The Cop And The Girl From The Coffee Shop by Terry Towers

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Coffee Shop Girls #1
Genre-Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
62 pages


Jade works as a barista and her favorite customer is Alex, who's a police officer. During his nightly visits to the drive thru they flirt shamelessly with each other. Finally, he asks her out and they then start to date. This is a very short story so I don't want to give too much away. I really liked this story. It had everything I love in it: an HEA, suspense and hot sex! More sex than story but it worked for me here. I'm gonna read this whole series. Just an FYI, I think it's free on Kindle.

Nobody's Angel by Kallypso Masters

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Series-Rescue Me #2
Genre-Contemporary BDSM
Reviewed by Kay
314 pages

Marc is another ex-soldier and a third owner in a kink club. He was Master Marco when he was younger and enjoys the BDSM lifestyle. One night at the club when he was monitoring the dungeon he sees a woman being abused by her wanna-be Dom boyfriend. He rescues her and makes sure she gets home without further harm.

Angelina is the woman who was abused at the club. She was in what's called sub-space which I considered to be almost separated mind and body to deal with what was happening to her. She was so out of it she thought Marc was a wolf shifter because of his mask and the books she likes to read. She hated what was done to her but soon realizes that she enjoys submitting to a certain extent.

This was the second story in this series and honestly I never really liked Marc. I did however like Angelina and enjoyed her journey in BDSM. I really wish that Marc would've been honest about who he was and what he really wanted to have with her. I am enjoying this series but I wasn't crazy about this book. I will read on though because this series is about more than BDSM sex, it packs some heavy emotion. Thanks again Kate and Mindy for suggesting it!

Beneath The Surface by M.A. Stacie

Grade-C+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Reluctance #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
182 pages

Kyran Reese is a man that has to have control at all times. He runs his family's company basically by himself. When he feels his control slip from time to time, he goes to fight in an underground boxing arena. And with the family he has, he feels the need to fight a lot.

Dale Porter has become Kyran's brother's assistant at the office and from the moment he sees her, his control is tested. Dale feels the attraction between the two of them but is confused by Kyran's running hot and cold. She also wonders what to do with Taylor, her boss. His self-destruction is becoming more and more evident.

Kyran and Dale start a non-labeled, just sex relationship. The only problem is that the more they have sex, the more important it becomes to them both. I really liked it except for a few things. I thought for a woman who never has non-committed sex, Dale was certainly all over Kyran within a few days of meeting him. Also, the writing was abrupt. Not like the book was ending abrupt but situations were introduced and solved very quickly. That coupled with the inconsistencies made the book worse not better for me. The dialogue was sexy and the love scenes were hot. I would read another book by her but I'd be more cautious than excited.

Seeing Red by Jill Shalvis

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Firefighter #3

Reviewed by Kate

352 pages

Summer rushes back to her hometown when she hears her mother's warehouse has burned down. She left town after a similar fire and has never looked back. What she finds when she arrives in town is her old best friend Joe. While Joe, a fire marshal, is investigating the fire, the last thing Summer expects is to feel flames for Joe.

If there is one thing Shalvis excels at, it's the characters she creates. In Summer and Joe, she has managed to create two characters who are able to find each other without giving up who they are. The relationship with Summer and her family was realistic and moving. Joe's friend Kenny provides comic relief better than a Disney villain's sidekick.

When I find an author I enjoy, I - like any good reader - try to go back and read the author's back list. More often than not, I discover that the author has grown into their writing, and their back list is sadly lacking compared to their newer releases. Happily, that was not the case with Seeing Red. Shalvis continues to keep me coming back for more.

How about you?  Do you enjoy catching up on an author's back list?  Which authors' backlists have lived up to your expectations?

Love at High Tide by Christi Barth

 

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Reviewed by Anne

142 pages 

 

Darcy is spending a week at the beach with her BFF, Trina.  Darcy's got a big decision to make now that she's finished her PhD.  Should she take the prestigious job offer from Africa, where she was miserable doing her dissertation?  Or should she...  what?  She has no other offers on the horizon. Some days of sun and relaxing sound like a great way to spend a few days before she has to make her decision.  If only Trina were content to just lay on the beach... But no, Trina drags her from one thing to another, starting with an embarrassing trip into the ocean where Darcy freaks out and is saved (in waist deep water) by the very handsome Cooper.  

 

Cooper just happens to be on vacation.  He's taken some time off from the police force and is also trying to decide what to do going forward.  A little romance with Darcy for the few days she has left at the beach sounds really good.  Unfortunately, Trina has decided to start training herself for a career as a private detective.  Now that she's finished researching the position, she decides to stalk, er, I mean watch a suspicious looking guy she sees on the beach.  There's safety in numbers, so she drags Darcy along with her.  In between outings with Trina, Darcy finds time to go out with Cooper and their attraction is instant and off the charts.

So this book had some ups and downs for me. Darcy and Coop, I liked a lot. Darcy's best friend, Trina, who has a lot of page time, kept moving back and forth from "She's hilarious!" to "What a bitch!" She was very funny, but she kept pulling Darcy into these dangerous situations that I thought just made them both look dumb. That was really frustrating.

Aside from the stupid amateur sleuth stuff, and a couple way unnecessary comments about Darcy's weight, Trina and Darcy had great banter and felt like real friends. They even make a Xena reference!

Darcy and Coop are both at a point of personal crisis. Those felt very real to me. And even though the story took place over only a few days, their connection and their decisions about the future were believable to me. They actually communicated with each other and talked things through!

So, while it had it's annoying points, it was overall a good book for me. 

Beyond Pain by Kit Rocha

We generally only put up one review each day, but I loved this book so much (and I don't want to shuffle the rest of our reviews!) so I'm putting it up as a second review today!  One of my favorite reads of the year so far!  ~Anne

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno+
Kink Level: Moderate Kink (menage, flogger)
Genre: Dystopian, Futuristic
Series: Beyond #3

Reviewed by Anne

247 pages

Six was abused and discarded by the former leader of Sector 3. Bren has been looking after her since she first arrived. He's gets her like no one else in the O'Kane gang does. And because he gets her, he knows he can't make a move until *she* is ready. She's got to heal some and find the parts of herself she lost in Sector 3. This book is the story of what happens when Six is ready, and it's awesome!

For all the action that happens and the continuing story arc of the politics in Eden and the sectors, this is a low conflict story (my favorite!) about the developing relationship between Six and Bren. And, oh, is that relationship sweet and hot!

I'll get this out of the way right away... sex between Bren and Six is scorching. There's one particular scene that involves the two of them watching Lex, Dallas, and Rachel... I have no words. There are also a lot of scenes between just Bren and Six and I love that you can see their relationship grow with each encounter.

As much as I liked the sex, I think my favorite part of the book was the strength shown by all the O'Kane women, but especially Six and Lex.

"There was a secret in these women that went deeper than the ink around their wrists, and sometimes she thought if she watched for long enough, she could unlock it for herself." (p.8)

Lex has been strong throughout the series. We get to watch Six come into her own. We get to see how the O'Kanes truly value each member for the assets they bring to the gang. So when Six figures out what she wants to do, even though it's not something an O'Kane woman has done before... well, they stand behind her because they recognize it's something she would excel at. And this happens more than once! Very cool.

When you take this gang and it's leadership that value women on an equal level with their men, and then you add in the sexual freedom and openness... well it's just awesome! Seriously , this is a world where it's ok for a woman to want sex, and to want as much of it as she'd like. No slut shaming. It's incredible! And the writing is so strong, it's easy to believe in it.

Another thing I loved in this story is that when one of them goofs up and things go bad between them, they both are hurt but strong, and it's not easy for them to get back together. Because the characters feel so real, their hurts feel real and it takes some work for them to repair their relationship.

This is book 3 in the series, and it would be best if the books were read in order. (Start with #1, Beyond Shame.) Each book is the story of the main couple, but there are several story arcs going on, and the book will be appreciated so much more if you've read the others.

If I have any disappointments in this book it's that there were a couple scenes I'd hoped to see in this book that weren't there. [ we didn't get to see Six's induction ceremony (drinking in) and we didn't get closure with Miller yet (hide spoiler)] I hold out hope that we'll see both these things in another book, though! I'm also excited to learn more about other characters. Emma and Noah, of course, along with the whole tangle of Rachel/Cruz/Ace. There's also a stripper in Sector 3 who Six pointed out as being really intelligent. I want more of her!

I highly recommend this series!!
 

Menage Monday - Together in Cyn by Jennifer Kacey

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM, ménage (with some f/f)
Series: Members Only #1

Reviewed by Kate

157 pages

Cyn has been best friends with twins Chris and Jared for 12 years now, and for 12 years now she's also lusted after the pair. Unable to choose between her best friends, she keeps her feelings to herself and shares her wicked fantasies with her diary. Come on, you see where this is going, right?

Jared and Chris have owned a fetish club (that Cyn does not know about) for a while now and have always dreamed of bringing Cyn there as their submissive. They assume that she won't be accepting of the BDSM lifestyle, so they never approach her. And then... Jared stumbles across her diary one day.

I really liked the premise of this book. Friends become lovers...with some whips and chains thrown in for fun. I jumped at the chance to read this one. I have three main gripes about this book though.

1. There is next to no conversation between Jared, Chris, and Cyn about what she's willing to try in this new-to-her world of BDSM. The boys have read her diary and have taken that as her permission to have all those things done to her. I would have liked to see a little conversation before Jared and Chris added other club members into the mix.

2. Safeword. Let's say it together now. Safeword. Jared and Chris are owners of a highly exclusive, members only fetish club. They are hyper aware of the security and safety of their members. Yet it is not until 91% into the book that they ever talk about a safeword with Cyn (and a lot has happened to Cyn by that point). Maybe this ties a bit to my first point, but I really wanted there to be a conversation between the three of them about a safeword before anything went down.

3. There's a villain in this book (it's not actually the villain I have a problem with, more the presentation). We know that Cyn has something hiding in her past. There have been multiple hints dropped throughout the book although we have no clue as to what this secret is. And then all of sudden-BAM! There's a villain. And not just a villain, but a villain that has managed to corner Cyn. It just seemed so sudden and out of place.

The really strange part is that even with these 3 issues, I actually liked the book quite a bit.  It's the friends becoming lovers hook that I enjoyed the most.  Plus, when you add in the BDSM aspect, I'm a goner.  There were plenty of secondary characters for the author to continue the series with and I hope she does.  I think we'll see great things from Jennifer Kacey in the future.

Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Grade-D
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Gabriel's Inferno #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
545 pages

Gabriel Emerson is a college professor whose specialty is Dante, from Dante's Inferno fame. He teaches a class based on Dante. He was adopted by a wonderful family that loved him and treated him very well. He has temper issues, former drug abuse issues and man-whoring issues. Not to mention he's kind of a douche.

Enter Julia Mitchell, college student trying to specialize in all things Dante. She has a past with Gabriel, which he doesn't remember. She has loved him for years upon years. Her past is troubled also. Her mother was negligent with her raising of Julia, her father was emotionally unavailable for her and she had an ex-boyfriend who was emotionally and physically abusive to her. So her self image definitely needed work.

This book started out so good. Julia was a meek, sweet character you rooted for. Gabriel was an ass in the beginning to her and everyone else. About three fourths of the way through the book I wanted to stop but figured I'd went this far, so I had to finish. This book was WAY too wordy! The relationship built nicely but fizzled epically at the one, yes one sex scene. It wasn't even descriptive, I mean at all. My biggest complaint though was that the two main characters were both so very weak and whiny that I wanted to slap them both. I won't go on to the next book.

The Officer and the Secret by Jeanette Murray

Grade-D
Hotness Level-Ember/Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Semper Fi #3
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
346 pages

Dewayne just got home from a deployment and is having a hard time adjusting to life in civilian world. He has pretty severe flashbacks and seeks help from a chaplain. He does enjoy spending time with his friends and especially Veronica. They skyped a few times when he was trying to reach his friends. He realizes that their talks and her voice got him through some rough times in his deployment.

Veronica is a cousin of one of the other characters in this series. She is very awkward and shy as a result to being raised by religious zealots in war torn third world countries. She left that life to have what she called a normal life. She has a job, a place to live and is studying for her GED. She also wants to try to date and have sex.

This started out so cute it made me giddy. The development of their relationship was slow and sweet. Between his PTSD and her sheltered to the extreme childhood, it was a wonder it happened at all. I liked the characters and was interested in hearing their stories. Then the sex happened and just kept shaking my head. It was so non descriptive it was all most off page. I had to reread the sex to make sure I didn't miss something. Boring. From there it was downhill and I won't read anything more by this author.

Claimed By HIm by Red Garnier

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Billionaire's Club #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
109 pages

Graves is a true self made man with his robotics empire. He has good friends, wealth and he's in love . With his best friend's little sister. He keeps his distance because he knows he's all screwed up. His childhood scars rule his sexual liaisons. He doesn't like to be kissed or touched really. He's totally closed off. But Chloe touches him soul deep.

Chloe is a few years younger in age than Graves and many years younger in experience. You see, for her, it's always been Graves. She has loved him since she was fifteen and has been waiting for him to notice her. She's attempted to flirt with him for a while now to no avail. She offers herself up to him, only for him to rebuff her. She then says she will lose her virginity to someone, maybe even his friend Luke.

Oh, how I love the best friend's brother or sister trope! I really, really do! I just never felt that deep of a connection between these two. The author told us there was one but it never fully clicked for me. I loved the premise and the blistering hot dialogue. And the sex? On fire! I did like this book and the second one enough to try and read the rest of the series though.

The Submissive by Tara Sue Me

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Series-The Submissive Trilogy #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
304 pages

This is a story about a woman who wants to submit to a man and a Dom who is willing to test her. Abby researched Nathaniel, a known Dom because she wanted to experience her own submissiveness. And Nathaniel had the reputation to be very good at teaching submissives. He gave her his requirements that went as far as an exercise plan and diet guidelines. Abby was thrilled with most of it. The relationship that unfolds is kind of a roller coaster ride between which Nathaniel she gets at which time. Cold and detached or tender and sweet Nathaniel.

I have read other reviews and this is said to be fan-fiction. I really don't care because I enjoyed the book just like I did with the 50 Shades books. It was a story about two people who just might end up being exactly what the other needs and that's enough for me. I liked the characters and the sex was HOT! I will definitely read more of this series.

Bewitching The Duke by Christie Kelley

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay
234 pages

Selina is a wise woman/healer for the Duke of Northrop's estate. She is caught trying to do a cleansing of his home prior to a wedding that's to take place there. The Duke is furious about this because he blames a wise woman for the death of his wife and son. When he finds out that woman in his house is none other than the daughter of that wise woman, he is beyond furious.
He has her thrown out of the house and eventually off his estate. The only problem is that his tenants that he has neglected for eight long years love her. They even help hide her in his home for weeks. When his sister arrives and has health problems, Selina comes to the rescue. The Duke and Selina start a truce so to speak that leads to other things that bind this couple. But there's a secret that can tear them apart.
I really liked this book. I am a big fan of Christie Kelley and bought this book almost a year ago. It has sat on my Kindle due to my ridiculous TBR list. I'm so glad I finally read it. She's a great author, with great characters and good love scenes. I needed this book to be wonderful and it truly was. I just wish she wrote them faster!

Three Little Words by Susan Mallery

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Fool's Gold #12
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
336 pages

Ford Hendrix has come home. A former Navy SEAL and hometown hero. He has come home to run a business with four of his military friends. He has come home to a family that overwhelms him and an ex-fiancé who jilted him for his former best friend. He also came home to the woman who has loved him since she was fourteen.

Isabel Carlisle has also come home. She came home from New York after a failed marriage. She's running her family's business, just until she can regroup and raise more money for her fashion business she wants to open in NYC. She has a sister she barely knows and has to face the man she loved years ago.

From Ford's fights with Angel, to his mother's please marry my son booth at the festival, to the fake relationship and the letters that bound these two people to each other, this was a great book. Funny, sweet and sexy. I even sighed. You even got a twofer, Kent and Consuelo's story. That was the only weak part of the book. Their relationship was abrupt without secrets coming to the surface. Otherwise, another great one from Susan Mallery.

M/M Monday - Waiting for Ty Samantha Ann King

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m

Series: Lovers and Friends #2
Reviewed by Anne

117 pages 

So, Ty and Landon have been best friends for a long time now.  Each wonders about making that a sexual relationship, but neither knows if the other is attracted to him.  To top it off, neither of them has ever been with a man before.  So they are each secretly lusting after the other.

 

Finally, having downed enough beers, a celebratory sports hug turns into much more.  And now they have to navigate the aftermath of that night.    Was this a one time thing?  Or something more?

 

Well, it's a romance, so of course it's something more!  This was a quick read and it was pretty good.  It was a solid story and the pacing of it was good.  I'll admit that I had a hard time keeping the guys straight sometimes.  Overall it had a good feel to it though.  it's the second in the series, but I had no problem keeping up with everyone.  The first book in the series is Sharing Hailey, and it sounded pretty good!  And I LOVE that Landon appreciates that Hailey has broken ground for him (they're siblings, if I remember right) when he thinks "He knew for a fact that introducing Hailey's menage to the family had been more complicated than introducing his relationship with Ty."

 

It was good read and I'd read this author again.

 

This was the first m/m book I read where both guys were m/m virgins.  Are there other books out there you would recommend like this?

Masters At Arms by Kallypso Masters

Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Rescue Me #1
Genre-Contemporary Military BDSM Romance
Reviewed by Kay
166 pages

Warning to those that don't know, this is a prequel to the series. I didn't have a problem with that though. I found it engaging, well written and enthralling. I can't wait to read this series!

This story is done in parts but a summary is that these three men joined the military for various reasons and suffered tragic losses, both military and personal. They formed a bond serving together and continued that bond after their tours were over. They realized they all had Dom tendencies and opened a fetish club in Denver. There are more characters to be introduced as the series goes on I think.

I don't want to give anything away so that's all I can say. Read this series and become addicted like me. My only thought is that I hope I can handle all the BDSM that's surely coming my way. Oh, and I wish Marc's story wasn't first because I really want to read about Damian and Adam first. I guess I better warn the hubby about the money we will be missing when I buy them.

Thanks to Kate and my friend Mindy for suggesting this series and for warning about what's to come.

Never Deal with Dragons by Lorenda Christianson

 

Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Paranormal, Dragons
Reviewed by Anne

235pages

 

"It's amazing how often my day starts with a three-legged dragon and an enraged dairy farmer." p.11  So starts Never Deal with Dragons.  Myrna Banks is a rarity in her time - she can speak dragon language.  Ever since the dragons were accidentally created during World War III, humans have needed dragonspeakers and negotiators.  Myrna is good at both, though she is underappreciated in her current position.  This is due, mainly to some bad choices she made regarding her ex-boyfriend, Trian.  So she is much less than happy when he waltzes into the middle of her negotiations between the 3 legged dragon (pregnant with twins and very hungry!) and a dairy farmer less one cow and beloved pet.  Unfortunately it looks like Myrna and Trian will be seeing a lot more of each other as he works for a dragon who needs her help.

 

From the very first line to the end of this story, I didn't want to put this book down.  It's an interesting world with interesting characters!  Just the concept of dragons being created and then turning out to be dominate over humans...  really fun to read how this has played out and changed the world.

Myrna was a strong woman who seemed to get into a lot of situations, but they weren't humiliating for the sake of humiliating her character, and she was very good at handling them.  This is good, because the whole story is told from her point of view.  That was a drawback for me, as I enjoy seeing the hero's point of view, but it worked in this book.  

 

Myrna was frustrating at times.  She had a tendency to cut Trian off when he was trying to explain himself, and this created most of the conflict in the book.  If she'd listened to him, or asked a few more questions instead of assuming, the whole thing would have played out much more smoothly, and it still would have been a good story, in my opinion.

 

Trian wasn't quite sorry enough for the wrong he did to Myrna, but she kept cutting him off before he could really say sorry, so I'll cut him some slack, and his actions certainly made up for the past. 

 

The first half of the book was better than the second, but both were still good.  It was pretty funny throughout, though.  The situations with the dragons were real for the world created, but still really funny.  It was a wonderful world and I hope there will be more stories in it!

Spinning Gold by Vivi Andrews

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Fairytale
Reviewed by Anne

97 pages

 

This short story retelling of Rumplestilskin as a romance has Juliana as an affluent aristocrat at the mercy of an evil prince and "Rue" as the golden fairy she calls on for help.

 

It's a great fairytale romance! I loved this twist on Rumplestilskin. I'm not an expert on politics or fairytale age settings, so I don't know if the ones in this story were realistic, but I enjoyed it. Juliana was a heroine I liked and Rue had a lot of depth for a character in a novella. It was a nice balance of story and sex and even a battle. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, I predict you'll like this one.

Choose Your Shot by Christine d'Abo

 

Grade: B+/B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: Choose Your Own, BDSM
Reviewed by Kate and Anne

This is a joint review by Kate and Anne, who have very fond memories of reading Choose Your Own Adventure Books as a kid and both jumped all over this one without checking to see if the other had requested it from NetGalley.  

 

Kate:

I think it's safe to say that we have all tried a Choose Your Own Adventure book as kids.  One that put you in charge of which direction the story took.  I devoured them as a kid.  I admit to geeking out a bit when I saw a romance/erotic version of this concept from Christine d'Abo.

Unlike the kids' books where the main character was "you," in this book Tegan is the main character and you are making her choices.  Tegan is excited to be attending the re-opening of the fetish club she belongs to.  She has been feeling like it might be time to settle into a more permanent relationship and is eager to look over her potential partners at the club.  Tegan is a switch so one of the choices you get to make is Domme or sub.  However, her (your) first choice is between the dungeon, the private play rooms, or finding one of her prior partners.  In my head, I heard the line from the musical Annie.  "Right through these doors, all of it's yours."

 

I have decided 4+ (the plus is because I went back a few times toward the end and chose a different path) adventures is enough for me.  Three of the read throughs I did just for enjoyment.  The last adventure I decided to see how long I could make the adventure last.  I read it long enough that I eventually started running across the same scenes.  However, I did get a huge sampling of what's in the books.  Orgies and strap-ons and sex swings, oh my.  And that's just naming a few.

 

Looking back though, it seems like most of the choices boiled down to the same 3 options.

 

1. Do you want to leave your current partner and find another kinky thing to experiece with someone new (you slut-how many partners is that for tonight)? or
   
2. Do you want to stay with the current douchebag you're with simply because you're trying on the whole commitment shoe and you think they might be the one (by the way, I'm pretty sure they're not the one)? or
   
3. Is it finally time to leave the club?  After all each decision you've made has resulted in at least one orgasm so after the six choice path you chose, aren't you spent yet?

One last note.  Worry not.  There are no "whoops you made a wrong turn and fell into a tiger pit and died" endings in this book.  Although I enjoyed those endings a lot as kid, nothing can ruin a HFN ending quite like a pit full of tigers.

Choose Your Shot was new and fresh, yet strangely nostalgic.  I would recommend this read for any BDSM sub-genre fan looking for something new to try.

 

Anne:

Back when I was at RT (just thinking of that week makes me smile!) I remember someone from Carina Press mentioning that they would be publishing a Choose Your Own Adventure style romance and I was really excited. I have good memories of reading through CYOA books as a kid. I can report now that reading through an adult CYOA was just as fun!  Like Kate, I'll admit to reading through it several times to try out the different options. There are many partners and setups for Tegan to choose from. The way the book is written, any storyline you choose ends on a hopeful, HFN note - or at least it did for all the ways I read through it! I think it has more of an erotica feel than erotic romance, and I was fine with that. I thought the (many) sex scenes were well written and hot. This makes me want to read more by d'Abo! I wonder if three read throughs is a magical number?  I stopped at three and was really impressed.  Kate went through a fourth time and I think she overdid it a bit maybe?  I mean, really, if you're reading it through to see how long you can make the story you can't complain about how many orgasms you had!  Really, can you ever complain about that??? Reading it in ebook format was really simple because of the hyperlinks in the text. There was no leafing through the book to find your target page number, but then getting distracted by a picture and forgetting which page you were headed for. Not that that ever happened to me as a kid. (All the time.) I get the feeling that this book is set in a world the author has written other books in, but there was no problem reading it. I'd highly recommend anyone interested in trying a unique reading experience. It was fun and a quick read. I'm imagining other settings, too. You could be at a formal event in a museum. On a pirate ship. Or how about a speed dating event, followed by choices for other dates?? Oh! Or how about a choice set than includes choosing a woman? So much potential here! I'm up for another one! How about you?  Did you enjoy Choose Your Own Adventure stories as a kid?  Are you excited to try one as an adult?

Beauty Touched The Beast by Skye Warren

Grade-B+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level- No Kink
Series- Beauty #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
30 pages

This review will be very short because the story was very short.

Blake Morris is a scarred former soldier both inside and out. He has Erin, a college student who cleans his house to help pay for college. He is super attracted to her but knows he's a trainwreck mentally and physically. He has desired her from afar for a while now. But when Erin lets herself into the house to return a book to him she walks in to a self-pleasuring scene straight out of her own fantasies. To say the situation was awkward is an understatement.

This was a pleasant surprise for me and I loved it. I can't wait to read the next installment of this series that I'm pretty sure I'm hooked on.

Reburn by Anne Marsh

Grade-D
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Hotshots #1
Genre-Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
87 pages

Sam Clayton is a former military man who now works as a park ranger. He is currently helping fight a wildfire in his park. He is sent in to find any civilians trapped in the park and finds his first true love.

Olivia Albert is an FBI agent tracking a homeland terrorist. Her chase leads her into Sequoia Park and a raging wildfire. Olivia knows this park well because she and her first love tracked their way through the park in their teen years. When she thinks she sees her terrorist running from her she becomes trapped by the fire.

This story should've been great and it really wasn't. I couldn't connect with the main characters at all. Even with hot love scenes, they still didn't have any chemistry. This was a total miss for me.

M/M Monday - Sweet Young Thang by Anne Tenino

Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m, college age
Series: Theta Alpha Gamma #3

Reviewed by Anne

414 pages on my ereader; Goodreads says 329 pages

 

This book was funny and sweet and I didn't want to put it down!

Collin is one of the leaders of his frat, which recently publicly announced their acceptance of gay/bi brothers.  Collin is also in the closet, for the most part.  He doesn't seem worried about his frat brothers' acceptance, but he knows his Uncle Monty, the father figure in his life, will not be accepting of him if he came out.

Eric is a firefighter paramedic.  He responds to an explosion and fire at the frat house and is attracted to Collin, who keeps his cool under pressure.  When he sees Collin again, he flirts with him and Collin flirts back.  It's not long before the two of them hook up.  (And that's one very hot night!) Both of them are interested in more, but step carefully, not sure if the other would want anything to do with them.

While the fire and an attempted bombing at the frat house drive the storyline, we get to watch Eric and Collin fall for each other and work through issues that come up.  And it's all so very sweet and hot and good!

It surprises me that I am ok with things in the m/m genre that I know would bother me if the book was m/f.  But it just doesn't.  In this case it's Collin's age (21).  Fifteen years (36/21) is a really big age difference between Collin and Eric.  It's almost icky.  By the end of the book I really didn't have a problem with it.  Collin was really mature and handling a lot in his life, so he seemed older than 21, especially compared to some of his frat brothers.

Oh, and let's talk about the frat brothers.  I loved them!  They provided a great comedic backdrop that kept the story from getting too heavy or emo.  The good hearted but clumsy attempts of the straight brothers to support their gay brothers was hilarious and sweet.  They came across as pretty dumb at times, but I was willing to accept that.  I'm not sure how realistic it is, but I'll suspend disbelief in favor of the humor in this case.

This was the 3rd book in this series, but it stood alone very well. I hadn't read the first two and had no problems keeping up.

I'm adding Anne Tenino to my list of m/m authors I love! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes m/m, but especially those who liked College Boys by Daisy Harris.

 

One final thought.  I really disliked this cover.  Then I read the book and it fits the story, which makes me hate it less, because those purple underwear and taking pictures feature in the story, but still not my favorite cover.

Forged In Steele by Maya Banks

Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-KGI #7
Genre-Military Romantic Suspense
384 pages

Jackson Steele is part of KGI, which is a military group, kind of. The only things he cares about are his team, his friends and his missions. He's stoic, reserved and kind of an ass. After an almost screwed up mission, he ends up at a doctor's office. He sees Maren, who his team helped rescue a while back. He is extremely attracted to her and has been for quite some time. He decides to indulge his fantasies about her while they are stuck there for the night. He figures he can get her out of his system and move on.

Maren Scofield is a doctor in a third world country. This has always been her dream and she thoroughly enjoys living it. Her only complaint is that the area's drug lord sends his minions to persuade her to go out with him. Then her fantasy man shows up and needs medical attention, which she is only too happy to provide. They have a hot, no strings attached night and he leaves. A few days later, he's back for more time together, only to be called for a mission where he has to leave immediately. Maren disappears and that's the back drop for the story.

I love the KGI series and Maya Banks. I love Steele and have been waiting for this book to come out.
I liked this book a lot but it was kind of sappy. Their love just kind of happened without much build up. He went from over the top alpha male to just a man in love. It just didn't ring all the way true for me. I still enjoyed it and look forward to Donovan's book.

Savor You by Emily Snow

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series- Savor Us #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
181 pages

Kylie Wolfe is a personal assistant to her rock star brother, Lucas. She has blue and black hair and a feisty attitude. She has a history of self esteem issues and cutting herself. She has also been in love with Wyatt McCrae since she was a teenager. She tried to escape that love through marrying another man. She really is a glutton for punishment.

Wyatt McCrae is a guitarist for a rock band and been involved with Kylie off and on for years. He has an addiction it seems to women. Sex with women to be exact. He has lived the typical rock star lifestyle you read about in the tabloids. He has been repeatedly unfaithful and hurt Kylie terribly. Even as far as getting a one night stand pregnant.

These two people were heart wrenching to read about because of the pain that they both have felt. Wyatt is the child of an abusive parent and Kylie never felt good enough in her younger years. My complaints were: Kylie being a sap, Wyatt's infidelity in their past and his treatment during said years of Kylie. He loved her but treated her shabbily. I love the series that spawned this book and can't wait to read more.

Dirty Girls' Guide to Making Good Games Dirty

Kay and I (Anne) are part of a book club.  It’s not your average book club, though.  We all read romance.  There is no assigned reading, but we meet once or twice a month to talk about what we’re reading and squee over books we love.  Even better than the monthly meetings is the yearly Bookclub Retreat.  One of our members has a lake house and hosts us for a girls only weekend of reading, movies, eating, drinking, and fun.  My special contribution to these weekends has always been to bring the games. 

 

I enjoy searching Amazon for games we might like.  My favorite from years past is Loaded Questions Adult

 

 

 This is a group board game that is best with 5 or more players.  You move around the board and take turns asking questions off of the cards included in the game.  Everyone answers the question on a sheet of paper.  The sheets are handed in and the question asker tries to match answers to people.  It’s a great way to get to know each other better.  And it’s hilarious!

Even more than I enjoy these games others have made, I like to modify existing games.  I take a game I enjoy in its original version and spice it up a bit.  Here are a few of them I’ve modified.  I’m going to assume you’ve played the standard game – they’re all good! 

Dirty Scattegories

This is simple one.  I created an alternate answer grid with categories such as: Body Part, Something You Shout, Euphemism for “having sex”, etc. 

You roll the Scattegories die and use the letter.  Start the time and fill out the column on the answer grid.  You get a point for any answer no one else has.  As with the regular version, this one is more fun if you work in small teams of 2-3 people.  We laughed so much with this one and argued over acceptable answers, many of which needed explanations.  After someone (ahem) was accused at being able to work “cock” into the answers no matter what letter was rolled, this game ended with the now legendary Alphabet of Cock.  A – Amazing Cock.  B – Beautiful Cock, etc.

 

 

Dirty Scrabble/Upwords/Words with Friends 

I think we played this in person on a real Scrabble board one year, but I generally play this with Kate on Words With Friends.  Below are the alternate rules.  If you’re playing in person you can just assign bonus points for using words from each list.  Probably 50 points for the A list and 10 for the B list.  There is nothing like the feeling of saving your letters and finally being able to play the word PENIS!

Dirty Words Rules

1. When one player plays a word from the A list, the other player must pass on their next turn.
2. When one player plays a word from the B list the other player may only play 3 tiles or less on their next turn

A list (plurals count, too)

Penis, dick, cock, vagina, pussy, flaccid, erection, copulate, whore, vulva, thong, panty, menage, dildo, stripper, spank, bitch, spunk, sexy, breast, nipple, swallow, vibe, labia, semen, grope, naked, wench

B list (plurals count, too)

ass, tit, shit, shat, head, come, kiss, butt, whip, strip, shag, balls, nuts, orgy, sex, dink, boob, bra, slit, erect, nude, bone, sub, snog, dong, rack, lube, blow, jugs

Note: we often negotiate and add words to the A and B list as we play.  Feel free to expand the lists! 

Dirty Apples to Apples

For this game you’re going to use the adjective (green) cards as you normally do.  But you’ll have different noun (red) cards in your hand.  We started with the Junior version of the game.   I made up a list of alternate red cards that was very fun to play with.  I printed mine on cardstock and cut out little mini cards.

having sex     Fucking     hands   Feet     ears   belly button   Butt     booty   ass   knocking boots     making up   kissing getting to 3rd base   getting to 2nd base Getting to 1st base   breasts     holding hands   chest   chest hair     junk   balls   man parts     girl parts going out on a date     getting married     marriage   thighs   Pussy     penis   dick   Cock     clit   vagina   Toes     knees   elbows   Biceps     abs   making out in a car   first date     first time   wine a bucket of daquiris     book club   romance novel   erotic story     vibrator   Lingerie     Wedding     fighting   watching a movie   making supper     going out to eat   reading a good book   paramornmal romance     vampire   werewolf   historical romance     rake   contemporary romance   Library     ereader   birthdays   birthday party     stripper   strip poker   stripper pole     Doing a strip tease   cleaning the house   doing laundry     vacuuming   taking care of yourself     Masturbating     blow job   oral sex   Orgasm     running   a half marathon   date night     chocolate   brownies   wedding cake     chocolate chip cookies   getting a free book The Black Dagger Brotherhood   Acheron   Edward   Bella     Jacob   Priscillas   Ice cream     Facebook   Email   Text message

You could definitely add your own words to make more cards.

Dirty Bubble Talk

If you’re unfamiliar with this game, it’s a lot like Apples to Apples, except you use pictures instead of adjective cards and you use quote cards instead of noun cards.  To make an adult version of the game you need some adult pictures.  Book covers would be one possibility.  Jess Michael’s fb page would be another.  The Broken Circle on Pinterst would serve well.  Jill Shalvis’ inspiration page would also work.  Coffee and porn has some nice very adult images, too.  Anyway, I’ve gotten a bit off track here.  Put your image bank together.  I saved mine onto my iPad.  Then you pop up a picture.  Everyone looks at the caption cards they have in their hands and submits the one they think best fits the picture. 

Another alteration you could make to this game would be to make up your own caption cards.  But sometimes I think the best humor comes from taking something not meant to be dirty and making it really, really durrrty.

So, how about you?  Do you have any party games you like to play?  Have you modified any existing games?