Some time ago I read these three interconnected but independent stories separately, as an ARC reviewer. I loved them, and the opportunity to re-read tSome time ago I read these three interconnected but independent stories separately, as an ARC reviewer. I loved them, and the opportunity to re-read them as a trilogy was too good to pass up. Each novel focuses on a different woman who explores the world of kink with some very entrenched ideas and expectations, none of which include relationships or love. It is that focus, not just the steamy kink club scenes, that makes these stories compelling and emotionally honest. As a reader, I found myself drawn to each woman's dreams, fears, and her ultimate transformation when confronted with the man who rocks her world....more
Wealthy resort owner/chef Dom is obsessed with winning the restaurant world's premier award, to the exclusion of alSecret lovers and lovers of secrets
Wealthy resort owner/chef Dom is obsessed with winning the restaurant world's premier award, to the exclusion of all else. Personal relationships are a distraction. Reina, burned out from a career at a 5-star big city restaurant, burdened with credit card debt, and fleeing parental pressure to move home and be a teacher, takes a job as a breakfast server at Dom's resort restaurant but hides her resume and the pressures she's under. Their initial attraction proves irresistible - and highly problematic from both HR and personal standpoints. Dom and Reina love their secrets and guard them vigilantly. But, while the secrecy they impose on themselves guards their hot, kinky, and ever-deepening love, it also strains the relationship to near-breaking. Hot as the kinky sex-capades are, what really lights this book on fire is watching these two learn all the ways in which their treasured secrets have become obstacles to their dreams, and barriers to love. Fans of kink will adore this love story, and this voluntary, independent ARC review is a total green light for Secret Lovers....more
Nate and Emily have the bedroom doldrums. When Emily meets Aiden online, she starts something that usually finishes a marriage. But thisThree for love
Nate and Emily have the bedroom doldrums. When Emily meets Aiden online, she starts something that usually finishes a marriage. But this is nine short volumes of amped up BDSM erotic exploration, and the wonderful destination is kinky, committed love. Fans of ménage and kink will burn up the batteries on their e-readers with this mind- blowing boxed set....more
Stefan, the crime boss with serious guilt issues, seeks extreme pain in a BDSM style D/s relationship. Domme Jewel knows from thIn bondage to the past
Stefan, the crime boss with serious guilt issues, seeks extreme pain in a BDSM style D/s relationship. Domme Jewel knows from the get-go that Stefan is HER sub, and maybe her future. He's rich enough, powerful enough, and sexually submissive enough. Jewel has her own issues and demons, and being a Domme gives her the power and control she's never really had in her own life. But past actions breed present problems, the love affair is poisoned by real-world criminal history, and it's a hard painful road to understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and lasting love. Trigger warning: Extreme pain and deliberate, consensual physical abuse are central to this powerful, ultimately loving relationship. This 5-star voluntary ARC review is based on the assumption that readers understand and accept that "your kink may not be my kink, but you have the right to be who you are". Those who must judge by their rigid standards only? This is NOT your book....more
Lore Townsend's sequel to her wonderful kink romance, The Ropes, features characters from that novel, ad has peReality bites, and sometimes love hurts
Lore Townsend's sequel to her wonderful kink romance, The Ropes, features characters from that novel, ad has peripheral references to the BDSM world, but Charlie, who works for Ropes' parent company, and its founder, isn't really into kink (aside from mild voyeurism). He has other issues: flawless and utterly loyal performance his working life, but outside of that? Let's just say there are a few "performance issues." When Gabby latches on to him at an airport, he's immediately and totally "taken" by and with this woman, who may well be IT for the celibate workaholic. Gabby has no performance issues - she IS a performance. Since childhood it has been her life's MO to be whoever and whatever others needed want her to be. Keep them happy, keep the wanting her for whatever niche she can fulfill. Gabby, the woman, is buried beneath a never-ending tour de force performance as" The Star of the Show." She's not easy to like; she's a tough nut to crack, and Charlie, hiding behind his loyal helpful, etc. Boy Scout persona, is no good at nut cracking. But he loves her, so he has to try. She's so slow to admit her feelings for him it becomes a frustration for the reader as much as for Charlie, but this is a heart-rending, almost Romeo-and-Juliet level tale of star-crossed lovers who manage, just, to avoid the mistimed poison at their ending. There are maddening, hair-pulling, frustrating moments, and there are soul-saving, illuminating epiphanies, and there's some pretty smoking erotic bits that prove orgasms aren't the be-all and end-all of sex. Honestly, had I not been given an ARC and volunteered to give an independent review, I might have quit too early to be able to say this: This book's gonna take some courage and persistence to read through, but it is, I promise, worth the pain. Just like Charlie's and Gabby's love....more
Noel has a lifelong dream: become a Dominatrix. She's studied human sexuality, moved to a city known for its sex clubs, and lurked ilearning the ropes
Noel has a lifelong dream: become a Dominatrix. She's studied human sexuality, moved to a city known for its sex clubs, and lurked in the shadows at Ropes, the city's premier kink club. Nothing works. She's a failure. Meeting Dane, the club owner, gives her a chance to fulfill her dream, but their interaction leads to attraction and kink of a different kind. She loves him, and can't let go of her obsessive need to pursue the Domme dream. And Dane? He's also sacrificed everything to build his dream, but Noel upends everything he thought he wanted, valued, and fought for. He loves her. So what happens when lifelong dreams and the love of your life are mutually exclusive? Whoever thought a kink-based romance could be nail- biting, can't put it down, right up to the cliff-edge intense? This one is. And when my heart rate drops from the stratosphere, I'm gonna read the sequel....more
Stasia Black's forté is dark romance, and this is one of her darkest. Those who like their lovers cruel, uber-alpha, and agonizinglLove tames monsters
Stasia Black's forté is dark romance, and this is one of her darkest. Those who like their lovers cruel, uber-alpha, and agonizingly damaged will find Hanna and Abaddon's story much to their liking. Trigger warning: abusive behavior abounds, and not all of it is sexual: Abandon was CREATED to be a monster. Hanna was made by severe health issues to be a victim. It is her search for a life-saving cure that brings her to him, and provides his unexpected (and hard-fought) deliverance. I personally found the hard-core sexual dominance hard to like, but that isn't really the story. This is about a hard-learned, hard-lived truth: Those who love unconditionally ultimately hold all the power. Call it a HFN ending, because there is no letting up on the effort to transform a monster. And this independent ARC reviewer, despite the distaste for the extreme sexual behaviors herein, will commit ton reading and reviewing the rest of the series: *GULP* Abandon has brothers....more
Straight up, if dark romance is not your thing, skip this book. If, on the other hand, you like to dip into dark waters, diDarker than sin at midnight
Straight up, if dark romance is not your thing, skip this book. If, on the other hand, you like to dip into dark waters, dive right in! This is the Southern Gothic version of the old boy network, debauched and dangerous, and the dirty deeds done under the guise of tradition, blue blood, and old money. Pity the debutante fresh from business school, and the scion of privilege and power as they stumble into an initiation of sexual depravity that goes way beyond steamy to e-reader combustion territory. While they uncover their own deep feelings for one another, they also uncover the dark depths to which the old boys club has sunk. Yes, there is a light at the end of this tunnel of depravity, if they have the courage to follow it. Go with them if you dare.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
The little novella will appeal most to fantasy fans who favor D/s relationships, but anyone who has ever been royally dumped on by life and/or a loverThe little novella will appeal most to fantasy fans who favor D/s relationships, but anyone who has ever been royally dumped on by life and/or a lover will rejoice in the revenge aspects that drive the story. Selena, the woman who loses everything in the beginning, is a heroine to cheer for, while Khan, the Dominant of her deepest desire, is a dream come true. This book was a gift, and this is a voluntary independent review....more
Fans of hardcore BDSM, D/s and extreme power exchange may like this book. I couldn't stand the rage it provoked in me. Too much DNF - extreme triggers
Fans of hardcore BDSM, D/s and extreme power exchange may like this book. I couldn't stand the rage it provoked in me. Too much violence, non-consensual and coerced sexual activity. I quit after 10 chapters. I won't continue with the trilogy. ARC review....more
Landon Collins is a real piece of work. His mom was a wife who cheated, and his dad was a vengeful hotel magnate who divorced hisIroning out the kinks
Landon Collins is a real piece of work. His mom was a wife who cheated, and his dad was a vengeful hotel magnate who divorced his kids along with his wife. Then daddy dearest hired him to manage the secret BDSM club in the hotel basement. The nasty old dude adopted 3 orphan girls as "Grandpa" and raised them with all the love he denied his son. A Dom is born... Andi, one of the 3 girls, grows up to be a wicked-smart, wisecracking Ms Independence who protects her heart by holding the boys at bay. There's not a submissive bone in her body. When the hotel magnate dies, he leaves a weird will, with a few fiendish stipulations for Andi and Landon to meet before the inheritance is theirs... I can"t say more - spoilers! It's a little contrived, and a lot short on backstory, but this slightly dark and darkly funny love story held me bemused and bespelled from page one to the deliciously drawn-out torturous HEA. Steamy attraction, very mild kink, and delightfully complex characters, all done in quirky Penelope Bloom style - this one is a treat. And this has been a voluntary ARC review....more
I really like 1700 Grant Street. I really HATE cliffhanger endings. I can't give this book a bad review, because the writing is sharp and vivid, the cI really like 1700 Grant Street. I really HATE cliffhanger endings. I can't give this book a bad review, because the writing is sharp and vivid, the characters are complex and flawed but totally sympathetic, the dilemmas they face are realistically and rivetingly described, but.... I REALLY HATE CLIFFHANGER ENDINGS. My personal preference is that authors warn their readers up front. That way we who love a good story and hate interruptions can wait till the whole box set comes out and enjoy a wonderful binge read. That's my recommendation here. My thanks to Hidden Gems Books for the ARC....more
I really like 1700 Grant Street. I really HATE cliffhanger endings. I can't give this book a bad review, because the writing is sharp and vivid, the cI really like 1700 Grant Street. I really HATE cliffhanger endings. I can't give this book a bad review, because the writing is sharp and vivid, the characters are complex and flawed but totally sympathetic, the dilemmas they face are realistically and rivetingly described, but.... I REALLY HATE CLIFFHANGER ENDINGS. My personal preference is that authors warn their readers up front. That way we who love a good story and hate interruptions can wait till the whole box set comes out and enjoy a wonderful binge read. That's my recommendation here. My thanks to Hidden Gems Books for the ARC....more
Chuckles (I do wish the author had chosen another name!) serves on Vector's ship, Reckless, patrolling their sector of sCyborgs have new missions now!
Chuckles (I do wish the author had chosen another name!) serves on Vector's ship, Reckless, patrolling their sector of space to protect beings from the Humanoid Alliance. Somehow Reckless intercepts a transmission from Bait - a glittery and seductive human female whom Chuckles recognizes instantly - she's HIS female! A joy he never thought to feel sets him on the path to meet and claim her - and punish her for being a deceitful human. He doesn't understand Bait's role - she's a lure to trap intergalactic sexual predators. And Bait doesn't get that Chuckles is a cyborg good guy, not one of her targets. They work out their identities, their relationship, and a way out of a seemingly impossible situation in order to find HEA, but it's a rough, sometimes heartbreaking journey. Four stars for excellent world-building and all the feels. A warning to those who dislike kink - severe dominance and punishment themes. I'm pleased to see author Cynthia Sax's Cyborg universe expanding....more
I thank the author for the ARC of Hurt So Good. This review is voluntary, independent and uncompensated. If you've All that's best of dark and brutal
I thank the author for the ARC of Hurt So Good. This review is voluntary, independent and uncompensated. If you've read Stasia Black before, you're gonna be blown away by this book. If you've never read her, then pay attention: THIS BOOK IS INSANELY DARK AND BRUTALLY KINKY. LINES ARE CROSSED. CRIMES ARE COMMITTED. Ms. Black's world of Silicon Valley tech companies is once again the setting for a romance so twisted you won't believe it could end in HEA - but it does. That's the writer's genius: she creates highly flawed but fully developed characters that you ought to hate, but because they are so fully realized, they come across as very human, seriously damaged, and yet so likable that you can't help but empathize with their pain and hope for their redemption. I couldn't put the book down no matter how much I cringed or cried; I loved every twisted minute right up to the stunning, and surprisingly sunny, ending....more
I'm no expert on Femdom but I find aspects of the lifestyle appealing - female power, submissive men -YEAH! Pain and humiliation? Not sFemdom Flummery
I'm no expert on Femdom but I find aspects of the lifestyle appealing - female power, submissive men -YEAH! Pain and humiliation? Not so much. Still, I'm always willing to explore and learn more, so when BookSprout offered me an ARC of The Complete Undercover Domme Series, I jumped on it. Which means, this is a voluntary, independent, and uncompensated review. It's also a tough call for me. I've read - and really enjoyed - Alexandra Noir before. This time I didn't enjoy as much. One reason is that I still can't bring myself to a point of empathy with any woman who would be deliberately cruel, physically violent, and verbally abusive to the extent that our heroine is. Another issue is that the heroine isn't really a Domme, she's an undercover cop targeting a submissive with possible criminal ties, which makes her a liar, a bad cop, and an untrustworthy Domme. Yeah, there's tons of sexy stuff goin' on, so if that's all you need from a book, here ya go. I want a little humanity, a little emotional connection, a reason to believe in the relationship (otherwise, it's just pornography to me). Didn't get that from this Domme or her sub. The sex is wild, the writing is technically quite good, the editing is flawless. The plot is flimsy, and the characters aren't vey likable. Gonna hold my nose and call it 3 stars....more
I'm over the moon for Cailin Briste's newest Marshall of Tallav - Maon Keefe. He's a hero like i've never read before - a MBest kinky SF romance evah!
I'm over the moon for Cailin Briste's newest Marshall of Tallav - Maon Keefe. He's a hero like i've never read before - a Marshall of Tallav whose skills and courage are eclipsed by his own toxic self-denigration. He thinks he's a failure. He thinks no one can love him. He's into exhibitionism and has a deeply hidden submissive streak in the bedroom. He's also strong, principled, and incredibly resourceful. In short, he's the perfect match for the one woman on matriarchal Tallav who might be able to love him - Selina- but she's a client, and professional ethics rule. Until they don't. The stunningly erotic and complex love between Maon and Selina plays out against an engrossing plot of intergalactic drug-smuggling, organized crime wars, family feuds, and attempts on Selina's life. The action is thrilling, the suspense is gripping, the BDSM scenes are hot and the sexy romance between Maon and Selina is positively incendiary. I thank Hidden Gems for the ARC, and this is my voluntary, independent and uncompensated opinion: Maon, Marshall of Tallav gets five flaming stars....more
Vanessa Vale writes erotic romance with a focus on mild BDSM, and she writes it well. Western Widows is one book with three short novellas about threeVanessa Vale writes erotic romance with a focus on mild BDSM, and she writes it well. Western Widows is one book with three short novellas about three unhappily married - and now blessedly widowed - women in 19th century frontier Montana. The historical aspect is not a focus, but it sets a good stage for the whirlwind courtship/marriage of each young widow to a handsome, well-off, kinky dominant man who teaches her the pleasures of sex and submission, much to everyone's total (and repeated) delight. This is well-done erotica, but still, it is all about the sex. If that isn't for you, just pass. Those who like their romance hot and kinky will have fun with the Western Widows....more
Holy Handcuffs and Hotness!!! Where do I start with this one? First, I must thank BookSprout for this ARC, and remind readersHot Domme schools new sub
Holy Handcuffs and Hotness!!! Where do I start with this one? First, I must thank BookSprout for this ARC, and remind readers that this review is, as always, voluntary, independent, and uncompensated. Second, I must advise readers who cringe at BDSM, Dominatrix/sub relationships, and mild verbal humiliation - this is so not your book! You have been warned. And I guess all that's left is to say how in credibly, unexpectedly, and deliciously erotic this book is. A Domme Can... is a sequential set of six stories centered on Elsa, a beautiful young law student, and a professional Domme whose clients' submissive desires are paying Elsa's tuition and rent, plus. She fixates on one of her professors, wanting him badly enough to risk exposing her kink by seducing him into submission. The story moves through the hunt, the capture, and the "kill" - all of which one expects - but then ... This kind of kink usually inspires stories in which outlandish and unbelievable humiliation/pain are the major components, and they usually end with some poor emotionally battered dude in a collar and apron cleaning house for his bitchy lady. Author Alexandra Noir goes somewhere different - and much more like a real love relationship with a real HEA. Best left-turn-on-two-wheels EVER!! I've never read anything in the femdom genre as good as this....more
Before we begin, let me thank Booksprout for this ARC, and reiterate that my review is voluntary, independent and uA promise broken and a promise kept
Before we begin, let me thank Booksprout for this ARC, and reiterate that my review is voluntary, independent and uncompensated. Let me also say upfront that this is erotica - really fine erotica - but if cuckholding, F/F sexual encounters, and kink are not your thing, this book isn't either. "Isis" is what the Egyptians call her. She's actually Greek, born and raised, promised from the womb to a Greek prince. He's the Greek ambassador the Pharaoh's court at Thebes, and so married her and took her to Egypt. In Egypt, her rare blonde beauty attracts everyone - except her husband. He's into the kind of kink that Egypt's current Queen provides, and ignores Isis. "Anubis" is Isis' nickname for the Crown Prince, and he's into Isis big-time - so much so that he promises her his eternal love, and, if he can possibly make it happen, marriage and the throne as his queen. He's Pharaoh's son, and has many royal duties that leave Isis to the company of her beautiful maid, nicknamed "Sekmet." Isis has no duties, no official role, and no friends at court, so she's bored. She and Sekmet get up to some sexy shenanigans - which inevitably draws a lusty "me too" from Anubis. It also provokes a rage in Isis' husband, who threatens her and assaults her maid. Even the Queen herself gets involved in the drama. Her royal influence spells doom for someone's ambition, but whose? Will Anubis bow to tradition, leave Isis and take a noble Egyptian bride as his mother the Queen demands? Will the Greek prince carry out his threats? Must Isis lose whatever love and comfort she has at Pharaoh's court? No spoilers, but our sexy heroine has an idea to bring about HEA for all, and some bold moves up her sleeve that will change lives forever.... The book is a little thin on the intrigue and political maneuvers, considering all the high-stakes outcomes that could result, but interesting characters, a character-driven love tangle (triangle doesn't begin to describe the complexities), and deliciously erotic encounters that will have your e-reader smoking are huge plus-factors. I'm calling it four flaming hot stars....more