Archive for the ‘Romance & Erotica’ Category
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Pros: Good sense of pacing, reads very quickly
Cons: Hero could be aggravatingly stubborn; heroine loses her inhibitions a little too quickly
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
When Kiki Dion, art historian, gets the opportunity to meet rich artist Ethan Tierney, she jumps at the chance. Intrigued by his kinky subject matter, and by the feelings both it and he arouse in her, she agrees to model for him. The sparks of their first meeting quickly swirl into a storm of passion, marred only by a feeling Kiki has of being watched. As the two of them try to come to terms with their new relationship, and what they will and won’t do, they’re going to need to figure out if a collection of letters from the turn of the century are related to those feelings of eyes watching…
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Tags: bdsm, Cherie Feather, erotica, ghosts
Posted in Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
For the first time in my reviewing career, I’ve run into something that almost never happens to me. I couldn’t finish a book. I tried my hardest to finish it; when I couldn’t finish it I put it down for a few months to see if time would make it better for me. Well, it didn’t.
Belavalari has absolutely no desire to be a wife. Cooking and cleaning hold no appeal for her. So when fate throws Merin in her path, a wounded soldier who she figures doesn’t have long to live, she drugs him and tricks him into marrying her. Not knowing what he’s done, he leaves her. She has what she’s always wanted: her freedom. But when Merin returns to take her to be one of the Emperor’s prospective brides, the truth comes out. The only way for the two of them to separate is to spend twenty-two days tied together at the waist. After that, they’ll be through with each other — if they manage not to kill each other… I kind of hate to say it, but that might actually have made the story less painful for me.
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Tags: 22 Nights, marriage, non-review, separation
Posted in Fantasy, Non-Reviews, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Pros: Extremely well-developed characters emotionally; very easy to relate to both the men and women.
Cons: Not all readers may enjoy reading about the sharper pleasures that the characters enjoy.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
The Order of Solace is an organization of women trained in the arts of pleasure and service. Those in need of solace can request a Handmaiden, and it will be her responsibility to serve her patron until he or she finds at least a moment of solace, at which time her service to them is over. Three men, the Crown Prince of Firth and his two friends, each request a Handmaiden one after the other. A dark moment in their past has affected them throughout the course of their lives, leaving them emotionally damaged. Can these three Handmaidens bring them the solace they so deeply crave?
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Tags: erotica, Handmaiden, Megan Hart, Order of Solace
Posted in Fantasy, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
To recap: when I put up a “non-review,” it means I couldn’t finish a book. I’m not going to review it on Epinions or Amazon, and this isn’t going to be a full-on review, but I don’t mind telling you folks here why I decided not to finish it in case that information is useful to you. Just keep in mind that my judgment isn’t based on the entire book.
Sarah McCann is a wedding planner who completely believes in happily-ever-after and the perfect wedding and marriage. Freeman Lafontaine is a swinging bachelor and friend of the groom who thinks marriage as a whole is a mistake, and is determined to save his best friend from making that mistake. The two of them are bound to butt heads as two sweethearts are due to get married in a sexy, hot, sandy locale (Belize). Add in a wedding party full of spicy pairings waiting to happen, and you have the perfect recipe for plenty of hot, steamy sex and guilt-free escapism.
Or at least, that’s what I thought when I picked up Susan Lyons’s Sex On The Beach
.
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Tags: erotica, marriage, romance, Sex on the Beach, Susan Lyons, weddings
Posted in Chick-lit, Non-Reviews, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Pros: Interesting takes on Highlanders and magic
Cons: The length of the stories made a couple of the stories feel rushed
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
With Christmas being ten days away, now seemed like a good time to read A Highlander Christmas
. One of my favorite holidays, combined with romance and bold, brawny men (who, if the cover is to be believed, are impervious to snow) sounded as delicious as a hot cup of chocolate. Dawn Halliday, Cindy Miles, and Sophie Renwick deliver tales of receiving the most wonderful gift to get- love.
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Tags: Christmas, Cindy Miles, Dawn Halliday, erotica, Fantasy, ghost, Highlander, paranormal, romance, Scotland, Sophie Renwick
Posted in Fantasy, Historical, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Pros: Does a great job of showing how two people can grow close together; emotional reactions to situations feel appropriate and honest
Cons: One of the villains is almost too crazy to be seen as a real threat
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group
Expected publication date: January 5, 2010
Jessica Thornton has fled England and her home to live with her brother in America because she fears for her safety, and for that of her unborn child. While traveling across the New Mexico Territory, the stagecoach she is riding in crashes and she and the other passengers are taken in temporarily by Brady Wilkins, a local cattle rancher. As she gets to know the man behind the caustic wit she finds someone who can help her to find the strength to get through difficult circumstances and heal from past hurts. But there is danger lurking at the peaceful ranch; one of Brady’s old enemies has a score to settle, and it will take both Brady and Jessica’s strength to get through it.
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Tags: historical, Kaki Warner, romance, Western
Posted in Historical, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
Pros: Stunning, original, beautiful, intriguing, and mesmerizing
Cons: None at all for me
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review copy (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 2/2/2010.
I’ll have to lead off with a quote from my review of Nalini Singh’s Angels’ Blood, the first book in her Guild Hunter series:
In the world of Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter novels, angels and archangels rule the earth, each one holding sway over a certain territory. Between angels and mortals reside the vampires—humans altered by angels to serve them. When vampires go rogue, it’s the job of the Hunters’ Guild to track them down and bring them back to the angels they serve.
Elena Deveraux is a natural-born Hunter, able to detect and track the scents of individual vampires, and she’s one of the best Hunters the Guild has ever had. Unfortunately, this has brought her to the attention of archangel Raphael, who rules over New York and who has a very special, very dangerous job for her. This job will land her smack-dab in the middle of archangel politics, vicious killers the likes of which she’s never seen, and a highly dangerous attraction to the utterly lethal Raphael.
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Tags: angels, erotica, Fantasy, Guild Hunter, Horror & Paranormal, Nalini Singh, paranormal, romance, urban fantasy, vampires
Posted in Fantasy, Horror & Paranormal, Romance & Erotica, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | 3 Comments »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Pros: Wonderful emotional development by characters, both within the context of the romantic relationship and outside of it; interesting secondary characters.
Cons: Beginning of book felt clichéd and slightly unoriginal.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group
Expected publication date: January 2010
Audrianna Kelmsleigh is determined to find a way to clear her father’s name. Accused of sending bad gunpowder to the front, he committed suicide to escape the shame. When she finds a notice in the paper from a person calling himself the Domino requesting a meeting with her father, she sets out to meet him. Lord Sebastian Summerhays, the investigator assigned to figure out how the bad gunpowder passed rigorous quality control inspections, also sees the notice and sets out to find the truth in a case that he hasn’t been able to solve. After a mishap involving a pistol, the Domino, and Sebastian, Audrianna is seen as compromised in the eyes of Society. She and Sebastian marry, but both are unsure of how the marriage will work out. Will their budding feelings survive the continuing investigation of Audrianna’s father, or will the truth of what happened with that gunpowder create a divide too deep to bridge?
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Tags: historical, Madeline Hunter, romance
Posted in Historical, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Pros: Wonderful humor, development between characters felt completely natural and unforced
Cons: The beginning of this book feels very similar to the plot of her last book
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Penelope Prestwick has decided that, since she is of the age to marry, she is going to marry a duke. Enlisting the help of Sophia Dalby, the former courtesan who has married three girls off already this Season, Penelope sets her sights on the Duke of Edenham. But in order to attract the Duke’s attention, she enlists the help of Lord Iveston to appear interested in her in the hope that where a ducal heir goes, another Duke will become interested. To lend an air of authenticity to the chase, Lord Iveston places a bet on White’s betting book that he will be the one to capture her heart. As Society watches Penelope and Iveston together, wagers fly back and forth as to who will win Penelope’s heart.
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Tags: Claudia Dain, courtesan, historical, romance, Sophia Dalby
Posted in Historical, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Pros: Gorgeous characters and fascinating world!
Cons: Pivotal plot point revealed a little too slowly
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group.
Visit Meljean Brook on the web.
Since I’m way behind here (who knew cats could have so many health problems?), I’m going to give you a taste of Meljean Brook’s Guardian series universe by quoting from her online series primer before I dive into my review:
… The Second Battle took place on Earth, and Lucifer brought with him a dragon from the Chaos realm. The angels began to falter before the dragon—but mankind, witnessing the battle taking place, joined the angels in their fight against the demons. One man, Michael, destroyed the dragon by cutting through its heart with his sword. With the dragon slain, the angels regrouped and were victorious.
After the Second Battle, the seraphim retreated from Caelum and from Earth. They bestowed upon Michael the power to protect humans, and to transform into Guardians any men or women who had sacrificed their lives to save another from otherworldly threats. In addition to immortality, wings, strength, and the ability to alter their appearance, these Guardians were given individual Gifts to assist in their fight against the demons and nosferatu.
This leads to a world filled with vampires, demons, Guardians, and more. Epic battles, and epic love affairs.
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Tags: Guardians, Meljean Brook, paranormal, romance, urban fantasy
Posted in Horror & Paranormal, Romance & Erotica | Permalink | No Comments »
