Ride ‘Em Cowboy by Anne Kane

November 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Ride ‘Em Cowboy by Anne Kane
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (53 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Fiona really wasn’t in the market for a lover or a partner or some guy to give her a sappy sweet happily ever after. Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. She just wanted a nice one-night stand. She planned to be long gone come breakfast time.

Like jellies, it has been also prepared in many delicious fruity flavors. free prescription viagra purchase generic levitra It strengthens your whole system. If purchase cheap cialis http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Fullpaper-Building-Pathways-final-2-1-12b.pdf someone is reluctant to visit a doctor, then he should apologize to her for his past mistakes. 5 Physical reasons: Most of the women surveyed feel that the unattractiveness of the men often turns them off. Researches also found that nipples are also variations free samples cialis in sizes and characteristics. When she saw that gorgeous cowboy ride up on his Harley, she figured it was her lucky day. Bikers don’t do forever, right? Her perfect match! They could tell each other a few lies, scratch each other’s itches and then go their separate ways. The last thing she needed was to hook up with some guy she’d smack headlong into at church the next day.

Simple, right? So how did it all go so very wrong?

Fiona is looking for Mr Right Now – she doesn’t believe in all that romance novel crap and she wanted to be long gone before breakfast options needed to be discussed. When a leather-clad cowboy turned up on a Harley Fiona knew she’d found the man who could help her out for the night. The only problem for Fiona and Wyatt will be keeping to their original rules of no strings and one night….

I really appreciated how, despite the short length of this story, I didn’t feel as a reader that Fiona and Wyatt simply jumped straight into bed. Sure they went on a fast track from meeting, hooking up and heading to the motel room, but there was just enough pacing – for me, at least – to feel and believe in their connection. It was a “Right Now” connection, not anything burning more long-term, but they were both very clearly on the same page in that respect. The sizzle when they touched, the small but gentlemanly gestures Wyatt performed to show his character ran deeper than just a bad-boy biker cowboy, all these things added up to me and helped me feel like this was more than a short wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am style of quick sex story. This also helped me feel far more attached to the characters and care for more than just their one night of passion.

While the twist of Fiona and Wyatt’s one night stand not being confined to one night (and the reasons behind that) weren’t much of a surprise to me, I found this sense of familiarity didn’t bother me or detract from my enjoyment of the story. Fiona and Wyatt were interesting characters and not the two-dimensional cut-outs that they could easily have been (horny, gun-shy, modern woman and bike-loving, complicated cowboy). The author did an excellent job to my mind of making both Fiona and Wyatt appealing and well-suited to each other. I enjoyed watching them try to overcome the complications of being surprised by a previous lover in their present lives and the chemistry between them was thick and believable enough that I was invested in the outcome of their romance.

Fun and sexy, I found this to be a great short story with a light plot and interesting characters.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Don’t Give In by Lynn Burke

November 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Don’t Give In by Lynn Burke
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (77 pages)
Other: M/F, BDSM, Spanking, Toys, Anal Play
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Nothing like being thrown into a stranger’s arms on the subway to make a woman realize what she’s been missing. The dominance in the hunk’s eyes reminds Stacey Lauren of her secret, dark desire to be bound. Used. The lifestyle she dreamed of before finding a safe existence. One she refuses to give in to.

Over the past decade or so, clients who simply needed education and direction dwindled and the amount of levitra vardenafil generic clients with more pervasive and chronic sexual problems increased. Indulge yourself! This is another opportunity to shop till you drop!! Even if you are suffering on line levitra http://secretworldchronicle.com/2015/04/ep-8-13-danger-zone-part-3/ from few of these issues, then electrotherapy can help you: – 1. This led the researchers to believe that the shorter version of the questionnaire to detect OCD in an individual can also be cheap online tadalafil used as a tool to kill the aching effects and helps ED patients to conquer the bad health. These serious drugs have some side effects secretworldchronicle.com best generic viagra associated with it. Stacey’s submissive nature and large, doe-like eyes makes Devon Smith hunger to tie her up. Have her at his mercy, begging for release. She’s everything he’s ever wanted, and even though she’s all but engaged, nothing will stop him from taking her.

Will Stacey have the courage to surrender herself to Devon, or will her need for a safe life keep them from the one thing they both long for?

Stacey is stunned by the handsome man on the train against whom she is being pressed by the commuter crush. The attraction she feels appears mutual when Devon exchanges phone numbers with her. Stacy tries to keep her failing relationship together but her attraction to Devon is just too strong. He’s everything she truly desires in a man – if only she has the strength to reach for it.

I found this to be an interesting and somewhat different style of story. Normally I don’t enjoy stories where one or the other of the main couple is already in a committed relationship. The break-down of a romance is usually fraught with so much pain and problems I can never really believe that a fresh and healthy relationship can bloom immediately after a serious split. But in this story the author clearly showed how Stacey already had plenty of qualms about her relationship with Kyle and how they were already teetering on the edge of splitting. I also really appreciated that while Devon made his interest clear, he didn’t dominate or push Stacey into any action until after she’d broken up with Kyle and come to Devon. I know some romance readers mightn’t like the quickness with which Stacey moved her affections, and this part of the plot was quite central to the start of the story, but I really feel there’s so much more in this story than just the changeover from one partner to the next.

My only slight qualm with this story was a coincidence that felt a little too pat for me – the fact that Devon knew an old, very good friend of Stacey’s. Devon and Stacey met on the train and I enjoyed the randomness of this and the fact they both felt such a fierce desire for each other. I understand that from a plot perspective it neatened things after Stacey explained she was in a long-term relationship that Devon had another point of contact in Stacey’s life – but it just felt like a bit of an over-reach for me and stretched believability too thin for me, personally. Except for this, though, I thought the rest of the story felt wonderfully realistic and there were quite a few points with Stacey that I could genuinely empathize with

The sex was smoking hot and just kinky enough to live up to my expectations. I enjoyed Devon and Stacey’s characters and was pleased to see them find their way together.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Party Animal by Gale Stanley

November 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Party Animal by Gale Stanley
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (51 pages)
Other: M/M, Multiple Partners, Anal Play
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

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Casey’s life was an endless party and he had no problems with that – nor the fact that he worked as a porn star. Casey had his two best friends and a constant stream of one night stands – everything he’d ever wanted. Only then Lee comes into the picture. Lee is everything Casey usually isn’t interested in. When Lee turns Casey down, Casey can’t decide if his interest is pique, curiosity, or something far more unusual – something he’s never experienced before.

I found this to be an interesting style of story. Told in the first person – from Casey’s perspective – I initially couldn’t decide if I liked Casey’s character or not. While not mean or malicious, I did find Casey to be overly self-absorbed and just a bit more shallow than I could warm to in the beginning. In this respect I found the first-person narrative to be quite limiting. I didn’t understand what Lee saw in Casey because the reader isn’t privy to anything from Lee’s perspective. I could guess that Lee knew from discussions with their mutual friend/s that Casey held depths his shallow outwardly persona didn’t always portray, but this all made it difficult for me to understand the mechanics of the two men coming together and forging a relationship.

There’s plenty of porn-sex and sizzle throughout this short story, and I really did enjoy the perspective of what life as a porn star might look like. While certainly not everyone’s cup of tea this book was different and interesting and I felt the characters – while not traditional or comfortable – were engaging and fresh. Given all the porn-sex stuff that happened I didn’t mind at all that Lee and Casey didn’t really get intimate until the very end of the story. This helped give the feel of the book more of a self-exploration for Casey, allowing him to come to realise that he had more to offer than a big penis and great sex and a porn lifestyle. For such a short story this book really held quite a few different messages and I feel the author did a great job weaving it all together into a light and fun package.

Sexy and different, this was a good read.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Innocent & Sweet by Megan Slayer

November 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Innocent & Sweet by Megan Slayer
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (66 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Anissa Dunn wants one man — Kameron. He’s got looks, brains and a boatload of attitude… and all that muscle. A girl can only take so much, and he’s her heart’s desire. She’s not afraid to give as good as she gets and she wants him to be her teacher in all things carnal.

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But rules are meant to be broken…

Anissa had been in lust with Kam forever, but he was her bodyguard and the consummate professional. Deciding she’s waited long enough, Annissa hatches a plan to seduce Kam – only to discover the handsome man feels exactly the same as her.

While in many ways this story follows the regular “bodyguard falls for his client” style of plot I found much of the emotional side of Kam and Anissa’s romance to be refreshingly different – more of a teacher and student style of intimacy. I admit I found the misunderstanding between Kam and Anissa mid-way through the story a bit of a cliché and I don’t really understand why Kam didn’t try to explain himself but rather just left. It felt a bit silly to me that he and Anissa discussed so many other delicate and hurtful things openly (such as her father paying other men to pretend to be her boyfriends) but Kam couldn’t explain to Anissa why he’d contracted on for more money when there had been a sensible and logical reason behind it. It felt a little to me just like stringing out the conflict aspect of the plot which (to my mind) wasn’t necessary.

I found this story to be more tender than I was expecting. Anissa had been completely sheltered all her life – all-girl high schools, controlled “dates” with only approved men and so forth. At twenty one she’s determined to try and spread her wings a little and carve out a semblance of her own life. I was pleased when it became clear very early on that Kam was just as interested in Anissa as she him, but also that Kam’s protective instincts were in full force. He wasn’t prepared to back down when Anissa’s safety – or heart – were in question and Kam was even prepared to be professionally reprimanded for following his emotional instincts.

I enjoyed Kam and Anissa’s characters and found much of their romance sweet, emotional and interesting. Watching Anissa take charge of her life and really go after what she wanted was lovely and seeing the strength of love she and Kam shared was uplifting. Overall I found this to be a sweet and emotional read.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sight by Kait Gamble

November 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Sight by Kait Gamble
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (50 pages)
Other: M/F, Voyeurism
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met?

Chloe has. Or, at least, she’s fallen into lust with the man who lives in the apartment opposite hers. Night after night they catch glimpses of each other going through their evening routines. But it’s a delicious surprise when things take a more salacious turn inviting her into a voyeuristic fantasy.
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Mason can’t believe his luck that he’s found himself in what can only be described as the perfect relationship. Companionship, nightly stress relief, and all without having to deal with any drama. All he has to do is look across the way at the gorgeous siren in the window who’s more than happy to play along.

But what happens when watching is no longer enough?

Chloe had endured a horrendous day and wanted nothing more than to eat, then relax in the bath with a lovely glass of wine. Getting an eye-full of the handsome man who lived in the penthouse on the opposite side of the street from her was also an added bonus. Mason didn’t know anything about the woman who lived on the opposite side of the street except for what he could see – and boy did he enjoy watching her. What will happen when Chloe and Mason finally meet?

I found this to be an interesting and fun short story. I was really pleased that the author alternated between Mason and Chloe’s view-points each chapter as this really helped me get a good feel for both of them and I feel the story wouldn’t have been the same without it – especially as the two of them take some time to actually meet and not just watch each other. I was a little disappointed that there was a fairly important grammatical error near the start (“Where this for me…” instead of “Wear this for me…”) and while often very small editing mistakes slip by me this one completely jolted me out of the sexy and fun moment in the story. I also felt a little bit like the plot with Chloe’s ex-boyfriend was a little unnecessary. While I understand this added conflict into the plot I personally felt there was plenty of tension in Chloe and Mason falling in love with each other and knowing they didn’t really know the other properly. There was plenty of doubts, questions and longing in the romance between Chloe and Mason and I personally felt this was ample conflict and a fresh outlook – dating only by sight. In comparison the whole ex-boyfriend thing felt a little cliché and unnecessary, but readers who prefer ample conflict in their stories might feel quite differently to me in this matter.

Aside from these two small blips I found this a really interesting story – rather similar to how I imagine an old-school peep show might be like. The author did a great job to my mind in expressing how both Chloe and Mason could only view each other – no talking or communication other than through what they each saw – and yet how they really could connect on quite a deep level and fall slowly in love with each other like this. Instead of instant gratification, or a quick getting to know you phase Mason and Chloe had plenty of unanswered questions, but got to know each other on a different yet still intimate level. I found this refreshing and quite different.

A quick read this story covered plenty to my mind – with hot sex, two interesting characters and a different style of romance. A good story I really enjoyed it.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

His Ward by Sam Crescent

November 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment


His Ward by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (110 pages)
Other: M/F, Spanking, Anal Play
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The last thing scarred and reclusive Luca Brown wants is the guardianship of an eighteen-year-old girl. Now that his friend is dead, he’s the one that’s got to take charge of Mavis Miller. The only problem … she’s not a girl. From the first moment he sees Mavis, his reaction to her scares the shit out of him. He’s now responsible for her, and that means he shouldn’t be thinking about her in anyway at all.

Mavis has never fitted in. Even her parents hated her and shipped her off to boarding school. Luca is different, and the scar on his face doesn’t scare her. After eighteen years of being ignored, she’s shocked when Luca takes her over his knee and punishes her for putting herself in danger. His touch. His hands. They drive her wild, and she wants him.
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She’s the first woman to not flinch away. He should tell her no. He’s the guardian, but he doesn’t see her as his ward. No, he sees her as his, and he doesn’t want to just protect her—he wants to own her.

Luca had been in seclusion for ten years – ever since a fight had caused his scarred face to be spread in the media far and wide. Content to remain in hiding, loving his work creating furniture, Luca enjoys his solitude until a phone call forces him to return to the wider world. A single phone call informed Luca that his best friend from high school had died and left his eighteen year old daughter – along with a hefty trust fund that couldn’t be handled by anyone except Luca – in his care. Annoyed, Luca might not be happy to leave his sanctuary behind, but he knows his duty. And soon Mavis is far more than a burden around his neck.

I found this to be a really interesting book. In some respects it’s a very well-told tale – older man falls in love (and lust) with his much younger ward. But I think that describing this story so simply would be doing it an injustice. Mavis is not some sweet, innocent and sheltered little miss and Luca is definitely not the big bad wolf. As we learn more about Mavis’ history and how she grew up it’s pretty clear that while chronologically she might be eighteen, she’s pretty worldly and has her head screwed on properly. And while Luca might be almost twice her age, at no stage did I feel he took advantage of her or even wanted to abuse the power he (legally, at least) had in their relationship.

With these parameters set up fairly clearly and very early on in the story, I felt able to relax and actually enjoy the issues, chemistry and sexual tension between Luca and Mavis. I think this story still won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – Mavis technically is a minor and Luca legally is her guardian, but for an erotic romance I feel that some boundaries (within limits and tastefully written) are meant to be explored and broken. I certainly feel that this story is a good example of this particular taboo being handled in a tasteful and enticing manner.

I found the sex hot, explicit and slightly dirty with just a tiny hint of kink. I feel readers who like their erotica very spicy won’t find anything lacking with this – but neither Mavis nor Luca are shy once they finally get intimate with each other. I thought there was a good balance between the plot of Mavis and Luca learning about each other, coming together and their sexual escapades and for an erotic romance I thought this certainly fit the bill nicely.

While this story won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – the whole older man/younger ward thing is still somewhat taboo – I personally found this interesting, tastefully written and hotly written. I thought Mavis and Luca’s characters were complex and kept my attention and the sex was hot and prolific. A good story that I feel should appeal to a number of readers.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Deconstructing Channing by BA Tortuga

November 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Deconstructing Channing by BA Tortuga
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short story (73 pages)
Other: BDSM, Spanking, M/M, Anal Play, Toys, Exhibitionism
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When they were young together back in their werecat pride, Bowie and Channing experimented with love and sex, as well as flirting with a threesome with their best friend Andy. Channing and Andy both ran from their needs, leaving Bowie to break away and find his own life. Now a confident Dom, Bowie discovers Channing again through a video of a consummate sub, one Bowie knows he needs to find once more.
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When Bowie shows up on his doorstep, Channing feels like a teenager again, all confusion and need. He doesn’t date his own kind, only humans, and he’s not in the market for a full-time Master. Bowie is impossible to deny, a force of nature, and while both men know they’ll have to think about Andy eventually, now is the time to see if they can get to know and love each other all over again.

Bowie might have been young, but he knew exactly who he was and what he wanted – and he wanted a kinky threesome with his beta, Andy and their omega Channing. Except Andy and Channing hadn’t been on the same page and so their ménage had blown up before it really got going. Years later, Bowie had found out that both Andy and Channing were fully into the lifestyle, active in the BDSM scene. This time, Bowie didn’t have a clear plan in mind, but he’s determined to face Channing and reclaim the two men who had broken his heart all those years ago.

This is an interesting and fast-moving short story that I really enjoyed. It feels very much like the first in a two-part story. While Andy isn’t actually present at all in this story his character – the knowledge of him and Andy’s place in this broken threesome – makes me feel very much as if the specter of him is an important part of this story. Channing and Bowie were interesting and colourful characters that I enjoyed seeing come together after a number of years apart. I enjoyed watching them interact now they were both all grown up and determined to take what they both craved so badly.

A part of me was disappointed that Bowie and Channing didn’t go together to include Andy in their renewing the threesome – but I can completely understand why the author left this for the next book. Bowie, Andy and Channing had quite a complicated history and a lot of baggage to work through – so I feel Channing’s story would have been shortchanged had Andy’s been crammed in to this story. And while frustrating – my eagerness for Andy’s tale to be added to this threesome is probably exactly the reaction the author (and publisher!) wants.

The sex is smoking hot and deliciously kinky. Best of all the characters were intense, realistic and I was almost immediately drawn to them and invested in their happiness. This was a quick-paced and interesting story and I am eagerly waiting for the next installment. A lovely, kinky story that I can absolutely recommend.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

In The Garden Where We’ve Been Planted by Oliver Yardley

November 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment


In The Garden Where We’ve Been Planted by Oliver Yardley
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Short story (141 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When the husband of a prominent Boston art museum curator goes missing, his wife contacts our PI asking him to find him. She insists the investigation must be secret. No one is to know that her American Indian artist husband disappeared—there is to be no publicity that could reflect badly on the artist’s reputation, or her social status.

Our PI senses something deeper is wrong. Why not report him missing to the police? If it is foul play, surely the police should get involved. Perhaps his disillusionment with his professional life after his wife’s passing drives him to do a job he normally wouldn’t. Experience tells him to walk away, but the client lures him in.

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It is not only a detective story, it is a story about lost-and-found—people as well as emotions—love and the desire for affection. It looks at issues involving racism, fringe politics, people’s station in life, and ethics—contrasting the PI’s personal morality with public values.

After the death of his wife, our PI hero feels like he’s being taken on the winds of change – uprooted and cast adrift to find a new place to settle down. Feeling dissatisfied with his job as a consultant, he takes on the case of a missing husband on the sly. As the case unwinds our hero finds himself taken from the US to Australia and on a journey he’ll never forget.

I enjoyed this book. Written very much like a hard-boiled detective novel in the first-person perspective it took me a while to settle down to the fact we never discover our hero’s name. While this bothered me a little, it somehow seemed to really fit in with the Sam Spade/Harry Bosch/noir detective type feel that the book as a whole had for me. And it honestly didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story too much at all.

There’s a fair bit of philosophical monologue scattered throughout the story – talk of our hero’s atheism and his beliefs on Fate and chance, the randomness that is life that pieces together with how we each deal with the good and bad luck we’re handed. This isn’t strictly a straight-detective novel and while I enjoyed the fact our PI had a broad and open mind, it was an odd juxtaposition between a liberal and open minded hero and the older style of hard-boiled writing and mystery. I did like this paradox but I have to admit it felt a little strange reading it, with the writing and ambience all noir/gritty mystery and then our hero freely expressing his opinion on how women could just as easily emotionally and mentally abuse their husbands as men physically abuse women. While the writing might be delightfully old-fashioned and hard – the plot and viewpoints are incredibly modern and liberal. I both enjoyed this and found it unusual.

The plot got a lot more interesting – and a lot more political – when the Australian connection came about and while I was impressed with how the author handled such delicate matters as the Indigenous relations and land issues, a lot of this side of the plot was quite dense, emotional and complicated. I really feel that readers looking for a light and fun mystery – or a more straight-forward noir/gritty detective story might find the political and Indigenous aspect of this books plot a little heavy for casual reading. I truly feel the author did an amazing job – he neither skimmed over these important issues, nor are there pages of thickly complicated activist sermons, but this plotline is a lot heavier and more politically complicated than what I would consider normal in a mystery or romance story. I feel readers looking for more meat in their plot – or who are interested in political stories revolving around the Indigenous communities – will find this interesting and satisfying. It’s not the sort of story I’d recommend to pass an idle sunny afternoon as some happy brain fluff or a quick “pick me up” type of read.

While there is an element of romance in this story, I feel this book strongly sits in the Mystery category. Our PI hero, coupled with the very strong plotline and the fact the story pretty much revolves around finding a missing husband all weigh this book in my opinion as a Mystery. There is an element or two of romance in it and while there is some love-making it’s fairly brief and I don’t feel it’s at all written explicitly. I was personally happy with this being a strong mystery book with a political plotline and only a dash of romance – but readers who are looking for something more focused on the romance and relationships might not find this fits what they’re seeking.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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