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Book three of the Pleasures Trilogy staring plump little Gabrielle from India and Erskine (Quill) Dewland soon to be Viscount Dewland. Right off the bat, this was my kind of book and I loved reading every word. I’ll tell you why:

First, the alpha male is one of those wounded and brooding alphas. Quill was hurt from a horse riding accident that left him scarred. He walks with a slight limp most of the time but when tired it is more pronounced. He can’t dance. Repetitive motions cause him intense migraines and this includes riding horses but more importantly intercourse. As alpha males goes, Quill is decidedly masculine. He likes women – he just doesn’t know if they’re worth the three day recuperation.

Second, this story also involves one male character basically stealing the bride out from another man’s nose. This doesn’t always go well for me, but in this case it was just icing. Upon learning that his son was practically incapable of siring progeny, the elder Viscount Dewland orders his second son Peter to take the heiress sight unseen as his bride. Peter doesn’t want to marry, positively shrinks back from the idea, but eventually under pressure agrees. To his dismay, Gabrielle is the antitheses of beauty, grace, and lacks the instinct to navigate smoothly with society’s haut ton.

Third, Gabrielle is a completely charming heroine. She is as gabby as her nickname implies and loves to talk. Gabby is protective, open, loving, kind, and sharp. She is smart enough to keep her half-brother safe from harm. She also knows that Peter finds her a great disappointment. Despite knowing from experience with her father in India, is determined to do her best to please Peter so that he will fall in love with her. This makes her equally stubborn.

She makes friends early with the Duchess of Gisle who has just returned from her honeymoon on the continent. They meet at the dressmakers. Peter has brought her there to clothe her properly so she won’t shame him in public and prays the Madam will be able to transform his ugly duckling of a future wife.

Quill of course, thinks his younger brother is nuts. In fact most of the men in the ton that have seen luscious Gabby agree with Quill. They congratulate (quite crudely) Peter on his good fortune to snare such a well endowed beauty who will surely be a hellcat in bed. They think it’s doubly clever of Peter that she is an heiress.

When Gabby laughs her way into one social scandal, Peter is determined to throw her over but doesn’t know how. Quill gladly informs his brother that he will marry Gabby and happily. Of course, he’s worried about what she’ll think of him later, but Quill can hardly bring himself to care about his own problems. He burns for her and is happy around her. This is enough for him. His only true concern is will it be enough for Gabby?

Rating: 5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-12-11 09:29:18. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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The cover on this book describes Bet Me to be “wickedly witty, deliciously sexy.” More than that, Jennifer Crusie’s story is tender and full of Elvis (both varieties.) I enjoy this book immensely every time I read it. I think it’s the shoes.

Minerva Dobbs will never be described as thin, but her mother won’t stop harping on her to lose weight. The reason behind the nagging this time is her sister Diane’s wedding. What could be worse than being the fat bridesmaid forced into a too tight corset? Oh that’s right… she could not have a date.

David, the schmuck, breaks up with Min three weeks before her sister’s wedding. It’s not her, it’s him… and the fact she won’t have sex with him. And even though she can’t bring herself to feel bad about the breakup, Min’s mad as hell at men. No man more so than that vile Calvin Morrisey who took David up on his bet to get her into bed. It really pissed her off that not only he took the bet but that he said it would be a piece of cake. The beast!

Cal for his part can’t stand being around Min. She called him Charm-Boy, Beast, and the Devil. Who would want to stick around the sharp tongue harpy? Not to mention her friend who can’t seem to stop herself from hitting him over the head with her handbag. If it weren’t for those shoes, the uptight little actuary would not be getting a call from him.

Cal never had a foot fetish before, but one look at Min’s sexy heels and he’s a goner. Of course it doesn’t hurt watching her eat… when she lets herself. He wants her to look at him with the same look of ecstasy on her face as when she consumes bread, or donuts, or hotdogs. Now how was he going to get her to stop harping and start laughing?

Rating: 4.5

Buy: Bet Me

Originally posted 2008-12-05 04:35:04. Republished by Old Post Promoter

By: Sasha Muradali, guest reviewer

Jamaica Layne’s “A Capitol Affair” is a underdeveloped, ghastly excuse for erotic literature that glamorizes sloppy, whorish women as independent, strong and calculated.

As a person who rarely reads romance, let alone erotica-romance, I was unimpressed and, at times, disgusted.

I initially thought this would be the story to bring me over to the juicy-side: a PR-girl, a Washington scandal, romance and drama.

From the frigid sex that overtly describe bodily fluids, to plot holes, to random characters pulled out of a magician’s hat (like Dexter, the hero’s estranged relative), “A Capitol Affair” is lacking in more ways than one.

It’s a wonder one can get through reading the first 50-pages without rubbing their chin in confusion and speculation.

Not to mention the fact that I highly doubt most public relations professionals (and Ms. Layne get it right, in politics, it’s called public affairs) would stoop as low as to sleep with a magazine editor for their kinky, slob of a boss.

It’s a very possible, just not probable story.

The plot holes and lack of continuity start at the very beginning when the heroine, Jasmine, a frumpy, overweight public affairs director not only says she is under-sexed, but she implies she’s not the most outgoing of women in that department.

She proceeds to relieve herself in the bathroom thinking of a man, Rodney Doyle, our hero, that she’s never met.

Said man, and subject of her infatuation, agrees to have a meeting with Jasmine to discuss her boss, Sen. Grayle’s, indiscretions.

Jasmine proposes sex to Mr. Doyle – a little out of the ordinary and out of character for a woman sex deprived and seemingly shy, I would think.

During this same meeting, Doyle offers Jasmine a drink, of which she refuses claiming she doesn’t enjoy the stuff.

Yet, we see a few pages down the line, and a date with Doyle later, Jasmine chugging two cosmos like a first-week freshman, boozed-sorority girl, fainting, feeling light-headed and ready to spread eagle for a stranger.

And since when was eating meat off someone’s body, like a dog to its bowl, sexy?

Just as I started relishing the feeling of the meat on my skin, however, Rodney leaned over and began to nibble tiny bites of the fillet. The meat moved slightly with each bite he took, creating damp feathery sensations that sent warm prickles all over my belly. He ate slowly and deliberately to maximize the pleasure the food gave us. When it was finally gone, Rodney lapped up the ginger sauce that had adhered to my skin; making sure to spread it around with his tongue so I could get the most of the tingling sensations from the raw ginger root. A wonderful melty feeling headed straight for my pussy.

Needless to say, I laughed, then cringed and Ms. Layne, ‘melty’ isn’t a real word.

As the novel progressed, I began to wonder if Jasmine had any self-respect at all or if Ms. Layne was simply trying to appeal her novel of sloshing juices to men, rather than women.

I won’t touch the ginger sauce sending electric shots through her body theme. But I will say, better she just screwed a ginger root and called it a night. I was waiting for our heroine to roll over like a dog in heat and howl.

The novel speaks for itself, and if erotica tickles your fancy, perhaps check out Lora Leigh or something published by LitErotica.

I don’t think even the wickedly adventurous Miss_Figg (and all you fan fiction junkies out there know who I’m talking about) would approve of this capitol mess.

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By: Marcia, guest reviewer

Firestorm is the second installment in the Bragg series and is now in reprint. It takes place primarily in 1858, San Francisco. Storm Bragg is a rambunctious 17 year old who can ride, shoot and fight as well as any man, having been brought up in West Texas with two brothers and a father that adores her. At a community gathering she is found entertaining a crowd of young people by wrestling with a boy in the dirt. Her mother then decides that enough is enough. She is sent to live with her mother’s cousin, a banker in San Francisco, for a year. Storm is horrified and disheartened by this decision.

The trip to San Francisco from West Texas takes several months by horseback and she arrives with her father at the cousin’s mansion dressed in her favorite clothes; worn, skin tight, buckskins that reveal her tall, well endowed figure. Her cousin has a guest, Brett D’Archand, a young but extremely wealthy and successful businessman. He is not ready to marry, but has decided that when he does marry, it will be to a woman of breeding. At the moment he is having the time of his life sleeping with any number of available society ladies. Brett is immediately and passionately obsessed with Storm, although he refuses to admit this to himself. Brett thinks that Storm is wild and savage, needing a strong hand to control her. On her part, Storm finds that Brett has an effect on her that she has never before experienced. She has always seen boys as friends only. She thinks that Brett is domineering, overbearing, and arrogant. They do not like each other but cannot stay apart.

Over the following months, Storm struggles with homesickness and trying to fit into society, as well as, her sexual awaking. She is not comfortable in fancy clothes and does not think she is pretty. In reality, she is stunning. She attracts men like bees to honey. She also attracts gossip by jealous women, particularly when it is obvious to everyone that the most eligible bachelor in town is interested in her.

After several encounters with increasing passion, Storm and Brett are found in an indiscreet position in the garden at a ball. To avoid a scandal, they are forced to marry. Neither is happy with this arrangement. Compounding their disagreements, Brett spends his wedding night with his mistress. The only thing that Brett and Storm can agree on is an annulment. What follows is an abundance of misunderstandings, anger, bitterness, sexual tension and desire.

Brenda Joyce brings us a very enjoyable story with a well-constructed plot and realistic, interesting characters and plenty of action.

4 Stars

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Originally posted 2008-11-22 06:02:04. Republished by Old Post Promoter

The classic story of Sleeping Beauty retold by Catherine Murdock in Princess Ben takes on a life of its own. When her father, mother, and uncle are brutally murdered under the orders of King Renaldo of Drachensbett, Benevolence is summoned by her aunt, the queen, to take her place as the heir to Montagne.

Ben is resentful of all the tortures Queen Sophie inflicts on her from classes in deportment and dancing to limiting her food in an effort to slim her figure. Ben has never been one of those silly princesses, who dined on air and compliments. She was plump and happy about it. She enjoyed her food and having it taken away is a terrible injustice!

After her latest punishment from Queen Sophie, Ben cried and raged and somehow stumbles upon a secret doorway. Behind the doorway is a stairwell, and the stairwell leads to a room. In the room there’s a book, a magic one, and in the dead of night Ben steals away and practices magic in secret. One spell creates a sleeping body double.

Prince Florian of Drachensbett, believes in destiny and true love… until he realizes that the sleeping girl who can not be woken from his prophecy is the sullen rotund Princess Ben. Despairing, Florian chooses to lead warriors against Montagne, but thoughts of war can’t block out Princess Ben. He dreams of her, as she dreams of him, much to his disgust because the girl in his dreams is nothing like the Princess Ben he met.

This book is weird to read as its first person omniscient. Queen Benevolence is recounting her tale to readers and at times it reads from young Ben’s point of view, but you get voiceovers from the present older Ben. I felt like I should believe the experiences were happening to a fifteen year old girl, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around it with the narrator voice being so much older.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

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By: Zarabeth, guest reviewer

This is a fantastic spinster story set in 1836 England. Our heroine, Amanda, is a 30-yr old spinster supporting herself as a novelist who has decided to do something for herself, for once in her life. As we well know a never-married 30 yr old woman is quite on the shelf, but this does not prevent her from having the same sexual needs as any other woman. So our heroine, and my heroine for this, hires a male prostitute for her 30^th birthday completely disregarding social conventions of virginity and premarital sex.

On her birthday a suitable man with an association to the escort service does appear on her doorstep and we assume that this is her prostitute. As the reader we are mortified to learn that this man is not a prostitute despite his sexual actions with our heroine. Later in the book Amanda and the not-prostitute Jack meet at a social/publishing event.

The story as a whole involves Jack doing everything he can to get Amanda back in bed and eventually convinces her to have an affair with him. I very much enjoyed the affair and the experiences of our main characters in public and in private (rating: 5). Once Amanda decides that the affair must end, things get pretty complicated and despair ensues. Months into this unfortunate depression we discover that Amanda is pregnant. Again, our never-married 30 yr old woman has just discovered that she is pregnant- this is a problem. Our Amanda must now decide whether to move to the continent or marry below her standards and whether or not to tell Jack about his child (rating: 4).

I call this a solid 4.5. There are 2 reasons that this review is not a full 5: there is some rear-entry stuff (gags and feels uncomfortable) and there is a bit too much time spent on inner-turmoil instead acts based on inner turmoil.

Rating: 4.5

Today I have the pleasure of presenting the first of the Highlander Novel Cover Contest entries. Be sure to vote by leaving a comment on the entries that you enjoy! The winner is determined by the amount of vocal support they receive before the end of the month!

Model: Alex, who is really Scottish.
Designer: Zarabeth

Romance Novel Title: The Highlander’s Heir

The Tale:

Patrick Kelley, the bastard grandson of the Laird Joseph Kelley knew only two things. He needed a wife and he needed an heir. The passing of Laird Joseph Kelley left Patrick with a dilapidated castle in Edinbourough, a stack of debts, and responsibilities he couldn’t ignore. The fields needed new tenants and tenants meant new homes built with money he didn’t have. Despite his severe loathing of London Society he would have to venture there to find and wed an heiress.

Emiline Pembroke was a plump cousin and companion of the beautiful Jessamine Pembroke, the only heir to the fortune of the Earl, Byron of Pembroke. The Earl’s estate in Wales was Emiline’s preferred setting for her quiet and uneventful life as a spinster at the age of 26. Her cousin’s coming-out ball would only be the 1st tiresome event of the next season in London, where she would dutifully sit and sip in the companions’ corner, unnoticed and unwanted.

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