Semper Fitz by Aurora Russell

January 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Semper Fitz by Aurora Russell
Publisher: Totally Bound
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

He’s always strong, always faithful…but will he be always hers?

Pregnant, alone and temporarily staying at her family’s cabin in northern Minnesota, Clara Olafson is determined to overcome the hurt of her recent past and build a good life for herself and her child. The last thing she expects to find on her morning walk through the state forest nearby is an unconscious and injured former Marine.

Colin ‘Fitz’ Fitzhugh might have initially joined the Corps to prove that he was more than just a wealthy playboy, but he grew to love the brotherhood and purpose he found there—until his last mission in Afghanistan cost the life of one of his men and left him badly scarred in body and mind. Hoping to shed some of his pain and guilt alone in the wilderness, instead he finds a feisty, pregnant angel.

Sparks fly as sassy Clara nurses the gruff and mysterious Fitz back to health, but the happiness and peace they both begin to find in the little cabin is shattered when Clara faces a health emergency. When Fitz reluctantly chooses to return to the wealth and privilege of his family in order to save her and the baby, he plunges them all into a glittering society that Clara doesn’t know if she likes. But Fitz might just prove to her that, whether he’s being a billionaire philanthropist or a sudden stand-in dad, he’s always hers.

Pregnancy can make you do weird stuff!

At least, that’s how it is for Clara. The weirdest being when she finds a hulking man unconscious in the forest and takes him home with her. Fitz has gone to the forest to find himself but, instead, finds something so much more.

This is the first book in a new series set (I think) in Minnesota. It moves along at a fair pace with some steamy scenes. You do have to suspend reality though, which is something I find a tad difficult with contemporary stories. For one thing, she recovers from a caesarian section very quickly and, just as quickly, moves onto having sex multiple times in one night. Maybe some do move on that quickly, but no one I know has. And let’s not forget all the ‘accidents’ she had that no one, not even her marine, questioned. A doctor, her brother, not questioning the exact same BP reading for a week? The exact same?!

Barring these small points though, this was a sweet read with some angst and steamy moments. If you like Contemporary Romance, then give this one a go!

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First Bloom by Sean Michael

January 4, 2022 By Leave a Comment


First Bloom by Sean Michael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Joey works as a janitor at Dick and Rock’s gym. He’s been there since his parents kicked him out for being gay. He’s happy at his job and loyal to the men who were there for him when he needed them most.

Erik is a master’s student and competitive swimmer who started going to the gym after a hand-gliding accident. He’s trying to recover and get his mojo back.

Joey’s been mooning over the handsome Erik for months now, but hasn’t had the guts to walk up to him. With Dick’s encouragement, he finally approaches his crush. When it turns out that Erik has been watching him too, Joey can hardly believe it.

Join Joey and Erik as they discover what they can be together.

Joey works hard at his job in the gym, grateful for the chance the owners have given him after he found himself on the street when his parents kicked him out. He’s had his eye on Erik – a handsome member clearly recovering from injury – but it’s not until Joey is urged by one of the owners to talk to Erik that he screws up the courage. The two men instantly connect and find they both dearly enjoy their first bloom of romance together.

I really enjoyed this fun and sweet romance story. While there’s plenty of steamy sex in it, there is also that sweetness of a first serious romance, the innocence and fun and happiness that is just a joy to experience and read about. I really enjoyed that both Erik and Joey were both on the same page together and they clearly grew deeply attached and in love with each other at a similar pace and with equal depth. It was joyous to my mind to read and so sweet and happy I feel you can’t help but enjoy each moment.

With some lovely secondary characters in both Erik’s adopted family and Joey’s family-of-choice (who also happen to be old friends for many long-term readers) this quick read was a delight and I strongly believe should appeal to a wide range of people who just want a happy and lovely story to help lift their spirits. I really enjoyed this story.

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Daddy’s Little Sweetheart by Lila Fox

January 3, 2022 By Leave a Comment


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.

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Summer Storm by Joan Wolf

January 3, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Summer Storm by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Chris was a struggling actor and Mary a struggling scholar, but their marriage was a perfect, passionate union—until the glitter of Hollywood and a dazzling starlet stole Chris away. At the time when she needed him most, he betrayed and failed her, and she swore never to see him again. Chris became a world-famous actor, and Mary a respected professor, and only in the darkness of the movie theater did she allow herself to think of him. Then, in the flash and glare of reporters’ cameras, they met again, and the smoldering love reignited. They had never officially divorced. Had he come back to reestablish their marriage…or end it irrevocably?

I chose to read this book because the synopsis sounded original, and I felt like reading a contemporary romance instead of a historical. I was looking for a fast, satisfying read and Summer Storm qualified. This was the perfect short story for me since I was able to read it in a couple of hours. It provided the necessary escape from reality that I was craving.

I’m not sure if this book was so awesome that I buzzed through it so fast, making it seem like a short story, or it truly was a short story, I didn’t have page numbers to refer to. I reached the end in record time (for me). Like I said, the synopsis sounded original, and it definitely was. I can honestly say that I have never read a plot similar to Summer Storm in my lifetime. I’m not going to analyze the story too closely, but I enjoyed the clever plot, and it was a fun read. The downside is that I wasn’t convinced of the reality of the storyline.

I consider the hero, Chris, to be a complicated character in his own way as well as the heroine, Mary. They were relatable in their complexity, and I enjoyed their romance story even though there were elements that didn’t gel for me. In other words, neither Chris nor Mary possessed the characteristics of a hero or heroine that I specifically prefer. Why do I feel that way? Without giving any spoilers, it has to do with what the synopsis says, “At the time when she needed him most, he betrayed and failed her,”. I couldn’t see myself making the same choices Mary did, yet the author eased the reader through that moral conflict, and I was able to see Mary’s decision through her eyes and heart. I’m still not sure I agree or forgive Chris for his actions in that plot thread but the fact that I kept reading speaks for itself.

The writing style pulled me through from beginning to end. There was a consistent progression leading me to their happily ever after and I was very grateful for that smooth sailing through the story. I was very pleased when I did reach the end because there weren’t any loose threads.

I recommend this book for its contemporary originality. My loyalty to Joan Wolf has me conflicted. Summer Storm is unlike any other book I’ve read by her but then again, that’s one of the author’s storytelling strengths. For that reason, I can suggest a reader give this story a try.

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His Mistress by Arabella Sheen

December 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


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.

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The Conjure Supper by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

December 16, 2021 By Leave a Comment


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.

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The Balance by Kirby Hall

December 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Balance by Kirby Hall
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing, LLC
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, YA (16+)
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Marise never expected to end up at a private school like St. James, but she understands better than most, you rarely get what you expect in life. It turns out a new school, a mysterious new roommate, and befriending a set of twin brothers is just the beginning of Marise’s journey.

Twins Aiden and Ethan couldn’t be more different or more distant. Aiden is determined to put what happened at their previous school behind him and to keep as much distance between himself and his brother as possible. No one wants a sibling who borders on homicidal.

Ethan is adrift and scared of who he’s becoming, but when a new girl arrives at school, he can’t stay away. As it turns out, she might be the one to help him figure out who or what he really is.

Moreover, psychological cialis cialis uk disorders like depression, anxiety and stress can also put the heart and the vessels to the damage leaving nothing to the life. midwayfire.com cialis uk The pregnant women with IgA Nephropathy are more likely to have this disease. A study from Harvard stated that more than 30000 men over the age 50 who were physically active had lower risks of ED than who were levitra wholesale http://www.midwayfire.com/minutes/04-10-12.pdf not active. In some cases they http://www.midwayfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Approved-Minutes-9-22-20-2nd-Special-Budget-Mtg.pdf levitra 20mg generika can aggravate the hydration state of the patient. What happens when the impossible becomes possible? When everything you’ve ever believed about the world is suddenly turned upside down?

Marise and Ethan are about to find out even if it kills them.

The Balance is the first installment of a series and was my first introduction to the author. I did like that the author chose to use alternating points of view between the main characters as this gave deeper insight into their thoughts and feelings.

The beginning of the book is light and a little slow for my liking as it introduces the characters attending St. James boarding school. Within days of enrolling at the boarding school, Marise, who is a strong female character, forms a friendship with two troubled twin brothers, Aiden and Ethan. And her new roommate Sara seems too good to be true. Quickly the events happening at the boarding school start to put students in danger. Who can Marise really trust?

As the story progresses, the pace and action picks up. The author’s writing style continued to hold my attention, in fact once the storyline picked up, I was intrigued with the suspense and action. One minute I was reading about normal teen life and then the next how to banish demons and learning about the war between heaven and hell.

The characters are likable but I just didn’t feel a connection to them. It took me a few sittings to complete the book, but I honestly can’t really pin-point why I didn’t love the book. It might partly be because the characters aren’t ones that’ll stick with me.

The good news is, the storyline was well crafted and very interesting plus the ending does give answers so there is closure to many questions that readers may have while reading. The cover of the book is beautiful and the title does fit the book’s concept. Recommend for YA/Teen that enjoy reading an interesting and well plotted paranormal or supernatural series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories by Tom Batt

December 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories by Tom Batt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories is a collection of 15 short crime stories from dark detective noir to domestic murder, crossing time periods as far back as the Victorian era and into the near future. Some with a twist of horror, science fiction or the supernatural. Each story revolves around intriguing characters with twists and turns and on occasion a sting in the tail.

Private investigator Nick Shelby is struggling to move on from the abrupt and unexplained departure of Louise, the woman he loved. When she turns up dead in Mexico, he sets off to investigate her death and, in the process, unravels a web of lies and betrayal woven together by a roster of shady characters in 1940s Los Angeles. A mysterious man thought to be dead, a deceiving doctor and a notorious gangster are all connected, but the big question is who killed Louise and why?

Plus, three small town sheriff’s deputies are made a tempting offer by a sinister stranger they’ve arrested; a young prostitute tracks down the man who murdered her friend and exacts brutal revenge; in the near future where reproduction is regulated a desperate mother will risk everything to have a child of her own and in Victorian London a married couple encounter one of the city’s most infamous criminals and find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Sometimes the fringes of society are the most interesting places to be.

After going broke and nearly losing their home, George’s wife decided to work as a prostitute to keep her family housed and fed in “An Unexpected Encounter in Spitalfields.” His angry response to the way their community treated them once word of her new occupation got out piqued my interest. I had a lot of compassion for this couple and was curious to see how they’d manage their financial woes as well as the stigma they faced. There were some wonderful twists in this tale that kept me guessing, and the final surprise was the best one of them all.

“A Deadly Suspicion” began with Cooper and Gabe making small talk as they got rid of a body. I was intrigued by how casually these characters cleaned up the scene of the death and how much more attention they paid to other concerns in their lives like making sure their hair looked good. That wasn’t how I’d expect anyone to behave in that situation at all, so I couldn’t imagine what their reasoning was for it. As intrigued as I was by their unusual behavior, I did find myself wishing that they’d gone into more detail about why they were so used to handling dead bodies and how they were planning to get away with their crimes. This was a pattern I noticed in a few other stories here as well. I would have gone with a higher rating if the author had been a little more methodical about explaining what was going on in them.

Russell was dismayed to learn that his mistress was pregnant in “Fatal Infidelity.” After his mistress died in a car accident a short time later, he had to figure out how to cover up the evidence of their affair and her death. I thought I knew where everything was going based on the beginning and middle of it, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how many tricks the author still had up his sleeve as the characters moved closer to the climax. This was quite creative and was one of my favorite tales of them all.

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories was a well-rounded collection that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys all sorts of different types of mysteries.

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The Christmas Unicorn by Elf Ahearn

December 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Christmas Unicorn by Elf Ahearn
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The greatest gifts aren’t always under the Christmas tree.

Believing herself abandoned by her fiancé in the wilds of Northern Wales, actress Babbie Crispen and her wheelchair-bound son struggle to find shelter on a frigid night before Christmas.

A strange man the locals call the Wicked Scot finds them near death on a snow-covered hillside. He brings them to his castle, a place of both terrifying and wonderful magic so powerful it changes all their lives.

It’s one thing to enjoy blustery winter weather by looking at it through a window. It’s quite another to be stuck in the middle of it and have nowhere warm and safe to go at all.

Most stories about Christmas were written about people who have a home to live in, however modest it might be. The holidays take on quite a different meaning for families that don’t have enough money for basic shelter and food, much less anything special to eat or to give as a gift. As soon as Babbie and her young son, Francis, I was sucked into their tale and couldn’t wait to find out how she’d manage to keep their little family alive over the winter. The odds were stacked against them so terribly.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the character development. The storyline was well developed, but my understanding of who the characters were as individuals and how they were changing as a result of their experiences during this Christmas wasn’t as strong. While I could have described their physical appearances and occupations easily, I would have struggled to do the same with their personalities. There simply wasn’t enough information for me to say what any of the main characters were like apart from that.

The magic in this world was delightfully unpredictable. I couldn’t blame Babbie one bit for being so unnerved by the things she experienced when she first visited the Wicked Scot‘s castle. There were no rational explanations for them, and some of her experiences were just vague enough to make me wonder if her worries about there being something dangerous in that house were legitimate. I can’t say much else about this without giving away spoilers, but I deeply enjoyed where the author went with it.

The Christmas Unicorn made me smile.

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

Rejected Mate by Sam Crescent

December 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment


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.

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