Tag: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Guest Review: Night Owl by M. Pierce

Posted September 17, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Night Owl by M. PierceReviewer: Tracy
Night Owl by M. Pierce
Series: Night Owl Trilogy #1
Also in this series: Last Light
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: February 11, 2014
Genres: Erotica
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

At twenty-eight, Matt Sky has the perfect life. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers -- all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.

At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano is a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.

Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent...

Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah. Hannah's picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that's passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable.

Warning: This review contains minor spoilers.

Hannah and Matt are writing partners. Matt has a strict no info policy. I’m not gonna tell you about me, I don’t want to know anything about you. Matt’s all about the secrets. One night the pair are IMing and the end up sexting. They get each other off and then Matt disappears. Hannah is distraught as she never does that and she’s afraid she’ll lose her writing partner. She emails Matt and unthinkingly sends the email from her personal email account – which has her picture attached as her email icon. Matt is pissed that she’s sent personal info – her name is the email address – and that he now knows what she looks like. He can’t get her face and body out of his head and becomes obsessed.

Both Hannah and Matt are in relationships but Hannah leaves her boyfriend to move back into her parents home – which happens to be in the same city as Matt. They end up getting together and they have some incredible sex. Hannah’s a little disturbed that she doesn’t know hardly anything about Matt but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to spend her days with him.

Matt is still dating his girlfriend, but she’s on vacation at the time he gets with Hannah. He gets more and more obsessed with Hannah and can’t stay away from her. He knows that he’s a lowly scumbag for the things he does – cheating on his girlfriend, deceiving Hannah, packing up his girlfriend’s stuff and hiding it so that he can bring Hannah to his apartment – but he can’t seem to stop himself.

Matt’s secrets eventually come out and Hannah is devastated. Matt spirals into self-destruction and without Hannah in his life may do himself in. Hannah is asked to help Matt but even her love may not bring Matt out of the limbo he’s in.

I have to say that normally when I start reading a book and it contains cheating I put it down. I hate reading about infidelity. In this book I did consider it but I continued and eventually realized that we couldn’t have had the second part of the book without the cheating. The spiral into Matt’s self-destruction wouldn’t have been understood had we not seen how he did it all to himself. I certainly didn’t like the lying as it showed me what kind of person Matt was – not a good one. I could only hope he could learn and grow from his mistakes.

I can’t say that I admired either Matt or Hannah in this story. I did get interested in where it all would go but I wasn’t necessarily rooting for them to get back together after Matt’s secrets came out. Both Hannah and Matt had some issues, that’s for sure. Matt is at times surly and bossy but can be very sweet. Hannah seems confident but loves Matt to use her and humiliate her in bed. They certainly made a pair.

While I didn’t love the story I thought it was a decent read. I can see how people would either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. I was on the fence. Parts I liked, parts I didn’t, but overall it kept my interest. The epilogue gave us a WTF moment so that we’ll be interested in reading the next book. I can’t say I appreciated the sequel baiting but do I now want to read the next book to see what happens? Kinda, yeah. Lol. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. 🙂

Rating: 3 out of 5

three-stars


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Guest Review: Cato by Celeste Prater

Posted August 6, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Guest Review: Cato by Celeste PraterReviewer: Tracy
Cato by Celeste Prater
Series: Fueled by Lust #3
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Publication Date: April 10, 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Science Fiction
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three-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

While monitoring the airwaves for potential mates for the earthbound Insedi, Cato Telarius becomes mesmerized with a sensual, feminine voice captured during a pay phone conversation with a hotline operator. Cato’s obsession with finding the woman attached to the voice leads him to a discovery that will shock the Insedivertus race and a love that will test the boundaries of his sanity.

Luna Jasper has been working hard to get out of an unfulfilling relationship, and just as she sees freedom within reach, one small mistake spirals her into a fight for her life, a huge push into the arms of a man she never believed could exist, and a surrealistic encounter with an alien world beyond her wildest imagination.

Luna has made some mistakes in her life but the one she’s involved in currently is the worst ever. She hooked up with an old boyfriend so that she could get out of town after her mother and brother died. At first everything was great but now he’s getting more and more controlling and verbally abusive and she wants out. Of course every time she gets enough money to leave he finds it or finds out she’s leaving and stops her. Now she’s finally had enough and she wants out. She tries to leave but fate is against her and when she stops to make a phone call she is attacked and beaten within an inch of her life.

Cato is a man from another planet. He has been surfing the airwaves trying to find mates for his fellow Insedi. He hears Luna’s voice and is immediately drawn to it. He figures out what phone booth she’s calling from and tries to see her when she makes a call. Unfortunately he is never successful. One night he gets notification that the phone booth is being used and it’s Luna – only he hears her getting beat up and comes to her rescue. He manages to save her life and get her away from the hospital but isn’t sure how to tell her that he believes that she is his mate and that he’s from another planet.

Fueled by Lust: Cato is the third book in the Fueled by Lust series. The story was a little odd going in as I hadn’t read the first two books. On one hand this seemed like a standalone novel but most of the time I was completely lost as I hadn’t read books 1 & 2. When the story began I would have never known that Cato was from another planet had I not read the blurb. There was no indication that he was an alien of sorts but as the story went on it was obvious. It took almost half the book to go by before the MC’s meet and that bothered me a bit.

When Cato and Luna finally meet – after she awakens from being beaten up – Luna trusts Cato more than I thought she would. Yes, she’s suspicious at first but she accepts his explanations far faster than I would think a woman in her position would have.

I thought the descriptions of Cato’s planet were vivid and I could see it all clearly in my head. It was written well and I enjoyed that part of the book. There was a secondary storyline involved with Cato and his father as well as another that had to do with the leader of their people. It was confusing as I had no idea who these people were and I found that frustrating. No explanations were offered so I would suggest reading the previous two books if you plan on reading this one.

Rating: 3 out of 5

three-stars


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Guest Author: HelenKay Dimon discusses Mercy

Posted May 7, 2014 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 6 Comments

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Today we have HelenKay Dimon here to discuss her latest release, Mercy.

 

~~~~~~~

Hello everyone and thank you to the fabulous women of Book Binge for letting me stop by here today and talk about my new release – out now! – MERCY.

 

This book is a bit of a throwback for me in that it’s an erotic romance and naughtier than what I’ve been writing for the last few years. It also grew out of a blip of an idea I had years ago when writing my second single title, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. In that book, there was a female undercover agent, a secondary character, and I had in my head if I ever wrote a book for her it would center on one of her old cases where she went undercover in a club and had the owner arrested…but not until after she messed up and fell in love with the guy.

 

Well, the book for that undercover agent never got written. The timing was wrong and I didn’t have a full idea. My then editor thought the people might be a tad too angsty.  Fast forward to last year…I wanted to write an erotic romance dealing with an undercover agent whose life had been blown apart and that fragment of a backstory popped into my head. MERCY isn’t related to RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW or that character, but it is a testament to the fact that some story ideas never die. You move them around, re-think them, revise them and, in this case, totally change them, but they hide in the back of your mind somewhere.

 

mercyWant to meet Becca Ford?  Here’s a tiny peek:

 Her gun pressed against her lower back as she stared at the double doors and obvious lock securing this side of the property. She’d skipped the most logical choice of knocking on the front door, knowing she’d never get past the bruising bodyguard to the boss. The only answer was to get “caught” and dragged inside. Let the men think they’d won the round. That they were in charge.  But she’d know the truth.

Still, she thought about the very lethal man on the other side of the door and calculated her chances of living through the next five minutes and put the probability around twenty percent. Not great but the possibility of survival hovered around zero if she didn’t get inside. She’d pissed him off and he could just as easily destroy her as help her. But she didn’t have another option.

About the book:

After she infiltrated his business and betrayed his trust, a disavowed CIA agent must seek sanctuary in the bedroom of a man who will either help her, kill her, or bring her to her knees…

Becca Ford is on her own. Eight months after she headed up a sting operation to take down millionaire club owner Jarrett Holt, the other agents in her special ops team have been eliminated under odd circumstances, and she needs a place to hide.

Jarrett is a man who prefers darkness to light. He deals in the only truly valuable currency—information—and his supper club caters to an exclusive clientele. It was an uncharacteristic moment of weakness when he let a woman into his life. But it’s not luck that the criminal charges disappeared . . . as did the evidence.

When Becca returns to the club seeking his help, Jarrett doesn’t want to hear her story. But he does want her body, and demands that she give it to him. He’ll keep her safe—for now—but it’ll be in his bed and on his terms, until he says they’re done.

Thanks, HK! We’re giving away one copy of Mercy! Leave a comment for a chance to win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About HelenKay:

helenkayHelenKay Dimon is a former divorce attorney turned full-time romance author. Odd transition, right? She has sold over thirty novels, novellas and shorts to numerous publishers, including Kensington, Harlequin and Penguin, Samhain, Carina Press, and HarperCollins. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named “Red-Hot Reads” and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine. But the best part of the job is never having to wear pantyhose.

Learn more about HelenKay and her books at her website: helenkaydimon.com

 

Mercy is available now from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Guest Review: Tempts Me by Megan Hart

Posted March 14, 2014 by Ames in Reviews | 0 Comments

epoytmAmes’ review of Every Part of You: Tempts Me by Megan Hart.

She likes to watch. He likes to keep hidden. Total opposites on a collision course to a relationship neither can deny.

Simone Kahan’s been watching Elliott Anderson through her office window for months. He likes to bring women back to his office for late-night trysts, and Simone enjoys her voyeurism until one night, Elliott appears to go too far with his date. The other woman might not be into spanking, but Simone is, and when she meets Elliott in the elevator later that night, she makes sure he’s intrigued enough by her to ask her to go with him to the party he no longer has a date for.

Thrown together by circumstances he’d never have imagined, Elliott isn’t sure what to think about Simone. She’s nothing like the women he normally dates, but something about her draws him in until he can’t stop himself from wanting her…until their goodnight kiss becomes something harder. Harsher. Simone responds to his rough hands as no woman ever has, and Elliott’s not ready to pursue what he’s always told himself is wrong.

I am a fan of Megan Hart’s and even though I said I’d never go the serial route again, I was tempted (har har) by the sound of this new project. And sure enough, the first installment whetted my appetite.

That’s all because of our heroine, Simone. I really liked her character. And I understood Elliott being intrigued by her. She’s an interesting character. She’s confident in who she is and she’s not afraid to be who she is. Part of that is calling people on their BS. She’s also comfortable with her sexuality and she’s looking for someone to give her exactly what she wants. After watching a failed encounter between Elliott and a blond woman who is her physical opposite, Simone believes Elliott is the one to give her what she wants.

But Elliott has tried to downplay that aspect of his sexuality that is darker. He’s afraid of it. Why does he want to be rough? And when Simone responds to him, he kind of runs off scared.

This first installment left me wanting more, in a good way. I want to see how Simone gets through Elliott’s defenses. I want to see Elliott unable to resist seeing Simone again. Part two should be good! 3.75 out of 5

This book is available from St. Martins. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Every Part of You Series Order:
Tempts Me
Resists Me
Taunts Me
Denies Me
Takes Me


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Review (+ a Giveaway): Letting Go by Maya Banks

Posted January 29, 2014 by Holly in Giveaways, Reviews | 11 Comments

Review (+ a Giveaway): Letting Go by Maya BanksReviewer: Holly
Letting Go by Maya Banks
Series: Surrender Trilogy #1
Also in this series: Taking It All
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: February 4th 2014
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 352
Add It: Goodreads
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three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SURRENDER TRILOGY
In her sensational Breathless Trilogy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks tested the boundaries of desire. In her new trilogy, there’s only one thing left to do: cross them. And never have the consequences of erotic exploration been so irresistibly inviting, so shockingly intimate, and so totally unexpected…
LETTING GO
Josslyn found perfection once, and she knows she’ll never find it again. Now widowed, she seeks the one thing her beloved husband couldn’t give her: dominance. Lonely, searching for an outlet for her grief and wanting only a brief taste of the perfection she once enjoyed, she seeks what she’s looking for at an exclusive club that caters to people indulging in their most hedonistic fantasies. She never imagined that what she’d find would be the one man who’s long been a source of comfort—and secret longing. Her husband’s best friend.
Dash has lived in an untenable position for years: in love with his best friend’s wife but unwilling to act on that attraction. He’d never betray his best friend. And so he’s waited in the wings, offering Joss unconditional support and comfort as she works past her grief, hoping for the day when he can offer her more.
When he finds her in a club devoted to the darker edges of desire, he’s furious because he thinks she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Until she explains in detail what it is she wants. What she needs. As realization sets in, he is gripped by fierce, unwavering determination. If she wants dominance, he is the only man who will introduce her to that world. He is the only man who will touch her, cherish her…love her. And the only man she’ll ever submit to.

I am not a big fan of BDSM. Though there are exceptions, I generally shy away from novels that center around that lifestyle. I have no problem if others want to indulge (in either the stories or the lifestyle), it just isn’t my cuppa. I said I wanted to read outside my comfort zone this year, however, so I decided to give this one a try.

Joss has spent the past 3 years mourning her late husband, who tragically died in a car accident. The veil of grief is finally lifting and she decides it’s time to get on with her life. She can’t mourn forever. She also can’t continue to deny parts of herself, like her need to be dominated. She decides to visit an exclusive, upscale BDSM club called The House to finally begin exploring the darker side of her sexuality. The last thing she could have anticipated happening was seeing her dead husband’s best friend, Dash, at the club. Or that he would hustle her out of the club like it was on fire. Mortified and confused, she allows him to take her home, expecting a lecture. Only Dash doesn’t want to lecture her (well, okay, he kind of does), he wants to dominate her.

Dash has been in love with Joss since the day he met her. It was hell being in love with his  best friend’s wife, but he kept his feelings hidden because he had too much respect for his best friend to make things awkward. In the years since his friend died, he’s been biding his time, supporting Joss while she grieved, waiting for her to be ready for him. Now that she seems ready to break out of her shell, he wants to be the one to pick her up.  He figures he’ll have to deny the dominate side of himself to be with her, but he knows Joss is worth any sacrifice…until he spies her at The House. He’s shocked to learn she’s always craved a dominant man and he wants to be the one to lead her into the lifestyle.  With the ghost of her husband between them, and the disapproval of their friends, can they weather the storm enough to find their way to a happily-ever-after?

This started out really strong. Joss accepting that she needed to move on with her life rang true to me. Three years is a long time to grieve for someone. That she would decide on the anniversary of his death to explore the parts of herself she’s been denying held a bittersweet irony. Her journey back to herself was one of the better parts of the book for me.

I felt Dash’s pain when it came to Joss. To be in love with your best friend’s wife? Ouch. Especially when said best friend dies and the woman you love mourns him for 3 long years. His struggle to overcome his insecurities about his place in Joss’s life since her husband is gone was realistic. I can see how the ghost of his best friend was between them.

What I found problematic were the BDSM aspects of the story. Dash didn’t read as a Dom to me. He may have dabbled in the lifestyle, but he didn’t come across as particularly dominating. She asked several times for him to take over her completely, in all aspects of her life (inside the bedroom and out). Yet he never did. There were times the sexual play got a bit kinky, but I didn’t consider what they did BDSM (though I will say, again, I am not an aficionado. You can take my opinion or leave it).

My other complaint is how disconnected the characters felt. I would have preferred to see more of Joss’s actual grieving and the part Dash played in helping her overcome it. They seemed very uneasy around each other in the beginning, almost as if they didn’t know each other well. Some scenes with them read like strangers finding their way. That didn’t ring true considering their history.

Though I had some problems with this, I am anxious to read the next story. It features Joss’s best friend and sister-in-law, Kylie and Dash’s business partner. The snippet in the back left me wanting more.

3 out of 5

Giveaway We have a print copy of Letting Go available to one lucky winner (US Only). Enter using the rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway

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This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

three-stars


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