Showing posts with label Stacey Kennedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stacey Kennedy. Show all posts

Friday, July 18, 2014

Sexy Saturdays (Quickie-Style): Desired by Stacey Kennedy / Sex on the Beach by Delphine Dryden



  
Sexy Saturdays with Andrea and Autumn is a weekly feature created to spread the word about spicy reads. 
 
Participating blogs:
  
 
 
Series: Club Sin #3
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loveswept (Random House)
Publication Date: 7/22/14
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 stars
 
 
 Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey are sure to love Desired, Stacey Kennedy’s latest seductive, electrifying novel of Club Sin, where fantasy becomes reality.

Kyler Morgan, Master at the legendary Club Sin in Las Vegas, knows how to give women what they want—too well. He hasn’t had a real challenge in a long time. Then Ella Snow enters his life. Beautiful, inhibited, and innocent in the ways of submission and domination, Ella is the new blood he’s been lusting after. Soon, the thrill of training her to embrace his world brings forth desires Kyler cannot control.

After ending an abusive relationship, Ella makes a promise to herself to start living life to the fullest. It’s one of the reasons she seeks out Club Sin. Here, Kyler’s every touch is a lesson in liberation, stirring passions that have no bounds. But as she falls under Kyler’s command, Ella discovers that some secrets are so dark they must come to light. Submission alone may not be enough to save her, leaving her Master with only one question: How can he help Ella heal while unlocking the deep pleasures she craves?

Desired is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences. 
 
My Review
 
Desired was so, so good, maybe even my favorite of the Club Sin series. I've liked Kyler Morgan since meeting him in Claimed and have been anxious to see him find the submissive of his dreams. It doesn't take long in Desired, because he and Ella Snow connect across a crowded wedding reception (one of the other couples gets married, yay!) Kyler, being the fantastic Dom he is, not only connects with Ella, but also recognizes the submissive in her. After a passionate night, he wants to begin a relationship. Ella is wary, and evasive, about her reasons to keep the relationship casual. Kyler begins the sweet, sensitive and romantic undertaking at getting Ella to open up to him, share her secrets. Ella wants more with Kyler, if she can leave the past behind. She's also open to joining Kyler in his lifestyle, as his submissive.
 
Kyler and Ella were great romantic leads. I truly liked them both as characters, enjoyed watching them begin this slow, sexy dance towards a life-changing love. Ella's past relationship plays into their present, and I admired both how the author dealt without this throughout the story. It gave good motivation for Ella's reluctance and helped eventually bring them together as a stronger couple. I also liked how Kyler approached Ella about joining Club Sin, and Ella's reaction and her curiosity and thoughtfulness moving forward. And damn, everything about the sexual relationship between these two-in and out of the club-was so, so sexy!
 
We also get a lot of Dmitri and Presley (Claimed) and a nice bit of Aidan and Cora (Bared). It's always appreciated when past couples are brought forward with the series.
 
I like to describe the Club Sin series as BDSM-lite, not because I don't take it seriously in that aspect, but because it is so easily-accessible to those who are wary of BDSM or erotic romance. Yes, the lifestyle does play a strong part in the plot, but they're essentially character-driven stories about people who are connected by the community. We don't have men who are out to convince or their lady into joining, though they do encourage her to explore. In the first two books, the heroines are there of their own volition, with or without the hero. The play is more focused on the pleasure or pleasure-pain aspects of BDSM, not the parts (blood play, humiliation, etc) that can seem scary to many of us. If you're looking to explore erotic romance with a BDSM slant, I would definitely encourage you to give the Club Sin series a try.
 
 
 
Favorite Quotes 
 
 
 Though Kyler liked the thought of bringing Ella to Club Sin, he didn't know how to broach the subject with her. So, I like to fuck in public, engage in kinky sex play, and demand submission--whatcha think?
 

 
  A gazillion questions hung on the tip of her tongue. She also wasn't about to ask any of them with two people around her she didn't know. Don't look two inexperienced, Ella. She finally looked from Kyler to Porter to Kenzie, who all watched her. What does one say in this incredibly awkward moment? So, you come here to fuck?
 
 
  "You're not alone anymore, Ella."
  Sobbing tears rushed along her face, tears she didn't try to control. So long she had felt alone. So long she had fought against the world that seemed to be fighting against her. Now it seemed like life had finally given her a second chance. And this man was the reason behind it. A man who gave her everything without ever asking for something in return. A man who had simply been there for her, every step of the way. "I'm no longer alone?"
  Warmness softened his eyes, making her glow from the inside out, as he slowly shook his head. "This life. This family. Club Sin. It's all yours." Brushing the tears off her cheeks, he added with a tender voice, "Do you understand that, Ella? My life, it belongs to you now."




The Club Sin Series



Claimed (Club Sin, #1)   Bared (Club Sin, #2)   Desired (Club Sin, #3)   Freed (Club Sin, #4)

 (covers lead to GoodReads pages)
 
 

 
 
 

Sex on the Beach (Tropical Trysts, #2)
Series: Tropical Tysts #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Cosmo Red Hot Reads From Harlequin
Publication Date: 7/221514
Format: eARC
Pages: 87
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5

 
GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  BN
 
 
 
Hawaiian Vacation To-Do List:

1. Bikini up! You're in Oahu, and it's time for fruit drinks with umbrellas in them!
2. Being obsessively organized doesn't work during a Hawaiian vacation. Relax. Seriously.
3. Scan the resort for hot dudes. Huh. That hot jogger who ran by looks a lot like your ex, Jeremy—only fitter, harder and sexier.
4. Moonlit walks mean bumping into Hot Jogger Guy. Who is your ex.
5. Don't panic. Instead, think with your libido! Also debate the merits of ex sex.
6. Ignore the consequences. Go for it.
7. Revel in the afterglow. Go for rounds two and three.
8. Ooh, kayaking!
9. Round four. Oops!
10. Definitely do not think about why you broke up in the first place. Or that you're having wicked-hot nookie with the man you were here to forget…


My Review


I wanted to pick up Sex on the Beach because I like the Red Hot Reads line and I like Dryden's novellas. I'm glad I went with my gut on this, because this one was another win for me in both categories.

As indicated in the book description, Sex on the Beach is a vacation story and a second chance romance. Jeremy and Amanda broke up ten months prior when he moved for his job and she refused to follow. Both have been moving forward with their lives, but miserable without the other. When Amanda heads to Hawaii with a couple of friends, Jeremy takes the opportunity to follow her and win her back.

And that's where Sex on the Beach gets fun. We have this couple who are most definitely still in love, but have issues to work through if they can make another go of it. I like that Dryden doesn't smooth the issues over with sex, but makes it a real part of the discussion and gives it a realistic "non-resolved" resolution. I had to giggle over Amanda and Jeremy's inability to shut down the attraction between them, and that neither deny it. This leaves us with a story that had the deep discussions interspersed with clothes-ripping passion. My favorite kind!

I can't give any real detractions to Sex on the Beach, except possibly feeling a little lost in the beginning. That's my fault though, since I didn't pick up Mai Tai For Two (about Amanda's vacation mates) first.

Sex on the Beach was a fast and sexy little read that left me satisfied and smiling. Perfect if you're looking for a quick and dirty, yet sweet beach romance.


Favorite Quotes
 
 
  "I didn't tell you I was coming because I knew you wouldn't agree to it. I've spent the last year accomplishing even more than I thought I could, but it's all kind of meaningless because all I do is think about how I want to share it with you. I still love you, I still want to be with you. We are both really smart, and I know we can figure this out if we try. Please just give me these few days to try. And that is what I came here to say."
 
 
  "I'm not sure what it will accomplish, having that talk again. Seems like it's going to end up in the same exact place it did all the other times."
  Jeremy pursed his lips, clearly contemplating the wisdom of his response before going for it. "In hot, angry doggy style on your living room floor?"
  "That was one time.: She felt the blush creeping over her face. Her first instinct had been to grab him and head for the floor to demonstrate, so it felt like she'd been caught in illicit lusting. "And maybe that one other time."

 

The Tropical Trysts Series

Mai Tai For Two (Tropical Trysts, #1)  Sex on the Beach (Tropical Trysts, #2)
(covers lead to GoodReads pages)
 
 

About Stacey Kennedy

Stacey KennedyUSA Today Bestselling Author, Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Supernatural, True Blood, Lost Girl, and Sons of Anarchy.
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

 

About Delphine Dryden


Delphine DrydenAfter earning two graduate degrees, practicing law awhile, and then working for the public school system for over ten years, I finally got a clue. I tossed all that aside and started doing what I should have been doing all along, writing novels! In hindsight I could see the decision was a no-brainer.

I’m fortunate to have two wonderful, absurdly precocious children and two delightful if occasionally disobedient mutts. My family and I are all Texas natives, and reside in unapologetic suburban bliss near Houston.
 

 



 photo AndreaSig_zps3f75055b.jpg

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

COVER REVEAL: DESIRED by STACEY KENNEDY

I am very excited to help reveal the cover for Desired, book three in the Club Sin series by Stacey Kennedy. I seriously love this series!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Series: Club Sin #3
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loveswept (Random House)
Publication Date: 7/22/14
ISBN: 9780553391183
 
Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey are sure to love Desired, Stacey Kennedy’s latest seductive, electrifying novel of Club Sin, where fantasy becomes reality.

Kyler Morgan, Master at the legendary Club Sin in Las Vegas, knows how to give women what they want—too well. He hasn’t had a real challenge in a long time. Then Ella Snow enters his life. Beautiful, inhibited, and innocent in the ways of submission and domination, Ella is the new blood he’s been lusting after. Soon, the thrill of training her to embrace his world brings forth desires Kyler cannot control.

After ending an abusive relationship, Ella makes a promise to herself to start living life to the fullest. It’s one of the reasons she seeks out Club Sin. Here, Kyler’s every touch is a lesson in liberation, stirring passions that have no bounds. But as she falls under Kyler’s command, Ella discovers that some secrets are so dark they must come to light. Submission alone may not be enough to save her, leaving her Master with only one question: How can he help Ella heal while unlocking the deep pleasures she craves?

Desired is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19156685-desired




Pre-order Links
 
 
 
 
 
The Club Sin Series
 
Claimed (Club Sin, #1)   Bared (Club Sin, #2)  
 
 
 
 
Purchase Links
 
 
 
 
About the author
Stacey KennedyUSA Today Bestselling Author, Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Supernatural, True Blood, Lost Girl, and Sons of Anarchy.
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads
 
 
 
Photobucket

Friday, February 14, 2014

SEXY SATURDAYS: CLAIMED and BARED by STACEY KENNEDY

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

Participating blogs:
 
 
Series: Club Sin #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 8/5/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 244
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4 stars


Claimed (Club Sin, #1)Presley Flynn is ripe to experience her secret fantasies . . . and Dmitri Pratt wants nothing more than to fulfill them. Once inside the elite Club Sin in Las Vegas, Presley is nervous but excited—and determined to surrender to her every desire. Dmitri is her Master, and his touch is like fire. With each careful, calculated caress, he unleashes her wildest inhibitions, giving her unimagined pleasure.

Presley is different than the other submissives Dmitri has mastered. The BDSM lifestyle is new to her, and so are the games they play at Club Sin. From the start, Presley stirs emotions in him far beyond the raw purity between a dom and the perfect sub. For the ecstasy they share goes beyond the dungeon igniting a passion that claims the very depths of the heart.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17609863-claimed?from_search=true
 
 
 
When Claimed released, I read a lot of good reviews and promptly bought a copy. Me being me, I hadn't gotten around to reading it, and when Bared came up for review, I found the perfect opportunity to go in for a two-fer. WIN.
 
I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed Claimed. I went into the story expecting a hot story filled with sexy kinkery. And yeah, that did happen, but I was surprised by what I found amidst that: an interesting, thoughtful and really loving story about two people who find exactly what they need.
 
So what about Claimed made it different? In a lot of BDSM-D/s stories, we have a wealthy arrogant man in pursuit of a shy woman he is convinced is truly submissive, only she doesn't realize that. And then he spends the entire story convincing her of that fact. And that's fine, but what I loved about Claimed is that Presley actively pursues the lifestyle on her own. She comes to the Club of her own accord. She must convince Dmitri that she belongs at Club Sin. Once they enter the Club, he's the boss, but the entire relationship is on her terms. I loved that Presley was the one to decide that she was a submissive. Dmitri may have been the Master, but she truly held all the power.
 
 Beyond that, Claimed is just a really good love story. I really like Kennedy's portrayal of the lifestyle, that the Masters don't want control over the Subs entire lives, that it is all about respect. And of course, Presley and Dmitri fall in love. It was super seductive and super romantic. Claimed has me very excited about the Club Sin series.
 
 
Favorite Quote:
 
  The journey with Presley hadn't been forced but had come down to the beautiful rawness between a Dom and a submissive. Presley offered her submission and heart to him in the simplest form she could, by showing him with her body, and right now, in this moment, the force of it stunned him.
 
 
 
Series: Club Sin #2
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 2/10/14
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5
 

Bared (Club Sin, #2)In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Stacey Kennedy returns to Club Sin with another wicked and wild tale of submission, seduction, and love.

At Las Vegas’s exclusive Club Sin, Aidan Knight is the Master, unleashing the erotic yearnings of his submissive lovers. But his dominant façade conceals a devastating loss—something he instantly recognizes in his personally trained submissive Cora Adams. Sworn to unearth her secrets, Aidan uses his seductive skills to ignite her wildest desires until Cora yields to the pleasure she can find only with him.

Cora came to the BDSM club to act out her sub-and-dom fantasies without ever revealing the heartbreak that haunts her. But Aidan’s masterful touch is bringing her closer to the edge . . . and deeper into a world of control and surrender. He refuses to allow her to submit to any other man—nor does she want to. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing. For as they give in to passion, they must lay bare their souls for a love that could heal—and free—them both.

Bared is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18131911-bared?from_search=true
 
 
I really, really liked Claimed. I loved Bared.  Having met Cora and Aidan in the first book, we got a glimpse of their D/s relationship, but something definitely seemed to be up with these two. As it turns out, there's a lot up with them. Cora is in complete love with Aidan, has been for the entire time they've had their D/s relationship. But Aidan lost one love in his life, and to prevent ever feeling that way again, he refuses to see Cora as his love.
 
But really, it's not that simple. Aidan feels a lot of turmoil and guilt over his loss, and he just can't let that go. What he doesn't realize is that his denial is slowly chipping away at Cora's heart. And this, it was so heartbreaking and so very well-expressed on the author's part. Cora is such an endearing character, and every time she looked into Aidan's eyes hoping to see love, and didn't, it hurt me right along with her. But Kennedy characterized Aidan really well, also. As frustrating as his actions and thoughts were, getting that glimpse into his mind helped keep the frustration at bay. It was a painful journey all the way around, but very rewarding as well. I was completely pulled in, and pretty fascinated with not only this push-and-pull between a woman and a man, but also between Dom and submissive.
 
In case I haven't been plain enough with my praise, I really loved Bared. It was a story that was heavy on the emotions, without being completely melodramatic. I was fascinated by how in tune Aidan and Cora were, and how they perfectly completed one another. I mentioned in my review of Claimed that I liked the dynamic of the D/s relationship and the BDSM in this series, and that still holds true. These "Masters", they are really great, nice men who happen to be Doms, not complete overbearing assheads. It seems that their focus is more on pleasure and fulfillment of the lifestyle. I have a good idea (I think) whom the next book in the Club Sin series will be about, but regardless of who that is, I am most definitely continuing this sinfully delicious series.  
 
 
 
Favorite Quote:
 
  Blinking her eyes into focus, her gaze went right to him.
  To Aidan.
  Under his commanding watchfulness, her heart fluttered. Master Aidan's face was chiseled with ruggedly handsome features and lips that always held a slight curve. She looked directly into his gray eyes and she was mesmerized. The man was more than her Dom, he was perfection. A hardworking, strong, and caring man, the world was a better place with Aidan in it.
  He centered her.
 
 
 

Purchase Links
 
 
 
 
About the author
Stacey KennedyUSA Today Bestselling Author, Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Supernatural, True Blood, Lost Girl, and Sons of Anarchy.
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads
 

 
 
Photobucket

Recent Post