Book Review – Raw, by Aurora Belle

Alexa is a social worker in Australia, having decided to be one after her stint with foster families. She gets attacked in a parking lot, and is saved by the man in a hoodie who’s been stalking her. Of course, she lets him in, after a few days they bang, without protection, even though he only identifies himself as “Twitch”. Right. Of course he’s domineering, spanks her, treats her like shit, and she is just AOK with that. Of cooooouurse…. It turns out he’s a gazillionaire she needs to appease to keep her job. Endless typose, grammatical errors, character inconsistency and stupidity. Ugh. Just, yuck. I quit reading this right after twitch took someones eye out, as a punishment, while the guy was alive. Pointless violence, stupidly bad sex…. Not well written. People went gaga over this on Amazon, they must have been paid off

Book Review – the Boy from Reactor 4, by Orest Stelmach

This story starts with Bobby, a young high school hockey player in New York City, but takes the reader around the world into the Russian and Ukrainian mafiya underworld, and into those countries. The story telling is marvelous , and the characters engaging. Nadia Tesla is an unlikely hero, but her cleverness and honesty make her a joy know. I love the relevance this book, as communist Russia is again invading freed Ukraine. The crimes and atrocities committed against the Ukrainians seem to have been forgotten by other, yet these are a people who do not forget. This was a great read, and made me want to delve into the past.

Book Review – The Silver Chain, by Primula Bond

This could have been a good book, but is bogged down by mediocre writing, tepid sex scenes, and countless continuity errors. The book starts with an excruciatingly long and boring monologue/diatribe as Serena leaves her first love behind, and ends with a sharp drop off in to nothing. Serena is young and beautiful blah blah, Gustav is extremely wealthy and mildly sadistic blah blah. He offers her a contract, which is not well defined, to be his “protegee” and sex slave, blah blah. I am pretty sure I’ve read this somewhere else…..

Book Review – Indulgence by Caitlyn Black

This story opens with Katie Jade interviewing for a personal assistant position at a brokerage firm that she hopes will be a step up from her current position with a female stockbroker. I found it hard to believe that an applicant as gauche and fidgety as Katie is in this interview has ever held a job for any period of time. She doesn’t seem to be able to define her work qualities and abilities, she breaks down immediately and calls her current employer a bitch. Very unprofessional in the interview, and then continues to underwhelm. She sounds like an immature valley girl (omg, he is so hot!!!) in her thoughts. Somehow, she gets the job, and of course is swooning over her hot shy employer Lance Hardy, even though he doesn’t seem to have any more depth than she does. When a story starts out unbelievable and dull it’s hard to finish. I slogged through this story, and was happy to reach the predictable end.

Book Review – The Treasure of the Fantastic edited by Sandner and Weisman

This is a great, pretty comprehensive tome of fantasy tales. I have read and enjoyed almost all the authors and was pleased by the diversity of the tales, from gothic romance to horror and time travel, with authors who are not always associated with fantasy. The 44 stories here are all imaginative, some surreal, and created a spring board for budding writers in the following years. The stories were written from the late 1800’s to 1920 so there is an old world feeling to them. This wasn’t a book I could get through quickly, so I read the stories with days between them which helped me enjoy each story. A classic to keep on the shelves, and a great way to introduce yourself to the fantasy authors who helped shaped the current generation of fantasy writers

Book Review – Ball and Chain (cut and run #8) by Abigail Roux

Ty is back from a secretive mission with Sidewinder, and seems deeply disturbed. Zane and he are back together, and are now facing separation at work. Consorting with fellow employees is verboten in the FBI, and the choices for them are limited. The stress of returning to the mundane world after an intense mission and facing separation at work, Ty and Zane are limited in their work choices but committed to remaining together. A vacation on an isolated island in the Hebrides sounds relaxing; Deuce is marry his yoga girl and wants Ty as his best man. He also needs Ty, and Zane, and their military buddies as security, for reasons he doesn’t explain until the arrival of the wedding party on the island. Kelly and Nick are available to travel with Ty and Zane, and are happy to be vacationing together. They haven’t been forthcoming to the group about their budding romance, understandably so. They were just exploring each other when Nick was hauled away for that oh so secretive Sidewinder mission, so they are so still learning to be together in private. Of course, any vacation with this group is going to go terribly awry, and this one goes FUBAR pretty quickly. I like that this story was so unexpected, and that the group has some very clear missions ahead of them, well away from their previous employers. Ty and Zane just weren’t themselves in this book though, there was some quirkiness or essential sexiness missing. Maybe a good pivotal book, not my favorite story in the cut and run world. Still, a good read

Book Review – The Slave (the Marketplace #2) by Laura Antoniou

Robin is an art appraiser, an intelligent lovely woman who has felt the desire and need to be submissive and to serve all of her life. She’s playing in the BDSM and leather world, had two very different Master/slave relationships, and has left them realizing that she needed more. She is found “spotted” by Ken Mandarin, a flamboyant Mistress. Robin has never heard of the Marketplace, but immediately recognized Ken’s introduction to the Marketplace as her gate to the world she’s been dreaming of. Alex and Grendel, the trainers we met in the first marketplace book, are not available to train Robin, yet Chris has a short amount of time available. Chris is a mysterious trainer/major domo, and he agrees to take Robin and prepare her for an upcoming auction. In a very short period of time, Robin is taught all of the basics, and is beautifully and happily ready for auction. Chris is incredible in this book, he seems to know just what Robin needs every moment and follows through, and is as supportive emotionally as he is tough in every other way. I believe Chris sees the perfect heart in Robin that he has himself. Robin is sold at auction to her dream prince. Her dream prince and his lover then whisk her away to California, where she begins to live an incredible life. I loved this book, the sex was of course hot as hell, and it was well written and paced. I, like Robin, completely fell for Chris 🙂

Book Review – The Marketplace (the Marketplace #1) by Laura Antoniou

 

Brian, Sharon, Claudia and Robert are in an exclusive slave training academy, part of a secret society of Owners, Spotters, Trainers and Slaves. They’ve each felt the need to serve; to be useful and used, in whatever capacity. Claudia and Robert have been brought in by the owners they’ve given themselves over to. Brian and Sharon consider themselves submissive, who want refining and training, hoping for long term placement and contracts. The Academy is run by Alex and Grendel, along with their trainer, Chris. Chris is the major domo who runs the day to day training, he keeps them in line and handles daily punishment, while Alex and Grendel work on more minute psychological refinement. This is a well written story, where a beautifully different group of people strive to become what they feel they can be. No one is pulled off the street, dominated into submission, then sold into an abyss of slavery. There are no poseurs in this group; clients (people who’ve chosen to become slaves) have felt an absence of value in their lives and have hoped and waited for the chance to be trained. Owners are vetted and profiled, they’re generally wealthy enough to maintain and properly care for another person and know how to satisfy the hunger for service in the clients. The trainers provide care and training, and also negotiate contracts for their clients. I love the stories here, where each client shares their life during the training, and the reader is taken into a world where submission and service are honorable. Chris is wonderful, his compassion and perseverance and hope for each client carries them through the difficult times, and his rare flashes of humor and humility are lovely also. There wasn’t anything negative about this book! The little snippets regarding the Marketplace were a little much at times though, I imagined Rod Serling narrating :). quite a good read! Sharon was my least favorite character, such a snotty rotten little bitch! She’s one of those girls who never grows up, and believes that making a pretty pouty face can get her anything and anyone she wants. It’s nice know that these people will grow old and ugly, and never get any smarter

Book Review – Camilles Capture, by Evanne Lorraine

The story starts on a tropical world, where the royal family of water demons is sequestered. The young prince demon, Aegis, is the only survivor of a vicious attack from a group of war mages. Camille is a breeder, in this futuristic world where Earth seems to be reserved for female only enclaves, and there are other planets in an intergalactic war. Aegis and Jaxon are fighters who’ve been ship partners. The three are matched, and the rest is pure smut. This was an okay story, with too many inconsistencies to make the characters enjoyable. Camille, a virgin, somehow turns into a horn dog, and knows just how to get her men off. So so, and not worth a re-read, or looking for more by the author

Book Review – Guardian of Werewolf Keep, by Nhys Glover

A fairly good story idea, although the book was poorly written and edited. The author seemed to think that the reactions of a sheltered young miss were not intriguing enough, so set up the story as though a modern forward thinking woman was there instead. Historic inconsistencies are irritating, and make this book just less all around then it could have been.