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I’ve been a Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputy for four years. Most folks don’t have a clue about what a cop deals with every day. Like a pack of attack chihuahuas, a monkey with a bad case of diarrhea, a hungry python, a Brahma bull named Bodacious and a six-foot iguana.
And that is just the critters. Now let me tell you about the two-legged varmints. Such as a three-hundred-pound biker who got a bit irate when I zapped him with a stun gun, or a murderous nun, and let’s not forget the senior citizens having an orgy. Ugh. My personal life isn’t much better. Off duty I’m a ballroom dancer which everyone makes fun of. At a dance competition Detective Sergeant Dante Delgado waltzed into my life. Law enforcement isn’t for the fainthearted. Are you brave enough to enter my world? |
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Robyn is a curator of historical artifacts. Somewhere along the line she met and married Maxim Vallois. He is a vampire who hunts vampires who are still old-fashioned enough to kill humans. Maxim's job is often dangerous, so he doesn't usually tell Robyn much about it. Centuries ago, the fae, the werewolves and the vampires decided to appear to humans as themselves, and attempt to coexist with them. A huge part of that was that they needed to police their own, so that humans aren't considered "food" anymore. Of course there are humans who still want to hunt and kill paranormals. In fact, Maxim had an affair with a British woman who came from a family of hunters. When she was injured, she chose to die rather than allow him to bring her into eternal life as a vampire. But their child, a dhampire (half-human, half-vampire) named Heath, still lives with Maxim. In fact, he's part of the comedy relief, since he refers to his father as "the old bat."
The plot of this story involves a mummy being delivered to the office where Robyn spends her days cataloging and displaying the artifacts that Maxim has bought over the years. When she finds the mummy in a big box, she's intrigued by the oddities surrounding it. Robyn seeks to have it examined by experts which is of course, a huge mistake, since it's a vampire mummy, who is totally upset that he's been forced to endure the centuries living only in his own mind, thirsting for revenge. He recognizes Robyn as a "shaman," which is never mentioned by anyone else, so I suspect that will be part of the story in future books in the series. When I was done with this book I was smiling. Then I realized that I've done that each time I've read one of Alexa Piper's books. The word that sprang to my mind was "frothy" but now I realize that her writing style is like that of the old romantic comedy movies that used to star Cary Grant. The hero is undeniably sexy, but he's also urbane and suave. He's smooth as silk, and he adores his chosen female to distraction. The heroines are smart and independent, while head-over-heels in love with their man whatever species he happens to belong to. The stories are fun to read because of the easy relationship between the characters, and how much they enjoy each other. That makes me enjoy reading about them.
Charlotte (Charlie) Bisset was born to a witch family, but has no magical power at all. She's a sexy librarian who has not just one, but two devoted men. I use "men" loosely, since Dr. Hugo is a centuries-old vampire, and Laurette is Elven royalty with untold power. He's also a devoted baker who takes up knitting in this book. Charlie has been to Hell and back, literally, (Elvenswood Tales 2) with Laurette, and she's still enthralled with the knowledge that both of these sexy guys love only her--well, she's their only female lover.
Seems that Dr. Hugo and Laurette have been besties for many years, but their relationship was never physical until Charlie came into the picture. Now she's got her reverse harem to enjoy, and when she's not available or the mood strikes them, (which is often--these folks are mighty lusty!) the two guys will eagerly pleasure each other. The plot of this book, the third in the series, involves unnatural vermin attacks in Elvenswood. Seems there is a protective spell woven on the museum at the center of town, which was built and maintained by the earliest elves to live there, to show their devotion to their human lovers. When evil bunnies start chomping on innocent folks, then rats, frogs, and chickens get into the act, Laurette is determined to get to the bottom of this, because it's upsetting Charlie--and that can't be allowed. It's also spring, and Dr. Hugo wants to go on the yearly Easter Egg Hunt run by the local witches. Please, ignore the cover of this book. It doesn't begin to capture the fun of reading these stories! Even the supporting characters are well-drawn--a couple just for comedy relief. The plots are secondary to the relationship between the folks in this triad. Hugo isn't possessive, but Laurette is--of both of his lovers--whom he dresses in his royal house colors when they go to the hunt, so everyone will know they both belong to him. I thought he was overbearing when I first started reading these books. But he's the perfect foil for Charlie and Hugo, who need to be reminded that human concerns are not all they should be involved with. And no review can be complete without mentioning the smokin' hot sex scenes! These three are lusty to the max, and hot for each other--which manifests itself in frequent steamy encounters that will convince you that maybe, just maybe, it really IS possible for a triad to be successful. Now where can I find me a vampire and elf to make MY dreams come true?
Chloe Hart is a wedding photographer who had to toss out her ex when she found him banging her supposedly close girlfriend. Chloe's still not over the betrayal, so she's not ready to date yet. She fears there aren't any men who could fulfill her the way that her "book boyfriends" do, since she devours romance novels and takes care of her urges herself.
One day a mysterious painting is delivered to her apartment, with the sender's info a mystery. When she unwraps the painting she's amazed that it's a realistic painting of "a big, blond Viking of a man," a perfect specimen of a man in his prime. He's physically perfect--or at least as far as she can tell, since there's an obtrusive animal skin draped across the crucial part of his nude body so she can only guess at what it's hiding, by examining his large hands. She promptly hangs it over her bed, to replace the nude photo of her ex that used to hang there. That night she has a wonderful dream involving the gorgeous man--she's in a medieval castle, and he's the conquering knight who has come to claim her virginal self. She laughs that she's not virtuous, but her words are ignored. The man makes wild, passionate love to her, resulting in the kinds of intense orgasms she never go from the ex who claimed she was a "pervert" when she suggested that if he tied her up, she might get some enjoyment out of sex with him. Over the next few days, she dreams of the hot, hard-bodied man every night. She learns his name is Radolf of Varik. Of course he's been cursed by a witch. The witch gets power from the orgasms he gives to women in their dreams so she's been pimping him out all this time. And he's been hoping that finally he'd meet a woman who would love him enough to enter the painting and break his curse by kissing him awake. This is a cute, clever take-off on Sleeping Beauty, only it's the man who's asleep and Chloe is just resourceful enough to figure out how to defeat the witch. Honestly, I'd probably enjoy reading a grocery list if it was written by Angela Knight. She writes toe-curdling, steamy sex scenes that can't help but fire up your imagination along with your body parts. This is a very short read, but it's got plenty of heat. I liked the nod to "romance-landia" where we all live, creating and reading about book boyfriends who are never too tired, are always hard, and always know how to pleasure a woman.
Cyprus Reid has exploded into the consciousness of the world. She's an overnight sensation whose fans are intensely dedicated, and whose detractors are equally rabid. When she sings, listeners are moved to tears. Everyone is intrigued by her. Her sexuality is blatant, irresistible and she is always accompanied by five ridiculously sexy men. Are they her body-guards or her lovers? A reverse-harem, or just eye candy for everyone, to add to the mystique of her allure?
Ex-Navy SEAL Jason Giles is a government-intelligence operative now, who has taken on a dangerous assignment. Scientists have been dying in the towns visited by Cyprus and her entourage. Is she connected in any way? When Jason gets himself hired by the hotel she's staying at, to provide protection for Cyprus, it doesn't take him long to realize he's in way over his head. Cyprus is much more than just a young man in a dress. What Jason discovers will change his life forever. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi in any medium: movies, TV shows, and books. So I'm aware that building a world is time-consuming. The more you want to play in that world, the more painstaking you have to be in establishing the parameters. This is a very ambitious beginning to a series. I wasn't sure at first what direction the author was going in, until the action became as compelling as the sexy men surrounding Cyprus. With her being a hermaphrodite, even when a man is having sex with her lady parts, there is still a very functional set of man-parts to contend with as well. Once we start experiencing the sex that goes on within this coven, it gets intense very quickly. There is a whole lot of male/male sex going on, and because three members of Cyprus' coven are alpha-males, there is some very violent sex that takes place as the alphas try to force each other to yield. In the end, there is also a very-much-deserved avenging of a horrific wrong committed against Cyprus and her coven, but it's also very violent, so reader be warned. Ms. Burke has created an interesting world, and the characters who live in it do so by their own codes. I will be watching to see how many books she plans in this series, and if any will be not just back-stories, but will continue the story she started here. The Coven is a highly recommended read!
Kayla gets a free ticket to a rock concert from her assistant. Right before the show, she hooks up with Jason, the much younger-than-her lead singer. She provides oral sex for him. But it's apparently mind-blowing and alters both their lives--and those of others as well. It seems that the bass player, Erik, has been tight with Jason since they were both young orphaned kids lost in the system. Whenever they were separated, they'd both suffer immense physical and mental pain and anguish. When they're together, Erik waits for Jason to have meaningless sex with groupies, then Jason brings the energy he gains from that back to Erik--and they have wild sex. But once Jason meets Kayla, he gets sick from her not planning on seeing him again.
I hesitate to call this a romance series, because the whole point of the stories is that these people are on an erotic journey, seeking to discover how they can create a triad that benefits all of them. In turn, the ties of power that encircle them all, strengthen them all as well. And being on an erotic journey is the textbook definition of erotica. So that's what I rated this book four stars and it's good at what it does. The two men love each other, and somehow neither are jealous of another person entering their relationship. Nor are they jealous of the time each spends alone with Kayla. But they're all happiest when in bed together. Considering that the first book in the series opens with a blow-job, you know from the start that this is going to be a steamy series. It doesn't disappoint. What plot there is exists only to take the participants to another sexual interlude. The four titles are: DAZE ON END, INTERLUDE IN C, FINDING THE CHORDS, COLOR HAZE. In the first 3 books, the focus is on Kayla, Jason and Erik. Randy, who is the drummer for their trio band, just broke up with Liz, when he found her involved in an interlude with Tom who unbeknownst to him, used to be with Liz when they were in high school. So the last book introduces another triad in the making, as another group of people start their erotic journey to happiness. his was an interesting series that explores the ins and outs (pun intended!) of a menage relationship. If you've ever wondered what it could be like to have two men in bed with you, this a series you'll really enjoy!
Katie is a physicist whose newest book is called Cosmic Theory and The Big Bang but whenever she's had a book signing lately, the same young man keeps showing up and asking her to autograph his book. Just how many copies does one man need? He looks so young he might be barely legal, and she's a mature woman, though still young enough to appreciate his sexy body and his charm. Michael is determined to bed the sexy scientist he's hot for. He's a grad student going to college on the GI bill, but he dances at a male strip club for the money. When Katie's friends drag her into his club, he's determined that tonight's the night she'll discover how right they are for each other.
This is a very short read, but it's steamy and satisfying. The age difference doesn't matter to either me. I have a sister-in-law who is more than 10 years older than her husband, it isn't a big deal to me. What did Goldie Hawn say when asked the secret to her still looking so young? She giggled, pointing to her younger man, Kurt Russel, and said, "Good sex and plenty of it." That certainly can't be wrong--right? Katie's inhibitions about Michael's younger age melt when she's had a few drinks and stuffed lots of bills into his g-string as he danced around. When she and Michael discover how sexually compatible they are, and how interested they both are in exploring some mild "kink," then their relationship seems to be on a fast track to happiness. The story is steamy and satisfying. I enjoyed reading about how excited they were to discover their mutual feelings were, and how much they have in common.
Calla has such a hard life her name might as well be Cinderella. Her mother died when she was young, her father loved her greatly, teaching her everything he knew about fixing cars so she could join him in working in his garage. Then he married a woman who already had twin daughters close to her age. It was clear from the start that none of them liked Calla. When her father died, the worst blow came when she's told that she and her step-sisters have been "given" to the GBP--Galactic Breeding Program. Prince Lincoln, AKA Linc, is half human. Many years ago, his mother was kidnapped by aliens, and brought to his planet to marry his father, the king. After bearing him two sons, they separated, but she stayed to teach her sons about their human halves. Females on his planet are not able to bear children, but he doesn't want an unwilling bride. Once he sets eyes on Calla, however, there's no other woman for him, despite the fact that she and her evil step-sisters are joined by two other females.
Of course there are snags and problems for them to deal with, one of which is Calla's lack of self-confidence. Her father was the only one who loved her, and his death left her feeling bereft. Linc's parents want a say in which female he chooses. The other four kingdoms on his planet send their kings and eligible sons to his castle also, in a bid to try to steal one of the available, presumably fertile females. Plus Calla hadn't counted on the lengths to which her step-sisters will go to get her, the Prince's obvious favorite, out of the way. Although an interesting Cinderella story, the heroine was so mousy that I couldn't enjoy her at all. Why on earth she would feel kindly toward step-sisters who have always been abusive to her is beyond me. I keep wondering what the females of their species think about the whole idea. Do they ever get laid? I gave it three stars because I'm aware that for some women, the idea of a big, strong, alien male who only has eyes for them, is catnip. If that is the type of story you enjoy, then you should give this book a look!
Zana Alasdair has a problem. She's a half-demon succubus, who draws magic from the erotic energy she collects from making love to mortals. And who has she fallen in lust with? A half-angel who spends his time working out, making his body a prime killing machine, when he's not actively killing demons. Even her tail, which she calls Pointy since it has a mind of its own, is not happy about her spending the past five years crushing on a being who might kill her if he ever saw her. Rafe has been fighting demons for over 400 years, ever since his angel-father told him that he'd been created for that purpose. He's afraid to get close to anyone, since hundreds of years ago, his human wife and young child were brutally murdered by a demon, and left for him to find when he got home. So he's lonely, but resigned to his existence, which must surely end with some demon out-fighting him.
When these two meet, it's because Rafe is fighting a demon who almost overpowers him. Zana is there to first spirit the female humans it was threatening away, before she returns to see Rafe getting handed his butt. Can these two disparate beings find a way to have a future? Since this is written by a master of sexual scenes, there are many very hot, steamy episodes as these two pursue a tentative relationship. There will be obstacles, but one thing is for sure, there is a happy ending in a spectacularly hot chapter! This is a must-read for all fans of the author, and of paranormal erotic romance.
Serendipity Collins, known to friends as Ren, lives in her RV. She's a loner who spends her time traveling around the country, selling her puppets, costumes and other crafts. She has no idea just how different the man is that she hits with her RV while driving through a blinding snowstorm. She helps the almost nude male into her RV, then gets a shock when she tries to pull off his hairy boots, and startles him awake--because they're not boots! Ta is trying to get away from the humans who were holding him captive.
This was a different twist on the fated mates trope because it's not certain that they will both be okay with becoming mates as they do have a choice. Ta is just as apprehensive as Ren in the start, as to whether their connection is merely physical, or also includes their minds and hearts. I gave a lower rating than Ms. Burke's books usually get on the heat level because most of the sex is Ren pleasuring herself because it's been so long for her. Also because Ta's bodily chemistry keeps emitting pheromones that drive her libido crazy. All the while they're both dithering around, trying to decide if they approve of each other. Of course, they finally agree that what they have found together, in a scorcher of a scene in the last chapter, is worth pursuing. Personally, if a 6'5" fanged giant of a man with long white hair, who can change his body at will into becoming a Yeti, and whose genital fur covers up a member of extraordinary magnitude, tried to convince me that we were meant to be mates, it would only take one experience with his male pheromones to get me to holler, yes!
Elizabeth is just about recovered from her injuries that kept her mostly in bed during the last book, so she's ready for another mystery to solve. Lord Summerhayes shows up at her house to inform her that the General advised him that she and her Investigation Bureau would be the best at solving a mysterious death that occurred at his home during a séance. Seems that his wife and her lady-friends have of late been pursuing the notion of contacting the dearly-departed. The Summerhayes' only child, a son, was killed in the Crimean conflict, and his wife desperately wants to speak to him, if only to be reassured that he's at peace. Elizabeth doesn't have any experience with seances, and doesn't believe in mysticism. She agrees to pursue the case meaning to discover not only the murderer, but the methods that the medium uses to fleece his clients.
I enjoyed the story-telling in this book. Since I read and reviewed the previous book, I wasn't as lost as to who the characters were, as I was before. I was held in sway by the first-person narration, since being in Elizabeth's head was a very interesting place to be. There was really only one sexual encounter, and it's not very descriptive. The mystery was not one that's easily-solved, and I was surprised at who the murderer turned out to be! The Square and The Circle was a great read! |
Tristan needs a wife. Elinor needs a future. It's a perfect match... Except he's an earl. She's a commoner.
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