Ghosts of the Past by T.M. Marie
Novella - Romance
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest
Jessie was just paroled from jail for vehicular manslaughter, she fell asleep at the wheel and killed a man. She’s sent to a farm far away from the city to try to put the pieces of her life back together after surviving prison. Tex is one of the workers on the farm and he is a damn fine looking cowboy. 

I liked these characters. They were bold and both caught in their own troubles. There were few editing issues but the problem was the pacing. It was so rushed, every scene felt like an outline rather than a story. If the story had been fleshed out I think this would have been a solid 4 or even 5 stars. As is, Ghost’s of the Past is a good read and I would recommend it to those that enjoy cowboy romances.

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Title: Virgins behaving badly

Author: (9 Author Anthology); Doris O´Connor, Angelina Rain, Melissa Hosack,
Carolyn Rosewood, Giselle Renarde, Alyssa Fox, Lorraine Nelson, Raven McAllan,
Stacey Espino

Page count: 250 pages 

Genre: Erotic Romance
This was a fun anthology about virgins behaving, well... not like virgins. The stories are well written and well edited. There are a range of different stories from fantasy to contemporary to historical; from love at first sight to steamy menages to virgins so eager they need to be tied down. I enjoyed the anthology as a whole, some stories more than others. It was also nice to see stories with both female and male virgins.

My only big problem was that although the stories were all well written and the sex was hot, very few were memorable and stood out from the rest. Especially the three BDSM stories. They felt very similar and even though being inexperienced, doesn´t mean timid or shy about what you want, I still got the feeling of 'wow, would a virgin really do that?' 

Some of the stories that did stand out and I liked a lot were Hawk´s woman, a western romance, Sean´s education, a best friends threesome and The Siren call. They all had that little extra, with  memorable characters and a backstory to go with the sex.

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+Giveaway: 1ebook
Erotic - novella
TBR Reviewer: Shyla

Review

I don’t know how Ms. Szereto keeps coming up with all these interesting toys! I found myself on Google, searching for Ed. Ed is a sex toy you fill with warm water that expands as you use it and actually “climaxes” inside of you. I wasn’t sure if she was making it up or not and I had to see how this thing worked. This is one of the many reasons I love Ms. Szetero. I always leave her stories with some newly gained knowledge.  ( Oh and for the record, the
ejaculating water filled vibrator was very real… I know you’re intrigued right?)  Smoking hot sex, and steamy, self-gratification aside Ms. Szereto  once more pushes the envelopeon what romance  and love really mean. 

For the past two years, Rafe, Matt, and Vince have been in a satisfying committed relationship full of love, and trust.  The issue is their bisexual, not gay, and each has come to the conclusion they could never be completely happy without a woman. Now the question is. How do you find one woman to be with three  men on a permanent basis?  In order to prevent themselves from scaring some unsuspecting woman shit less ( That’s a lot of penis’s coming at you at once) each of the boys places an ad in the local paper. The hope is eventually one woman will answer each add; meet them one by one and…Well you get the picture. Raine is a woman who’s been burned one time to many. At thirty-eight she’s never been in love, and is coming of a bad break up. Ready for adventure and to shake off the doldrums she turns to the want ads in the localpaper.  
 
Despite the number of partners involved, I really felt like I knew each character. The men were well rounded and interesting in their own way. I liked that they all had an artistic flair, from being  a painter and sculpture, to playing the cello. It was one of the many things they had in common, that helped tie them togetherand make their three-way relationship
believable. 

While I enjoyed the story, I did feel like the “love” happened a bit too swift for me. Coming into a relationship with so many facets I felt like you’d be more hesitant than normal to give you heart away. For that reason I gave this story a four instead of a five. I recommend this read to romances readers who like things on the flaming hot side. If you’re not into M/M action, Anal or toys you may want to steer clear of this one.

Excerpt

  Drawing the puckered tip between his lips, Rafe sucked and licked. Her
moans encouraged him. What wonderful ways were his lovers pleasuring her?

He glanced downward to see Vince on his knees with his face buried in her fiery
bush. She’s a natural redhead. Matt was focused on the back side of her.
The Romeo loved ass—kissing, tonguing, fucking. He was damn good at it, too.

      
“Condommms...in the...mmmm...nightstand drawer.” Raine's husky words almost sent
Rafe's cock spraying cum everywhere.
             
“Lube?”Matt's intentions were clear.

She moaned again. “Box...under the bed.”
      
Reaching behind her, Rafe flicked open her bra, easing it down her arms as he
settled his mouth on hers. He brushed his thumbs over her hard nipples, and she
slicked her tongue along the seam of his lips. No way could he resist kissing
her deeper, tasting her. Smooth, wet, minty. And passionate. She dove
inside, skimming his teeth and searching every inch of his mouth until she cried
out and shuddered against him. He wanted to look to see what his lovers had done
to make her come, but the expression of sheer joy on her face mesmerized him.

 “So fucking sexy.” He could only agree with Matt's hoarse comment. “I want
my dick inside her for the next orgasm. Time to switch.”

Sliding his slippery finger from Raine's ass, Matt licked her juice from Vin's lips
and chin. “Tasty. Tell me, sweetheart, do you play with the toys in the box often?
You’ve got quite a collection.”

“Men don't always satisfy me. I've played with them a lot this week.” Her wicked
smile sent his heart into palpitations.
           
“If we don't satisfy you, I'll buy you the whole damn store.”

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+Giveaway: 1 ebook
Fantasy - novel
TBR Reviewer: Daniella

Review

This is the second book in The Embers series and when I picked up the book I had not read the first one. There was enough background information to understand what had happened previously. This book can be read as a stand alone, but I think one gets more out of this book if one starts with the first book. If not for the world building, then for a greater understanding of the relationships between the different characters. 
 
Kiera, a human fire mage, has been transported from our modern day Alaska to an alternate version of the state. In this parallel universe there are elemental mages, who rule the realm and shapeshifters, who are often enslaved by the most powerful mages. When this book begins Kiera and her shifter husband Laszlo are the newly appointed governors of Fairbanks. They previously overthrew the old rulers and set all slaves free. Governor Vrishka, in the neighboring city, see them and their mission to free all slaves as a threat and plans to
attack Fairbanks and restore the old order in the city. Kiera and Laszlo have to fight to keep their city, their people safe and fight off both the threat of the other governor as well as the traitors they have in their own city.  
 
The world building in the story is very interesting. It has elemental mages, wielding magic by controlling one or more elements and shape shifters. The politics of the world and the balance between the different people is very thought through (and very cruel and unfair).  The author has set clear rules for how the elemental magic works, which is very good. I did have to consult the glossary though to understand how it all worked. It is possible that I would have understood it better if I had read the first book.

The story was a little slow at times, with a lot of hanging around and talking. The last third was excellent though with much action, battle scenes and a daring rescue mission, where one finally gets to see the powerful mage that Kiera is. I like Kiera as a person, although sometimes she is a little naïve and jumps to conclusions too fast. Her heart is definitely in the right place and her magical powers are very interesting. However, she as a ruler makes no sense to me. She just does not seem right for the task and it seems strange that the city functions as well as it does. 

Blowing Embers is a well written fantasy in a compelling alternate universe.

Excerpt

Some say Death glides in on angel-black wings while others say that it kisses
away one’s last breath like a gentle grandmother. Kiera’s reaper, however,
hurtled down the frosted field on four razor-clawed feet.


Narrowed eyes sharpened the terrifying vision of more than two thousand pounds
of raging bear, leaping as he ran, and larger with every heartbeat.


So much larger.


Again she set her feet and leaned forward, hands up. Her throat squeezed when
she swallowed.


“Hold it fast,” Lady Agni yelled from the sideline, spurring a snake of
annoyance to wind through Kiera’s chest.


Adrenalin shook her hands, numbed her lips. Further crisped the details of the
horror coming for her: ruddy fur, erecton rippling shoulders. The needle white
of bared teeth. The grunt of forced breath each time those massive front feet
crushed circles into the snow.


And then he was there.


What must have been fifty thousand pounds of force slammed into her shield,
shoved her back three yards and to her knees.


The shield held, and fire sung in her veins. “Ahh!” she screamed joyously.
Defiantly. Her feet pushed her back up as she leaned forward and fed more air
into the space between them, forcing him back.


Undaunted, the bear continued his drive.Twisting like a cornered wolverine,
he clawed furiously, used knife blade teeth to tear the unseen barrier between
them, but as her air continued to flow, the space grew larger, wider, and she
knew he was losing. All at once he drew back, away from the shield’s edge, and in
that split second Kiera wondered if hewould accede defeat. A smile began as he
threw himself like a supplicant to the ground at her feet, but instead of begging
her mercy, open jaws roared his furor. Giant claws blurred, ripped bloody gashes
into the black earth dividing them.


Too late Kiera understood, and before she could send a sheet of air deep into
the winter’s dead soil between them, theknife’s-blade claws broke through to her
side of the shield. Without pausing, he leapt up and back, lifted the shield, and
Kiera, off the ground. A vision of trees, mountains, fog, and sky flashed across
her eyes, and her breath, and the elemental air that she held, oomphed out when
her back slammed into the snow.

An enormous naked man landed on top of her, a rare grin lighting his face. For
a moment, she stared into deep brown eyes set in a god’s rugged mien, skin as
dark and warm as umber, as the wind blew a tendril of black hair across his
jaw.


“Damn it,” she wheezed.


Instead of answering, he kissed her mouth.

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4 Comments
 
 
Interracial, science fiction romance - novel
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest

Review

This was a unique, new, science fiction world. Too bad the author didn’t do it justice by describing it. That was the only issue with this fantastic book. The details were nearly non-existent or extremely empty. No planet description with these new, sometimes violent worlds and very little on space travel. 
 
Now that that’s said, everything else in this book is really great! The sex is smoking; the characters are well written and interesting. The plot was freaking fantastic! Whimsy is kidnapped and is now a slave to the great leader Gaedrian. He is smoking hot but under the influence of a drug called fate that makes him almost in heat until he finds his perfect mate. It’s a really great twist and utterly hot. I totally fell in love with the side character Dark. I NEED to read his story!

If there had been more details, I have no doubt this would be five stars. Whimsy is a solid four star book. Yes, I’d certainly recommend it.  I advise you, do not to read Whimsy near a smoke detector; this book may just set it off.

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Romantic suspense - novella
TBR Reviewer: Christine

Review

I can describe this book in one word: Perfection. Seriously, Seduction Creek should be on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Beth was in a car accident that killed her parents. She had a tough life including not being able to have children. Hank is her best friends brother and as sexy as they come. Together they have to unravel the mystery of who is trying to run her off her land and try to tame these wild feeling between them.

Romance, adventure, humor, this book has it all. The pace is perfect. Action, then some
sexual tension and a few jokes to make you grin. I really loved these characters. Beth, hank and the rest of the cast were absolutely spot on to create a fantastic book. I instantly liked Beth and fell in love with Hank. The story unfolds and I was sucked into the plot. Pages turned, chapters flew by and suddenly the end arrived. Their budding relationship was hot but so freaking romantic! The ending was full of action and utterly sweet.  

If you love romance with a side of action, Seduction Creek is a must read!

Purchase Here (seriously, read it!)

 
 
+Giveaway: 1 Ebook
Paranormal, Romance - Novella
TBR Reviewer: Shyla

Review

This is a completely different take on vampires and the way they operate. I liked the rich details, creative angle and social hierarchy Ms. Pilla set up. From the moment the heroine Anastasia enters the invitation only ball, it feels like we’ve entered a time warp. Hotel Sinn is exquisite, the drinks flow freely and the man who invited her, aka Mr. Sexy is present. We learn soon after that Mr. Sexy is a vampire and the hotel is not what it seemed to be at all. 

A magical entity in itself, it’s like the hotel mentioned by the Eagles, You can check in any time you want but you can never leave. ( yeah I quoted them) . Every one hundred years the hotel revamps itself ( no pun intended) and the vampires invite humans over for a ball that spans a weekend. The catch is these humans became a sacrifice.  You have more questions about this I’m sure, and I’d love to go into detail. But that discovery is for you to make on your own as you read. ;) Despite all the action occurring on the pages, Pilla doesn’t skimp
on the sex. The passion between Anastasia and VIctore is potent and strikes in the most interesting palces. :Coughs: Against the wall on the balcony. I enjoyed her growth throughout the story and the glimpses of her humanidio syncrasies really kept the story on point. IE if I was thrust into the crazy world of vampires and had people messing with my mind I might suddenly develop a pension for panic attacks too. In my mind the small additions like that really helped sell the story. 

The hero, Victore is someone I’m torn about. He was dark, sexy and dangerous, but his emotions seemed a bit off. He went from being amused and attracted to Anastasia to being in love and risking life.  Pacing was a bit of an issue for me with Hotel Sinn. I liked the concepts, but I was overwhelmed by how much I had coming at me.  I think the story as a whole would have benefited from additional length, with Ms. Pilla spending more time on each new twist she introduced to the story.  I enjoyed this story and  I really reccomend it to vamp lovers looking for a new spin.

Excerpt

"I'm glad you came."


More dirty thoughts crossed her mind. Oh Lord help me, his voice sounds like
sex. Is that even possible? “Yes, I'm glad I came too. My name is Anastasia, by
the way." She held out her hand to shake his. He took her hand in his and turned it to kiss the top. His onyx eyes never left hers. Her body melted, her knees went weak,
and she felt a tingle between her thighs. Staring into the man's black eyes, the world
around her seemed to fade away, leaving just him and her.


"My name is Victore." She barely heard him speak, and when he let go of
her hand, she came back to reality. Weird.


"Are you feeling all right?" he asked, concerned.


"Yes, I'm okay; it's just a bit warm in here, and I've had a few glasses of
wine already." Victore extended his hand, and she immediately took it without
a thought. Get a grip, girl, control yourself.


"Come, let me show you the terrace and you can get some fresh air."


She could barely think with her arm in his, feeling like a hormonal
teenager. Anastasia didn't go gaga over a guy like one of those brainless girls.
Did she?


"Do you like what you have seen so far?" he asked. Anastasia nodded
slowly, regaining control over her brain cells. She liked everything,
including Victore.


"Everything is exquisite." She pointed to the ceiling. "Were those carved?
The beams?" she asked.


"Yes," he said simply, and she frowned. Music began to play as they crossed
the ballroom floor.


"Oh, Victore, would you care to dance with me?" she said excitedly.


"I thought you wanted to get some air?" he replied.


"Yes, I do, but after one dance," she pleaded. What was happening to
her? Pleading? She didn't plead. He twirled her around, and she faced him and
his dark, sexy eyes. His pale skin brought out every dark feature—his hair,
his eyes, and his suit—against his flesh. He pulled her close to him, his
arm wrapping around her waist. She felt the heat from his body and something
else. No, it couldn't be.

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+Giveaway: 1 Ebook
Erotica - novella
TBR Reviewer: Shyla

Review

Renee is a woman in a man’s world. As a woman in a place of power in Corporate America she’s known for being a heartless bitch who busts balls. While her accomplishments are impressive, what they say is true. It’s lonely on the top. This is why she finds herself in a Sex Toy shop on a Friday night, drooling over the attractive young man whose standing yards away. Curious about why he’s inspecting dildo’s she strikes up a conversation and discovers, the cutie’s name is Toby and he wants the Dildo used on himself. Though he’s not gay she
completely understands why that particular fetish might send many woman heading
for the heels. What shocks her is that she isn’t one of them.Thoughts of dominating Toby via dildo dance in her head and lead her to dinnerwith the charming young man followed by a trip to his house. I know what you’rethinking, what if this guy is a murder? Ms. Brooks approaches that with Renee checking id, calling a friend to relay her address, and give a date and time to contact the police by if she’s not heard from. That small touch really helps keep you in the scenario Ms. Brooks and was much appreciated by me. There’s nothing worse than being taken out of the story because you just can’t believe what’s going on.

Toby is a sweet guy who went from geek to sheik when he made millions off a video game he created and sold. Lance is the opposite of Toby at almost seven feet, with golden blonde hair, a well-muscled body, and a pension for leather, whips and submissive behavior. His abnormally large cock has been a barrier between him and women for a while now. He’s hopeful Renee will be willing to take him on , but his sweet nature would make him happy to see Toby get what he wants from a decent woman.

From the minute I read the summary for Small Medium, and Large I was intrigued. Just what was pegging?( If you don’t know the answer, it is when a man has a dildo used on him) My next question, once I goggled the term ,was how is that going to work  into the story ?  The answer to my surprise and delight was very well, with a dash of humor, a ton of passionate sex, and a carefully chosen cast of characters. It took just the right type of men and the
right  woman to make this kinky ménage work, and Ms. Brooks positioned each of them together like a puzzle piece. There was a rightness that resonated throughout the story, and tapped into the basic concept of those who did not belong finding their niche together. 

I’m glad I took a chance on this story. I enjoyed Small, Medium and Large immensely, and learned many new things. I’d recommend this to those who like their romance on the scorching side, but be warned, if M/M interaction makes you squeamish.

Excerpt

Renee followed Toby to a part of town she’d never visited before. The houses were nice, rather than ostentatious, and the lawns were spacious and well-groomed. Except for Toby’s yard, which looked like a botanical experiment run amok. 

“There’s something I should tell you before we go inside.”

Oh, here it comes…

“I have a…roommate.”

Isn’t that just ducky? Hook me with the pocket Adonis and then toss me to the troll that lives under the bridge. “And what does he like? Whips and chains?”

He cleared his throat.“Well, yes, but only if you use them on him.”

Oh, joy… “You mean he wants a dominatrix?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Does it have to be me?”

“Well…you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

“I’ll just bet he would,” Renee said dryly. 

“Haven’t you ever wanted two men?”

“I dunno,” she replied with perfect truth. “Never really thought about it.” One was usually bad enough.

“If you’ve never thought about it before, this might be a good time to start. He’s a really nice guy, but he’s…well, you’ll see.”

Definitely a troll. “Does he have a name?”

He nodded.“Lance Svahnstrom.”

“Lance.” The name conjured up all manner of images, chief among them a timid little toad
  given that name by parents who hoped to inspire him to be a warrior prince, or at least a quarterback. “Geeze, I don’t know, Toby.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want, but could you please at
least think about it?”

“What the hell. By the time I’ve finished fucking your ass with a strap-on, beating the shit out of another guy oughta be a piece of cake.” 
 
God, he was cute when he laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

Then he opened the door and called out to his roommate. “Hey, Lance! C’mere and say
hello to Renee.”

A deep, rumbling voice replied from an adjoining room. “Who?” 
 
Renee heard the sound of what was probably a recliner being righted, followed by a
heavy tread. Fee, fi, fo, fum was sure to be his next line. She held her breath.

As Lance entered, the first thing Renee noticed were the six-pack abs, followed by a bush of blond hair, cleft chin, square jaw, and muscles out the wazoo on what had to be a seven foot frame. And all he had on was a pair of cutoff jeans. Holy shit.

He held out his hand. Renee automatically offered her own and watched as it disappeared into his huge paw. Completely. 

“Nice to meet you, Renee.”

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11 Comments
 
 
M/M - novella
TBR Reviewer: Becca

Review

How far are you willing to go for love? Are you willing to put aside your pride and allow yourself to be open to abuse if it meant being with the one you can’t help but admire? Ren finds himself exactly in this situation as his attraction to prickly Shin heats up but all everyone else can see is Shin watching Kyouya.
 
I feel as though the summary blurb for this book is a bit misleading on the plot. You go into the book thinking that there will be a good suspense and a bit of who-done-it but that isn’t the case at all. Not to say that the author didn’t do a very good job at suspense but it was suspense involving the characters and not that plot. That plot actually fell through for me but the one involving the romance of these characters held tight and was top notch.

The chemistry between the characters literally sizzled on the pages, you could feel the draw between the two even as Sin tried to continuously push Ren away. If you enjoy books that don’t immediately have the characters going at each other then this should be at the top of the least. Because of this delay we got and awesome in depth look at these imperfect characters and just what made them tick. 
 
What the book could have use more of is details, not in characters because as I mentioned before that was well done but in the overall telling of the book. More could have been put into how the characters looked and my God, describe the surrounding area! It took awhile for it to dawn on me that these characters are in Japan and not some made up place brought to life by the author. Part of that I blame on me being an idiot but I also feel that had the author put a some detail into the scenery than I might have caught on faster.

While it’s not perfect Incognito is good for a sizzling hot read involving frustratingly interesting characters.

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Sweet Romance - novel
TBR Reviewer: Brutally Honest

Review

You know, with everything going haywire in life I wanted, no, needed some light and
uplifting. As soon as I read this blurb I had to read this book. ( Deborah Zimmerman’s life is not going well right now. She has to deal with a deadbeat dad, teenagers, financial stress, and a store manager’s glare. The cake that lands on her head isn’t helping any. When she bumps into Brandon Nash, her heart skips a beat. Could this be love at first
sight or the signs of a heart attack?)
 
Deb is so sweet but has some really crappy luck. Then she meets a hot sexy  Brandon and
happens to drop the cake on them. I was laughing at several scenes in this books. There are one liners that will have you smiling like a fool. I usually find family stories in romance to be boring and intruvise on the romance. Not here. Ms. Bain wrote a fantastic blend and I really enjoyed it. Don’t think less of me but I did find myself tearing up as I read this. The struggles, that bastard Michael, it was all such an emotion ride.  

The story itself was jumpy at the beginning but Game of Hearts was so good I couldn’t bare to give it less than 5 stars. Ms. Bain gained a new fan.

Purchase Here (Seriously, buy this!)