Showing posts with label erotica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label erotica. Show all posts

Monday, February 16, 2015

Ignition (The Redline Series, Book 1) by Skye Callahan Cover Reveal

When you’re this close to the redline, there’s no room for error 
—or second chances.

Redline Final med
A Dark Erotic Serial from Skye Callahan

About Ignition

A sought after car thief for hire, Colt will do anything for a high—anything for the deafening rush of blood and chemicals that tames the ongoing anarchy in his mind. Fast cars, pain, alcohol, women… his vices come in many flavors, but one woman tempts him closer to the line he can never come back from. She’ll be his hardest theft yet—an action that will set the looming conflict with his brother on a new and violent path. 

Aubrey has two choices. The first she knows too well: the alluring businessman who entwined her in his deceptive plots. The second is a stranger. He makes his promises not with a silver tongue but with harsh, blunt observations that Aubrey can’t ignore. Either way, she’s caught between two brothers each seeking the other’s downfall—and neither has a problem taking her down in the process.

Spotify Playlist: Redline Series Updates 

Excerpt

©Skye Callahan 2015 

“I need to get to work.” I shifted my weight to relieve the pain in my feet and to keep myself going. No one mentioned the post-dance adrenaline crash could be so intense. 

“You are working.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his thighs. His breath moved against my stomach and up between my breasts as he stared up at me and spoke again. “I believe what you mean is that you need to earn your share. Would you rather be standing there looking tasty or outside rubbing skin with the crowd while doing it?” 

He had a fucking point there, but I wasn’t fond of being described by a stranger as “tasty” and it didn’t make standing under his accessing gaze any more desirable. 

His hand grazed my side and I stepped back. “No touching.” 

“I touch what I want.” Grabbing the pocket on my apron, he pulled me closer and kept me there. “We can call in Devlin to set that straight.” 

Contest it, my brain shouted, but his expression was unchanging and calm, and all I needed was to piss off Devlin. Again

“Your friends with him?” I asked. 

“When it’s convenient,” he said with a slight scowl darkening his face. It quickly faded as his gaze settled on my face. “And you? How did you get involved with him? Tell me how he convinced you to work in his club.” 

“I needed the job,” I said, eager to finish the conversation and be done with him. 

“You needed the money—you suck at the job.” 

I tried not to take the sting of his insult too personally. I knew he was right, but hearing the truth from the mouth of a stranger was a blow to my tenuous grasp on self-confidence.
  
“You’re not like the other girls.” He reached to touch my hair, but I swatted his hand away. 

“It’s just first night jitters.” 

“Jitters.” He made a sound in his throat. “Pick up that glass,” he said gesturing to the second glass on my tray. I did as he said, but he didn’t move to take it. He simply stared at it, so I instinctively followed his gaze, curious as to what was so interesting. The liquid sat there, steady in my outstretched hand with barely a ripple of movement that was more likely a result of the deep bass of the music rather than a shaky hand. We both stared in silence for a moment—and I wondered if he’d been testing me the whole time.


Feed the Darkness with Skye Callahan

Skye Callahan was born and raised in rural Ohio and has had an insatiable love of reading and writing since she was young. Thanks to the encouragement of teachers, family, and friends, she has found her passion in immersing herself in the imaginary worlds of the characters who live in her head.

instagram

Friday, August 1, 2014

Figure Eight by Cassy Roop (4.5 stars)

001
About Figure Eight

Figure Eight--A strong, secure knot that jams under pressure.  

He was betrayed by the one person to loosen the knots of his control. 

She sacrificed her love to protect him. 

Blackmailed into destroying the man she desperately fell in love with, Ashley (Carter) Woodson tries desperately to cling to hope that Dominic will one day understand her reasons for her betrayal and stop the one person determined to keep them apart. 

False accusations send Dominic Michaels into a legal battle involving The Celtic Knot and emotional turmoil from the devastation that Ashley caused him. The battle between his head and his heart makes picking up the pieces of his life difficult while he fights to escape the haunting memories of the only woman to break his control. 

When outside forces conspire against them, will Dominic be able to unravel the ropes on his heart to trust Ashley again? 

What happens when love exists on the edge between finished and infinity?

::: Buy Links :::


20140527-091443-33283904.jpg 

Review

To begin, I have a confession... I had all but sworn off reading Erotica. I'm not a prude, but I want to read a book with excellent characters and story instead of sex scene after sex scene. I'm also not looking for total shock value. Thanks Cassy Roop for giving me confidence that Erotica books can have depth.

Okay, now for the review...

See the summary above for basic plot line, because I want to jump into what I loved about this book. First, it is very well-written and edited; another problem I was finding in Erotica books. Even better, there are memorable characters with emotional depth. Ashley is struggling with what she knows she must do and what she wants, and it's tearing her up inside. Dominic is in pain and lashing out. Yet, I still felt the love underneath their pain and fear. (And I didn't even read book one!) 

I was captivated by the story line and how Ashley was going to get out of a very rotten situation. There were twists and turns I wasn't expecting. The ending came at me fast and furious, leaving me breathless for the next book. Warning: It's a cliffhanger, and I was searching for the last page hoping it wasn't quite over.

And, yes, there are steamy sex scenes. Although they weren't mild by any means, it never stepped over to offensive in my humble opinion. It wasn't just about the physical release of sex; it was about the depth of their connection and emotion.

I highly recommend Figure Eight for readers who want amped up sex but aren't willing to sacrifice story and characters to get it.

Rating: 4.5 stars

About the Author
cassy_roop

Cassy Roop is a lover of all things romance. An avid reader from a young age, it has always been a dream of hers to allow the characters that take solstice in her mind to have their own story. By day she is a daycare providing, group fitness instructing college student where she is studying graphic design. By night she is a contemporary/erotic romance author. She resides in Virginia with her husband and three kids.

::: Connect with the Author :::

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

I Take You by Nikki Gemmell (4 stars)

About I Take You

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (December 31, 2013)

From internationally bestselling author Nikki Gemmell comes a tantalizing story of love within marriage—and alongside it.

Under her Chanel suit and designer lingerie, Connie Carven is no longer the typical banker’s wife. When Cliff’s horrible skiing accident shifts the balance of their relationship, Connie becomes a willing submissive to her husband’s every desire.
Cliff is eager to explore new, and troubling, avenues of passion. Connie, ever the dutiful wife, follows wherever he leads. While at first she enjoys a perverse sense of freedom within the ever-tightening bonds of her marriage, Cliff’s dark desires soon consume her entirely. She finds herself surrendering to an act that will forever remind her that she belongs to her husband alone—to be unlocked only by him, whenever he pleases.

But it is also this act that awakens Connie from the numbness that has taken over her life. And when she encounters someone new in the communal garden of her Notting Hill home, she discovers the thrill of true intimacy . . . and the price of risking everything for it.

The author of the bestselling phenomenon The Bride Stripped Bare and the exquisite With My Body, Nikki Gemmell brings erotic writing into the twenty-first century. In I Take You she looks to the classic Lady Chatterley’s Lover for inspiration, reimagining D. H. Lawrence’s celebrated tale as a brutally honest and deeply sensual modern love story.

Review

Connie Carven lives the high life, enviable by those who don't know the dark secrets of her relationship with her damaged husband. A tragic turn of events forever changes their lives. Determined to save her marriage, Connie gives into her husband's new needs. One fateful night those desires go way too far.

But a horrible act ultimately leads Connie to finding herself, and possibly love, again. Can she make the necessary sacrifice to finally embrace love? Or is she too damaged and her life too predetermined?

Nikki Gemmell, similar to her other books, does an excellent job building characters and scenarios to challenge them to their core. Too often, I find erotica tries so hard to be cutting edge that it misses out on character and story--it simply becomes a sexual tale for shock value. Gemmell never seems to fall into that trap. There is a horribly disturbing act in this book, but it's not played for shock value. Instead, it's meant to showcase just how far people can go to have control over their loved ones.

My only complaint, which shows how much I came to care about Connie, was how quickly her story was wrapped up. When you've been through a character's suffering and there's a hint of salvation or moments of happiness, you hate to see it rushed. Still, I recommend this book to readers who like a character they can sink their teeth into--a character with plenty of flaws, but something still makes you care about her and root for her to come out on the other side.

Rating: 4 stars

Please click the following links to read my reviews of two additional Nikki Gemmell books: The Bride Stripped Bare and With My Body

About Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell is the internationally bestselling author of The Bride Stripped Bare and With My Body, as well as ShiverAlice Springs, and The Book of Rapture. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her family.

Find out more about Nikki at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on I Take You blog tour page.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

With My Body by Nikki Gemmell (4 stars)

About With My Body

Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (June 19, 2012)


A wife, a mother of three, she has everything a woman should want—and yet she has gone numb inside. Locked in a never-ending cycle of chores, errands, and mealtimes, she cannot find a way to live her life with the honesty and passion that once drove her. Even her husband, whom she loves, has never truly touched the core of her being. Only one person has ever come close. In desperation, she returns to the memory of an old love affair—a transformative relationship with consequences she has never fully resolved. Revisiting her past, she will begin an exhilarating journey into her sexuality while finally confronting the hidden truths of her heart.

Exquisitely lyrical, bold, and seductive, With My Body is a thought-provoking exploration of family, sex, marriage, and love—the love we give, withhold, and surrender to.

Review

As a mother, it's easy to get caught up in the minutia of life--to forget about yourself as a woman. In With My Body, this woman loves her husband but has given up on truly giving herself over to him. She opened up once, and it left a hole in her heart.

Can a revisit to her past provide the jumpstart her life needs?

It's interesting. This book is written in second person (you). We never know the main character's name, yet her thoughts are exquisitely relayed. When we are introduced to her, she is a woman who is blessed with a husband she loves and three adorable sons. She's content to let passion be a thing in her past, at least at first. Then, we are transported back to a time when she was sexually raw and open, although a very young girl (late teens) learning from a quite older man.

Too often, erotica features a sexually repressed woman who seeks out passion through affairs and random sex sessions. Here, the woman revisits a time (through memories and later via a visit) when passion consumed her and learns from it.

And it's well-written, emotional, and compelling. Actually the best of the erotica I've read to date, although I'm fairly new to the genre. First and foremost, I want a story that pulls me in and touches me in some way. This one did that. Now, if I could just read some erotica where the husband takes an active role in his wife's passionate needs. I have no problem with a woman finding her strength, as the woman does in this, but not at the expense of a weak man. At least in my humble opinion.

I look forward to more from this author. Which is good, because I'm scheduled to review her latest early in 2014. If you want some hot scenes coupled with compelling and character-driven story, this is an excellent choice.

Rating: 4 stars

And good news... the eBook of With My Body is only $1.99 from today (12/17/13) until January 6. More information here.

About Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell is the internationally bestselling author of The Bride Stripped Bare and With My Body, as well as ShiverAlice Springs, and The Book of Rapture. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her family.

Find out more about Nikki at her website and connect with her on Facebook.


Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on With My Body blog tour page.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Flirting with Chaos by Kenya Wright Cover Reveal

FlirtingChaos_FRONT

Title: Flirting With Chaos
Author: Kenya Wright
Genre: New Adult Rock Star Erotic Romance
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Add to Goodreads

About Flirting with Chaos
 
Can two mentally unstable best friends have sex and not drown in chaos?
 
Rain's been washing blood off her hands for far too long. After five years, she accepts the fact that she"s still a little crazy but feels as if she's finally gotten it all under control.
 
Parties, drugs, and sex flood Jude's life, and music and scandal run through his veins. He's the son of a rock god and grandson of a jazz legend. It's no surprise that his own star is on the rise, and with so many groupies vying for his attention, his childhood best friend Rain keeps him anchored in reality.
 
She's nothing like him--an art student with no idea of her own beauty, who would rather curl up with a sci-fi novel than party in the spotlight. Everything changes when she asks him for a unique favor: she wants him to take her virginity. He's more than willing to oblige, but things get complicated when his pervy father gets involved. Meanwhile, intense feelings rise to the surface, ones neither Rain nor Jude are prepared to deal with.
 
If their relationship has any chance for survival, she must finally confront the demons of her past, and he must face the addictions of the present. When the smoke clears, will they find that sex between best friends was a good idea, or will they discover they had been Flirting With Chaos the entire time?
 
Teaser

An intricate pattern of colorful tattoos decorated both of his arms. It was a mural of his life—stars that intertwined with musical notes; guitars interlocked into microphones; nude, big breasted angels riding hulky demons. Those arms and that face had adorned the covers of magazines for years. Now he represented a legend of rock history. To obtain his interview would mean lots of money and skilled maneuvering through his agent, publicist, bodyguards, entourage, and any of the other people that walled him away from society.

About the Author
kenyaKenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sang the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.

However, writing has been the only constant love in her life. Will she succeed? Of course. For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.

Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.

Connect with Kenya: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ YouTube ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

Monday, September 16, 2013

Quiver by Tobsha Learner (4 stars)

About Quiver

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (April 30, 2013)

  • An electrifying short story collection for fans of
    50 Shades of Grey and Bared to You
     
    “Taking in the panoply of sexual desire, each tale shudders with full-frontal detail in a style that is both lyrical and forensically accurate.” –Vogue

    Fifteen years after its original publication, an unforgettable erotica classic re-issue with a sexy new package from the publisher of Anne Rice’s seminal New York Times best-selling Sleeping Beauty Trilogy. In QUIVER: A Book of Erotic Tales (Plume; 4/30/13, $16.00) Tobsha Learner, “the thinking woman’s erotica” writer, explores the pleasures of new and rediscovered love, lust, and obsession in twelve interconnected impossible-to-put-down tales.

    In the flashes that blur the line between fantasy and reality, each steamy story in QUIVER captures the spontaneous erotic experiences of a group of middle-class acquaintances—a dentist and his wife; an accountant and a beautician—as they audaciously unleash their deepest desires. Alternating between male and female perspectives, Learner invites readers to enjoy the unique intimacies of the characters’ trysts. And there are no holds barred in these interactions: heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, exhibitionistic, and sadomasochistic relationships are unabashedly on display in this provocative collection. With its blend of escapism and realism, QUIVER will surely appeal to readers who enjoyed their first experience with BDSM with Fifty Shades of Grey, as well as more experienced readers in the genre.

    Review

    Often, the biggest downfall of erotica stories is that they use sex as a way to shock the reader. It's like the gratuitous sex scene in a movie. The reason I started reviewing erotica is because so many bloggers wouldn't, and I wanted to give the genre a chance. Then I read several not-so-good erotica books, and I was ready to throw up a white flag.

    But I was pleasantly surprised by this collection of short stories. The focus is on the characters, not the sex. And the author really mixes it up with the types of characters she features. Two of my favorites: a long metaphor comparing sex and music (The Man Who Loved Sounds) and a ghost story (Pomegranate).

    Yes, I still blushed occasionally, but I found myself intrigued with the characters. In one particular story, Tulip, I wanted to know what happened to Deidre--a woman who dares to consider love again and children.

    If you are looking to dip your toe into erotica fiction, this short story collection would be a good starting point. It is well-written, character-focused, and still offers some hot scenes.

    Rating: 4 stars

    About the Author

    Born in the U.K., Tobsha Learner has also lived in the U.S. and Australia. She has worked extensively in stage, television, radio and film. She lives in London.

    Connect with Tobsha at her website, tobsha.com.


    Thanks to TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

    Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

    Please visit other stops on the Quiver blog tour page.

    Thursday, September 5, 2013

    Tremble by Tobsha Learner (3 stars)

    About Tremble: Erotic Tales of the Mystical and Cynical

    Paperback: 400 pages
    Publisher: Plume (August 27, 2013)
    Erotica for the modern woman: nine tales of the dangerous and divine

    From Tobsha Learner, the boundary-pushing erotica author of the international bestseller Quiver, comes TREMBLE: Erotic Tales of the Mystical and Sinister (On-sale September 2013/ ISBN: 9780142180372).

    In Learner’s steamy collection, she explores the full spectrum of sexuality peppered with elements of the supernatural. Tremble blurs the line between fantasy and reality, depicting the pleasures of new and rediscovered love, lust, and obsession in a world where passion and magic are interwoven—and where boundaries are pushed beyond expectation.

    In a Welsh village, a young woman’s sensuality is awakened by an outrageous inheritance; a drought-stricken Oklahoma town is offered salvation by a travelling rainmaker; a Sydney record producer struggles to satisfy his wife and his mistress—until one of them takes matters into her own hands…

    The short stories span the eras, from an eighteenth-century biographer who discovers a magic, erotic ritual to a Sydney record producer struggling to satisfy his wife and mistress. Intelligent and highly imaginative, Learner’s brand of erotica will appeal to both first-time and more seasoned readers of the genre.

    Review

    I must admit... I'm really torn about this collection of short stories. There were a couple that really held my interest and were quite thought-provoking. Then there were a few I had to skim because either they didn't grab me (and at 400 pages, I decided to only read the ones that did) or they bothered me.

    No, I'm not a prude. When I decide to review an erotica book, I'm not turning away in disgust at frank sexual depictions (although I do blush occasionally). However, some of these intense scenes were more about control than pleasure. I don't want to give away any specifics, but there was one "creature" that I found quite disturbing even though I wanted to know more about the poor woman it used as its pawn.

    Okay, this review is vague, and for that I apologize. I think this book should have been split into two short story collections. That way the reader could have had time to digest a few of the stories before reading the second book. In a perfect world, I would have read each story and put this collection down for several days and then picked it up again.

    And I did want to pick it up again, because the author has a captivating writing style and vivid imagination--in these stories she covered many interesting geographic locations, themes, and times. Rainmaker and Echo were my favorites, because I found the characters and themes the most intriguing. The author has a way of mixing erotica, the mystical, supernatural, and a commentary on society. Not what I was expecting, but not a bad thing.


    If you like to read stories that challenge you and push you to think about things in a different light, then this book will be a thought-provoking addition to your library. The short story format is nice, because you can read it in snippets and then take time to really think about the deeper meanings. It's just hard to take that time on a reviewer's schedule.

    Rating: 3 stars

    About the Author

    Born in the U.K., Tobsha Learner has also lived in the U.S. and Australia. She has worked extensively in stage, television, radio and film. She lives in London.

    Connect with Tobsha at her website, tobsha.com.

    Thanks to TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

    Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

    Please visit other stops on the Tremble blog tour page.