Daddy’s Little Sweetheart by Lila Fox


Daddy’s Little Sweetheart by Lila Fox
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Kyla has been on her own pretty much her whole life. When a handsome and intriguing man takes an interest in her, she gets her hopes up. But she’s mistaken when he looks right through her, acting as though he detests the sight of her. Since no one seems to care if she’s around, she decides it’s time to find her own life. Why not? Nothing’s holding her back.

Duncan’s first glance at the beautiful petite woman is enough to get his heart racing and his desire to soar—until he overhears her with her friends. He’s done with women who are out for money, and he doesn’t need another gold digger, no matter how sweet she is.

When he realizes his error, it’s too late. She’s already left and isn’t planning on coming back. Is it too late for them to find happiness together, or will he forever regret his mistake?

Kyla is immediately attracted to Duncan when they are introduced by mutual friends. For years now she’s wanted a daddy – someone she could love but who would also take care of her. Duncan had also been attracted to Kyla from the moment he set eyes on her, but overhearing her talking to the other girls Duncan jumped to the conclusion Kyla was only interested in a wealthy daddy had him backing out without even speaking to her. By the time Duncan realizes his mistake it’s too late and Kyla had already been hurt and moved on. Can they reconnect and make things work?

This is a sweet and short read. I was annoyed by the fact Duncan only eavesdropped on a few sentences and somehow managed not to overhear more of the conversation. Kyla explained her comments that so outraged Duncan in her following sentence, which made it rather implausible to me that Duncan couldn’t have heard that she continues speaking and didn’t bother to listen. Since this miscommunication was the crux of the conflict aspect to the story, I realize it was a plot device the author needed to set up the story – but it was probably my least favourite aspect to the story as a whole and had I not been committed to performing a review, I might possibly have stopped reading right there and then.

I was really pleased that quite a bit of the story is Duncan earning Kyla’s trust and patching up the hurt he caused her in the beginning. I would have found it completely unrealistic had they jumped immediately into bed or been intimate as soon as Duncan found her. Watching them interact together and learn about each other and share their thoughts helped me feel more comfortable with their blossoming relationship and made the entire romance seem a lot more realistic and believable.

While Kyla and Duncan are into the kink of Daddies and littles, I thought that this story wasn’t as heavily into it as some of the others I’ve read in this series. I found the lighter touch enjoyable as it left room for other relationship issues – like the miscommunication and trust issues – to be shown more rather than just the fleshing out of another Daddy/little dynamic. Readers who want a story heavily invested into this plotline might not find this story one of their favourites, but there are another steamy and interesting elements I feel most erotic readers should find this a good read.

His Mistress by Arabella Sheen


His Mistress by Arabella Sheen
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Review by: Fern

Anna is horny, and when her best friend suggests they paint the town red, Anna goes along with the idea. Her seven-year-old son is away at a sleepover, and it could be her only chance to get laid.

Anna isn’t after a serious relationship or a romantic involvement with a guy. All she wants is a one-night stand and plenty of sex, and Dan Holland, a handsome stranger she meets at a bar, might be the solution to her problem.

Can Dan fulfill Anna’s physical needs or will he invade her emotional safe space and become entangled in her life?

Anna has one precious night in which to indulge in her very grown up fanasties and enjoy a quick fling. One night, no strings and definitely no morning breakfasts. Dan didn’t usually bring women home with him, he knew himself well enough to know he wasn’t the long-term commitment type. But something about Anna struck him and they each decided to take a chance on the other. Will their policy of strictly one night hold or could more flourish between them?

I found this to be a refreshingly modern and interesting short story. I really enjoyed how both Anna and Dan appeared to be fairly regular, relatable characters. Anna a single mother and Dan committed to his job. Yet each of them yearns for something a little more and when they seem to find it with each other I enjoyed watching them each carefully and gently stretching the other’s boundaries. While a small suspension of disbelief is needed in relation to the plot – what are the chances that Dan is the new headmaster at Anna’s son’s school? – everything else in the story felt realistic to me and clicked into place really well.

Readers who enjoy a slower bloom to their romance but still plenty of spice in the bedroom should find this short story really suits their tastes. I enjoyed how Dan and Anna connected so well right off the bat and had a lot of chemistry, but also how they each were prepared to be open to a little bit more when their world collided once again. With a slightly different – but certainly Happy For Now – style of ending I found this to be a quick and sexy story.

Fun and sexy this is an enjoyable short story that I really liked. I’ll definitely be open to reading more by this author.

The Conjure Supper by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy


The Conjure Supper by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A dozen years ago, three teenage cousins held a conjure supper on Halloween to summon the men they would someday marry. The supper didn’t quite go as planned and the results were not what they expected. Although they seldom spoke about it again, Annie Hatfield, now a professional photographer, is haunted by the supper. The man who joined her at the table haunts her in sexy dreams. When he shows up in the flesh, she’s not sure if he’s man or ghost or demon. Will falling in love be dangerous or delightful … and can it last?

Annie, Catie and Macy were cousins and on their sixteenth Halloween they decided together to hold a Conjure supper – an old story their Granny had told them about a ritual to help them learn who the man they would marry was. Will they listen to Granny’s caution of danger or will their youthful desires push them further than they expected to go?

I found this to be a really unique and slightly spooky romantic story. With a faint hint of paranormal and a healthy dose of teenage curiosity I thought this was a really fun read. I thought this tale was short enough to be read in one sitting and readers looking for an intense or deeply plotted story won’t find that here and might be a little disappointed. There wasn’t a lot of time for the author to draw out the romance aspect to the story, particularly since Annie had to wait quite a number of years until she met the fated man she first saw in that Conjure supper, but I feel that added to the mystical quality and slight spookiness to the tale.

Readers who like a slightly mystical, slightly paranormal and different flavour to their romance should find this an enjoyable, quick read with interesting characters and a good plot.

Bite Me for Christmas by Megan Slayer


Bite Me for Christmas by Megan Slayer
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Holiday, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Dicentra

Rachael isn’t good at magic, and she’s not versed in life, but this witch wants to lay her hands on the sexy vampire who’s come to her in her dreams. She wants just one thing for Christmas wish — her vampire.

Gavin wants the witch in his dreams, but he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of her. Part of him wants to devour her magic and save himself, but what if being saved doesn’t involve dying?

Anything is possible with a little Christmas magic.

Sometimes Santa works his Christmas magic and delivers more than what you ask for…

Rachel isn’t the best or the brightest witch, but she does her best. Her days are dull, but her nightly dreams are filled with the gorgeous vampire Gavin. When she decides to change things for herself, she puts her Christmas wish out into the universe and requests that Santa bring her vampire lover to her. Gavin, as a vampire, longs to be free of the constraints of his nature. He does have feelings for Rachel, but he doesn’t feel like he has anything to offer her. After Rachel’s Christmas wish ends up bringing the lovers together, will everything work out for them in the end?

There isn’t a lot of worldbuilding in this story, but I don’t think it was necessary. The story is set in a very recognizable version of our world. Additionally, the characters and their emotions were quite impactful – I was rooting for Rachel from the very first line of the story. I loved how Ms. Slayer balanced the erotic scenes with the emotional scenes. Gavin was super charming, and there were many moments where he caused me to swoon. Cue the heart eyes!

The ending of the book is by far one of my favorite parts of the story. Ms. Slayer tied everything up in a bow nicely! Overall, Bite Me for Christmas was a delightful paranormal/urban fantasy holiday short story. If a reader is in search of a quick, entertaining, and spicy read complete with happily ever after this book delivers.

Rejected Mate by Sam Crescent


Rejected Mate by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Humiliated.

Alone.

After going through her first transition, Constance finds her mate—who publicly rejects her. The pack wants her to leave, but Gage, the alpha, tells her to stay. His son may have rejected her, but he wants her to stay. At a meeting, Gage declares he will be the unmated male to claim her. She will be his.

All her life, she’s had a crush on the softly spoken alpha, and now he intends to be her mate. Is he doing it out of pity?

He has watched her flourish into a beautiful, curvy wolf, and since his son doesn’t want her, he craves her. He’ll stop at nothing to claim her for his own.

He loves her. He will mate with her.

But he couldn’t have anticipated what would happen when he finally leaves his mark on her.

Will he save her before it is too late?

Constance hadn’t had her first turn until the very late age of her twenty first birthday. While she loved her pack and her small town she had often felt like an outsider and this feeling had only grown significantly since her destined mate had rejected her. The alpha’s son hadn’t cast her aside in private or quietly, but he rejected her in front of the entire pack, cementing Constance’s humiliation. With her suitcase packed and on her way out of town – unable to bear the cold and rejection of the whole pack – Constance is surprised when their Alpha, Gage, insists she stay another three days until the town meeting. When in that meeting he publicly claims Constance as his own mate, her world is turned upside down.

I found this to be an interesting and highly sexy story. While there wasn’t anything too fresh or different to the plot of the story, I found Gage and Constance’s characters interesting and relatable, and Gage’s young and egotistical son, Tanner, a good area to show the conflict in the story. I was exceptionally pleased that Gage didn’t immediately jump into bed with Connie. While their age difference didn’t bother me too much, the fact he was her Alpha and a lot more mature emotionally than her and the fact Connie had a crush on him all meshed together to make me feel Gage was a little too much of an authority figure for them to be intimate immediately after he claimed her. I was really relieved the author allowed them both – and me as the reader – a bit of time to see Connie and Gage get comfortable with each other emotionally and in their day-to-day lives before becoming sexually intimate.

That said, there was plenty of steamy sex throughout much of the story so readers looking for a spicy and extremely erotic story should definitely find this fits the bill in that respect. I thought there was a really good balance in this story between the paranormal world building and with the regular sticky emotional relationships between a new couple and dealing with rejection and petty jealousy. I thought the author did a good job and I found myself eager to read more as Gage and Constance build their trust and relationship together. With a good amount of plot – especially surrounding the intricacies of a shifter who turns a bit later in life and the fine lines between what true mates were and claiming a mate who becomes yours I thought this book was a lovely blend of solid plot and very sexy shenanigans.

Hot and spicy, this is an interesting and good read.

Quick Trick by Skye Jordan


* Quick Trick by Skye Jordan
Publisher: Author Collective 20
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

Rough Riders’ center, Grant Saber, has been sidelined for a bum shoulder. If he has to be off the ice for three weeks of recovery, he‘ll do it on his back—breaking in a new wanna-be cowgirl every night. But pressure from the team’s owner and Grant’s parents land him in his hometown of Holly, North Carolina instead. Things look up when he learns the hometown beauty who was once so out of his league is now single, and sexier than ever. Determined to slip in a night with her while he’s in town, Grant is shocked to discover one will never be enough.

Faith Nicholas has no interest in the newest Saber-son gossip. After losing her father just months before, she is now on the verge of losing their family hardware store—which is also her home. She couldn’t care less about the Saber’s big money or flashy toys. But she can’t seem to keep Grant out of her store–or her dreams. His magnetic charisma is impossible to ignore, and the longer he stays in town, the more she finds to love about a man who isn’t as superficial as he’d like others to believe.
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With a struggling store, four-hundred miles and a rigorous hockey season looming between them, Grant will have to pull out his very best moves if he’s going to make this quick trick last forever.

I enjoyed Quick Trick, a small town story with a lot of heart. This is a short and heartwarming story and I found it easy to connect with the characters and it left me with a good feeling.

The story centered around Grant as he returns to his hometown for a visit. Growing up Grant was not popular or cool but now that he is a successful professional hockey player, people treat him differently.

When Grant and Faith meet there is an instant attraction but they live in different worlds and they both have some issues they are dealing with. I liked Grant and Faith. Their encounters are entertaining, they share a lot of chemistry and I loved being with them in their small town.

Even though Grant and Faith are not ready to settle down, sometimes fate intervenes. Quick Trick was previously published as Home Advantage in an anthology titled All He Wants For Christmas. I enjoyed reading Grant and Faith’s story and I think you will, too.

The Forest God’s Favor by AT Lander


The Forest God’s Favor by AT Lander
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Can the love of a man heal the heart of a god?

Fertility god Anthos, a shy and gentle three-hundred-year-old virgin, has grown up in the shadow of his brutal older brother Dryas and spent his life hiding from mortals, no matter how much his nature draws him to them.

Cleon, a humble farmer who always has room in his heart and his bed, knows that Lord Dryas is angry. The crops aren’t growing, and his family is going to starve if he doesn’t give the god a worthy sacrifice—his own body. But when he reaches the shrine, he finds a very different god, the sweet, untouched Anthos.

Eager to satisfy Anthos’ curiosity, Cleon shows him what sex is…and what a relationship between them could be, with their instant attraction blooming into love. But when Dryas returns with a vengeance and Cleon’s life hangs in the balance, Anthos is forced to make a choice.

Will he bow once more before his brother’s rage, or take a stand for the only man who has ever had faith in him?

If your local fertility god suddenly stops blessing you, what are you to do?

This is the dilemma that troubles Cleon as his family, and those in his village, face starvation due to their crops not growing. He decides to pay a visit to the cruel Lord Dryas but, instead, meets the sweet and caring Anthos.

Oh, man! This story!!! Considering it has a Reader Advisory, I found it to be so completely sweet. The violence in it is necessary and shows the growth of the main characters and how they solve the problem they have. The rest of it is pure, unadulterated erotica and if that shocks you, maybe you shouldn’t be reading a book about a fertility god!

Anthos and Cleon are fantastic together, and their ending brought a happy tear to my eyes. Jealousy is not part of their relationship, and I loved how it worked between them. They are supported by a great cast of characters that remain in the background until needed. The focus really is on Anthos and Cleon and that makes it so much more intimate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and read it in one sitting. I am going to be reading more by this author, that’s for sure! Absolutely recommended by me.

Take You There by Willa Okati


Take You There by Willa Okati
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Thoughtful, quiet, and just a wee bit on the dryly sarcastic side, Ethan teaches music at the university in Second Chance. With barely enough time to breathe between hysterical students and faculty shenanigans, he’s not looking for Mr. Right — just Mr. Right Now — and only when the moment calls for it. The beautiful man who calls himself “Blue” in a quick, dirty alley encounter should have satisfied him. But now Ethan can’t get Blue out of his mind, and can’t seem to stop looking for him.

Carter –”Blue” when he wants to stay anonymous — wears his scars on the inside, but they’re deep and still bleeding. He doesn’t venture far outside his antique & pawn shop unless he’s desperate for someone to touch and hold him and make him feel good for a little while. He promised himself he would never want more again. The smoldering musician who caught his eye, and what they did in the alley, should have been enough. That should have been the end of it.
It wasn’t. It isn’t. Their encounter left him pregnant, and he’s been frozen since then, not knowing how to break free of his shell or what he should do. Until Ethan finds him — and then, everything changes. Again.

Author’s Note: Also featuring Oscar, everybody’s favorite sarcastic best friend. We all need an Oscar in our lives.

Ethan teaches music at the university of Second Chance. After a super quick “Mr. Right Now” alley encounter, Ethan should have moved on from Blue almost immediately. But he can’t get the man out of his mind and can’t force himself to stop looking for Blue everywhere he goes. Carter has been deeply hurt before and continues to wear the scars inside from the past. Only he can’t get Ethan out of his mind, and when Blue finds himself pregnant, he realizes everything is about to change. Again.

I found this to be an interesting and slightly different Alpha/omega M/M pregnancy book. While the broad outline is fairly standard (one quicky hook-up ends in pregnancy but neither party really caught the others name so it takes time to reconnect) so much about the characters and their personal situations was refreshingly different it really grabbed me into the story as a whole early on. Carter has been hurt and so is extremely reticent, but he has personal secrets and his history isn’t as straightforward as I expected initially. Equally, Ethan might be an Alpha, but his approach to everything – from his work to his relationships to his general outlook on life – is slightly slanted and different to the typical over-confidant, my-way-is-right style of Alpha that is so often shown. These factors meshed really well together in my mind and I felt this gave the whole story a really different perspective and helped me be really eager to see how it would all unfold.

I also adored the depth of emotion throughout the whole story. Ethan was so patient with Carter, instead of being annoyed or frustrated with Carter’s worries and secrets he could hold back with his own needs and desires and help ease Carter so they could work together. This was such a wonderful thing to read and so different to how these stories often go I really enjoyed it. It also helped really solidify for me the depth of caring and understanding that grew between the two men and I could see how they connected together. The growing romance and relationship between them felt real but also felt like something that would last over time. This made it a far deeper and more emotional romance than I had expected from the brief blurb and I loved every minute of it.

Sexy and fun with a good plot this was a great story and one I enjoyed.

Day Unto Night by TammyJo Eckhart


Day Unto Night by TammyJo Eckhart
Publisher: Liminal Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Erotic Romance, Horror, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Action/Adventure, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A Sumerian child named Ningai survives the murder of her entire family and cries out to her people’s gods, who answer her prayer in an unexpected way. Now, as the first of the Akhkharu, the living dead, Ningai embarks on a journey across the millennia to rebuild what she lost. The best of her offspring must maintain some shred of goodness to prove worthy to their Child-Mother while fighting the deadly impulses of their kind. Join their journeys across time in a series of interconnected stories from the earliest cities to a brutal future where humans are mere pawns in the hands of near gods. Like all of us, Ningai and the best of her children will stop at nothing to protect her family. Can they succeed before they lose what’s left of their humanity, or will all of humanity become enslaved to the Akhkharu forever?

Fear is an excellent teacher.

Anyone who is patient will eventually discover the many ways in which Akhkharu are nothing at all like humans. Some of these differences weren’t revealed until the last hundred pages or so. Seeing them gradually shared with the audience only made me more excited to learn more. I was never quite sure when the narrator would stop remembering more things to add to this list. Each one of them was important regardless of how often they showed up in the plot, so it was a great deal of fun to keep discovering them up until almost the end.
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This book included dozens of characters who were human, Akhkharu, or a god or goddess. Sometimes I struggled to keep track of who everyone was and how they were connected to other characters, especially for individuals who only showed up occasionally. As much as I enjoyed the breadth of it all, the gigantic cast was a little overwhelming for me at times. I did find myself wishing that the glossary in the beginning had included the names of everyone instead of only some characters.

With that being said, I adored seeing the wide variety of responses people had to meeting an Akhkharu for the first time or, even better, to becoming one themselves. These creatures tended to feed on folks who lived at the margins of society because it made it less likely that anyone would come looking for someone who had died or joined their ranks. This had fascinating repercussions for how Akhkharu society evolved over time and why Ningai struggled so much with the behavior of some of her followers.

There were pacing issues. Some sections seemed to move much more quickly than other sections. When combined with the multiple time jumps and large number of characters to keep track of, this made my reading experience feel disjointed at times. I never knew who I’d meet next or how quickly their tale would be wrapped up. The storyline itself was complex and well written. I would have gone with a much higher rating if there hadn’t been pacing problems and if it had been easier to keep track of everyone.

The horror elements of the storyline were well done. Blood-sucking creatures like the Akhkharu are frightening enough by themselves, so I was pleasantly surprised by how many other things the author thought of to make things even scarier. Some scenes relied on graphic descriptions of battles or surprise attacks, while others used mental or emotional fear to amplify smaller events into much bigger deals than they would have been if the characters had known in advance what was coming for them. This is something that I think would work best for readers who enjoy thrillers and many different types of horror.

Day Unto Night was well worth the read.

The Tethered Goat by Mikala Ash


The Tethered Goat by Mikala Ash
Elizabeth Hunter-Payne Steampunk Adventures, 7
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Dicentra

Hell-bent on revenge for the death of her husband, Elizabeth takes the initiative and sets a daring trap for Vladimir, the Russian spy she suspects of the deed. Meanwhile, Peter Smythe, a handsome and dedicated correspondent, is investigating the disappearances of street people in the docklands of London.

The discovery of a horribly mutilated body of one of the victims reminds Elizabeth of the horrendous acts perpetrated by the Whitechapel murderer known as the Collector. Elizabeth slew that monster, itself a creature of Vladimir, and she fears this is a new apprentice.

Sparks fly when Peter and Elizabeth come together, and they set off on a roller-coaster adventure in a fogbound steam-driven world. When the hunted becomes the hunter, Elizabeth is the bait!

When does the hunter become the hunted? Imagine setting a trap for a vicious beast, but you end up being the one trapped instead. Mikala Ash takes readers into their 1800’s steampunk version of London where our daring heroine might have bitten off more than she can chew.

I loved Elizabeth’s character. An intelligent, beautiful, bad-ass woman who can take care of herself? I am all here for that! She’s not always one to take other’s feelings into account, but I feel like that’s part of her character arc and something she has room to fix. Ms. Ash had me invested in Elizabeth’s journey when Elizabeth allowed herself to be vulnerable and talk about how she’s still affected by the death of her husband. That moment gave her a lot of depth in my eyes.

While you can technically read this as a standalone, readers may miss out on some of the backstory and character dynamics. For example, I felt like I was missing something in the relationship between Elizabeth and Marianne. Despite missing some small details and nuances because of this, I didn’t have any issues understanding the mystery aspect and the overall story arc.

The erotic romance factor was not as obvious. Yes, there were some erotic scenes but there was no romancing (which is disappointing). Erotic scenes lose a lot of their excitement for me when there’s no connection (or when the connection is not believable). A meeting of the brains? Love at first sight? Plain and simple lust a character needed to work out? Anything works! Just give me something I can believe in to establish why characters are getting in bed with each other. Unfortunately, the story failed to deliver a meaningful romantic connection. If it had, I would have been able to give it a higher rating.

Overall, The Tethered Goat is a quick and enjoyable adventure-filled tale. I would recommend this book to readers who might enjoy a steampunk, female driven mystery that’s similar in style to Sherlock Holmes (with minimal elements of erotic romance).