eye roll.* How does she go from working in sales to being a top-earning phone sex operator literally overnight, to becoming a sought-after Domme making 3,000 pounds her first time, to winning a sexual harassment lawsuit and becoming well-off with no effort at all? Everything just came too easy for her in this book and that is all 100% unrelatable, unrealistic, and quite frankly, BORING! Give her a challenge to at least show she's human and not some robot.
The intimate scenes were okay, but they weren't that hot. If 50 Shades is your only foray into BDSM, then perhaps those scenes were good enough for you. But for those of us who read well-written and well-researched BDSM-themed books often, this just came off as someone playing pretend and I was a bit bored reading them.
The parts I liked were the often hilarious scenes she had on the phone with her gentleman callers. They were pretty funny.
Calling Clarissa is the funniest book I've read in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the shenanigans that transpired throughout the story.
Clarissa, a single mother of two boys, gets sexually harassed at work and quits her job after physically defending herself against her slimy boss. She begins her job as a phone sex operator, with the majority of her clients being domination calls.
Clarissa finds herself as she takes control of her life. She gets a new career, a new man, and a new life.
Her best friends, Hayley and Becky, are with her every step of the way. Every woman needs friends like them.
I highly recommend this read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
What do you say about a book that keeps on giving?
And when I say giving, do I really mean punishing? Wait, what?
But seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed the comedic acrobats Beth took us on throughout the pages of this masterpiece. I was left in stitches multiple times and found myself wanting to sit in the room with these best friends, sipping wine, eating chocolate, and listening in on Clarissa's conversations over the phone chat line.
One thing I did not expect and was pleasantly pleased with was the deep parts of the book that let us look into her life and what she had been through.
I won't give any spoilers, but beneath the surface of the laughs, this bubbling, simmering storyline was entirely unexpected and grabbed hold of you until the very last page. This book is lighthearted yet deeper than what is beneath the covers, and I absolutely loved it.
Looking for laughs and kink but not anything that will drip off the page? This is your book. You can sink your teeth into this stuff, but it won't break off the veneers.
Bravo, Beth, you have found your stride and cracked your whip. Everyone should read this book because the fifth shade of grey has met its match for those who wanted something light and airy, yet leaving your mind to more of the imagination instead of on the screen showing what happens in this world.
Can't wait to read more of Beth's work. She's quickly become my new favorite author of all time.
Five hot jalapeños 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ and stars for Calling Clarissa by Beth Worsdell
First, I should admit that this isn’t a genre I usually read, but after hearing so much good about it, I thought I’d give it a try. And I wasn’t disappointed.
😮 Calling Clarissa addresses a bunch of important topics, starting with the struggles of an overworked single mom of two kids, with a dad who cares for nobody but himself. Add an abusive boss at work, then getting laid off for defending yourself against unsolicited advances. That’s how Clarissa ends up working for a phone sex chat line - because a mom will do everything to give her kids a home and food on the table. I liked how Clarissa thoroughly researches her new job, especially the requirements for domination, and the professionalism and consideration she puts into fulfilling her clients’ needs. 😂 Her two BFFs are a hilarious addition, supporting Clarissa’s choice of work and being with her to “help” every step of the way. The banter between these three always made me laugh. The discussed topics were absolutely relatable, like the problem of getting no nice lingerie for big-chested women, or mummy-peeing when laughing too hard. But, will everything work out to Clarissa’s liking? Will her new job support the family? Will she be able to move on and be happy in a new relationship, or will the abusive men in her life ruin everything for good? Read to find out, you won’t regret it 😀
This book follows Clarissa, a single mom who has recently left her thankless job in customer service to get away from her creepy boss. Thanks to the help of her two best friends, she becomes a phone s*x operator and begins to find the work/life balance she craves & has some fun learning new things on the way. When life takes a turn for the worst & her ex-boss starts to bother her, she connects with a new man who starts to make her believe in love again.
REVIEW First and foremost, the premise of this book drew me in from the get-go. I thought the idea of a single mom having enough of her 9-5 and throwing caution to the wind to learn to be a phone s*x operator sounded hilarious and the author really has some funny moments with Clarissa and her friends as she learns to do her job with literally no prior experience. She fumbles a lot along the way, while also dealing w/ a bit of a suspenseful subplot and it kept the story moving. The dialogue & the snarky humor between the characters makes this a pretty fast & easy read. It gives me some Bridget Jones meets A Holly Jolly Ever After vibes with the funny circumstances the FMC finds herself in and trying to explore a whole new side of herself the s*x industry. I will say the book started to lose me after the love interest was introduced, because he wasn’t introduced until around 40% through the story and it was also insta love, which isn’t my cup of tea. And while the story does dive into BDSM as Clarissa becomes a fan favorite on that phone line, I was a little disappointed by the way the main character and her friends mocked and shamed some of the callers after listening in on the calls. It made it a little harder for me to root for the main character and I didn’t find her as likable. However, if you’re a fan of fast and fun romance stories w/ spice and humor and you don’t mind a slow burn turned insta love, this could be the book for you. Please remember to check content & trigger warnings as the author graciously provides them in the blurb of her story (something I appreciated very much!)
Thank you so much to the author for this chance to read & review this book
OH MY!!! This book was a total surprise. It was at first enough to get my ire up because of Clarissa’s boss’ actions. Then we meet her best friends and HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER, I want these girls to be MY best friends. Funny, smart, and such loving friends to Clarissa! Then we meet the ex-a$$hole and back to being irked!! Then the when the crap really hits the fan in comes the gorgeous Tobias!! Holy hotness! This story made me literally snot my iced coffee through my nose! So dang funny but yet serious at times! This book was a fantastic read and I will happily read it again. Beth Worsdell you now have me as a #1 Fan!! Thank you!!!
This is super cute! The relationship between the 3 best friends is wonderful & their sense of humor is fabulous! Clarissa’s encounters with her new job are hysterical (especially one in particular!!!)! If you like reading about spicy romance amidst a believable real life story, you’ll love it! I found Clarissa to be very relatable! I would have liked to see more established between her and her lover before it got serious (in my experience, men that dive in in such a serious way so fast end up being unstable—so I felt like I was waiting for the ball to drop instead of enjoying their relationship, so to speak). I also loooove the cover art & the clever title! Never a dull moment!
A blast to read! Funny, yet a bit more depth than expected!
This is a comedy that also describes the lengths a person will go to make things better for her family in many different ways. It was abruptly brash at first, so I didn't connect right away, but by the 3rd chapter I was involved, and only taken away from the story later in the book when the married friends seemed to be mixed wrong. I wasn't exactly unhappy with the ending as resolution was there, but a wedding... Altogether, it was a thoroughly entertaining read for anyone who enjoys reading the spicier stories.
Clarissa is a single mum of 2 struggling to pay for everything with a useless ex-asshole and is stuck job she hates with a touchy feel boss who doesn’t understand the word NO. When he finally gets too handsy Clarissa quits and walks out. To make ends meet she starts a new job as a telephone $ex worker, where she encounters some…”colourful” characters! What she doesn’t expect is to meet her hot nerdy dream guy who wants her to dominate him!
4.5⭐️ This was a laugh out loud kinky romance comedy with some suspenseful moments! And when I say I LOL’d I’m not joking! I will never look at inflatable toys the same way! Great read!
This was a 3/5 star for me. I picked it up because I loved the blurb and the storyline is also quite good. However, it would have been more interesting if we saw Clarissa growing with experience rather than being a "natural" as is put in the book. She is a woman who has been emotionally tortured and sexually harassed and here she is raring to go. It is too good to be true.
The idea behind the book is very good. But the execution is a bit lacking in logic. So people who are not looking for logic but want a breezy read will definitely love it.
I received a copy from a giveaway and was pleasantly surprised. I found myself giggling throughout!
🌶️ A spicy rom-com with relatable drama and great best friends!
Clarissa’s relationship with her two best friends is what made the story for me. If you’re looking for easy, lighthearted, and happy ending, this is it!
Throughout all 410 pages of this book, my face looked like the cover photo. Wow. This book kept me wanting more after every page. I ended up laughing out loud so often that my husband had me read bits to him & he laughed just as much. It made me laugh, cringe and feeling extra naughty. I cannot look at my husbands hammer & tools the same way. I cannot wait for book number 2.
I had never heard of this book and I had come across the Author and we got to talking and I decided to look her book up! The reviews alone had me curious! I saw it on NetGalley and requested it!
This book had me laughing out loud! I have been reading a lot of spicy books and romance lately and this was a nice break from that. There is some spicy bits in the book though!
Clarissa is a bad ass single mom of two boys who definitely knows her worth! After quitting her job due to her sleazy boss she becomes a phone sex operator. From there she discovers she found her niche in an interesting line of work. I don’t want to give too much away but definitely check this book out!
This story definitely had some spice to it, but the best part of this book was Clarissa & her best friends. They were strong women even when things were tough, always had each other's backs & knew how to laugh. Some of their shenanigans just had me laughing out loud.
What a fun read with some drama thrown in for good measure! Very quickly you are drawn into Clarissa's friendship group and you are constantly cheering the girls on as they make their way into a new 'dominating' world! Definitely recommended as a fun and sexy summer read!
“If love had been any blinder, I would have been Stevie Wonder.”
Clarissa is a single mom struggling just to make ends meet. She does whatever it takes to support her kids She has amazing, loyal friends and family. An entertaining and laugh out loud read.
This was a great read! Such a fun, wild ride with all the feels! I want to hang out with Clarissa and her gal pals! Tobi is definitely my new book boyfriend! Love, love, love this book!
The plot description led me to this book because it sounded fun and definitely unique! I enjoyed the story and the characters. I only wish there had been a trigger warning about sexual harassment and violence. I ended up skipping pages because of the content. But i did finish the book because I needed to know if Clarissa got her happy ever after.
An absolute must read.this book is amazing. It will make you laugh so hard. Everyone needs best friends like Clarissa’s. Beth, you did it again. Can’t wait for more.