ALL THE STARS. Letters - letters - letters are my kryptonite and this book of letters is PERFECT.

Charlotte Stein and Cara McKenna are go-to erotica authors for me, and NOTHING will sell me faster than an epistolary novel. You would think that a text/email erotica wouldn't hit the way it should, but this is steamy and unforgettable.

Oh wow... these authors bring the heat! I've read Cara McKenna before and loved her other works so I'm happy I finally got to this. I loved the format it was written in. It's definitely an erotica and super hot, but it also has a great story. This is a unique love story and I adored it.

I was intrigued when I read the blurb but unfortunately the story didn't reach my expectations!I expected something different and I couldn't feel the connection between the characters!Also the ending didn't feel like it gave me what I wanted or what I expected.

I did not download before it was archived so I am unable to review. I apologize. Thanks for the opportunity.

Loved this idea of this one but sadly found the execution a little depressing and that made it feel very long and drawn out.

Unique voice and build through a series of text messages. Stein and McKenna know their subject matter, it's relevance, and for sure their readers. This is a can't miss.

Having loved previous titles from Cara I did not hesitate when requesting this one. unfortunately on this occasion it did not work for me.

The style of writing through text messages made it difficult for me to connect with both character and story. I

Not what I'd expected. Unfortunately, not my cup of tea.

DNF @ 30%

It pains me so to not finish a Cara McKenna book. She's one of my favorite authors, but I just can't get into this. I like the idea behind the book.....it's told all in text messages....but it's not holding my attention. I find the guy's texts are pretty interesting but I don't care for the girl. She's long winded & doesn't say anything I can relate to. She's not at all interesting to me. I've picked this up & then put it down at least 4x so I think it's time to admit defeat.

**ARC received through Netgalley**
2 likes

DNF 15%

The book entirely takes place via text message. This was very difficult to wrap my head around. We no nothing about their persona lives as all we read are (very long) text messages sent by mistake to one person.

As soon as I saw the first line of the blurb "an erotic romance . . . told entirely through text messages" I knew I had to read Way Down Deep. I'm already a fan of Cara McKenna's and I've seen just how well she writes romantic, but also sexy, letters in her book Hard Time so my expectations were high, especially since so many people have recommended Charlotte Stein to me too (and I'm definitely going to have to start investing in her backlist after reading this!).

The story starts when Malcom drunk texts someone from his past, someone he never expects to receive a response from. He couldn't be more shocked when he realises that the number has been reallocated and he gets a reply from a total stranger. What follows is an intense, highly emotional story as Malcom and Maya continue sending messages to each other and are both able to open up to someone they've never met much easier than they can with people they know in real life. Both characters have issues they are struggling with and we slowly get to learn about both of their lives through their continued messages. I will say it felt more like an email exchange than a text message conversation because their messages are long and detailed but the writing was beautiful and I totally fell in love with both of the characters.

It's not often that I rate an erotic romance 5 stars, especially a story that has only two characters and they never even have a single face to face conversation but I was so captivated by Way Down Deep that I can't give it anything less. Maya and Malcom's romance was in no way a traditional one but it was just so easy to root for them and I desperately wanted them to both find happiness. Oh and I just have to add that sexting has never been so hot! If there was one thing I was slightly disappointed with it was that the story is a little too open ended for my taste, I would have loved an epilogue set a few months or even years down the line but unfortunately that really wouldn't have worked with the story format and it probably would have ended up ruining things. This is a story about two messed up people finding solace in the strangest of places, it's an emotional journey that is both heart-wrenching and joyful and it left me with a huge smile on my face.

This book didn't really work for me. I was expecting text messages but got like pages and pages that read like emails and couldn't get into it.

I felt teased through every page. I wanted more out of it, something not predictable and amazing. Because this story really is beautiful. The idea of 2 strangers helping each other be better is in simple words hope. This 2 become important and essential to each other. Exactly what the other needed. Love is born in the most basic and genuine way through their conversations.

Like the synopsis says, this book is told entirely through text messages and when I first read that I was worried that I would be unable to connect with the characters or that the setting and details would be lacking. Boy was I wrong. It was like stumbling upon old love letters in the attic as you cleaned it up. You are helpless but to keep reading every dirty little secret and every private exchange  you have stumbled on. It is something I could not put down, I think I finished it within 24 hours. I didn't want to sleep and ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning just so I could finish it and find out  what happens next.
I am in love with this book.
Yes there are some steamy parts but over all it is just two strangers talking, who become friends, who become more.
You will become enchanted with this book and unable to stop thinking about it if you put it down. Trust me it is THAT good.

The first thing you should know about this book is that the entire story is told through text messages and I wasn't sure at first, but I ended up loving it!

That ending......at first I thought "I need more!", but then I was like "Awwww, that was an awesome ending!" and I was grinning like a total idiot!!!!!

Some texts from an unknown number to Maya's phone....her hesitation to respond.....then she does because she feels like this person needs her help. I loved how this all played out. It even took a while before they even exchanged names. They continue to text each other and get to know each others likes and dislikes. They are both tortured souls who need to release their guilt with events eating away at their souls. They confide in each other through these messages......all the while never talking to each other or seeing what the other looks like. And then, the hot steamy sex texts begin.....I seriously should have expected this from Charlotte Stein.....and it totally worked! (And of course, I have to give credit to Cara McKenna also......I wonder, did they each write a character's side.....if so, that's pretty cool!)

Short, sweet, and just really good! I highly recommend it!

WAY DOWN DEEP is a collaboration novel between Cara McKenna and Charlotte Stein. These two authors are among my favorite Erotic Romance authors so I was really looking forward to this book. The premise of this book is very interesting. It’s written in an epistolary fashion, but instead of letters, it’s through texts/emails. The heroine accidentally sends a message to a stranger but instead of turning her away, the hero actually continues to chat with her. There’s a nice emotional aspect to this novel since the heroine is suffering from depression. I feel like this was a good way of creating that connection immediately between the two main characters. After all, how could someone turn another away after receiving a warning like that?

I think the blurb of this book will intrigue a lot of readers but I feel like I should warn readers that this book is quite slow. Because we don’t have any set up in the beginning that tells us who these characters are, you really have to rely on your patience to read through it all to get to know them. There are some scenes that I felt would normally get cut out if it was written in a more traditional way with third person POV and descriptions. For example, they share their favorite songs and movies, etc. While I can see how this helps with characterization, these aren’t details that I think should be presented so early on.

There were a lot of slow parts in this book as the two characters got to know each other. The book is basically a series of monologues about their inner thoughts and feelings. This is great for emotions. I thought some messages almost sounded like poems; the writing is so beautiful. But at the same time, it does take some of the realistic aspect out of it because I don’t know how believable all this really is.

For me, it was really easy to distinguish who wrote what but that’s because I’ve been reading both authors for a very long time and I feel like I know their voices very well now. But I think that both authors work seamlessly enough that it flows very well.

So, really, I think this will honestly be a hit or miss for readers. The writing is beautiful and it has a lot of emotion, but do make sure you have a lot of patience before picking this book up.

Just not for me i love both these authors but just could not get into this one so sorry

It was kind of a struggle for me to read because the texts are like short stories, which aren't my favorite. And if I'm being honest, the content hit a little close to home and fell into the familiar.

But that ending though. Wow. I was equally parts annoyed and impressed. Worth reading for that alone.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m a sucker for epistolary novels. So when I heard about this new book by Charlotte Stein and Cara McKenna, I knew I had to try it out. I wanted to see if the authors could make an entire erotic romance novel work using just text messages. Did they succeed?

Well, sort of. Malcolm and Maya meet through a wrong-number text message and the relationship grows from there. They both have the requisite tragic backstories, and for various reasons aren’t in a position to actually meet each other, even though they seem to live in the same city. The messages go from basic “I’m here for you if you need someone to talk to” texts to really personal to erotic very quickly. Quickly in terms of actual days Malcolm and Maya are texting, not in terms of the text messages themselves, which… Wow. These text messages were like no text messages I’ve ever seen. Each text went on for pages and pages. I didn’t expect an erotic romance told in text-speak and emoji, but these were a little difficult to accept as text messages. Email, sure. Hand-written letters between lovers in the time of carriages and wax seals, definitely. It was a little difficult to believe that these were text messages, especially in the beginning when they were strangers. And it’s not about full sentences with correct grammar and punctuation. I send text messages like that. But no matter how grammatically correct my text messages are, I feel guilty if they’re more than a sentence or two. They’re text messages. If you need to be longer than that, take it to a different medium.

This style of story-telling also didn’t allow for anything else. No internal dialogue, no descriptions of the characters, no idea what they do for a living, no way to get to know them beyond what they say in their text messages to each other. I never connected with either of them.

The tragic backstories provided a reason for the two of them not to meet, but the underlying issues are never really addressed, and Malcolm and Maya end up being crutches for each other more than helping or healing influences. When it comes to psychological issues and mental illness, lover does not conquer all, and I came away from this book with no faith that these two could make the relationship work in the long run, whether they ever meet in person or not. Their individual issues are too big and there’s nothing to indicate either of them are getting any help. If anything, it’s the exact opposite.

Bottom line, this was good it wasn’t great. The sex was hot, but for me it lost a little bit of the heat because I knew it was just text messages between two people who had never met. Something about that was a disconnect for me. I understand sexting, I know it can be hot, it just loses a little bit when I know they’ve never even met. Sexting between people who also sex is one thing. I’m quite sure there are people who will disagree with me, but that’s ok.

I did not finish this book and, in fact, couldn't get very far into it. The fact that the characters "meet" when one is sending depressive and/or possibly suicidal thoughts out to an old contact via text rubbed me the wrong way right from the beginning. And the "messages" don't feel like texts. They feel like super eloquent letters. No one texts that way. both of these things ended up as impenetrable barriers to entry for me and I've previously read both authors.