Review: Never Enough by Lauren Dane

Never Enough

 ~Lauren Dane



Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Publish Date: September 6, 2011

ISBN-10: 0425243001

ISBN-13: 978-0425243008

ASIN: B0052RHF68



From the author's website:

Gillian Forrester spent most of her life running from who and what she came from. Until Miles came along. From the moment she held the tiny newborn her older sister didn’t want, Gillian stopped running and began to build a life for herself and her adopted son. Now, thirteen years later, as Gillian’s sister lay dying, she reveals the father’s identity and makes Gillian promise to find him. 



 Adrian Brown is the epitome of the successful rock star. He’s seen and done it all, with few regrets. It takes a lot to shock him—but the bombshell that he has a thirteen-year-old son rocks his world. And Adrian is even more surprised when the buttoned-up, elegant woman who’s raising Miles snags his erotic and romantic attention. 



 The last thing Gillian expected was to find herself getting hot and heavy with a person like Adrian. But as much as she wants to open up and give herself fully to this amazing man, she’s afraid the secrets of her past and Adrian’s problems with trusting people may keep them apart for good. If love isn’t enough can they find the trust they need?

Gillian Forrester just found out who the father of her 13-year-old son, Myles, is.  So now, she's not only dealing with emotions surrounding the death of her sister (his birth mother), but she must approach Rock Star Adrian Brown to tell him he has a teenage son.  Gillian adopted her sister's child at birth, but her sister refused to disclose the identity of his father until she lay dying in the hospital.  It's always been just Gillian and Myles, and she's afraid Adrian is going to try to take him away from her.



Adrian Brown has spent so much time trying to keep the outside world from coming in that he's insulated himself thoroughly.  He wants what his siblings have - family, kids - but the way he isolates himself doesn't allow for meeting, or more importantly, trusting, new people.  When he gets a mysterious message from Gillian he is immediately suspicious - What does she want from me? When she tells him he has a son he  immediately denies it; he's had false paternity claims before.  But there's something different about this woman, and with encouragement from his siblings he investigates the claim, which turns out to be true - he's got a 13-year-old son.



Adrian is immediately attracted to this sexy woman with the heavenly British accent.  Gillian can't stop thinking about the sexy rocker who's going to be a regular part of her son's life now.  But Gillian has secrets in her past that make it hard for her to open up, and Adrian has a lifestyle that makes it hard to trust.  Can they each overcome their issues and make a relationship work?



My thoughts:

Wow.



Heartbreaking.  Uplifting.  Frustrating.  Passionate.  Never Enough took me through such an array of emotions, I was thoroughly wrung out by the end, and I loved every minute of it.



For me, Adrian Brown has been the slightly mysterious Brown brother; I never really "pegged" him in the previous books, just noted him as an interesting side character that would eventually get his own book.  He turned out to be such a rich, complex character; I thoroughly enjoyed reading him:  his passion for family, trust, privacy, love.  Once he realized that Myles was his son, he began making up for missing the first 13 years of his life; he jumped into parenthood with both feet, right into the deep end.  His relationship with Gillian was not as easy.  The first impression he made was not a good one, and he had to atone for that, as well as overcome her fears of losing Myles.



Gillian was a complicated heroine.  She had a difficult childhood, and when she came to the United States she immediately began trying to reinvent herself from the child  of a mother was "familiar" with many of the men around town and a father who is a convicted murderer.  Gillian has a small group of friends she confides in, and it took her years to get to that point.  When she begins dating Adrian, the sex is scorching, and she likes him, but she can't seem to tell him about her past - even though she knows there are things he needs to know about her family.



While I found Adrian charming, I had a bit more trouble warming up to Gillian - I found her use of anger as a defense mechanism to be off-putting.  Given her history, that's not surprising, but it did not endear her to me.  I found myself frustrated with her actions time and again.  BUT, by the end of the book, Ms. Dane brought me around...



The overarching theme of the story is Family.  Not the family you're born with, but the family you make.  From Adrian's siblings, to Gillian's circle of friends - they care for each other and watch for each other and call each other out when they're making mistakes.  They love and accept each other for who they are, not where they came from, and they open their hearts to making their family circle wider.



I also loved the musical theme that ran through Never Enough - both Adrian and Gillian's careers are in music, as well as Miles musical interest, and his namesake.  Love of music was a bridge that seemed to bring them all together when nothing else worked.



The Brown Siblings series is one of my favorite series.  You can read Never Enough as a stand-alone, but you really get more of the depth and powerful writing that make up Never Enough if you read the whole series.  Believe me, it's worth the journey.

 My Rating:

Come back tomorrow for an interview with Lauren Dane where she'll be giving away one signed galley of Never Enough!!
Book received by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Provoke Me by Cari Quinn

Provoke Me 

~Cari Quinn 



Format: Kindle Edition 

File Size: 459 KB 

Publisher: Ellora's Cave 

Publish Date: June 22, 2011 

ASIN: B005950L46



From the author's website:

Sometimes extreme provocation can lead to exactly what you need... 



Attracted. Kelly's focus is the bookstore she manages. Sex is relegated to a list of candidates on her PDA. Only one man pushes all her buttons—her boss.

Fascinated. Spencer is determined to fight his desire for Kelly. For years they've bumped heads over the store they both love. But there's more than one reason their getting together is complicated.  



Provoked. When Kelly and Spencer unexpectedly meet up at a sex club, all the rules go out the window. Suddenly there's only way this match of wills can end —naked, preferably all night long. In this battle for sexual supremacy, there are two winners—and two losers when their stubbornness leads to the very thing each dreads most. 




Reader's Advisory: In a couple of scenes, Kelly and Spencer test "the more the merrier" theory.

Kelly Crossman works in a small, independent bookstore chain.  She loves her job, and she's good at it.  She gets along pretty well with her co-workers, but her boss - oh!  He's the stuff of fantasy.  And she fantasizes quite a bit ;)



Spencer Galvin lives and breathes the bookstore.  He got his position through dubious means, but he's good at what he does and he has big plans for his career by maintaining his professionalism and continuing to do an outstanding job.  That includes ignoring the hotness that is his employee, Kelly. 



When they both end up at a local sex club, sparks fly.  As they begin their relationship, it's all about sex, but as things go forward it becomes more.  But Spencer has a few work-related skeletons in his closet that prevent him from getting closer to Kelly, and Kelly must decide how much distance she'll allow Spencer to put between them, or if he's going to break her heart.



My Thoughts:

Wow.  I really enjoyed Provoke Me.  Usually, when I read "sex club", I roll my eyes.  In Provoke Me, it worked - it was a good setting for these two to run into each other in a non-work environment.  Their first meeting was so full of sexy tension I could almost feel it. 



Even though he was kind of an ass, I really liked Spencer - he was a decent guy who made some bad decisions and because of that swung in the complete opposite direction to being a very closed-type personality.  And when he had too much bottled up, he let it out sexually. Kelly was a more free-spirited personality, more open and bluntly honest, and she makes Spencer absolutely crazy - in both a good and bad way, lol.  Their differences in personality made for very good conflict throughout the book.



Provoke me had a great combination of an emotional storyline, interesting characters, and hot sexy scenes:  I loved Spencer and Kelly together - between his sexual procilvities and her willingness to try new things, Provoke Me steamed up my kindle screen!

My Rating:

 



Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Quickie Review - A Sibling Menage that Didn't Squick Me Out!

From the author's website:
Jaci Wright has been running from Cameron Falladay, for seven years now. Fears of the desires he arouses in her, and the knowledge of the relationship he wanted with her spurred her to run, to find a life that kept her traveling the globe and out of his reach. His and his twin brother’s.

But now, life has come full circle. A new job has placed Jaci in the Sinclair mansion with Cameron and his brother Chase. And Cam is tired of waiting. It’s hard enough to face accepting a relationship with Cam, knowing what he wants, but having the world know her lover’s brother touches her as well fills her with dread. Gossip, rumors and the tattered tales of juicy secrets fill the society she now moves within. Can she face the world knowing she’s a lover to both men, or will her hesitancy and her fears destroy her chance of
happiness forever.

_________________

I grabbed this book because I was in the mood for menage (heh). I read the back blurb and thought it sounded good - obviously I didn't see the word "brother" or you know I would have kept on going. I think my squeamishness at sibling menage is pretty well documented.

Jaci Wright has taken a job designing an exclusive club for her friend Courtney's husband. As it turns out, her hometown crush and his twin, Cam and Chase Farriday, work for Courtney's husband. Cam plans to make Jaci his, he's not letting her get away again like she did seven years ago. But Jaci's older now, and she has secrets that she's not ready to share. Cam wants to protect Jaci, but how can he if she won't tell him what happened in her past? Jaci won't share with Cam if he won't share with her - what happened to him all those years ago? What hardened him and changed him into the man he is today?

Turns out Ms. Leigh wrote such a great story that for whatever reason, the fact that Cam and Chase were twins (Twins Basil!*) didn't bother me! This book was steammmmy! I think it's part of a series (although not the first book in the series), and I'd definitely be interested in reading more.


Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: May 13, 2008
ISBN-10:0312368720
ISBN-13:978-0312368722

(*Austin Powers)

Review: L.A. Caveman by Christina Crooks

From the author's website:
When corporate reorganization strikes, spirited journalist Stanna keeps her job but discovers her struggle has only begun. The workplace becomes a sizzling environment as she battles her macho, hard-bodied new boss for control of the Men's Weekly column. She's determined to reform him. He's determined to train her. Neither wants to acknowledge the electrifying attraction that pulls at them both.

_________________________

I love the "enemies to lovers" storyline and this one was very good. Stanna is a writer at a men's weekly magazine; she writes a "woman's view" column. She's on track to become editor, until suddenly there's a new owner and Ian, her editor and mentor, is fired. Jake, the new owner, calls her in to let her go as well, but he can't - Stanna has a contract. In lieu of firing her, Jake's intent is to make life miserable for Stanna so she'll quit. Stanna has no intention of going anywhere...

From their opposing viewpoints to Jake's Neanderthal views about women, I was rooting for Stanna all the way. But that sizzle was there, and they both knew it. Once they agreed to disagree, Jake grew on me, and I started rooting for "them". Of course there were some misunderstandings they had to overcome, as well as their own stubbornness, to make things work.

What I didn't like: I didn't like the villain. No - I know you're not supposed to like the villain, that's not what I mean. He was almost a caricature , I could picture him sitting in his elegantly appointed rooms, twirling his overly waxed mustache, plotting his next move. *spoiler: We never found out why he owed such a huge amount of money to the mob. I honestly felt like Ms. Crooks could have delved a bit more into his storyline and maybe made it a bit more believable. I also felt like her roommate's storyline didn't add anything at all to the story. I would have preferred more interaction between Jake and Stanna instead of skipping ahead weeks at a time.

This was an interesting story that I wish would have gone a little deeper into the relationship dynamics between Jake and Stanna and less with the secondary characters. I do think that Jake and Stanna's hatred/passion for each other was great. The tension between them was so thick I could almost feel it while I was reading!


Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 224 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B003O85X8E

My Rating:

This e-book was provided to my by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Corralled by Lorelei James

From the author's website:
Sports therapist Lainie Capshaw has been rehabilitating injured cowboys long enough to know that a charming western drawl combined with a fine physical form doesn't mean you fall for the man.

So no one is more surprised than Lainie when she finds herself involved with not one, but two different men: Hank Lawson, a bullfighter, and Kyle Gilchrist, a bull rider. Lainie feels guilty about her two-timing, but it doesn't keep her from doubling her fun-that is until Hank catches her with Kyle.

She's shocked that Hank isn't mad. But she's more shocked to learn Hank and Kyle are hometown buddies. But when the men offer to share her-in every way-she knows that she's going to have to choose the one man who can give her the ride of her life.

_________________________

Confession: I've been on kind of a "cowboy kick". I'd heard good things about Corralled and thought I'd check it out.

Two words: Yea Haw!!

This was a super sexy read with a great storyline to boot (<---cowboy humor, tee hee) I liked Lainey, she was a smart heroine who was at a crossroads in her life, although she didn't know it at first. She's a rodeo med tech, working two different circuits, and she's dating someone on each circuit, Hank and Kyle. What she doesn't realize, and they don't know (because of some confusion with nicknames) is that they're best friends.

I gotta tell you, as soon as the three of them figured out what was going on, all I had to say was, "please, please let them decide to share"....and oh my lawd they sure did! When Lainie was put on "involuntary vacation" by her boss, she decided to go for it and decided to tag along with both men on the rodeo circuit. I loved the back-and-forth between Kyle and Hank as they bickered for Lainie's affections. The way the relationship played out worked for me - in addition to it being super hot, it was interesting to read about the cowboys and rodeo life.

The secondary characters? Two thumbs up - I liked them. Lainie's friend Tanna, a barrell racer, and Hank's sister Celia were both fun chicks I wouldn't mind hanging out with. Lainie's relationship with her mother added another layer to a great storyline. I wouldn't mind seeing a story for either Tanna or Celia, and I could see a story hinted at for Hank's brother Abe.

This is a series I will definitely be keeping up with!

My Rating:

Review: Slave to Pleasure by Eliza Gayle

From the author's website:
Living in exile with her mother, Nissa a half human half fae, trains with the hope to one day become a hunter. When she goes into her first sexual heat six years too soon, she is kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder at the slave auction. Unwilling to give up her freedom for slavery, even if it is to two rugged and virile hunters, she takes desperate steps to escape.

She should have known she couldn’t outrun the inevitable.

Roane and Erik have shared everything in life and plan for Nissa to be no exception. The steely innocence they recognize in her matches up to everything they’ve been looking for. Purchasing her at auction should have sealed the deal, but neither of them bargained on her ruthless determination or the secret she harbored.

Forced to face her weakness, Nissa agrees to a bargain. Seven days and nights of total submission, no questions asked and freedom is hers. Nissa is certain in the end she will want to leave and Roane and Erik are certain she won't.

_______________________

As Slave to Pleasure opens, Nissa, a half-human fae, is at slave auction getting ready to be sold to the highest bidder. She's terrified: she's been stolen by her cousin and sold into sexual slavery even though she's inexperienced. What she really wanted was to be a hunter, but now her hopes of attaining that goal seem bleak.

Roane and Erik, famed hunters, see her, want her, buy her. She runs away but eventually they find her, and agree to make a deal: If she will stay with them for seven days, they'll allow her to leave if she still wants to. She's sure she will, they're (pretty) sure she won't. She agrees to the deal when they tell her they can help her through her heat.

From there on out - this book gets hot! There's m/m, m/f/m, some light bondage. It's a magical world with faeries, dragons, and demons, and when Eliza is kidnapped for her magic Roane and Erik think she left them again.

I'm not very good with length distinctions (book length you naughty thing!) but I think this is a novella or short story. I know when books are not full-length that the story has to progress quicker than usual, so I was fine with that. What I didn't get was *spoiler*why the cousin kidnapped her and sold her when he was planning to turn around and kidnap her again later. Seems like he would have made less work for himself just kidnapping her once. *end spoiler* They also talked a lot about D/s but I didn't really see that here.

There are some issues Nissa has to overcome, promises are made, and the ending is sweet (and spicy!). Slave to Pleasure is definitely a very erotic fantasy read.

Published By: Gypsy Ink Books
Published: Sep 15, 2010
ISBN#: B00433TD80
Word Count: 39,000

My Rating:

This e-book was provided to my by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning

From the author's website:
Human Sexuality Professor, Myrna Evans, wants nothing but a weekend of hot, no-strings-attached sex with Sinners' sensual lead guitarist, but Brian Sinclair is looking for something more permanent than a one-night stand. Unable to compose music for months, when Brian makes love to uninhibited Myrna, he hears exquisite guitar riffs and finger-burning solos. In Myrna, he's found his muse.

_______________________

Excuse the pun, but this book rocked! (ahhh, I crack myself up :D) I am lovin' the Sinners on Tour!

Seriously though, Backstage Pass was hot. Brian Sinclair is a rock guitarist for a popular metal band: The Sinners. He meets Myrna Evans (I know, her name is awful - they even address it in the book, LOL) in a hotel bar where he's drinking with his band mates. She's there for a conference - she's a professor of human sexuality. They immediately hit it off and they both figure "what the heck, a fling would be fun" but it turns into more. After an extended weekend with Brian and the band, Myrna heads home to work on grant funding and Brian mopes. One thing leads to another and Myrna ends up on the road with the band studying groupie behavior. Of course they have some obstacles to overcome, namely a history that has Brian wanting a serious relationship and Myrna wanting to keep it casual.

I should have known this book was going to be good, the first sexy scene was in chapter 3 and it was amazing - *spoiler* He wrote a song on her naked body while they were having sex! *end spoiler*. I liked these two together, their chemistry was explosive and their strengths and weaknesses fit together like yin and yang. Myrna is actually a few years older than Brian, which I don't usually like, but I was able to ignore it for the most part. And the sex - Whoa - I'm surprised this book doesn't come with a mandatory fire extinguisher. There's a little something for everyone in here :) I didn't like the ex-husband storyline, but I understand how it was supposed to provide background for Myrna's thoughts and actions.

I also really, really liked the other band members - I'm thrilled they're all getting their own books because I didn't get enough of them in Brian and Myrna's story. Their personalities leaped off the page and by the end of the book I felt like I knew them all.

Backstage was sexy and funny; trust me, this is one you're not going to want to miss!

Paperback: 384 pages
Release Date: October 1, 2010
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN-10: 1402244428
ISBN-13: 978-1402244421

My Rating:

I can't wait for April 2011: Book 2 of the Sinners on Tour, Rock Hard (Sed's story):

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

From Amazon.com:
Emily Vargas has been taken captive. As part of his conditioning methods, her captor refuses to speak to her, knowing how much she craves human contact. He's far too beautiful to be a monster. Combined with his lack of violence toward her, this has her walking a fine line at the edge of sanity. Told in the first person from Emily's perspective, Comfort Food explores what happens when all expectations of pleasure and pain are turned upside down, as whips become comfort and chicken soup becomes punishment.

DISCLAIMER:
This is not a story about consensual BDSM. This is a story about “actual” slavery. If reading an erotic story without safewords makes you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. This is a work of fiction, and the author does not endorse or condone any behavior done to another human being without their consent.

________________________________

I was first made aware of Comfort Food when Cecile reviewed it, then did an interview with Kitty Thomas. Cecile -thank you.

I don't know where to begin....All I can say is, "Wow." I read this book in one sitting, I was sucked in from the first page and couldn't put it down.

Comfort Food is the story of a true Master/slave relationship, not a fetish, but an actual way of life. Emily is kidnapped, held hostage, and manipulated emotionally until she is a willing slave.

Ms. Thomas says in her interview at Cecile's place: "Any readers who are expecting a lot of physical violence or some type of brutal rape ... that doesn't happen here."

She's absolutely right - it's all psychological, and both horrifying and fascinating at the same time. I didn't find it a dark read, more....almost clinical, if you will, and I think that was due to the descriptive quality of Ms. Thomas' writing. The "cell" was light, the other rooms were bright - I never got the impression she was ever left in darkness.

The "relationship" that developed between them was so fucked up I just couldn't look away:

"....I came to trust him more than I'd ever trusted anyone. Because even if he was a monster, he followed his own rules. And he was my monster."

I didn't miss the irony of Emily being semi-famous for writing self-help novels, and that she had a degree in psychology. She knew what was going on and was still helpless to stop it. I was very interested in Master and the reasons behind his actions. I wanted to hate him, I knew I should hate him, but I was fascinated with his motivations. I was thrilled when Ms. Thomas gave us a peek into Master's journal.

"If I have this dark need to have compete power over her, she has an equal almost pathalogical need to give it to me."

Although I thought the fact that Master was rich made things a bit too easy, it didn't bother me for long. I just couldn't put the book down, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished reading it.

We never do learn Master's name, and I can't stop wondering if Emily ever does either.

My rating:

Review: Naked by Megan Hart

From the author's website:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent, but now he’s my tenant…with benefits. And now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back.

But I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

_____________________________

First off, let me say I'm totally in love with this cover - they really nailed it! I hate it when a cover doesn't have anything to do with the story inside; this cover is perfect!

Some authors you're comfortable with because you know what to expect. Megan Hart is not one of those authors - she always surprises me. I never know where she's going to take me with each book she writes. The thing is, I'm not sure where she took me with Naked.


I liked it, don't get me wrong. It's just that I felt like I didn't get a lot of the unsaid portions of the story.

Olivia is a black woman who was raised by a white family. Her father is Catholic, her mother Jewish. As a child, neither parent was particularly religious, but once they divorced, each parent became devout in their respective religion, each encouraging Olivia to "choose" their side.

Olivia is single, having been engaged once when she was in college to Patrick, who she learned was gay two weeks before the wedding. She is still in love with Patrick, even all these years later. She's at one of Patrick's parties when she meets Alex, one of his many gay friends. Olivia is immediately attracted to Alex, although she knows he's gay. She ends up renting him her downstairs apartment, and a relationship ensues. Here's the thing, she spends a lot of time questioning internally - his past, his lovers, his intentions. But she never really voices those questions. She learns things about him almost by accident, but still doesn't say anything. They get engaged, but by the end of the book there's still no date set or discussion of date to be set. How come she couldn't find a Comex account for him online even though his best friend's wife said they talk on Comex all the time? I think that for me, this is the most open-ended book by Ms. Hart I've read to date (Full disclosure, there are a few books on her backlist I own but haven't read yet.). The way the book ended gave the reader the impression there was a HEA; I felt like there were still too many unanswered questions, but I WANT to believe.

I have to address Olivia's camera: It was almost it's own character - a subconscious shield, if you will, to separate her from real life when she needed to disconnect, but also to remember and create. It was her livelihood and her hobby, and a trusted friend. And Olivia needed a trusted friend - her mother was judgemental towards a choice Olivia had made earlier in life; her ex-fiance was not as good a friend as she thought; and Alex's past had unpleasant surprises for her to accept or not.

This book is very sensual, the sexytime is plentiful and beautifully written. The characters are complex and the storyline was interesting, if a bit frustrating to this reader. Ms. Hart always digs deep underneath the surface of her story and this book was no exception.

My rating:

E-book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Paradise Rules by Beth Kery

This book falls into my Erotica Reading Challenge.

I bought this book because I'd read good reviews, but before I'd read Sweet Restraint. I didn't care too much for Sweet Restraint so this one lingered on my bookshelf for a long time. I decided to read it because I was looking for a contemporary read.

Paradise Rules surprised the hell out of me. It was really good - very, very erotic. I enjoyed it from cover to cover and there were only a few spots where I felt like"really?".

Lana Rodriguez is a famous jazz/blues singer who has come to Hawaii to hang out with her friend, who's going through an ugly divordce. Lana spent her childhood in Hawaii (we don't learn all the particulars until near the end of the book, needless to say she has a secret) and isn't thrilled about being there but wants her friend to have a good time.

Jace Koa is a local celebrity, an olympic swimmer/surfer who's come home to Hawaii and runs a surf shop and a restaurant. He first runs into Lana and her friend at his surf shop while he was getting a hand job from a client. Lana was not pleased as he was supposed to be teaching them how to surf.

Later, she hires a male escort for her friend and ends up getting one for herself too. Little does she know Jace's cousin runs the escort service and when Jace hears she's hired their services he steps in to be her "date". Hot sex ensues. Hot, angry sex. Oh, my....

The first half or more of this book is Lana and Jace's relationship, which consists mostly of sex - on a beach, on a boat, next to the boat.... Both Lana and Jace were very strong characters, so there was a lot of pushing back and forth between the two of them. Lana was kind of a bitch, and I did sort of wonder what Jace saw in her that kept him coming back, but let's be honest, I wasn't too worried about it - Ms. Kery knows her way around a sex scene!

There did turn out to be a scandal involving Lana and Jace, and Jace tries to figure out who's responsible while Lana is angry and blaming Jace. I knew who the culprit was but Jace was so sweet while he figured it out. I did wish Ms. Kery had gone into more detail at the end of the book; I kind of felt like it was too open ended, but that's just my preference.

I really enjoyed this book and I give Paradise Rules 4 out of 5 stars. A super sexy read!

Review: Bound to Please by Lilli Feisty

This book falls under my Erotica Reading Challenge.

Ruby Scott is an event planner in San Francisco; she works with her best friend, Meg. Mark St. Crow is a musician in town to meet with Meg's husband, a record producer. They meet at an art show Ruby and Meg are doing and immediately hit it off. Mark talks Ruby into meeting him at his concert later that night and gives her a few rules to adhere to while she's there. After the show, they go back to her place and Ruby gets a bit more insight into the fact that Mark is a Dom - and she discovers she likes it!

Ruby's childhood was less than perfect, and she has some abandonment issues. Mark's rock-n-roll lifestyle isn't really condusive to the steady relationship that Ruby thinks she wants. She knows she's attracted to Mark and he's attracted to her, but she doesn't want to be 2nd place behind his music. It seemed to me she spent a good portion of the book trying to leave Mark before he could leave her, doubting his assertions that he cared about her. The thing is, neither Ruby nor Mark wanted to leave, but neither could see how they could make a relationship work.

Oh. My. Goodness. I really liked this book! I enjoyed reading both Ruby and Mark, they were likeable characters and I wanted things to work out between them. Every time they hit a bump I thought to myself, "You can do it - give it a chance!" The sexual chemistry between them was hot, hot, hot! (I may have taken notes *g*) I also liked the secondary story of Meg and her husband Emmett. Mark's music partner Yvette. At first I didn't think I would, but by the end of the book I found myself hoping we'll see her again.

This book held my attention all the way through - no skimming or running off to check my e-mail when things got slow. I give Bound to Please 5/5 stars! Her next book, Dare to Surrender, is out next month and I can't wait to read it!

Review: Dirty by Megan Hart, aka I've Got A New Book Boyfriend!

I picked up this book thinking it sounded like a good story and it fell under my Erotic Romance Challenge. Little did I know I not only would I love this book, but I would also find my new fictional boyfriend here!


Dirty is the story of Elle and Dan. They met in a candy shop, went to a bar and had a few drinks, and that was that. But Elle couldn't stop thinking about him. When she went out for drinks and dancing with her friend from work a few weeks later, Dan was there. It was hot and steamy right there on the dance floor!

Elle has a lot of issues that you don't see right at the beginning of the story. She's got a dysfunctional relationship with her parents, and her gay brother won't come home to visit. Elle is a counter, she counts everything. Counting is one of three ways she can forget her past - the other two are sex and drinking. Her father is a full-fledged alcoholic, so she doesn't drink much, which leaves counting and sex. She doesn't date, but she does pick up men for sex. She thinks this is what will happen with Dan; but acknowledges to herself she's strangely drawn to him.

Although he's described as average in height and stature, Dan is definitely a dominant male. He knows better than Elle what she wants for herself. The thing about Dan is he's also patient and sensitive to her needs. He knows there's something under the surface that he doesn't know or understand yet. He knows he wants her and puts up with a lot of things a less secure man would walk away from. And yet he was not a "super" hero - he had flaws. He got mad. He had insecurities (shown especially, I thought, in the class reunion scenes).

These two are amazing together, and not just sexually. Dan is in her life but she won't let him be a part of it; I think I would describe Dan as the catalyst that causes Elle to be ready to really look at herself and her life when the time comes.

This book is beautifully written. Her descriptions of Elle's thoughts and reactions and sensory perceptions made me feel like I was in the story, watching while the scenes played out. Ms. Hart layered this story perfectly; Elle's relationship with her next door neighbors is hopeful yet sad and is another symptom of Elle's primary issues, her relationship with her brother and mother, her books, and her counting are all beautifully woven together to leave us wanting more of her story, and when we get The Whole Picture - wow. Just...wow.

When I wasn't reading this book I was thinking about it. I give this story 5/5 stars. Thank you Ms. Hart, for sharing it with your readers.

Undercover by Lauren Dane

I picked up this book because I liked Laid Bare, and while browsing Amazon saw this book was on sale. Whoo-eee! I didn't realize it was a futuristic story, as I don't usually enjoy that sort of book, but this one was great. Sooo sexy.

Sera Ayers was in love with Ash Walker 10 years ago. He was totally Dominant and she loved submitting to him. He was the love of her life and he ended up having to marry for political reasons. Sera refused to be his sanctioned mistress. She was bitter and depressed and channeled her energy into advancing her military career.

Fast forward 1o years, and Sera is called in to her commanders office for a new assignment. She'll be working with Ash and Brandt Pela as an undercover group to travel to another planet to gather information about who is selling weapons and information to federation enemies. She is supposed to pose as Ash's concubine, but she refuses and agrees to pose as Brandt's concubine. Once they're there, though, someone notices she has Ash's mark on her (she never had it removed) and ends up having to pose as concubine to both men. I liked that the men interacted with each other as well as Sera.

Ash explains to her what's happened to him in the last 10 years, including divorce from his wife and that he never got over Sera. Sera never got over Ash either, but she's wary of seeing him again. Because of their mission, she's already involved with Brandt, and when Ash gets involved everyone is happy.

The covert mission is interesting, and the relationship between the three is complex. I enjoyed the ending once the mission was over. This was a fun read with a lot of sexin'!

Colters' Woman by Maya Banks

I'd read what I remembered to be great reviews about this book, so when I saw it on the shelf I grabbed it! Oh. My. God. I don't even know where to begin...Let me just say up front this review is going to be all over the place. The placemnt of the apostrophe in the title should have been my first clue.

Let me start by saying I like Maya Banks' work. I really liked Be With Me and her Sweet series is awesome! Colters' Woman? Not so much. From page one, you have to drop your disbelief at the front door and pick it up on your way out. I spent almost the whole book thinking "that would never happen" or "WTF?"

The book starts with Adam Coulter, the oldest of three brothers, going out in the snow to get the mail and he sees a woman passed out in the ditch. He rushes over and picks her up to get her inside and immediately gets a hard-on. (My first thought is what kind of guy gets a hard-on for an unconscious woman? But I digress....) He gets her in the house, strips off her clothes, and puts her in the tub to warm up. Then, after she wakes up, and he's got her out of the tub and she's asleep, he sneaks in and gets into bed with her and gets her off with his hands. She thinks to herself WTF and then just as quickly she's okay with it.

Holly is on the run from her husband. She left him on their wedding day after she saw him murder someone. He's looking for her and she's running scared.

Here's the thing with the brothers: Adam is the oldest, kind of Alpha (I guess), Ethan is the middle brother, he's sweet, and Ryan is the youngest, he's an Iraq war vet with some low-grade PTSD. They've been looking for a woman to share. Yes, share. As in BROTHERS HAVING SEX WITH THE SAME WOMAN AT THE SAME TIME. Apparently their fathers had one wife and their grandfathers had one wife. I think I would have been okay with the brothers having sex with her one at a time (which they did) but they also had sex with her at the same time. They didn't care who went where - one would get off inside her and the next one would literally stick it in...mouth, vag, ass; she was like a living blow up doll. And did I mention they're BROTHERS!? I think I also forgot to mention that Holly is a virgin, and her first sexual encounter is with the three brothers.

Oh yeah, back to the plotline - The brothers talk Holly into being "theirs" and she agrees to it (pretty quickly) and they want to help her get a divorce from her husband. She tells the husband if he doesn't leave her alone she'll tell the authorities about the man she saw him kill. Holly thinks it's okay and she can be with the Coulters, but her ex-husband hires someone to kill her. That part of the storyline was pretty good.

I did like seeing Holly go from a scared little girl to a more confident woman as the story progressed. And Ryan's changes as she helps with his war memories is sweet but brief. I think I would have liked this book more if it was about three friends and not brothers. The ending was sweet but too quick.

Be With Me by Maya Banks

This was my first Maya Banks book. I liked it. I had heard good things about Ms. Banks, but I was leery going into it - the blurb said it was a story about one woman and three best friends....that seemed like a lot of people to me, but Ms. Banks made it work!

Reggie Fallon is a cop. She's also the Mayor's daughter. When she comes across a murder scene the killer is still there and he tries to kill Reggie. He almost succeeds, but back up arrives and he gets away.

When Reggie wakes up in the hospital, her three best friends from childhood are there - Hutch Bishop, Cam Douglas, and Sawyer Pritchard. They'd remained best friends until about a year ago, when one night of passion between the four of them had her running away from them. She couldn't handle the truth of what they had done and had managed to avoid them for the past year.

When they heard she'd been hurt, they brought her back to recuperate in the home they had built for her. They explained what they wanted, a relationship between the four of them, and she fought it. How could that possibly work? What would people say? Hutch, Cam, and Sawyer convinced her to think about it. They all loved her and didn't want to give her up. They knew she loved them too, and they would never make her pick.

Her first day in their home there was a break-in. Then her car exploded right after she'd gotten out of it. And the men's childhood home (they were foster children who lived together with an adoptive mother) was attacked. Were these attacks aimed at her? Or someone close to her?

The guys were very protective of Reggie, and she in turn was protective of them. Watching their relationships with Reggie grow, individually and as a group, was interesting (and steamy!). I will say the killer was not who I thought it was, and the final showdown was good. And when Reggie and the guys had to decide if this relationship was what they all really wanted, their decision-making process was, erm...unique.

This book was hard to put down and I am definitely going to read more books by this author!

Wicked Ties by Shayla Black

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, I hadn't read anything by Ms. Black before. Morgan O'Malley is the host of a cable sex show, and she's looking for ideas for the second season. She's also got a stalker who has apparently followed her from her home in LA to her half-brother Brandon's home in Houston. No one knows they're related, so he's posing as her fiancee.

She meets with Jack Cole in Lafayette, Louisiana to interview him about being a guest on her show. He's a Dominant, and she's interested in showcasing that lifestyle. When they meet for the interview, someone starts shooting at her, and Jack helps her escape. When she explains she has a stalker, he tells her he's going to protect her - he's former special ops and does bodyguard work on the side.

Morgan reluctantly agrees, and he takes her to his cabin in the middle of the swamp. What she doesn't know if that Jack arranged the meeting because he wanted to seduce her and send video of them having sex to Brandon, his former best friend who betrayed him. Megan and Jack end up having D/s sex and she likes it. Jack sends the video to Brandon.

Later in the story we meet Jack's grandfather, a little old Cajun man who knows Morgan is the one for Jack because Jack's been dreaming about her and it's a family legend that the men dream of their true love. We also meet Jack's partner, Deke. Deke seems to be a typical special-ops type guy too, and he is also into BDSM. I think you know where this is going so I'm not going to say anything more about that (it was very hot).

While Morgan is wrestling with her secret desire to be dominated, the stalker is still out there and Jack and Deke are trying to find out who it is.

It was a good story, but I had a few problems with it. My main issue is that Jack went on and on about how D/s was about trusting the other person, yet after their first sexual encounter he sent a video of them having sex to Brandon! For the rest of the book I just could not get past that. Also, when Jack asked his grandfather to bring Morgan clothes, he brought her skanky lingerie. His grandfather - really?!

I liked Morgan's half-brother Brandon, and I liked Deke and would like to read stories about them. Deke's story is Decadent, which I need to go out and buy; I don't think Ms. Black has done Brandon's story - yet.

Laid Bare by Lauren Dane

I saw this book on the shelf, decided I was looking for a contemporary, loved the tats on the cover, and grabbed it.

This book should be required by law to come with a fan, a pitcher of ice water, and an extra pair of panties for when the ones you're wearing burst into flames!

Erin Brown is in a rock band. Todd Keenan is the clean-cut cop who lives next door. She's a little kinky and adventureous in the bedroom; he's not. But they're attracted to each other and start dating. Turns out he is a bit kinky but not comfortable with that part of himself and they break up. 10 years later, he's back in town, newly divorced, and she's running a coffee shop after a traumatic fan experience left her devastated and changed forever. Her band made it big, but for personal reasons she only does studio work now, no touring. Todd walks into her coffee shop and it's instant attraction all over again, except that this time he's ready to embrace that side of himself he hadn't been able to accept before.

This book had hot, hot sex, D/s, and threesome action. Ms. Dane did a great job with Erin and Todd's relationship - I enjoyed watching it grow both inside and outside of the bedroom. When Todd's childhood friend/coworker Ben got involved it just got steamier. I don't really understand the emotional dynamics of a 3 person relationship, but in this book it worked. They were good for each other. The secondary characters were very believable - I really liked Erin's brothers and hated Ben's ex.

If you're looking for something steamy and sexy, this is the book for you! Make sure you have a fire-extinguisher handy (just in case)!

Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone

I saw this book over at Lovin' Me Some Romance, and I was intrigued. I wasn't really sure, I couldn't see how a book about an opium addict would be that good, but Oh My God - I am so glad I picked up this book!! Definitely a keeper!

This book is set in 1850, and Lindsay Markham is in love with his childhood friend, Anais Darnby. He's loved her for years and has not told her. Since he went off to college he's turned to opium to dull the feelings because he doesn't know how she feels about him. Now they're adults, and he doesn't know it but she feels the same way about him.

He takes a chance one evening and they have a passion filled encounter in the stable, and he promises his undying love and asks her to meet him at a costume ball the next week. Anais agrees, but is betrayed by a friend and finds Lindsay, high as a kite, in a compromising situation with her friend. She doesn't care that he thought the friend was Anais. Anais runs off and says she never wants to see him again.

The story picks up several months later, Lindsay is back from the exotic East, having spent the first few months looking for Anais, who ran off to France, and the last few months in an opium-induced haze. He's back in England, and wants to see Anais. As he returns, there is a fire and her house burns to the ground, necessitating her family briefly staying at Lindsay's family estate. Lindsay finds out Anais has been ill and has turned to another childhood friend, Garrett, for comfort. Lindsay is jealous, and tries to win Anais back, but she tells him it can never be. There are some very steamy scenes, both real and imagined, and Anais has a secret she's keeping from Lindsay, just as he's keeping the degree to which he's dependent on the opium from her.

There is no way I can do a review that would do justice to this book. Everytime I thought I had the plot figured out, surprise - it's not what I thought; this happened several times. I liked both Lindsay and Anais, and wanted them to be together; however, some secrets may be too damaging for forgiveness. I liked how they kept breaking apart and coming back to each other, mirroring his addiction and denial of same. And Ms. Featherstone's description of his addiction was so sensual, she really turned the story into a love triangle instead of just a story about a couple.

Excellent read. I can't wait for her next book, Sinful, out in May 2010.

Ensnared by Innocence by Larissa Lyons

I'm not familiar enough with the Romance genre to recognize the authors yet, but I knew I had seen this authors name before so I said "what the heck" and went for it. Oh my goodness. Is this considered Erotica? I think it is. When I picked it up, I thought it was Larissa Ione, who writes the Demonica series that I want to start reading. Wrong!

It was a very short book (or maybe I read it too fast, hehe) but by Chapter 3 I needed a shower 'cause I felt dirty. Whew! The premise of the story was good...Lady Francine, a young lady living with her aunt and uncle, is trying to escape the awful marriage they have planned for her. In order to do that she decides to pick someone suitable and pay him to be engaged to her until the end of the season , then break off the engagement. At that point, she won't have to marry the man her aunt picked. The gentleman Francine picks, Lord Blakely, is quite a scoundrel but titled, making him a suitable choice for her plan. Except, once her plan is in motion she is very attracted to him and wants him to bed her.

Lord Blakely is at first shocked, then intrigued by Francine's suggestion, and agrees to go along with it. BUT, Blakely has a secret...he's a werelion, and it's almost time for his Change. He goes along with Francine's fake relationship, and teaches her everything she could ever want to know about sex. He realizes he's falling in love with her, which is bad. It's bad because he once accidentally killed a woman during his Change. Apparently at that time the lion is in constant sexual need and very aggressive about it. The young lady in question was killed when Blakely and his brother fought over her.

So, as the time for his Change comes, Blakely suddenly distances himself from Francine. She is hurt and angry and goes to his home to find out why he's shunning her. She is greeted at the door by Blakely's brother, who won't let her in. She can hear Blakely shouting her name and lots of bumping and thumping noises. She insists on going to him to see what is the matter, sure that she can help. She finds him tied to the bed, in the throes of the Change. He had insisted his brother tie him up to keep Felicia safe.

Well, one thing leads to another and they end up having hot sex. But then it gets a bit weird when Blakely's brother gets involved. Hey, I don't have anything against a threesome (that's what she said!), but with your brother? Uh-uh. No way. Ick. And, throughout the story Blakely had a strange habit of smelling his fingers. During foreplay. And making Francine smell his fingers. Also his brother. Very weird. Then, they all fall asleep and when she wakes up the brother is gone and she and Blakely talk about what happened. She loves him and loves her and is delighted she can handle his brother and his Lion half.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. If it wasn't for the sibling threesome and the finger fixation, I'd say it was great. But for some reason I just can't get past those two issues. I'd love to hear someone else's thoughts. I'll probably try one more of her books before I decide whether or not to read more of her stuff.