Rip Cord by Jeannie St James

June 30, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Rip Cord – The Ever After by Jeannie St James
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (56 pages)
Other: M/M, Anal Sex, Toys, BDSM, Spanking
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Rip Cord, the infamous Bad Boy of the NFL, ends up on Gil Davis’ front porch drunk as a skunk. Not only has he been fired by his franchise, but also his sports agent. His last brawl on the football field during a prime time game was the final straw.

Accounting geek Gil Davis hasn’t seen his on-again, off-again lover since the summer when the professional football player whisked him away for a kinky sex-filled getaway weekend. But immediately after, Rip returned to the NFL and was on the road leaving no time for Gil.
 Now Rip wants to come back into Gil’s life one more time, this time to not only make a future with him, but to finally admit who he really is deep down inside. After hiding his sexual preference since he was a teen, Rip realizes he’s made too many bad choices along the way. It’s time to make the right choice with Gil.

But is Gil ready to forgive Rip for keeping him at a distance? And more importantly, after two false starts, can they finally live happily ever after?

Never give up because you never know what could happen if you do.

I have to start out by saying I haven’t read the other books in the Rip Cord world. But that didn’t take away the enjoyment of this story for me. It’s hot, sweet, aching and I had to keep reading because I had to know what would happen. I’ve been a fan of Jeanne St James for a while and when I saw this book up for review, I jumped. I’m glad I did.

Rip and Gil are great characters. Both are oh-so-male, but they’re also flawed. I like a flawed character. It gives them room to grow. Rip, for all his bombast and bad boy-ness, has some serious scars and holes within him. I liked his growth through the story. He retained his bad boy qualities, but he became endearing. Gil, on the other hand, was a little harder to pin down. I liked him. He’s a strong guy and he’s not ashamed to be gay. But what irked me a little was what seemed like his lack of a backbone. I get there are people that come along that simply overwhelm. I’ve got those people in my life. But I sort of hoped Gil would’ve been a little stronger in his response to Rip–at least initially. That said, I loved the story. The sex scenes scorched and I couldn’t read fast enough. I had to know how it would end. I’m glad I read it. Will I go back and read the others in this world? You bet.

If you want a book that’s hot, sticky and full of heart, but with some sting, then this might be the book for you.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Sticky Sweet by JJ Lore

June 22, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Sticky Sweet by JJ Lore
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (39 pgs)
Other: M/M
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

From a race known for their hedonistic delight in life and emphasis on pleasure and amusement, Artem is a frustrated chef serving prepackaged meals to bored customers on the space station. His one true pleasure comes in the form of an end-of-shift dinner-visit from Constable Driver, once every third day. For months, Artem’s been dreaming about serving the Constable a more physical dessert. When he thinks Driver’s been reassigned, Artem grabs what might be his only chance and woos Driver by palate. If he’s lucky, it might just end up sticky sweet.

Two lonely souls, a diner and a chance to open up. Who wouldn’t want to take the chance?

I wasn’t sure what I was getting when I picked up this short book. I mean, Sticky Sweet. It’s an interesting title, but will the story be overly cutesy or will there be something more? I’m glad to say there was a lot more.

JJ Lore has written a fun, yes fun, story in a few pages. The characters are complex and the plot, while it maybe isn’t so complex, it drew me right in. The writing was tight and I enjoyed myself. This is a quick read, but I had to pay attention. I didn’t want to miss a moment…or a morsel. I like stories with mismatches and Artem and Driver are such characters. But the way they’re written, I could see them being together before they screwed up the courage to try to make it so. I loved how Artem finally opened up and his skills in the kitchen are…yeah, out of this world. Then there’s Driver. He’s in law enforcement. Lore totally got the loneliness and the questioning of a man in Driver’s position, but wrote him with a rich balance of questioning and concern for Artem. I liked these characters and will be on the look out for more featuring them.

If you want a hot, sweet book for a lunch hour read, then this might be the book for you. Recommended.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Power Games by Brynley Bush

March 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment


The Power Games by Brynley Bush
Club Helix Book 1
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (367 Pages)
Other: M/F, BDSM, Anal Sex, Spanking, Voyeurism, toys
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Sorrel

Ava Summers has been living a lie, pretending she’s fine when her stepfather’s unspeakable betrayal has left her numb, afraid to trust anyone. Now she’s about live the ultimate lie–pretending to be a submissive on a sexy new reality show called the Power Games at an opulent BDSM-themed resort in Las Vegas to ruin the man who stole everything from her.

Ava’s lies catch up with her when she’s paired with sexy but sadistic Dominant Roman Castile, a man with his own agenda and demands which tear Ava apart while exposing her to desires she never knew she had. The two come together in a collision of fear and passion that is ratings gold. But to stay on the show, Ava will have to surrender everything to him.

Games, Publicity and Love.

The plot revolves around what happened to Ava because of her stepfather and the actions preceding the event. This was the main suspense that irritated me until the end. What happened to her was only revealed until the end. I am not a fan of drawn out suspense.

That being said the book then tells about Ava and her best friend getting into a competition named Power Games to win a lot of money. Power Game involves BDSM and having the scenes publicized live into the audience. What happened afterwards was well worth the bit of suspense that came.

When she gets paired up with Roman… the chemistry between them… **sigh**

I truly enjoyed the relationship, or lack thereof, between them at the start and watching the progression from there onward. This is an very erotic read, of course.  And, I need to say that this book is very intense for a reader who is not that into BDSM or likes little of it in their stories.

But the writing with that progression from Ava and Roman being nothing to each other to being everything was truly amazing.

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Learning to Breathe by Roxy Harte

January 20, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Learning to Breathe by Roxy Harte
Van Zant Siblings – Jessica Book 1
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (365 Pages)
Other: BDSM, toys, Anal Play, Voyeurism, M/F, Multiple Partners
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Sorrel

The celebrated widowed wife of a hometown hero, Jessica leaves Boston for a fresh start in a Cape Hatteras beach house with her teen children. She never expects to fall hard for her new boss, Joe, at the fish and beer shop where she bartends. When he accidentally triggers her need for rope, she needs a quick fix for a shibari addiction she’d believed herself long cured of.

A drunk dialing moment leads to her sister’s fiancé–a man who has tied her in the past–who delivers Francisco, the man he considers to be a shibari-master and a perfect match, and Jessica has a great long weekend in and out of his rope. But then Francisco asks her to allow him to dominate her full-time.

Jessica runs scared and ends up in bed with Joe. When she shares her secret love of bondage, Joe insists she’s the victim of deviant men, and that he would offer her a normal, healthy love. Wounded by his misunderstanding, she runs again.

As if her sex life isn’t complicated enough, a case of mistaken identity catches her in the crosshairs of an assassin. While Jessica’s seeking sanctuary in Cincinnati for the holidays, her sister gifts her with a night with a shibari master who goes by the name of St. Nicholas. She quickly finds herself on the naughty list but will she also find a man willing to be the guy who makes her laugh, keeps her tied in knots, and makes no demands for more?

One intense story!

I have to mention this first and foremost; this book is not for the first-time erotic reader. The book includes some intense bondage scenes and loads of detailed sexual heat and chemistry.

Expressive and descriptive. The rope bondage scenes were highly descriptive and brought this reader right into the room for a front row seat. This is a writer who knows her shibari knots.

The book was a roller coaster. Some readers may appreciate the intensity while others may feel a little whiplashed by the back and forth. There’s a story within a story that gets revealed slowly. Add to that the fact that Jessica is attracted to three different men in the course of the book, each with certain aspects that she likes; Luc for accepting every single bad demon of hers without questioning the origin of it, Francisco for trying to make her face her demons, past & present, and Joe who is understanding and listens to her when she needed to vent about her late husband and his family.

I loved how it evolved though the one thing that surprised me was the ending. This book is a cliffhanger and I’m honestly not fond of cliffhangers. The book left a lot of questions hanging. The main one of course being who will she choose? Thankfully, the second in this series, Learning to Breathe Again is already available.

Readers who like it hot and their kink wrapped in soft ropes should give this a read for sure. It may just trigger a suppressed fantasy for you, too.

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Cuff Me by Erica Lynn

December 8, 2016 By Leave a Comment

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Cuff Me by Erica Lynn
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (71 pgs)
Other: M/F, Anal Play, Toys
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Lynette Montgomery’s older sister dies from breast cancer, she quickly steps in to take care of her two young nephews. The boys are sweet, caring, and Lynette has no idea what she’s doing. Terrified of failing her sister, she does everything she can to present herself as the parental figure she feels the boys need, even swearing off the sexy-as-can-be cop she just so happened to have a one-night stand with outside of her best friend’s house.

Robert Barletta is a decorated and respected cop with the San Antonio PD. After having just played a key role in bringing down Houston and San Antonio’s largest drug operation, he should be on top of the world. Unfortunately for him, he can’t get that one night with a smoking hot blonde temptress out of his head.

When he’s forced to take some time off, and the two come face to face, will they be able to keep their attraction on the back burner? Or has this game of cat and mouse just started?

Lynette has organized a surprise divorce party for her best friend, Lexie. About to take on full time responsibility of her two young nephews, Lynette decides to let loose one last time and have a quick skinnydip in the stream behind Lexie’s house. Only Robert had come outside for a breath of fresh air and can’t help his attraction to Lynette. A drug lord’s son and the cop who helped jail Lexie’s now ex-husband, Robert has plenty to overcome and prove to himself. Can he and Lynette find some middle ground and indulge in their instant lust for one another?

I found this to be a fun, quick read. The beginning was a little sluggish for my tastes, the author spent quite a few pages explaining how Lynette was connected to Lexie, and all the background between the ex-husband, the new fiancé and how Robert fit in to everything. It was quite clear to me that this is the second book in a series and initially at least catching the reader up on all that back-story – even though the author kept it fairly brief – really did make the start feel clunky to me. A part of me wondered if it was really necessary, since the rest of the story is Lynette and Robert and the relationship they forge together, I’m not convinced that the history of the previous book is relevant to anything except for linking the world and a few of the characters. I would have greatly preferred this to have been trimmed down a little more so it could have been read completely alone with only a sentence or two to indicate there was a previous story behind Lexie and her new fiancé. Readers who have started with the first story and are eager for more, however, probably would feel completely different to myself – so it’s definitely a matter of personal taste, to my mind.

Once the plot between Lynette and Robert really started moving though I found this to be a fast-paced, fantastic read. I loved how much plot there was, Robert and his history, demons and all, Lynette’s grief over the loss of her sister and taking on her two small nephews, there was a huge number of plots all weaving together and I really enjoyed the magic the author injected into the story handling it all so well. Part of me wondered if this could have been made into a longer length story, certainly I felt there was plenty going on as well as the steamy sex between Lynette and Robert, but other than wishing there’d been more it was hard for me to put this book down.

The sex was explicit and well written to my mind. There was nothing earth-shattering or too over the top, so I feel most erotica readers will find themselves satisfied with both the heat level and the amount of sexiness in the story. I really loved how the author used the sex to deepen the emotional connection between Lynette and Robert, I felt it really added another layer to their blossoming relationship. The fact Robert was a hot-ass cop with a mile-wide streak of protectiveness and a man who could cook – just made it that much more appealing to my mind.

I found this to be a fun and short story with great characters, heaps of plot and a delicious amount of spicy sex. Recommended.

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Independence Day by Christiane France

December 6, 2016 By Leave a Comment

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Independence Day by Christiane France
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (138 pgs)
Other: M/M, Multiple Partners, Anal Play
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Nick Gregorio is at a crossroads in his life. When his former lover, Al Martinsen, came to Vegas wanting to make up, Nick was prepared to listen. For Nick, however, returning to their hometown to resume playing second fiddle to Al’s ambitions was not an option, and he suggested Al move to Vegas permanently.

Six weeks have passed with no word from Al, and Nick doesn’t know what to think. Is Al still considering moving to Vegas, or does his silence say it all? When Nick finally receives news about Al, it sends him reeling with shock, anger and total despair. He knew Al had allowed ambition to dominate his life, but even he found it hard to believe Al would go so far as to commit the ultimate betrayal. There’s no going back for either of them now.

In desperation, Nick looks for temporary oblivion in the form of a night out that turns nasty and violent. Fortunately for Nick, his new friend and boss, Trip Browning, comes to his aid. With Trip’s support, Nick is able to resume work planning the gala opening of The Neapolitan’s newest restaurant. That is, until Trip delivers a surprise of his own and sends Nick’s world spinning in a whole different direction…

Nick is new to Vegas and has spent most of his time since arriving organizing and opening Butterscotch Dreams, a specialty café. After selling his own restaurant and leaving behind his entire life – including his married-for-convenience boyfriend, Al, Nick has taken time to settle down. But Vegas has finally started to work her charms on Nick. So when Al walks into Butterscotch Dreams out of the blue, Nick is shocked and maybe just a little bit happy. Can the two men work through their differences?

I really enjoyed this story. I found the history between Nick and Al to be really interesting and I quickly found myself quite emotionally invested in Nick. While I was a little surprised at how lust for Al clouded Nick’s better judgment, I couldn’t fault him for it as they’d been lovers and partners for many years. Besides, I felt Nick’s love and desire to believe the best of the situation added a wonderful realism to Nick’s character.

While some of the plot was quite easy to guess, the author managed to weave the story skillfully enough that I didn’t mind I could see certain aspects from a mile away. I was also really impressed how the author managed to make Al not appear like a cartoon villain. Sure, Al was in the wrong over a number of points, and Al was certainly a flawed man to my mind (being driven and ambitious to the point of blindness to everything else in particular) but he was not a “bad” or evil man in a traditional sense of a fictional villain. Also, having a few of the chapters told from Al’s perspective really helped me as a reader to get inside his head and understand where Al was coming from.

I also found myself deeply intrigued by Trip – Nick’s boss and only friend in Vegas. A funny misunderstanding meant that the working relationship and friendship between Nick and Trip added an twist into much of the plotline of this story. I had plenty of questions about Trip and deeply enjoyed learning more about him and truthfully he was my favorite character out of the three men.

I found this to be a great read with interesting, complicated characters, a great plot and plenty of twists. Recommended.

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The Pirate’s Cove by Michelle King

December 5, 2016 By Leave a Comment

cove
The Pirate’s Cove by Michelle King
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (83 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Jamie loves Morgan and he has for years. He just couldn’t tell anyone about it. Now he’s finally free, and he wants to tell everyone. Starting with Morgan. But what if Morgan doesn’t want to commit? After all, he’s been keeping Morgan his dirty secret for years.

Morgan DJs at The Pirate’s Cove on the weekends. It’s the perfect place to meet up with his lover. At least…so Jamie hopes.

It’s been three years since James met Captain Morgan at the Pirate’s Cove Bar and Grill. But after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, James decided it was time for him to reach out and grab the future he really wanted. Now he had the same rights as a straight man, James no longer feared losing his job — and more importantly, his kids — simply because there was a certain man he wanted to spend a lifetime together with. Can James and Morgan finally make a future for themselves, together?

I found this to be a really emotional, highly charged short story. There’s a whole bunch of chemistry between James and Morgan, but for so long now they’ve both had too much baggage and outside issues both holding them back and keeping them apart. I loved seeing them finally come together and discover what the future can hold for them both.

It was a little disconcerting to find a typo on the front cover (the title reads: The Pirates’s Cove) and while for me personally I found this funny and not off putting, I know a number of readers who are sticklers for such things and would be immediately turned off by this to the point of not purchasing the title for the editing error. The rest of the story seemed well edited and I didn’t find anything else, but as a first impression the cover art is often an important point to note as it’s often what will sway a reader to purchase – or not – a book.

Readers should be aware that most of the last quarter of the book followed the fall-out of Jamie’s coming out to his soon to be ex-wife, Natalie. I was a little surprised at how much detail this part of the plot was given, as it was distinctly non-romantic. Personally, I felt it lessened not just the sexiness of the earlier part of the story, but also for me it acted rather like a wet-blanket. In a non-romance book I’d have been very interested in this aspect of the plot and it was certainly well written. I just had to personally question whether it was mood-enhancing in an erotic romance book and found for myself, it really soured the enjoyment I received from the rest of the story.

The relationship between James and Morgan though was the highlight of the whole story for me. I loved how for most of the story the delicious chemistry sizzled between them, the tension and doubts they each had – making them so very human, realistic and relatable to me. I loved watching them come together and cheered them on every step of the way. The sex was smoking hot and while Morgan and Jamie did have some dominant/submissive aspects to their relationship it didn’t read to me as a classic BDSM style relationship – at least not at this stage. If the author wrote a sequel I’d be interested to see if more of these BDSM elements entered their relationship as they both got to know each other better and built a life together.

A quick and good read.

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Awakening The Alpha by Carolina Valdez

November 30, 2016 By Leave a Comment

alpha
Awakening The Alpha by Carolina Valdez
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary Paranormal
Length: Short Story (119 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Two very sexy men meet, feel a strange, mystical connection, and come together in a hot, passionate and deeply intimate relationship.

Blaze Canis is doing what he loves best. As a shooting range instructor just outside Yellowstone National Park, the former Navy SEAL sniper is still handling firearms. When Shoshone Native Logan Swift Rider walks into his target shooting class one morning, the attraction each man feels for the other is swift and magical. Since Blaze’s SEAL teammates never knew he was gay, let alone a werewolf, he’s confident his new lover need never know of his two natures.

Logan opens his heart and body to loving Blaze in the most intimate ways possible. When he learns what Blaze has hidden of himself, Logan is shattered. Although raised in both the white and Native worlds, Logan’s Indian heritage tells him he may have fallen for a witch, a skinwalker.

Can Blake convince Logan there’s no evil involved in what he is or will Logan remain convinced he’s been making love to a monster?

Blaze Canis holds gun handling and safety classes and sometimes private shooting lessons in Yellowstone park. During one session he meets Logan, who is interested in refreshing his skills with his own gun. Chemistry sizzles and the two men are instantly attracted to each other. How will Logan react when he finds out Blaze is a shifter?

I really enjoyed this story. Readers who like really heavy-duty world building and lots of background explaining the paranormal world in their stories might find themselves disappointed with this book. While Blaze does think about this internal wolf a fair bit – and there’s a bit of Logan’s spiritual beliefs from his Indian heritage – there is not a lot of explanation or storyline revolving around the wolf packs, or other paranormal elements of the author’s world.

I found that for more than half of the story apart from the fact Blaze referred to his inner wolf, there wasn’t very much of a paranormal element to the story really at all. For most of the story the focus was entirely on the romance building and growing between Blaze and Logan. Toward the end (the last 35 pages or so) the paranormal elements of the story really come to the fore, and this satisfied me and my enjoyment of the shifter/alpha aspect of the story, but I could easily understand that some readers picking this story up purely for a strong paranormal romance story might find this didn’t tick the box for them in that respect.

I really enjoyed the romance and relationship that was built between Logan and Blaze. The two men were hesitant at first – as new acquaintances they didn’t even know if the other was gay or not – and I felt the pacing here was really to my tastes. Slow enough that it didn’t feel unrealistic, but with enough forward momentum that it was clear from almost the start that they were both interested in each other and happy to pursue the chemistry and attraction drawing them both together. The sex was steamy and I found it quite erotic, best of all the emotional and spiritual connection between Logan and Blaze helped it feel a whole lot more than just sex. As a spicy romance story this really fit the bill for me. It was clear the author had studied up quite a bit on wolves and their behavior, the explanations in the final few chapters were incredibly realistic and showed the research the author had done.

A fun and interesting M/M romance with a bit of a shifter/paranormal edge. I found this to be a good story.

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Most Likely To Succeed by Shawn Lane

October 25, 2016 By Leave a Comment

most
Most Likely To Succeed by Shawn Lane
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (100 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play, Voyeurism
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Thomas Harrigan can’t help but admire his sexy, single and openly gay boss, Clark Sterling. He never expects the gorgeous lawyer to be interested in him. But when Clark makes his interest shockingly clear, Thomas find himself involved in a passionate affair with the man he never dreamed he’d have a chance with.

Burned before by an office romance gone wrong, Clark knows he should keep his relationship with Thomas on a strictly business level. But there’s something disarmingly genuine about Thomas, and Clark can’t seem to resist.

The more time Thomas spends in Clark’s company and bed, the more he knows he is falling in love with his handsome boss. But when Thomas’s resume finds its way to a rival firm, owned by the very man who hurt Clark before, Clark is livid and cuts Thomas out of his life, and his firm.

Left unemployed and reeling, Thomas struggles to put the pieces of his life back together without the man who has captured his heart.

Thomas is the new law clerk and is thoroughly intimidated by the boss, Clark Sterling. Only when Thomas accidently discovers Clark watching some porn on his computer, Clark really looks at Tommy and the chemistry between them is undeniable. Can the two men make things work out together?

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. While Thomas is an eager, young man I enjoyed how he wasn’t too naïve or innocent. And Clark was a deliciously complex character – bold, self assured and confidant in most respects, but after a very nasty break-up he showed vulnerability and hesitation at the oddest times privately and when it came to the romantic relationship growing between he and Thomas. I found this added a lovely layer of complexity between the two men and one I found interesting and really refreshing to read.

While I really enjoyed the pace of the relationship flourishing between Thomas and Clark, the small amount of plot seemed a little jarring – almost like it had been added a few times throughout the story practically as a second thought. I feel the pacing would have been much better had the plot/conflict either been shown in more depth (quite a bit of it occurred “off screen”) or just ditched all-together. Instead, occurring only in short bursts with long stretches of relationship-stuff happening in between, it felt a little half-hearted and I couldn’t work up much enthusiasm for it as anything other than the mandatory “misunderstanding and argument” aspect of their relationship. I feel this could have definitely been handled better.

I loved the sex between Thomas and Clark. It was prolific, sexy and I thought their chemistry and growing care for each other really was a pleasure to read. While I didn’t feel there was anything kinky or envelope pushing, as a romantic M/M story I thought this ticked all the right boxes in the bedroom and should appeal to a wide range of readers.

With excellent characters and a great, steamy romance, I found this to be a lovely M/M story.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Burn For You by Stacey Kennedy

October 14, 2016 By Leave a Comment

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Burn For You by Stacey Kennedy
Publisher: Loose ID
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (73 pgs)
Other: BDSM, M/F, Spanking
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Dominant firefighter Dax O’Connor never blends fantasy and reality. He goes so far as to only have casual encounters with women at the sex club, Castle Dolce Vita, to keep them separate. But when an arranged encounter brings Sadie Carmichael into his life to fulfill her ultimate fantasy of experiencing one night with a firefighter, his legendary lines begin to blur.

Sadie never expected her fantasy would leave her wanting more than one night, but Dax isn’t a man you sleep with just once–whatever he thinks about it. Every day since their hot night together she’s been chasing the high he sent her on.

When an odd twist of fate brings Dax and Sadie back together again, neither Sadie or Dax can refuse the passion sizzling between them. But soon, Sadie will discover that while Dax can make her body burn, his mind and heart are closed. When she pries open the doors, ghosts of his past come streaming out, threatening to cool their passion. But if they can find a way heal the past, they’ll discover reality is hotter than their wildest fantasies.

Sadie and her three best friends have made a pact – to fulfill their hottest fantasy and push the envelope. Daxton is a Dom at sex club Castle Dolce Vita and a firefighter to boot. Sadie asked Dax to fulfill that fantasy and he did – deliciously well. But they’d only agreed upon the one time, and so when Dax left Sadie is determined to move on, even if she does burn for him. When fate brings them back together, can she hold onto him for longer than one more time?

This is a lovely, hot and sweet short story. There was a plot hole that I felt wasn’t explained as fully as I would have liked – how did Dax’s arm get burned through his fire-fighting jacket/uniform? Those coats are specially designed to protect from intense heat. Considering that burn is why Sadie–a nurse–was sent to be his follow-up care giver, the point felt critical to the plot for me and it niggled that it felt too much like a setup. Had the circumstances of Dax getting the burn been just a little more detailed (was his jacket faulty? Did he need to hold the beam for a long period of time to protect the girl he saved?) I could have happily moved on and not felt like the burn was simply a convenience to throw Dax and Sadie together again.

While the spanking scenes are hot, I found it refreshing that the BDSM in this story was more about the mindset of a Dom/sub type of relationship. Spanking and some deliciously naughty sex outside in semi-public areas were the only kinks sexually speaking, but I enjoyed looking a little deeper into Dax’s mindset as a Dominant and what he felt a submissive mindset could entail. Readers unsure about BDSM or who usually don’t like much of it in their erotic romance might find this story still very interesting as it’s more mind-based not whips-and-chains-sex based.

I also really enjoyed the characters. I loved Sadie and was deeply curious about Dax and the secrets he hid. There’s a fair bit of Sadie’s fellow dare best friends (all happily settled from previous stories) and found despite picking this book up cold – without the previous installments – I followed along quite easily. Apart from getting some of the boyfriends/friends mixed up I had no trouble enjoying Sadie and Dax’s story for being just theirs and not necessarily a part of a larger whole.

I found this to be a lovely short story, hot and well written with just enough kink and plot to keep me happily turning the pages and very satisfied with a happy ending.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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