Tag: Aubrey Ross

What I Read Last Week

Posted July 8, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 4 Comments

This is a really happy Monday in Tracyland as it is my youngest’s 11th birthday!! Woohoo! I can’t believe that she’s anywhere near that OLD but alas, she is. This is the crazy kid:

and just think, this is how she looked when I first started the blog:

I know!

She’s so funny. This weekend she was going to go somewhere with me and she was wearing a decent top but was wearing her dance shorts. Normally around the house it’s A-OK that she does that but it was just inappropriate for where we were going. I asked her to change her shorts and she whined and didn’t want to.

I said, “Come on chick, just humor me.”
She said, “OK. Did you hear the one about…”

OMG I just started laughing…and then pushed her into her room to change. 🙂

We had a good Independence Day – just hung out and watched movies and then my hubs and youngest went to watch fireworks.

My oldest got home from her week long mission trip stinking, with paint in her hair and more tired then I’ve ever seen her. She slept for 12 hours straight then woke up, ate and went back to bed. lol She had a great time though so it’s all good.

Ok – on to what I read last week:

I started off the week with Lover Reborn by JR Ward. This is Tohrment’s story. If you’ve read the books you know that his love died and he’s still torn up about it but he’s told that Wellsie is in the In-Between and the only way she can get to the Fade (heaven) is for him to truly let her go. Now this is not a horrible scenario but when they said that it had only been 14 months since she died I was a bit put off. I think that was just too soon for him to be pushed, but whatever. His love interest was a woman named No’One who is actually Xhex’s mother. The story was decent but not fantastic. It was good to catch up with the past characters and of course to see what Blay and Qhuinn were up to. 3.25/3.5 out of 5

Next up was Codename: Autumn by Aubrey Ross. The story is set on Earth but it has been taken over but aliens. The humans have either been killed or forced into prostitution or to work in the mines. Autumn chose to be a prostitute as the female mine workers got raped repeatedly. She figured it she was going to have to give up her body she might as well have a choice about it. Anyway, she gets into a bad sitch with a fellow prostitute and is saved by a commander, Ra’jen. He doesn’t pay for sex but they manage to work things out and next thing you know she’s his woman exclusively. The story also has a rebellion in it that Ra’jen is a part of and he brings Autumn into it as well. While this story has somewhat of an HFN ending the rebellion story is on-going and that was a bit frustrating. 3 out of 5

The Switched Baby Scandal by Theresa Meyers is the story of single mom Taylor who finds out that her daughter is not the one she actually gave birth to. Her baby was switched with another at the hospital. Taylor isn’t willing to give up her child even though she’s not the one she carried for 9 months. She does want to meet her biological child though. Unfortunately when they contact the other family they find out that the other mom and Taylor’s real child were killed in an auto accident a year earlier. The story then covers Taylor’s interactions with her daughter and the father of the deceased child and how they fall in love. It was a decent story but the heroine kind of drove me nuts with her ups and downs and the hero with his survivors guilt. 3 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick was next and follows Emily the week before her wedding to Grant at a destination in Vermont. Her mother is nuts, her fiancé is just about completely absent, her ex-husband shows up and Grant’s family is so prim and proper it drives her a bit crazy – even though she’s longed for prim and proper most of her life. This was an amusing story and it made me laugh on more than one occasion. The secondary characters almost ran the novel but it was still good. Emily was a bit wishy-washy but I loved Ryan and his quiet steadfastness. 3.5 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

Up next was What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries. The story is about the bastard daughter of a viscount, Lisette, who is trying to help a duke, Max, find her brother who supposedly has info on Max’s brother. Max wants the info and Lisette wants to make sure that Tristan is safe from their hal-brother who wants Tristan arrested. It’s mostly a romance that takes place while traveling and I always love those. It had Jeffries great writing and it was a decent read. 3.75 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

Pieces of Dreams by Jennifer Blake is a novella about a woman who is supposed to marry Caleb but is actually in love with his twin Conrad who has been at sea for years. Conrad shows back up and things get a bit hairy between the brothers. It was a good story except for the sex scene where “he drew off more layers of clothing like shucking an ear of corn to reach the tender kernels.” Oy. It kind of went on like that. It honestly almost was like someone else wrote the sex scene because the rest wasn’t like that at all and that really ruined it a lot for me. 3 out of 5

From This Moment On by Bella Andre was my next read and is the story of Nicola who is a pop star and Marcus Sullivan who is 11 years her senior. They head off for a one night stand that doesn’t actually happen until much later but they both realize that one night isn’t enough and decide to spend time together until she leaves San Francisco. Of course they fall in love but it’s much more complicated than that. This was MUCH better than book 1 and I really enjoyed it. 4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

The Savage King by Michelle M. Pillow is about a race on another planet, the Var – a race of large cat shifters, who are at war with the Draig, who are a race of dragon shifters. Ulyssa is sent to the planet from Earth to investigate a doctor but by the time she gets there the doc is dead. She has 3 months to wait for her ride off the planet and plans to camp – until she’s taken by the King of the Var. He dies like a day or so later and she ends up with his son, Kirill, and they fall in love, but not before they have lots of misunderstanding, arguments, and attempts at escape. There’s also a who part of the story that has to do with the late king and his plan for biological warfare. It was a decent read for a fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal. I don’t normally read this kind of thing but I liked it. 3.5 out of 5

Last for the week was The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male by Jessica Clare. This story has Beth Ann out in the forest looking for her sister. The rain causes flooding and an evacuation but Colt who is volunteering see’s Beth Ann’s car and decides that he’s going to play a trick on her and tell her they can’t get out. It was only supposed to be for one night but Colt is surprised at the spine that Beth Ann shows and the next thing you know they’re sleeping together. The relationship moves from there but Beth Ann’s first requirement in a relationship is honesty and she has to trust her partner. Yeah, you can see where that’s going. The story was a good one though and I really liked both Beth Ann and Colt. I do wish that Beth Ann would have stood up for herself a bit more and MAN was there a lot of sex in the book, but I still really liked it. 4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
One Night Rodeo by Lorelei James
Finding Billie by Priscilla Brown

Happy Reading!

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Tagged: Aubrey Ross, Bella Andre, Beth Kendrick, Book Binge, Family, J.R. Ward, Jennifer Blake, Jessica Clare, Michelle M. Pillow, Sabrina Jeffries, Theresa Meyers, What I Read Last Week, What I've Been Reading This Week

Guest Review: Forsaken Desire by Aubrey Ross

Posted February 27, 2011 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Forsaken Desire by Aubrey Ross.

Rhys’ abuse as a Setti slave has left him emotionally distant from the conflict around him. The last time he trusted a woman, he ended up in a breed pen in the Setti homeworld.

Frustrated by his son’s determination to keep himself isolated, Xenos sends temptation personified into Rhys’ path. Andara Kinson has proved her allegiance to the Resistance despite her Setti blood. Xenos challenges Andara to find a way beyond Rhys’ reserve and to rekindle the passionate soul Rhys has buried beneath a mountain of responsibility.

Andara thinks of Rhys with fondness and affection. He was gallant during a horrible ordeal and she will always be grateful. She isn’t opposed to flirting with Rhys. He is, by far, the most attractive man she has ever met. But her Setti abilities have filled her mind with images of another man, a dark and sometimes frightening being, tormented and alone.

This futuristic novella is a second novella from Aubrey Ross that is an encounter between the founder of the Resistance, a group formed to fight the incursion of the Setti threat, and those who have either experienced the Setti captivity like Rhys or who are being rescued from some form of political captivity that involves all sorts of very frightening scientific genetic engineering. Filled with alien life forms from worlds that have sprung whole from the author’s incredibly creative imagination, this story is a tale of love remembered and reclaimed. Having experienced the horrors of Setti captivity, Rhys and Andara find that the link of shared experience is far more durable than they realized. And while any of us can call up a sexual fantasy or two, these folks know how to create a mind link that can get them involved with the person in their fantasies far more completely than any person in our present world.

That being said, at the core of this story is the concern of a father for his son who has obviously not dealt with the long-term effects of his captivity. It is the remembered horrors and the rage they inspired that cause Rhys to even foment what is now known as Resistance. So it is not unusual to find that his emotions have shut down and his life has become one intense focus on neutralizing the Setti influences in his world. Andara, on the other hand, has several goals. She is obviously useful in relating to any Resistance captives who are either wholly or partially Setti. She also has a legitimate reason to come into Rhys’ world in order to put her unique gifts to work for the Resistance. But her most compelling reason–at least on the surface–is to find help in rescuing a captive she has encountered quite by accident during one of her sexual fantasies. Javier is alone and has been for a very long time, when Andara accidentally links telepathically with him. Her contact brings him great comfort but as their contact is almost like modern phone sex, Javier becomes convinced that Andara is his mate.

While this is just a novella, there is lots going on in this story. The tension in Rhys’ daily life is obvious and easily felt right from the first. His attraction to Andara is also immediately rekindled, but she wants to be very careful not to have any sexual tension between them to increase pressure on Rhys. She also needs his help in rescuing Javier and his fellow captive, Kamn. It would appear that their earlier shared captivity formed more of a foundation for their relationship than either realized. It took very little time for their romance to blossom into a torrid affair. However, in rescuing Javier and being brought face to face with his rage at what he views as her betrayal, Andara tries to find a way to bring Javier out of his mating frenzy and to heal much of the emotional injuries his captivity has caused.

This novella is really a beautiful love story but it also highlights the open, loving, giving, caring spirits that both Rhys and Andara display toward Javier. Their care of him result in a brief menage a trois, but Javier recognizes that their allowing him into just a portion of their relationship is a loving gift that heals him. Whether contemporary 2011 circumstances or times far in the distant future, the power of love to heal and restore is never changed. It is a healing potion that medical science has never found a way to replicate.

I have to own up to the fact that sci-fi and futuristic tales are not my number one fiction source. But I enjoyed this story and found that the open hearts of Andara and Rhys were very endearing. My only difficulty was that not having had too much history with some of these alien worlds via previous stories, I felt just a little lost in trying to slot everyone in and find mental categories for really understanding what was going on. Aside from that concern, however, the story held together well and was very well written. It is a short read but one that is very intense and filled with strong emotions and some very basic human need, regardless of the futuristic setting.

So I hope you will investigate this novella and the other writings of Aubrey Ross. She has an impressive portfolio of published work encompassing a variety of themes. She is a very good story teller.

I give this novella a 3.75 out of 5, not because of any lack in quality–I would have loved for it to be a bit longer.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

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Tagged: 3.75 Reviews, Aubrey Ross, Ellora's Cave, Erotica, Futurisitc, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, Reviews

Guest Review: Forgotten Hope by Aubrey Ross

Posted July 29, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 2 Comments

Judith‘s review of Forgotten Hope by Aubrey Ross.

Masquerading as a vampire has kept Chevon Rankin alive for two centuries. She believes the mystery surrounding her sister’s murder is nothing but a painful memory until an alien Setti hybrid invades her home and attacks while she is sleeping.

Hot on the trail of the Setti hybrid, Commander Brock Sihngal, a Phantom Warrior of the Foswick dimension, rescues Chevon, but the hybrid escapes. The Setti have pursued Chevon with obsessive determination and it’s Brock’s job to figure out why. Sexual interrogation is his specialty. he uses pleasure to motivate his prisoners, and he has been looking forward to his sessions with Chevon for a very long time.

Chevon thinks she is prepared for Brock’s brand of erotic negotiations. Their torrid affair years before should have equipped her to resist his techniques. But every touch, every intoxicating kiss makes her hungry for more. her only option is to respond without hesitation and submit without fear. She frees her passionate nature and soon an equal desire burns in the eyes of her arrogant interrogator.

I have never read any work from this author previously so this was my introduction to the style and substance through this novella. It is classed as fantasy and erotic romance, and erotic it certainly is. In fact, this novella is dripping with sex scenes and if that is what the reader desires, then they will get their money’s worth. I still want some literary substance and I came away from reading this work with the feeling that the plot was a little flimsy and the sum and substance of the story were not the main concern. Rather, they all were a very loosely constructed framework for the erotic scenes.

There were passages in this story that seemed to work well, and the characters seemed to have some validity. In other passages, however, the sex took over the story and it was what I would call the “driving force” in the work. Even in a fantasy piece there has to be some semblance of literary authenticity and I felt that the plot, the story, and the characters were in the service of the eroticism and not the other way around. Of course, we all have our “druthers” and I am certainly open to that. In my opinion, this story could have been so much stronger in a number of ways and I couldn’t get past a sense of disappointment that an author that obviously has a very talented and creative imagination had not written an erotic romance with greater literary weight.

Even though this particular novella didn’t “wow” me, I am hoping to encounter other of Ross’ work. Hopefully, I will not continue to be disappointed. I give this piece a rating of 2 out of 5.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.