Review: Seduced in the Dark

Seduced in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



More like 3.5 stars (a little higher than the first). I wrote a lengthy review on the first book so this one will be very short. Again, this was worth the read. I certainly went in hoping that Livvie was away from the Flower Auction & Caleb & that wish was granted with an in-patient setting & Agent Reed & Dr. Sloan. What follows are revelations of the time between where we left off in the first book & the current book (four months have elapsed) & an investigation to intervene on the traffickers & liberate those taken as slaves to be sold (I was really invested in this part). Livvie is painful to abide with but worth every word as she grieves the loss of Caleb & her life. Still, she maintains a clear & determined voice. There's an investigation that I was extremely interested in & more about Caleb's past comes to light. And no, I still didn't change my mind about him from book one. My acknowledging that those who committed crimes against him needed to pay in no way negates my wanting him to pay for his. Maybe that makes me limited because that prevents me from losing myself in the story. Even so, the story is about Livvie & her being able to forgive him in her immeasurable depth of love so Caleb doesn't need me.

I could have been perfectly thrilled had this story ended at chapter 26 but it doesn't. Chapter 27 happens & I suppose that's to be a "Happily Ever After" for those who have invested in the "love story". I'll say this, I applaud the author for trying. It's very well written & I can see how it's a perfect ending that way. Caleb said he knew he would never be redeemed & he accepted it. And also that in the end, what's done is done. I agree with him on those two points.

I'm glad I read the series because it was interesting & provocative. I still don't feel the romance, love story or the sexy but it is definitely a worthy read by a talented author.



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Review: Captive in the Dark

Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Summary:   Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

Review: Beyond Shame

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Dystopian erotica novel. I did like the setting but I kept wanting to know more about the world Noelle came from. Eden sounded like an interesting place & we're given mentions & clues but nothing really substantial to really set the place. Maybe that will come in the rest of the series. For the most part, this story takes place in the place outside of the utopian enclave city Eden & is mostly a sex fest. There's nothing wrong with that (it's fairly hot) but I was looking for a bit more substance in the world building. Because that wasn't what is given, I must admit that I had a bit of a difficult time connecting to Noelle fully & her moments of internal conflict. She'd think to hedge for a second & blush at the scandal of her feelings (or at least scandal & scorn that would have applied in Eden) but that never prompted hesitation in her actions once she fell in with the O'Kanes. While that was fun, it was a little hard to take whatever stifling life she had in Eden leading up to her exile, seriously. She shrugged it off mostly so I couldn't care about it much no matter how many times it was referenced. Just because it's repeated that it was oppressive & sheltered & a sham, doesn't make it real. But I never stopped wanting to care more deeply & so I kept reading. I thought Noelle & Jas definitely had sexual chemistry but I didn't feel romance between them. I'm not sure I was supposed to get romance from them, so I didn't find that a hinderance to my enjoyment.

This is definitely good for a fun, quick read. Definitely read it if you're looking for something steamy. Not so much for the world-building & deep character development. I'd likely read the next in the series because I'm interested in where this is going & of course, am curious to know more about Eden.



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Review: Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist

Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist by Eve Sinclair

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a tough book for me to review. I'm an Austen person & must admit that I've never found Bronte heros inflamed a thing in my heart close to adoration. So I went into reading this book as one who respects the classic work but does not hold it as so sacred a thing. Because of that, I can say that for what it is, it's a decent enough effort. It's a lurid, smut romp. No one reading this is going for the literary value or as a comparison piece to the original. I didn't find it sexy or erotic but as I've said, I've no deep affinity for the original characters. I've also read much better scenes in other books. I saw this Jane as a different iteration from the original work & once I took it all as far less serious, I zipped right through it. The very last for the ending was a nice twist. While I didn't see that coming, it was again a departure from the original & I didn't dislike that. I daresay that the ending makes up a bit for the rest. As the Jane in this story ends in a different place than the original, I wonder if there will be a series of the further adventures of Jane & will she again cross paths with Rochester.

If there are people out there who have not read Jane Eyre (I have to imagine they do walk the earth & may well read on occasion), they may adore it from beginning to end. I wouldn't recommend this for those who have deep devotion to the original but then I expect that should they pick this up to read it, they know it's not a serious re-telling & should be prepared for it to be exactly what it is. This is not the worst thing I've ever read but it is hardly a sign of the downfall of literature or erotica. This is a mediocre attempt, mostly forgettable & probably will satisfy large swathes of readers who are just looking for something quick & titillating. Again, there are worse things in print.

I won a paperback copy of this book from the publisher.



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Book Review: Reflected in You (Crossfire #2) by Sylvia Day

Reflected in You by Sylvia Day

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Summary:   Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity. 

Book Review: Simply Sinful (House of Pleasure #2) by Kate Pearce

Simply Sinful by Kate Pearce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Summary:   A WICKED PROPOSITION... Forced to wed at a young age, Abigail Beecham is tired of living in a sexless marriage. She longs to succumb to the delicious pleasures of pure carnal lust that she has only read about. And if her husband can't satisfy her erotic needs, she's ready to find a man who can...

Book Review: The Lover by Robin Schone

The Lover by Robin Schone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Summary:  Even desire has its price...

Thirty-six-year-old Anne Aimes is a spinster whose only attraction is her wealth. But her plain looks mask a passionate woman who yearns to know a man's intimate caresses. Michel des Anges- Michael of the Angels- is renowned for his ability to bring women pleasure. All it will cost her is ten thousand pounds...Driven by vengeance, ravaged by tragedy, Michael seeks to lose himself in a woman who will demand only physical pleasure. A woman who won't suspect his own aching needs- or his true motive for accepting her terms. Unable to resist the lure of her guileless desire, he plunges her into a deadly web of deception and revenge where the price of carnal ecstacy is life itself...

Book Review: Bared to You (Crossfire#1) by Sylvia Day

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Summary:  From #1 "New York Times" bestselling author Sylvia Day comes the provocative masterstroke of abandon and obsession that redefined the meaning of desire and became a global phenomenon... 
"Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness."

Just Finished Reading: Claimed (Brides of the Kindred, #1)

Claimed by Evangeline Anderson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I read this on a recommendation of a friend & overall, it was alright. I was hoping the scifi would save it for me but while it was interesting, there simply wasn't enough of it for it to win the day.

I found Olivia hard to take. I have a problem taking a heroine seriously when it's repeatedly stressed that ALL her former romantic interactions with men have been horrendous because all the men she's aligned herself with have been basically rutting cretins who wouldn't know how to stimulate any woman mentally, intellectually or physically. It makes me wonder about the woman & why in the pantheon of males, she is not only attracting but hooking up with (& getting engaged to!) these losers. It's not a compliment to the woman, that's for sure. Frankly, I thought that it should have been evident to Olivia that since she'd chosen so poorly (repeatedly), she was lucky to be drafted by Baird who required no more of her than willingness & a scent to die for. Nursing degree or not, I can't see that she had anything else redeeming or compelling of value. Honestly, I never bought that after an alien invasion of Earth by the Scourge, single, literate & somewhat educated women would sign up for the genetic draft & not bother to learn all they could about the possible culture they would find themselves in should their number come up. Srsly? All Olivia, Sophia & Kat had any inkling about was the sex & even then it was mostly rumor & spec. Maybe it's just me, I'm a scifi freak so any chance I'd have of even interacting with an alien race & I'd geek right out & learn everything I could.

And then there's Baird. Simply put, I felt sorry for him most of the time because he cared so much & kept trying. It bordered pathetic. I quite liked his scene with the priestess in the garden. I can't hate any guy driven to seek religious intercession on matters of the heart.

The sex scenes were well written & not repetitive or so unbelievable that I was annoyed. I don't recall cringing or rolling my eyes, so I'd say it's all good.

I know that I shouldn't judge this book too harshly because I didn't go into it thinking it was a serious read or anything. But I really do need a bit more to buy into characters & root for their relationships that I feel I received. I will admit that I wasn't so annoyed by Olivia/Baird that I lost interest, so that's worth something. As it stands, I'm more interested in the mains siblings, Sylvan & Sophia. Maybe they're book two. If so, I'll probably read it.



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