Review: Trading Up by Brindle Chase

Trading Up by Brindle Chase

Publisher: Breathless Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

Heather has it bad for her sister's boyfriend. When her sister suggests a switch in the dark, the temptation is a seduction she can't ignore.


Denise’s Review

Theresa has Mark. Heather wants Mark. Theresa decides to give Mark to Heather. Oh, and not clue Mark in until after the fact.

And that’s essentially it in a nutshell.

I have mixed feelings about this sexy short story. On one hand, it’s incredibly steamy, the writing is decent, and there is definite passion between the characters. On the other hand, I just don’t believe it, and that’s the problem. While sexual fantasies are often explored in depth in erotic romance, it typically falls upon the author to make it believable, and while Mr. Chase does address some of the obvious points a reader might bring up, it felt like the bare minimum. The lack of conflict throughout really keeps this sensual tale from being as good as it could be.

Firstly, you have Theresa, who is conniving and flighty, and not ready to settle down. She’s dating Mr. Right, who happens to be her sister Heather’s dream man. Theresa doesn’t want Mark anymore, so she passes the buck to Heather, going as far as to concoct the whole scheme so Heather will get a taste of Mark before Mark gets a say in anything.

The reader knows this going in from the novella’s description. We realize that we, like Heather, will need to be talked into seducing Mark before Mark knows he’s been duped. We need to be on board with it when Heather gives the go-ahead. And to her credit, Heather did resist, but not by much. One fantasy later and she’s ready to put her reservations, and sense of morality, on the table and sleep with her sister’s soon-to-be ex while pretending to be someone else.

It’s okay, though, because men like sex so much it ultimately doesn’t matter who’s giving it to them.

In the end, I just don’t buy it. I don’t buy that Theresa would have no qualms giving her perfect boyfriend to her sister, regardless of her intentions, and I don’t buy that someone as sweet and supposedly innocent as Heather would be all right with the sort of deceit needed to pull this off. It’s likewise unlikely that a man who’s shared a bed with a woman for six months won’t realize the body next to his isn’t who he thinks it is. Heather and Theresa had some notable physical differences, and regardless of how dark it is, there are many non-visual factors that weigh into recognizing one’s lover: body language, temperament, and feel being among them. I also don’t think Mark, regardless of how he may or may not feel about Heather, would be inclined to shrug and say, “Okay!” without much of a fight. He’s Mr. Perfect, after all. Not Joe Give-Me-Sex Normal, but our Prince Charming.

Had there been some conflict, regret, added length and character development, these issues could have been avoided. In the end, I felt a little cheated. On one hand, yes, it is a woman’s fantasy enacted; on the other hand, I wasn’t convinced, and if you can’t convince your reader to go for the ride, convincing them of anything beyond the ride is a tad difficult.

However, the sex is very hot and I did feel real heat between Mark and Heather. In the end, it’s up to the reader to make their own decision.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: The Bodyguard by Raven Willow-Wood

The Bodyguard by Raven Willow-Wood

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Futuristic Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

Her father might have bought him to protect Brooke, but as far as the cyborg, Zeno, was concerned, Brooke was his! When the raiding cyborgs took her, leaving him for dead, he struck off the moment he recovered to get her back … determined to kill the cyborg leader, Deltra, if that was what it took!


Claudette’s Review

Brooke is in love with her bodyguard. The problem? He’s cyborg. At the beginning of the novel the author takes great pains to tell the reader how android like Zeno is, making him seem as emotionless as your computer. We then assume that that is why Brooke thinks that loving Zeno is so pointless, because it can never be anything but unrequited. Then we find out that Zeno is not just a machine with some human genetic material; but a former human soldier who has survived what would have been fatal injuries by becoming a cyborg through the addition of nano-technology and cybernetic enhancements. The reason that there has been war between mankind and the cyborgs is because the cyborgs overcame their programming and refused to do the bidding of their weaker human overlords. Being able to reason like that suggests sentience to me, but what do I know? With war raging between Cyborgs and robots and the massively reduced human population mainly in hiding, I’m not all sure why Zeno insisted on training Brooke to defend herself. How can one frail, clingy, lovesick human take on a cyborg or cyborgs intent on abduction and slavery?

I’m amazed that Brooke managed to keep her love for Zeno a secret. For a woman in her twenties, perhaps both Zeno and her parent’s protectiveness has left her with the emotional maturity of a hormonal teenager. When she isn’t throwing temper tantrums worthy of a three year old, she’s a damsel in distress. This book would have better if Brooke had been a stronger and well developed character, capable of behaving like a woman instead of a girl. It would also have been interesting to find out more about Zeno’s life prior to his becoming a cyborg. Zeno gets the chance to join his fellow cyborgs. Does he forget his loyalty to Brooke? Is it possible for him to ever succumb to the human weakness called love?

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Wild Souls by Jocelyn Devon

Wild Souls by Jocelyn Devon

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Can Eliza’s and Hank’s marriage be saved or is it already too late after his affair with town tart Sylvia? Her home wrecking ways threaten to end all three of their lives. HIV, looms over then like a dark shroud. Can any be saved?

Sterling an ancient vampire mourns the loss of his beloved Alana. He never thought he’d find another woman to take her place. Yet, he finds hope in Eliza.

Will Eliza accept his dark gift before it’s too late?

Can she find it within herself to love a creature of the night? Is it possible his love can cure her?



Claudette’s Review

Eliza’s husband Hank is suffering a bad case of denial, for some reason he refuses to take the blame for the affair he had with the town tramp, Sylvia. This affair ends his marriage and put both him and Eliza at risk of HIV. While packing his bags, he accuses her of having an affair with his friend Sterling. Unknown to them both, Sterling is a vampire. Sterling being something other than human appears to be an addition to the plot that doesn’t blend seamlessly in a way that would make sense to the story by adding a touch of the paranormal. This is just thrown into the story, the same way that soap opera writers add mad plot twists to the storyline.

Sterling is in love with Eliza, she is the first woman to make him care about anything, since the death of his beloved first wife. Instead of Sterling, making the effort to hide the fact that he isn’t human in order to be there for Eliza while she tries to deal with the aftermath of losing the husband she was about to divorce, he appears in her apartment, clearly not having entered through the front door, just as the officers call at her home to inform her of Hank’s death. There is little to no real characterization nor do any of the characters react to their circumstances in a way that makes sense in terms of motivation.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: One Night Only by Destiny Wallace

One Night Only by Destiny Wallace

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Maleeya Benson is a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force and perfectly content. She has an education, a good job, and even owns a condo on the beach. She has all these things at the expense of a social life.

However, when one of her coworkers decide to have a club crawl for a going-away party, Lee agrees to go just so she can let Logan Wentz know exactly how she’s feels about him. His divorce is pending and Lee sees this one night out as her opportunity.

Easier said than done! If Lee can get some privacy from her coworkers, keep an eye on her drunken best friend, and show Logan that she can be more than a friend.

Maybe the night will come out the way she hopes or maybe not, are you ready to find out?



Hunter’s Review

This book was hard for me to read. From the beginning, it seemed to jump around a lot. Lee was a nice character and Ms. Wallace clearly succeeded in giving us a heroine that we could find amusing and witty.

But, she doesn’t speak to the hero—the man she really, really wants—for most the book. Lots of other things happen but the actual ‘meet’ takes a long time to happen. Also, I found myself frustrated by the ending. But the heroine is very likable and I think if you are looking for a light weight kind of beach read, this might be the book for you.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Taming Kalinda by Dakota Trace

Taming Kalinda by Dakota Trace

Publisher: eXcessica Publishing
Genre: BDSM Romance

Heat Rating: 4

Blurb

After seeing her best friend accept her brother’s collar, Kalinda Doherty realized without a doubt she needed what Nisey had - a Dom who was willing to offer her more than a few nights of hot sex, erotic pain, and sensual submission. Unfortunately that left out the man she wanted. So when the offer of an internship in Los Angeles came up, Kalinda jumped at the chance, leaving Chicago, her family and the man of her dreams behind. Now with her internship over, Kalinda’s heading home for the summer with a decision to make - take the permanent job waiting in L.A. or finding happiness with her new Dom in Chicago?

Joshuah Redding was a man of deep needs. The time apart he’d forced upon Kalinda was finally over. Now that she’s returning to Chicago, he knows it’s time to claim her - for good this time. He had everything planned until the plane touched down. That’s when he finds out Kalinda has brought a man home with her…another Dom. Now what the hell is he supposed to do - especially when the new Dom wants him to join them - permanently?
Warnings: This title contains BDSM principles, bondage, flogging/whipping, anal sex and some elements of non-consensual sex and M/F/M theme.



Clare C’s Review

Having read the first book in the series, Nisey’s Awakening, I very much looked forward to reading Taming Kalinda. The first chapter began with the same inviting writing style and likeable portrayal of characters as Nisey’s Awakening. I found the premise to be exceptionally interesting. Two years after Josh throws her out of his life, Kalinda and her new Dom return to Chicago for an extended visit. The new Dom wants her to resolve her issues with Josh, either by exorcising his memory completely or by having him permanently join them.

The writing style devolves rather quickly. Sentences are a bit awkward and sometimes convoluted. As we get to know them, the characters seem more and more immature in their decisions, their reasoning, and their relationship to one another. I knew the author was a fan of jumping from one character’s point of view to another’s, but there were times it changed without warning or context clues. The simplicity of the story means the reader doesn’t get lost, but there didn’t seem to be a reason for us to be in the head of some of the minor characters.

The eroticism of the BDSM scenes was lost in issues of dubious consent and a distinct lack of romanticism and respect between the characters. They didn’t seem to be interested in one another on any level other than the sexual, and that doesn’t make for romance. It also prohibits the reader from truly connecting to the characters. If you’re looking for a kinky story focused on complete and total submission, Taming Kalinda is for you.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Cat Maiden by Myra Nour

Cat Maiden by Myra Nour

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Fantasy Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

What happens when the gods play tricks on humans?

Madria leads a very satisfying life as a cat, until one night when she stumbles upon a pair of arguing gods. When one of them points at Madria, changing her into a human, the stunned and confused ex-feline manages to drag herself home and collapse on her master’s doorstep.

Antonius is astonished when he finds an unconscious, nude woman on his doorstep, and pleased to see her beauty surpasses the ideal he had pictured for a perfect mate.

Soon Antonius is falling deeply in love with the woman, yet her strange behavior makes him wonder if perhaps she’s a mystical being.

Madria has always loved Antonius and finds her experiences as a human exciting, especially the passionate sex they share. But how long before the gods return to wreak more havoc—or return her to her previous form?



Hunter’s Review

Every once in a while, I encounter a book that makes me go, well frankly, ick. This is one of those books. Madria is a cat. Not a shifter. Not a Were anything. She is Antonius’ house cat. He is strangely attached to her, at least according to his friend. She disappears one night and then a naked woman arrives on his doorstep.

The naked woman informs our brilliant hero that she is also called Madria. She purrs when she sleeps. He thinks this is odd, other worldly but he likes having sex with her so he doesn’t give it much thought. They fall in love.

Yes, Antonius falls in love with his house cat in her human form. The sex scenes are well written and hot, if you can get past the ‘ick’ factor that really kept me pretty grossed out. But that might just be my stomach. People looking for something new, looking for something they won’t find elsewhere should give this book a try. It’s unique.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Song from the Abyss by Margaret L. Carter

Song from the Abyss by Margaret L. Carter

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

Alyce always spent her summer break at her aunt’s beach house. It was there that she met Dean—her first love. She thought Dean loved her as much as she loved him. Until the summer when they were eighteen and he vanished from her life. Just gone. No explanation, not even an email.

Alyce tucked away her memories of Dean, though she never forgot him. Three years later, her aunt did something that destroyed their relationship as well. She drugged and used Alyce in an arcane ritual that opened a portal into another dimension.

Now Alyce has inherited the house where she endured that terrifying night. She finds a recording of the eerie music from the dark rite. When she plays it, the portal opens again, and Dean returns. Their passion ignites, more intense than anything Alyce has ever known, but he’s no longer quite human. Dean has spent years in another dimension. Sinuous tentacles are only the most visible mark of his alien transformation. Who is he now? What is he?



Hunter’s Review

This is a strange book that I am still trying to make sense of. I think, ultimately, that my problem with this book is that it is disjointed. It moves from the ‘now’ back in time over and over again until it finally moves into an entirely different world for a time.

Dean is whiney. I had a hard time seeing him as the hero because most of the time he was complaining and acting wimpy. He liked to blame the heroine for his problems. As for Alyce, she’s presumably been through quite an ordeal but you wouldn’t know it as she seemes to accept all that happens to her as if nothing happened at all.

I guess what most vexed me about this book was that I was fascinated with its premise when I read the blurb. Unfortunately, to me it just didn’t add up. However, as with all Ellora’s Cave books I found the love scenes to be well done and hot.

I think people who like the wonderful heat of Ellora’s Cave will like this book.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Outside Sanctuary by Cyna Kade

Outside Sanctuary by Cyna Kade

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Erotic Romance

Heat Rating: 4

Blurb

Stephen just needs a little time to himself. He’s tired of sharing every emotion with everyone in Sanctuary. He longs for privacy so he leaves the clan enclave. When Stephen is attracted to a human woman who likes rough sex, he decides to ignore all the rules he’s been taught.

Darla stands tied to a tree at an isolated campsite. She’s always longed to explore her dark side with a strong, dominant man. Stephen is sexy as hell, but he’s hard and controlling. She’s starting to question her decision to meet him in this isolated spot. He might be more than she can handle.

Stephen knows it’s dangerous, but really, this is something he does very well. What could be the harm in fulfilling Darla’s BDSM fantasies? He just has to maintain control of his powerful sexuality—not go too far—and he can show her how a little pain can enhance her pleasure.


Dodie’s Review

It's clear from the blurb alone that Stephen is not human, but his heritage is never explained in this book. Much is made of the fact that Stephen is not to have sex with human women, that human women can't handle the type of sex he likes, but what Stephen is, is never explained. I assume that this answer would be clear to readers of the first book, but since I started with this one, I had no idea what was going on.

Despite being confused by Stephen's unexplained non-humanness, I thought the scenes between Stephen and Darla were well written. There were times when I disagreed with the decisions that Stephen made in fulfilling Darla's fantasies, but there was obvious early strong heat between the two. If you enjoy BDSM stories or sex outside, then this may just be the quick read for you.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Hot Wired by Betty Womack

Hot Wired by Betty Womack

Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance

Heat Rating: 4

Blurb

After a bad divorce, being on her own is exactly the life Carol Bell wants. She is careful to form no permanent relationships as she travels from place to place. She's a sketch artist for several fashion magazines and cosmetic firms. Her love life is active. She likes sex, content to let that be all that comes from her affairs. Until the day two hunky electricians arrive at her apartment to repair her air conditioner.

Her apartment is warm, but she soon finds herself in a high voltage situation with Baron and Sham, professional bounty hunters posing as handy men. Her life changes instantly from solo to a trio.


Denise’s Review

If you like porn, look no further. There’s plenty of porn to be had in Betty Womack’s HOT WIRED.

Aside from the thin veil of story surrounding an excuse for endless sex scenes, this book is riddled with mistakes. Just one example: the first electrician shows up to fix the busted air conditioner. Apparently, Carol, the lead, didn’t notice that her lights and appliances didn’t work, either, because after Baron, the hunky electrician shows up, he explains that her power is out. That’s all well and good, though, because Carol has other things on her mind…mainly getting down and dirty with Baron.

Furthermore, there was no emotional connection to the characters. I didn’t care what happened to Carol, didn’t care that her husband had cheated on her, and even the sex scenes fell flat. That’s not to say some readers won’t enjoy them, but if you’re writing a book labeled as an erotic romance, the “romance” should be acknowledged, not glossed over.

As I said, this story has a lot of sex and, in that way, works as a guilty pleasure. However, if you prefer emotion and characterization, you’re better off reading something else.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Hidden Magic by Ashlynn Monroe

Hidden Magic by Ashlynn Monroe

Publisher: The Wild Horse Press
Genre: Fantasy Romance

Heat Rating:2

Blurb

Alexis is happy with her life and feels that it is ordinary, until a strange magician threatens her family and exposes her brother's secrets. Discovering nothing she believes about herself is true, she is confronted with a family secret that leaves her at the mercy of her brother's nemesis, the man who claims she belongs to him.
Hidden Magic is a tale of fairies, magic, and love.


Denise’s Review

This is a particularly difficult review for me; having read and reviewed Ms. Monroe unfavorably in the past, I will admit I was incredibly impressed with her reception of my criticism and her invitation to read more of her work in hopes of finding something more to my liking.

In the future, however, I believe I shall decline from publicly reviewing her work unless I truly enjoy it, as I don’t like giving authors I know and respect negative reviews, yet I must remain honest about my impression of the work in question. I selected HIDDEN MAGIC for review in the hopes of finding something I’d like, but her writing style is simply not for me. The one thing I can appreciate about HIDDEN MAGIC is the fairy-tale feel to the style in which the story is told, but I’m not certain if that was intentional. The many exclamation points likewise threw me off.

This particular short story has received acclaim from other reviewers, so maybe it’s just a case of personal tastes. I thank Ms. Monroe for allowing me the opportunity to review her work again, and wish her success in her writing career.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Shadow-Time Lover by R. Casteel

Shadow-Time Lover by R. Casteel

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating:3

Blurb

A man by day and a beast by night, Filip has roamed the mountains of Romania for longer than he wants to remember. To break the witch’s curse and set him free, a virgin’s blood must be shed upon the Rock of Sacrifice.

Zolona is the last of her father’s daughters to remain a virgin, and the last hope for removing the curse from the land. Her courage must hold when she comes face-to-face with the beast.

Enter a medieval world of lords and ladies, witch’s curses, deceit and lies. Where death stalks the night, and the future is laid upon the altar for a desperate chance at happiness.

Publisher’s Note: Previously available in the Forever Midnight anthology.


Hunter’s Review

Um. Okay. This book starts out very well. The beginning is very intense. As the reader, you’re not sure what is going to happen but that something bad is on the way. I was really excited to see what was coming. But then the ‘event,’ which is how I am going to refer to what happens next, happens and I almost had to put down the book.

There is a fine line for me between what is okay and what is not okay in books. Ellora’s Cave has guidelines there authors must follow and they can’t cross certain lines. I would argue that R. Casteel’s book comes close to crossing that line.

For me, it also spoiled the rest of the book. I would suggest that if you want to read something really close to crossing certain boundaries, then you will enjoy this book.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Hearts of Fire anthology

Entwined Hearts: Hearts of Fire by Nicole Austin, TJ Michaels, Ciana Stone and N.J. Walters

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating:2

Blurb

The Chosen. Eight strong individuals gifted with unique paranormal abilities and tasked with protecting shards of an ancient crystal—the Heart of Fire.

Brought together by destiny, each couple has managed to bond and fuse their crystal pairs through a hot and intense sexual joining. The four couples have overcome great personal challenges and remained apart, preparing to face an ancient evil once again.

Now the time has come for the eight Chosen to join forces and defeat Asmodeus, Prince of Hell, once and for all. Their plan is clear yet complex—activate a hidden energy network, gather on spiritual lands and fight an epic battle between good and evil, which will impact mankind for eternity.

Of course, nothing ever goes as planned. And Asmodeus has some tricks the Chosen never anticipated.



Claudette’s Review

Firstly this book is book five in the ‘Hearts of Fire’ series.
Four couples who each have been born with a destiny to hold a piece of a powerful jewel and destroy a major demon, the prince of Hell no less. Gifted with psychic powers, their love and sexual energy make them even more formidable in their quest to defeat their enemy.

This is not a book that can be read as a standalone. Like me unless you’ve read the previous books you’ll not only be hopelessly lost and barely be able to distinguish one couple from another, you’ll find that you can’t emotionally connect to any of the characters either. The book drops you straight into the action right from the beginning. Entwined Hearts is a short novel and by rights, it should have been added to the previous book; but because the previous books were each written by different authors, the concluding book is the one which all the authors have written the parts about their individual characters.

For me reading this book was like catching a film three quarters of the way in and enjoying it because it’s your kind of film, but not getting into it because you missed all the important bits.

By rights, this book would have very much benefitted from a long prologue covering the characters childhoods, how they each met and fell in love, and giving more insight into their individual characters and temperament. By book five the couples are all in love and established, and each set on the course to complete their destinies and reunite the powerful jewel -The Heart of Fire, so that it can be used for good and not be touched by the prince of Hell Asmodeus.
Since not even the couples visual appearance is described, it’s hard to have even a mental picture as a reader.

There are many times that I’ve read a book in a series and it has taken great lengths (sometimes way too much) recapping past events to get the reader up to speed with what had happened previously. It is so important to be able to understand the characters and their motivations. This alone would not have been enough in this case; the plot centred so much on them finally completing their destinies that they forgot to let us into the heart of the characters themselves.

I was really looking forward to this book, because I know that it was written by authors with amazing writing skills, especially since several of them are favourites of mine. This book is an exciting paranormal romantic adventure – but only if you have read all the previous books in the series.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Semper Fi by Barrie Abalard

Semper Fi by Barrie Abalard

Publisher: eXcessica Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance

Heat Rating:4

Blurb

In this uncertain world full of lies and deceit, who doesn’t long for a mate that embodies solid values? Who doesn’t want a friend you can trust?

Jake Stone is searching for a woman whose values match his, a woman who will be Semper Fi—always faithful. When he walks into a bar one night to propose to his fiancée, he has no idea that he’ll be going home with two women he’s never met before.

Connie Woods has a thing for Marines, so both Jake’s looks and personal code draw her. She and her best friend, Amanda Foster, decide to spend a wild night in a hot ménage with Jake, determined to cheer him up after he is stood up and two-timed by the woman he planned to marry.

But a non-ménage sexual encounter with Amanda, and an upsetting first date with Jake, makes Connie think she’s lost both of them. Meanwhile, Amanda is hurt that her best friend won’t talk to her about what happened between them. And, Jake thinks he’s screwed up his chances with Connie. Can each of them find the love and happiness they are seeking?

Semper Fi, all about finding faithfulness and friendship in our uncertain world, reassures us that values still matter.

Warnings: This title contains graphic language, menage/group (M/F/F) sex, oral sex (F/F and M/F), masturbation, threat of a spanking (one swat).



Rachel’s Review

Abalard creates a world of militant men and the women who love them. Jake, the hero, can’t get over his obsession for a woman who evokes the term “Semper Fi” and the story revolves around his need for a companion of faithfulness and everything else the words exemplify. Hot love scenes, and a quick, if not flat, plot line lead you along on a tale of pop-goes-the-weasel.

This story would have been a better read if the author hadn’t Semper Fi’d it to death. I worry over the state of our Marines if they all walk around beating on their chest chanting Semper Fi, even when they’re not in a militant environment. In my opinion, the hero lost my interest about the 10th time he stated that he wanted a woman who was “Semper Fi”, and then when the women in his life started repeating the phrase, I almost put the book down. If you can over look this annoying repetition, then you’ll enjoy the heat in this story.

2 Tea Cups!