SEXY SATURDAYS: NATURAL LAW and NAUGHTY BITS by JOEY W. HILL

 

 

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

Participating blogs:

The Autumn Review

The Bookish Babe

 

 

Series: Nature of Desires #2

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 3/10/04

Format: Kindle

Pages: 318

Source: Purchase

Rating: 4 stars

Mackenzie "Mac" Nighthorse is a highly respected homicide detective and a career cop. There isn't a dangerous situation that can back him down.

However, the personal becomes uncomfortably entangled in the professional when he goes undercover in a high class BDSM club as a male submissive in order to find a Dominatrix who is winning the trust and then murdering her chosen partners.

When his path crosses Violet Siemanski's, he realizes he's found a Mistress willing to be his ally in finding the murderess. But Violet is also going to shatter Mac's shields and make him question who he is and what he wants, a challenge more disturbing than any case he's ever worked.

 

 

I just need to take a moment to respect that cover, because, wow.

Part crime drama, part erotic romance, Natural Law is a book I've been meaning to get to for a while now. Joey W. Hill is a highly respected erotic romantic author, and I did enjoy her book Unrestrained a lot. 

Mackenzie Nighthorse is a well-respected veteran Detective. When  two male submissives are murdered in his city, a pattern begins to emerge, a pattern Mac is determined to solve and end. While he is a take-charge, dominating man in almost every respect, Mac is a sexual submissive. He obviously takes the case personally, discloses his lifestyle to his boss and goes undercover. His first night in, Mac meets Violet, a newly trained Mistress. The connection between them is immediate and intense. Mac and Violet tentatively begin a D/s relationship, feeling each other out to see if the connection is true and something that can be built upon.

Mac is a power sub, meaning he doesn't immediately obey commands, he's defiant and pushes buttons. I've never read a story with a true power sub before, and I have to say that I found the dynamic to be very interesting. I assumed that the need to be controlled and obedient to be inherent to a sub, but Mac wants to be broken. Has never before found the woman to push him beyond his limits and truly own him. Which works out perfectly because Violet doesn't want any easy, docile sub. She wants the biggest, most defiant sub out there and she wants to break him. Violet's newness and size is misleading. She knows exactly what she's doing. Violet has Mac figured out, knows what's holding him back when he's not truly aware of it himself.  Despite his need to submit, he withholds from his Mistresses. He wants to big physically painful punishments; they're easier to withstand. Violet wants to break him open, uses the punishments that make him more emotionally vulnerable, those will expose the true him. Violet often compares Mac's submission to taming a horse.

So I really, really loved the relationship between Mac and Violet. I was worried his secret would come between them, was happy when I realized not only would that not happen, but that she also has some herself. The first part of the book largely deals with the establishment of their relationship, and Violet breaking Mac in order to truly become his Mistress. Now, the scene in which this happens...it's not going to be for everyone. A year or so ago I would have been shocked. This wasn't my first go round with reading about this, so I wasn't shocked or weirded out. I will say it was very intense, a truly powerful and overwhelming scene.

The second half of Natural Law still focuses on the relationship, but also Mac's case. I don't read crime drama, but this held my attention. I wasn't sure who the killer was, didn't even try to figure it out, but was still engrossed in how it would all shake out. The guilty party was a but surprising, their reasoning even more so. The big showdown was very intense, and I couldn't put the story down until the end.

I've noted several readers who've stated Natural Law is among the very best of erotic romance. I have to say, I can definitely see that point-of-view. Hill does a remarkable job of conveying the desires and reasoning of those who practice BDSM. It's clear she's not out to simply shock or titillate,  but to tell a good story about exceptionally dynamic characters.

 Favorite Quote

   He was powerful, a predator, but what made him absolutely irresistible to her, overriding her common sense, was that he was a sexual submissive. An alpha wolf who chose the role of beta in the bedroom, but only for the right woman.


  There was a wall. I'm not sure I even knew it was there,though you tried to tell me it was there from the first. Every time a Mistress tried to push on it,I felt like I had to keep her away, but at the same time I wanted her to try and shove past it,fight me for it.I didn't understand it,still don't maybe.I just know you did it,and I feel like you're inside me now, in a place where I've always wanted...a woman to be.

Purchase Links

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Series: Naughty Bits #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: 4/15/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 110
Source: Publisher
Rating: 2 stars

Madison is a control freak with one wish—to lose control. Her hidden submissive cravings have led to a string of disastrous relationships. So when she inherits her sister’s North Carolina lingerie shop, Naughty Bits, she jumps at the opportunity to dump her boring finance career and bad history and try her luck down South.

But before Madison can settle in, she catches the attention of the owner of the neighboring hardware store. Sexually dominant Logan Scott can see the hunger for command in Madison’s eyes and is anxious to help unleash her submissive desires. He presents her with three very tempting gifts—handcuffs, erotic cards, and an open invitation to join him at a submissive’s training session.

Faced with the realization that she can’t sell fantasies to her lingerie customers without embracing her own, Madison accepts Logan’s offer. Now, she’s about to discover just how far her desire can take her…

 

Naughty Bits Part One was hard for me to get into. Madison has secretly longed to be a submissive, to belong to someone, for years. After her sister's death she inherits her lingerie/sex shop, where she gets to know Troy and Logan who work next door. The two men are both in the BDSM life, and offer to show Madison more.

Like I said, this was hard to really get into and absorb. The story would transition between the present and Madison's detailed fantasies. The transition cues between the scenes, though, were absent. I was confused, thinking must have skipped pages or zoned out. So sort of indication, like italics, would have helped, and maybe that will be in the finished copy.

Another reason this didn't work for me was that with all of Troy and Logan's explanations, the story read like a tutorial. Just not something I was interested in. I'll give the next installment a try, and hope things pick up.



Series: Naughty Bits #2
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: 5/20/14
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 2.5 stars

Fear is no match for lust in Joey W. Hill’s sexy new novella about a woman who sheds her shame to embrace her pleasure…

Madison may have ditched her well-ordered Boston life to run Naughty Bits, her sister’s North Carolina lingerie shop, but she didn’t expect to throw herself into such chaos—or to become intimate with the sexiest man she’s ever had the pleasure of meeting. After spending a night observing a submissive’s training session, Madison is ready for Logan to teach her how to feed her own deep fantasies—and get rid of all her lingering fears…

Madison’s aching desire to submit is unlike anything Logan’s ever experienced before, and he’s determined to be the man to make her relinquish control. Still, Logan’s unsure if Madison is ready to take that first step to becoming his—until she shows up at his door ready to be commanded. Luckily for them both, Logan’s got more than a few surprises up his sleeve that he knows she’ll enjoy…

Don’t miss the next Naughty Bits novella, Bound to Please.

 

 

I'll be brief. I had a difficult time getting into this series. My reasons were stated in my review for Part One, and while those same issues didn't hold true to this installment, I still didn't connect.

 

I think the reason was: too little, too late. I didn't notice the rough transitions this time around, nor the tutorial feeling in regards to the BDSM. It was a lot sexier, with more forward momentum, but I still didn't connect with Madison, Troy, or Logan. At this point, I'm going to call it quits on Naughty Bits.

 

Purchase Links

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About the author

I’ve been given more blessings in my life than any one person has a right to have. Despite that, I’m a Type A, borderline obsessive-compulsive paranoiac who worries I will never live up to expectations. I’ve got more phobias than anyone (including myself) has patience to read about. I can’t stand talking on the phone, I dread social commitments, and the idea of living in monastic solitude with my husband and animals, books and writing is as close an idea to paradise as I can imagine. I love chocolate, but with that deeply ingrained, irrational female belief that weight equals worth, I manage to keep it down to a minor addiction. I adore good movies. I’m told I work too much. Every day is spent trying to get through the never ending “to do” list to snatch a few minutes to write.

Despite all these mediocre and typical qualities, for some miraculous reason, these wonderful characters well up out of my soul with stories to tell. When I manage to find enough time to write, sufficient enough that the precious “stillness” required rises up and calms all the competing voices in my head, I can step into their lives, hear what they are saying, what they’re feeling, and put it down on paper. It’s a magic beyond description, akin to truly believing my husband loves me, winning the trust of an animal who has known only fear or apathy, making a true connection with someone, or knowing for certain I’ve given a reader a moment of magic through those written words. It’s a magic that reassures me there is Someone, far wiser than myself, who knows the permanent path to that garden of stillness, where there is only love, acceptance and a pen waiting for hours and hours of uninterrupted, blissful use.

If only I could finish that darned “to do” list. (from GoodReads)

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads  |  Fan Forum

 

 

 

SEXY SATURDAYS: AFTER HOURS/WILLING VICTIM by CARA MCKENNA

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

Participating blogs:

The Autumn Review

The Bookish Babe

**If you would like to participate, let us know and we will happily add you on.**

Series: n/a

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 8/6/10

Format: ebook

Pages: 281

Source: Purchase

Rating: 5 stars

For the past couple years Laurel’s been coasting, hiding in the backseat while her life drifts off course. Then one summer afternoon a tall, built bruiser named Flynn strides in and steers her straight into an infatuation she never saw coming.

Flynn introduces Laurel to things she’s never imagined—to the violent but exciting realm of the underground boxing circuit, to rough sex and even rougher role-playing, and to an attraction she craves even as it intimidates her. As Flynn invites her deeper into his world and his life, Laurel has to make a choice—let fear keep her holed up where it’s safe, or take a chance and fight for the man who makes her feel more alive than she’d dreamed possible.

Reader Advisory: Although all sex acts are 100-percent consensual, Willing Victim contains role-playing scenarios that may upset some readers who are sensitive about rape, even in a simulated capacity.

 First Impression... Willing Victim is the mostly highly recommended to me, of all Cara McKenna's books. (My favorite of hers is Unbound.) I'm so ready for more from this truly brilliant author.

The Story... Willing Victim is a departure from the other McKenna books I've read. This is the story of Laurel, a lonely, aimless woman who meets the most striking man, Flynn, in a park in Boston. Though she feels she shouldn't be, Laurel is insanely attracted to the rough, gruff, HUGE Flynn, pursues him, and they strike up a tentative friendship.

Laurel wants to know Flynn better, but he's not sure she'll like what she finds. Turns out Flynn, who boxes for sport, also likes to pound out his aggressions in bed as well. Laurel is intrigued, and decides to explore her darker side with Flynn.

The Characters... McKenna's characters are always, absolutely, glorious. Flynn and Laurel are average people, with average jobs, backgrounds, lives. He is not an exceeding charming, arrogant, and roguish billionaire. In fact, Flynn's not that charming at all in the beginning. He's built like a sexy beast, has a blue collar job, and problems like everyone else.

Same with Laurel. She's a engineer by degree, but she's a bit lost at the time, and works as a waitress. She has roommates, no car, and isn't portrayed as a glamazon. She could be any one of the women who pick up Willing Victim and turn the pages.

Despite how "regular" Laurel and Flynn are, they are not boring. How is that possible? I'm not sure, other than the fact that despite the regular appearance and lives, Flynn and Laurel have an thoughtful and sexy story to tell. It's like we've honed in on this particular moment in their lives, and it's freaking intriguing.

The Writing... As always, Cara McKenna's words are brilliant and gorgeous and so compelling. I was discussing with my friend Karen, a fellow fan, about why this particular author can take stories that we think we won't or can't get on board with - in this case, really rough and forced sex role play. And despite hesitation, I not only could accept where the characters were coming from, but I really got it. It was insightful, and with such deep characterization, I understood. Her books are not only sexy physically, but also cerebrally. Cos we all know the way to a lady's heart, or body, is through her mind, yeah?

The Heat... I'm not even sure it's safe or responsible to say how sexy I found Willing Victim to be. Let's just go with my eloquent response of "UNFFF."

(Just FYI: my friend Erin says you can tell how hot I think a book is by the numbers of "Fs" I put in my UNF. Three F's, that's pretty much my highest compliment.)

In the End... Willing Victim is another brilliant gem of a story from Cara McKenna. I'm seriously believing there is nothing she can write that I won't love.

Favorite Quotes:

  "Are you part of the BDSM scene or whatever?" Laurel asked.

  He made an exasperated noise. "I can't stand that shit. They make everything so fucking complicated. You might as well be one of those Civil-fucking-War..." He twirled his hand, searching for the word.

  "Reenactors?"

  He snapped his fingers at her. "Three points."

  "I was just thinking, when I first met you, you seemed really... obvious. And you're not. Not just how you are in bed," she said, rambling. "On the outside you're like uber-macho, Mr. Toolbelt-and-Boxing Gloves with your bossy accent and your attitude and your...tallness."

  "My tallness?"

  "And your body and everything. But you're really something else on the inside. Sorry," she said. "That sounded was more squishy than I meant it to. Should I insult you, to take the edge off all that squishiness?"

  "Nah. I'll just take it out on you next time."

  She smiled to herself. "I'm sure you will."

  She couldn't care less what people wondered, though--she just wanted to be seen walking beside this man, knowing what his body was capable of, wishing everyone else knew too.

Purchase Willing Victim

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Series: n/a

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Intermix

Publication Date: 4/16/13

Format: ebook

Pages: 281

Source: Purchase

Rating:  5 stars

A dangerous infatuation with a rough and ready man…

Erin Coffey has been a nurse for years, but nothing’s prepared her for the physical and emotional demands of her new position. Needing to move closer to her dysfunctional family, she takes a dangerous job at Larkhaven Psychiatric Hospital, where she quickly learns that she needs protection—and she meets the strong, over-confident coworker who’s more than willing to provide it.

Kelly Robak is the type of guy that Erin has sworn she’d never get involved with. She’s seen firsthand, via her mess of a sister, what chaos guys like him can bring into a woman’s life. But she finds herself drawn to him anyway, even when he shows up at her door, not eager to take no for an answer.

What Erin finds even more shocking than Kelly’s indecent proposal is how much she enjoys submitting to his every command. But he can’t play the tough guy indefinitely. If they want to have more than just an affair, both will have to open up and reveal what they truly need.

 

If I use the same format as my review for Willing Captive, this review for After Hours would seem copied, nearly word-for-word. It's not that the two books are exactly alike, they're not really. But they had a similar, gritty vibe, and the feelings they each gave me were very similar.

Actually, the books are alike in a couple of very important ways. Both feature ordinary people who, with McKenna's always insightful and thoughtful characterization, became super compelling characters. Kelly Roback (Jesus, Kelly Roback) is an orderly at a psychiatric hospital, not exactly your typical romantic hero's occupation, huh? But really, who needs a seductive rich guy who drives expensive cars and sweet talks, when you have a big, built, quiet, compelling hunk of a man with a penetrating look at a sexuality that just won't quit. I'm not even joking, here. I'll take the Kelly Robacks (or Michael Flynns) of the world any day. What I love about the way McKenna writes her characters is, they are authentic, through and through. Even though tough guy Kelly falls for Erin, he doesn't suddenly begin to sound an eloquent and expressive man such as Didier (from Curio) or a Dom/businessman. The feelings come out jarringly, almost unwillingly, but they come out in Kelly's way.

Same with Erin Coffey. She's just a twenty-nine year old nurse with a rough background and uncertain future. She's got walls around her; massive, massive walls. She doesn't give her love or her body freely, making Kelly earn her trust. Erin doesn't really play games, but she doesn't allow herself to fall for Kelly, at least freely. She has a hard time reconciling her feminist thoughts with the thought of needing a man. Kelly. Fearing an evitable heartbreak from a man who seems like those of her mother's past, Erin refuses to give in for so, so long. Fortunately, this man is worth falling for, as is she, but boy, is it a frustrating and sexy ride.

After Hours was quiet and thoughtful, very seductive look at two characters who realize "We got a little something between us, don't we?"

Favorite Quotes:

  "There are four things a real man has to be able to do for a woman."

  "Exactly how many man-lists do you have?"

  He let my wrist go and ticked the items off on his fingers. "Fix her car. Grill her a steak. Kick the ass of any guy who makes her cry. And fuck her so hard she wakes up half-crippled."

  His body was as powerful as ever, looking as strong and exciting and cut as it did in my fantasies. He owned me in smooth, explicit strokes. But it was the noises he made that had me aching. The tight grunt each time his hips met mine. There was a helplessness in that plaintive sound. Something that said, Let me in, a plea trying to pass for an order.

  "I don't know what I want yet, for the future. I just know I want...I want you to need me back," I whispered.

  "Sweetheart, I already do. I need you for what you let me be for you last night."

Purchase After Hours

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Cara McKenna writes smart erotica—sexy stories with depth. A little dark, a little funny, always emotional. She also writes red-hot romance under the name Meg Maguire. Her wonderful publishers are Ellora's Cave, Harlequin Blaze, Loose-Id, Penguin / Intermix, and Samhain. She loves writing sexy, character-driven stories about strong-willed men and women who keep each other on their toes, and bring one another to their knees.

Cara was a 2010 Golden Heart finalist, a 2012 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award nominee, and a 2012 Golden Leaf finalist.

Cara is represented by Laura Bradford, of the Bradford Literary Agency.

Before becoming a purveyor of red-hot romance and smart erotica, Cara was a record store bitch, a lousy barista, a decent designer, and an overly enthusiastic penguin handler.

Cara now writes full-time and lives north of Boston with her bearded husband. When she's not trapped in her own head she can usually be found in the kitchen, the coffee shop, or jogging around the nearest duck-filled pond. She is a very proud member of the Romance Writers of America® and her local New England Chapter.

Website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

SEXY SATURDAYS WITH ANDREA AND AUTUMN: CURIO by CARA MCKENNA

 

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

Participating blogs:

The Autumn Review

The Bookish Babe

**If you would like to participate, let us know and we will happily add you on.**

 

 

Series: Curio #1

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 9/28/11

Format: ebook

Pages: 111

Source: Author

Rating: 5 stars

 

Caroly Evardt never expected to find herself patronizing a male prostitute. Then again, she never expected to be weeks from her thirtieth birthday and still a virgin.

 

When a friend mentions that a gorgeous male model in Paris sells his body as well as his image, Caroly's intrigued. Finally, a chance to sample the gifts of a beautiful man—no strings, no stakes, no fear of rejection.

But she soon discovers that Didier Pedra amounts to more than a striking face and talented body. He's a kind, charming, damaged man, and after a few evenings of pleasurable education, Caroly's interest blossoms into something far deeper than mere lust. Her simple arrangement is suddenly feeling downright dangerous . . .

 

Curio is only the second of Cara McKenna's works I've read, but I will still say she is my favorite erotic romance author. Having read the utterly gorgeous and brilliant Unbound, I felt safe that I would continue to enjoy her other books. I was right. McKenna has a style that is subdued yet emotionally and physically charged. Her characters have depth and she explores them fully; Caroly and Didier were alive and conflicted and complicated and utterly endearing. The erotic moments between the two were deliciously hot, but also felt real. I love that McKenna's brand of erotic romance is just enough fantasy to take me away, but real enough that I feel a connection.

 

I personally love stories with male prostitutes or gigolos. I don't know why, it just is what it is. But McKenna takes the story of a beautiful yet vulnerable man who also uses his body to earn money and give a woman what she needs. What is so thoughtful about Didier is that he knows the way to the center of a woman and her physical pleasure, is through her mind. Curio is not a scandalous and shocking story of male prostitution and a thirty-year old virgin. It is a fulfilling story of fears and hesitations and learning to overcome them, to be brave. But as it turns out, Caroly's presence is as life altering to Didier as his is to her.

 

This series is fascinating and I cannot wait to experience more of Curio.

 

 

Favorite Quotes:

  He kissed me, soft to start. It told my pulse to slow, my breaths to deepen, my mind to quiet, he reduced us to two mouths, two bodies in this tiny corner of Paris. He fit us together like gears in a pocket watch and shut its shell, hearts ticking in time, safe in the dark.

 

  I stroked his arms, sinking back into the mood of this moment. "How does it feel for you? How do I feel?"
  A grin--shy, if I wasn't mistaken. Cute. "You feel wonderful. Warm... Your body feels hesitant," he added, "just like your heart."


  His head came up and he stared into my eyes. Something burned there. Something male and primal that made me high. Fuck feminism. I'd stay monogamous to him the rest of my life if it meant I might get to see this look again, be made to feel I was his sole possession.

 

 

 

 

Series: Curio #2

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 8/29/12

Format: ebook

Pages: 48

Source: Author

Rating: 5 stars

 

This is the first title in the Curio Vignettes series, follow-up stories to the novel Curio.

June has come to Paris. But while his neighbors are shedding layers and going out in search of spring sunshine, Didier Pedra prefers the quiet sanctuary of his garret, content to watch the city’s bustle from the safety of his windows. He’s shaped his life around venturing inside of things—inside clocks and other brass curiosities to pass a lonely afternoon, and, once the sun sinks, inside the bodies and minds of the women who pay for the privilege of sampling his other skills.

But one visitor is unlike the rest. Once a hesitant patron, Caroly is now his eager lover and a challenging but cherished companion. For weeks Didier’s indulged her questions about what other women want from him, but in words only. Now he’s ready for them to take the storytelling to the next level, and act out his clients’ most wicked desires.

Reader Advisory: This story contains forced seduction role-playing.

 

Curio ended in the most brilliant fashion, with Didier seeking Caroly. If you've read Curio, you know that the fact Didier came to Caroly speaks more than words. His phobia has reduced him to a half life, but Caroly is worth facing his fears. What comes next in the love affair between a prostitute and the woman he loves.

 

Coercion is told through Didier's point-of-view, which was gave much insight into his mind. When their story began, Caroly felt insignificant in the face of his beauty. Unworthy. But through Didier, we find that he believes the opposite. How can such a woman love a man who is frightened, not to mention the fact he sleeps with other women for money? And how does Caroly cope with that?

 

Coercion is sexy, heartbreaking, and utterly fascinating.

 

Favorite Quote:

  Beauty is a queer and unearthly power.
  I was born of my father's infidelity and my mother's consumptive infatuation. I'm a bastard and a prostitute, crippled by agoraphobia...but I am beautiful. My deeper flaws seem to go unnoticed, all cracks in the stained glass, lost amid the dazzling colors of the whole.


    She settles against my chest and as I stroke her hair I think, I love this woman. For her kindness, her oddness, for the way she looks at me. I love her for having come to seek me, and even more so for spurring me to seek her, out in the wide world. In the most literal sense, she has brought warm sunshine and cool breezes and the smell of grass and clover back into my life. And if that isn't love, I do not know what is.
 

 

 

Series: Curio #3

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 9/16/12

Format: ebook

Pages: 50

Source: Author

Rating: 5 stars

 

This is the second title in the Curio Vignettes series, follow-up stories to the novel Curio.

What a difference a season makes.

In the spring, Caroly arrived on Didier Pedra’s doorstep in Paris as so many women have—ready to buy an evening’s pleasure with a gorgeous man skilled in the craft of seduction. She was a trembling virgin then, but so much has changed. It’s summer now, and she no longer pays for his company…nor suffers from the delusion that he’s as perfect as he seems. He’s a shut-in with a crippling fear of the outdoors, but he’s also the most kind and passionate man she’s ever known.

Having grown bolder with every visit and carnal lesson, Caroly’s ready to venture where she’s always feared—into the mysterious chest at the foot of Didier’s bed, filled with the accouterments to cater to the appetites of a hundred different women. Dozens of toys offering infinite delights…all hers to enjoy tonight.

 

Oh now... Craving was naughty. And how I loved it. This installment is back in Caroly's point-of-view and I was happy to experience her become more sure of herself, and begin to explore the many sexy experiences Didier and his magic treasure chest had to offer. She's still exploring her sexuality, discovering what she likes, craves.

 

"My own sexuality is still forming, and before it gels I want to sample as many people's appetites as I can."

 

Didier is only too happy to help. But what I truly love about this couple is, they do not ever, ever put pressure or judgment on one another. If Caroly should happen to love something Didier offers, fantastic. If she does not, no worries, or shame will be put upon her.

 

The couple is still forming their relationship in a very relaxed manner. Didier is slowly acclimating to venturing out, but his way is not steady. Caroly is dealing with the fact her boyfriend is still a prostitute, and dealing much better than I ever could. This series continues to captivate me.

 

 

Favorite Quote:

  "I want you." I've never not wanted him. Even in the moments when he frustrates me, I would never wish I were elsewhere. He's a hundred things to a hundred women, a different pretty bauble reflecting their unique tastes. But he's my kaleidoscope. I want to keep turning him, discovering new patterns, seeing him through new eyes.

  Because it's a relief to let someone see me so helpless. To admit my problem to people is one thing, but to actually let someone see what it does to me...And you've seen that, and you're still here." His voice goes strange and thin, and he clears his throat. "Anyway. For a hundred reasons, you make me want to be a stronger man."

 
 

 

Series: Curio #4

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 10/24/12

Format: ebook

Pages: 51

Source: Author

Rating: 5 stars

 

This is the third title in the Curio Vignettes series, follow-up stories to the novel Curio.

Didier Pedra can read a woman’s body like a book, sense her deepest needs and satisfy her every craving. It’s his job, after all.

But drop him in the center of Paris, the only city he’s ever known, and he’s lost, reduced to a trembling wreck by agoraphobia. When the world feels too frightening, he eagerly escapes into sex, that realm he could navigate blindfolded. Except one of his lovers—Caroly, the only woman who doesn’t pay for the pleasure of his gifts—insists she prefers the real Didier to the capable, seductive façade. She urges him to let her lead for a change, so he can confront the fears that haunt his mind through the familiar safety of his body.

A night’s cathartic reversal, when the masterful tutor submits to his student’s darkest curiosities.

Reversal puts up back in Didier's head and oh my holy hell this book was deliciously wicked. Hot; featuring one of the most...surprising (?) and sexy scenes I have ever read. I just... I can't even really let myself think on this one too long at one time because I fear my brain will overload.

 

Reversal continues with Didier's struggle with his condition, and his desire to become a man who can live a full life with Caroly. One aspect I really appreciate about this series is that it's not an easy journey. Didier isn't magically cured by love, though love does help him strive for more. Against all the odds of the strange relationship, Caroly and Didier are becoming a stronger couple. He's with her on her sexual self-discovery, she is with him as he works to overcome his phobia.

 

Reversal was beyond sexy, and a very hopeful story. I just cannot get enough of the Curio series.

 

Favorite Quote:

  "Is it just you here with me, now?"
  "Yes, just me." I open my eyes, turning my head to meet her gaze. "Just us." Just me, stripped of everything, stripped of my maleness, even.
  The motions slow, turning deep and focused. "Good," she murmurs. "You're all I want."
  Her words caress me far deeper than any physical touch could. They cradle my heart in cupped hands. She can have that, that and so much more. Whatever she believes this malfunctioning man has to offer, it's hers.
  And I'll tell her so. Soon.
 

 

Series: Curio #5

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 11/21/12

Format: ebook

Pages: 51

Source: Author

Rating: 4 stars

 

This is the fourth title in the Curio Vignettes series, follow-up stories to the novel Curio.

Caroly has waited forever to fall in love. An American now living in Paris, she’s finally found what she craved all those lonely years—a passionate, sensitive man, more gorgeous than she’d ever dreamed, and just as beautiful on the inside.

The only issue? Well, that small matter of him being a prostitute.

Didier’s job is more than a calling. It’s a beloved craft, a chance to soothe broken hearts. It’s also a crutch—the perfect vocation for an agoraphobe, never forcing Didier to leave the safety of his flat. Yet the role he used to cherish has soured since he met Caroly, his admirers now feeling more like enablers. It’ll take a leap of faith to cast his fear aside in favor of a future, but when the alternative is to risk losing the woman he loves, he might discover he’s braver than he ever knew.

 

Confession is a turning point for Didier and Caroly. The time has come for feelings to be declared, changes to be made. This story is a celebration, of his progress, her openness and happiness and their love.

 

What continues to strike me with the Curio series is how beautifully McKenna has constructed her characters. Didier is not just a prostitute, he is an artist, a teacher. Caroly is not only a woman who's protected herself from rejection, she is a woman strong enough to support and help the man she loves, she is an appreciator of beauty in all it's forms, she is strong and confident in herself.

 

McKenna's writing is sheer perfection. Her prose stuns me with its beauty. She's taken what could have been a curious and unbelievable premise and created an perfectly tender and thoughtful love story.

 

Favorite Quote;

 

  I could choose to feel insecure about Didier's experiences, and to resent those patrons for what they enjoy with him. Or I could continue to borrow their tastes and come to appreciate this man through the fantasies of a hundred different women, and view his experience as an enrichment, not a dilution. People are afraid of what a lack of variety will do to their attraction when they settle down, but Didier is countless lovers in a single body, all mine to peruse and sample without even so much as ogling another man. I hope I'll be the same to him.

 

 

Series: Curio #6

Genre: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Publication Date: 12/26/12

Format: ebook

Pages: 52

Source: Author

Rating: 5 stars

 

This is the fifth title in the Curio Vignettes series, follow-up stories to the novel Curio.

Love can drive a normal man to extraordinary feats—inspire him to scale a mountain, swim an ocean, brave a raging fire.

Didier Pedra wouldn’t consider himself a normal man, but an unexpected romance has changed him nonetheless. A severe agoraphobe, he left his flat for the first time in years to prove himself worthy of the woman he loves. A long-enabled prostitute, he’s now given up the clients who’ve warmed his bed, padded his bank account and coddled his disorder, ensuring he need never venture outside the safety of his home.

For Caroly, he’s taken the ultimate leap of faith—boarded a train to travel farther than he has in half a lifetime, so they can celebrate the start of their future together with a trip to Provence. There are no gains without struggle, and this love is a prize worth fighting for.

 

 

Exposure is the end of the Curio series, and we are back in Didier's head. His agoraphobia is not fully behind him, may never be, but he is no longer living half a life. This story is the beginning of Didier and Caroly's new life, in a way. He's no longer being paid for his body, he is traveling for the first time in many years.

 

Exposure is a beautiful ending to such a fascinating series. I've tried to explain this series, and how it makes me feel, but can honestly not do it justice. Once again, I can only praise Cara McKenna for the brilliant author she is, and leave it at that.

 

But Caroly and Didier will never leave me.

 

Favorite Quote:

  The monogamy I never thought I valued has grown magnetically attractive and changed my priorities. As much as I've cherished the years I spent with those women, their company enabled me. It fed my bank account but also my crippling anxiety, and a time has come when I finally prefer to feel frightened and alive rather than safe and numb.


  And what I want matters, I remind myself. With this woman, my desires count.
  For years I've molded them to complement my clients' needs, or cast them aside entirely. I've stifled them for the sake of longevity, warped them to cater to borrowed appetites. It's a hard habit to break, setting aside my old roles. They became my identity, in time. I was a chameleon, adapting to the wants of whoever came to my bed. A mirror revealing their deepest, darkest needs. But Caroly's told me she doesn't want that--not every night, at least. She wants to be with me, not merely a reflection of her own preferences. A true lover, not merely a performer.

 

 

Purchase the Curio Series

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

About the authorCara McKenna writes smart erotica—sexy stories with depth. A little dark, a little funny, always emotional. She also writes red-hot romance under the name Meg Maguire. Her wonderful publishers are Ellora's Cave, Harlequin Blaze, Loose-Id, Penguin / Intermix, and Samhain. She loves writing sexy, character-driven stories about strong-willed men and women who keep each other on their toes, and bring one another to their knees.

Cara was a 2010 Golden Heart finalist, a 2012 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award nominee, and a 2012 Golden Leaf finalist.

Cara is represented by Laura Bradford, of the Bradford Literary Agency.

Before becoming a purveyor of red-hot romance and smart erotica, Cara was a record store bitch, a lousy barista, a decent designer, and an overly enthusiastic penguin handler.

Cara now writes full-time and lives north of Boston with her bearded husband. When she's not trapped in her own head she can usually be found in the kitchen, the coffee shop, or jogging around the nearest duck-filled pond. She is a very proud member of the Romance Writers of America® and her local New England Chapter.

Website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

 



BLOG TOUR: UNSCRUPULOUS by AVERY ASTER

The Unscrupulous Blog Tour is here today! For my stop, I have "Twenty-Five New Yorker Insights" and the tour giveaway. The tour is hosted by Lit Connect. Go to the tour homepage to follow the 40+ stops, book info and more.
 

Series: Manhattanites #2
Category/Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: 8/14/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from publisher for review

At thirty-three Warner Truman is one of the richest men on the planet, a spa mogul who buys and sells resorts at will. He holds powerful executive’s careers in his well-groomed hands. Nothing is beyond Warner’s reach…until he meets her.

Stunning, tantalizing, and perverse, Taddy Brill captivates Warner’s carnal desire like no woman he’s ever met. A self-made millionaire, Taddy is tougher than steel, more brilliant than diamonds and, at twenty-seven, she’s never depended on a man for anything…until she meets him.

The more Taddy plays with Warner’s affections, driving him to erotic heights, the more she is confronted by a dark past. But before she can love him, Taddy must meet her worst fears head-on or risk losing it all, including herself.
 

 

 

The Manhattanites Series

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

 

 

Purchase Unscrupulous

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble
 Undressed (The Manhattanites #1) is regularly priced at $8.75 and will be 65% off the retail price at $2.99 from August 14th the same day that Unscrupulous (The Manhattanites #2) launches until August 27th.

 

Twenty Five New Yorker Insights Learned from Unscrupulous

Sex

• •    Always vajazzle your vajayjay in garnet red Swarovski crystals, then go to a champagne bar without wearing any underpants.
• When a one night stand asks you to keep the lights off as he undresses check his scrotum for candied sprinkles.
• If at first you don’t succeed in taking his entire anaconda, try and try again. 
•  If you let a hunk finger you while in public, it’s best to orgasm under a cocktail table when no one is looking.
• Prostitution isn’t illegal in France, but ejaculating in public on a balcony out over a crowd of tourists will indeed get you arrested.

Money

• •   When paying good money to import a butler from Russia, particularly one named Díma Revva, make sure he can cook something other than just Holodets for dinner.
•  Never buy a workout package of private home lessons from Gilad Oseary, a gorgeous Middle Eastern Pilates instructor. The last thing he’ll do with you is work out.
• Avoid pinching pennies by using an expired moisturizer that you’ve stolen from your plastic surgeon’s office. The karma will cost you more than a good complexion. 
•  Always pay for your own travel accommodations when going to the Cannes Film Festival. Any attempt to secure free tickets by blackmailing airline officials with photos of them wearing your corsets is bound to blow-up in your face. 
•  If Mr. Kim Lee, your male nail technician, expects a bigger than average tip for his pedicure, he’d better be prepared to do a lot more than buff your toes. Especially when you’ve just attended a BDSM workshop with Madam Queen Dick Dupree and are ramped up for a fucking good time.

Work

• •    Spying out your office window at the people in the high-rise next to you with best friends Vive and Blake should only be done while drinking Bloody Mary’s and using binoculars.
• Virgin Mormons make the best personal assistants. They are never hung over at work nor will they steal your Manolo Blahniks. But they may become naturally curious and ask to borrow your porn collection.
• Having a reality TV star as a PR client can be annoying, especially when she thinks she can not only design handbags and make jewelry but also record a pop album.
• Masturbating to NFL player fantasies is best done on an elliptical next to your desk while wearing Lululemon stretch pants.
• Just because you own the high-rise that your company is in, doesn’t give you the liberty to smoke indoors.

Love

• When you’re sleeping alone waiting for his call, it’s alright to use your four Shih Tzus as loveable fur pillows.
• Don’t look away while making love to Warner Truman. He wants your eyes meeting his and his hands on your heart.
• Love may be unconditional, but if your parents drop you off at boarding school when you’re thirteen and never pick you back up, ever, it’s okay to tell them to go fuck themselves.
• The love you get from your friends and co-workers may be special, but it’ll never compare to the love you get from the six-foot-five, anaconda-hung, hazel-eyed, close-to-trillionaire stud, you’ve nicknamed Big Daddy.
• The third richest man in the world is capable of saying he loves you. He just has to jet around the globe and do it in style.

 

 

 

About the author
AVERY ASTER pens erotic romance for Ellora's Cave. As a resident of New York's Upper East Side and a graduate from New York University, Avery gives readers an inside look at the city's glitzy nightlife, socialite sexcapades and tall tales of the über-rich and ultra-famous. "I write about what I see in my metropolis that never sleeps--Manhattanites on the quest for a passionate thrill," Avery says. "By and large, my characters are drop-dead gorgeous, ripped straight from the headlines and on the hunt for their next conquest."

UNDRESSED #1 (Lex & Massimo) launched The Manhattanites series, exploring people's forbidden desires of lust and longing. UNSCRUPULOUS #2 (Taddy & Warner) is the highly anticipated prequel coming August 14, 2013. Also, stay tuned for the sequel with UNSAID #3 (Blake & Miguel) coming winter 2013.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

 

GIVEAWAY

Unscrupulous Pre-Sale Tour:



Enter in The Manhattanites Rafflecopter prize contest (must sign up for Avery's newsletter and will only be notified about upcoming releases) and win:

• First prize: a $50.00 American Express gift card.
• Second prize: your name in Avery Aster's upcoming novel; Unsaid (#3 The Manhattanites) scheduled to release fall/winter
• Third prize: ebook of Unscrupulous & Undressed
• Fourth prize: ebook of Unscrupulous
• Fifth prize: ebook of Undressed



The Manhattanites Tour:
Enter in The Manhattanites Rafflecopter prize contest (must sign up for Avery's newsletter and will only be notified about upcoming releases) and win:

• First prize: a $200.00 American Express gift card.
• Second prize: your name in Avery Aster's upcoming novel; Unsaid (#3 The Manhattanites) scheduled to release fall/winter
• Third prize: ebook of Unscrupulous & Undressed
• Fourth prize: ebook of Unscrupulous
• Fifth prize: ebook of Undressed


**** Please follow the Rafflecopter directions at each stop. Full Terms and Conditions are located on the widget. ****

a Rafflecopter giveaway