Roping a Runaway Wife by Honey Jans

Roping a Runaway Wife by Honey Jans
Red Rose Publishing
Western

Roxann's Top Pick for June!

Summary: Sarah Halliday returns to Wyoming to save the reputation of the man she left behind. She offers the sexy cowboy a deal-she'll pretend to come back to him until the talk dies down, then she'll be on her way.

Rafe Halliday plans to rope his runaway bride to him with bonds of love and sex. He thinks he's cooked up the perfect scheme to get Sarah back where he wants her, in his bed permanently. He isn't above telling a few white lies to achieve his objective.

My Review: Sarah Halliday felt bad that she had left Rafe the way she did, but to be taken advantage of was not something she thought kindly of. She agreed to help Rafe out while his cook was on a break and found more than she bargained for. Will she find out the truth and stay as Rafe's wife or will she run again?

Honey Jans writes a comical yet sobering romance with mystery and suspense. I'm so glad I chose this book to read.

Rated 5 Delightful Divas and a Recommended Read by Roxann!

Beyond This World by Celia Jade

Em Epe's Top Pick for June!

Beyond this World by Celia Jade
Publisher: Eternal Press
Genre: Erotic Paranormal


Summary: Erin is a rational woman. So when she meets a handsome stranger who literally whisks her away to an unearthly place, the only thing that seems real to her is their night of unbridled passion.

My Review: Beyond This World by Celia Jade from Eternal Press met and exceeded my every hope for an 11K book. Even though short in length, the well crafted story was long in depth, character appeal and quality writing. Ms. Jade constructed the anticipation and suspense of entering another world beautifully. Details of all the senses were brought out. She included all the small details that made me as the reader; feel as though I was walking down the passage with my newly met love interest.

The heroine of Erin was shown as a real woman with common sense, intelligence and sensuality. Thoughtful in her approach to a stranger but daring enough to see where it would end. Her response to the hero, Jen, was believable without being status quo. With any story, the reader wants to become the heroine and Ms. Jade’s artful descriptions of her feelings, responses and even her mannerisms did exactly that.

The hero of Jen was created with just the right amount of masculinity and finesse. Small touches, wonderful active descriptions turned Jen from an average man to a sought after mate. His banter with Erin came across as natural and added enough intrigue to scroll to the next page.

Culminating their mutual attraction came about as a joining. There was no cajoling or manipulation as too often seen. The sex scenes were sensual, sexual and soulful. The chemistry between Erin and Jen was palpable. The ending made me whine a bit out of selfishness. Not because it lacked anything at all but because, I wanted to follow their growing relationship through to the future. Of course, with any great story, Beyond This World will be a re-read. A brief respite in this reviewer’s day for a beautiful, romantic love story.

If I picked out a change in the story, I would have wanted a little less of secondary character interaction and interruption. With a short story of this length, it was a bit of missed opportunity to give the reader a little more on our heroine and hero. It didn’t detract, nor was it over done but I could have done with less.

I can proudly say that Celia Jade will be on my personal read list. The quality of the writing, the cadence of the story and spot on editing also puts Eternal Press on my list of publishers to read. Completing the final touches of a fantastic package was the book cover by Dawne’ Dominique. It suited the story perfectly.

I recommend not only Beyond This World as a must read but Celia Jade as a must read also. I look forward to any future work by this quality author.

Rated 4 ½ Delightful Divas by Em Epe!

Fated Love by Jaelyn Storm and Sasha Skye

Fated Love by Jaelyn Storm and Sasha Skye
Dreamspinner Press
Erotic, GLBT, M/M, Paranormal


Summary: Ravarius, crown prince of Thespeia, escapes the sack of his city by the ruthless despot Xanthor--and Xanthor's plans to bed him by force--by throwing himself on the mercy of the powerful mage Anteros. Travarius would pay any price to convince Anteros to call upon the god he serves to free his people. But Anteros is the avatar of Eros, and the price he claims will be Travarius's heart.

My Review: This book first caught my eye just because I happen to love anything to do with Mythology and while I haven’t read a lot of gay erotica, this isn’t the first time I’ve dipped my feet in the water, so to speak. I absolutely loved Anteros. He made such a commanding figure in the story. I was surprised so to speak about the amount of emotional acknowledgement the characters had. Coming from a time when ‘boys don’t cry’, it was a pleasurable surprise. Jaelyn Storm and Sasha Skye have crafted a wonderful piece of erotica, and for once I’m not disappointed at the shortness of the story. Usually short reads annoy me and leave me longing for more. This short story was absolutely perfect. I give Fated Love Five Delightful Divas!

Rated five Delightful Divas by Dakota!

Auctioned Bride by Victoria Chapman

Auctioned Bride by Victoria Chapman
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance


Summary: Who will win the battle and who is going to win the war?

When Kathy Adams finds herself alone in a deserted building during a hurricane, the last thing she expects is to run into a stranger in the dark. He turns out to be a Peruvian billionaire who takes one look at her in the glare of his flashlight, and decides to add her to his collection of pretty toys. He offers her a dream job on his private island in the Caribbean, and their seduction dance begins.

He is handsome, arrogant, and thinks that every woman has a price. And she's a girl who won't be bought. She wants the real thing—she wants love. Paul Andros doesn't know the meaning of the word.

Kathy is falling for him against her better judgment, every instinct telling her to run. She'd never met his type of man before. Exciting, volatile and always in control. He uses sex as a weapon to leave her weak at the knees.

After one of their many fights, he bids for her at a charity auction, and pays three million dollars to teach her a lesson. The farm girl from Iowa, and the Inca King from Peru wage their final battle on their wedding night and find love and passion strong enough to bridge their differences.

My Review: I found this a fast paced read and while I was rooting for Paul to capture Kathy’s heart in the end, I could totally relate to her feisty character. If you’re looking for a love conquers all book, this would definitely be the one for you. A word of warning though, it does have a few rough parts but nothing which distracts from the story. I give Auctioned Bride Four Delightful Divas!

Rated four Delightful Divas by Dakota!

Keeping Up With Hornelia by Cheri Crystal

Keeping Up With Hornelia by Cheri Crystal
Publisher: loveyoudivine Alterotica
Genre: Erotic, GLBT, F/F


Summary: A totally smitten scrub nurse starts to lose her edge when she falls for a sexy ward clerk who is almost too hot to handle. Can she keep up with her vivacious bundle of energy in and out of the bedroom?

My Review: This is an excellent short, well-constructed and descriptive with a nice ending. The sex scenes are well written and even though this is just 18 pages it is a worthwhile read. However, as a reviewer I think it is important to point out that although this story is sold as a stand-alone book the story itself is too short to achieve the deep character development and lengthy drama sequences possible in a novel. I was confused as to the length of this story and I simply want readers to be aware that this is not a full length novel as one might expect in a stand-alone book.

Rated four Delightful Divas by Jennifer!

Submission Times Two by Claire Thompson

Submission Times Two by Claire Thompson
Romance Unbound
Erotic BDSM, M/M
Summary: Ethan and Cam met the year before at an underground BDSM club and their connection was intense and immediate. There was just one small problem--they're both subs. To work around this, they agree to find their own Doms for play, engaging in hot scenes complete with whips and chains, but leaving their hearts at home.

The setup works fine, until the day a hot Dom named Maestro enters the picture. For the first time, Ethan finds himself keeping secrets.

Maestro has secrets of his own. Unrequited passion and sizzling hot D/s lead to the three agreeing to a play scene that ends up ensnaring them all in something more powerful than any of them had dreamed of. Can two subs submit to a man who would claim not only their bodies, but their hearts and minds? Or will the intensity of a D/s ménage break their world apart.

My Review: Claire Thompson is a master at creating touching and powerful BDSM stories, and Submission Times Two completely fills that bill. Claire’s vivid descriptions of her characters make them come to life in my mind. Then she gives them unique, realistic and likeable personalities, making them like real people for me.

In this book, the first thing I noticed was the open communication between Ethan and Cam. That communication very nearly out shown their obvious love and devotion to one another. Ethan and Cam met almost a year ago and despite both of them being subs, they fell in love and began a relationship. In order to fulfill their needs to be dominated, they agreed to go to BDSM clubs and have scenes with Doms, though they are never at the same club together. This works for a while, until Ethan meets Andrew. He is so drawn to Andrew that he breaks his agreement with Cam and sees Andrew outside of the club scene. However, because of their open communication, he tells Cam.

Eventually, Cam and Andrew meet, and their initial chemistry is nearly as volatile as that of Ethan and Andrew. The ensuing relationship between the three is as painful as it is touching. Cam has his painful past with a bad Dom. Ethan must face his own jealousy. Lastly, Andrew must come to terms with the fact that he may never be a complete partner in this threesome, having come into it late, after Ethan and Cam are totally in love with and devoted to one another.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys gay erotic BDSM romance!

Rated 5 Delightful Divas and a Recommended Read by Melissa!

Samburu Hills by Jennifer Mueller

Samburu Hills by Jennifer Mueller
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Historical


Summary: When Celeste Reed steps off the boat in the fledgling colony of Kenya, East Africa she finds out the man that she was to marry doesn't even care to get to know her let alone listen to a word she says.

Life is miserable and then he has the nerve to die leaving her to run an estate without any money. It seems he spent all he had to impress the colony and she was just part of the package.

Africa is unforgiving to the weak, but it can be the people that you least expect that make it.

And then there's Edward.

My Review: Samburu Hills brought to me a wonderful woman in Celeste. She was a delight in getting to know. Celeste was a poor girl, not much more than a servant, who was married by a Lord. She had no idea why he married her and she didn’t have much choice but to marry him. She quickly learned that there would be no love between them and she accepted her fate. When he dies just a bit before their son is born, she is left nearly penniless with an almost useless ranch. Celeste surprised me by rising to the task, befriending the native locals and learning from them. After years of very hard work, she finally made the ranch a success. I loved her personality; she is so matter of fact.

The plot was actually very good. My main problem is that the whole book felt rushed. There were very few feelings and thoughts told, it was more describing and dialogue. If more time was taken with drawing out the story and adding in a bit more feeling and thoughts, it would have made the book much better.

Overall, Samburu Hills is a fun story to read, if only to meet Celeste.

Rated 3 1/2 Delightful Divas by Melissa!

Legs by Dee Dawning

Legs by Dee Dawning
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Genre: Erotic Romance


Summary: A rising star in the modeling and acting fields, Mallory Robbins, is captivated by Drew Stevens, the most beautiful man she has ever seen after he helps her out of an embarrassing entanglement with a drunken, would-be suitor. Her attraction for Drew is so great that she uncharacteristically spends that night joyously and blissfully making love with her newfound dream lover—only to be later kidnapped, along with Drew and whisked to some unknown location.

The next morning, Mallory awakes having no memory of her whereabouts or the events leading to her being there. Enduring a severe headache, she becomes absolutely terrified when she catches a glimpse of herself in a dresser mirror wearing the authentic coverings, including a veil, of a devout Muslim woman. Things become even more confusing when a young woman, also dressed in traditional Arab garments, visits Mallory and informs her that she has been brought there to become Saudi Prince Ali’s fourth wife. WHAT IS GOING ON?

Thus begins a bizarre and sensuous odyssey, in which Mallory is scheduled to marry a Saudi Prince and Drew is in danger of being beheaded for soiling the Prince’s fiancé.

Author’s warning: There is a scene in Legs, which includes a flashback to a gang rape.

My Review: I really, really wanted to like this book. The concept of the plot is actually interesting and fairly well-developed. Dee Dawning also added in a little action and tons of erotic sex, making the book a little more enjoyable. The descriptions of people in places in the book were also very good. I even liked all of the characters and their development. My main problem with the book was the very unrealistic dialogue and circumstances. For instance, Mallory has a discussion with her friend that she would never have oral sex with a stranger and five minutes later, she is doing just that. Another example was when the detectives went to interview Mallory’s friends and within a few minutes, they were doing a lot more than just interviewing. I could never imagine two detectives going to interview a couple ladies in a kidnapping case and end up having sex with them. In addition to the dialogue and circumstances, was that the writing just did not flow well enough to keep my attention. I suppose if someone was looking for a book that had a lot of hot sex, this book would be good, as long as you don’t mind the unrealistic situations surrounding the hot bouts of sex.

Rated two and a half Delightful Divas by Melissa!