Tag: BDSM

Throwback Thursday Guest Review: Healing Seduction by Jory Strong

Posted December 3, 2020 by Ames in Reviews | 1 Comment

Throwback Thursday Guest Review: Healing Seduction by Jory StrongReviewer: Ames
Healing Seduction by Jory Strong
Series: Crime Tells #4.5
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: January 22, 2010
Genres: Erotica
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

For years Lucca and Quade have shared women and enjoyed games of sexual dominance. While she was married, Kiera was off-limits, even in their fantasies. Now that she’s single, guilt and loyalty keep them from acting on their desire.

At twenty-six, Kiera has been a widow for almost as long as she was a wife. Before pain and loss stripped her bare and changed her, she’d never craved the things Lucca and Quade want in the bedroom. Now she does. She knows they love her. But for them to have a future together, she needs to break through their emotional barriers.

Unknown to them, she’s got a plan. And if it works, Quade and Lucca won’t be able to resist her healing seduction.
Note: Set in the Crime Tells world, with brief cameos from Lyric (Lyric’s Cop), and Calista and Benito (Calista’s Men).

This review was originally published on February 13, 2010

I’ve never read Jory Strong before, but I think I’m going to have to check out her backlist.

Healing Seduction is short story length but it definitely packs the heat in, especially if you like threesomes with a little bit of BDSM involved. Nothing crazy, but just a little bit of dominance in the bedroom, some spanking. LOL

Kiera has been widowed for two years now and she decides enough time has passed. She’s ready to move on with her life, and there’s no one she’d rather do that with than her friends, Lucca and Quade. The problem? These men had also been friends with her husband, and there is definitely some guilty feelings on their part. But will their love for Kiera overcome the guilt?

First of all, Kiera doesn’t know how Quade and Lucca feel about her. So she decides (with the help of her friend) to set up a date with two different guys to see if Lucca and Quade would react to the sight of her between two guys. Well Lucca goes nuts with jealousy and tells her if she wants to know what its like with two guys, he and Quade will be the two to show her, no one else.

Lucca showed just the right amount of jealousy! Healing Seduction had just the right amount of emotion and sex to tie things up in a nice little bow. Knowing that these 3 people knew each other for quite a while makes the length of this story believable.

One little thing – there was some head jumping going on. This could get confusing, especially between Quade and Lucca. But that’s my only beef!

Healing Seduction gets a 4 out 5 (B) from me. Plenty of heat!

four-stars


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Review: A View to Thrill by Lexi Blake

Posted April 10, 2017 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: A View to Thrill by Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
A View to a Thrill by Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #7
Also in this series: Love and Let Die, Dungeon Royale

Publication Date: August 19th 2014
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 394
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A Spy without a Country

Simon Weston grew up royal in a place where aristocracy still mattered. Serving Queen and country meant everything to him, until MI6 marked him as damaged goods and he left his home in disgrace. Ian Taggart showed him a better way to serve his fellow man and introduced him to Sanctum, a place to pursue his passion for Dominance and submission. Topping beautiful subs was a lovely distraction until he met Chelsea, and becoming her Master turned into Simon’s most important mission.

A Woman without Hope

Chelsea Dennis grew up a pawn to the Russian mob. Her father’s violent lessons taught her that monsters lurked inside every man and they should never be trusted. Hiding in the shadows, she became something that even the monsters would fear—an information broker who exposed their dirty secrets and toppled their empires. Everything changed when Simon Weston crossed her path. Valiant and faithful, he was everything she needed—and a risk she couldn’t afford to take.

A Force too Strong to Resist

When dark forces from her past threaten her newfound family at Sanctum, Chelsea must turn to Simon, the one man she can trust with her darkest secrets. Their only chance to survive lies in a mystery even Chelsea has been unable to solve. As they race to uncover the truth and stay one step ahead of the assassins on their heels, they will discover a love too powerful to deny. But to stop a killer, Simon just might have to sacrifice himself…
A Masters and Mercenaries Novel

I continue to love this series. Lexi Blake writes BDSM in a way that draws me in. It’s not over the top, not just about tying your lover up and spanking them. It’s about give and take, but mostly about giving. It’s really different from any other BDSM I’ve read.

I adored Simon. He was so British. So proper. Imagining him in the BDSM lifestyle was almost laughable. Just picturing him saying “bend over” with his accent made me laugh. Moving on…Simon has had a thing for Chelsea for quite some time. Unfortunately, she has quite a few hangups and can’t give Simon what he needs as a Dom. Simon has been made a fool of one too many times by Chelsea and in front of an audience. A man’s pride can only take so much before he gives up. That’s before she shows up on his doorstep asking for help.

When someone puts a bomb on her car, Chelsea doesn’t go to her sister. She goes to the only person that she trusts and that she knows will help her. He’s also the only man that has made her feel anything her entire adult life. Simon is everything she wants in a man, but her childhood has made her question everything about herself. She is self-conscious of her body, but Simon makes her feel beautiful.

Chelsea is known as the Information Broker. Someone wants to draw the Information Broker out and kill her. Simon is determined that is not going to happen. Chelsea has lived her entire adult life behind a keyboard and she feels powerful there. As she finds herself falling in love with Simon, she doesn’t know if she can give up being the Information Broker for him. Simon knows that Chelsea needs to feel needed and being the Information Broker gives her that. He also knows that it will eventually destroy her.

I didn’t like Chelsea at first, but she grew on me. She really ended up putting Simon first. In the previous books she was a real bitch. All she wanted to do was protect Simon in the end, no matter what the cost. She really came to love him and would do anything to be with him, including giving up what mattered most to her. Her character really turned around. Of course I loved Simon from beginning to end. The BIG MISUNDERSTANDING was annoying, but it was resolved quickly.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

four-stars


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Review: Love and Let Die by Lexi Blake

Posted February 14, 2017 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Love and Let Die by Lexi BlakeReviewer: Casee
Love and Let Die by Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #5
Also in this series: Dungeon Royale, A View to a Thrill
Genres: Romantic Suspense
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A Tragic Love Story

Charlotte Dennis's mission was clear: distract and misdirect CIA operative Ian Taggart by any means necessary. If she failed, she would never see her sister again. With her training, it should have been simple, but after one night in Ian's arms, she knew that saving her sister would mean losing the man of her dreams.

Ian was tracking a terrorist when he met the beautiful American daughter of a Russian mobster. His instincts told him Charlotte was trouble, but his body craved her like a drug and his heart would not be denied. She took his ring and his collar. For once he was truly happy. But as he closed in on his target, her betrayal cost him his mission while her sacrifice saved his life.

As she died in his arms, Ian vowed he would never love again.

A Dangerous Reunion

For five years, Charlotte has thought of nothing but returning to her husband, her Master. Working in the shadows, she has devoted herself to earning a chance to reclaim her place in Ian's life. But forgiveness isn't a part of Ian's vocabulary. Nothing is more important to Ian Taggart than his new mission. But the information he needs is firmly in the hands of the woman who betrayed him. To catch his most dangerous prey, Ian will have to let Charlotte back into his life.

As the hunt takes them to some of the world's most exotic locations, the danger grows and their passion reignites. Will Ian forgive his wayward submissive...or lose her again?

I picked up this book after I read Satisfaction. Ian Taggart was in the book and of course I had to read his book. I do have to say that I realized in the last several years, I’ve turned into a prude. I used to read BDSM, but I haven’t in quite sometime. When I read the blurb, it talked about Masters and collars and I knew I wouldn’t like it. What do I know? I loved this book!

When Charlotte Dennis shows up at his door, Ian Taggart can’t believe his eyes. After all, his wife died in his arms three years before. When she starts talking about why she betrayed him and almost got one of his friends killed, he is not unmoved. He loved his wife, but nothing she can say will make him take her back.

Charlotte had to protect her sister, Chelsea, from the Russian mob. When they were young, their mother was murdered by their father and taken back to Russia. Charlotte was forced to do anything her father asked, from assassinating someone to robbing banks…all so their father would leave Chelsea alone. To get herself and her sister away from Russia, she makes a deal with the devil. The last thing she expected was to fall in love with the man she was sent to distract.

Although he can never forgive her, Ian isn’t above using Charlotte. As for Charlotte, she will take Ian anyway she can get him as long as he loves her again. Together they track down the man responsible for sending Charlotte and Chelsea on the run.

The BDSM part didn’t bother me at all once I got through my initial prudish nature. It actually made the romance more romantic. Charlotte is an incredibly strong heroine. Reading about her submitting to Ian didn’t bother me at all. In fact it made the book better because she was so strong. I can’t recommend this book or this series enough.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

four-stars


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Guest Review: Bunny and the Beast by Heather Rainier

Posted March 31, 2016 by Judith in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Bunny and the Beast by Heather RainierReviewer: Judith
Bunny and the Beast by Heather Rainier
Series: Divine Creek Ranch #22
Also in this series: Brokenhearted Beauty
Publisher: Siren-BookStrand
Publication Date: September 22nd 2015
Genres: Erotica
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five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Hard-working, strong, and sassy, Bunny Carrigan desires a simple life, far away from the complications of the big city, posh houses, and materialism. She makes her own rules and has no time for pushy men in fancy suits or playing games.

Joseph Hazelle enjoys taking control and has very set ideas about what the ideal submissive looks and acts like. In fact, his ideas are so set they might as well be concrete. Vibrant and full of life, Bunny challenges Joseph's preconceived notions and she's determined that if she submits at all, it's going to be on her own terms. Accustomed to being the instructor, Joseph discovers that Bunny has claimed his lonely heart and has a thing or two to teach him. All he has to do is educate her about his world and convince her that she does indeed "do" submission. What could go wrong? ** A Siren Erotic Romance

[Siren Everlasting Classic: Erotic Consensual BDSM Romance, BDSM, sex toys, HEA]

This is the 22nd book in the Divine Creek Ranch series from this author and it is a series that I continue to read with great enjoyment.  Ms Rainier has managed to bring these characters alive as they interact with community citizens, partying, enjoying a night of dancing and fun at the Dancing Pony club, doing a little matchmaking on the side, and living life and loving on their own terms.

Readers met Bunny Carrigan and Joseph Hazale in the previous Lumberjack Weekend and these two knew then that their was an attraction that couldn’t and wouldn’t be ignored.  They each live a very different lifestyle, guided by very different rules and attitudes, and their personalities are seemingly at odds with each other.  Yet there is no denying that Bunny and Joseph are two individuals who will find a way together, even though their future relationship is iffy.

This is a book that contains very obvious erotic content as well as one that is based in the practice of BDSM.  In fact, Joseph owns a BDSM establishment and it is clear that he is locked into his understanding of the Dom/sub configuration that guides his interaction with the opposite sex.  Bunny is simply a hard-working young woman who has family responsibilities even though she has never been married.  She is open to a love relationship but she is never open to giving up her independence and her ability to call the shots for her life.  The idea of any kind of submission is simply foreign to her.  So where are these two going?  That is the question that drives this novel and it is fascinating to watch how their story unfolds.  Both are really good people but their alternate views of how men and women interact romantically and sexually is the sticking point between them.  Readers will find themselves deeply involved in watching Bunny teach Joseph some romantic realities that he never knew or has long forgotten while Joseph opens Bunny’s awareness to the many facets of BDSM that are healing and empowering.

I greatly enjoyed this story just as I have the 21 books that preceded it.  It is always fun to keep up with characters who have populated previous books and in the community of Divine, Texas, there is always something going on that keeps readers attached to that fictional town.  From the very beginning, Ms Rainier has written her books with the express goal of demonstrating that human love is magnificent and can be expressed in myriad ways.  The people in her books are good, ordinary, hard-working, life-loving persons and all of them are seeking to find love and acceptance.  Many of them find it in very unexpected ways and family configurations.  This book is a case in point.  Ms Rainier continues to grow in her writing expertise and yet there is always that sense of realism, of down home connection that all her books bring alive.  As always, it is a joy to experience her Divine, Texas people.

I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.

five-stars


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Guest Review: His Every Fantasy by Delilah Devlin

Posted September 25, 2014 by Judith in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’sHis Every Fantasy review of His Every Fantasy (Sultry Summer Nights #2) by Delilah Devlin

 The last thing ex-SEAL Sergei Gun needs is a complication. As part of a powerful black-ops company, he’s led an extraction team into the Mexican jungle to rescue two men who have been kidnapped. Everything has gone according to plan until Serge discovers a third hostage-an exquisitely beautiful woman with a secret haunting her stormy gray eyes . . . a woman who refuses to make this rescue easy. With no choice but to bring her back to the compound deep in the sultry, steamy Louisiana bayou, Serge vows to protect her, body and soul . . .

Kara Nichols never imagined that she’d capture the interest of a powerful man like Serge. Yet from the moment they met, she’s fantasized about his strong hands caressing her naked skin, his musky scent lingering on her sheets. What began as a simple rescue mission ignites into a passionate affair. As Serge teaches her the tantalizing art of surrender, Kara finds herself more than willing to shed every last one of her inhibitions and submit to him fully. But the dark, dangerous forces that captured Kara aren’t ready to let her go so easily . . .

In a nutshell, this is a story about a former SEAL whose team was sent in to rescue two American business executives and they found a  woman being held captive as well.  There was no way they were going to leave her behind and thus began the relationship of sorts between Sergei Gun  and Kara.  Anyone who has read Ms Devlin’s previous work knows that she writes erotic romance fiction under the guise of many contexts and  genres.  In every case the stories are hot and romantic and filled with characters who are individuals most of us would like to meet and get to know.    This story is no exception.  It is filled with people who have strength within themselves that is put to the test in many ways.  Often, as is the case here,  there are unexpected happenings and complicated emotional involvement between the characters.  But one characteristic of this series is that all the  on going characters are former SEALs and have the bonds that loyalty under fire created.

Mostly this is a continuation with expansion of parts of book one.  The two oil executives who prompted the Mexican raid for their rescue appeared first in book one of this series but their situation was unresolved.  Kara, the young woman who was rescued at the same time, now realizes that her life has been drastically changed by her abduction.  She can never really go home.  The man who romanced her right into being kidnapped is a powerful Mexican cartel overlord and one who will never allow himself to be defeated.  He will continue to come after her until she is either caught or dead.  Her biggest concern involves her uncle, her mother’s older brother and a man who has never really shielded her from any of life’s hurts.  Now, as an intern in his law firm, she wonders if he has been a part of her abduction.  Needless to say, the mystery surrounding this entire situation is compelling.  Add to that the almost instant connection between Kara and Sergei, a man who has carefully guarded his heart since a woman he loved was brutally killed in Afghanistan years ago.  How can he allow Kara to become important to him and how can he let her go?  As always, it is the kind of situation Ms Devlin seems to know how to handle and one that often pops up in her work.

I have been reading Ms Devlin’s work for years and find that even though many of her themes pop up repeatedly, I don’t get bored with her writing.  Somehow she brings a freshness to each of her stories that keeps readers bound to the pages of her books.  In this case, all the men of this personal security firm are involved in the BDSM lifestyle and there are definitely aspects of that in the developing relationship between Kara and Sergei.  It is not hardcore by any means but seems to be appropriately used to build trust between two people who have learned that trust is a precious and often illusive commodity.  And as is so often the case, learning to trust forms the foundation of a journey of self-discovery just as much for Sergei as for Kara.

All in all, this is a find book, one that will delight Ms Devlin’s fans and one that is easily read and in my case, very much enjoyed.  It is beautifully written and edited and that is always a joy in itself.  Most of all, Ms Devlin has a way of bringing unusual characters to life and making them real to the readers.  Boone and Tilly, two of Sergei’s best friends and characters featured in book one, are of immense help to Kara in coming to terms with her situation and helping her to understand the dynamics of dominance and submission.  Tilly is also one of those women who knows how to accept others unconditionally and having that kind of friend is altogether new for Kara and the kind of friend she has long desired.  In all these characters we see personalities of friends we would like to know.  Even the men who are often brusque and tight-lipped are nevertheless the kind of people who one instinctively trusts.  They are the kind of characters one often finds in Devlin books.  I was delighted to find this book on Netgalley and am delighted to give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This title is available from Forever Yours Publishing.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.  This book was received by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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