Review: Illicit by Opal Carew

Illicit
Author: Opal Carew
Genre: Romance / Erotica / (M/M/M/F)

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


What began as a steamy weekend fling is about to change their lives forever.

When Lindsay receives a mysterious invitation to live out her most illicit fantasies, she thinks it’s her best friend playing a joke.  Little does she know, the invitation is from someone else.  Someone who knows her deepest desires…and intends to fulfill them.

Erik is a man of many secrets, and he intends to keep it that way.  When he invites Lindsay to his mansion, he thinks it’s just for a steamy weekend fling.  But from their first night together, there’s an inexplicably deep connection that shakes him to his core.  And with Lindsay in his arms, he feels both thrilled and unnerved.  As Lindsay brings his fantasies to life, he’s unwilling to let her go. But can he tell her how he knows her deepest desires, and will she stay with him if she learns the truth?

MY THOUGHTS

Usually author Opal Carew is a must read for me.  I love her writing and the fantasy worlds she can create within the covers of a book (and between the sheets for her characters).  With Illicit though, I was less than pleased with the story unfortunately.

The summary of this book sounded really good.  I was excited to start another book by this author and dying to see what she would bring for Lindsay and Erik.  The first few pages I was interested.  The few pages after that were okay. Then it went downhill and I just couldn't finish it.  So needless to say, this review is a DNF but I will explain why I couldn't read the rest.

Lindsay literally falls into Erik when entering the elevator.  She notices right off the bat how sexy Erik and his two friends are.  She has an entire fantasy about all three of them on this short elevator ride.  Okay, I will go with that. Who doesn't have little fantasies in their heads when they are attracted to someone? They don't interact and she quickly exits the elevator when she arrives to her floor.  She catches up with her friend Jill and she tells her all about the three sexy men she met in the elevator.  Jill states that she know who Conner and Travis are, but she doesn't know who Erik is based on the descriptions Lindsay gives her. Jill tells Lindsay how she would love to set her up with them and she could have a quickie with them and fulfill a sexual fantasy.  Fine, I can handle this situation of girl gossip and bonding.

This is where the book started going downhill for me.  Days later, Lindsay receives an anonymous letter in the mail with just her name written on it.  It is an invitation for her to meet at a certain place so she can live out her sexual fantasies.  She assumes it is a joke from Jill wanting a girls night out and decides to go to this place without even asking if it came from her.  That right there didn't make sense to me. We later find out that Erik is the one who sent her the invitation.  Moving on though.

Remember that they didn't have much interaction in the elevator, but I also want to point out that Erik is already assuming things about Lindsay.  This is what Erik thinks just as Lindsay stepped out of the elevator:

"Damn, she was sexy as hell," Conner said.
"True that, " said Travis.
Erik nodded absently.  She was also sweet and a little shy.  Had low self-esteem.  And had a burning inferno of passion hidden deep inside.  And he would love to be the one to let it loose.  Along with Conner and Travis. --Erik, page 5

When she arrives at the hotel -- and so do Conner and Travis shortly after -- instead of hightailing it out of there when two strangers she doesn't remember arrive, she decides to watch the two men go at it on the patio near the pool area.  If I had two strangers come into the suite, I would have hid until the coast was clear and ran like hell right away. When she does come to her senses, she runs out of the room straight to the elevator.  When the elevator doors open, she runs right into Erik -- again!  Oh and he is still in his work uniform for work as a police officer.  This is where Erik really gave me the impression of being stuck up and "cocky". (no pun intended)

Why would she come all the way here, then leave?
Then again, women weren't always rational.  He'd learned that the hard way.  In the half dozen or so serious relationships he'd had, they'd all ended with the woman walking out.  Why? Because he knew them too well.  He satisfied them too well. --Erik, page 21

This is where I stopped and decided I wasn't going to be able to finish the story.  I just wasn't feeling the characters and any chemistry.  Granted, this was only 25 pages in, but by this time I already know if I am going to be able to get into a book and the characters.

MY RATING

DNF

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON

Review: Knight & Play by Kitty French

Knight & Play
Series: Knight #1
Author: Kitty French

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


There's only one thing in life Lucien Knight really hates, and that's husbands who cheat on their wives.
There's only one problem in Sophie Black's life. Her cheating husband...
From the moment Lucien & Sophie meet, the seal is set.

CEO of Knight Inc. Lucien Knight is catch-your-breath gorgeous and damaged by his troubled past in Norway. All grown up and relocated to London, he's built his empire of adult clubs from the ground up to become the gorgeous patron saint of the sex industry. No one knows the dark childhood secrets that have given Lucien a backbone of steel and a heart encased in ice. 

No one until Sophie Black, that is...

From the moment girl-next-door Sophie accepts the job as Lucien Knight's PA, she understands how Alice must have felt when she tumbled down the rabbit hole. 
Lucien takes her safe, vanilla life away and plunges her head first into a huge dish of fantasy flavours. Rich, spicy chocolate covered with dark, oozingly lickable sauce? Check. Tutti-frutti with indecently red, glistening cherries on the top? Yes please.

Lucien strips away all of Sophie's inhibitions, and when he instructs her to select three new toys, she soon realises he has more than a game of Monopoly on his mind... 

He's opened the door to a whole new pleasure packed world without limits, and Sophie is utterly intoxicated. But how far is she willing to go? And what happens when she has to step back into reality again?

MY THOUGHTS

I loathe stories that involve cheating spouses.  You might ask then why in the heck did I want to read this?  Well, from the reviews I have read about it so far, they say that the cheating isn't what we think and isn't as horrible as we think.  So I caved and decided to give it a try.

While I will say that the writing was good, the plot was something I didn't like.  The cheating wasn't the only thing I had the problem with.  I also didn't like the fact that Sophie starts this job and almost immediately they start a scandalous affair into the edgy erotic club.  I understand that Lucien is in the sex industry, but come on!

I can't say if this book got better after the halfway point.  This review is strictly on the first half of the book.  This one is a Did-Not-Finish for me because of what I said above.  It wasn't one I was enjoying and one I certainly did not want to continue.  If the points I mentioned above are not too much of a hang up for you to read about -- and you are willing to overlook the rushing into the sexy time -- then give it a go.  You might have different thoughts on it, but I just couldn't do it.

MY RATING

DNF

 GOODREADS / AMAZON

Review: The Stranger by Kyra Davis

The Stranger, Just One Night Part One
Author: Kyra Davis
Genre: Erotica/Romance
ISBN: 9781476711102
Review E-Book Copy provided by NetGalley

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


Kasie knows who she’s supposed to be. But one passionate night with a mysterious stranger will teach her who she wants to be. 

You should sleep with a stranger, her best friend whispers in her ear as they take to Vegas for one last pre-wedding fling. Despite her best intentions, when Kasie Fitzgerald enters the casino and sees him, a man whose tailored clothes belied a powerful, even dangerous, presence, she loses herself to the moment. Maybe it’s the dress, much shorter than she’d ever normally wear, or the Scotch, but something makes her give herself over to him more completely than she's ever done with a man before.


It was supposed to be just one night. But right as she’s thinking she wants more, he shows up in her office with an agenda. As the billionaire CEO of a company that’s engaged her PR firm, his demands just became her reality...and he desires so much more than just some attention in the boardroom.

MY THOUGHTS

I am having problems writing this review not because of the writing from the author, but from a major plot point that irks me.  Why are the last few books I have read about one person cheating on another? I don't like this happening in real life and I certainly don't like it in my books.

Kasie is engaged to a man named Dave.  While Dave is orderly and not quite passionate in the bedroom area, he is stable and compatible.  When her friend suggests they go to Vegas, she also tells Kasie to have fling with a stranger.  I didn't find her friend to be to supportive and frankly a lousy friend for suggesting this.

Kasie meets Mr. Robert Dade at the Blackjack table.  They make a wager and Kasie loses.  She now must pay up by having a drink with him at the bar.  Things progress from the bar to his room and leads to a wild and passionate filled escapade.  After the deed is done, Kasie takes off and leaves him alone.

Upon returning to her regular life, she falls back into the role of nice and sweet.  She is not wild and doesn't like people getting the wrong idea about her.  Mr. Dade contacts her company and requests Kasie to work on his file.  When they meet to discuss the plans of the work she will do, Robert throws out how they are going to be doing it again.  He teases her through the meeting and she leaves.  When she shows up early for a regular meeting with his company, they do the naughty again in his office. She tells him this is the last time. She has just been out shopping for engagement rings with Dave.

This is where I couldn't read any further.  While the writing wasn't bad and the author did pretty well with the building of the story, I just couldn't continue reading about the affairs.  Kasie had plenty of chances to break it off with Dave, but she never says a word to him.  To me, cheating is wrong and I just didn't like reading about someone doing this.

If a reader doesn't mind escaping into the fantasy world for a bit that involves cheating, then by all means give this book a try.  The writing is good and the characters are just okay, but this is one story I just didn't love.

MY RATING

       

I did not like this book at all!

DNF

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON

Passionate Thirst by Cameron Dean

Passionate Thirst
Candace Steele Vampire Killer #1
Author: Cameron Dean
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Paranormal/Romance
Publisher: Ballantine Books
 (October 31, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0345492531

SUMMARY:

JUST ANOTHER NIGHT IN SIN CITY


Candace Steele is as tough as she is alluring. For her, killing vampires isn’t just a job–it’s personal: She’s still haunted by erotic memories of an all-consuming affair with Ash, a seductive vampire who thrilled her–and then nearly destroyed her. Now, working undercover in a Las Vegas casino, she seduces the most powerful undead–right before she drives a stake through their unbeating hearts.


When hot-ticket singer Temptation McCoy sweeps into town for a major concert, Candace is tapped for security. But after meeting Temptation, Candace feels the cold, tingling sensation that can mean only one thing: There’s a vampire in the diva’s entourage. To complicate matters, Ash suddenly appears in Sin City, vowing to do anything and everything to draw Candace back into his arms. Overwhelmed by desire and suspicion, she lets down her guard . . . a move that could cost Candace her life.

MY THOUGHTS:

I purchased this series a few years ago in the hopes of adding a new author to my favorites list.  For one reason or another,  they kept getting pushed to the back of the bookshelf.  So I finally caved and decided to give them a try despite the upset and mysterious pen name involved with this series.

No one truly knows if Cameron Dean is a real person or if it is a pen name.  No author website can be found, and no other works have been published by this author.  So don't expect to find much information on the web about this author in the hopes of adding the author as a favorite.  That being said, I still wanted to give the author a chance and dive into the dark vampire world again.

What you get is not what you expect.  I found this book so juvenile and unbelievable that I must have rolled my eyes on every chapter.  The character of Candace is suppose to be tough and is dubbed Nerves of Steele.  This is the complete opposite of what you will get when reading about her.  She is one of the weakest -- if not worst -- heroine I have read about in a long time.  She can't make up her mind if she loves the hero Ash or if she wants to kill him.  Yes he is a vampire and had a slip up and bit her neck.  Come on!  You knew you were dating a vampire!  Then she is suppose to come out of his small slip up as a fearless vampire killer now.  She has no skills in her background but she works in security at a casino.

Are you keeping track of the plot yet?  Well, lets throw in the fact that she is also suppose to be heading security for a very important client at the casino, try and solve some murders of vampires around town (even though she kills them on the side anyway), has a boyfriend cop that is more friends with benefits than a boyfriend, a best friend who is sleeping with her married boss, and many more characters that spiral out of control and make you lose count.  I seriously couldn't keep track of everyone.

At about 3/4 of the way through the book, I gave up.  I just couldn't do it. This is one series that I wish I had never spent the money on and I could have found better things to do with my time.  On the plus side, I did free up room on my bookshelf to add a series more deserving than this one.

MY RATING:

DID NOT FINISH

*Since this was my series for the monthly feature and I was unable to finish it, this will be the only review posted for them.*

Shadows: A Dark Touch Novel by Amy Meredith

SHADOWS
A Dark Touch Novel
Author: Amy Meredith
Source: Personal Purchase

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Red Fox (April 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1849410518
ISBN-13: 978-1849410519

SUMMARY:

Fifteen-year-old Eve Evergold is cute, sassy and enjoying a busy social life. What she doesn't know yet is that someone close to her is an evil demon that only she has the supernatural power to defeat. She needs to work out who it is - and fast! Because although there's something very attractive about the dark side...dating a demon? Pure hell!

MY THOUGHTS:

No matter how much you fall in love with this gorgeous cover,  be warned that the book is not as beautiful as the art.  I was looking for a new paranormal book in the young adult genre and remembered getting this one a while back.  I dusted it off, and dove right into a book that was suppose to be suspenseful and full of intense scenes of paranormal chills.  Unfortunately, Shadows fell short of my expectations.


This book seems to be written for more of the younger teens in mind.  With that said, I still felt that the younger teen generations would have just as many problems as older readers with this book.  It was written with more focus on shopping and repetitive character descriptions that made me feel like I was reading a promotional ad instead of a book.  Yes, the main characters are rich and beautiful. Enough! Move on to something substantial.  Then when it finally starts to pick up, the plot goes so far out on a limb it was unbelievable.  The characters are too accepting of the supernatural and think they can handle demons by reading journals.  


I ended up not finishing this book which was a disappointment.  I always try to finish a book no matter what, but I just couldn't take the unbelievable story line and characters anymore. Not a series I will be continuing. 

MY RATING:

 
I did not like this book at all! 1 STAR/DNF

 

(ARC Review) Grace by Elizabeth Scott

GRACE
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Source: Around the World Tours

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (September 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525422064
• ISBN-13: 978-0525422068

SYNOPSIS:

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

MY THOUGHTS:

I stepped out of my comfort zone again and chose a book with the dystopian theme.  I am not a big fan of this, but I thought I would give it a go.

I don't know how to quite put into words how I feel about this book.  It had the good points, but it also had some bad points as well.  While I see Grace as a brave person who decides to choose her own path, I don't like the idea of the women being weak basically and chosen to be used basically as suicide statements.  Since Grace was little, she knew she would be ordered to die. The One who is in charge has ordered it to benefit The People. I for one, hated this part of the story, but not because of the writing or the theme of it. I hated it more for the idea that it is decided by one person only who will die and who will live. No judge or jury decides, just one person.

Grace finds herself on the run choosing life instead of death.  She has decided to choose her own path and flee.  She meets up with Kerr, who is all about himself and no one else.  If Grace gets caught with him, he basically would throw her to the wolves so to say. Once I reached the middle of this book, I just couldn't read much more.  Even though I wanted to know more about Kerr, and find out if Grace makes it, I just couldn't bring myself to completely finish it.

The majority of the book that I read was so depressing and I just couldn't bring myself to continue on in Grace's journey.  This is not to say others will feel the same way. I just felt like this book was not going to have anything to look forward to at the end.  What I did read left me feeling sad yet thankful that we don't live like this here right now. 

MY RATING:

DNF

SEXY by Joyce Carol Oates

SEXY
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Source: Library Sale

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (February 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060541490
• ISBN-13: 978-0060541491

SYNOPSIS:

It was in November, a Thursday after swim practice. The thing with Mr. Tracy, Darren's English teacher.
The thing was how Darren would think of it, afterward.
The thing that was vague and not-named.
The thing that hadn’t happened, anyway.
Darren Flynn has the perfect life -- until that day in November.
After that day, after what happened (did it happen?), life is different. Darren is different. Nothing is as it was –– before. His friends, his family, even the people who are supposed to be in charge are no longer who Darren thought they were. Who can he trust, now? 

MY THOUGHTS:

I had such high hopes for this book. When I first saw it in the young adult section at the library sale, I thought with that cover, shouldn't it be in the adult section?  Then I looked at the blurb, and realized it was a book for young adults basically about sexual abuse.

When you first start reading it, you realize it is in fragment chapters. Short little chapters that don't go too much into detail.  I was going nuts with it! The writing was too choppy and it went all over the place. I couldn't tell which day it was, who was suppose to be in the conversation, and what the hell was going on.  I kept going thinking that it would get better.  I finally made it halfway through the book and just couldn't take it anymore.

I couldn't finish this book. It was boring and full of holes and it didn't flow right to me. Not much detail in the chapters makes it hard to keep track of what is going on. 

MY RATING:

DNF

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT: True stories of Gay Male Desire

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT True Stories of Gay Male Desire
Edited by Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel
Source: Arsenal Pulp Press
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551522594
• ISBN-13: 978-1551522593

SYNOPSIS:

From the editors of the Lambda Award–winning First Person Queer: intelligent, sexy, true-life tales of gay men's desire. The stories push at the parameters of queer erotic life, featuring contributors both novice and well-known; subject matter ranges from single, significant encounters to the ephemera of emotional desire that never lead to physical pleasure. Throughout, the book deals with the essential erotics of queer male life, to be used as a launching point for exploring the queer male condition: essays that delve into the diverse manifestations of desire between and among men.

MY THOUGHTS:

When the publisher asked me to review this book, I thought this would fit in my out-of-my-normal-box reading. I had heard great things about reading M/M romance and it would not be what I expected. Well, this is not what I expected.

I just couldn't get into this book. The stories are from the writers experiences and desires. They aren't written as a M/M romance that you would normally expect. I couldn't even finish this book because it was just not my cup of tea. I will keep trying this genre, because I feel like that this just the book that people are talking about when being excited over a M/M romance.

Some people might enjoy this book, so don't take my rating as a bad thing. If it sounds like a read you still want to try, then by all means just read it. This was just my experience with the book.

MY RATING:

DNF