Rock My Socks Off by Jeremy Edwards

Slightly boring, standard erotica

2 Stars

Writer Jacob Hastings is finding that his dreams of a glittering career are hard to come by. But when he meets Normandie Stephens at a party he feels he might just have met the one woman who can take his mind off his work and rock his socks off.

I’ve recently read an anthology that included a story by Jeremy Edwards that I didn’t particularly care for so I was apprehensive when I started to read this full length novel.

I have never actually read any erotica that’s written by a man before so I was interested to see whether his writing style and descriptions was more geared towards a male or female audience. In the end I’m not sure what the answer is because I certainly didn’t enjoy this story and I didn’t find the sex particularly enjoyable either but I’m really not sure whether men would either.

The characters and situations in the story were a strange mix of the complete ordinary and the absolute fantastical. The same went for the language throughout the book which was at times flowery and over the top and at other times frank and crude.

Not surprisingly, the book was littered with sex but each encounter lasted about a paragraph and I was left wondering whether there’d ever be a satisfying scene. At times the sex felt more sordid than titillating and it felt a little seedy rather than something to enjoy and turn you on.

It sounds a little clichéd with regards to erotica but there really wasn’t much plot to go with all the sex and I really would have preferred both! If you’re looking for some good erotica that’s at least got a little plot then I would try any Black Lace or Cheek book which are more likely to be satisfying reads in many respects. For this offering, I’m sorry to say that I was a little bored and pretty unaffected as a whole. 2 stars.

Promise of Pleasure by Cheryl Holt

Entertaining and satisfying Regency romance

4 Stars

Mary Barnes has had enough of being unwanted and unloved by her cruel stepmother and half sisters. All she wants to do is escape her life and find love and happiness. So when a mysterious peddler offers her a magic elixir to make the man of her dreams fall in love with her, she jumps at the chance.

Jordan Winthrop, the heir to the Earl of Sunderland, is debauched, bankrupt and handsome to boot. When he comes to Barnes Manor to marry Mary’s half sister, he finds himself instead lusting after Mary. But is it real or is it the potion? And what will Jordan do when he realises he must make a choice between money and the woman he’s beginning to think he might never want to let go?

You can always count on Cheryl Holt to deliver a satisfying read. This novel sticks to her tried and true theme of impoverished/put upon lady who gets tangled up with a cynical, jaded lord leading to love but not before seemingly insurmountable obstacles are dealt with.

I felt that this novel had more emotion and angst than is usual for Holt but that’s not a bad thing at all. Jordan was your typical dissolute, cynical scoundrel but his panic and confusion at finding himself falling in love were a delight to read. Mary was also a well-drawn out character although I would have liked to see more of her feelings rather than just let us believe she had all of a sudden fallen in love. The other characters were horrible and lovely as required yet none of them felt stereotypical, each adding something to the story.

As this is billed as an erotic love story there’s a fair amount of steamy sex but even then, I didn’t find it as hot as Holt’s previous books.

We also have a secondary love story which I liked very much and, as another reviewer stated, didn’t overshadow the main story at all.

There are a fair amount of Americanisms in the text and at times the characters speak in too modern a manner to be truly indicative of the Regency times. But if you’re looking for some escapism and want a fun, entertaining read then I would definitely recommend this book to you. 4 stars.

(This book is the first in the Spinster’s Cure trilogy that includes Taste of Temptation and Dreams of Desire.)

Sex, Love and Valentines

Fun for a quick thrill

3 Stars

This is a collection of 20 erotic stories compiled for Valentine’s Day and each of the stories revolve around the day. This is an Xcite book so you get a range of authors, both male and female, giving you a whole different range of erotic tales including some girl on girl stuff and one gay story.

Firstly, I have to say that I wasn’t impressed with the cover. The girl licking the lollipop was just too pre-pubescent schoolboy fantasy for me to take it seriously and it certainly didn’t excite or titillate me as I’m assuming it was supposed to!

The book contains 20 stories most of which are about 10 pages in length which is perfect for a quick read when the mood strikes. Having said that, at times it was like you were just getting a taste of the story and then it would end just when the going got good.

I’ll admit that the stories (or at least most of them) were exciting in their own way, but for me, I prefer erotic stories with a little bit more fantasy and romance. Some of the stories in this collection were very real-life, realistic and felt more like seedy one night stands.

I’m going to give this collection 3 stars because although there were some really enjoyable and well-written stories (Dr. Charm, Shot to the Heart and Neighbours were my particular favourites), the good stories were outnumbered by the pointless, sordid and at times downright terrible stories in the bunch.

Still, for a quick thrill and for the price then you’re bound to find at least one story in this collection that tickles your fancy.

The Viking's Woman by Heather Graham

Enchanting and exciting Viking romance

5 stars

King Alfred’s cousin Rhiannon is lauded for her great beauty and wonderful spirit. But she has none of her warmth to share with any Viking, especially those who invade her lands and kill her kin.

So she is enraged when as a token of peace she is offered to the golden Viking Eric. Despite his strength and masculinity, Rhiannon vows to never submit to the man. But as the pair fight against each other, neither are prepared for what their destinies hold or for the danger that lurks just around the corner.

I wanted a change of scenery from my usual Regency historicals so decided to read a Viking adventure. And what an adventure. You are really drawn into the world of the Viking’s as the story of Eric and Rhiannon comes alive.

Rhiannon and Eric fight like cats and dogs but both are such rich, interesting and deep characters that you can’t help but fall for them and enjoy their tale as you read. The book isn’t overly sexy but rather nicely sensual and the characters have a great chemistry.

The plot is also well done and this is one of the few books I have read recently where I couldn’t bear to put it down and was thinking about the story and characters when I wasn’t able to read. It’s also a read you can really get your teeth into and comes out at nearly 470 pages long.

This is the middle of a trilogy of Viking stories from Heather Graham (after Golden Surrender and before Lord of the Wolves) and I am now very keen to read the other books in the series. If you’re looking for a rich story about love in the time of the Vikings then you really can’t go wrong with this book. 5 stars.

His Favourite Mistress by Tracy Anne Warren

Hugely disappointing end to the series

2 Stars

When penniless Gabriella St. George tries to shoot a man who has wronged her family, she’s quite put out to discover that she actually has Anthony Black, Duke of Wyvern at her mercy.

The pair become further entangled due to the kindness of a relative who gives Gabriella the chance for a Season in London and the hopes of a new life. But instead of watching over her like he promised, Tony finds that he’s helpless against the scorching heat that engulf the pair whenever their together.

Soon, Tony has to rethink his stance on love and marriage but is it too late to win the one person he knows he can’t live without.

This is the third book in Warren’s Mistress Trilogy after My Fair Mistress and The Accidental Mistress. Although it contains characters and relies on instances that occurred in the first two stories, I still think this book stands alone quite nicely.

Despite that, I was hugely disappointed in this book and quite annoyed that what has been a fun and likeable series of books should end on such a note.

The plot, in my opinion was virtually non-existent and the story just seemed to plod along without much excitement or interest. I didn’t feel any real connection with or between the characters and felt they were too lacking in depth to be taken too seriously.

I also had a real problem regarding the difference in the character’s ages. Gabriella was 17 while Tony was at least 36. It wasn’t the age gap so much as that Gabriella really was written as a 17 year old girl and was immature with it which made the whole thing about a grown man lusting after a teenager a little creepy for me. It might have been the norm for Regency times but Gabriella could at least have been written at least slightly mature for her age.

Tony was also apparently completely uncaring that he was having his way with his best friend’s niece and his switch from never marrying to proposing was laughable in its suddenness.

Overall, this book fell completely flat for me. I’m giving it two stars instead of just one because the writing wasn’t terrible and I at least finished it. I won’t give up on Tracy Anne Warren but unless you’re desperate to read the concluding part to the Mistress trilogy I can’t recommend this book to you at all.

The Accidental Mistress by Tracey Anne Warren

Well-written and enjoyable romance

4 stars

In order to escape marriage to a brutal man, Lily Bainbridge stages her own death and, disguised as a boy, attempts to make her way to London and the independent life she’s always dreamed of. Her plans to awry with a chance encounter with the powerful and dangerously attractive Ethan Andarton, Marquis of Vessey.

Having agreed to a marriage of convenience simply to appease his family, Ethan has no intention of abandoning his rakish ways. But after meeting spirited Lily he is determined to make her his mistress, and find out all her secrets in the process. But when two people who never expected to find love, fall in love, it’s never going to be plain sailing.

This is the second in Warren’s Mistress trilogy after My Fair Mistress and before My Favourite Mistress. Despite having the characters from the first book appearing, you don’t need to have read the first book in the series to understand and enjoy this one.

Both Lily and Ethan are excellent characters with lots of chemistry between them. Despite Ethan being a worldly marquis and Lily a country miss, the relationship between the pair was refreshingly equal and to watch them fall in love, often despite their wishes, was a delight.

If I have one little criticism it’s that there were a few too many Americanisms as well as grammatical mistakes contained within the book. It just jars you from the story which is annoying.

I am fast becoming a huge fan of Tracy Anne Warren’s writing and this book is no exception. If you like fun, interesting and well-written romances then I would recommend this book to you.

To Ruin the Duke by Debra Mullins

Engaging story that falls a little flat

3 Stars

To fulfil a promise she made to her dying friend, Miranda Fontaine knows she must find Thornton Matherton, Duke of Wyldehaven. The sinful duke has been shocking the ton with tales of his drinking, gambling and debauchery and he is also the father of the baby Miranda now must care for.

Wylde has made it his mission to show the ton he’s not as disreputable as his father. That’s not so easy when he realises there’s someone posing as him and dragging his good name through the mud with scandalous exploits. He certainly doesn’t have time for a woman who claims he has a son.

Add in threats, betrayal and many secrets and soon Miranda and Wylde feel that they can only trust each other. But is trust all they feel?

If I’m honest, this book fell short of my expectations. There was quite a lot going on and while a lot of it was far fetched, some of it was needlessly pointless.

With so much going on, the romance often took a back seat and there wasn’t really enough interaction for me to ultimately believe in the happy ever after. Miranda and Wylde were enjoyable enough characters but I would have liked to see a little more depth to both them and their feelings. The love scenes were a little tepid, probably due to the lack of emotion between the two main characters.

Another annoyance of mine was the lack of epilogue. It was as if the danger was over, everything’s fine so the book was concluded without tying up a few loose ends. I’m hoping there are books concerning Wylde’s friends so we can see what happens with those loose ends.

I really wasn’t sure how many stars to give this book. The good points are that it is written well and I never got bored or felt it was a burden to continue with the story. It’s also engaging and readable despite all its other faults and so I’ll have to give it a high 3 stars.