Tag: Lauren Hawkeye

Guest Author (+ a Giveaway): Interview with Alexander Stavros by Sara Fawkes

Posted June 28, 2013 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 1 Comment

INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER STAVROS

(“Fling: A BDSM Erotica Anthology“)

by Sara Fawkes

There are some vacations one doesn’t tell their conservative parents about.

The Mancusi Resort is an island paradise on the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Italy. It is one of the premier vacation spots for those looking to get away from the world, to take a break from their busy lives. It has been host to foreign dignitaries and tourists alike, and caters to the needs of each individual guest.

The resort is also known for hosting themed vacations, such as what is in store this week. When I stepped off the ferry, I had no idea what I would find. The very idea of a “Fetish Week” brings so many ideas to the forefront, allowing the mind to race over what exactly is in store.

Let me tell you, my dear readers, this is like NOTHING you’ve experienced before.

Alexander Stavros, current manager of the Mancusi Resort and the one who will be in charge of the week’s festivities, met me at the front of the hotel. I can’t think of a better host than the Greek Dom who all but exudes power and sensuality. I’ve been around some powerful men in my day and each one has that same aura: the sense that you’re safe, that they’ll take care of everything.

Even for an independent woman, that sort of energy is extremely sexy.

We sat down in a shaded area to the side of the entrance, still in view of the ferry dock. Alexander is a big man who wears his strength well. I’d been informed beforehand about my host: he was a businessman first and foremost, but is also a well-respected Dominant within the BDSM community. He was the perfect person to be overseeing this operation.

And, oh my, when he just LOOKS at you, immediately you want to melt!

“So, what enticed you to help run Fetish Week?” I asked, grabbing a nearby brochure.

“An old friend enlisted my help,” he answered, “but I am hoping that I can mix business with pleasure this week as well.”

Oh my! I cleared my throat. “Ah yes, that sounds lovely. So, what exactly should I expect this week?”

“We have a variety of activities planned, as well as many seminars about the many aspects of fetish life. There is no one-size-fits-all rule here; each individual is different. For example, I can tell you are a successful woman, but would I be wrong if I guessed you enjoy being dominated in the bedroom?”

I started fanning myself. “And if that was true?”

He leaned in close. “I always did prefer redheads.”

OH MY! It’s hard to talk, let alone think, when this man’s eyes are on you. I fumbled for words, temptation sizzling through me. I think he got the hint when I started twisting my engagement ring because he sat back. “Will you be running any of the seminars?” I asked, trying to mask my disappointment. Oh, to be young and free again!

He nodded. “I will be mostly in charge of the dungeons, while my co-manager Francesca Mornini will coordinate the classes.”

Dungeons? My mind immediately raced to medieval torture devices, handcuffs and whips and chains. He must have seen what I was thinking because he gave me a small smile that made my heart do flip-flops. “You may be surprised by what you find here, but it is best to have an open mind. Experimentation is encouraged, and we try to keep all our demonstration and activities within safe boundaries, unless otherwise requested by patrons.”

I was just about to ask him what constituted “safe” when something behind me distracted him. “Excuse me,” he said, rising from his chair. “It was wonderful meeting you, and I very much look forward to seeing you around our resort.”

His attention was focused on something behind me, and as he swept past I turned to look. At the foot of the ferry ramp, a young woman was frantically trying to pick up items from the ground, her suitcase appearing to have broken. Alexander made a beeline for her, bending down to help her with the mess.

I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed she was a fellow redhead. Somehow, I was pretty sure she would have a very interesting time at the Mancusi Resort.

As I headed inside, I began to get glimpses of what I was in for this week. A beautiful woman walked past me, holding a leather leash over her shoulder attached to the collar of an eager young man. Another statuesque blonde covered from neck to toe in a latex suit was checking in, a young lady sitting patiently at her feet. As I waited in line, I watched two young couples greet one another with hugs, then take the hand of the opposing partner and wander off separately toward the elevators and pool area.

This week is going to be FUN!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Fling:

Fling, an erotica collection of three steamy BDSM novellas set in Italy’s kinky Mancusi Resort during its infamous Fetish Week, features Take Me by New York Times bestselling author Sara Fawkes, Teach Me by Cathryn Fox, and Tame Me by Lauren Hawkeye.

Kate Swansea’s fiancée dumps her a day before the wedding. Will wealthy Greek businessman Alexander Stavros convince the BDSM virgin that a sexual adventure is the cure for her broken heart?

Tycoon Luca Mancusi whisks fashion intern Josie Pelletier off to his private resort to negotiate a deal for her boss’s lingerie line. But, by negotiation, he means a long, slow, spicy seduction…

Ariel Monroe, pop-star princess, refuses to sign a contract with CEO Marco Kennedy. She’s furious when he follows her to Fetish Week, although she could use a hot BDSM play partner. If he’s up to the challenge, of course.

Fans of E.L. James and Sylvia Day will fall for Fling.

Fling: A BDSM Erotica Anthology is available from Avon Red. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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What I Read Last Week

Posted October 16, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 4 Comments

Happy Monday!

Well, I wish I could say that it’s a happier Monday than it is. I’m in mourning as my Kindle died a horrible death last night. Actually it was more a matter of it dying in its sleep. It was fine yesterday afternoon when I stuck it on my bedside stand but then last night when I went to get it the screen was dark with horizontal and vertical lines on it and apparently that’s a death knell. It lived a good life but now I’m without an ereader as I lent my EZreader to a friend of mine. Oy. Imagine, I had to actually pick up a print book today! Luckily it was the one I planned on reading next anyway so it all worked out. I’m in the process of getting another Kindle – hopefully I won’t have to be in withdrawal too long.

Other than that it was a pretty quiet week. There was one day that I was so tired that I left work early, went home, crawled into bed at about 5pm and didn’t wake up until 6:30 the next morning. Wow.

On to what I read this past week:

First up was Deadly Silence by Victor J. Banis. This is book 5 in the Deadly Mystery series and it was another great book. Now, I wanted to beat Stanley a bit in this book as he was annoying me a bit but other than that it was definitely worth the read. Stanley and Tom are hired by a woman to find out who is trying to kill her father and the suspects are many. 4 out of 5

A Deadly Kind of Love is book 6 in the Deadly Mystery series by Victor J. Banis and as far as I know the last one written. In this story Tom and Stanley head out to Palm Springs, CA to help their friend Chris when he finds a dead body in his bed at the hotel he’s staying at. This one was a bit more on the tense side for me but good. I wanted more from Tom and Stanley’s relationship after what happened in the previous book but we didn’t get too much insight into that, unfortunately. 4 out of 5

Next I picked up Untamed by Sara Humphreys. This is a paranormal /shapeshifter story about a woman who is half shifter/half human and the full blooded shifter that is her mate. I got about halfway through the story and was not into the book at all. I was a little bored and didn’t care for the heroine so unfortunately this ended up being a DNF.

Hot and Haunted by Lauren Hawkeye, Megan Hart and Saranna DeWylde was a three story anthology with some far out stories. There was one with a girl trying to seduce a man whose car is stuck in a ditch, one with a US Marshal who’s hunting a serial killer and one with a girl, her two men and a zombie apocalypse. You can read my review on this book here. 3.5 out of 5

Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas is book 2 in the Fitzhugh trilogy series. This is the story of Millie and Fitz. Fitz is just 19, has just come into his title as an Earl and finds that he’s forced to marry as the title is destitute. Millie is just 16 and had been engaged to the previous Earl before he died. Millie falls for Fitz immediately but Fitz is in love with a woman with no money and their love is not to be. Millie and Fitz make a pact that they won’t have marital relations for 8 years and Fitz can live as if they are friends and not married. The book takes us through current times with Fitz seeing his lost love again and also through periods of time from their past 8 years. The book was well written and utterly heart-wrenching as I read about the couple’s years together. I wanted to kick Fitz in the balls and tell him to open his damned eyes but it all worked out. A painful (literally my chest ached!) and angst ridden book but very good, imho. 4 out of 5

Hunter’s Season by Thea Harrison is a novella in the Elder Races series and I think it’s my favorite novella so far. We get these wonderful stories in between full length novels and this one just worked for me so well. The story is about a commoner and palace guard in the Other lands who guards the Dark Fae queen. She ends up falling for and then protecting the Dark Fae Chancellor and they fall in love. I loved the setting, the solitude the couple had and, I guess, the normality of it all. Yes, the Chancellor was powerful but other than being in the Other lands no magic was used – just 2 people falling in love. Good stuff. 4 out of 5

Stygian’s Honor is book 27 (yes, you read that right) in the Breed series by Lora Leigh. The story is different as the Breeds look for 2 girls that have not been heard of for many years. They’re protecting 2 girls that the Genetics Council wants and the Breeds want to know why their after them. Stygian falls for Liza but the whole romance and mating heat and the woman wanting her independence thing was just too similar to other books to be exciting. It was a good book but nothing spectacular, imho. 3 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

Last for the week was a re-read. My Fair Captain by JL Langley is still one of my favorite m/m books. It was one of the first ones I read and I love it still. The latest book in this series just came out and I bought it almost immediately. I think thought…ya know, it’s been so long since I’ve read the other books I should probably do a re-read. (Easier freakin said than done with the Kindle gone – waaaah. Ahem) The story of Nate and Aiden is so great. I usually don’t like historical m/m but the fact that Regelence accepts the gay men changes everything for me. If you haven’t read this series yet I highly recommend it. Of course we had to wait 4 years in between books 2 & 3 but hey, anticipation is good for us, right? lol 5 out of 5

And I thought I had this lovely picture that I once got from Lisabea aka LB Gregg of what Nate looks like – or at least what he looks like in our heads, but I can’t locate it.  Too many computers to check.  I’ll post it if I find it. 🙂

My Book Binge Reviews that posted last week:
When the Duchess Said Yes by Isabella Bradford

Happy Reading!


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Review: Hot and Haunted by Megan Hart, Lauren Hawkeye and Saranna DeWylde

Posted October 12, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Nothing Else Matters by Megan Hart

After surviving the zombie apocalypse, Lira wants nothing more than the sense of life that only lust can bring. Suddenly torn between two irresistible lovers, Lira must choose: the one who brings her carnal fantasies to life? Or the one who sets her ablaze again and again?

Lira and six others are encamped in a synagogue trying to survive in post apocalyptic Pittsburgh. Lira is immune to the black spores that turn people in to zombies or Resurrect’s so she is the one that goes on missions to get food and supplies. When she returns she needs the life affirming skin on skin action that only sex can provide. Anthony who is part of her group is the one that provides that. He is in love with Lira but she feels that she can’t get attached to him because she never knows when or if she’ll return.

On one such mission she is attacked by Resurrect’s and saved by Mac. He is a former military man and when the get away from the zombies Mac is the one that provides her skin on skin. But what this brings her is not necessarily peace but the knowledge that she can love in return.

This story was kind of bizarre when it came to the zombies. How they became zombies what happened to them during the story was just fantastical. Of course it was meant to be that way, I’m sure, so it certainly achieved its goal.

The story revolves around the theme of death and destruction but also hope and love and what that means when everything else is falling apart. It was good in that way, definitely. The story was too short though and I wanted more as I felt it was incomplete, but that’s just me.

Pick Me Up by Lauren Hawkeye

Sure, hitchhiking is dangerous, but Holly just had to get away. Now soaking wet and stuck in a downpour with her roadside savior, she’s ready for a little window-steaming and some role-play. It’s all fun and games until Holly realizes she’s met her match . . .

In this story Holly causes a man to drive his car into a ditch and then sits in the car with him to wait for a tow. Holly has concocted the story that she’s a stripper and seduces people when really she’s a grad student that’s upset with her boyfriend. Earlier that day she’d found a dvd that showed her boyfriend screwing her ex-husband and his wife – kinky. I understood Holly’s need to feel desired but the story just went in too many strange places for me – especially at the end. The way it ended was highly unlikely and kind of ruined what could have been a good story.

Little Red’s Big Bad by Saranna DeWylde

Hunting werewolves and being snowbound in a remote cabin with a sexy FBI agent are all in a day’s work for U.S. Marshal Miranda Garrick. But when business mixes with pleasure, can she stay in control? Or will she be tempted by unrestrained passion . . . and tantalizing danger?

This was my favorite of the three stories. We have Miranda Garrick who is a US Marshall who is looking for an escaped convict who not only kills but eats his victims. She pairs up with FBI agent Aden Brewster and the sexual chemistry between the two of them is off the charts. When they get stuck in a cabin during a snow storm they let their passions run wild. That’s when Miranda thinks that Aden might not be who he says he is.

This was a great story. It kept me on the edge of my seat with both the erotic and suspense aspects of it. I loved how tough Miranda was and that she didn’t take crap from anyone. Aden was a total hotty and knew how to make Miranda happy. The ending of it was a nice twist as well and though there were no full explanations there was enough there to be satisfying.

Overall a very erotic set of stories. I do with we had gotten more from all the stories but it is what it is.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Megan Hart
Lauren Hawkeye
Saranna DeWylde


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What I Read Last Week

Posted May 15, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 6 Comments

Hello my friends!

Well I”m a bit behind in getting this post up this week.  On Mother’s Day (hope you all had a wonderful day) my kitty decided to follow her ball under the couch.  Yeah, she doesn’t exactly fit under the couch.  She made some distressing sounds so I lifted the couch thinking she would run out.  Silly me.  She didn’t run out right away and I ended up spraining my back (yes, again) because I didn’t want to drop the couch and get splat kitty.  Luckily my hubby came to save the day. 🙂  On top of heading to the doctor yesterday and getting many, many lovely drugs to help me my youngest ended up diagnosed with strep throat. Poor thing is just miserable.  She stayed home with me yesterday and it’ll be the mom and daughter show again today as the doc didn’t want either one of us going out. 

Remember I mentioned that my oldest was trying out for cheerleading?   Well she didn’t make it.  I felt so bad for her and she was pretty upset.  Hopefully we can find another extra curricular activity for her next year.

Enough about pain and suffering let’s get to the good stuff…books!

I started off the week with Karma by Carly Phillips.  This was third in the Serendipity series but the only one I read from that series.  The story was about a cop who was very attracted to a woman whose brother was a constant in the city lockup.  As much as he liked the woman he had a hard time getting around the way she enabled her alcoholic brother.  Then they find out the hard way that the brother owes a loan shark money and she’s the “warning”.  The couple also had another issue with her brother who killed a kid years earlier, that the cop witnessed and did nothing about – even when the brother got off scott free.  This was a good book to start and I was really liking the characters and the story.  Unfortunately it got a bit mired in angst and got a little tedious for me.  It was still a good book but not great.  3.25 out of 5

Next was My Wicked Gladiators by Lauren Hawkeye.  The story revolved around a woman, her husband and two gladiators that her husband “owned”.  You can read my review here.  3.5 out of 5

Lothaire by Kresley Cole is a book that I’ve been meaning to read, as I’ve read the rest of the series, but for some reason it kept escaping my notice.  I finally picked it up and wow, what a really good book.  Lothaire believes that his vampire bride is a goddess whose spirit/soul is stuck in a hick from Appalachia.  He’s determined to find a ring from another goddess that will make his real bride into a vampire and get rid of the hick’s soul.  This was such a good book.  I wasn’t sure what to expect because Lothaire’s no boy scout but Cole really did an amazing job making me like him despite his evilness.  4 out of 5

My next read was Thank My Lucky Scars by Tia Fielding.  This is a very sweet story about Matt who gets into a bike messenger accident and is homebound. He gets onto twitter and ends up talking to his favorite porn star, Brian who he is a huge fan of.  The porn star actually comes to see Matt when he goes to London on business and the men end up falling in love.  This was a very sweet novella that I really liked.  Something about the story really clicked with me because of their situation and how it all worked out.  Good stuff. 4 out of 5

Don’t Judge a Book by Scarlet Blackwell is about Rhys who is a complete book worm and lives an incredibly quiet life with his books.  He works at the library and is in charge of the men who need community service for a offense that they’ve committed.  He’s SO not thrilled especially when he meets Darren who is adorable but is a car thief.  Rhys has no patience with Darren but the men end up finding that they can’t ignore their attraction.  This was another great story that I really liked.  The men were such opposites but I totally saw their continued HEA when I finished the story.  4 out of 5

My Lady Rival by Ashley March was the story of a man and a woman who are rival’s in business.  They have a stormy past with stolen kisses but mostly with the woman, Willa, stealing the investors that Alex was going after.  They are now after the same recipe for an amazing dye that was used on a dress for the queen and doing what needs to be done to get it so it will make their companies number 1.  I really liked this book.  I didn’t want to put it down because it just had a certain charm and humor to it that I thought blended really well with the romance and intrigue.  4 out of 5

Last for the week was A Hole in God’s Pocket by KZ Snow.  This told the story of Jaron who is Amish and gay.  He is conflicted as to whether he should go back to his family now that he’s been gone a while.  He ends up living with Greg who was at one point in his life studying to be a Trappist monk.  The story revolved around the two men coming to terms with their sexuality, their roles in life when it comes to their faith and their attraction to each other.  This was a really good story that was so interesting – I just loved it.  It’s a pretty quiet story but really good.  4 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Midnight Rescue by Elle Kennedy

Happy Reading!


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Review: My Wicked Gladiators by Lauren Hawkeye

Posted May 9, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 3 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Alba has spent her entire life pleasing others.


As an upper-class plebeian woman in Ancient Rome, that is her place in life. But when her husband Lucius, the owner of a prestigious gladiatorial school, uses her body as a bargaining tool to increase his fortunes, she is faced with doing as he demands, or finding herself on the street.

Forced to lay with masked gladiators chosen by Lucius, Alba is surprised to discover pleasure in being powerless. Only in the forbidden arms of Caius and Marcus does she find comfort, however temporary it may be.

But with Lucius’ demands looming and the threat of death for her gladiators ever-present, will Alba’s fleeting pleasures be enough? Or will Alba finally grab hold of her happily ever after, no matter the consequences?
Alba and her husband Lucius have been married for a number of years. Lucius’s family has run a ludus (a gladiator school) for generations and Lucius is determined to keep up the reputation his family has earned. With this in mind he seeks financial backing but the man will only give the back to Lucius if he produces a family. Alba, thought to be barren for years, is stunned as she thinks she cannot produce a child, but it is brought to her attention that Lucius may be the one at fault. With this in mind Lucius makes plans for Alba to lay with one of the gladiators one time a month until she conceives. Alba is shocked and wants nothing to do with the plan but goes along with it since she’s wanted a child for year.
Alba is secretly in lust with one of the gladiators, Marcus, and has lain with him before. When her masked…gosh what do you call him…provider of sperm? Yes, her provider of sperm shows up she thinks it might be Marcus but then believes that it might be Caius as well. She discovers that she has it bad for both men and not only wants to be with them but to get away from her husband who she has discovered cares not a whit for her or for the baby – only money and prestige. Alba wants to be with her gladiators but how is this possible when they are no more than slaves and owned by her husband no less.
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the TV show Spartacus on STARZ but it’s a fabulous show. Being familiar with that show really made the imagery of this book come alive in my mind. I could see the practice ground that the gladiators practiced in, the house with all the fabrics, the slaves, the gladiators – it was brought to life in a wonderful, but not overly descriptive way. Even if I hadn’t seen the show I would have been thrust back in time to the roman household
The story is told from Alba’s point of view and really tells us of the depth of her loneliness and feelings of uselessness. Her husband is a right bastard who’s only worried about himself. The slaves of the house really don’t respect her and she’s treated like a whore for her husband’s greed. Even though she thoroughly enjoys being taken it’s told in such a way where we truly see Alba’s hopelessness and the fact that her life will be just this and nothing more for the rest of it. What a thought!
The relationship between Alba, Marcus and Caius is a strained one at first for so many different reasons. Alba can’t really sit and talk to the men as they are closely watched so while I could understand Alba’s feelings for the men it didn’t translate to love for me. Marcus and Caius were lovers before they became Alba’s lover so they knew each other and shared a strong relationship between them. Eventually though Alba and the men come to an understanding and things move quickly from there.
Now Alba does conceive and actually leaves her husband’s house for a while with her lovers where I assume they spend more time getting to know each other. Unfortunately this was an assumption on my part as we aren’t shown any of it.
The story overall was a good one. I really liked the setting for the book and the writing was easy to read. The sex scenes were very hot and sexy with a touch of illicitness which added a different level to the story. The ending was fulfilling but seemed a bit too easy for my liking but that’s me. In the future I’d love to see even a novella about the trio in their future lives – definitely something I would read.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


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