Today I'm hosting a blog tour stop for Baited, a serial romance by Ali Parker. This is a contemporary romance in three parts that was released on April 12th, 2015. I love the covers for this series, they look fantastic together, and I'm excited to talk about the books with you guys!
Also, stick with me because there's a giveaway at the bottom of the post!
The Basics:
His to Claim by Opal Carew
St Martin's Griffin
Erotica
Published September 2, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
I read and enjoyed His to Possess which featured the brother of the male main character in His to Claim.
The Basics:
The Professional by Kresley Cole
Gallery Books
Book One in the Game Maker series
Romance, Erotica
Published May 6 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
This book was originally eserialized and I was curious about the final product.
The Basics:
His to Possess by Opal Carew
St Martin's
Erotica
Published March 18, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
I was looking for erotica from a reliable publisher.
The Basics:
Every Part of You: Tempts Me by Megan Hart
St Martin's Press
Part 1 (of 5) of Every Part of You
Erotica
Published February 4, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
The blurb got to me. I also liked the cover - the colouring and the angle.
The Basics:
Jenny: Virtuous No More, Part 1 by Nora Blackstock
Sunbow Press
Part 1 of the Jenny: Virtuous No More series
Erotica
Published December 10, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
Jenny was a good, devoted wife. When her marriage to husband Mark grew distant, she took matters into her own hands to find out if he still loved her. He did, but his confession, and the things he wanted her to do, were shocking. To save her marriage, Jenny embarked on a sexual journey from which there was no turning back. She would no longer be the “good girl” that everyone knew and loved.
Why I picked up this book:
I was looking for some good erotica, and I liked the implications of the blurb. I've also read a few good serial erotic novels in the last couple months, so I'm trying to keep an open mind about them.
My thoughts:
This is a very short first part of a longer series. It's about saving a sexless marriage - Jenny discovers her husband's into some particular kinks and as she shares her own fantasies, he presses her to fulfill his. This is the entire basis for the plot. Maybe there'll be more as the story develops, but I needed something a bit meatier in a first part to hook me into reading the next part.
So, the fantasizing and sex is decent (or... appropriately indecent?). But there's not much story to pin it on. Mark is a jerk, and I wanted Jenny to divorce him and undergo her own sexual awakening as a single woman. Maybe if there'd been more tension between them, more will they-won't they, I would have been drawn in?
I did like that they take slightly risque everyday events and build on them to create a fantasy scenario - it's a good technique for erotica writers as I think it makes it easier for the reader to relate. Daydreaming and fantasizing is something I imagine most people do.
Unfortunately, that's really all there was to this book, in my opinion.
Bottom line:
This is completely about sex, with very little connection between the characters. Perhaps all the parts together work better? There really isn't enough in this first part for me. For me, disappointing overall.
Right now the first part is available for free on Amazon and Kobo, so give it a shot if you're curious!
2 stars
For fans of exhibitionism, voyeurism, wife-sharing erotica.
Beg by CD Reiss
eXcessica Publishing
Book One in the Songs of Submission
Erotica, Romance
Published April 13, 2013
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Blurb:
My name is Monica. I'm a singer born and raised in Los Angeles.
I've stopped dating. When I cut a record, or win a Grammy, maybe then I'll be with someone, but every man in my past has done everything he could to make me submit myself to him, and it's gotten in the way of my career. I won't do it again.
But there's Jonathan. He owns the high-rise hotel where I work, and he is gorgeous and charming. I refuse to fall in love with him, even though when he asks me to submit to him, I want nothing more.
My thoughts:
My feelings about this episode of the longer e-serial Songs of Submission are so mixed I can't separate pros from cons without discussing them back and forth.
So, Beg introduces a struggling musician - Monica - working as a waitress to make ends meet. She and her friend (also her ex) are shuffling his sister back and forth between them to protect her from herself and the crippling depression she falls into when her meds aren't working. We also meet Jonathan, a wealthy fella who takes a liking to our heroine, and winds up having her under his control for a night of sexy games.
Problem? He's still hung up on his ex-wife, who broke his heart. So no commitment for Monica. And she's got some relationship issues too. Plenty of tension to go around.
Now, I'm reaching my limit for these hyper-controlling alpha men. Jonathan walks the line for me, and I think if I read more in the series, he'd probably drive me nuts. But this isn't a failing of the book, necessarily. He's got issues, he's sexy, and he's entirely appropriate for the sub-genre, so I can't *really* complain here.
Monica is a sassy heroine, easy to root for, except for the part where she plays a little loose with her responsibilities to hook up with Jonathan. Still, I liked her, and I'm interested in *her* story.
The whole piece has a certain rawness in tone - everyone's wounds still feel fresh and open despite how long they've been carrying them, there's angry words, jealous words, and plenty of attitude to try to mask how close to the surface a lot of the emotion and baggage everyone's carrying around is. Reiss' ability to manage that rawness alongside a slowly rising sensuality is a real credit. This entry into the series is pretty striking.
The thing that doesn't work for me is the format for publication. This portion is only about fifty pages long in the e-format I read, and while it works as a short story with many loose ends, knowing that there's at seven more parts to Monica and Jonathan's story is frustrating. I guess because I like my erotica with a side of happy for now or happily ever after, I'd rather read the entire story in one go (with crossed fingers because neither HFN or HEA is requirement for erotica!).
Fortunately, Beg was originally published in April of this year, and it is now available with the two other "Songs of Submission" stories in a three-pack on Amazon and from other retailers. The other parts are also available now, so you can purchase the entire story.
Bottom Line:
Beg was intriguing with lots of different elements to latch onto - I just don't know if I'm in for the rest of the story. It feels like a commitment to follow them to the end and I've been burned on these multi-book erotica stories before - I need the series to end in a happy place!
Still, if you like your erotica with BDSM and alpha males and the like, then this looks like a solid bet, and certainly Beg is a well-rounded start!
The best part? If you don't want to commit to picking up the trilogy - Beg is available right now for *free* in the Kindle format from amazon.com . Check it out and then come back and tell me what *you* thought about it!
4 stars
For fans of BDSM erotica, the e-serial format, erotica with plot
