Friday, April 18, 2014

SEXY SATURDAYS: SPRING FLING AND SEDUCTION IN THE SUN by LAUREN HAWKEYE




Sexy Saturdays with Andrea and Autumn is a weekly feature created to spread the word about spicy reads. 

Participating blogs:
 

Spring Fling: A New Adult AnthologyGenre: Erotic Romance/Anthology
Publisher: Avon Red Impulse
Publication Date: 3/11/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 300
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 stars

Four tales of hot New Adult romance in New Orleans…

Party Spring Break–style with four bestselling romance authors, including Julia Kent and Sara Fawkes, as they dish out sexy tales of romance in the Big Easy!

Share Me by Julia Kent
Emma Barton has just been dumped—for being boring. Now she's letting loose and reclaiming her inner bad girl with not one, but two sexy strangers! Double the pleasure means double the fun, right?

Shake Me by Sara Fawkes
Determined to forget her cheating boyfriend, Cassidy Dupre agrees to a night out with playboy Travis Dean. But when she finds herself wanting more than she bargained for, this evening could spell desire … or disaster!

Show Me by Cathryn Fox
Eva Parker wants a lesson in seduction … from her brother's best friend. When teaching becomes tension, will they be able to keep it professional? Or will friends forever become something much hotter?

Shock Me by Lauren Hawkeye
Callie Gilmore is determined to break out of the friend zone with Ryder Hawkins. Donning a mask and making her move seems easy, but when fate throws a curveball, Callie must choose: turn and run… or embrace the night.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18469091-spring-fling?from_search=true


Spring Fling is an anthology with a really nifty concept: four young women on a Spring Break getaway in New Orleans. All four are also connected by encounters with the fortune teller, Madame Ysabeau. Sounds like an excellent time, yes? If you've ever been on Bourbon Street on a regular Saturday night, you've probably witnessed all sorts of craziness, never mind Spring Break or Mardi Gras. Just thinking about that is making my liver twitch. And forget about the fortune teller. Anytime I came across one, I was freaked way the hell out.

So anyway, I was excited about the set-up of Spring Fling, and anxious to dig in. What we have here is four sexy stories about women ready to let go, ready for a change.

In Share Me, we have Emma, who's been recently dumped by her long-term boyfriend. She heads off the New Orleans with her friends, but first she hooks up with Miki- in the plane's restroom, before takeoff, because WHY NOT. Down in New Orleans Emma and Miki continue to hook up, only now Miki has his friend David to join the banging because, again, WHY NOT. Revenge shenanigans against Emma's assface ex made Share Me a humorous story. Naked threesome photo op? Sure. Fake polygamous marriage scheme? Okay! (though explaining to your mom why there's a photo on Facebook of you in bed with two men doesn't sound like a good time to me).  The efforts to make Emma's ex jealous were both fun and ludicrous, but that's okay. All in all, it was a good time.

In Shake Me, we get a sweet and sexy former-unrequited love/second chance story. On Spring Break, Cassidy learns her boyfriend is cheating on her with her former friend Travis's little sister. They take off to New Orleans together to find out what's going on. Along the way, the two reconnect, with Cassidy learning some sweet and surprising truths about Travis and the way he's always felt about her. Cassidy learns to let go and seize the moment, Travis takes the opportunity to be with his favorite girl. I loved the combustible heat between them, and really enjoyed this novella.

Show Me...it was great. This was a novella about geeky, beautiful Eva, who feels like a wallflower. She seeks out Luke, her older brother's best friend, to teach her how to be sexy. What makes this so good, besides the best friend's little sister trope, is the feelings. Eva has been in love with Luke for years. but he's gorgeous and cool and older and she's sure he's out of her league. Excerpt, Luke feels the same! He thinks Eva is beautiful and sweet and he loves her geeky ways. He actually loves to listen to her! So we have Eva wanting Luke but not realizing he feels the same way, and Luke wanting Eva, but prepping her to snag another man. My heart! Of course, things work out, but I really adored this novella.

The last Spring Fling story was Shock Me, by Lauren Hawkeye, who's books I generally adore. In Shock Me, Callie is in love with her best friend Ryder. At a masked party, she thinks Ryder is finally making his move. The two get hot and heavy, but she gets a shock when she realizes she's doing the business with his brother Liam. Oh, the drama! But in this short time (approximately an hour?) Liam has decided he needs more of Callie, and Callie needs to figure out if she really wants Ryder, or to take a chance on his bad boy older brother. I really enjoyed Shock Me. Hawkeye did a nice job of making me believe Liam's quick attraction to Callie and her near-instant change of heart.

Spring Fling was a quick read, and I genuinely had a good time. I liked that each story had a believable ending. The two novellas with the established relationships both had me believing the couples could go the distance. In the other two, the authors weren't trying too hard to sell a HEA, but we did get the HFN with potential.

If you're looking for fun, sweet and seriously sexy stories to help you celebrate Spring, give this anthology a try.


Favorite Quotes

  You see models in Vogue and Esquire, and you drool and make "I'd tap that" jokes with your girlfriends. But no one in your life is really like that.
  And then one day he's leaning across the aisle of a puddle jumper, smelling like citrus and dirt and musk and making you want to hump an armrest, and you realize that those models aren't all products of Photoshop airbrushing and the best horny imaginations of you twenty-something interns.
  By God, they're real.     ~ Share Me


  God, he loved this girl. Her sudden turnaround that evening was the best and the worst thing. It reminded him of everything about her he'd always loved, but he knew it could all disappear once she woke up.
  Still, there was no place he'd rather be at that moment than in bed beside her. Worrying over what would happen the next morning wouldn't change anything at this point, so he allowed himself to savor the moment. If they woke up and were back where they'd been before, more enemies than friends, then tonight would have to be enough.   ~ Shake Me


  "Eva," he began, then stopped himself. What the hell was he supposed to say? I'm crazy about you, and want to be your first...and more importantly, you last.  ~ Show Me


  I'd known there was something special about this girl from the moment I set eyes on her at the party as she watched people do their intimate dance while pretending that she wasn't looking at all.
  But her response to the things I'd asked of her--the sweet wonder in her eyes when I took care of her--combined with the fact that I already wanted to see her again.
  No way in hell was I going to let her go.   ~ Shock Me



Purchase Links

 
 
 

Seduction in the Sun Box SetGenre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Seduction in the Sun Group
Publication Date: 12/26/13
Format: eARC
Source: Gift from Author
Rating: 4 stars



VEGAS HEAT by New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Hawkeye

Anna Phillips and her husband Austin are in a marital rut. In a last ditch attempt to save their marriage, they decide to take a road trip. The destination? The Last Temptation Resort and Casino in Vegas... which is also a BDSM club... with an enticing stranger.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20434291-seduction-in-the-sun-box-set?ac=1

** This review is for Vegas Heat only**
 
I actually read Vegas Heat in it's prior form, as a serial. It's a story I enjoyed at the time, and in re-reading, I've learned I still do. Essentially, this is a marriage-in-crisis series combined with a ménage.
The story begins with Callie and Austin on the road, headed to a getaway spot unknown to Callie. Their marriage is in trouble. Conflicting personalities and closed off feelings have caused a rift between them that may prove to be irreperable. When they run into car trouble, Callie and Austin meet Liam, a sexy and very helpful stranger. Though she loves her husband and wants to remain true to him, she can't help but fall into lustful daydreams starring Liam. These dreams, which also involve her husband, offer a super sexy sneak peek of what's in store. With that kind of instant connection, it's a good thing they part ways and she'll never be tempted by his sexy body and face again....
Except...the couple reaches their destination and who do you think is there? Sexy Liam! He and Austin are old college friends, and Liam is there to help a buddy out. *wink* When Callie learns exactly why they're there and what the men have in mind, she is understandably confused, angry and vulnerable. She's also secretly intrigued. Once Austin and Liam finally get Callie on board, this trio start to rock.

Lauren Hawkeye brings a provocative and thought-provoking story in Vegas Heat. The portrayal of a troubled marriage, combined Callie's reluctance and Austin's angst makes it ring true. The story definitely ends with a bang. A sexy bang that left me curious and hoping to see what becomes of this naughty trio.
 
Favorite Quotes
 
  When he leaned over to check the air in his tires I dropped my purse into the dirt. His ass was tight, tight and hard looking, and for the first time in a very long time I found myself wondering what it would be like to touch someone other than my husband.
  "Is this what you want, Callie? Is this what will make you happy?" Austin nipped at my ear and I shivered. I couldn't pretend that I didn't know what he was referring to, and when I looked over his shoulder and locked stares with Liam, I certainly couldn't pretend that I didn't want it. 
 

Purchase Links

 
 
About the author
Lauren HawkeyeLauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson is a writer, yoga newbie, knitting aficionado and animal lover who lives in the shadows of the great Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. She's older than she looks--really--and younger than she feels--most of the time--and she loves to explore the journeys that take women through life in her stories. Hawkeye's stories include erotic historical, steamy paranormal, and hot contemporary. Make sure to check out her work as Lauren Jameson, where her erotic romances take a walk on the wild side.
 


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5 comments:

  1. Sounds like this little novella series I'm reading called 1Night Stand. Except this lady is called Madam Eve

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  2. All the stories in Spring Fling sound like fun, Andrea. And it is a great concept for an anthology. Vegas Heat has me curious - it sounds interesting. Great reviews!

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  3. I'd like to meet this fortune teller, her clients seem to end up with hottie guys. Happy Easter!

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  4. I like anthologies but haven't read one in a while. Glad you enjoyed.

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  5. I need to read these. Did it take you a long time to get through them?

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