Book Review: Serving Pleasure by Alisha Rai

Title: Serving Pleasure
Series: Pleasure, Book 2
Author: Alisha Rai
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: June 12, 2015 (self-published)

Hungry for a touch…

Rana Malik is over being her family’s resident black sheep. She’s on a mission: ditch the casual hook-ups, revamp her bad-girl image, and fall in love with a proper Mr. Right even her conservative mama can’t find fault with. Not on the menu? The beautiful, brooding Mr. Right Now who lives next door, and all the ways he whets her appetite.

Starving for love…

Artist Micah Hale had it all–women, success, friends and family–until his world changed in a single act of senseless violence. Now struggling to conceal his scars and get his life and career back on track, he knows he has nothing to offer a woman except his body. He’s not looking for love…but he can’t control his craving for the sexy bombshell voyeur he’s caught looking at him.

Just one bite.

Their attraction boils over, and their defenses are stripped off along with their clothes. They promise they’ll walk away if it gets too hot. But it’s hard to do the right thing…when being wrong feels so good.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: Mastering Meg by Saskia Walker

Title: Mastering Meg
Author: Saskia Walker
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: November 1, 2010 by Total E-Bound

Meg is enjoying a peaceful log cabin and a hiking holiday in Scotland, until her ex arrives on the doorstep. When she realizes he intends to share the cabin with her, she is outraged.

Piers wants Meg back and he thinks he finally has his lover figured out. He’s been to her London flat and he’s found her secret stash of BDSM material. Meg wants to be mastered, and Piers is determined to be the one to do so. After a breakneck drive north, he stakes his claim.

Meg is furious that her ex has cornered her and heads off into the wilds, but Piers is only a whisper behind her. When he captures and cuffs her, she is astonished. Despite her protestations, Meg is wildly aroused by his dominant approach. She’s always loved him, and now he is kicking aside the final barrier between them.

Never before has Meg been so liberated, so debauched, or so thoroughly pleasured. Getting her to admit that, however, is his biggest challenge. But Piers is determined, he has patience…and he has an arsenal of bondage equipment to master Meg with.
Reader Advisory: This book includes scenes that some readers may find objectionable, including chase and capture, bondage and domination.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Monica

Book Review: Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Title: Scandal Never Sleeps
Series: The Perfect Gentlemen, Book 1
Author: Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: August 18, 2015 by Berkley

They are the Perfect Gentlemen of Creighton Academy: privileged, wealthy, powerful friends with a wild side. But a deadly scandal is about to tear down their seemingly ideal lives . . .

Maddox Crawford’s sudden death sends Gabriel Bond reeling. Not only is he burying his best friend, he’s cleaning up Mad’s messes, including his troubled company. Grieving and restless, Gabe escapes his worries in the arms of a beautiful stranger. But his mind-blowing one-night stand is about to come back to haunt him . . .

Mad groomed Everly Parker to be a rising star in the executive world. Now that he’s gone, she’s sure her job will be the next thing she mourns, especially after she ends up accidentally sleeping with her new boss. If only their night together hadn’t been so incendiary—or Gabe like a fantasy come true . . .

As Gabe and Everly struggle to control the heated tension between them, they discover evidence that Mad’s death was no accident. Now they must bank their smoldering passions to hunt down a murderer—because Mad had secrets that someone was willing to kill for, and Gabe or Everly could be the next target . . .

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: For Real by Alexis Hall

Title: For Real
Series: Spires Universe
Author: Alexis Hall
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: June 1, 2015 by Riptide

Laurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission.

Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable. Everything Laurie can’t remember being.

Toby doesn’t know who he wants to be or what he wants to do. But he knows, with all the certainty of youth, that he wants Laurie. He wants him on his knees. He wants to make him hurt, he wants to make him beg, he wants to make him fall in love.

The problem is, while Laurie will surrender his body, he won’t surrender his heart. Because Toby is too young, too intense, too easy to hurt. And what they have—no matter how right it feels—can’t last. It can’t mean anything.

It can’t be real.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: Asking For It by Lilah Pace

Title: Asking For It
Series: Asking For It, Book 1
Author: Lilah Pace
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: June 2, 2015 by Berkley

“This is who I am. This is what I want. Now I need a man dangerous enough to give it to me.”

Graduate student Vivienne Charles is afraid of her own desires—ashamed to admit that she fantasizes about being taken by force, by a man who will claim her completely and without mercy. When the magnetic, mysterious Jonah Marks learns her secret, he makes an offer that stuns her: they will remain near-strangers to each other, and meet in secret so that he can fulfill her fantasy.

Their arrangement is twisted. The sex is incredible. And—despite their attempts to stay apart—soon their emotions are bound together as tightly as the rope around Vivienne’s wrists. But the secrets in their pasts threaten to turn their affair even darker...

Reader Advisory: Asking for It deals explicitly with fantasies of non-consensual sex. Readers sensitive to portrayals of non-consensual sex should be advised.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: Loving Maddie from A to Z by Kelly Jamieson

Title: Loving Maddie from A to Z
Author: Kelly Jamieson
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: April 7, 2015 (self-published)

Home is where the hearts are…
Award-winning photojournalist Zack Donovan is happy to be alive after being held captive by a band of rebels in Syria. He’s not so happy to be on his way back to Chicago to recuperate with his college friends Maddie and Aidan, who are now a couple. The fear while being held prisoner was nothing compared to how he feels about facing the two people who unknowingly broke his heart seven years ago.

Maddie and Aidan are deeply in love, but lately they feel something is missing for them. They’d do anything to make the other happy, but are struggling to figure out what that is. Those problems are set aside, however, when their best friend from college is taken hostage in Syria. After graduation, Maddie and Aidan were hurt by Zack’s refusal to ever come home to visit, but he’s still their friend and he has no family, so when he’s finally free they insist he come stay with them to recover.

Zack’s a different man now. He’s seen terrible things. He’s come to terms with his sexuality and embraced his need to dominate. Maddie and Aidan would be shocked to know the kinds of things he likes to do. A guy like him will never have a relationship like theirs. But when Zack realizes he might be able to show Maddie and Aidan what they’re missing, he faces a dilemma. Do something? Do nothing? Pretend everything’s fine? Help them if he can? But will showing them what they’re missing help save their relationship…or destroy it?

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: Personal Geography by Tamsen Parker

Title: Personal Geography
Series: The Compass, Book 1
Author: Tamsen Parker
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: December 1, 2014 (self-published)

Powerhouse consultant India Burke is notorious for her razor-sharp mind, her incisive tongue, and for always being in control. But during her “lost weekends”—out-of-town, one-and-done, anonymous rendezvous solely for the purpose of kinky sex—she craves a submissive role.

Cris Ardmore, India’s latest tryst, is a Dominant who calls an isolated Hawaiian paradise home. India’s expecting forty-eight hours of contractually defined sex, but instead of serving as just another BDSM Band-Aid, Cris wants to know the real India Burke. Despite her aversion to anything approaching intimacy, India is hooked by their incredible sexual chemistry.

With tension ratcheting up in her professional life, India needs the release Cris offers more than ever, but her repeated visits come with their own risks. No matter how strong their attraction, India is determined to maintain her boundaries in order to keep her life whole after her first love blew it apart. She must choose between taking a chance and handing Cris the road map to her heart or locking down her borders before he does any more damage.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: Beyond Possession by Kit Rocha

Title: Beyond Possession
Series: Beyond, Book 5.5
Author: Kit Rocha
Genre: Erotic Romance, Dystopian
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: November 10, 2014 (self-published)

Tatiana Stone has worked hard to establish herself as one of Sector Four's most skilled crafters. All she wants is peace--but the sins of her father haunt her. He ruled the sector as a petty tyrant before the O'Kane takeover, and plenty of people harbor bitter memories of his cruelty. Especially now that Tatiana's beloved baby sister has fallen in with a man who wants to start a revolution.

Zan failed his boss once, and it won't happen again. So when Dallas O'Kane asks him to defuse the rebellion brewing in the sector, he'll do whatever it takes to get the job done--including seduce Tatiana. It's the perfect opportunity to get closer to the pretty crafter and complete his mission. But what he discovers is a fiery, passionate woman--and an affair that could destroy them both.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: 50 Shades of Pink by KT Grant

Title: 50 Shades of Pink
Author: KT Grant
Genre: Erotic Romance, F/F Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: February 13, 2015 by Riverdale Avenue Books

Living in Manhattan and working at Virago, one of the most successful women’s magazines in the nation is a dream come true for Lindsay Pinke. After five years of being overworked and underpaid in the research department, she’s finally noticed by Colette Duarte, the provocative executive editor of the magazine. She offers Lindsay the coveted role as her personal assistant, but first she must prove she’s worthy of the position. Lindsay must interview Victoria Nox, the elusive and extremely private CEO of Nox Media Holdings. If Lindsay succeeds, Colette promises her great things for her publishing career. If Lindsay fails, her chance as a respected writer will be cut short.

A chance meeting with Victoria at a high class function puts into motion a series of events that leaves Lindsay blindsided by her strong physical reaction to the magnetic but foreboding woman. When Lindsay unwittingly falls into Victoria’s world of dark temptations and complex entanglements, she leans the shocking truth Victoria hides about Colette that rocks Lindsay to her very core.

Now that Lindsay has become a balm on Victoria's soul, is she strong enough to help Victoria confront her shameful past, and stop one woman's sick games once and for all?

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Monica

Book Review: The New Year’s Fantasy by KT Grant

Title: The New Year’s Fantasy
Author: KT Grant
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: January 5, 2015 (self-published)

Contemporary Romance featuring a forty-four year old hairy chested firefighter hero and a thirty-one year old school teacher heroine whose one night stand on New Year's Eve becomes much more...

Seven years ago, the once overweight Jessica Mulligan made a pact with her best friend that ended up changing her life for the better. Now sixty pounds lighter, Jessica’s self-confidence has soared, but her longtime firefighter crush still won’t notice her.

What she doesn’t count on is catching the eye of his boss, the much older and handsome Captain Douglass Finley, who thinks she’s perfect in so many ways…

Three years ago, Doug Finley’s life took a turn for the worse when his wife admitted to an affair with their next door neighbor. Other than the possibility of a promotion to Deputy Fire Commissioner, the only thing he looks forward to is weekends with his eleven-year-old daughter. With his forty-fifth birthday around the corner, his love life is in the toilet. The ritzy New Year’s Eve bash he has been roped into feels like torture, until he spies a vision of beauty eating chocolate covered strawberries like she’s making love to them…and all he can think about is making love to her.

When Jessica admits she never had an orgasm, he’s determined to give her the ultimate New Year’s fantasy she’ll never forget.

But can he convince her they belong together for longer than one night?

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Monica

Book Review: The Master by Kresley Cole

Title: The Master
Series: The Game Maker, Book 2
Author: Kresley Cole
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: February 17, 2015 by Gallery Books

Everyone fears the Master…
Rich, irresistible politician/Mafiya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his…complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint.

Except her.
Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she’s hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door.

If pleasure is a game, play to win.
After their mind-blowing encounter burns out of control, the lovers crave more. If they escape the deadly threats surrounding them, can Maksim overcome his past—to offer Cat his future? Only then will she tempt him with what he really wants: her, all tied up with a bow.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Monica

Book Review: Beyond Addiction by Kit Rocha

Title: Beyond Addiction
Series: Beyond, Book 5
Author: Kit Rocha
Genre: Erotic Romance, Dystopian
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: August 10, 2014 (self-published)

She’s fought like hell to leave the past behind.

Trix changed her name and her life when she got clean four years ago. Now, she has a new family and a job she loves—tending bar and dancing at the Broken Circle. As an O’Kane, she’s happy, untouchable. Until a nightmare from her old life tears her away from her home and drags her back to Hell—also known as Sector Five.

He’s still living—and dying—in it.

Losing Trix was the kick in the head Finn needed to get sober, but working as an enforcer for a man he hates is slowly crushing his soul. The only thing that keeps him going is his determination to destroy Sector Five from the inside. Then Trix comes back into his life—alive, in danger—and nothing else matters.

Getting her home could be a suicide mission. The only thing deadlier is the old spark that flares to life between them. Soon, Finn and Trix are battling the one addiction neither of them ever managed to kick—each other. And it could cost them everything.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: Taking It All by Kati Wilde

Title: Taking It All
Series: Hellfire Riders MC, Book 2
Author: Kati Wilde
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: received review copy from author
Published: October 24, 2014 (self-published)

Heaven is finally having Saxon Gray in my arms. Hell is knowing that I might lose him.

After I spent years loving him from a distance, the president of the Hellfire Riders MC is finally mine. Every day he’s at my side; every night he’s in my bed. It would be everything I’d ever wanted, except my dad is sick, and trouble is brewing now that Saxon’s club is taking over my father’s. Because bad blood between the two MCs still lingers, and an old rule requiring Saxon to share me with the other club members is being used as a weapon, forcing him to choose between me and the Hellfire Riders.

And I don’t know if he’ll choose me…or how far I might go to keep him.

Book Review: Wanting It All by Kati Wilde

Title: Wanting It All
Series: Hellfire Riders MC, Book 1
Author: Kati Wilde
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: September 29, 2014 (self-published)

He’s the one man I can never have, but the only one I crave…

Saxon Gray has reason to hate me. He spent five years in prison after saving me from a brutal violation at the hands of a rival motorcycle club – and he paid for that rescue with his freedom. I’ve never been able to settle the debt I owe him…until now.

The menace of that old rivalry is flaring up again, and as president of the Hellfire Riders, Saxon is the one man who can keep me safe. But I want more than his protection.

I want his heart.

Book Review: Off Limits by Ruby Dixon

Title: Off Limits
Series: Bedlam Butchers MC, Book 1
Author: Ruby Dixon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: October 1, 2014 (self-published)

He shouldn’t touch me, but he does.

Late one night, in the middle of danger, he makes me feel things I shouldn’t.

And I know I shouldn’t want more…but I do.

Because hooking up with me? It could cost him his life.

Lucky…isn’t. In fact, she’s considered ‘off limits’ to the Bedlam Butchers because she’s caused them nothing but bad luck in the past. As a bonus? She’s also the president’s kid sister. Single and lonely? That’s Lucky’s way of life. Now, the Eighty-Eight Henchmen are harassing her and they’re out for blood.

Solo…is. In a club where pairing up with a brother to watch your back is mandatory, Solo still hasn’t gotten over his partner’s death two years ago. The club’s pressuring him to name a second Treasurer, but he has to trust that person in bed and out. And it’s damn hard for Solo to trust.

But when he rescues Lucky from the Eighty-Eight, maybe it’s time for Solo to find a partner, and time for Lucky’s luck to turn around…

Book Review: Beyond Solitude by Kit Rocha

Title: Beyond Solitude
Series: Beyond, Book 4.5
Author: Kit Rocha
Genre: Erotic Romance, Dystopian
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: May 1, 2014 (self-published)

When a motorcycle accident leaves Derek Ford riding a desk at the O’Kane compound, the last thing he needs is a sexy new assistant upending his office and his life. But Mia isn’t scared of her domineering boss. The friction between them generates an undeniable heat—but Mia will not be kept, and Ford will do anything to protect what’s his.

A few notes: Unlike Beyond Temptation, this story stands separate from the main series plotline, with a tight focus on the hero and heroine as they travel through some parts of the Sectors we don't usually get to show.

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: Fever by Maya Banks

Title: Fever
Series: Breathless, Book 2
Author: Maya Banks
Genre: Erotic Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: library
Published: April 2, 2013 by Berkley

Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.

Reviewed By: Laura

Book Review: His Wild Desire by Ella Goode

Title: His Wild Desire
Series: Death Lords MC, Book 1
Author: Ella Goode
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: September 28, 2014 (self-published)

I'm not supposed to want him, but I do.
I'm not supposed to need him, but I can't stop.
I'm not supposed to love him, but my heart won't listen.

Most of all? I'm definitely, under no circumstances, supposed to sleep with him.
Grant "Wrecker" Harrison spent three years of his life locked away. He's out and he's tired of hiding. He wants everyone, even his father Judge President of the Death Lords MC, to know she's his.

Chelsea Weaver loves Grant even though she knows its wrong. She knew it was wrong when she gave him her virginity and she knows it's still wrong three years later...because Grant's her stepbrother and Judge is the only father she's ever known.

Book Review: Beyond Jealousy by Kit Rocha

Title: Beyond Jealousy
Series: Beyond, Book 4
Author: Kit Rocha
Genre: Erotic Romance, Dystopian
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: March 16, 2014 (self-published)

She’s been looking for the perfect man. She found two.

When Rachel Riley sacrificed a life in Eden to protect the O’Kanes, she earned her place in the powerful Sector Four gang. But the former crime princess is tired of being everyone’s sweet little sister . It’s time for her to get wild, to embrace her fantasies as only an O’Kane can—with a delicious exiled soldier and the gang’s wickedly sinful tattoo artist.

A saint...

Lorenzo Cruz is a warrior, taught by his commanding officers in Eden that involvement equals distraction. Emotion is a liability, and desire a sin. In Sector Four, he finds decadence, shameless sex—and his own dark urges. No battle strategy prepared him for how Rachel makes his heart race…or the way his rival for her affections sets his blood on fire.

...and a sinner.

Ace Santana has a dirty reputation and a mind to match, especially where his new lovers are concerned. He’s eager to help Cruz embrace his dominant side, and to explore the lines between pleasure and pain with Rachel. But corrupting them quickly becomes an obsession, a need he can’t deny—and a love he never imagined.

Three hearts on the line means a hundred ways their ménage a trois could go wrong. After all, even O’Kanes do forever two-by-two. One of them could be the missing piece that makes them all whole…or a temporary diversion destined for a broken heart.

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: Riding Steele by Opal Carew

Title: Riding Steele
Series: Riding Steele, 0.1-0.6; Ready to Ride, Book 3
Author: Opal Carew
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copies provided via NetGalley
Published: November 4 – December 2, 2014 by St. Martin’s Griffin
(The complete story in one book comes out March 17, 2015)

Being kidnapped by bikers is a harrowing experience, but for some reason, Laurie doesn’t feel as terrified as she should.  The leader’s steely eyes soften when he looks at her, and the others in his gang clearly know she’s hands off.  But does that include Steele's hands?  Her brain resists him, but her body insists she wants those big hands all over her.

Steele doesn’t know how he wound up in this mess—with a kidnapped woman on his hands and the police hot on their trail.  Now he and Laurie are in hiding at an isolated cabin, and Steele has to figure out how to extricate himself...and steer clear of his accidental captive whose tight, slinky clubbing attire is making him think all kinds of dangerous thoughts…