My Heart's Desire

My Heart's Desire by Kate Pearce R

Caroline Lyndhurst was widowed in a boat accident that left much of her body covered in burn scars, and even though her time of mourning is up, she is very self conscious and continues to live in seclusion at her sisters house. When her sister throws a house party, Jasper Lord Mansell arrives and he has plans to bring Carolin out of her self imposed exile. He had been in love with Caroline for years and now that she is widowed and a suitable period of mourning has past, he is determined not to let his second chance slide by. Caroline cannot believe that anyone would be interested in her, but Jasper uses every possible opportunity to lure Caroline into private corners where he wastes no time in showing her that her scars do not stop him from wanting her. Caroline must learn to accept herself before she can allow someone else to truly love her and she is able to do that with Jasper's help.

This was a novella in the same anthology as "The Gift" and I admit that that story is quite the tough act to follow, but leave it to Pearce to manage splendidly. I loved that Caroline was insecure about her appearance and had something to genuinely be insecure about. I especially loved that Jasper didn't ignore her flaws, but embraced them and saw them as a part of her, and not something just to be overlooked. He was an amazing romance novel hero and I love the second chance story line that he'd been in love with her for years. The sex was incredibly hot, as expected, and Caroline and Jasper worked together incredibly well and made a perfect couple.

The Gift

The Gift by Samantha Kane

Jeremy and his best friend, Rhys, were taken as prisoners of war at the Bey of Algiers, and were tortured while awaiting payment of their ransom. In prison, the two become even closer, but they connect over their mutual love of Jeremy's wife, Cordelia. Cordelia is in love with her husband, but she has always been in love with Jeremy as well, and when the two return she is overjoyed. The situation between the three of them begins awkwardly as Cordelia wants both men, and both men are interested in her. Jeremy and Rhys have agreed that they will both be Cordelia's lovers and both men love each other as much as they love Cordelia. Cordelia is embarrassed about her desires, and Rhys is terrified that Cordelia will reject him, but Jeremy knows his wife enjoys carnal activities enough that she will welcome Rhys into her bed. On their first night back Cordelia is worried that she will hurt her husband by making her desire for Rhys known, but luckily for her, Jeremy is definitely a take charge kind of guy, and he has no problem making his own desires known. Just as he had predicted, Cordelia wants to share her love with both of the important men in her life, and the three of them agree to engage in polyamorous relationship.

This was a very short novella that was quite obviously leading up to only one thing, but the way in which the story got to the inevitable threesome was very well done. There truly was a relationship between the three characters; between Cordelia and Jeremy, Cordelia and Rhys, and even Jeremy and Rhys. That made the eventual happily ever after more realistic and understandable and made it seem like they really could have their happily ever after. Rhys had demons that scared him, and Jeremy had his fair share as well, and Cordelia had enough guilt over her feelings for Rhys, that the three of them were all able to heal each other. The threesome was incredibly hot, and there was one scene with just Jeremy and Cordelia that was just as sexy. Jeremy was pretty dominant throughout both scenes, which I understood as he was watching his wife have sex with another man. I really liked finding this historical erotica, that went beyond just sex and managed to squeeze character development and true relationships into the story.

Anything He Wants

Anything He Wants: Atonement by Sara Fawkes

Lucy has found her happily ever after in billionaire CEO Jeremiah and there sex life is roaring, but Jeremiah is distracted by work problems and Lucy is worried. Even a very sexy trip to a BDSM club owned by Gabriel Steele isn't enough to make Jeremiah forget about his work. Between work and his mother picking on her, Lucy is worried that her happily ever after is getting torn assunder. When she can finally get Jeremiah's attention the sex between is as hot as ever and the two have no problems experimenting in the bedroom. Things are so frustrating that Lucy contemplates going to Borneo with her friend to help run their charity. When she finally confronts him, Lucy remains calm and collected and merely tells Jeremiah that she misses him, instead of giving in to her natural instinct to yell and shout. He finally reveals the big secret he has been keeping from her; he is quitting the job that he loathes and he encourages her to follow her dreams of helping people and tells her to open up her own charity right there in Manhattan. Their future is wide open in front of them and the cherry on top is a romantic proposal on the night of Lucy's birthday.

This was another very short novella and the opening scene in a BDSM club was rather off putting and confusing as it was obvious Jeremiah had not discussed what was happening with Lucy. Even though he didn't push her to do anything, it was unnerving that he would spring something like that on her, especially since their sex had apparently never progressed to anything like what they were seeing. I really enjoyed reading about how the two of them dealt with the difficulties in their relationship; perhaps that made it more of a real relationship for me as the entire relationship building process took place in a previous book. The two dealt with some very serious issues and they handled them really maturely and I wish the book had been more about that. The sex was pretty hot, not as scorching as I expected from this series, and the scenes in the club just were not my thing at all. There were also far too many name droppings from previous books and allusions to them which I never liked.

The Vampire Design

The Vampire Design by Vivi Anna

Emily Brooks is a naive young artist who has never been able to harness her talents. When her best friends decide to backpack through Europe she decides to go along in hopes of meeting her favorite reclusive painter, Xavier. Xavier paints women in the throws of pleasure and his paintings sell for millions of dollars and when Emily hears he is at a club she jumps at the chance. He invites her to a masquerade ball and lures her into his painting studio where she discovers his newest painting is missing a subject. He asks her to pose and while she is lying there on the sofa she is overtaken by lust and he captures the moment perfectly. While the two are making love she realizes that he is a vampire and in the heat of the moment she begs him to bite her. Afterward while he is falling asleep he asks her to stay, but when she awakens in the morning he is gone and she is heartbroken. But Xavier saves the day and comes back for her and she decides to stay in Germany and paint now that she has found her passion and make love with her beautiful vampire.

My synopsis above literally included every single thing that happened in this incredibly short novella. There was no character development, no real relationship, and I found Emily's reaction to discovering the man she's sleeping with is a vampire to be a little too ridiculous. She has no fear or anything, rather she is turned on, and while I realize that Twilight has taught us not to fear vampires, it was just too crazy that she had not a care at all about this creature that could kill her. And that she didn't at first think the fangs were false- like it was a natural jump from sharp teeth to vampire. The sex was incredibly hot obviously, but because the novella was so short there was not a lot of it. I did enjoy the happy ending at the end and how, while it wasn't permanent obviously (since he's immortal) it was a nice way for them to continue their relationship.

How to Chose a Cowboy

How to Choose a Cowboy by Daire St. Denis

Tessa Savage goes to a ranch to relax and enjoy some nice time, but she does not expect to find two incredibly hunky cowboys who rev her libido. Wade is big, brooding, incredibly handsome and can bring her to a melting puddle with just his words even while teasing her and stringing out the pleasure. Conner is fun loving and adventurous and a relationship with him would be far easier with Conner, but Tessa has no idea who to choose! Wade is domineering and controlling, and perhaps just what Tessa needs, but Conner's flirtatiousness is impossible to turn away from. For a week the three of them sizzle up the pages and on her last night, Tessa knows she finally wants to get what she has been desiring for so long. This is an "interactive" novel and the reader is allowed to choose which cowboy she wants Tessa to end up with, but of course nothing is quite like it seems in this novella where everyone gets exactly what they want. Although the ending may not quite be everyone's happily ever after, it is precisely what Tessa and her two hunky cowboys need.

This novella wasn't too short but there was no pretense that it was about anything but Tessa getting some delicious loving from two hunky cowboys. Tessa lives her life on the go and doesn't settle down and Conner and Wade's proclivities have chased off women in the past, but these background pieces of information are skirted over and aren't really explored as problems they need to work through. Wade is a complete dominant and their are strong themes of dominance and submission throughout their scenes and some bondage, however there is very little of the S&M part of BDSM. The sex scenes are incredibly well written and very hot, really scorching the pages but not for the faint of heart and far from historical romance territory. I also did not like how there was not a happily ever after really and I learned that Tessa features in several other novels and has an apparently insatiable libido. Interesting story, that I would have liked more if it had ended in a relationship.

Three Little Words

Three Little Words by Lauren Hawkeye

Malachi Hunter and Adele Cavanaugh are complete opposites as he is pre-law and she is a wild child, complete with tattoos and dyed bright red hair, but the two nonetheless strike up a friendship and soon a heated sexual relationship. But Malachi is still stuck with the mindset that he needs a perky blonde to help his career, while Adele's insecurities and belief that she could never be good enough for someone like Malachi. When his fraternity brothers make an offhanded joke, their relationship is shattered and Malachi goes off to law school, while Adele drops out of school to work in a cafe. Two years later Mal moves back into town and becomes roommates with Dorian, a member of the band Three Little Words. When Dorian sees Adele in the cafe the attraction is intense and immediate, but she is shocked to go back to his place and see Mal and even more stunned when it only takes one instant for both of them to realize that things are not over between them. Dorian is surprised that he doesn't feel jealous about Mal and Adele's connection, and makes it clear to Mal that he has no problem if they continue seeing each other, while Mal feels the same. Soon Adele is caught up in a very happy triangle with both of her hunky men and she finally feels safe enough to reveal a tragic incident in her past. Both Dorian and Mal know how lucky they are to have found such a wonderful lady and agreed that she was definitely worth twisting societal norms for.

There was a really good amount of character development for such a short novella, however the characters themselves were caricatures. Mal was the fraternity with the posh background who needed a stereotypical lawyers wife, Adele was the "bad" girl with the semi-abusive past who took her frustration out on the world by getting tattoos and dropping out of college, while Dorian was the aimless musician who apparently made a living playing shows in a college town. I would have liked more intricate characters who didn't conform to boring stereotypes. However, I was completely drawn into their relationship and how it developed, which was odd because I admit I am not usually a fan of three-person relationships. While I cannot declare it was a lasting relationship, the book certainly made it clear that a relationship was certainly possible, and even a happy possibility, for them. For a threesome erotica, this novel was surprisingly tame, and definitely could have been a lot hotter, but I actually enjoyed it better this way because it made it clear that the focus was really on the relationship between the three of them. Overall this was a really fun read that changed my perspective of what a true threesome novel could be, but next time I hope to like the characters more.

Complete Abandon

Complete Abandon by Julia Kent

Six months ago Laura gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and since then her life has centered around the baby, to the exclusion of all else, including her very handsome partners, Mike and Dylan. Mike and Dylan are frustrated at Laura's sudden lack of interest in anything sexual, despite their best attempts to get her hot and bothered. Laura's friend, Josie, recommends they check out her e-reader and they are stunned when they find that she's been reading tons of erotica, including some very kinky things. They decide to take Laura up to a ski "cabin" while Josie and her boyfriend Alex spend time with the baby. Alex hopes that this will convince Josie that she's ready for more in their relationship. Once at the cabin, Laura is hurt when she realizes that they've read her e-reader and continues to worry about her baby. Luckily, Mike and Dylan have come prepared with plenty of the gizmos and gadgets from her stories. Slowly, they break down Laura's reluctance and put her insecurities about her post-baby body to rest and break out quite a few of those toys they brought. Soon, Laura is back to her usual outgoing and adventurous self and Dylan and Mike are more than happy to reap the rewards of their work.

This was a sequel to a previous novel that I hadn't read, so I found myself with a complete lack of investment in any of the characters. That means I really didn't care about any of the characters at all and wasn't interested in their problems or what they were going through. The entire book was about sex from beginning to end, and I guess the relationship part of the story was covered in the previous book which meant that all this book was left with was horny people who wanted to have sex. This would have been somewhat acceptable if the sex had been any good, but it surprisingly wasn't. Besides one erotic scene between Alex and Josie, the rest was just blah, despite the use of sex toys and two hunky men. And call me a prude, but I felt it weird that in a threesome there was not any discussion at all of what the two men were thinking and how the whole situation really worked, but perhaps that was covered in the previous book. Overall this was a pretty awful story that may have been made better by reading the prequel, however I certainly don't feel inspired to do so after reading this.

Yield to Me

Yield to me by Sarah Castille

Marcy is an aspiring MMA fighter with dreams of making it big, but she is having some issues breaking through to the top. Her gym director hire's Jax, a former fighter, to be her coach, and Jax quickly realizes that Marcy has trouble when is submission holds. After practicing with her he knows that she has trouble fighting through it because her true nature is to submit to a dominant, which is problematic as he is desperate to become her dominant. A few rounds on the floor has both Marcy and Jax hot for each other and him convinced that her true submissive nature, and her tendency to fight it means she will never be a truly successful MMA fighter. When he confides in the owner of their gym, Marcy is furious and goes after Jax, but the resulting fights leads both of them to a hot, sweaty, and naked round in the ring. Marcy's secrets are revealed, including her past relationships that failed because of her need for domination and Jax knows that Marcy deserves much better than a trainer who can't stay in one place for more than couple months. His leaving leaves Marcy heartbroken, but she still wants to prove him wrong about her fighting abilities. Both know they have found something special in the other and must give up their fears of rejection to find happiness with each other.

I was initially skeptical of this story because of the MMA fighting aspect of it, but I was quickly proven wrong. Marcy and Jax were both incredibly well developed characters, and not just for a novella. Marcy's past played an important role in her frustration and her inability to admit to her true sexual nature. I admired her dedication to her craft and her eventual ability to admit her problems and it was incredibly moving at the end when she showed how she had truly come to accept herself. Jax's fear of commitment was, granted, a romance novel stable, but I was able to overlook that cliche because of how dedicated he was to Marcy and truly did just want the best for her and his guilt when he felt that he wasn't doing all that he could for her. The two were close throughout the story and I could really see how they would get along in a true relationship. The sex was absolutely scorching and these two burned up the pages with some kinky sex, but it was also tender and full of love, which was a truly great combination. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the two strong leads and their loving, and incredibly sexy, relationship made this book well worth reading.

Yours to Take

Yours to Take by Cathryn Fox

Rebecca Andrews is a lawyer whose relationships always fizzle and her best friends decide what she need is a trip to Fantasy Island. When billionaire Quinn Montgomery finds out that the lawyer who beat him at court in a sham of a trial, is set to take a private flight to Fantasy Island, he decides a little revenge, and a little heat, is in order. As a dom Quinn recognized the signs of submission in Rebecca and he knows his own private island is the perfect place for her to succumb to her darkest desires. Rebecca is furious and scared when she discovers Quinn's trick, but also quite turned on and desperate to discover what Quinn has in store for her. Over the course of the weekend Quinn pushes Rebecca's sexual boundaries and she discovers why all her previous relationships had not worked out. However, when the weekend is over, Rebecca fears that their relationship is over as well, until Quinn makes a very romantic gesture that makes it clear their sexy dominant/ submissive relationship is just beginning.

Rebecca was the typical uptight lawyer who just needed to let down her hair and lose control and I found that character a little too stereotypical. Quinn was just a billionaire hero who liked very hot and kinky sex. Unfortunately that truly is as far as the character development went in this incredibly short story. The relationship was developed about equally as well and consisted mainly of the two of them having lots of sex. The sex was quite hot and very kinky, but avoided any of the more harsh aspects of BDSM role play and could be easily consumed by someone new to the genre. Overall this was a well written story that needed a few dozen more pages to make the relationship real to me.

First Sinners

First Sinners by Kate Pearce

Ian, Earl of Westbrook, is asked to investigate possible treason at the Perry estate and so he attends their house party in the guise of courting their younger daughter. However, it the older sister, Faith Perry, who catches his eye and his interest, especially when he walks in on her in the library masturbating and reading a dirty book. Faith has always been the good daughter and she plans to spend her life as a bookish spinster, but decides that this could be her one chance to experience the sexual pleasure she has been reading about. Ian is all too willing to help the beautiful young explore her sexuality as she appears very eager to experience everything, but he also knows he needs to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Faith is also worried about mysterious happenings at the estate, but doesn't view Ian as trustworthy enough to confide him. The two are put in a dangerous position when they catch each other searching out something mysterious, and while it does turn into some remarkable sexy time for them, it also leads the villain out into the open to threaten their lives. When Ian fears he may lose Faith, he knows that their relationship is about more than sex and he wants to spend the rest of his life loving, and making love to, her.

This novella was incredibly short and there really was not a lot of relationship building going on, but what was there was fairly strong, if very heavy on the sex. I really liked Faith for being a bookish and in control of his life and willing to take on an adventure. Her decision to engage in sexual activity with Ian was definitely not realistic for the time, but totally in keeping with her character and I rather admired it. Ian was a typical rogue with quite a sexual past, but he was also half-Indian and had a bunch of baggage because of his upbringing and dual cultures and because his exotic-ness has led him to become quite the catch for ladies of the ton. The sex was scorching and varied and was definitely the glue holding them together and had tinges of submission and dominance. Their relationship also formed as the investigating the smuggling, and while it was interesting and certainly provided an air of mystery, it didn't distract from the story. Overall this was a very hot read that could have used some more development of their relationship, but was excellent for what it was.

Her Husband's Harlot

Her Husband's Harlot by Grace Callaway

Lady Helena is swept off her feel by Morgan, the Marquess of Harteford, and she sees a connection with the Lord with the shady past, that she has never felt before. She has always been somewhat of a wallflower and has never been confident of her voluptuous shape and believes that Morgan sees the real her behind what is presented to society and that he desires her. Morgan grew up on the streets of London, believing himself to be a bastard, until the Marquess of Harteford claims him as his legitimate heir and leaves Morgan a thriving estate and the title. He does not fit in with society and feels a connection with the woman sitting in the corner and knows that with her he can finally find somewhere to belong. But their wedding night ends in disaster as both of them are nervous and Morgan fears hurting his wife and Helena fears that Morgan will find her unattractive or find her to be too passionate. Afterwards Morgan tries to avoid being around his wife, convinced he is not good enough for the gently reared young lady with his uncouth, street ways.

Desperate to have a real relationship with her husband Helena follows him to a brothel where she poses as a lady of the evening and it is very clear that they have passion between them. Helena hesitates to reveal who she is however, wanting to bring some of that passion to their marriage bed now that she knows it is there. Morgan is also having problems at his work as the shipping company he owns has been suffering from some small, but significant losses that have been adding up. He hires runners to look into what is happening but dos not want to reveal that the person also knows secrets from Morgan's past that could put him in jail. He is more determined than ever to keep his distance from Helena, as she is pure and noble and he does not want to taint her or put her in danger. However, Helena is having none of this and wastes no time in showing Morgan exactly how well they suit and that she definitely does not mind when is less than gentlemanly. Together they can face down the man who is out to harm Morgan and the entire ton and prove their love.

I love the insecure heroine who doesn't fit the in with everyone's idea of beauty and Helena was a perfect example of this and that made it so much better when she took such a huge risk by going after her husband and putting her reputation and her marriage on the line. Helena really fought for what she wanted and wanted so desperately to save her marriage and have the relationship she imagined for them when they were courting. It was romantic and brave and wonderful all at the same time. While her refusal to reveal her identity to him did prolong the novel, which I often abhor, I felt like it was done really well since she wanted to strengthen their relationship for real and not base it on trickery. Morgan was haunted by the demons of the past, which were certainly very real and I felt like his back ground was real and could conceivably have happened (unlike some heroes whose stories of horror stretch even my willingness to overlook things). His motives to protect Helena were admirable, but they were one part of the book that annoyed me because he would not let it go even when it was obvious it was no longer necessary.

I wish that Morgan and Helena had spent more time together, especially more time where they both knew who the other was. There relationship progressed well throughout the book but it did jump in a little in the middle because they were both already in love with each other at the beginning and sometimes it felt like the thing they were working on was their sexual relationship as that was the part that was the most damaged. And wow! The sex was super hot, pretty frequent, and used some quite kinky terminology- this book could definitely pass for an erotic novel. As with the rest of their interactions I wish that more of the sex had taken place when they knew who the other was and it seemed like once Morgan knew she wasn't a prostitute he behaved differently in bed. The plot involving the stolen goods and blackmailing Morgan over his past started out interesting and while it had some interesting twists and turns I felt like it definitely served to unnecessary prolong the novel and provided a rather lame roadblock to the happily ever after.

Rating: A very enjoyable book with a wonderful heroine, a well written romance, an interesting side plot, and lots of really hot sex.

A Week of Pleasure

A Week of Pleasure by Christie Kelley 417

Kendra Smythe is in desperate circumstances; her family is going bankrupt and the only hope she has is to locate her fiance, the Earl of Bansfield before it is too late. He is completely MIA so she and her friend Sarah decide that the solution is for her to offer her virginity to Derrick Thorton, a notorious rake in exchange for money. But Derrick is on a mission for the Home Office and his twin brother Devlin is pretending to be him and it is Devlin that Kendra propositions. Devlin accepts, partly because it is what his brother would do and partly because he desperately wants Kendra, but promises not to take her virginity over the week they have alotted for each other. But Kendra wants Devlin badly and she does not want her hated fiance to get her virginity so she seduces him and he is furious. Devlin is convinced he has been betrayed, even more so when he discovers that Kendra is his fiance as he is the Earl of Bansfield. Kendra has fallen in love with Dev, whom she thinks is Derrick, and does not know if she can now marry her lover's brother. As the wedding approaches and the tension mounts, both Kendra and Devlin need to learn to trust in their love for one another and take a chance.

I did not know this was an erotica when I ordered it, so I was somewhat surprised to find that the book was almost entirely sex, and it was quite a short book. Kendra and Devlin were fairly well developed considering the length of the novel and I enjoyed reading about both of them and thought they made a very good couple. I would have liked to have had them spend more time (a lot more time) together outside of bed though to really get a feel for how their relationship worked. The sex was HOT, really hot, quite imaginative and rather beyond its' time what with some very modern language and morals. The virginal heroine is far from innocent as she had attended orgies and talked freely about some very risque things. There were quite a few plot holes that almost did the story in for me though as I could not figure out how she did not know that Derrick Thorton was her fiance's brother! Devlin also had major trust issues with women that were semi-explored, and I thought that the resolution was not really an adequate way of explaining how he got over those trust issues- in fact they probably should have made him less trustworthy.

Rating: This book was good for what it was: hot sex in a short little book with a couple of interesting characters, but I would not expect more than that.