Taken by Selena Kitt

I like Selena Kitt, but this was not one of my favorites.  Not for anything the author did, however, this was entirely my own fault.  I knew there was going to be some girl on girl action and that’s not my thing.  However, as with all of this author’s books, it was extremely well done.  Ms Kitt is a very talented writer, who knows her draft and who does erotica extremely well.

The basic premise is this: 19-year-old Lizzie is attracted to her dominant boss, Sarah.  The two become lovers, first with each other and then in a three-way with male co-worker and the object of Sarah’s reluctant attraction, David.  There is no HEA in this story.  I admit, I didn’t like that.  I also thought Lizzie a bit too bratty for where she was employeed.  Yes, she’s 19, but kids who act like she does on the job work in Burger Kings, not business offices.  That said, I loved David’s dogged determination to woo Sarah, despite her reluctance and repetitive attempts to ditch him.  The sex, as I said (in particular, the three-way), was some of the hottest I’ve ever read from anyone.  So much so that my husband also likes this book–he just doesn’t know it.  I seriously recommend Ms Kitt market her work with warning labels.  CAUTION: Do not read in public.  Pulse-pounding erotica at level 10.  You WILL have some sort of embarrassing reaction if you get interrupted at just the right spot. 4 Stars

Connections by Selena Kitt

Selena Kitt is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.  She does erotica very, very well, and this little short story is no exception.  The main character is a little odd.  She’s withdrawn, somewhat anti-social, but when she feels the need to connect with other people, she prank calls perfect strangers just to hear another voice on the line.  One night, she happens to call a man who seems to know her name and from there an unlikely friendship develops, one that culminates in a very steamy, sexy face-to-face meeting that’ll make you want to turn the a/c on.

The author does full-rounded characters very well and she has a way of sucking you into the story like only the best writers can.  This is how erotica should be done–well-written storyline, fantastic sex, and characters you really care about by The End.  I wholeheartedly recommend this story to anyone who hungers for GOOD erotica and especially to those who have never pick up a Selena Kitt book before.  This is a great one to start with. 4 stars

Sensual Erotica: #6 The Flame by Red Phoenix

This is my second book by this author, and after having read this quickie, I think I’m going to have to go back and download all the Sensual Erotica chapters so I can get the full story.  These aren’t really quickies.  They are chapters, and this one leaves you hanging.  This is a light-on-the-BDSM and heavy-on-the-erotica story.  I found the dominant Brad very compelling, and I think Amy’s crazy to throw that away for Troy over what amounts to a really good case of ‘the grass is always greener…’ syndrome.  (Sounds like a soap opera for the fetishly-inclined.) I was so engrossed in the story, I only saw one mistake.  But for me, it’s a major one and that’s why I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.  When one scene ends and another begins, they need to be separated out (a series of * * * do well for this purpose).  Not just for ease of reading, but because it jolts the reader from the story when there is no visual aid to let them know the one scene (which was flowing so well) had come to an end and now, suddenly, several days have passed and our characters are somewhere else, doing something different.

This small, niggling point aside, the story did what it was meant to: My appetite has been whetted for more by this author and from these characters.  I thoroughly enjoyed the seduction of the tale, I very much want to download the rest of the story’s ‘quickies’, and I am probably going to end up being a Red Phoenix fan for life.  I can definitely recommend this series for those who enjoy a little fetish with their erotica. 4 Stars

Blissfully Snowbound by Red Phoenix

This is my first Red Phoenix book, but it’s not going to be my last.

Jenny and Dan, long time friends and each in a committed relationship (just not to each other), are getting their mountain cabin for a weekend retreat. With Dan’s girlfriend Kelly and Jenny’s boyfriend Ryan on the way, a freak snowstorm unexpectedly blocks them in. Sometimes the line between friends and lovers can be very, very thin. And sometimes, the only way to defeat temptation…is to give in to it.

I especially like how the author ended the story. Thank you, Red Phoenix, for not giving in to cliche and turning their budding love and friendship into something sleazy! 4 Stars

Sex Hunt by Charnel Chase

If you are a fan of rough sex, paranormal lovers, and/or werewolves, than this is the book for you.  The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars was because of a few formatting errors and because the roughness of the sex felt kinda gratuitous.  The characters, however, are really well-rounded for such a short story.  The dialogue flows smoothly and the plot is well thought out and a pleasure to read.

Carrie is restless.  She can’t wait to get out of the office where she spent her days, to plow her way through the working week until Thursday came around.  That’s when Carrie shed her office aloofness and went hunting for a lover capable of keeping up with her insatiable appetites.  Well, tonight was Thursday, and tonight she was about to find the perfect catch.

This is the second book by Charnel Chase that I’ve read (Hot Alien Sex being the first), and I’ve really liked them both.  If you like a little paranormal with your erotica, you won’t be disappointed with either of this author’s stories.  Well done! 4 Stars

Enemies and Playmates by Darcia Helle

As others have mentioned, this book deals with very dark subject matter.  Alex Covington is a man obsessed with power.  He is violent, sadistic and controlling, in business as well as in play.  His daughter Lauren is desperate to get out from under his thumb, but even she has no idea the lengths to which her father will go to keep her boyfriend, private investigator Jesse Ryder, from helping her.

This book is completely unlike anything I usually read.  I don’t consider this to be romance, although it does have some romantic angles to it.  Rather, I put it in the same category as Pelican Brief or even Silence of the Lambs if you turn up the sexual tension between Hannibal and Starling.  And perhaps the darkness is on par with the latter of these comparisons.  The abuse described in this story is stark and in your face, and yet I just kept turning the page.  Darcia Helle took me way out of my comfort zone, but I don’t regret taking the trip with her.  The only reason this book got 4 stars instead of 5 was because of all the formatting problems throughout the book.

Katie’s Hellion by Lizzy Ford

This is the first Lizzy Ford book that I have read, and I have to say I was pretty much sucked into the story from the first.  The basic plot premise is this: Katie thinks she’s going nuts.  On the way to work one morning, she gets a speeding ticket (37 in a 35, no taillight, and a cop bound and determined to add as many other charges as he can possibly get away with) and her day goes from bad to worse when a child latches onto her on the subway.   Now a baby immortal she’s never seen before is calling her mama, death’s assassin is lurking in her living room and members of the Council That Was Seven want her in Hell.  Literally.  And why not take the trip since, really, you meet all the best guys down there, as this book goes on to show.

I enjoyed this story.  It’s classified as a paranormal romance and it does take a while for the romance part to get started, but the plot is different and definitely held my attention.  My one complaint was that this was supposed to be the first in the series and yet there was so much backstory being given that it read more like book 2 or 3.  I had some problems with Katie’s character.  As a previous review claims, she does not act like a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, but more of an addict considering that her first instinct is to go for the drugs and whiskey.  That was something of a turn off, but okay.  I can see the argument.  People do tend to do that.  Regardless of those two minor points, the story was very compelling.  I found myself continuing to turn pages when I ought to be doing other things (i.e. cooking supper…those pesky family members have no consideration for a good book, all they want to do is eat).  Definitely on the darker side of paranormal romance but well worth the read.

Taken By the Dragon by Lilah Claret

I actually liked this story.  Isabelle has been singled out in her village to be the new dragon’s wife, a ritual sacrifice that occurs every time a new dragon lord takes up residence and his duties as protector over the immediate area.  She is scared, but determined to be a good wife in all that that entails.  What I liked best about this story is a.) the girl is not an instant slut, b.) the dragon knows how scary this has to be for her and so makes the effort to be a friend first, and c.) there’s a seduction before the sex.  The sex itself was nice, but the story was wonderful.  There was a beginning, middle and definite end, which you don’t often get with these erotica shorts.  Well done, Miss Claret! 4 Stars

His Gift by Gillian Colbert

Maurina gets owned hot little body and soul by her dominant lover, Owin, and for tonight, Owin’s in a mood to share her.  I really, really liked this story.  It’s well-written and the sex was hot, hot, hot!  You also get a 2 chapter preview of the next story by this author, which I will probably download as well. 4 Stars

One Naughty Girl by Alexx Andria

This was one hot little story.  Very steamy, very sexy, hit all the right buttons with me.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because of how she broke out of the group sex, not to give any spoilers away, and because the ending is a little silly.  Definitely a must read and read again for the parts that count, though.  I’ll be looking for more by this author.