Tag Archives: Erotic

Review: Taking It All by Maya Banks

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Taking it All (Surrender Trilogy, #3)Taking it All by Maya Banks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

This book contains spoilers for LETTING GO and GIVING IN, the first two books in the Surrender trilogy. You might be able to read TAKING IT ALL as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Finally, after all the buildup in the first two Surrender trilogy books, we get Chessy and Tate’s story here in TAKING IT ALL. After Carson Breckenridge died too soon in a tragic car accident, it was more than a year before both his widow Josslyn and his sister Kylie were able to find love and happiness with the two men who were already present in their lives. Now that all their good friends are settled and happy, it’s the already-married Tate and Chessy who are forced to confront their own growing isolation from each other, one that threatens to end their marriage if something isn’t done soon.

Tate and Chessy had always been one of the golden couples in their immediate group of friends and family, even as everyone was still in mourning for the loss of Carson. But Tate has been spending too many nights and weekends trying to build up his business and it’s Chessy who has paid the price. She’s put on a brave face for him and everyone else, not wanting to seem ungrateful for all his hard work even as she dies a little more inside each day. It’s only when they make arrangements for a rare night out alone together to celebrate their wedding anniversary that everything comes to a head. When Chessy spells out to Tate exactly why she is so angry with him, he seems to get the message and immediately starts trying to mend the breach before it becomes irreparable. Yet it will still take one more mind-boggling mistake on Tate’s part before he realizes exactly how much he’s failed Chessy, and what he must to do prove himself worthy as both her husband and Dominant once more.

TAKING IT ALL was the perfect mix of nearly everything I love: marriage in trouble, a D/s couple in love, and the steady hand of Maya Banks to make sure it all played out exactly as it should. Add to that another appearance of Damon Roche, my all-time favorite Maya Banks character, and it’s no surprise that I loved this book so much. Chessy suffered silently for much too long, hoping every day that the man to whom she had given her love and submission would come to his senses and return to her. Tate was genuinely clueless about how much he’d been hurting his wife as he believed he was helping them both by devoting every waking hour to running his company. Even when their initial showdown appeared to have set things right, it was clear that their reconciliation was a tenuous one, and I was just as worried as Chessy that Tate could slip up again. When he did so at the absolutely worst possible moment, I knew that a hero screw-up of this magnitude demanded an equally epic hero grovel, and Maya Banks did not disappoint. This realistic portrayal of a loving D/s couple’s painful falling out and hard-won reconciliation was the heart and soul of TAKING IT ALL, and it’s what made this final book in the uniformly excellent Surrender trilogy the very best one of them all.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: Looking For Trouble by Victoria Dahl

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Looking for TroubleLooking for Trouble by Victoria Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance.

Alex Bishop spent too much of his life in a nightmare that started the day his no-good father ran off with a neighbor lady, never to return. Alex’s mother was already in a precarious mental state, but being abandoned by her husband pushed her over that ragged edge into something close to full-blown madness. After finally finishing school even as his mother would attempt to drag him and his brother around on wild hunts for their missing father, Alex moved away and planned to stay gone for good. But when his brother contacted him about the discovery of his missing father’s body, Alex knew he had to come back to town just one more time before he could shake the dust of Jackson Hole, Wyoming off his boots forever.

Sophie Heyer has lived most of her life in a nightmare that started the day her no-good mother ran off with Alex Bishop’s father, leaving a husband and two children in a town that would never let the scandal completely die away. It took years for Sophie to trust that her stepfather would never kick her out, but even now she still tries to do everything for him and her brother in a never-ending attempt to prove herself worthy of their love. Now Alex’s mother has resurrected the years-old gossip with a misguided attempt at a memorial service for her late husband, making Sophie’s life a fresh hell to bear. But when the woman who won’t leave falls for the man who can’t stay, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether scorching sexual chemistry between a couple who should never have met can turn into something more.

This was my first visit to Victoria Dahl’s small town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but after LOOKING FOR TROUBLE it won’t be the last. So many small town romances focus only on idyllic and charming features of that genre, but as we see here, a small town also has a long memory, especially when its citizens behave in highly inappropriate ways. Alex and Sophie were both deeply damaged by the behavior of their respective parents, but they reacted in completely opposite ways. Yet what we see in LOOKING FOR TROUBLE is that when two people really love each other, they also try to be honest with each other, especially when they see the person they love making a huge mistake. It was just as bad for Sophie to ignore her own desires for a life away from Jackson Hole as it was for Alex to ignore his family’s need for him to visit and be a part of their lives. When Alex and Sophie first met, it was sex they had in common. And even though it was amazing mind-blowing sex, both of them still needed to grow up before they could even consider seeing each other again, let alone plan a possible future together. Their slow but convincing character growth is the core of a rather interesting story about old scandals and new beginnings. That’s what made LOOKING FOR TROUBLE both an entertaining and touching romance for me, and it’s why I’ll be going back to read Victoria Dahl’s other books in the Jackson Hole world as well.

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Review: One Sexy Ride by Vivian Arend

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One Sexy Ride (Thompson & Sons, #2)One Sexy Ride by Vivian Arend

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest review at The Romance Evangelist.

ONE SEXY RIDE is the second story in Vivian Arend’s new Thompson & Sons series, and it’s set in the same world as her previous Rocky Mountain series, but you don’t have to have read any of the previous books to be able to enjoy what’s here.

Janey has spent most of her life up until now pining after Len Thompson, all to no avail. He’s always been around her, being her good friend, but nothing more. What Janey really wants is that one true love to settle down with and raise a family, and she’s been convinced that Len is that guy. But what she’s never known is that even though he does secretly love her, that love is also why he’s continued to keep her at arm’s length. For Len has seen what happens when you lose your one true love, and he’s determined to never let that happen to him. So the last thing Len wants to do is love Janey, because losing her would be so much worse than not ever having her in the first place.

Tired of putting her life on hold for a guy who apparently doesn’t see in her what she sees in him, Janey has made plans to finish renovating her beloved family home, then sell it and leave town for good. Her decision to leave town, combined with a key moment when Len saves Janey from certain danger, makes him think that maybe he can at least have a taste of what he would never dare claim for good. But Janey’s heart is all in, and only time will tell if Len can move past his fear to commit to her before it’s too late.

One of the things I love about Vivian Arend’s books is her heroines and heroes are both strong and sweet. I never doubted for one minute that Len was worthy of Janey’s seemingly unrequited love, yet when he provided tangible proof of that worthiness near the very end of the story, it was all I could do not to melt in a puddle of happy tears at just how right I’d been. Len wants to love Janey – he really does! – but he’s just so terrified of being left without her that he’d rather push her away now than lose her for good later on. When Janey inevitably gets too close for comfort, the way Len tries to hasten her departure is so devastating that it demands an epic hero grovel to make things right. And let me tell you, Len’s grovel is easily one of the best I’ve read in a very long time. It isn’t just about how he shows how sorry he is, although that’s a big part of it. It’s also how he shows that he really does understand her as her own person, and how he’s been in love with her just as long as she’s been in love with him. Janey and Len’s romance is a great read all the way through, but the way they resolved their differences is what elevated ONE SEXY RIDE from merely a wonderful story to one of the best I’ve read in 2014.

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Review: Naughty Bits Part IV: The Highest Bid by Joey W. Hill

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The Highest Bid (Naughty Bits, #4)The Highest Bid by Joey W. Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

After three stellar installments, NAUGHTY BITS has reached its climax, the moment when Madison and Logan finally reach the happy ending that we’ve been anticipating for them all along, and boy howdy, do they ever. As they continued their careful dance toward each other and a complete Dominant/submissive relationship, it was clear they both wanted what was ahead, but that rushing it would only end in ruin. Logan has had what seems like infinite patience with Madison as she has traveled so far already, knowing that she must choose him instead of accepting his claim without question the way she’s always done before. It’s with that in mind that Logan is ready to give her the one fantasy she’s always dreamed of, the one she dared not speak aloud until he gained her trust to understand her desire and make it happen. It’s the ultimate mind-blowing experience for Madison, and although her brain knows it’s just roleplay, her body reacts exactly as she’d anticipated, leaving her to deal with the realization that what she feels for Logan is true love. But does he feel the same, or has she waited too long to commit?

As much as I loved the first three parts of NAUGHTY BITS, THE HIGHEST BID is definitely my favorite, and not just because it contains the long awaited HEA. Madison has had years to expand and refine her greatest fantasy of being sold at auction to an attractive Dominant military man and being shared by him with his closest friends. And that’s what Logan has provided for her, including a preliminary setup to get her in the right state of mind, and the best possible aftercare. I marveled at his attention to the smallest possible details, yet never lost sight of his ultimate goal to make Madison his in full by the end of the evening. There was also quite a bit of symbolism involved in Madison’s experience, with numeric references to the mistakes she’d made in her past, and how they’d helped her see that what she had now was what she truly needed. For it’s not just the D/s relationship that Madison fully embraces by the end of THE HIGHEST BID, but also the knowledge that the only person she could ever accept as her Master is Logan, the man she loves and who loves her in turn. Their happy ending is a perfect cherry on the delicious cake that is NAUGHTY BITS and the only thing I didn’t like was that their story had to end.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: The Bookseller’s Daughter by Pam Rosenthal

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The Bookseller's DaughterThe Bookseller’s Daughter by Pam Rosenthal

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Night Owl Reviews.

Review Excerpt:

From the very start, Marie-Laure displays her unyielding spirit and indomitable will, and we see that despite her lowly status, it is clearly she who is too good for Joseph. But as THE BOOKSELLER’S DAUGHTER progresses, Joseph is forced to come to terms with his useless existence, and by the end, he has grown emotionally into a fully adult man worthy of her heart. Even though I had an idea of how and where they would ultimately end up together, the journey there kept me riveted the entire time, and made the seemingly inevitable ending even more enjoyable for me. It’s a wonderful historical romance well worth reading. (Copyright Night Owl Reviews)

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Review: Never Say Never ed. by Alison Tyler

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Never Say Never: Tips, Tricks, and Erotic Inspiration for LoversNever Say Never: Tips, Tricks, and Erotic Inspiration for Lovers by Alison Tyler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for an honest review at Night Owl Reviews.

Review Excerpt:

As with most Cleis Press anthologies, the stories featured within NEVER SAY NEVER are uniformly entertaining and perfectly chosen to represent their individual topics. Those that were especially effective for me tended to explore less obvious ways to highlight their assigned topic. Charlotte Stein’s “Allowed” showed how being deprived of the one thing you want makes it the one thing you want even more. “Silk” by Teresa Noelle Roberts proves yet again that submission is just as much psychological as it is physical. And Dante Davidson reminds us in “No Shame” that knowing exactly what will happen next can be the best aphrodisiac ever.

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Review: Icing On The Cake by Karla Doyle

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Icing on the Cake (Close to Home, #2)Icing on the Cake by Karla Doyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at The Romance Evangelist.

ICING ON THE CAKE is the second story in Karla Doyle’s Close To Home series, and picks up a few months after the first book, CUP OF SUGAR, where we are now about to see Conn and Nia walk down the aisle. After all the shenanigans Nia’s sister, Sara, had pulled in book one, I was curious to see who could possibly her love match. When Conn’s love ‘em and leave ‘em brother, Curtis, appeared to take an interest in Sara, I knew I would be in for a rollercoaster ride until the very end. What I didn’t expect was how ICING ON THE CAKE would manage to show the hidden sides of both Curtis and Sara, and how she wasn’t the only one who needed that perfectly matched someone to care and understand.

Even though we got a fairly decent explanation of why Sara behaves as she does, and why Nia’s family continues to support her no matter what, it’s in ICING ON THE CAKE that we see exactly what her past actions and present stubbornness have brought her. Nia and her parents still have no idea how Sara really lives, and only by virtue of his desire for her does Curtis manage to wedge his way into her existence and ultimately her heart.

Curtis may be less self-destructive than Sara, but he’s still a badass, and just as resistant to romantic relationships as she is. His police job puts in him danger every day and women are just a off-duty distraction. Any time one of them gets close, it’s all over, and he’s on to the next one. But even Curtis knows that as much as he wants Sara in his bed, he still needs to be especially careful with her heart. If only he was looking after his own as closely.

As much as I loved Nia and Conn’s sweet and passionate romance in CUP OF SUGAR, I was even more taken by the rough and tumble path to love for Sara and Curtis in ICING ON THE CAKE. So much of what keeps them apart is a lack of trust, but you have to give trust to get it, and that’s one thing neither Sara nor Curtis seems to be particular good at. Thank goodness that their mutual sexual attraction is so incredible that it keeps bringing them back together even as they resist acknowledging their deeper feelings for each other. By the time Curtis and Sara stop denying the obvious, each has finally stopped putting on the front they keep for everyone else and the result is a happy ending that is not only satisfying but realistic for both characters. ICING ON THE CAKE is a lovely continuation of the Close To Home series, and I quite enjoyed it.

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Review: Reward of Three by Kelly Jamieson

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Reward of Three (Rule of Three, #3)Reward of Three by Kelly Jamieson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

This review may contain spoilers for RULE OF THREE and RHYTHM OF THREE. It would make absolutely no sense to try to read REWARD OF THREE without reading those two titles first.

Kassidy, Chris, and Dag discovered their mutual love in RULE OF THREE, and learned to live together as a triad in RHYTHM OF THREE, but now it’s time for them to take the next big step in REWARD OF THREE, one that will either cement their relationship for good or split them apart forever. For Kassidy is pregnant, and the resulting upheaval will be the ultimate test of their mutual love. And when things don’t go as planned, each of the three will need to recommit their love and trust in each other, regardless of what might happen next.

What I have loved about the Rule of Three series from the very beginning is how it presents the concept of a true MMF poly relationship in a non-idealized contemporary setting. In each of the stories, these three strong personalities have had to learn to adapt to each other and compromise in ways a mere couple would never have had to face. Yet so many of the issues Kassidy, Chris, and Dag have are all too familiar, especially once Kassidy lets her men know they are going to have a baby together. Chris’s parents have kept their distance ever since they found out Chris and Dag were as sexually bonded with each other as with Kassidy, and their absence is still keenly felt. Dag has no living parents, but his terrible childhood makes him worry that he can’t be a good father. Only Kassidy has the advantage of a family that’s present and loving, but that can only go so far to help her deal with all that happens after she announces her pregnancy.

In the previous two stories, Kassidy was the glue that brought and kept Chris and Dag together with her in love and support, but it made sense here in REWARD OF THREE that this time she was the one with the deep emotional crisis. Although I’ve found Dag to often be the weakest link of the three, it was great to see him figure out his own mistakes proactively instead of having to be dragged into the light yet again. But Chris was the true revelation of all in this story, as Kassidy’s pregnancy provided a bridge back to his parents that allowed them all to start healing the wounds of the past. And as an avowed lover of epilogues, I couldn’t help but enjoy the one here, baby and all. For me, REWARD OF THREE was just as much of a reward as to its main characters, and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to see the three of them settled down at last.

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Review: Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

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Over Exposed (Salon Games, #3)Over Exposed by Stephanie Julian

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

OVER EXPOSED is the third book in Stephanie Julian’s excellent Salon Games series, with a hero and heroine who were both supporting characters in the previous book, NO RESERVATIONS. Greg Hicks is the best friend of Tyler Golden, co-owner of Haven, and the man chosen to join him and his beloved Kate in that hotel’s infamous Salon for their own private sexual games. Sabrina Rodriquez is both friend and employee of Tyler and Kate, using her brains and will to succeed, vowing never to blindly trust any man in the same way her mother always had . When our hero and heroine first met each other in NO RESERVATIONS, the sexual chemistry was instant and obvious to all. But it wasn’t until Greg retreated to Haven for some quiet time to finish his latest screenplay that Tyler and Kate were able to put Sabrina back in his path, with the not-so-subtle expectation that something more would come of it. Yet even as Greg and Sabrina succumb to their shared desire, neither one is certain that what they have found can survive once the storm that’s trapped them together has ended.

What I love about Stephanie Julian’s books is how she can keep me on the edge of my seat without resorting to easy ploys like evil ex-girlfriends or a madman on the loose. Greg and Sabrina already have enough obstacles to overcome after they finally act upon their sexual attraction that any additional fabrications for the sake of drama would be annoying. As the two of them move closer toward their HEA, there are multiple conflicts, both large and small, that they need to confront, not the least of which is Greg’s inevitable departure back to Hollywood and his all-consuming career there. But with each instance, they learn to trust each other more, so that by the time Sabrina and Greg enjoy their own Salon encounter, their romantic journey has reached its natural completion. Their realistic give and take as they become more adept at each other’s wants and desires are the best part of OVER EXPOSED and why it’s yet another solid entry in the Salon Games series.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews

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Scandalise MeScandalise Me by Caitlin Crews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance

SCANDALIZE ME is the second full-length book in the Fifth Avenue series, where each story takes place in a continuing timeline of how those who lost their friend Sarah Michaels to suicide ten years earlier are now working together to avenge her death by bringing down the man who caused it. You could try to read this book as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Hunter had once loved Sarah, once intended to marry her, but they had split up just before she’d jumped off the roof of a NYC skyscraper on Christmas Eve. Now it’s ten years later, and Hunter is doing his best imitation of a man punishing himself for a death he couldn’t prevent. Zoe was a victim of the same man who had pushed Sarah to suicide, but she has managed to survive by focusing on her plan for revenge. Hunter will be the perfect tool for her retribution, but what will they do when their shared need to settle the score conflicts with their growing need for each other?

I was quite impressed by AVENGE ME, the first book in this series by Maisey Yates, and am happy to say that Caitlin Crews has continued that perfect mix of romance and suspense in SCANDALIZE ME. As terrible as it was to find out what had happened to Sarah, it was even more so when Zoe became the face of all the victims still alive and suffering from what had been done to them by a man still beloved by the public. But Hunter has been a victim in his own way as well, and it’s only when Zoe makes him an accessory to her devious plans that he, too, can begin to find some peace from his past and take positive steps toward a happier future for them both, if only she’ll have him.

The ability of these two characters to find love in the middle of all the sadness and horror is remarkable, and the way Caitlin Crews balances romance with tragedy is pitch perfect. SCANDALIZE ME shows how choosing to live in the face of such monstrosity is still better than the alternative, and how that decision can lead you to a love more powerful than evil. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time, and sets up what should be a fantastic conclusion of the overall story in EXPOSE ME, the final book in the Fifth Avenue series.

Favorite Quote:

“Be my equal, the woman who knows that if she’s damaged, then Jesus Christ, so am I. Be worth feeling all of this crap, Zoe.” He could taste the ferocity on his own lips, copper like blood. “I want you, not whatever this is, that you can hide behind when it gets tough. You’re not a martyr and I’m not a hero. Let’s be who we are.”

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