Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Rule of Three by Kelly Jamieson

4 STARS

Rule of Three - Book 1

I love it when someone recs a free read from an author I've never read before and it's actually Really Damned Good. :) That was the case for Rule of Three

The story of Kassidy, Dag and Chris was really an actual journey with attention paid to the "OMG, am I doing something morally wrong." worry that often is either missing or completely overdone.

Chris and Kassidy are a couple and are moving in together; Dag is Chris' college roommate and best friend who he hasn't seen in quite a while. Dag comes back to town, reconnects with his friend and meets the love of his friend's life and we're off to the races. 

I bought the premise hook, line and sinker. How the various attractions kindled and grew and how Kassidy (for the most part) came to reconcile her 'good girl' character with loving and wanting two different men. Chris and Dag's journeys were also well done and believable and the two men were different enough, yet similar in some ways that I could totally believe Kassidy's feelings for each of them. (I tend to be skeptical of threesomes where the two people of the same sex are diametrically opposite of each other.)

And the sex scenes... OMG, the Sex Scenes! They were hot, hot, hot and steamy as all get out. And I never got mixed up with which man belonged to which body part. :) Very important when you're reading menage sex. In closing, I really, really enjoyed this and Kelly Jamieson is now on my Approved Authors list. :) I'm going to check her back list now.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Duck! by Kim Dare

5 STARS

Avian Shifters - Book 1

"A modern day M/M, BDSM retelling of The Ugly Ducking Fairy Tale using avian shifters."


Surprisingly, I LOVED this book! Not that I didn't think I would enjoy it, it just surprises me how much I did. :)

Avian shapeshifters - who knew? I have stayed pretty much away from shape-shifter erotica/romances, but this one was written by Kim Dare, an author I recently discovered through the Riptide Anthology O Come All Ye Kinky and her story His Very Last Chance and her novel Once a Brat, and whose style I like very much. So I thought, what the hell, it's not werewolves or werebigcats, it's birds. And I love birds. Also it's a retelling of the Ugly Duckling fairy tale in a very different setting and I love that kind of thing.

So the main characters, Raynard and Ori, are lovely. The journey they take in this story is one of discovery and personal growth and acceptance and it was fascinating to watch unfold at just the right speed. There were secondary characters, but not so many as to be overwhelming and they were written as secondary characters, the reader only seeing what the reader needs to see. I often find that authors err one way or the other with their secondaries.

The world building was very interesting - I got a bit of a goth-steampunk type feel from the atmosphere and in my opinion, really fit the story. The idea of the nest is very interesting as well. Part bar, part sex-club, part palace, part halls of government, it seems to be the hub of avian society. (Where humans fit in, I have no idea, they are barely mentioned.) Colour me intrigued. :)

The sex... OMG, the sex was hot. The BDSM elements worked, were natural, were done right. :) The underlying question of the novel - what is a true submissive and is it nature or nurture - plays out on the pages and the concluding answer makes sense. Oh, and did I mention that I cried? Yes, there are scenes in this book that brought me to tears. Ori and Raynald's heartache really got to me, it was so beautifully written.

I loved it. Go and read it. :)

I did wonder though... where are all the female shifters? There must be some, right? I'm curious! And also... what would a flamingo shapeshifter be like? Maybe these questions are answered in the second Avian Shifters book which is going on my "To Be Aquired" list RIGHT NOW!



Monday, May 20, 2013

Portrait of a Crossroads by Kelly Rand

5 STARS

What a lovely read! The language of this novella? Short story? Quick fic? - whatever it's labelled as, the language was BEAUTIFUL! It reminded me of one of those stories we used to study in high school that I never got because I didn't have enough life behind me to appreciate the beauty of it. 

Yes, the protagonist is a young woman, Annette, a year out of high school, and while I think that many young women can identify with her feelings of uncertainty, apathy, quiet desperation, I don't know that they can be truly understood until later on in life. 

Be that as it may, I know that I would not have been able to fully appreciate this actual portrait of a crossroads (And may I say that this is an EXCELLENT choice for a title for so many reasons.) as a young woman. I really enjoyed it!

Reread it and upped it from 4 stars to 5. :)

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Tart by Lauren Dane

3 STARS

Delicious - Book 2

I wanted to love this book to bits and I tried, but unfortunately it just wasn't happening for me. I will say that it was a fun romp with a bunch of steamy sex scenes. 

The heroine, Jules, was all kinds of perfect. Supposedly she had flaws, but I never saw them. The two men were perfect as well. The smooth, handsome lawyer and the earthy, rugged man of the earth. Did they have flaws? Not really. The lawyer was a rotten housekeeper, but that's about it. All in all, they were characters designed for a light, sexy romp, but I missed character development. And given the set-up, I think there could have been some, but then it would have been a totally different book.

There were also a ton and a half of characters mentioned. I didn't think the story needed most of them. Maybe it was because this is the second book in a series? For my liking there were just far too many and their presence took away from the story itself.

I had a few technical problems with the book. Hopping POVs where I had to go back and reread to figure out who was doing and saying what. Sneaky scene changes. Sentences that didn't make a lot of sense to me, and sentences repeated from one paragraph to the next. I think I was expecting the story about the creation of a triad and all the trials and tribulations and work that would have to go into making it work. 

Another reviewer likened Tart to a menage fairy tale and that's a pretty good description. Light on the angst and soul-searching. Everything came together easily for Jules, Cal and Gideon. More easily than I was expecting. So a Menage fairy tale? Yeah, when I look at it that way, it was a good one. :)

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Never a Hero by Marie Sexton

4 STARS

Tucker Springs - Book 5

I forgot to add this one! :) I really enjoyed it, as I do all of Marie's work. The character of Nick is one I liked as soon as I we met him earlier in the series, so it was great to see him get his own book and his own guy. :) 

I did think that maybe he should have been a little more open with Owen from the beginning, but then what fun would the story be? :)

So, yes, this is another great addition to the world of Tucker Springs!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Pup by SHD Peterson

4 STARS

Guards of Folsom - Book 1

I enjoyed this. A good kinky read with likable characters. I'm a sucker for books set around a sex club and I found myself wishing we were seeing a little more of the workings of the club. I'll be looking for more in this series. :)