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Posts Tagged ‘erotica’

“The Redeeming,” Shiloh Walker

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Pros: Delightful story of good, evil, and redemption
Cons: Beginning felt a bit simplistic
Rating: 4 out of 5

The Redeeming

The Redeeming

Review copy courtesy of a Twitter contest held by the author.
Available from Samhain Publishing.
Visit Shiloh Walker online.

 

Jonah is dead, but his guardian angel gives him a choice: go to eternal torment, or take responsibility for his choices and accept one last chance at redemption. Lilan is a daughter of Lilith, a demon born to drain men’s souls and steal children away. But she’s a demon with a soul, who feels torment over what she’s supposed to do, and that gives her one single chance at a human life. She has two months to prove she can live the life she says she wants—and that time is running out when she meets Jonah. Each of them is on a mission to save a young man’s soul, but will their attraction to each other prove a fatal distraction—or the key to saving him?

 
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“Chains,” Shiloh Walker

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Pros: Very intense; outstanding characters and relationships; skillful handling of delicate topics
Cons: Wanted a teensy bit more about how the women found satisfaction in their jobs as well as their relationships
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group.
Visit Shiloh Walker online.

 

Fifteen years ago, three girls in their senior year of high school in Madison had almost nothing in common—until they experienced a terrible tragedy that bound them together and sent them fleeing from their hometown.

Renee was the icy-perfect prom queen from old money, dating the Mayor’s perfect son. After that night she fled her mother’s plans for her to become a pampered trophy wife, instead choosing to train as a chef and play at the lifestyle of a submissive. Night after night, however, she still has nightmares in which she can smell blood.

Lacey was the school’s sweetheart—as good-tempered as she was pretty and strong. She’s become a photographer, but she’s been told her work lacks heart, and she knows it’s true. Five years ago she found pleasure in the arms of Madison’s sheriff, but he walked out on her, and no one else satisfies her.

Sherra was the school’s bad girl, a pint-sized troublemaker. Now she writes best-selling horror novels to exorcise her own demons. The idea of being touched by any man terrifies her, and now because of the threatening notes and emails she’s been receiving, she’s stuck with an overbearing bodyguard.

All three women are headed back to Madison for their 15-year reunion, and for the kickoff of Sherra’s big booksigning tour. They’ve become friends in the intervening years, and they’ve each found their own measure of success, but they’re lonely and afraid. Now they’re going to have to face their fears, conquer them, and conquer the monster that’s stalking them.

 
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“Forbidden: The Temptation,” Samantha Sommersby

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Pros: Basic story & sex scenes that some will enjoy
Cons: Inconsistencies; hand-waving plot developments; stilted dialogue; non-sexy “sexy” scenes; confusions; thin characters
Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

 

Jacob Madison was injured a year ago during a rock-climbing trip. He was saved by werewolves, and still hasn’t forgiven them for making him one of them, even though he’d otherwise be dead. Now it’s his turn to save someone, as he finds Allison hurt in a snowstorm. He’s determined to do it without turning her, however. They just start to find a bit of peace—and a whole lot of passion—in each other’s arms, when trouble comes knocking. There’s a rogue werewolf turned serial killer on the loose, he’s after one of Jake’s new “friends,” and Allison knows a lot more about the situation than she’s letting on.
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“Shoot to Thrill,” Nina Bruhns

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Pros: Wonderful characters; tons of action & adventure
Cons: Maybe a little melodramatic, but that’s also a plus…
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 8/4/2009.

 

Kick Jackson is a former spy & sniper who lost his team—as well as some of his leg—to terrorists his last time out. The government is calling him up to go after a terrorist only he can recognize, and he’s determined to stay out of it. In his attempt to hide out in the home of a beautiful ER nurse, however, he only ends up accidentally dragging her into his inevitable mission.

Rainie Martin is a strong and capable nurse despite her deep anxieties and a childhood trauma. She’s mad as hell when she gets roped into helping Kick get off of painkillers before his mission, but she can’t abandon him when he isn’t quite ready to go in time—so she agrees to take part of the trip with him, and a surprise attack leaves her stuck in the middle of a war zone.

 
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“Storm of Visions,” Christina Dodd

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Pros: Great characters; interesting plot; quirky world
Cons: Slightly odd balance of quirky & dark
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 8/4/2009.
Visit Christina Dodd on the web.
Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

When the world was young, twins were born. One brought light to a dark world; the other, darkness and danger. They gathered others around them, men and women destined to use their powerful gifts for good or evil. Today, their descendants walk the earth as the Chosen, and the ultimate battle is about to begin.

Jacqueline Vargha doesn’t want her “gift”—she doesn’t want to be a seer like her mother, the famous and glamorous Zusane. She doesn’t have much choice, however, when her mother’s bodyguard, Caleb, tracks her down and carries her back to take her place as one of the current crop of Chosen. She’d rather be anywhere else, doing anything else, and particularly not near Caleb, but circumstances conspire to give her little choice. She also quickly finds that as the all-important seer of the Chosen, she’s a very tempting target to the Others that oppose them…

 
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“Beyond the Rain,” Jess Granger

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Pros: Very strong romance storyline; better-thought-out SF elements than some similar novels
Cons: SF world is flamboyantly operatic
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 8/4/2009.

 

Captain Cyani is one of the Azralen Elite, the ruling sisterhood of her planet. She’s also an extremely capable warrior on her last mission before retiring—she must rescue captured soldiers from slavers. Of course, her carefully-laid mission plans go awry when her furry scout companion Vicca discovers, and insists on helping, one extra slave. A slave who belongs to a race Cyani isn’t familiar with, and who’s been horribly abused by his captors.

Soren is Byralen, a member of a highly reclusive race. The males of his species produce a powerful hormone that allows them to bond intensely with their chosen mates, but that hormone is highly prized as a narcotic. The slavers have been using Soren to produce their drugs for years, and his body chemistry is completely thrown as a result. If he doesn’t find a mate soon and restore the balance, he’ll die. If he doesn’t return to his own world, he’ll die. Cyani is determined to make sure he gets there and lives, but she doesn’t know all that it’ll take to succeed in her new mission. Not only is Soren on borrowed time, but he doesn’t know how to find his home planet, and Cyani’s own people will soon be working against her…

 
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“Atlantis Unleashed,” Alyssa Day

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Pros: Interesting take on the world—unusual approach to the Atlantis myth
Cons: Make sure you read the whole series in order; some seemingly inconsistent behavior
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group.
Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

Alyssa Day’s Atlantis Unleashed is book three of her Warriors of Poseidon series. I ended up reading it first because, well, that happens when you’re a reviewer (and it works out fine for some series). However, I highly recommend reading this series in order. There’s a lot going on, and it’s tough to get your bearings if you don’t have the background from the other books. In particular, in part Atlantis Unleashed feels a bit like a bait-and-switch if you aren’t accustomed to paying attention to all of the characters at once—early on it introduces a major development for Brennan, one of Poseidon’s warriors, but then he’s out of the picture for the rest of the book, presumably waiting his turn for his own installment. Since I’d just been introduced to him, it was jarring to have his story vanish in the middle like that.

But, as often happens, I’m getting ahead of myself! First, the concept:

Eleven thousand years ago, Poseidon’s warriors swore an oath to protect humanity from those who stalked the night. Now those powerful forces are uniting. So are two souls who are all that stand between justice and eternal darkness…

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“Demon Mistress,” Yasmine Galenorn

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Pros: Tense, detailed plotting; interesting world; nifty characters; fun protagonist
Cons: Very complex world; bad guys somewhat shallow
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group.

 

Demon Mistress is book six of Yasmine Galenorn’s Otherworld series (why on earth don’t publishers make that obvious on book covers the way they used to?). I happened to start the series with book five—one of the perils of being a book reviewer—so I will warn you that this is a very intricate world. It’s possible to get into it part-way through the series, but I don’t recommend trying to do so if you can avoid it; pick up the earlier books first.

This is one of those series where the publishers seem to have nailed the back cover text when it comes to summing the increasingly-complex premise up for you, so I’ll quote:
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“Bengal’s Heart,” Lora Leigh

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Pros: Same hot sex Leigh’s fans love
Cons: Temper tantrum-prone annoying leads and hand-wavy “SF” plot
Rating: 2 out of 5

Review copy (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 8/4/2009.

 

While I enjoy Lora Leigh’s Breed novels, some of them are better than others. Bengal’s Heart is my least favorite so far, and if it had been the first I’d read, I might not have continued.

 

Lora Leigh’s “Breed” novels are all about genetically-engineered crossbreeds between various predatory animals (big cats, wolves, coyotes) and people. They’re hunted, tortured, experimented on, and slaughtered by the vicious group of scientists that created them: the Genetics Council. Since the series is also a romance & erotica set, it delves into the mysterious “heat” that binds genetically-compatible mates together, as well as issues of fertility.
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“Bound by Honor,” Colette Gale

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Pros: Titillating and sizzlingly erotic; takes a new and different direction with Maid Marian’s tale
Cons: Characters sometimes slow on the uptake; a little too much back-and-forth on who will end up with whom
Rating: 4 out of 5

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