Skin by Michele Renae

The Basics:

Skin by Michele Renae

Swell Cat Press

Book Three in the Paris Secrets trilogy

Erotica

Published August 12, 2014

Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

I had to know how it all ended!! I loved and reviewed the first two in the series: Window and Screen.

One Night in Paris by Lucy Felthouse

The Basics:
One Night in Paris by Lucy Felthouse
Tirgearr Publishing
Book Two in the City Nights series
Erotica
Published June 26, 2014
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca

Why I picked up this book:

I liked the concept.

Screen by Michele Renae & A Sale!

The book that I'm reviewing today is Screen by Michele Renae, the second book in the erotic trilogy, Paris Secrets. I had the pleasure of reviewing the first book, Window, in October - it was one of the first books I reviewed for this blog, and I rated it at 4.5/5 stars. 

I am very happy to report that Window is on a 99 cent sale from February 14 through 17. I think that it's a fantastic erotic novel featuring something that's refreshingly different from the alpha male-BDSM scene that's so popular right now. Check it out on Amazon.com this weekend and grab yourself a copy - it's really a steal at 99 cents.

On to my review of Book Two!

The Basics:
Screen by Michele Renae
Swell Cat Press
Book Two in the Paris Secrets series
Erotica
Published Feb 7, 2014
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review
Amazon.ca 

Why I picked up this book:

I loved the first book in the series, Window, and had to know what happened next!

Jenny: Virtuous No More, Part 1 by Nora Blackstock

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.

Syria's Seduction: Complete Boxed Set by Starla Cole

The Basics:
Syria's Seduction: The Complete Boxed Set by Starla Cole
Rev It Up Press
Erotica
Published October 14, 2013

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Syria is a shy Oklahoma girl whose explosive meeting with a boudoir photographer becomes a seduction that will open her eyes to both the beauty within her and an art form that will become her new passion. 

In this series, her work in her boudoir studio brings a host of fun and intriguing clients: 

--A sexy Santa Claus who turns out to be a stripper 
--A contortionist who performs in pirate-themed sex shows 
--A Japanese Bondage expert who invites Syria to participate in a demonstration 
--A billionaire who offers Syria a position as his personal escort and exhibitionist for half a million dollars 

Even as Syria experiences new lifestyles and partners, she works to maintain her on again, off again relationship with her Santa stripper, who despite his distance and his occupation, has begun to steal her heart.

What worked for me:

This set of five novellas works better together as a package than I suspect they did on their own. Syria's story really needs to be told as a whole to be satisfying, I think.

Fortunately, there's a lot here that is satisfying. There is no mistaking this set as anything other than erotica. There's not enough meat for it to be anything else - one titillating encounter after another. Yes, there's a bit of a love story running through each novella but it's so based on sex that I wouldn't call it romance at all. Not that this is a bad thing - just something to be aware of!

My favourite element is definitely the photography. It's extremely sensual throughout and used to decent effect as reminders of Syria's past encounters. The lighting detail is particularly exquisite, and the contrast between the almost loving boudoir shots and the images of sexual excess is quite erotic in and of itself.

What didn't work for me:

The first novella describes Syria's launch into her photography career and there's *such* a huge leap between this prologue-type tale and the four following episodes that I found it quite disjointed. There's also a strong attraction between Syria and Anthony that I expected his return later on - something that never happens.

Also, the final scene with Erik in the last novella, with an artificial lowering of Syria's inhibitions was rather off-putting for me. She's come so far in terms of sexual experience and remains so conscious of her limits in a way that I really respected up until that point. It was an unfortunate near-end to the story, I thought.

Bottom line:

A solid collection of erotic tales. Fluff, but fun fluff. Get the whole set to avoid disappointment.

3.5 stars
For fans of pure erotica, exhibitionism, bondage

The Pleasure Dial by Jeremy Edwards

The Basics:

The Pleasure Dial by Jeremy Edwards
1001 Nights Press
Erotica, Romance
Published Oct 21, 2013

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
The year is 1934, and amiable New York gag writer Artie Plask has taken the West Coast plunge. His first day on staff with a top radio show introduces him to the irresistible Mariel Fenton, a wit among wits who immediately takes an interest in all aspects of Artie's life--especially his private life.

As Artie finds his feet in a world of blustering comedians, pansexual sex goddesses, timid screen legends, exhibitionistic scriptwriters, and self-infatuated geniuses, Mariel leads him on a zany journey up and down the pleasure dial--a giddy romp through Hollywood that's chock-full of airwaves showdowns, writing-room counterplots, devious impersonations, naked meetings, and a sensuality-drenched assortment of erotic escapades. 

What worked for me:

When I picked this book up, I was intrigued by the combination of humor and eroticism that the blurb suggested. I also like to pick up romance and erotica by male authors because these tend to be female dominated genres. I appreciate different perspectives, and I was *not* disappointed by this read.

Zany is definitely the word for The Pleasure Dial. From Artie Plask's first up-skirt conversation with Trixie - a mannequin - to the final climax of the story, I thought it was so cleverly written. I was worried when I started the book that it would be silly and low brow, but it was never that, and the comedy never turned demeaning either, which was important for my enjoyment.

Edwards maintains quick paced, intelligent dialogue that often turns to innuendo and word play. Having radio play writers as main characters might have been a challenge for a lesser author, but Edwards pulls off believable conversations that emphasize the characters' love of words. 

Nearly all the characters in this book are sexual, active and pretty free-spirited. The sex is not without kinks - shockingly (and refreshingly) the BDSM and bondage themes so popular in erotica are not well represented here. Edwards manages to write sex that is funny and titillating and intriguing. His women know what they want and go for it and his men are happy to oblige. This is a world that I want to spend more time in!

Beyond this, the plot moves so quickly - there's crosses and double-crosses, characters in disguise, plans that seem completely out of left field and yet also oddly perfect for the problems they're intended to resolve. It's so well packaged and put together, all I could do was hang on for the wild ride.

What didn't work for me:

There's nothing overtly 'con' about this book. I guess if you're looking for something really sexy and serious, then this is a poor choice? All I know is that I really enjoyed it, far more than I expected!

Bottom Line:

If you've got a sense of humour about sex, and a love of words, then you've got to check this book out. It's entertaining, well-written and within my experience, entirely refreshing.

5 stars
For fans of comedy & erotica, people with a sense of humour, lovers of words and irreverent humour.

Window by Michele Renae

The Basics:

Window by Michele Renae
Swell Cat Press
Erotica
Pub Date: Oct 22 at amazon.com

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Back cover text taken from the author's website:

An erotic romance behind glass

The first time she sees her new neighbor, his sexy smile arouses her curiosity — and her desires. His hard, chiseled muscles and playful invitations are irresistible.

Bared before their windows, framed and displayed above the streets of Paris, they embark upon a provocative affair.

Their daring game of exhibitionism lures her back for more and more, and she quickly realizes he is the man she has dreamed about.

Yet she’s never heard his voice. Never felt his touch. Never thought she’d experience something this exquisite.

Or this bold…

The sensual give and take of the exhibitionism is supported by the heroine's active imagination. Her fantasies about "Monsieur Sexy" (her nickname for her neighbor) emphasize how the mind works as an erogenous zone.

What worked for me:

This book was hot hot hot! from start to finish. While the action itself builds slowly from teasing glimpses of naked skin to more erotic displays, the heroine's constantly imagining one hot scenario after another. This takes what could have been a really slow story and turns it into a sizzling romp from start to finish.

I loved that the heroine was so self-aware. She knows what she likes in a lover and she's happy to take inspiration from her life to build a new erotic daydream. The way the heroine described the sexual power she derived from her new Louboutins and the ensuing fantasy about a lover slowly removing them was a compelling argument for shoe/foot fetishes. Being able to relate to the confidence that a really sexy pair of shoes can bestow, I found this a particularly convincing scene in the book.

The hero - Monsieur sexy - is a dream in and of himself. As we get to know him through the window, he seems almost to good to be true. Sexy, intelligent, playful, eager to be with our heroine and happy to let her set the pace, he certainly makes an impression. After reading so much erotica featuring alpha males/dominants who need to control every encounter or who push the heroine to go beyond her limits, it was a novelty and a pleasure to read about a man who happily let the woman expand and explore her sexuality on her own schedule. 

There's a secondary plot involving the heroine's day job that I hope will dovetail into the affair over the rest of the trilogy. I was so caught up in the developing sexual relationship that I wasn't as engaged with the heroine's day job. Still, there's something of a mystery here, and it's clear that she values variety in her day to day as much as in her sexual play - a detail that I appreciated for its consistency.

What didn't work for me:

Have you ever watched one of the reality tv shows that feature buyers looking for homes on the international market?  I've seen a handful that feature young people looking for apartments in Paris and the apartments are always the size of a breadbox. So I had a few twinges about these two individuals who could afford apartments with seemingly large bedrooms as well as living rooms. It's such a minor quibble, and the more I thought about it, the more I accepted that she was making really good money as a research assistant and that the trust fund she mentions must also have been rather large.  

Bottom Line:

If you read erotica, buy this book. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. This super sexy erotic novel was fun from start to finish. It was light-hearted without feeling like fluff.

I loved the equality in the relationship, I loved the playfulness of it. I loved the slow shedding of inhibitions, the active inner life of our narrator and the realm of possibilities left open at the book's end.

This series easily makes it on to my 'must acquire' list - I look forward to Screen by Michele Renae, coming in Feb 2014.  

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think about this book - remember, October 22nd from Amazon.com!

4.5 stars
For anyone who likes erotica, fans of exhibitionism/voyeurism, anyone with a foot or shoe fetish.