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| 099126780X
| 9780991267804
| B00GY9ORGE
| 4.31
| 94
| Dec 2012
| Nov 25, 2013
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews *newest review for this anthology "4.5 stars" Overall Getting Scrooged by Eden Bradley - Getting Scrooged is a super-steamy Reviewed for THC Reviews *newest review for this anthology "4.5 stars" Overall Getting Scrooged by Eden Bradley - Getting Scrooged is a super-steamy Christmas novella about an over-worked corporate mogul with something to prove, who never takes time out for herself. She finally finds her match in the man who is sent to negotiate a corporate merger between one of her companies, a small publishing house, and the larger one that is his employer. Holly and Ben were decent characters, but I felt like they were a little too much alike. Both had crappy lives growing up and both have driven, type-A personalities, but each for their own reasons. Holly’s dad always wished she was a boy to whom he could pass on his company, so she never quite felt like she measured up to his standards. Even though he passed away, she still feels like she has to prove to herself that she can be the kind of businessperson her father could have been proud of. As such, she drives herself into the ground, never taking time out except to occasionally have anonymous, no-strings sex with strangers she meets in bars. She turns forty on Christmas Eve and feels like life has passed her by and perhaps she’s missing out on something by not having a relationship. Ben, on the other hand, seems to have a pretty good handle on having fun and is driven more by the thrill of the hunt, so to speak. However, much like Holly, he isn’t excited about the upcoming holiday season. I guess I prefer for the hero and heroine to be more different – not polar opposites, but different enough that I feel like they’re going to genuinely enrich each other’s lives – and I didn’t necessarily sense that with Holly and Ben. Also, their personalities were just a little too far removed from my own for me to be able to fully relate to them. Where the author seems to excel is in her love scenes that, overall, are smokin’ hot. Holly and Ben alone are steamy enough, but add in Ben’s two friends and sometimes lovers, Kit and Justin, and their love scenes could start a four-alarm fire.;-) The menage is only a temporary one, though, to fulfill one of the wishes on Holly’s bucket list, when I usually prefer them to be more permanent. However, I did enjoy that all three men are Brits, because it’s somewhat rare to find foreigners in American-set contemporary romances. As much as I enjoyed the hot sex scenes, though, I’m not usually one to allow my brain to turn to mush because of them. Even making allowances for the characterizations, which were admittedly pretty decent for a novella, there were still a few little things that kept it from being a five-star read for me. First, I thought the author could have done a better job with blocking during dialogue. Sometimes the conversation runs on for a while with little or no character actions in between lines. The love scenes, while hot, were just a tad too chatty for my taste as well. Lastly, the whole story takes place over about four weeks time, during which there are big jumps forward in the story and a nearly two-week span where Holly and Ben are apart, so having them fall in love and marry so quickly perhaps wasn’t quite as believable as it could have been. However, I’ll allow that a little Dickensian magic on the side made it a bit easier to swallow. So overall, despite a few minor issues, Getting Scrooged was still a pretty enjoyable read. It was my first story by Eden Bradley, but certainly good enough to make me curious what she can do with a longer story format. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including spicy M/F and M/M interactions, as well as a M/F/M/M menage, use of sex toys and anal play, which some readers may find offensive. Star Rating: 4 Not So Tiny Tim by Robin L. Rotham – Before picking up the A Kinky Christmas Carol anthology, I hadn’t really heard of Robin L. Rotham, so I had no idea what to expect from her writing. I’m very pleased to say that I ended up loving Not So Tiny Tim. It was a hot, fun, quick read that was equal parts sweet and super sexy. The love scenes are so scorching, I thought my eReader might go up in flames.;-) But at the same time, they, and the story in general, expressed an emotional connection that’s not always easy to find in erotic romance. Not to mention, unlike the first novella in the series, the menage in this one is a permanent one, which was more to my liking. So, ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed the few hours I spent reading this novella. Tim, the subject of the title (I’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination as to why he’s called that ;-)), is the nephew of Holly, the heroine of the first novella in the series, Getting Scrooged. He’s a successful video game developer, who as part of the Knight clan, is familiar with the trappings of wealth. However, he hasn’t really been living life. He keeps everyone he knows in carefully organized compartments: family, friend, or f*ck-buddy, and the last two never, ever overlap. Therefore, despite being in love with them both, he keeps his long-time best friend, Miranda, and his college buddy and current roommate, Peter, solidly relegated to the friend-zone. That all changes when a little magic brings Miranda and Pete together, making Tim long to join in. When we discover his reasons for keeping them at arm’s length all this time, it’s a very emotional moment that made me a little teary-eyed. Miranda is a sweetheart, a scientist who’s been friends with Tim since they were teenagers and has loved him from afar for thirteen years. It was totally adorable that she’d saved herself for him all that time, while hoping against hope that someday he would see her as more than just a friend. But having heard about Tim’s size and kinkiness, she’s also adventurous enough to have prepared herself for those things and is eager to take everything that both Tim and Peter can dish out. Miranda is a very loving heroine who’s accepting of both men and doesn’t hesitate to engage in all sorts of sex play with them. She also knows almost instantly that she wants a future with them both when the opportunity presents itself. Ever since a close intimate encounter in college, Peter has been attracted to his friend, but he knows Tim’s rule about not mixing friends and sex. He just doesn’t know why. Peter has spent the last several months living with Tim while the new house he designed for himself is being built, which has only deepened his feelings for Tim. Like Tim, Pete is bisexual, so when he finds the pretty Miranda at a bar, pining for Tim and reluctant to go to his Christmas celebration after having thrown herself at him with disastrous results, Pete offers to accompany her. Both of them hope it might make Tim jealous enough to do something about it. Pete is a Dom who isn’t totally overbearing, so I could appreciate how he gently pushes both Miranda and Tim outside their comfort zones and won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Although he only marginally knew Miranda before meeting her in the bar, he’s totally into her from that very second, so there was never a doubt in my mind that he deeply cared about her too. While their personalities don’t necessarily reflect classic geekiness, all three characters respective professions certainly suggest that they are, and I must say, these are three of the sexiest geeks I’ve ever read about.;-) I loved how both Miranda and Pete were long-time friends with Tim. It made the connection deeper and much more believable, because of their shared history. Since the story only takes place over a coupe of day’s time, Pete and Miranda’s feelings for each other develop very quickly, but I could definitely feel a connection there too. Tim’s long-held stubbornness about not becoming intimate with friends is pretty quickly overcome as well, so there were admittedly things in the story that easily might not have worked for me. However, the doorman, Frost, a common character in this series, who looks suspiciously like Santa Claus and has magical powers, brought a heartwarming flavor to the story and helped to make the short time span not as much of an issue. In the end, it seems that they were all fated to get together. Whatever it was about this novella, it undeniably hit a sweet spot for me, because I ended up loving it. This may have been my first read by Ms. Rotham, but I’ll definitely be taking a look at more of her work in the future. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including spicy M/F and M/M interactions, as well as a M/F/M menage, talk of sex toys, a little bondage, mild dominant behavior, and anal sex, which some readers may find offensive. Star Rating: 5 *Marley In Chains by R.G. Alexander - Marley In Chains is the final novella in the A Kinky Christmas Carol series. This holiday-themed trilogy was written by three different authors, but the stories are connected by each being about a different member of the wealthy Knight family who all live in the same building, Dickens Towers, in Chicago. As with the other two novellas, the magical doorman, Frost, who looks suspiciously like Santa Claus plays a role as well, giving it a touch of whimsy. Overall, this was a pretty good wrap-up to the series with a few caveats which I’ll get to shortly. The heroine of this novella is Marley, cousin and super-assistant to Holly from the first story, Getting Scrooged. She was born into wealth, but her mother lost two husbands (for some reason I can’t recall now whether it was to death or divorce) and remarried a man who was not of her social station. This left Marley suddenly adrift in a public school, when she’d been used to private school, and being teased by the other students. In stepped best friends, Michael and Carlos, who became her defenders. The three were inseparable for the next six years until Marley turned eighteen. They had shared some sexual intimacies and were close to making love when Marley lost her parents to a car accident just before Christmas and later left town. She was gone for several years, but returned to become her cousin’s assistant four years earlier. However, she never contacted the men she’d been in love with and had never forgotten, so she doesn’t reconnect with them until Michael comes looking for her and asking for her help to bring Carlos back to the land of the living. I mostly understood Marley and the issues that sent her running seventeen years ago, but it takes a while for those issues to fully surface. Once they did, I didn’t feel like they were really given the weight they deserved and were overcome a little too quickly. However, I did still like Marley and thought she was a pretty good heroine. Marley’s heroes, Michael and Carlos, were devastated when she left town. Michael went on to become a champion boxer and now owns his own gym where he trains fighters and tries to keep at-risk youth out of trouble. Michael has always had strong family ties to fall back on, but Carlos didn’t. After Marley ran, Michael watched Carlos pull further and further away until he finally enlisted in the military and left town, too. At the end of his second tour, Carlos was badly injured by an IED blast, nearly losing his leg, but since returning he’s still been distant. Because of a letter Carlos wrote to Michael about Marley (unfortunately the reader is never let in on the details of its contents), Michael thinks the only thing that will revive Carlos is being reunited with the woman they both never stopped loving. This is what sends him to Marley’s doorstep, and he’s right about it being the only medicine Carlos really needed. I liked Michael, but he’s maybe a little too rough around the edges for my taste. Over the years, he’d watched Carlos connect with Marley on a more tender and intellectual level that he doesn’t share with her, so when he sees that the same connection between the other two still burns brightly, he’s ready to bow out of the threesome gracefully. I generally understood where he was coming from and thought it was an interesting move on his part, but I would have liked to have felt a little more of what he was feeling that drove him to that decision. Others may disagree with me, but I thought that Carlos was the more intriguing of the two male characters, probably because as a writer, he seemed to have a softer, more poetic and intellectual side. I wish the author had dug a little deeper with his characterization, because I feel like he had a lot of layers that were only cursorily explored, if at all. I understood that he’d been hurt by Marley leaving, but his giving up a Harvard scholarship to drive a cab and work menial jobs, later entering the Marines, seemed at odds with the rest of the man being portrayed, who had typically been the beta to Michael's alpha. All that suddenly changes, though, when he surprises both Michael and Marley by taking the reins in their relationship after they reconnect. I also thought that his seeming depression after returning injured was told much more so than shown and was magically overcome simply by seeing Marley again. So while I liked both men, I thought they were similarly underdeveloped as Marley. I think to some extent the underdevelopment of the characterizations played into the three characters’ relationship as a whole. We learn only enough to see that they had meant a lot to one another years ago and still do. I couldn’t help feeling that they have this rich backstory that’s barely explored. There’s a decent amount of steam fairly early in the story, but at first there isn’t much of an emotional connection given how close they’d all been before. It takes until the end of the story when they finally all come together to make love for this to right itself. Until then their interactions felt lusty but not particularly romantic or emotional. I also wasn’t fond of the author telling about certain events in hindsight, when, IMHO, they would have had a greater impact if shown in the moment. Otherwise, though, it was a good story. Despite my feeling it was lacking in some areas, it was still pretty enjoyable. I might be making some allowances for it being a novella, whereas if these types of issues had persisted in a full-length novel, I might not have been as forgiving. But there was just enough to keep me reading and generally satisfied with the outcome, so I couldn’t really justify marking it down any further. Marley In Chains was my first read by R. G. Alexander, but it has left me open to perhaps trying something else by her in the future. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including a spicy M/F/M menage, a touch of M/M action, use of sex toys, creative use of a cane, one scene of bondage with chains, a little spanking, exhibitionism, and anal sex, which some readers may find offensive. Star Rating: 4 Merged review: Reviewed for THC Reviews *newest review for this anthology "4.5 stars" Overall Getting Scrooged by Eden Bradley - Getting Scrooged is a super-steamy Christmas novella about an over-worked corporate mogul with something to prove, who never takes time out for herself. She finally finds her match in the man who is sent to negotiate a corporate merger between one of her companies, a small publishing house, and the larger one that is his employer. Holly and Ben were decent characters, but I felt like they were a little too much alike. Both had crappy lives growing up and both have driven, type-A personalities, but each for their own reasons. Holly’s dad always wished she was a boy to whom he could pass on his company, so she never quite felt like she measured up to his standards. Even though he passed away, she still feels like she has to prove to herself that she can be the kind of businessperson her father could have been proud of. As such, she drives herself into the ground, never taking time out except to occasionally have anonymous, no-strings sex with strangers she meets in bars. She turns forty on Christmas Eve and feels like life has passed her by and perhaps she’s missing out on something by not having a relationship. Ben, on the other hand, seems to have a pretty good handle on having fun and is driven more by the thrill of the hunt, so to speak. However, much like Holly, he isn’t excited about the upcoming holiday season. I guess I prefer for the hero and heroine to be more different – not polar opposites, but different enough that I feel like they’re going to genuinely enrich each other’s lives – and I didn’t necessarily sense that with Holly and Ben. Also, their personalities were just a little too far removed from my own for me to be able to fully relate to them. Where the author seems to excel is in her love scenes that, overall, are smokin’ hot. Holly and Ben alone are steamy enough, but add in Ben’s two friends and sometimes lovers, Kit and Justin, and their love scenes could start a four-alarm fire.;-) The menage is only a temporary one, though, to fulfill one of the wishes on Holly’s bucket list, when I usually prefer them to be more permanent. However, I did enjoy that all three men are Brits, because it’s somewhat rare to find foreigners in American-set contemporary romances. As much as I enjoyed the hot sex scenes, though, I’m not usually one to allow my brain to turn to mush because of them. Even making allowances for the characterizations, which were admittedly pretty decent for a novella, there were still a few little things that kept it from being a five-star read for me. First, I thought the author could have done a better job with blocking during dialogue. Sometimes the conversation runs on for a while with little or no character actions in between lines. The love scenes, while hot, were just a tad too chatty for my taste as well. Lastly, the whole story takes place over about four weeks time, during which there are big jumps forward in the story and a nearly two-week span where Holly and Ben are apart, so having them fall in love and marry so quickly perhaps wasn’t quite as believable as it could have been. However, I’ll allow that a little Dickensian magic on the side made it a bit easier to swallow. So overall, despite a few minor issues, Getting Scrooged was still a pretty enjoyable read. It was my first story by Eden Bradley, but certainly good enough to make me curious what she can do with a longer story format. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including spicy M/F and M/M interactions, as well as a M/F/M/M menage, use of sex toys and anal play, which some readers may find offensive. Star Rating: 4 Not So Tiny Tim by Robin L. Rotham – Before picking up the A Kinky Christmas Carol anthology, I hadn’t really heard of Robin L. Rotham, so I had no idea what to expect from her writing. I’m very pleased to say that I ended up loving Not So Tiny Tim. It was a hot, fun, quick read that was equal parts sweet and super sexy. The love scenes are so scorching, I thought my eReader might go up in flames.;-) But at the same time, they, and the story in general, expressed an emotional connection that’s not always easy to find in erotic romance. Not to mention, unlike the first novella in the series, the menage in this one is a permanent one, which was more to my liking. So, ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed the few hours I spent reading this novella. Tim, the subject of the title (I’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination as to why he’s called that ;-)), is the nephew of Holly, the heroine of the first novella in the series, Getting Scrooged. He’s a successful video game developer, who as part of the Knight clan, is familiar with the trappings of wealth. Howe ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Dec 07, 2016
not set
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Dec 14, 2017
not set
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Sep 24, 2024
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ebook
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| 1419922653
| 9781419922657
| B0033Y9560
| 4.00
| 19
| Mar 26, 2003
| Jul 27, 2009
|
really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Zayed's Gift is an erotic romance novella with just a touch of the paranormal in the form of a ghost who is looking out for th Reviewed for THC Reviews Zayed's Gift is an erotic romance novella with just a touch of the paranormal in the form of a ghost who is looking out for the hero and helping him find his soul mate. The ghost is that of Zayed, the old Marsh Arab, who died helping Brian and another prisoner escape from an Iraqi POW camp in the novella, Entrapped. As he lay dying, Zayed gave Brian a necklace with special powers that will help the wearer discern when he has found his soul mate. Brian is a broken, tortured soul. After his fighter jet was shot down over Iraq during the first Gulf War, he spent eleven years as a POW there. Memories of his wife were all that kept him going, until he finally escaped. He was looking forward to getting back to his old life, only to find out his old life no longer existed. Brian was declared dead and his wife moved on with another man and now has a family. Brian is contemplating suicide when Zayed's ghost appears to him, giving him hope that there is someone else out there for him. He heads back to the Middle East to work in the oilfields of Kuwait, where he meets Alina, and begins a passionate affair. For an ex-military guy, Brian is a very sweet hero who kind of leans toward the beta side, in my opinion. Due to his extremely conservative Christian upbringing, he has some hang-ups about sex and is also rather inexperienced. He never slept with anyone but his wife, and she was even more prudish than he was. This resulted in their marriage not being nearly as fulfilling as he would have liked from a sexual perspective. Alina is the one who pretty much takes charge in their relationship, and Brian places himself under her tutelage much like a virgin hero would. He does have fantasies though, and Alina fulfills every one of them plus some he didn't even know he had. For a Middle Eastern princess, Alina is very independent and progressive-thinking. She's a doctor who earned her degree in the States, where she got away from her own conservative roots. While she was in college she had an American lover who refused to marry her and go back to Kuwait with her. Since then, she hasn't been able to find anyone who stirs her passion in the same way, and after having a taste of freedom, she has no desire to put herself under the thumb of a sheikh who believes in the old-school ways. When Brian arrives, she thinks she's found the perfect man for her and is determined to seduce the straight-laced guy, no matter what it takes. Overall, I liked these two characters. Brian is definitely my kind of guy, and while Alina was perhaps a tad too forward for my taste, I'll admit that with Brian's shyness, her seductive skills were what was needed to get the job done, so to speak. These two share lots of steamy sexual encounters, hence the erotic designation, but aside from the mention of some sex toys and slightly more explicit language, the love scenes were on par with most steamy mainstream romances, nothing I'd call kinky. I perhaps would have wished for a little longer story to provide more insights into these two great characters before they burned up the sheets and made their declarations of love, but the author created just enough of an emotional connection between them to believe in their HEA. Zayed's Gift brought together all of the previous heroes and heroines I've read about so far in the Black Gold series. Jake and Kate (Firestorm) had brief roles, with Jake and his company being Brian's employer. They also attended Brian and Alina's wedding, during which Kate gives birth to their first child. Jamil and Leila (Entrapped) are present in the background but don't have any actual scenes. Alina is the sister of Dahoud aka “Bear.” I'm now convinced that he and Shana (Love Slave, Forever Enslaved) must be Ann Jacobs' favorite couple (I can't blame her; I love them too), because they've gotten their own love scene in every story of the series so far. It was great to see them still so madly in love and passionate for each other thirteen years after their first story and about to have their fourth child. Overall, Zayed's Gift was an enjoyable read, and a nice way to finish the Black Gold series. I ended up reading this series completely out of order, because at the time I started it, there wasn't any good information on the correct order. Ellora's Cave now has them ordered, and it appears this is the last book of the series, not the fifth as I had originally assumed. At least, I can say there were no spoilers in this one for the two books I haven't read yet. For the most part, I've liked this series so far, and I look forward to reading the two books I missed soon. Zayed's Gift can be purchased as a separate e-book and can also be found in the print anthology Mystic Visions. Merged review: Reviewed for THC Reviews Zayed's Gift is an erotic romance novella with just a touch of the paranormal in the form of a ghost who is looking out for the hero and helping him find his soul mate. The ghost is that of Zayed, the old Marsh Arab, who died helping Brian and another prisoner escape from an Iraqi POW camp in the novella, Entrapped. As he lay dying, Zayed gave Brian a necklace with special powers that will help the wearer discern when he has found his soul mate. Brian is a broken, tortured soul. After his fighter jet was shot down over Iraq during the first Gulf War, he spent eleven years as a POW there. Memories of his wife were all that kept him going, until he finally escaped. He was looking forward to getting back to his old life, only to find out his old life no longer existed. Brian was declared dead and his wife moved on with another man and now has a family. Brian is contemplating suicide when Zayed's ghost appears to him, giving him hope that there is someone else out there for him. He heads back to the Middle East to work in the oilfields of Kuwait, where he meets Alina, and begins a passionate affair. For an ex-military guy, Brian is a very sweet hero who kind of leans toward the beta side, in my opinion. Due to his extremely conservative Christian upbringing, he has some hang-ups about sex and is also rather inexperienced. He never slept with anyone but his wife, and she was even more prudish than he was. This resulted in their marriage not being nearly as fulfilling as he would have liked from a sexual perspective. Alina is the one who pretty much takes charge in their relationship, and Brian places himself under her tutelage much like a virgin hero would. He does have fantasies though, and Alina fulfills every one of them plus some he didn't even know he had. For a Middle Eastern princess, Alina is very independent and progressive-thinking. She's a doctor who earned her degree in the States, where she got away from her own conservative roots. While she was in college she had an American lover who refused to marry her and go back to Kuwait with her. Since then, she hasn't been able to find anyone who stirs her passion in the same way, and after having a taste of freedom, she has no desire to put herself under the thumb of a sheikh who believes in the old-school ways. When Brian arrives, she thinks she's found the perfect man for her and is determined to seduce the straight-laced guy, no matter what it takes. Overall, I liked these two characters. Brian is definitely my kind of guy, and while Alina was perhaps a tad too forward for my taste, I'll admit that with Brian's shyness, her seductive skills were what was needed to get the job done, so to speak. These two share lots of steamy sexual encounters, hence the erotic designation, but aside from the mention of some sex toys and slightly more explicit language, the love scenes were on par with most steamy mainstream romances, nothing I'd call kinky. I perhaps would have wished for a little longer story to provide more insights into these two great characters before they burned up the sheets and made their declarations of love, but the author created just enough of an emotional connection between them to believe in their HEA. Zayed's Gift brought together all of the previous heroes and heroines I've read about so far in the Black Gold series. Jake and Kate (Firestorm) had brief roles, with Jake and his company being Brian's employer. They also attended Brian and Alina's wedding, during which Kate gives birth to their first child. Jamil and Leila (Entrapped) are present in the background but don't have any actual scenes. Alina is the sister of Dahoud aka “Bear.” I'm now convinced that he and Shana (Love Slave, Forever Enslaved) must be Ann Jacobs' favorite couple (I can't blame her; I love them too), because they've gotten their own love scene in every story of the series so far. It was great to see them still so madly in love and passionate for each other thirteen years after their first story and about to have their fourth child. Overall, Zayed's Gift was an enjoyable read, and a nice way to finish the Black Gold series. I ended up reading this series completely out of order, because at the time I started it, there wasn't any good information on the correct order. Ellora's Cave now has them ordered, and it appears this is the last book of the series, not the fifth as I had originally assumed. At least, I can say there were no spoilers in this one for the two books I haven't read yet. For the most part, I've liked this series so far, and I look forward to reading the two books I missed soon. Zayed's Gift can be purchased as a separate e-book and can also be found in the print anthology Mystic Visions. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Feb 25, 2013
not set
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Feb 25, 2013
not set
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Sep 21, 2024
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 1948471000
| 9781948471008
| B08HZ52RFM
| 3.93
| 46
| Nov 10, 2020
| Nov 10, 2020
|
really liked it
|
Reviewed for THC Reviews Indulge is a short novelette in Sherri Hayes’s Finding Anna world that features supporting characters Logan and Lily. Logan ha Reviewed for THC Reviews Indulge is a short novelette in Sherri Hayes’s Finding Anna world that features supporting characters Logan and Lily. Logan has been best friends with Stephan since high school, and Lily both works with Stephan and is his ex-lover, who becomes a great friend to Anna. When the series begins, Logan and Lily have already been a couple for a little over a year. This story follows them as they celebrate their first year together. Logan plans a three-day weekend getaway to a remote cabin in northern Minnesota near Lake Superior. It will be their first time playing dom and sub for the entire weekend and they’re both looking forward to it. Throughout their time together, they engage in all sorts of romantic and sexy scenarios, until the weekend is over and they’re reluctant for it to end. Indulge chronologically predates all the other books of the Finding Anna series, but I personally think it would be best to read it in publication order, which is between books four and five. That’s because new readers won’t know who Logan and Lily are without reading the other books and might not be as invested in their story until they’ve met them. I’ve loved Logan and Lily as secondary characters in this series, as they’ve both been so supportive of Stephan and Anna. There’s not a lot to this short novelette beyond what I’ve described above, but it was great to finally get a peek into their own private lives. Lily has pretty much known since becoming sexually active that she’s a sub, but when she was introduced to Logan by Stephan, he wasn’t in the lifestyle. He became a somewhat reluctant Dom, but now that he’s more comfortable and gaining confidence, he seems to really be enjoying it. Unfortunately, while I love this couple, their characterizations don’t really deepen past what we already know about them from the other books of the series. The most interesting thing we discover is that Lily’s sister has issues with their lifestyle, but it doesn’t move past a mere acknowledgment of her concerns. It might have been nice to learn a little more about Logan and Lily and their background outside of their supporting character roles. In spite of feeling the story was a bit lacking, I still very much enjoyed their interactions here that I found to be extremely romantic and super-sexy. This was just a fun little uncomplicated story that was a pleasure to read. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including a D/s relationship, self-pleasuring in public, light bondage, use of sex toys, wax play, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. Merged review: Reviewed for THC Reviews Indulge is a short novelette in Sherri Hayes’s Finding Anna world that features supporting characters Logan and Lily. Logan has been best friends with Stephan since high school, and Lily both works with Stephan and is his ex-lover, who becomes a great friend to Anna. When the series begins, Logan and Lily have already been a couple for a little over a year. This story follows them as they celebrate their first year together. Logan plans a three-day weekend getaway to a remote cabin in northern Minnesota near Lake Superior. It will be their first time playing dom and sub for the entire weekend and they’re both looking forward to it. Throughout their time together, they engage in all sorts of romantic and sexy scenarios, until the weekend is over and they’re reluctant for it to end. Indulge chronologically predates all the other books of the Finding Anna series, but I personally think it would be best to read it in publication order, which is between books four and five. That’s because new readers won’t know who Logan and Lily are without reading the other books and might not be as invested in their story until they’ve met them. I’ve loved Logan and Lily as secondary characters in this series, as they’ve both been so supportive of Stephan and Anna. There’s not a lot to this short novelette beyond what I’ve described above, but it was great to finally get a peek into their own private lives. Lily has pretty much known since becoming sexually active that she’s a sub, but when she was introduced to Logan by Stephan, he wasn’t in the lifestyle. He became a somewhat reluctant Dom, but now that he’s more comfortable and gaining confidence, he seems to really be enjoying it. Unfortunately, while I love this couple, their characterizations don’t really deepen past what we already know about them from the other books of the series. The most interesting thing we discover is that Lily’s sister has issues with their lifestyle, but it doesn’t move past a mere acknowledgment of her concerns. It might have been nice to learn a little more about Logan and Lily and their background outside of their supporting character roles. In spite of feeling the story was a bit lacking, I still very much enjoyed their interactions here that I found to be extremely romantic and super-sexy. This was just a fun little uncomplicated story that was a pleasure to read. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including a D/s relationship, self-pleasuring in public, light bondage, use of sex toys, wax play, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Oct 24, 2023
not set
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Oct 26, 2023
not set
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Sep 20, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 0986119504
| 9780986119507
| 0986119504
| 4.40
| 15,997
| Feb 01, 2011
| Feb 11, 2015
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Make Me, Sir is the fifth book in Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of the Shadowlands erotic romance series, which primarily takes p Reviewed for THC Reviews Make Me, Sir is the fifth book in Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of the Shadowlands erotic romance series, which primarily takes place in a BDSM club of the same name. Marcus has only recently taken over as the Master of the trainees when club owner Master Z insists that he personally take on Gabrielle, a bratty new sub who was just admitted to the club. After a failed marriage to a brat who always sought attention, Marcus doesn’t really want to repeat the experience and typically prefers more biddable submissives. However, as a favor to Z, he reluctantly agrees. The more time he spends with Gabi, though, the more her behavior baffles him. She definitely has a submissive side and can melt under his skilled domination, but just when he thinks he’s getting through to her, she acts up again. Little does he know that Gabi is working undercover as a decoy for the FBI, trying to take down a human trafficking ring. She’s actually a social worker, not an agent, but after her friend was kidnapped and she heard the agents in charge were looking for women in the bureau with experience in the scene to pose as decoy submissives in BDSM clubs, she volunteered to help. At first, Master Marcus rubs her the wrong way, but before long, she’s craving his touch. She hates disappointing him and wishes she could tell him the truth, but since the slavers are looking for bratty submissives to break, she knows she has to keep up the ruse. As her assignment winds down, Gabi realizes she’s become more attached to Marcus than she intended, but based on comments from other submissives at Club Shadowlands, she believes that Marcus was only being nice to her because Z asked him to and that she’d never be his type. When the traffickers finally come after her, she finds herself fighting for her life, but if she makes it out alive, Marcus will have his work cut out for him convincing Gabi that he genuinely wants her. Gabrielle grew up as the only child of exacting parents who seemed obsessed with propriety and projecting the aura of a perfect family. They expected too much of her, which led to her running away and ending up joining a gang. After a traumatic event, she was rescued by a kindly victim specialist who inspired her to get her life together and become a social worker herself. During college, she played a little at public BDSM clubs, so when her friend is kidnapped, Gabi volunteers to put her experience to use as a decoy. The profile of the women the trackers have been taking are bratty submissives who their buyers want the pleasure of breaking, so although it doesn’t entirely come naturally for her, Gabi tries to play her role well. When she meets Master Marcus, the dom she’s been paired with, the stuffy lawyer reminds her too much of her parents. However, the more time he spends with her, the more she begins to see a different side of him. Gabi knows she’s confusing him with her behavior and hates seeing the disappointment in his eyes every time she sasses him, but if she wants to attract the attention of the slavers, she has no choice. As she gets closer to the end of her assignment, she starts to realize that she’s falling for Marcus and wishes he felt the same, but another sub has claimed he’s her boyfriend and that Marcus hates brats, convincing Gabi that Marcus doesn’t truly want her. Then the traffickers finally come after her, leaving her fighting to survive and everyone else in a race against time to save her. Overall, I thought Gabi was a good heroine. After what she’d been through in the past, she was brave to step up to help her friend. She has a backbone and the spirit of a survivor, but at the same time she can be sweet. I like that she cares so much about other people and wants to help everyone she can. Marcus is an assistant DA who grew up in rural Georgia, so between his Southern gentlemanly charm and handsome good looks, he’s a sought after dom at Club Shadowlands. His ex-wife’s bratty behavior and constant need for attention left a bad taste in his mouth, so now he usually takes his pleasures with more docile subs. Having just recently taken over as the Master of the sub trainees, he’s surprised when Z asks him to take a personal interest in a brand new trainee. It’s an unusual request, which makes Marcus wary, but he agrees, only to be slightly annoyed when he discovers how bratty she is. Still, he’s committed to training her for the next month, so he makes good on his promise. Gabi keeps confounding him at every turn, though. She says she wants to be there, and he can tell that she definitely has submissive qualities. However, time and time again, just as Marcus thinks that he’s made a genuine connection and is making headway on figuring out why she’s such a troublemaker, she reverts back to her old behavior. Despite his frustration, Marcus can’t help but start to like Gabi. Unlike his ex, he can tell she isn’t doing it for attention and she does have a sweet side that’s very attractive to him. But it’s not until he puts her into subspace and she accidentally confesses that he finally understands the real reason for her brattiness and her mission in being at Club Shadowlands. Marcus is upset about not being told sooner, but once he’s apprised of the situation, he’s more than willing to help. When Gabi’s assignment is over and she leaves the club without even saying goodbye, he knows he has to find a way to get her back. And when the bad guys kidnap her, he’ll move heaven and earth, risking his own life, to find and rescue her. For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I didn’t fall for Marcus quite as hard as I did for several of the other heroes in the series so far, but he was still a really good character. I love that he was so patient with Gabi even though he didn’t understand her behavior and he paid attention to the things that mattered to her, coming up with a great scene to convince her of his love. But ultimately he was a somewhat underdeveloped character, which might have contributed to me not feeling as connected to him. Many past and future heroes and heroines of the series put in appearances. Zachary and Jessica (Club Shadowlands) were front and center with their own POV scenes. After a rather uncomfortable first meeting with Z’s grown sons, Jessica starts to have doubts about his feelings for her. This is only exacerbated by her suspicions that he’s keeping something from her and his seeming deference to Gabi that’s different than the attention he shows to the other subs. This leads to some excitement for them and ultimately a deepening of their relationship. Dan and Kari (Dark Citadel) are seen with Kari expecting. Nolan and Beth (Breaking Free) take the next steps in their relationship. Cullen and Andrea (Lean on Me) are still going strong, too. We see a little more of Master Raoul who will be paired with Gabi’s friend, Kim, in the next book, To Command and Collar, as well as Master Sam, who will become the hero of the next-next book, This Is Who I Am. We’re introduced to Vance and Gaelen, the FBI agents who are in charge of the investigation and who are also doms on the side. They will be matched as a threesome with long-time supporting character Sally who has been having trouble finding the right dom for her in the eighth book, If Only. There’s also a brief mention of sub trainee, Uzuri, who finds her HEA in book #12, Mischief and the Masters, and Gabi has a short interaction with dom Holt, who becomes the hero of book #13, Beneath the Scars. Up to this point I’ve loved every book in the Masters of the Shadowlands series, and while I did enjoy Make Me, Sir, it wasn’t quite as perfect for me as all the other books have been. I liked Marcus and Gabi as individual characters and they worked well together as a couple. However, I think that because there was a different dynamic to their relationship, it didn’t quite give me all the feels I’d hoped for. I understood that Gabi was under orders not to tell Marcus about her undercover mission, but him being in the dark led to a lot of confusion and frustration for him. That’s not to say that they didn’t make an emotional connection before he found out the truth, but it still kind of put a bit of a damper on their interactions for me because sometimes Gabi’s reactions were real and other times they were forced for the sake of the role she was playing as decoy. I was also a little disappointed in Gabi for not fighting harder for a relationship with Marcus and her lack of communication with him about that possibility. Again, I understood that she was led to believe he already had a girlfriend and that he didn’t like brats, but I still couldn’t help feeling like she should have had a little more faith in their connection and at least talked with him instead of basically ghosting him. I did, however, like the human trafficking suspense subplot. As I would expect, all the doms at Club Shadowlands abhor the very thought of it and all do their part to stop it. There are things left unsolved at the end of the book, and I know that this part of the story will continue into the next book, maybe further. I look forward to finding out how that all turns out. The other thing I’ve always loved about this series are the doms. Underneath all their overbearing, hard-ass natures (Marcus’s included) there’s a certain sweetness. They may be disciplined, but they treat the subs with kindness and respect. I’m very particular about my dom heroes, but the ones in this series keep me coming back for more. So even though Make Me, Sir wasn’t quite perfect, I still very much look forward to reading Master Raoul’s story soon. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including BDSM elements, voyeurism/exhibitionism, flogging, sex toys, costumes, intimate shaving, anal play, and a MFM menage scene, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
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Sep 08, 2024
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Sep 08, 2024
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| B07C5KK66G
| 3.76
| 1,327
| Mar 10, 2013
| Jun 20, 2018
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews If It Flies is the third book in L. A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov’s Market Garden series, which follows a group of rent boys at Reviewed for THC Reviews If It Flies is the third book in L. A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov’s Market Garden series, which follows a group of rent boys at the exclusive London club/brothel of the same name. In this one, we have Spencer, an over-worked and closeted corporate attorney who always seems to feel stressed out. It’s been a while since he’s been in a relationship and one-night stands come with their own issues for him, so his friend, Percy, who happens to be the only co-worker who knows Spencer is gay, suggests that he hire a prostitute from Market Garden to blow off a little steam. Spencer is a bit dubious about paying for sex, so he only reluctantly accompanies Percy to the club. He’s no sooner through the door, though, when a gorgeous and cockily confident man approaches him. Everything about Nick (another of the Market Garden rent boys who was briefly seen in the first two stories) seems to turn Spencer on, and before long, he’s shelling out the dough to take this man home. Nick is a Dom and a sadist who slowly introduces Spencer to the bliss of pain combined with pleasure. Spencer had always felt like something was missing in his past sexual encounters, and he soon comes to realizes that he’s a masochist who loves submitting to Nick’s special brand of erotic torture. For the next several months, Spencer becomes a regular client, while trying to compartmentalize their sessions in order to follow Nick’s rule of it only being a business transaction. But when Nick is the one who slips up, passionately kissing Spencer in the aftermath of one of their encounters, he runs scared, leaving Spencer wondering if he’ll ever again see the man he’s come to care for and trust like no other and has counted on to always been there for him. I absolutely loved the first two short stories in the Market Garden series, so I’ve been eager to pick up If It Flies for a while. Knowing from the cover blurb that Nick was a sadist, I went into reading this one with a little trepidation. I’m more comfortable with the B&D in BDSM and kind of draw the line at leaving marks, but even though the S&M parts weren’t entirely my cuppa, I did still enjoy this story. I admit that during the first half or so, I wasn’t feeling a strong emotional connection between Nick and Spencer, because of their business-only arrangement, but it was pretty clear that Spencer was longing for more even though he was trying to be pragmatic. However, once Nick loses a little of his self-control and kisses Spencer after one of their more intense sessions, then I could really feel how much they’d started to care for one another and that they were gradually becoming more than just sex worker and client. Of course, Nick almost immediately runs away, scared. I understood that he was just trying to figure things out and that he was afraid of losing his independence if he agreed to a real relationship with Spencer, but I couldn’t help being just a tad disappointed that it took him seeing Spencer chatting it up with another Dom for Nick to finally realize how much Spencer meant to him. Spencer, on the other hand, went out to an orgy with Percy during his brief separation from Nick and knew right away that what he needed wasn’t there. I simply couldn’t help wondering if they’d ever have gotten back together if not for Spencer somewhat reluctantly returning to Market Garden in search of a new Dom. All’s well that ends well, though, because after their little reunion, they share their most intense session yet, which led to a heartfelt HFN ending. If It Flies is longer than the first two books of the series, but still only novella length, so it’s mostly about the sexy times with limited character and plot development. Because of this, I was glad to see that the next book, If It Fornicates, is also about Nick and Spencer, so I’m hoping that it will flesh out their characters a little more and give them a more solid HEA. Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, including a dom/sub relationship, sadism/masochism, sex work, and an orgy, which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
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Aug 20, 2024
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Aug 20, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1419904426
| 9781419904424
| 1419904426
| 3.49
| 2,766
| Dec 2005
| Dec 2005
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews "4.5" Masks is a stand-alone, erotic, contemporary romance novelette. Chloe is a shy, retiring, elementary school teacher who Reviewed for THC Reviews "4.5" Masks is a stand-alone, erotic, contemporary romance novelette. Chloe is a shy, retiring, elementary school teacher who hasn’t had much luck when it comes to dating. She’s always felt like she’s lived in the shadow of her identical twin sister, Zoe, who she views as far more elegant and outgoing. Despite knowing that Zoe is adventurous, Chloe is shocked when her sister confesses that she’s a dominatrix. An injured Zoe wants Chloe to switch places with her for one night to service an important client. Zoe says it will be easy as long as she follows three rules: Don’t lose control of the situation, don’t have sex with the client, and don’t ever take off the mask she’ll be wearing. Chloe isn’t sure how she got talked into such a harebrained scheme, but next thing she knows she’s answering the door of Zoe’s townhouse to find a tall, muscular man in a sexy leather mask who makes her forget everything Zoe told her. Soon Chloe discovers that Mark is anything but the submissive she’d been led to believe he was. Instead he’s an alpha who quickly takes over the scene, sending Chloe into paroxysms of lust that scramble her brain. Before the night is over, she’s broken the first two rules, but she’s had the most memorable sex of her life and found that she and Mark actually have a lot in common. She decides to throw the final rule out the window, too, and take off their masks, but little does she know that both Mark and his mask are hiding secrets that could ruin her budding feelings for him. Masks has been on my TBR pile for a long time, and I’m glad that I finally got around to reading it. It wasn’t exactly a perfect story. I admit Chloe warming up so quickly to having sex with a complete stranger was a little odd for me, but I was willing to go with the flow. I decided that she could have been trusting her sister’s judgment, since Zoe had interviewed Mark ahead of time, not to mention, her own body’s responses to him. And Mark is admittedly ooooh, soooo sexy! He’s an alpha cinnamon roll hero who is sweet and gentle while taking charge, a delightful dirty talker, and a scrumptiously skillful lover. Then he reveals why he’s wearing the mask and later why he agreed to this scenario in the first place, both of which make him very sympathetic. And on top of that he’s a wealthy geek. Oh, be still my heart!:-) I don’t think anyone could have written a more perfect hero for me if they tried. [Swoon] I liked Chloe, too. She’s sweet and awkward, totally out of her element trying to pretend to be a dominatrix, so it was probably a good thing that Mark quickly put her out of her misery so to speak. Initially she’s very accepting of Mark. However, when she finds out how he ended up there, she just completely cuts him off at the knees. This is where I would have liked to see the author explain a little better why Chloe felt the way she did. If there had been more background, I might have understood her reaction, but with what little was given, it felt a bit over-the-top for the circumstances, especially since she and Mark had experienced such a deep, visceral connection in just a few hours. It wasn’t a deal-breaker for me, though, because it gave Mark an opportunity to do a little more wooing. I’m glad that Chloe finally allowed him to explain and gave him another chance. Otherwise, I would have thought she’d completely lost her mind to give up a guy like him.:-D So, overall, Masks was a deliciously steamy little nugget of a tale that really hit the spot. It was my first read by Evangeline Anderson, but it’s left me very open to trying more of her works. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations. However, for a story featuring dominatrix garb and a BDSM dungeon, the content is pretty tame, with only one relatively mild scene of bondage and a finger at the back door. ...more |
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Jun 21, 2024
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Jun 21, 2024
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ebook
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| 1393358241
| 9781393358244
| 1393358241
| 3.69
| 62
| 2009
| Feb 16, 2021
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Her Dark Master is a stand-alone, erotic, historical romance novella set in the Regency era. Although still a virgin, Victoria Reviewed for THC Reviews Her Dark Master is a stand-alone, erotic, historical romance novella set in the Regency era. Although still a virgin, Victoria is anything but a proper lady. Ever since finding her brother’s collection of underground erotic magazines, she’s been eager to try the things she’s read about. She’s also become an anonymous contributor to the magazine, writing her own steamy tales that are fueled by her desire for her brother’s best friend, Matthew. Lately Tori’s mother has been pressuring her to marry and seems to have chosen one particular man to fixate upon, an older military commander whom Tori despises. She hopes that Matthew will someday notice her as a woman, but so far, he seems oblivious to her. After being hurt by his former fiancee, Matthew doesn’t trust women and although he’s attracted to Tori, he tries to ignore her, instead seeking his dark pleasures from women of the night. When Tori overhears Matthew making plans to go to a brothel, she wants to be the only one with whom he shares such intimacies and she also wants to have one night of passion with the man she loves in case the worst happens and she’s forced to marry her odious suitor. She makes a plan of her own, paying the prostitute Matthew is supposed to meet at the brothel to take her place. Wearing a mask to conceal her identity, she experiences a delicious taste of what it’s like to submit to a sexual master who shows her that her stories were a mere facsimile of the real thing. For Matthew, too, the night was unlike anything he’s ever experienced before, but when he finally realizes who his perfect playmate was that night, he plans an erotic payback, never expecting to want so much more from Tori than the pleasure one night in her bed can bring. But a blackmailer who seems to know everything Tori has been up to kidnaps her, leaving Matthew racing to find her before the unthinkable happens. In her third season, Victoria has thus far been choosy about her suitors, hoping that Matthew might one day seek out her hand. So far, he’s been very stubbornly ignoring her, while Tori pines for him from afar. Every time she reads a naughty story in the erotic magazine or writes one of her own, it’s Matthew who stars in her fantasies and she desperately wants him to be the one to introduce her to such pleasures. However, she’s gained a blackmailer who seems to have discovered her secret writing endeavors, something no one but her very best friend knows. Lately her mother has also been pushing one particular suitor at Tori, an older gentleman she definitely doesn’t want to marry. Her mother is quite adamant that he’ll make a great husband, but despite Tori’s repeated inquiries, her mother won’t say why it has to be this man. Fearing she may not have a choice in the matter and wanting to experience what Matthew has to offer firsthand, she creates her scheme to replace the prostitute at the brothel, which leads to a night of unbelievable passion and submission to the man she loves. When Matthew figures out it was her, though, he plots an erotic payback that equally enthralls Tori. But before Matthew can make a formal offer for her hand, she finds herself kidnapped by her blackmailer and at his mercy. Overall, Tori was a pretty good heroine. A part of me wishes she could have accomplished her goals without being deceptive, but I suppose the anonymity of the situation only added to the excitement. I like that she didn’t pressure Matthew into marriage afterward, and that she matched his passion with a fire of her own. She proved to be the perfect person with whom he could live out his kinks. As the second son of a earl, Matthew’s prospects weren’t as bright as his brother’s. He was once engaged, but his fiancee ended up throwing him over for a titled aristocrat, then came back begging for another chance after he unexpectedly inherited a title after his brother’s death. As a result, he thinks all women are conniving and manipulative, so he’s determined not to marry anytime soon, and when he does, it will only be a business arrangement. Although his best friend’s sister, Victoria, presents a temptation to him, Matthew doesn’t want to get involved with her, fearing that she might be the one woman who could steal his heart again. When Matthew receives word from the madame of the brothel he prefers that she has a new girl she thinks would be perfect for someone of his singular tastes, he’s eager to try her out. The woman he finds is incredibly responsive to his domination and spankings and proves to be the perfect bedmate for him. Despite her hiding behind a mask, he cannot stop thinking of how she looked and smelled and eventually he puts the pieces together to realize it was Tori all along. Angered by her deception, he’s determined to get revenge, but she’s just as responsive to his erotic punishments as she was that first night, making him loathe to allow her to marry anyone else. However, when the blackmailer strikes, he’ll have to race to her rescue. Matthew was a delicious lover who knows how to pleasure a woman into oblivion. He had every right to be upset about Tori’s deception, but despite his past bad experiences, I’m glad he didn’t take too long to come around and realize that she was perfect for him. Her Dark Master has been on my TBR pile for quite some time, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Overall, it was a good story. It’s the length of a long novella, so my main complaint would be that it wasn’t quite long enough to suit me. Some authors can tell a very tight and satisfying story in this shorter format, but here, I found myself wishing that Ms. August had lengthened it a bit to deepen the characterizations. There’s just enough present for me to like both Matthew and Victoria, but more background definitely wouldn’t have gone amiss. Likewise there were times when she skimmed over certain parts of the story, which I thought would have been better if written out in more detail. I also admit that the overall premise of the story, that of a young virgin who got a sexual education from underground erotic magazines and put it to use by taking the place of a prostitute to be with the man she loves, is perhaps a bit far-fetched for the times, but it was well-written enough that I was willing to suspend disbelief. The love scenes are done quite well, too, and blazingly hot, sufficiently melting by brain to make me forget some of the other story weaknesses. Tori was rather refreshingly adventurous and no shrinking violet of a miss, while Matthew is a dream lover for anyone into his brand of erotic pleasures. I like that they knew each other well before their tryst, and despite the oddity of how they got together, they proved to be the perfect partners. There’s just a touch of mystery in who is blackmailing Tori and why her mother is so adamant about her marrying the colonel. I would say that all in all, Her Dark Master was an enjoyable story for anyone who’s willing to dive into the fantasy of it. This was my first read by Jennifer August, but it has left me interested in checking out her other works. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including mild bondage, spanking with a crop, domination/submission, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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May 20, 2024
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May 23, 2024
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May 20, 2024
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ebook
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| 1609282604
| 9781609282608
| 1609282604
| 3.66
| 1,281
| Oct 09, 2010
| Nov 30, 2010
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews "4.5 stars" Falling, Freestyle is the first book in Vivian Arend’s Xtreme Adventures duet. Kane and Jack have been best friend Reviewed for THC Reviews "4.5 stars" Falling, Freestyle is the first book in Vivian Arend’s Xtreme Adventures duet. Kane and Jack have been best friends since childhood and do almost everything together. They added Dara into their little friends’ group after meeting her when she moved into the same apartment building and they’ve all been pretty inseparable for the last four years. They share the same passion for snow sports and take an annual skiing trip together. Dara has been attracted to both men for a while, but she’s kept her distance, not knowing how they feel about her. Kane and Jack both want to pursue Dara romantically, so they end up having a spat over who should get that chance first, which Dara accidentally overhears. Feeling she can’t possibly choose between them, she makes a plan to seduce them both into sharing a menage during their vacation, hoping that it might help her decide which one she’s more compatible with. While Kane and Jack are surprised by Dara’s overt sexual invitation, neither of them can deny her what she wants, so they end up spending their days tearing up the slopes and their nights burning up the sheets. When their trip comes to an end, Dara is even more conflicted and can’t imagine being without either of her guys. She proposes a permanent menage, but Jack isn’t sold on the idea and needs a bit of persuading from Kane and Dara to give it a try. I’d say that the main weakness of this story is that it doesn’t have a great deal of character development. Beyond learning how Kane, Jack, and Dara became friends, we aren't given much information about their backgrounds or their current circumstances, such as their family lives and what they do for a living, as well as whether an unconventional relationship might affect those things. However, I can happily say that they all have distinct personalities and kinky preferences. After reading erotic romances, Dara is into the idea of a menage. She isn’t sure if it’s one of those things that’s better in theory than in practice, but she’s daring enough to take the reins in order to find out. Kane loves that Dara is into him, but he’d rather it be one-on-one. He’s heard about guys in menages crossing swords, which is something that doesn’t interest him at all. This makes him angst over Dara’s suggestion until Jack offers up a little reassurance. Kane isn’t really into BDSM either, but finds that he kind of likes Jack taking control of their intimate times. Jack is the kind of guy who’s up for just about anything. From the moment Dara makes her proposition, he’s totally on board, wanting to fulfill all her fantasies. He enjoys things like bondage and spanking and he likes to dominate in the bedroom. He loves sharing intimacies with his two best friends for the weekend, but he’s also more of a pragmatist when it comes to the idea of a permanent threesome, feeling it probably wouldn’t work for a number of reasons. However, Kane knows him well enough to realize what Jack needs to spur him into action. Overall, I very much enjoyed Falling, Freestyle. The characterizations may have been a little underdeveloped but there’s enough present that I can say I liked all three quite well. Having Kane and Jack angst over certain parts of Dara’s suggestion made it seem more real than if they’d all just fallen into bed together without even thinking about it. Anyone who reads my reviews with any degree of regularity will know that I’m a total sucker for friends-to-lovers romances, so that aspect made it even more appealing to me. Them all being friends for so long also made the rapid progression to lovers a lot more believable as well. The book is novella length, so it’s primarily about the sexy times, but there’s just enough story in between to keep things interesting. As for the steam factor, it’s off the charts. The love scenes are extremely well written with plenty of variety. I just love how Kane and Jack both treat Dara with gentleness and respect and are eager to fulfill her fantasies. All said, I had a great time reading Falling, Freestyle. It was my first book by Vivian Arend, but it definitely won’t be my last. I look forward to the second book of the series and checking out her back list as well. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations in both M/F and M/F/M combinations, including mild bondage, spanking and domination, exhibitionism, creative use of icicles, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
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Mar 14, 2024
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| 9781609682385
| unknown
| 3.29
| 34
| Jan 01, 2007
| 2007
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews All She Wants for Christmas is a short, stand-alone, erotic romance novelette. Hayley has been fantasizing about her husband, Reviewed for THC Reviews All She Wants for Christmas is a short, stand-alone, erotic romance novelette. Hayley has been fantasizing about her husband, Conner, spanking her for some time, but she’s shy and can’t figure out how to broach the subject with him. She thought that she was the only one who had these kinds of desires, until she lets the cat out of the bag in the company of her friends and discovers that all of them have been spanked before and like it. As her friends relate the stories of their first spankings, Hayley becomes more excited about the prospect until Conner finally gives her the best Christmas present ever by fulfilling her sexy longings. I have to admit that I finished All She Wants for Christmas with very mixed feelings. The first half of the story, where Hayley’s first three friends relate their spanking stories made me uncomfortable because of the dubious consent in each of them. At least Genevieve’s was with her boyfriend and there was a certain level of trust in their relationship, but it still bothered me that he never discussed it with her to make sure she was on board before putting her over his knee. Lyndsay’s story really set my teeth on edge, because it was a boss/employee situation. I don’t care that he didn’t pursue anything sexually with her at the time or that he eventually became her husband. There was a clear power differential and no relationship between them that would’ve indicated the proper level of trust for this type of interaction. IMHO this was nothing short of sexual assault. Monica’s story made me almost equally perturbed because Lyndsay orchestrated the whole thing behind Monica’s back and then Monica’s husband took her over his knee with Lyndsay and her husband both present. Again there was no discussion of whether Monica would be okay with any of it, and if a friend did that to me, they wouldn’t be my friend anymore. Of course, all three of these ladies ate it up, loving every minute of their spankings once they got over the initial shock, but for me all three scenarios reeked of old-school forced seduction, which isn’t my thing. Now that’s not to say the entire story was bad, because I did very much like the latter half of it. The fourth friend, Jill, was not unlike Hayley in that she wanted her husband to spank her, but wasn’t sure if he’d want to, so she made a bet with him. She of course lost, but technically got what she wanted anyway. Then because one of Hayley’s friends puts a bug in Conner’s ear, he finally fulfills Hayley’s Christmas wish by giving her a sexy spanking followed by some smokin’ hot lovin’. Because both Jill and Hayley knew what they wanted and weren’t blindsided by their partners, I thoroughly enjoyed their parts of the story. The only other thing that bugged me a little is that there were quite a lot of typos for such a short story, which could be distracting. I considered giving this novelette a lower rating due to my misgivings, but because it ended on a high note for me, I didn’t. If not for the dub-con in the other ladies’ stories, it definitely would have been a keeper for me, so I figured knocking off one star for that was sufficient. All She Wants for Christmas was my first read by Paige Tyler. Other than the typos it was well-written. The story itself had its good points and bad points, but overall it was enjoyable enough to make me open to trying something else from this author. I just hope that her other books have more enthusiastic consent in them. Unfortunately it appears that this novelette is no longer available for purchase at this time. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 15, 2023
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Dec 15, 2023
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Dec 15, 2023
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ebook
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| 141993161X
| 9781419931611
| 141993161X
| 3.84
| 89
| Nov 30, 2010
| Nov 30, 2010
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liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews "3.5 stars" All He Wants is a short, stand-alone, erotic romance novelette. Keith is Telly’s older brother’s best friend, so t Reviewed for THC Reviews "3.5 stars" All He Wants is a short, stand-alone, erotic romance novelette. Keith is Telly’s older brother’s best friend, so they’ve known each other for years. Although they’ve kind of had a thing for each other, Keith kept his distance because of their age difference and them always seeming to be in different stages of life. During his most recent military deployment overseas, Keith and Telly kept in touch, and when Telly became pregnant by a guy she no longer wants in her life, Keith offered to let her stay at his house rent-free in exchange for house-sitting. He also discovered a fetish for a pregnant woman’s body when pictures of Telly with her growing belly started really turning him on. Now returning home at Christmastime, he’s eager to claim both Telly and the baby as his own. But Telly has an independent streak a mile wide, and while her pregnancy-charged libido makes her eager for sex, she doesn’t seem as anxious for a long-term commitment. Keith will have his work cut out for him convincing her otherwise. I came very close to giving All He Wants four stars. There were definitely things about it that I enjoyed. Keith was a sweetheart who really wanted to look out for Telly and the baby, even though she didn’t seem to appreciate him wanting to take care of her, and he was patient and forward-thinking enough to respect her need for independence. Also, not every guy would be able to accept another man’s child, but he was eager for fatherhood and family, which was very appealing to me. The steamy scenes were well-done, too, with several packed into this short novelette, showcasing variety and creativity. However, as much as I enjoyed those aspects of the story, when I really started to think about it, there were also several weaknesses. Telly could be very confusing to me. Deep down it seems like she wants Keith, but she fights an actual relationship with him almost tooth-and-nail and doesn’t really believe anything he tells her. For example, he says she’s beautiful and that he wants her, but she thinks he’s just horny from a long deployment with no women around. Or he tells her to stay with him, then she’s immediately looking for other living arrangements. Keith was basically a dream lover and boyfriend, but I felt like Telly kept pushing him away, which was frustrating to me. Also, there’s a bombshell revelation regarding her ex that’s dropped in the last chapter that I didn’t feel was given anywhere near the weight it deserved. Then the ending was rather abrupt, leaving me not entirely satisfied or convinced that Keith and Telly were on the same page and fully ready to commit. In fact, Keith declares his love, but Telly doesn’t, at least not directly, which was a little disappointing. My frustrations aside, though, the things I liked about this little novelette weighed heavily in its favor, so I did mostly enjoy reading it. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. However, aside from the pregnancy fetish, there isn’t anything particularly kinky or out there. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 07, 2023
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Dec 08, 2023
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Dec 07, 2023
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ebook
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| B07C4ZWNFY
| 3.83
| 1,733
| Feb 23, 2013
| May 22, 2018
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it was amazing
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Take It Off is the second book in L. A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov’s Market Garden series that follows a group of rent boys who Reviewed for THC Reviews Take It Off is the second book in L. A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov’s Market Garden series that follows a group of rent boys who work at an exclusive, upscale London club of the same name. It picks up Tristan and Jared’s story just a short time after we left them in the last book, Quid Pro Quo. It’s been perhaps a couple of months since their first encounter together, “performing” for Rolex, the nickname they gave to the wealthy john who set them on this path. Since then, they’ve continued their act for other johns or sometime to tag team the customers. Given how close they’ve become, Tristan has been catching feelings for Jared, but lately he feels like Jared has been pulling away. Tristan wants to take their relationship outside the club and away from the customers, but unsure if Jared feels the same way, he’s been trying to screw up the courage to find out. Then Rolex returns for a repeat performance, giving Tristan what he thinks might be the perfect opportunity to show Jared just how much he’s come to care about him, until Rolex and Jared turn the tables on him so that Jared can get sweet revenge by tormenting Tristan this time around. The first story of the series was written from Jared’s POV, but this one is from Tristan’s perspective, which was a welcome change of pace. Previously Tristan was the confident, charming, and more dominant one of the pair, while Jared was a little more unsure of himself. We knew from that story that Jared was crushing hard on Tristan, so he was eager to team up with him to give their customer a steamy show. This time around Tristan is the one developing feelings for Jared. He’s starting to want alone time with him so that they can just get to know one another and do what pleases them rather than having to always please the customers. But because they’ve never really discussed it, Tristan isn’t sure if their performances together are just an act for Jared or if there’s something more to it. I liked seeing this more vulnerable side to Tristan, because it showed him as more than the confident, dominant lover. It was also an interesting twist to have Jared be the one teasing and tormenting Tristan, because it not only showed that Jared has gained confidence but also showed Tristan in a more defenseless state, where he just can’t resist Jared’s hotness. As with the first story, Take It Off is mostly about the sex, and whew!, is it ever steamy, totally setting the pages on fire. Also like the first, it has more of an HFN ending, with Tristan and Jared finally agreeing to see each other outside of work. However, I know that there’s one more story to come for these two heroes, the sixth book of the series, Pay Off, where I hope they’ll finally get their HEA. I just adore Tristan and Jared together and look forward to reading more about them and the other boys at Market Garden. Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, including voyeurism/exhibitionism, sex work, and a little MMM menage action, which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 16, 2023
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Sep 16, 2023
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Sep 16, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 9781612172729
| 1612172725
| 3.87
| 87
| Mar 01, 2012
| Mar 2012
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews "4.5 stars" His for the Weekend is a stand-alone, contemporary, erotic, romance novella. Marcus and Cassie have been working t Reviewed for THC Reviews "4.5 stars" His for the Weekend is a stand-alone, contemporary, erotic, romance novella. Marcus and Cassie have been working together for a while at Fantasies, Inc., a company devoted to bringing pleasure to its clients. Marcus is in R & D, where he works on the development of new sex toys, while Cassie is the head of the customer service department. They’ve shared an attraction for a while, but Cassie has been fighting it because she fears becoming like her mother, a woman who was so submissive that she ended up being abused by Cassie’s father who wasn’t a proper Dom. Marcus has been persistent in his pursuit of Cassie, and truth be told, Cassie is curious about what it would be like to have Marcus as her lover. When he sends her his latest outrageously sexy gift, she’s about to shut him down, but decides to make a deal with him instead. She’ll give him one no-holds-barred weekend but at the end of that time, he’ll stop pursuing her. Marcus agrees, but he’s so crazy about Cassie, he hopes that when the weekend is over, she’ll change her mind. Slowly and patiently, he works to tear down her walls and get her to open up. Cassie is surprised to find that she’s more comfortable with Marcus and more able to trust him than any man she’s ever been with, and he, in turn, gives her mind-blowing pleasure the likes of which she’s never experienced before. But when their weekend is up, will Cassie be able to be completely honest with Marcus, sharing her most deep-seated fear, and will Marcus be able to accept her as she is? It can be difficult to develop characters in a short novella format like this, but I thought that the author did a very good job with Cassie and Marcus. When Cassie was old enough to understand the type of relationship her parents had, she started to fear that she might be a submissive like her mother, craving pain to the point of allowing herself to be used and abused. She also fears that all Doms are like her dad who was abusive, in certain ways, to both her and her mom. Instinctively knowing that Marcus is the type of man who likes control, she’s resisted getting involved with him, not wanting to lose herself in a BDSM relationship. But she can’t seem to resist at least giving him a one-time chance. When she finally gives in to his romantic and sexual overtures, she’s surprised to find a man who is nothing like her father and who is intensely focused on her pleasure, which for him goes beyond the bedroom. Marcus is exactly my kind of Dom, sweet and patient, gently pushing Cassie out of her comfort zone. He intuitively knows that she’s harboring fears and takes his time to earn her trust, always respecting her wishes when she uses her safe word. In doing so, he also helps her to face her fears and fully open up to him about what’s holding her back. As my first read by Marie Tuhart, His for the Weekend turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I thought that given Cassie’s background, her fears were very relatable, but once she was with a man she felt she could trust, she was finally able to get past them. I adored Marcus for being so gentle and patiently working with Cassie to help her open up. He’s not into pain, only giving pleasure in fun and creative ways, and I love that, for him, it’s not just about the sex, but also about setting a scene, including things like cooking for and bathing his woman. He’s just wonderfully accepting of Cassie and treats her like a precious jewel. As one might expect in a erotic romance, their love scenes are steamy and frequent, and in this case, oh so delicious! Marcus is a dream lover who is everything a woman could want. The only reason I marked the story down half a star is because the writing was a little rough around the edges with a number of typos and some awkwardly worded sentences that could have been smoothed out with better editing/proofreading. Otherwise, His for the Weekend was a thoroughly enjoyable read that has left me eager to try more from this author. Unfortunately it appears that this novella is no longer available for purchase at this time. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual content, including bondage and use of sex toys, that could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 11, 2023
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Jun 13, 2023
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Jun 11, 2023
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ebook
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| 2940012589934
| 4.53
| 15
| May 20, 2011
| May 27, 2011
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Celestial Sin is an erotic paranormal romance novella that tells the story of Essie, a thirty-nine-year-old divorcee who has n Reviewed for THC Reviews Celestial Sin is an erotic paranormal romance novella that tells the story of Essie, a thirty-nine-year-old divorcee who has never quite given up on true love, although she never would have expected to find it when an actual angel literally falls at her feet. Cam-ael is a warrior angel who was injured in the second war between heaven and hell, which resulted in him plummeting to Earth. Essie cares for him as he recovers from his wounds and he almost instantly falls in love with her, deciding that she’s someone for whom it would be worth becoming a fallen angel. While Essie instantly lusts after the gorgeous Cam, she resists his overtures to make love for a while because she’s worried about what might happen to them if they do, but eventually she can no longer resist. However, when Cam’s presence draws his demon foes into their midst, he is concerned about whether he can keep Essie safe, and there very well could be consequences for him defecting from the heavenly ranks to be with a mortal. Overall, Celestial Sin was a pretty good read, although not a perfect one. It’s a little short on character and plot development. We don’t really get much backstory on either character or any strong reasons for why they fall in love with one another, which happens almost instantaneously. I was willing to overlook it to some degree, though, because I did feel an emotional connection between them. The plot is pretty simplistic, too, with the demon adversaries being dispatched fairly easily and a pretty magical solution being presented that gives them their HEA despite her being mortal and him being immortal, as well as circumventing the consequences for him having violated the rules of heaven to be with her. The love scenes are steamy and plentiful with those and their lusty thoughts taking up most of the page count. However, more environmental details to set the scene better and more connecting details to pull everything together cohesively wouldn’t have gone amiss. It was just sometimes a little difficult to envision what was happening in my mind’s eye. Despite my critique, though, I did enjoy this story for what it was. It has a sweetness to it that I enjoyed. I also liked Essie and Cam for as well as I got to know them. I like that Essie didn’t let her divorce sour her on finding true love. Since Cam is a virgin, he’s a very sweet and tender lover, while also being eager and passionate, and he’s very protective, too, all admirable qualities. So all in all, not a bad read at all. Unfortunately it appears that this novella is no longer available for purchase at this time. Note: I’ve categorized this story as an erotic romance because the ratio of sex scenes to page count is high. It also contains an abundance of explicit language, but otherwise the love scenes are on par with steamy romances with nothing particularly kinky. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 24, 2023
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May 26, 2023
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May 24, 2023
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Nook
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| 0991322223
| 9780991322220
| 0991322223
| 4.31
| 15,555
| Mar 30, 2010
| Mar 10, 2014
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it was amazing
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Lean on Me is the fourth book in Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of the Shadowlands erotic romance series. Andrea knows she’s a sub Reviewed for THC Reviews Lean on Me is the fourth book in Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of the Shadowlands erotic romance series. Andrea knows she’s a submissive, but the so-called Doms at the Tampa BDSM club she’s been going to don’t do anything for her. She wants someone with the experience to fully command her body. When her best friend, Antonio, calls in a favor with a Dom at the exclusive Club Shadowlands to take her on as a trainee, Andrea jumps at the chance. As a maid at her day job, it’s a place where she’d otherwise never be able to afford the membership fees, so she’s willing to do whatever she must to be there. However, she quickly discovers that the independence drilled into her by her father since she was only a child, along with a past experience of sexual assault which makes her lash out at any man who approaches her too fast, are both problematic in a place like the Shadowlands where she’s expected to submit to any Master who commands her. The one man who begins to earn her trust, though, is Master Cullen who oversees all the submissive trainees, but when she discovers that he’s not the type to settle down with just one sub, Andrea fears her dreams of belonging only to him might never come true. For his part, Master Cullen is annoyed that Antonio called in his favor to get Andrea admitted to the trainee program. Most of the submissive trainees have been at the club for a while and know the ropes, but Andrea is an unknown quantity. Still, she seems willing enough to learn, and soon Cullen finds himself enjoying his time with his Amazon and realizes it’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate his role as trainer from that of her actual Master. Once the lines have been blurred, they both discover there’s no going back, but when Andrea keeps refusing to ask her Dom for help, over and over again, Cullen may just decide that he’s had enough. Andrea’s mother died when she was young and she was raised by an ex-military father who believed that a person couldn’t count on anyone but themselves. As such, he instilled a deep-rooted sense of independence in Andrea that makes it especially hard to allow herself to lean on anyone else even when she genuinely needs help. Despite that she knows deep down that she’s a submissive and desperately wants to find a Dom to love and care for her, so when her friend, Antonio, gets her into the trainee program at the Shadowlands, she couldn’t be happier. When she meets Master Cullen who’s in charge of the trainees, at first, he’s something of an irritation, but at the same time, he excites her body in a way no other Dom has before. After getting to know a few of the other Doms, though, Andrea quickly finds that Master Cullen is really the only one she truly wants. But when Antonio tells her that Cullen never gets involved with any sub at the club, much less a trainee, it seems her hopes of being his may be dashed until she’s finally able to let him know just how she really feels. After that, she’s living out her submissive dreams with the perfect Dom until her independent streak gets in the way of a great thing. As someone who’s rather independent myself and has trouble asking for help, I felt I really understood where Andrea was coming from. She maybe takes it a little further than I would, but given her past and the way she as brought up, it made perfect sense. When she was finally able to overcome her fears and make herself fully vulnerable to Cullen, genuinely asking for his help, it was a really poignant moment that left me with all the feels. Master Cullen has been on my radar since I met him in the first book of the series. He’s always been the affable bartender at the Shadowlands who everybody loves, but in his day job, he’s an arson investigator. He got into that line of work when his fiancee was killed in a fire, and he’s also still grieving the passing of his mother, who didn’t ask for help soon enough to keep her cancer from spreading. Ever since losing his fiancee, he’s decided to simply play the field and avoid any entanglements that could lead to love. Being in charge of the submissive trainees at the club works just fine for him until his friend calls in a favor to get Andrea admitted. On her first night there, Cullen is a bit annoyed with her, but aside from her hitting Doms who are too quick to touch her, a problem that he promptly gets to the root of, she’s generally a quick study. As an extremely tall and muscular man, Cullen is always afraid he’s going to accidentally hurt some of the tiny subs, so he finds Andrea’s tall, full-figured body very appealing. Soon he’s having far too much fun pleasuring her over and over again, and feeling territorial every time another Dom touches her, but his sub is having a hard time asking for help and using her safe words when she needs to. After one breakthrough, he finally decides she’s his, but when the problem still persists even after she’s promised to try harder, Cullen doesn’t think he can be with her anymore. I’ve loved Master Cullen ever since he first appeared in the series, so I’d been looking forward to his book. It definitely didn’t disappoint. He’s just as delectable as all the other Doms in the series so far, and will certainly go down as one of my favorites. His characterization perhaps could have gone a little deeper, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. Just like all the other Masters, he’s very patient with his sub and the perfect Dom to help her overcome her fears. As a part of a long-running series, Lean on Me features a number of supporting characters who have their own books in the series. All the past Masters and their subs make appearances, including Master Z & Jessica (Club Shadowlands), Master Dan and Kari (Dark Citadel), and Master Nolan and Beth (Breaking Free). All the Masters interact with Andrea on some level, while their subs befriend her, and they all engage in a fun after-hours party. Master Raoul is in a few scenes. He’ll become the hero of the sixth book, To Command and Collar. Sally, a rather bratty submissive who’s been having a little trouble finding a Dom to call her own and who also becomes a friend to Andrea, will finally get her HEA in the eighth book, If Only. There are a number of other characters mentioned who get their own books, but they didn’t have any real dialogue. I think the supporting character who stood out to me the most, though, is Master Marcus. I can’t recall if he’s appeared before or not, but I really liked how his personality showed through in this book, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book, Make Me, Sir. Overall, Lean on Me was yet another awesome book in the Masters of the Shadowlands series. Andrea was a great heroine who really stood out to me as someone I could relate to. I enjoyed her Latina culture and how family is so important to her. Cullen feels the same and fits in with her family quite well. I think that Andrea’s issues were handled in a realistic way and I loved the creative solution the author came up with to get her to finally fully submit to her Dom. Master Cullen is a dreamboat who takes his time, feeling out Andrea’s problems and working patiently to help her overcome them. I like how he’s certainly not immune to her and how she gets under his skin until he can’t bear to let anyone else touch her anymore. I also like that when another jealous sub accuses her of something bad, he immediately steps in to defend and protect her. The two of them made an excellent couple who really set the pages on fire with their ultra-steamy, creative sex play. Ms. Sinclair is masterful at using these scenes to reveal things about her characters and propel the plot forward which makes for compelling reading. By the end, I had no doubt that Cullen and Andrea were perfect for one another, which made this another exceptional read in this series that has definitely left me begging for more. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including BDSM elements, voyeurism/exhibitionism, sex toys, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 25, 2023
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Aug 31, 2023
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Apr 28, 2023
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1601549369
| 9781601549365
| 1601549369
| 3.78
| 389
| Feb 25, 2011
| Feb 25, 2011
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really liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Rafe’s Redemption is a stand-alone, historical, western, erotic romance. Maggie came west with her cousin, both to settle her Reviewed for THC Reviews Rafe’s Redemption is a stand-alone, historical, western, erotic romance. Maggie came west with her cousin, both to settle her late father’s affairs and to draw the beautiful frontier for an upcoming art show she’s planning to take part in back in her hometown of St. Louis. However, wanting the inheritance all for himself, her unscrupulous cousin decides to get rid of her along the way. Since he also finds himself with gambling debts in the little town of Cougar Creek, Colorado, he places her on the auction block. Maggie is terrified by all the rough mountain men who eagerly start bidding on her, but then through the crowd comes a handsome stranger who outbids them all. Rafe only came to town for supplies but he can’t stand to see a woman being mistreated. He only intends to get her out of her predicament and then take her to the nearest fort where she can find a stagecoach back home, but with a snowstorm moving in quickly, he has no choice but to take her to his cabin in the mountains until it’s safe to travel. Days turn into weeks, and soon neither of them can resist the delicious sexual tension that’s been growing between them. However, Maggie is an independent woman who isn’t sure she wants to tie herself to a man permanently. Not to mention, danger lurks and their romantic and passionate sojourn in the wilderness may soon be broken by either Maggie’s cousin coming for incriminating papers she took by mistake or Rafe’s stepbrother who is out for revenge. Maggie’s mother died when she was young and she was basically raised by their housekeeper, Nettie, a woman she adores. She loves to draw and paint, but her father never supported those endeavors. Nevertheless, she carried on and has plans to exhibit her work at a gallery in St. Louis. When her father passed unexpectedly, she decided to travel with her cousin to California to take care of some business interests her father had there, as well as take the time to draw the beautiful vistas along the way for her art show. But when they stop over in the tiny, rough and tumble town of Cougar Creek where her cousin racks up gambling debts, she learns just how unscrupulous he can be when he places her up for auction. As she’s seeking a way to escape her fate, a handsome stranger comes to her rescue, placing a high bid that no one can match. Not knowing what his intentions are, she’s a little afraid of him, but when he treats her kindly and says he’ll take her to the nearest fort so that she can return home as soon as the inclement weather passes, she grows to trust him. Being holed up in his tiny, mountain cabin together soon becomes more than either of them can resist. After all the men in her life let her down, Maggie isn’t sure she ever wants to marry, so she’s open to their relationship taking a passionate turn. She might not be able to resist, though, when Rafe turns out to be everything she could want in a man, but their happiness could be short-lived. Back in Cougar Creek, when Rafe went to the hotel for Maggie’s art satchel, he accidentally took incriminating papers that they know her cousin will want back and he likely won’t stop searching until he finds them. Maggie is a great heroine who is a nice mixture of sweet and feisty. She’s a strong woman who never gave up on her dreams of becoming an artist despite her father’s derision. She’s kind and caring, looking out for Rafe and giving back full measure to him in every way, and she’s just as protective of him as he is of her. The only thing about her that gave me pause is that I couldn’t figure out how a well-bred, virginal, young lady knew about the sexual things she did. She mentions that Nettie relayed the basics of sex, but it stretches the bounds of credibility to think that would include some of the spicy scenarios she was dreaming and fantasizing about before she and Rafe ever did the deed. Otherwise, though, I really liked her. Rafe was raised by a stepfather who never truly treated him like a son. He joined the Union army during the Civil War and quickly rose to the rank of an officer. However, an unfortunate incident involving his stepbrother at the end of the war, has left him guilt-ridden. When the rest of his family and his fiancee basically disowned and abandoned him for it, he went west and has been living the life of a hermit in the Colorado mountains. He comes to Cougar Creek to sell his furs and get supplies just as Maggie’s cousin starts auctioning her off. Rafe tells himself not to get involved, but his gentlemanly nature can’t abide seeing a woman being treated that way. He reluctantly buys her himself, intending to merely escort her to the nearest fort to catch the stage as soon as possible. But between the snowstorm, the knowledge that her cousin is likely coming for the papers, and other dangers, they’re delayed by weeks, during which time, their passion reaches a boiling point and he begins to fall for her. But Maggie has plans to travel the world to create and sell her art and doesn’t want a man infringing on her independence. Even if Rafe can convince her he won’t stifle her, word has it that his stepbrother is hot on his trail and out for blood, and until they’ve either faced off over the events of the past or called a truce, he and Maggie will never be safe. Rafe was a great hero, a nice mix of big city gentleman and rough, mountain man who has both a streak of alpha protectiveness and a heart of gold that he pretty much wears on his sleeve once he starts falling for Maggie. He’s been living a lonely tortured life over the incident in his past, and between that and the way he was treated growing up, he doesn’t view himself as lovable. But Maggie changes all that. She helps him come to terms with what happened (for the record, IMHO, he was in the right, even though he understandably feels bad about it), and gives him all the love he deserves. Rafe’s Redemption was my first read by Jennifer Jakes, and overall, I very much liked it. It’s both sweet and spicy, a combination I love in my romances. Both Rafe and Maggie are very likable and have good character development. A strong emotional connection grows between them, making their relationship sweet and loving, but there’s definitely no skimping on the steam factor. They fit well together as a couple, finding compromises to make things work. I was left with no doubt that they’d have a good, long-lasting romance. The danger posed by her cousin and his stepbrother was nicely woven in, offering a touch of suspense. However, as much as I enjoyed the story and the characters, this wasn’t a perfect book for me. Initially I felt like some of the sensuality was coming from out of nowhere and wasn’t fitting organically into the story. For example, having Maggie lusting for Rafe after he’d just bought her from the auction block and she didn’t really know his intentions yet was a bit much. In fact, the first several times they have lusty thoughts about each other, it felt like it was just being thrown in to meet some unspecified goal for erotic scenes. I can happily say, though, that this did improve, and as the story progressed and they got to know each other better, the emotional connection grew stronger. The other thing that bugged me is that there were a lot of typos, incorrect words, continuity errors, and other editorial issues that were a distraction and often pulled me out of the story, and on occasion, a few more details to help envision a scene better certainly wouldn’t have gone amiss. If only all these things had been smoothed out more, I could definitely have seen this book earning keeper status from me. As is, though, the strength and likability of both the characters and the story held it together for me and helped to make it an enjoyable read that has left me open to trying more of Jennifer Jakes’s work in the future. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual content, including anal sex, that could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
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1
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Mar 15, 2023
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Mar 21, 2023
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Mar 15, 2023
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Paperback
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| 1938927028
| 9781938927027
| B009ZL7D28
| 3.57
| 99
| Oct 30, 2012
| Nov 01, 2012
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liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews O Christmas Three is, as the title suggests, a holiday-themed, erotic romance novella about a threesome. It apparently used to Reviewed for THC Reviews O Christmas Three is, as the title suggests, a holiday-themed, erotic romance novella about a threesome. It apparently used to be considered a prequel to Suzan Butler’s Texas Highlanders Ice Hockey series. However, it no longer seems to be available for purchase anywhere and isn’t even mentioned on the author’s website. Leo, one of the two heroes, is a player for the ice hockey team. He and the other hero, Garrett, have been best friends forever and used to be lovers, as well, until Leo, worried about what people would think if they found out a public figure like him was bisexual and in a same-sex relationship, got cold feet. Leo and Garrett have remained friends but cooled their romantic relationship. Then Garrett met and fell in love with Brianna, to whom he’s been married for the past ten years. Recently Garrett confessed to Bri that he and Leo used to engage in threesomes, which piqued her interest. The couple are scheduled to spend the Christmas holiday at Leo’s remote mountain cabin, so they’ve formed a plan to seduce him into a little menage action. At first Leo is a bit resistant to the idea, but eventually he can’t say no to his two best friends. But when Bri decides she’d like them all to become a permanent threesome, she and Garrett will have their work cut out for them convincing Leo that they’re all prefect together. To be honest, the characterizations in this novella are pretty weak and I didn’t come away from reading it with a great sense of who Garrett, Brianna, and Leo are as individuals or what really drives their decision-making. Garrett apparently repairs computers for a living, but it barely gets a mention. I got no real sense of who Brianna is at all beyond the fact that she apparently carries a suitcase full of moisturizers and beauty products with her when she travels, which made her seem a little shallow. Out of the three Leo might be the best developed. He loved Garrett once upon a time, but as an ice hockey player and public figure, he was worried that the media would have a field day if they discovered his bisexuality, which could also lead to backlash from fans and the team’s owners. When Garrett and Brianna start trying to seduce him into a menage, he’s a little resistant at first, concerned that he would simply be a third wheel in their well-established relationship. However, while Leo does angst for a while, his objections are ultimately overcome fairly easily, and quite frankly, I felt like his concerns about the nature of their threesome becoming public were largely swept under the rug. I just really wanted to know more about these three characters. There isn’t even any information on how Garrett and Leo met and became lovers or how they got started engaging in menages. All three of them are supposedly already in love with one another, and while I can see how Garrett and Leo might still be holding a torch for each other given their shared past, I have no idea when Bri fell for Leo. For his part, Leo is simply said to have fallen for her pretty much from the moment he met her, which isn’t very satisfying. I just didn’t end up feeling very connected to the characters, because there isn’t much there for me to relate to. In addition to the lacking characterizations, the plot was pretty thin, too. Without really getting any background information on the characters, we dive right in to see Garrett and Bri on their way to Leo’s cabin, having already agreed to try to draw him into a threesome. However, their communication is terrible. At one point, Garrett says that he and Bri were honest with each other about their respective sexual histories early on, but that isn’t really true. Garrett never told Bri about his sexual relationship with Leo and only recently revealed that the two of them engaged in menages before he met her. Apparently from the moment Garrett told her, Bri has had a fantasy of having their threesome (that hasn’t even materialized yet) become permanent, but she never told Garrett. Neither of them really let Leo in on their plan, and instead immediately start trying to seduce him. There were times when I felt like they were trying to railroad Leo into the three-way relationship rather than genuinely taking the time to listen to him and try to understand his concerns. It was almost like they were telling him that they all belonged together and he just needed to get with the program. Despite my concerns, I’ve read more frustrating stories. The love scenes were decent, although not phenomenal. There could have been a better emotional connection. There also were sometimes inconsistent details, such as one of the guys removing a condom that was never put on, and there was also sometimes a lack of details that made it difficult to envision the scene. There was also a brief moment where Leo gives Garrett oral right after Garrett had… ahem… been inside him without any washing taking place, which grossed me out. There were also a lot of little things with regards to the editing such as typos and incorrect or missing words that could be a bit distracting. Then there was the conflict, which mostly consisted of Leo’s internal disharmony, which became a little repetitive. There was no forward motion in his thought processes, and as I mentioned before Garrett and Bri simply kept pushing him to give in, with Leo’s concerns being easily overcome. Even though I’ve had a lot of criticisms, O Christmas Three wasn’t a bad read, but I think it would have been much better if it had been lengthened and the characters and story fleshed out a lot more. As is, it’s mostly just a series of steamy love scenes loosely held together by Leo’s angst. I liked the characters for as well as I got to know them, and I genuinely would have liked to know them better. Without that, the ending felt more HFN than HEA because there was no solid resolution to Leo’s issues. So ultimately this was just an OK read for me. The jury is still out on whether I’ll give the other books in the series a try. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual content, including anal sex, within M/F, M/M, M/F/M and M/M/F combinations, that could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 12, 2022
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Dec 14, 2022
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Dec 12, 2022
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 0983706387
| 9780983706380
| 0983706387
| 4.33
| 17,789
| Jun 02, 2009
| May 18, 2010
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it was amazing
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Breaking Free is the third book in Cherise Sinclair’s scorching hot Masters of the Shadowlands series. In this one, we have Be Reviewed for THC Reviews Breaking Free is the third book in Cherise Sinclair’s scorching hot Masters of the Shadowlands series. In this one, we have Beth who was deeply scarred both inside and out by her sadistic husband and now she’s on the run from him. The submissive in her craves a Master’s touch, but her fears won’t allow her to trust enough to genuinely let anyone in. As a consequence, she’s been picking all the wrong Doms to top her. After watching yet another painful scene between Beth and her latest Dom, Master Z, the owner of Club Shadowlands, has had enough and gives her an ultimatum: Accept Master Nolan, the Dom, he’s chosen for her or lose her club membership. Unable to contemplate the idea of not coming back, Beth reluctantly agrees. She’s fearful of the big Dom, but surprised by the gentleness of his touch. Master Nolan can see the scars all over her body and knows that someone abused her. He also realizes it will be a challenge to get the little sub to let him in, but he’s more than up for it. However, after dealing with a cheating ex, the one thing Nolan can’t abide is lying. When he finds out that Beth hasn’t been entirely forthcoming with him about her past will he be able to forgive the dishonesty? And when her bastard ex finally tracks her down, will Nolan be around to prevent him from killing her? Beth has known she’s a submissive for several years, but she was still relatively inexperienced in the BDSM scene when she met the man who would become her husband. At first, things were okay between them, but soon she discovered just how sadistic he was. Several times, his abuse sent her to the hospital with serious injuries and he became more and more unhinged over time until he nearly killed her. That’s when she decided to go on the run. Now she fears that he will track her down and made good on his promise to end her life. So she’s done her best to fly under the radar ever since. Beth realized her dream of starting a landscaping and gardening business and ended up with Club Shadowlands as client. When the owner, Master Z, found out that she was a submissive, he offered her a free club membership as part of her payment. Beth feels much more comfortable at Club Shadowlands than she had at any of the BDSM clubs in Tampa, so she comes regularly. However, the abuse she suffered has left her unable to relinquish full control to a Dom. The men she’s been choosing have either been too inexperienced to really recognize her needs or too easily frustrated by her seeming inability to become aroused, so she simply can’t get off. When Master Z sees what’s happening, he offers her a choice between allowing his friend, Master Nolan, to top her or losing her club membership. Not wanting to give up the one place where she feels relatively safe, Beth reluctantly agrees. She’s frightened by Nolan’s size but his touch is surprisingly gentle, leaving her begging for more after just one session. But he sees too much of her and she isn’t sure if she can fully open up to him. Gradually he earns her trust, but when he finds out she’s been dishonest with him, it may spell doom for their burgeoning relationship. Beth is a sweet, tortured heroine who’s been through hell, but she’s still brave enough to put herself out there, searching for what she needs. After all she’d been through, I was so happy that she found the perfect Dom she could trust in Master Nolan who sees all of her and can bring her to heights of pleasure she’s never experienced before. Like his good friend, Master Z, Nolan spent time in the military. He now owns a construction company and is very talented with tools in more ways than one.;-) He’s only recently returned from an assignment as a military contractor in the Middle East. Prior to going, he’d been in a long-term 24/7 Master/slave relationship, but realizing he wasn’t in love with her, he uncollared her before leaving. He also found the 24/7 aspect exhausting and isn’t looking for another slave. He isn’t even sure he wants a permanent sub right now, but when Master Z brings the little redheaded sub to his attention, she piques Nolan’s interest, while her extensive scars tug at his heartstrings. When Z asks him to top her, Nolan readily agrees, immediately recognizing her trust issues and inability to give full control to her Dom. He knows she’ll be a challenge, but it’s one he finds himself relishing. His masterful touch rouses long-dormant feelings in Beth that set her running again, but Nolan’s patience is eventually rewarded. However, after his ex cheated on him and lied when confronted about it, dishonesty is a hard limit for him. When he discovers that Beth hasn’t been entirely up front about her past, he’s ready to call it quits, but when Beth’s monster of a husband comes calling, it rouses every protective instinct in Nolan. I can be very picky about my Dom heroes, but Master Nolan is quite yummy and one of the best I’ve read. He’s kind and patient with Beth, gently pushing her boundaries to help her overcome the horrors of her past and find true healing and pleasure again. Breaking Free was yet another excellent read in this series. Beth is a sweet woman who’s been deeply traumatized, but underneath, she has a backbone of steel that has helped her survive. She’s also brave to allow Nolan into her life and learn to trust him with both her body and her heart. Nolan is a Dom with a heart of gold and patience to spare. I adore him for the way he treats Beth like a precious gem and helps her regain her confidence. I feel like these two were the perfect couple who were made for each other. The author maintains a slight air of suspense by giving readers short scenes from the POV of Beth’s husband as he hunts her down. But mostly it’s all about our main couple and their scorching hot, sexy times, which just about set the pages on fire. I enjoyed seeing more of Master Z and Jessica (Club Shadowlands) and Master Dan and Kari (Dark Citadel) who all support both Beth and Nolan. The club’s bartender, Master Cullen, also factors as a prominent supporting character. I love his outgoing, laid-back personality and can’t wait to read his book, Lean on Me, which is the next in the series. Overall, Breaking Free was another wonderful read in this series that left me with a sweet sigh and a satisfied smile on my face, and I was excited to discover that I’ll get more of Beth and Nolan in Book #11, Protecting His Own. Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations including BDSM elements, voyeurism/exhibitionism, sex toys, anal play, a M/F/M menage scene, and a BDSM party with some partner swapping (no intercourse with others involved though), as well as a frightening non-sexual scene of kidnapping and sadistic torture, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 15, 2022
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Nov 19, 2022
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Nov 15, 2022
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Paperback
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| 141993595X
| 9781419935954
| 4.09
| 33,316
| Jul 27, 2011
| Jul 27, 2011
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liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews "3.5 stars" Fury is the first book in Laurann Dohner’s rather prolific New Species series, which tells the story of a group of Reviewed for THC Reviews "3.5 stars" Fury is the first book in Laurann Dohner’s rather prolific New Species series, which tells the story of a group of people whose genes were successfully spliced with those of various animals to create an entirely new species. Mercile Industries, the pharmaceutical company that created them, subjected them to horrific experiments, testing new drugs. Thanks to the bravery of Ellie, the heroine of this story, they were finally released from captivity and are now building new lives for themselves on an army base granted to them by the government as their Homeland. As this story opens, Fury, one of the New Species, is being tortured by a lab tech, just as Ellie, a nurse who worked for Mercile and has been undercover trying to find evidence to bring them down, is about to escape with a thumb drive containing all that she needs to make that happen. However, Ellie has a soft spot for Fury and when she sees what’s happening, she risks everything to put a stop to it, killing the lab tech in the process. With no way to get Fury out and knowing that if they connect her with the lab tech’s death she’ll be killed, too, she reluctantly frames Fury for the tech’s death so that she can get the evidence to her handler, but not before a drugged Fury vows to kill her himself. Fast forward nearly a year, and Ellie has been hired to work at Homeland, running the women’s dorm. When she chances to meet up with Fury again, he nearly does kill her and is only stopped by the New Species leader. Later, though, he accosts Ellie in the park still burning for revenge, but after she tries to explain why she took the actions she did, he decides to get even in a more seductive way. However, one night isn’t nearly enough for Fury who has realized that Ellie is his mate, but if the hate groups protesting outside Homeland’s gates have their way, Fury and Ellie may not have a future together. Not to mention, Mercile is still out there, trying to rehab their own image by making all New Species look bad. Although the author is never specific about just how the people who became New Species ended up in the lab, it’s implied that Fury was raised there at least since childhood, possibly was even born there. He never seemed to know any other life except the torturous experiments until Ellie’s actions set them all free. Fury hated all the humans, but Ellie was the one person he liked and thought he could trust, until she framed him for murder, which led to a lot more torture until their rescue arrived. Because he perceived her actions as a betrayal, he vowed to kill her, and nearly does when he finds her working at Homeland. It’s only Justice, their leader, who stops him. Fury is now second in command to Justice and head of the New Species security. He may have let Ellie go the first time, but still wanting revenge, he stalks her in the park. Even after hearing her explanations, the animal in him can’t let it go, so he chokes her unconscious and takes her to his home, where he ties her to the bed and has his way with her. This whole scenario wasn’t at all to my liking, and the only thing that marginally kept it from being rape was that he did eventually request and receive her consent, but it still didn’t sit well with me. Of course once isn’t enough for him. He eventually realizes she’s his mate and circumstances allow for them to move in together, but both the hate groups and Mercile are still out for blood, which could ruin their burgeoning relationship. Readers who love uber-alpha, caveman-type heroes will probably eat Fury up, but I’m afraid that most of the time, he was a bit too much for me. He’s constantly growling and scowling, and doesn’t have any real gentleness in him to speak of. Also, for someone who was raised in a lab and subjected to the kind of torturous experiments he was, he doesn’t show a whole lot of ill effects from it like a true tortured hero would. It’s only toward the end, that he shows any genuine vulnerability, but even that is short-lived. I really wanted to like Fury and feel something for him, but for the most part, he just wasn’t my kind of hero. Ellie worked for Mercile as a nurse, but until she was approached by an FBI agent, she had no idea what kind of horrific experiments they were conducting in their secret lab. After being informed, the empathetic person in her wanted nothing more than to help out, so she went undercover, looking for evidence and is about to leave with it, when she sees Fury being tortured and about to be raped by a lab tech. She’d always cared for Fury, so she jumps into action to save him, killing the tech and then framing Fury out of necessity. She wants to continue helping the New Species, so when they offered her a job running the women’s dorm at Homeland, she jumped at the chance. Although Ellie had good reasons for her prior actions at the lab, she’s felt guilty ever since, so when she meets Fury again at Homeland and he tries to kill her, a part of her feels like it’s his due, which is why she eventually consents to his little forced seduction scenario. She thinks that will be the end of it, but he continues to stalk her, and after he saves her life, she moves in with him for protection. Of course, this leads to all sorts of sexy fun times until more violent protesters and Mercile come calling, threatening their lives. I felt like Ellie was brave to go up against Mercile, and I admire her caring for the New Species and wanting to help them in any way she could. However, as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t understand her attraction to Fury and her willingness to give in to all his whims. I don’t really care what the circumstances were. If a guy had choked me out and tied me to his bed naked, there’s no way I would have consented to having sex with him. He never really treats her with kindness or gentleness. Even when protesters try to kill her, he just growls at her, leaving her thinking he’s mad at her, which is not sexy to me at all. I also thought she was very foolish to go to Fury at the end when he’s drugged into a rage. She insists that he won’t harm her, but I had no idea where that certainty was coming from. Of course, he conveniently doesn’t, so all’s well that ends well, I suppose. Ellie was an okay heroine but she was a little too much of a marshmallow when it came to Fury and there were several things she did that didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’d heard a lot of great things about the New Species series and it has great ratings on GoodReads and Amazon, so I’d really been looking forward to trying it. I enjoyed the general concept of the series which isn’t unlike Lora Leigh’s Breeds, another series that got its start with the now defunct Ellora’s Cave publishing house. However, I ended up feeling rather disappointed with it, because the execution left a lot to be desired. Much like with the Breeds books I’ve read so far, this first New Species book left me with a lot of unanswered questions with regards to the world building. It just isn’t nearly as fully realized as many other books I’ve read in the speculative romance genre. Also the character and relationship development is pretty minimal. As I mentioned before, Fury shows few ill effects from his time in captivity, while we barely scratch the surface of who Ellie is as a person. Their relationship relies mostly on sex and the fated mate trope, which is not a favorite of mine because it usually leans into insta-love. It’s just hard for me to fathom unless there’s a strong emotional connection, which unfortunately isn’t the case here IMHO. Another thing that dragged the story down for me were the technical aspects of the writing. There’s tons of repetition and overly verbose dialogue, which if pared down by a good editor, would have allowed more room for character and relationship development and better world-building. Then there’s the lack of contractions in dialogue. At first, I thought that the more formal nature of it was just the New Species’ speech cadence, but when it started showing up in Ellie’s and other human characters’ dialogue as well, I became inclined to think that it was more a failure of the author/editorial team to catch it. Overall, Fury ended up being just an okay read for me and not a particularly solid start to this series I’d so been looking forward to. A few of the characters introduced in this book go on to get their own stories in the series. For the most part, I liked them better than Fury, so I might give the author another chance to wow me at some point. I just probably won’t be in a major hurry to do so, like I’d hoped I would be. Note: I’ve classified this book as erotic romance because most online book sites have it listed as such, but other than a little light bondage and a small amount of explicit language, it’s pretty much on par with most steamy mainstream romances. ...more |
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1
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Nov 07, 2022
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Nov 14, 2022
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Nov 07, 2022
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ebook
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| B003HKRD64
| 3.00
| 1
| Apr 15, 2010
| unknown
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liked it
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Reviewed for THC Reviews "3.5 stars" Emerald Ecstasy is a short, steamy, stand-alone, contemporary romance novelette. Tansy and Charlie were childhood Reviewed for THC Reviews "3.5 stars" Emerald Ecstasy is a short, steamy, stand-alone, contemporary romance novelette. Tansy and Charlie were childhood friends in Ireland who played in McCullough Castle, which was Charlie’s family’s ancestral home. They had many adventures, searching for treasure, and Charlie gave Tansy her first kiss there when she was sixteen. Even though they haven’t seen each other for twelve years, she’s never forgotten that kiss and often fantasizes about the boy who got away. Somewhere along the line, Charlie’s relative sold the castle to Tansy’s father, who gave her what is purportedly a suicide note from one of Charlie’s ancestors who now supposedly haunts the castle. The note contains a cryptic clue to a possible fortune in gems, so now Tansy is back in Ireland once more, searching for ghosts and hidden treasure. She’s surprised to find Charlie leading tours for visitors to the castle. The two reconnect in a very steamy way and together they resume their childhood adventures. But each of them has their own lives thousands of miles away from each other and one week together may be all that they’ll have to last a lifetime. It’s been ages since I purchased Emerald Ecstasy, but I recall that it was the cover blurb that drew me in. A kilted Irishman in a castle? Yes, please!;-) I’m also a sucker for friends to lovers stories, so that was a selling point as well. In addition, there’s a fun touch of the paranormal in the form of a ghost who bears an uncanny resemblance to Charlie. Overall, I enjoyed it, and aside from a few minor editing issues, it was pretty well written. However, I know I would have liked it even better if it had been a bit longer. As is, I barely got a feel for who Tansy and Charlie are as characters, and aside from being told about their childhood together and their first kiss, there’s precious little information to understand their connection to one another. This left some distance between them as characters and also between them and me, as the reader. The story is mostly all about the sex with a side helping of a minor mystery involving a ghost who inhabits the castle and the hidden treasure, which wrapped up pretty easily. I know that it’s billed as an erotic romance and that’s certainly what I got, but compared against other erotic shorts I’ve read, for some reason, it just didn’t quite measure up. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a couple of hours, but I simply wanted a little more from it. Unfortunately it appears that this story is no longer available for purchase at this time. Note: I’ve categorized this story as an erotic romance because the ratio of sex scenes to page count is high, but other than a little explicit language, these scenes are on par with steamy romances with nothing particularly kinky. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 28, 2022
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Oct 28, 2022
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Oct 28, 2022
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0997904976
| 9780997904970
| 0997904976
| 4.15
| 1,821
| Mar 18, 2014
| Jul 31, 2016
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it was amazing
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Reviewed for THC Reviews Trust is the fourth book in Sherri Hayes’ Finding Anna series, which follows the same couple throughout as they navigate Brian Reviewed for THC Reviews Trust is the fourth book in Sherri Hayes’ Finding Anna series, which follows the same couple throughout as they navigate Brianna finding healing for the horrific abuse and human trafficking she was subjected to with the help of Stephan, the Dom who saved her from that life. This book opens about two months after the events of the previous book in which Stephan was placed under investigation by the FBI for buying Brianna’s freedom from the man who enslaved her, which led to Brianna selflessly leaving him to help protect him. Ever since, she’s been living with her childhood friend, Cal, and his girlfriend, Jade. Right from the opening pages, it’s obvious that both Brianna and Stephan are miserable without the other, but they have no choice but to remain apart until Stephan is no longer under FBI scrutiny and the media frenzy has died down. After making a deal with Cal, Brianna finally agrees to see a therapist, which in Stephan’s absence, helps her to continue to make progress in putting her life back together. Although terrified of facing her abuser in court, she’s willing to do so if it will help clear Stephan’s name and keep him out of jail. It’s not until about a quarter of the way into the book that Stephan and Brianna are able to finally see each other in person again, but not long after, a misunderstanding about Stephan’s ex staying with him stirs up a bit of trouble. Eventually, though, all is forgiven and circumstances change, making it possible for them to reunite for real. However, after spending time with family and friends over the holidays, the specter of her abuser’s trial hangs heavy over Brianna’s head, when it looks like she’ll have no choice but to testify or possibly see him walk. Brianna has made great strides since the first book where she was so timid and fearful she was practically afraid of her own shadow. Admittedly she’s in a bad place when this book opens, deeply depressed over the forced separation from Stephan. It was hard to see her like this, but given all that she’s been through and that the one stable constant in her life was unfairly taken away from her, it’s totally understandable. Although she begins to have a few doubts when she finds out about Stephan’s ex living with him, she ultimately still trusts him when he’s finally able to tell her the whole story and make appropriate apologies (not to worry, there’s absolutely no cheating involved). Although Stephan is wary of therapists, Brianna finds some solace in her counseling sessions, which offers her someone to talk to besides Cal and Jade. Once she’s able to reunite with Stephan, her moods improve dramatically, and she’s able to enjoy the holidays with their friends and Stephan’s aunt and uncle. The thought of having to testify against her abuser terrifies her, but if it comes to that, she’s determined not to let him win. Brianna also begins making headway in her relationship with Stephan, slowly warming up to some of the milder aspects of his BDSM lifestyle. Overall, I was very impressed with how far Brianna has come since her early days with Stephan and how much farther she progressed in this book. She may still be outwardly quiet and fearful of certain things, but she has an inner strength that would be easy for outsiders to miss. I’m so glad that she has Stephan who sees all of that and never fails to compliment her on it even though she often doesn’t feel strong and that she has been able to make friends who also support her as she weathers through the turmoil in this chapter of their story. In the beginning, Stephan is nearly as downtrodden as Brianna over their separation. The only thing that keeps him going is his work and the hope that one day soon, things will change and they’ll be able to reunite. In addition to his friends, Logan and Lily, his ex, Sarah, comes for a visit to offer her support. Due to certain circumstances that come to light, Stephan offers her a place to stay at his condo, but it’s purely platonic. He only wants Brianna and isn’t tempted by Sarah in the least. However, his naive failure to tell Brianna about Sarah’s visit leads to a bit of trouble for our lovebirds. It’s a rare misstep from Stephan who usually tends to be very controlled in every aspect of his life, but at the same time, I thought having him make a mistake only made him seem more human. At work, Stephan continues trying to ferret out the person who embezzled money from the Coleman Foundation. After he and Brianna are able to reunite, they share lots of quality couple’s time, including holiday festivities and plenty of sexy fun times. But the possibility that Brianna will have to testify in court weighs heavily on both of them. Stephan is an amazing dreamboat as always. He may be a Dom but he’s also a sweet, teddy bear who’s kind, gentle, and patient. He takes care of everyone around him, including his employees and the people he helps with his philanthropy work. I especially love how he cares for Brianna and would do anything to protect her, but at the same time, he allows her to make her own decisions. Even if he doesn’t like or agree with them, he respects them and her, frequently offering her praise and encouragement. I always come away from reading one of these book with no doubt that Stephan’s love and belief in Brianna is in large part responsible for her making such strides in her recovery. Once again, I was blown away by this installment of the Finding Anna series. I’ve adored Stephan and Brianna together since the beginning. They have such a beautiful relationship built on, not just love, but also mutual trust and respect. I’ve had no doubts about their rightness for one another, and with each one of the books in this series that certainty only grows stronger. I was impressed with how much Brianna progressed in this book and just know that she’ll continue to grow as time goes on. I adore Stephan who has definitely earned a spot among my favorite romance heroes. He just always seems to intuit what Brianna needs and is more than prepared to provide it. I was happy to see resolution to both Brianna’s relationship with her father and with the greater story arc concerning her ex-slave master. I can honestly say that he got what was coming to him. That being the case, this volume wrapped up nicely with no cliffhanger ending like the previous books. Based on the cover blurb and the way in which the epilogue of this volume seems to bring some closure to much of the story, I’m guessing that the author originally intended Trust to be the end of Stephan and Brianna’s journey. However, since I’m a little late to the party on this one, I already know that there’s an additional novella and a novel with more story for this favorite couple of mine. Based on something Ms. Hayes said in one of her recent newsletters, I believe that she has plans for even more down the road, too, which makes me a very happy camper indeed. I can’t wait to share in more of Stephan and Brianna’s lives together. I’ll be interested, though, to see whether it picks up after the main body of this book or after the events of the epilogue, because I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing all that was relayed in the epilogue play out in a longer, more detailed format. Note: I'm classifying this book as an erotic romance, mainly because of the underlying BDSM themes. There is a small amount of explicit language, but only one scene that includes light bondage, sensory play, and use of sex toys. So overall, the sexual content in this installment, while slightly steamier than most mainstream romances is still mild when compared with most erotic romances. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 21, 2022
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Oct 31, 2022
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Oct 21, 2022
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Paperback
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 4.31
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really liked it
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Dec 14, 2017
not set
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Sep 24, 2024
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| 4.00
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really liked it
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Feb 25, 2013
not set
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Sep 21, 2024
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| 3.93
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really liked it
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Oct 26, 2023
not set
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Sep 20, 2024
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| 4.40
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really liked it
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Sep 15, 2024
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Sep 08, 2024
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| 3.76
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really liked it
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Aug 22, 2024
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Aug 20, 2024
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| 3.49
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really liked it
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Jun 21, 2024
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Jun 21, 2024
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| 3.69
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really liked it
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May 23, 2024
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May 20, 2024
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| 3.66
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really liked it
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Mar 16, 2024
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Mar 14, 2024
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| 3.29
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really liked it
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Dec 15, 2023
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Dec 15, 2023
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| 3.84
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liked it
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Dec 08, 2023
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Dec 07, 2023
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| 3.83
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it was amazing
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Sep 16, 2023
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Sep 16, 2023
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| 3.87
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really liked it
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Jun 13, 2023
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Jun 11, 2023
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| 4.53
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really liked it
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May 26, 2023
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May 24, 2023
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| 4.31
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it was amazing
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Aug 31, 2023
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Apr 28, 2023
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| 3.78
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really liked it
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Mar 21, 2023
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Mar 15, 2023
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| 3.57
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liked it
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Dec 14, 2022
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Dec 12, 2022
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| 4.33
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it was amazing
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Nov 19, 2022
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Nov 15, 2022
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| 4.09
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liked it
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Nov 14, 2022
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Nov 07, 2022
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| 3.00
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liked it
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Oct 28, 2022
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Oct 28, 2022
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| 4.15
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it was amazing
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Oct 31, 2022
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Oct 21, 2022
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