5-Star Review & Giveaway ~ AROUSE by Nina Lane
GUEST REVIEW
Title: Arouse (Spiral of Bliss, #1)
Author: Nina Lane
Genre: Erotica / Contemporary Romance
Review: 5 out of 5 Fantastic & Breathtaking Stars
“One day I’m going to touch you in a thousand different ways and show you how to touch me,” he said.
And he did.
Struggling with a tormented past, undergraduate Olivia Winter once led a practical but isolated life. Then she met Professor Dean West, a brilliant scholar of medieval history who melted Liv’s inhibitions and taught her the meaning of both love and erotic pleasure. But after three years of a blissful, lusty marriage, Liv and Dean now face a crisis that threatens everything they believe about each other…and sex might not be enough to save them.
Purchase Links Amazon
I came across Arouse completely by accident. A friend on Goodreads “liked” a 5- star review, and it caught my attention. I am very stingy with 5 stars, so I knew I had to check it out. I read the blurb; and before I knew it, I was one-click buying on Amazon. So here goes my journey with a book that seemed so different than my usual reads, and it did not disappoint. For starters, there is no possessive, rich, alpha male who just has to have the sweet, innocent, virginal girl to mold and make his own. There are no whips and chains or games of cat and mouse. This is the story of a Dean and Olivia, a couple who have a fantastic marriage; they are in love and they are happy, until they aren’t.
“Since the day we met, I haven’t wanted anyone but you, never looked at another woman, never thought about one. It’s always been you Olivia”
Blog Tour: Vampire King Trilogy
TITLEEscape
AUTHOR Kenya Wright
RATING 3/5 Stars
GENREParanormal Erotica
Publication Date: December 2, 2012
A domina’s only purpose in life was to birth vampire children for the Quiet King. Any human woman with the domina gene spent their lives in the castle under strict rules and the guards’ watchful eyes. Brie has been a domina for two years. After witnessing the slaughter of babies, she plans to escape and seeks help from Samuel, a vampire known for aiding many out of slavery.
However, Samuel has only one policy. He won’t help dominas escape the king. The penalty is too high and their blood triggers powers in him that he doesn’t want released. So Brie is forced to lie about being a domina and Samuel is lured in by her blood. Something emerges within them that they can’t deny, overwhelming their every cell and igniting an all-consuming hunger that neither can flee.
Buy Links: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Secret Cravings
Review by Lover Karen
Escape by Kenya Wright is a sizzling spin in the paranormal vampire genre. This vampire erotic tale takes place on a planet with two moons where vampires rule their territories and barter for blood and concubine with the human population. The premise of the novella is that one of the bartered concubine (they are called domina) named Brie wants her freedom back. She doesn’t want to breed any children with the king. She fears bearing him male children. who under the king’s command, are killed if they are born with a specific birth mark. This birthmark identifies the male child as a prince. Prince males are feared by the Quiet King, as the vampire king is known, for he is deaf, mute and blind. Brie wants to escape to return to her husband and two daughters. Brie is an unusual human female with red hair, something which marks her as different.
She escapes the capital city with the help of a pathfinder vampire named Samuel. He is not too happy to discover that Brie is a domina, which puts a price on his group’s head for helping her. The attraction between Samuel and Brie is sizzling right from the start and sparks fly the longer they travel together.
I think that Wright starts off with good world building, because her world is totally hers; she doesn’t have to follow what is in the collective mythos of vampires. I found her character development lacking, as Brie professes to love her husband, but is too quick to jump into Samuel’s arms. She doubts her husband too quickly. Wright does a good job at setting up why Brie sacrificed herself to the Kings breeding program; but her backbone isn’t in place when it comes to Samuel. I would have enjoyed a heroine that was more feisty. As for Samuel he is just too self serving. Yes, he wants between Brie’s legs; but let me like the guy a little. Harping on the husband’s choices and planting seeds of doubt was not how to do it.
TITLECaptive
AUTHOR Kenya Wright
RATING 3/5 Stars
GENREParanormal Erotica
Publication Date: February 6, 2013
Brie and Samuel travel to the human town of Freemont and learn that Brie is being hunted. Brie is more than a domina. But what is she? And why is she being hunted as if she is the solution to a puzzle that the Quiet King has never been able to solve?
Samuel and Brie are forced to align with another, one that holds many answers and incites even more questions. Their journey drags them back to Capitol City and among the night life where sex and secrets mingle together within the light of the two moons. All this time Brie thought she’d escaped and gotten away free from vampires. But can she run away anymore or was she captured the whole time?
Buy Links: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~Secret Cravings
Review by Lover Rosette
Title: Captive
Author: Kenya Wright
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 3/5 Star
I was given the opportunity to read the unique story of Samuel and Brie in Captive. I did read the novella, Escape, prior to reading this book.
It was difficult at first to capture the world that the author was trying to build, but as the story moved forward, the world building was actually quite interesting. The idea of dominas having to serve a Vampire King and produce a multitude of children in order to maintain and defend a kingdom was very clever. And the fact that these children turn into full adults after four years was a concept which was also quite different. The plot, however, seemed to wax and wane throughout the story. And although there were wonderfully exciting parts, it seemed disconnected and just didn’t flow as well as I would have liked it. There were parts of the story that I had difficulty believing.
Even with that said, I did enjoy certain characters, especially Uncle Ian. The concept of his curse and what left him down in the sewer of the city was quite fascinating to me, and I think it would be quite interesting to hear his story. In fact, his background story is what really drew me in. I loved that he was manipulative but caring, yet self-serving as well. He needed his curse broken and he found a way to do this, all the while he was still protective of his nephew and his Queen. He also happened to be quite the ladies’ man as well.
Author
Kenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sang the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.
However, writing has been the only constant love in her life. Will she succeed? Of course.
For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.
Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.
Steel and Lace by Adriane Leigh
Title: Steel and Lace The Complete Series
Author: Adriane Leigh
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
From the moment their eyes locked across a crowded room, he recognized something in her that he needed. Something that was impossible to resist…
Enigmatic and sexy, Carter Morgan is a wealthy CEO and playboy who keeps a model on his arm and the walls around his heart high. His dangerous good looks and seductive charm gets him whatever he wants— whenever he wants it. That is until he meets Eva.
When smart and spirited fashion editor Evangeline Austin encounters Carter Morgan, sparks fly and worlds collide. Her every instinct tells her to run, yet she can’t deny the overwhelming effect he has on her. They embark on a passionate affair that threatens to consume them. They try to defy the odds by making their own rules and surrendering completely to the exquisite power of their passion, but when unforeseen forces threaten to tear them apart, Carter and Eva must decide if the moments of exquisite perfection are worth the intense pain.
I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Steel and Lace by author Adriane Leigh. The book was originally written in four installments, and now readers have the opportunity of seeing the book in this newly-released compilation along with a drop-dead gorgeous cover!
Evangaline Austin works in the world of fashion as a fashion editor at a popular website. She’s successful, sharp, independent, has a love for writing, and has the perfect job. Her life seems to be going in the right direction except her love life–that is until she meets Carter Morgan. But just because it’s going in the right direction, doesn’t mean the path to love is easy. Eva has a thing for guys with trust issues. Take Sawyer for instance, her BFF’s brother and ex-boyfriend. They were once an item, until his issues with trust tore them apart. So understandably, Eva is not so quick to fall for just anyone. But Eva is drawn to Carter Morgan, the twenty-eight-year- old CEO billionaire who only seems to date models. Well, heck! Who can compete with that right? Well, Eva can, and she doesn’t even have to try.
He had a defined jaw line and fine features with a hint of a five o’clock shadow. His hair was the color of toffee and tousled in that just-had-sex sort of way. He was without a doubt sexy, but when he turned his head and his eyes met mine, the air left my lungs. He had striking steel blue eyes that peered through dark eyelashes. His eyes had an air of danger that made him irresistible. After a few beats one thick eyebrow arched perfectly at me as if in question. With that I turned back to Cate and drank the rest of my champagne in one drink, pretending that Carter Morgan hadn’t just swept the air from my lungs.
Carter Morgan becomes inexplicably drawn to Eva when they first meet. A passionate love affair ensues, and they become deeply involved in each other’s lives. They are heading toward the “L” word and at a pretty fast and reckless speed. Their relationship throughout is up and down, and it’s only been two weeks! Decisions are made at a whim later on in the story, and trust becomes an issue once again.
The book is smoking throughout, and Eva and Carter make each other happy pretty quickly, if ya know what I mean 
But I really wanted to see more character development balancing the lovemaking scenes. It was difficult to grasp the emotions of the relationship when the story seemed to give more attention to the sex scenes than it did the evolvement of said relationship. There were times I just couldn’t connect with the characters. When Eva and Carter had problems, I found myself just not feeling bad for them. But if you want a fun, light and sexy read, I would certainly try Steel and Lace. Miss Leigh has shown she is quite adept and proficient in the art of writing erotica and all that is needed now is a bit of balance. It’s an entertaining read that I’m sure will have a lot of folks staying up at night.
5 Star Guest Review ~ Mutual Release by Liz Crowe
MUTUAL RELEASE is a coming of age novel about trust…on the long road to love.
Title: Mutual Release
Author: Liz Crowe
Guest Reviewer: Stephanie Biedlingmaier
Genre: Contemporary Erotica Romance/BDSM
Publish Date: April 4, 2013
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
~ Synopsis ~
Can two dark souls ever make a light?
As president of her own distribution company, Julie Dawson has all she ever wanted — money, power, and respect. But her carefully crafted façade conceals a torment of abuse and helplessness. After years remaining emotionally aloof, she is finally independent, but alone. Because she refuses to rely on anyone but herself ever again.
Evan Adams is no stranger to success, or personal demons. The horrific trauma that destroyed his twin sister, and tore his family apart, forced him to craft a new life from the ashes of the old. He’s content enough, focusing ahead and not dwelling on his murky past. But something important is missing. He knows what that thing is but refuses to acknowledge it.
When a chance encounter brings these two strong-willed but damaged people together , what seems like a long, erotic journey through hell could lead them to a match made in heaven.
~ Review ~
This was my first experience reading any of Liz Crowe’s books, even though I have several on my Kindle. After reading Mutual Release, I seriously wondered why I hadn’t yet read the ones I bought. This was an amazing story, and Liz has an incredibly beautiful and descriptive writing style.
This story starts out with high school senior Evan Adams whose family life is anything but pretty. His father isn’t around much and his mother seems to care about everything more than her children, especially his twin sister Olivia. On top of that, his family has agreed to take in Damien, someone who, it seems, has stepped directly out of hell and into their family life. I despised Damien immediately. I was feeling Evan’s frustrations, his anger, and his concern for his sister Olivia. We follow Evan’s story until his mid-twenties. He experiments with BDSM, and we see his darker side through this discovery and transformation of himself.
Then, we meet Julie….to be honest, when I got to that section of the book and realized that I was starting over with Julie’s life as a high school senior as well, I was frustrated. It’s like starting a new book again, when I was already so invested in Evan’s life. But once I started reading about Julie, it was apparent that we needed to see Julie’s life from that point forward to understand who she has become and why. Her life is equally as bad as Evan’s. Her mother is more interested in marrying a rich man than caring for Julie. My heart broke for her at some of the horrific events that occurred after her mother remarried Bart, a scum of the earth kind of man who is way too interested in Julie. After reading this and seeing Julie as a twenty-something business woman who is cold and heartless, it makes you better understand why.
Then Julie and Evan meet and the sparks fly! Both are damaged, independent, stubborn, and huge control freaks, so there are all sorts of problems from the start.
“But just to clear the air, I want you to know I am not married. I have no girlfriend nor am I in any way attached to anyone, unless you consider the ten or so people who count on me for paychecks every month as dependents. So you can stop cursing me under your breath, like you are right now, for being a cheating, typical man-whore.”
Evan is persistent, Julie is a continual bitch to him, and at times I wanted to strangle her for her behavior toward Evan.
“What makes you think I’ll drop everything and spend half a day having overpriced coffee in an annoying hippie college town with a cold, boring brewery tour after? “
I loved Evan’s personality, his calmness towards Julie’s snarky attitude made me laugh.
“I mean, really, Julie, we are having a picnic just friends sharing some great beer and snacks, and you’re sitting there like there’s a flagpole up your ass. Relax, Boss Lady, for real.”
The rest of the book is a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs for Evan and Julie. Every challenge has you wondering how these two people will end up. Just when they are able to resolve one big problem, something else crops up. Damien continues to make Evan’s life a living hell, and Evan has trouble getting over the guilt and regret he harbors over Olivia. Damien’s reappearance only messes with Evan’s feelings even more.
The characters were so alive on these pages, and I laughed, I cried, and held my breath at times. This is an emotionally charged, well developed story that had me never wanting to put it down! Mutual Release is a definite must-read!!!!
Disclaimer: While Stephanie is now working with Tri-Destiny Publishing, she was hired after Mutual Release was given to LLL to review and before she was hired by Tri-Destiny. However, the review was posted after her hire date.
Click on the All Romance eBooks Banner to PRE-ORDER a copy today in the format of your choice.
Guest Review ~ Beneath this Man (#2) by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Title: Beneath this Man (This Man#2)
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Genre: Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Guest Reviewer: Yesi Cavazos
Synopsis
She knew she was heading towards disaster. Every instinct told her to run, but Jesse Ward was a hard man to escape.
It has been five days’ since Ava O’Shea left Jesse drunk and raging at Lusso – left behind a man who drowned her in his intensity and blindsided her with his touch. Getting over this man was never going to be easy. And now he’s back in her life.
She has questions she needs answering, but her determination to get these answers will give the pleasure-seeking playboy the power to destroy her again. She needs to keep her eyes wide open and caution at the forefront of her mind, an ambitious intention when Jesse Ward is within touching distance. And he plans to be.
He’s dark, he’s broken – Ava knows this, but the only way to find out how dark and how broken is to get beneath the steely exterior of this man
I want the woman with me who keeps my heart beating.”
Let me start by saying that I did not enjoy the first book, This Man; so when I was clicking purchase on Beneath this Man, I couldn’t believe it. But I wanted answers to all that was left hanging at the end of the first book. Well, let me tell you, these two, Ava and Jesse, are like a train wreck of epic proportions. I still don’t see the appeal to Jesse Ward. Yes, he is rich, sexy, and devastatingly handsome, but he is also overly possessive, controlling, and borderline abusive. And Ava is insecure and has a hard time speaking her mind. Jesse and Ava spend the majority of the book in shouting matches and manipulating each other to get what they want. With that said, this book still sucks you in; and like the train wreck that it is, I just couldn’t look away. The Manor plays a big part in this one; and as all the secrets, lies, and Jesse’s sordid and questionable past comes to light, Ava is caught in the middle. She makes some crazy and downright stupid choices as she learns more and more about the man she loves but knows nothing about.
You completely consume me, Ava. I can’t function without you. I am totally addicted to you baby.”
I spent the entire book in frustration and wondering why I was still reading; yet I stuck with it thanks to a friend who was buddy-reading it with me, and I am glad I did. As much as it drove me insane, the author did a wonderful job of keeping the reader totally engrossed in this mess of a story. Job well done on that! I do have to say that at THE END Jesse finally makes me feel for him. He truly loves Ava, and it shows in his actions. I wish we would have seen that side of him sooner. However, I am looking forward to book 3, This Man Confessed, and the conclusion of Ava and Jesse’s story.
Amazon | Amazon UK
Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
Title: Beautiful Bastard
Author: Christina Lauren
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Publisher: Simon & Shuster
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Seamlessly written by two authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into when I requested to read Beautiful Bastard. Yes, I read this description. However, I didn’t know that 1) it would really, really make me enjoy turbulence or 2) have me looking up the closest La Perla store near me so I can check out the fitting rooms. The book grabbed my attention and kept me. I didn’t want to put it down.
When I started reading the book, it reminded me of Trust in Advertising by Victoria Michaels. I thought it was just going to be that book with sex. You know, a woman works in advertising for a douchebag, gorgeous boss who she secretly loves. That was until I got 4% into the book. That’s where the first sex scene happens. Yep. It comes quickly. No pun intended. It’s intense and erotic. It was one of those scenes where you read it and your heart starts pounding, you put your hand on your forehead, and you email one of your fellow Lovers because they have to know that this is happening! I got to enjoy even more of those scenes when I was reading the book on the plane. I swear it was divine intervention that I got to a really sexy part where Bennett was all up in it and turbulence started. Ahh…flying across the Atlantic has never been so enjoyable!
Chloe, the main female character, doesn’t just get major attitude and dynamite sex from her boss, Bennett, she gives it too. She’s no pushover and I love that. For me, what makes Beautiful Bastard so engaging to read is the fact that the two main characters cannot stand each other. They go at each other pretty well. Chloe and Bennett give Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier a run for their money in their sparring matches. But there’s this pesky problem that when they have sex together, they are the bomb dot com and it frustrates the hell out of both of them. At times, they don’t even intend to have sex with each other. They don’t want to like it. It’s like when they piss each other off, it produces pheromones and the only thing that can relieve the tension is to have one or both of them talking dirty, begging, marking, pinching, moaning, or gasping.
Interestingly, it also frustrates both of them that they are almost addicted to Bennett ripping off Chole’s “power panties” from La Perla and keeping them. I’m on the fence about that whole situation. I know that it is erotic to have a man want you so bad that he doesn’t even have time to peel your panties off, but La Perla is expensive! Can we substitute a pair of Hanes every now and then? But if they did that, we wouldn’t get La Perla fitting room sex. (I think my eyes just glazed over thinking about that.) Read More…
Lovers’ Recommentation for Valentine’s Day ~ Beautiful Bastard ~ Pre-Order Links
We lovers cannot get stop talking about Beautiful Bastard or Bennett Ryan. Our full review will be posted shortly. But in the meantime, you can pre-order your copy of this “steamy” book OR better yet, tell your “main man” this is the gift you want for Valentine’s Day. Trust us, it’s the gift that will keep on giving! If you pre-order, you have the chance to win a $300 gift certificate to La Perla (details below). Note: This giveaway is NOT run by Literati Literature Lovers.
Title: Beautiful Bastard
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance / Erotica
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Discover the story that garnered more than two million reads online.
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.
As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other. Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Simon & Schuster | Mysterious Galaxy | Books-a-Million | Powell’s Books | Indie Bound | Three Kind’s English Book Shop
What does this mean? Well, if you’ve ordered BB at any time since October, let us know! OR, haven’t ordered yet? Click on any of these awesome sites above, send us a screencap of your order to preorders@beautifulbastardnovel.com, and that’s it. Boom. Done. We’ll do all the work and on Valentines Day one lucky winner will have a whole lot of panty shopping to do.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. Because we love smut (lord do we love smut) and love you even more, everyone who pre-orders will receive access to a brand new lemony out-take from BASTARD.
Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Overwhelm Me by A.C. Marchman
Synopsis:
Allie Marshall has dealt with a traumatic past that she desperately wants to keep buried. She moved to Atlanta to escape her old life and pursue her dream of becoming a Physician Assistant. With the help of her roommate, Livey, she has finally gotten her life back on track and will be graduating from Emory University with honors.
Then, she meets Donovan Callahan, a sexy and wealthy doctor who Allie cannot resist. Their relationship starts off intense and full of passion. Donovan wants to give Allie the world. But she soon learns he was involved with Claire Dubois, a reality star convicted of murdering her husband. Will she stick by his side when all of his baggage comes to the surface or will she be overwhelmed and turn her back on him? Contains explicit sex and graphic language.
Click here to read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Overwhelm Me.
AC Marchman lives in Virginia with her husband Dan and their three children, Hannah, Jacob, and Sarah. By day she is a wife, mommy, and an x-ray tech for a doctor’s office. By night (and nap time) she is a writer. She loves spending time with her family and, of course, reading. Her favorite authors are E.L. James, Sylvia Day, James Patterson, and Tess Gerritsen.
To celebrate we’re giving away one eBook of Overwhelm Me.
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