Enamored: Book II in the Enslaved Trilogy

Enamored: Book II in the Enslaved Trilogy
by Shoshanna Evers
Published by Pocket Star
Genre: erotica, BDSM, romance
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
4 / 5


When last we saw the BAD Boys, Trevor was happily engaged to Elisabeth, Roman was brokenhearted, and Marc was ... uh ... where was Marc again?

Oh, yeah. Marc was there, aiding and abetting his friends. But in Enamored, Marc gets to aid and abed (GET IT?) Mistress Lauren, whom he has lusted over for quite some time.

Marc and Lauren are besties, and, as two Doms, they understand each other. But Marc has a secret wish: he wants to dominate Lauren, and he wants to take their little friendship and escalate it a bit. A really big bit. When the opportunity arises to become romantically involved with her, Marc jumps at it. Granted, the "opportunity" is one he manufactures to his own advantage, but if he didn't, he wouldn't be a BAD Boy, now, would he.

Whereas Enslaved occasionally made too much of Elisabeth's background, Enamored plays all the right notes with Lauren's. The more we get to know her, the more we like her, and the more we want her with Marc. I didn't see Trevor's attraction to Elisabeth, but I sure can see Marc's to Lauren. She's hot, he's hot, and together they claw, rip, snarl, bite, scratch, and bed each other with roaring hot passion.

The sex scenes ... they are goooood. Also good is the story. It doesn't feel as forced as it did with Trevor and Elisabeth, perhaps because Marc and Lauren are far more kindred souls than their friends. Roman's still around and still brooding (WHY? Elisabeth is NOT THAT FABULOUS, Roman!), and we'll get to him in the third installment.

This is the sort of book that you read for its hotness, and it provides quiet nicely. With characters you enjoy and an entertaining story line, it's a good book.

The Longings of Wayward Girls

The Longings of Wayward Girls
by Karen Brown
Published by Washington Square Press
336 pages
Genre: women's fiction; mystery
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
4 / 5


Children can be cruel, cruel beings whose meanness knows no bounds. We realize this, of course, those of us who emerged from our childhoods without inflicting too much damage on others or ourselves. But sometimes, we merely think we survived. All it takes is something that trips our memory to remind us that our suffering continues.

Such is the case with Sadie, a beautiful blonde daughter of a beautiful blonde mother. Sadie knows she is prettier than other kids, and she uses this as a weapon against them. She does have some friends, but we quickly realize that they are friends because they fear her more than out of any true affection. When Sadie begins picking on an unfortunate classmate, her friends follow along. One day, Sadie decides to play what appears to be a harmless prank on the girl, but it quickly turns dangerous when the girl disappears.

Twenty years later, Sadie remains gloriously blonde and gloriously aloof, still living in her hometown, married to a handsome man and mother to two beautiful children. From all appearances, Sadie is happy and has achieved something, although she currently is beset with grief over a miscarriage. But that awful day still lurks in her mind, try as she does to make it disappear.

Also involved in Sadie's childhood was Ray Filley, a neighbor boy on whom Sadie had a fierce crush. Ray moved away years earlier, but his reappearance triggers Sadie's memories. It also triggers the teenage lust she felt for him, and the two begin circling each other.

The mystery hooks you: what happened to that missing girl? But there are so many layers to this novel that the mystery almost becomes secondary. In fact, there are three different story lines taking place in three different time periods. There is the modern-day Sadie, the wife and grieving mother who watches her nicely constructed life disintegrate in a cloud of dis-fulfillment and dissatisfaction. There is twelve-year-old Sadie in 1979, perched on the edge of her teenage years, trying to understand her mother and her feelings about Ray. Then there is Sadie in 1972, the year the little girl went missing. What role did Sadie play? How did that Sadie set up 1979 Sadie? How did her past create the woman she is now?

You need to be patient with this book because it does not unfold quickly. In fact, the 1979 thread seems superfluous at first. What's so important about this year? As Brown begins to reveal secrets, the three stories come together, and Sadie becomes fully realized, fully developed, and very human. We become entangled in her travails and trajectories. We want to protect her even as we want to hold her accountable. She shocks us, but she does not repel us.

One thing Brown does very well is create mood and atmosphere. We are right back in 1972, feeling shag carpeting under our toes. We are in the small Connecticut town with Sadie and her friends, and we find ourselves as drawn to Ray as Sadie is. We also join her in the present, reacting with her to Ray's reappearance and her sadness over the miscarriage. Brown's writing latches onto us like quicksand, pulling us deeper and deeper into the story.

Give this one a chance. Don't expect it to be resolved quickly or neatly. Roll along with it, enjoy it, and experience it.

Wedding Night

Wedding Night
by Sophie Kinsella
Published by The Dial Press
464 pages
Genre: chick lit
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
3 / 5

I'm going to preface this by saying that I've only read one Sophie Kinsella book prior to this one, and it had nothing to do with any shop-a-holics. I enjoyed Can You Keep a Secret, but still never pursued her writing beyond that one. I'm not sure I can claim that Wedding Night will persuade me to read more, but it didn't destroy my opinion of her, either.

Sisters Lottie and Fliss are opposites, as sisters can be. Fliss, the eldest, is a single mother and infinitely practical. She works for a travel magazine, tends to her son, and frets over Lottie. Rightfully so, as it happens. Lottie has been dating her boyfriend for a while now and is convinced that he's going to propose. By "propose," she hoped to hear "will you marry me," not "let's go to San Francisco." Crushed, Lottie heads off to lick her wounds. But before she can succumb to grief and misery, ex-boyfriend Ben gives her a call. Remember that pact we made in which we promised to marry each other if we were both still single at thirty?

Impetuous, flighty Lottie calls Fliss to spread the good news. Her cheer fails to infect Fliss, however, who is determined to stop this sham of a marriage. She calls Lorcan, Ben's business partner, and joins up with him to keep the wedding from happening. As suspicious as Fliss is of Ben's motives, so is Lorcan about Lottie's. Together, along with Fliss's son, they head to Ikonos to split asunder the happy couple. And oh, hi! It's Richard, Lottie's would-be fiancé! He's here too!

Kinsella switches between Lottie's and Fliss's points-of-view, which helps us get to know the two women but turns out to be dully repetitive. You will read the same thing twice, albeit from different perspectives. The problem is that it wasn't all that interesting to begin with, so this is not a case of doubling the fun. Yet the story engages you, and the characters are likable, if not a bit over the top. We've seen these people before, in other books. They are not original or unique, although some surprises do come our way, plot-wise.

What the book lacks in originality it makes up in sheer enjoyability. You can't help but like everyone, even Richard, and you will find yourself wanting to find out what the two sisters will do next. As beach reads go, this makes a fine option.

Beyond Eden

Beyond Eden
by Kele Moon
Published by Ellora's Cave
404 pages
Genre: erotica, BDSM
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview
4 / 5

Strap on your vibrators, girls, because this one is indescribably hot.

Danny appears to have everything. He's rich - wealthy enough that he doesn't really have to work - super good looking, and can have any woman he wants. He also has a roommate, his best friend Paul, and the two share a - um - close relationship.

Wink wink.

Years ago, when the two were in high school, Paul was wildly in love with Eve. After graduation, she decamped from Tampa and headed to New York to pursue art school. But now, ten years later, she's back in town, dumped by her fiancé and ready to make changes in her life. When she bumps into Danny in a grocery store, he invites her for a visit.

Yes, Eve and Paul dated, but Eve and Danny have undeniable chemistry. They are attracted to each other, and when they act on that attraction, you will need to take a cold shower just to finish reading about the action.

But wait. What about Paul?

He still loves Eve, and she still loves him. But she also loves Danny, who also loves Paul. And Paul loves Danny too. So these three crazy kids ought to be happy together, right?

Well ... Paul is engaged.

Not that it stops the three from enjoying each other's company.

Boy, do they ever. To say that they are a passionate threesome is to drastically underplay what goes on between them. Danny is the puppet master of sorts, but while he presents a stark, domineering persona, we know that his heart beats tenderly and lovingly for Eve and Paul. He's a bit of a bastard, but he's likable, and we worry for him.

The story line is entertaining enough to keep us going between sex scenes. We learn about Paul and Danny's history together, and we understand - if not exactly relate to - the closeness they share with Eve. But what controls the book are the sex scenes.

Let me warn you that if Fifty Shades of Grey was too much for you, then you need to avoid this book. If you're in the mood for some screaming hot headboard rockin', then this is the one for you. Danny is a Dom, and Paul enjoys it when Danny inflicts pain, so be prepared for some fairly graphic BDSM scenes. Actually, the scenes are graphic, period. But oh so very very hot.

Don't be surprised if you require a certain release after reading those scenes, though.

The Best of Us

The Best of Us
by Sarah Pekkanen
Published by Washington Square Press
352 pages
Genre: chick lit
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
4 / 5

When a man/s invites three of her husband's female friends from college to join them on an all expense paid trip to Jamaica to celebrate the husband's birthday, you know - YOU KNOW - drama will ensue.

And so it does.

Dwight Glass was a gigantic nerd back in college, so much so that he was virtually ignored by everyone. Well, everyone except Allie, who saw in Dwight a kind, good hearted man. That Dwight eventually becomes Bill Gates-ian in his accomplishments should be the ultimate revenge. But Dwight's too good of a guy for that.

His brittle wife Pauline decides to throw him the 40th birthday of his - or her? - dreams. She gamely invites Allie, along with Dwight's other two college pals, Tina and Savannah, and their husbands. Each woman comes with her own burdens, even Pauline. She knows that her marriage to Dwight is not the stuff of fantasies, and her own hard won successes teeter on her unstable family history.

Allie at first appears to be too perfect. She anticipates harried mother of four Tina's every need, going so far as to help with laundry and childcare. She champions Dwight. She adores her husband. But yet the more we get to know her, the more unlikable she becomes. What begins as a predictable character turns into something else entirely.

With her four young children and contractor husband, Tina lives under constant strain. Her husband's business is not as successful or secure as they would like, and the exhaustion that comes with parenting four kids overwhelms her at times. She has no small amount of insecurities, yet, as with Allie and Pauline, she will surprise you.

Finally, there is Savannah. Taught, toned, surgically enhanced Savannah, whose doctor husband recently left her for a nurse. She undoubtedly feels desperate, whether to prove her desirability or her independence. Savannah's reluctance to tell her friends the truth about her marriage stems not so much from her embarrassment at having been dumped as from her shame at suffering any amount of pity. She's hurt, which makes her dangerous. Here, again, Pekkanen zigs when we expect her to zag. In many ways Savannah is the  least likable of the four women, yet I rooted more for her than the other three. Her vulnerability is real and we feel it.

Seven people together in a beach house in Jamaica for a week is fertile ground for storytelling, and Pekkanen doesn't disappoint. She presents her characters as flawed individuals, but she demands that we care about them. Jamaica, too, is a character, infusing the novel with a steamy, laid back facade that disguises its dangers and anxieties.

This is a fantastic beach read.

Enslaved

Enslaved: Book I in the Enslaved Trilogy
by Shoshanna Evers
Published by Pocket Star
152 pages
Genre: erotica
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
3.5 / 5

Here we go again with the trilogies, The good news is that this one really does fit expectations for what a trilogy entails.

In Enslaved, we meet the three men we will get to know over the course of the novels: Trevor, Marc, and Roman, aka the BAD Boys. BAD as in Billionaire Arrogant Doms. All three are the stuff of fantasy. They're all tall, all gorgeous, and all extremely wealthy. Sound familiar? Shut UP, Christian Grey.

An aside: is it just me, or do all of these literary Doms start to look the same? It's as if there is a proscribed outline for them for which erotica writers must not deviate. I'm sure it's just me.

The fair damsel at play here is Elisabeth, a "pain whore" recently dismissed by Gregory, her gay (!) Master. Gregory is not completely unfeeling, however, and he attempts to fix Elisabeth up with her next Dom. In this case, he sends her to meet with Trevor.

Elisabeth has certain sexual needs, not the least of which is to be hurt. Despite being a Dom, Trevor isn't into pain for pain's sake, and he's reluctant to hurt Elisabeth the way she likes. Plus there is the teensy issue of Trevor really liking Elisabeth. He wants to keep her, but he wants her to be happy and want to be there. So he turns to Roman, who has no problem inflicting pain on a sub.

There is an attempt at characterization here. Elisabeth's need for pain stems from certain events of her childhood, We also get some background info on Trevor and Roman. Marc sort of exists in the background, serving primarily as peacemaker when his two friends have their differences.

In fact, it's when we delve into Elisabeth's story that the book takes a poorly aimed turn. For the most part, this is a novella that knows its purpose: entertain and titillate. And, um, stimulate, because the sex scenes? They are steeeeeamy, faithful readers. Oh, are they nicely steamy. But this whole Elisabeth thing. It becomes distracting, largely because there is sense of reaching too high. Just entertain us. Don't make this a psychological examination of a woman's need to suffer pain as part of sexual pleasure.

Trevor is a nicely drawn hero. He's the sort of man we expect him to be, whether professionally, physically, or in his desire for Elisabeth's pleasure. Elisabeth? Meh. She's a little dull, to be honest, and you might find yourself wondering what Trevor sees in her. You can't help but think he can do better.

Lush

Lush: A Delicious Novel
by Lauren Dane
Published by Berkley Trade
320 pages
Genre: romance; erotica
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
4 / 5


The subtitle of this book offers a perfect description: it is indeed delicious.

Mary Whaley runs a catering company and offers a supper club on the side. She enjoys her life. She has friends, she loves what she does, and she owns her own home. There may not be a man around to share it with, but Mary accepts that. In fact, she's quite okay with it.

But this is a romance novel, so of course a boy has to show up. In this case, it's the immensely hot (and delicious) Damien Hurley, who fronts a rock band with his brothers and a family friend. Damien's reputation as a ladies' man is entirely deserved. But don't judge. Damien can't help it if sex appeal radiates off of him. And what kind of meany pants would he be if he rejected all of the women who offer themselves to him?

When he comes up against Mary Whaley, though, Damien begins to reconsider his life's trajectory. Maybe it's time to settle down and focus on just one woman, especially if she's a dirty little minx like Mary. Yes, she's a caterer with her own business, but she's also a woman who unabashedly enjoys sex and has a healthy appreciation for a little filth in the boudoir.

The sex scenes here are hot, hot, hottttt. These two rock the headboard more vigorously than the drummer in Damien's band. Yes, there are some problems that must be confronted, and you can probably figure out what they are.

Let's face it. We're not reading this for its life changing writing; we read it because we want some escapist fun and some hot lovin'. You get both, thanks to that delicious hero.