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.

Every Part of You: Tempts Me by Megan Hart

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.

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!

The Silver Chain by Primula Bond

The Basics:
The Silver Chain by Primula Bond
Mischief Books
Book One of the Unbreakable Trilogy
Erotica, Romance
Published July 4, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

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

Blurb:

Bound by passion, she was powerless to resist.

One dark evening in London, photographer Serena Folkes is indulging her impulsive side with a night-time shoot. But someone is watching her – mysterious entrepreneur Gustav Levi. Serena doesn’t know it yet, but this handsome stranger will change her life forever…

Serena is fascinated by Gustav, the enigmatic owner of the Levi Gallery, and she soon feels an irresistible pull of attraction. The interest is mutual, and Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career at his gallery, but only if Serena agrees to become his exclusive companion.

To mark their agreement, Gustav gives Serena a bracelet to wear at all times. Attached to it is a silver chain of which he is the keeper. With the chain Gustav controls Serena physically and symbolically – a sign that she is under his power.

As their passionate relationship intensifies, Gustav’s hold on the silver chain grows stronger. But will Gustav’s dark past tear them apart?

The Silver Chain is the first in the sexy, passionate and addictive Unbreakable Trilogy by Primula Bond. Perfect for fans of erotic romance.

Why I picked up this book:

I was intrigued by the silver chain. Such a simple thing...

My thoughts:

Surprisingly good.

Our heroine, Serena, is a photographer at the very beginning of her career. She's leaving behind a dark, dark childhood of neglect and casual abuse, to embrace the London experience. 

A chance encounter with the darkly dashing and older Gustav appeals to Serena's desire to embrace new experiences. So what if he's older, wealthy, more mature and experienced...? It also turns out that he's a patron of art and he takes her under his wing, contracting her first show with an unusual, sexual stipulation. 

Serena's an exceptionally well-written heroine - she's young and recognizes the limits of her experience, but as Gustav gets to know her, he peels back layers to reveal she's not quite as sheltered as the reader might expect. Her adventures in Venice, in particular, have helped shape (or reveal?) her own sexual longings and Gustav pushes her to explore these despite (or because of?) his own history. I loved that there was more to Serena than her innocence. She waffles back and forth between feeling powerful and confident to feeling unsure and defensive in a way that felt very authentic. Sure, she overreacts at times, and jumps to conclusions, but I think she does it in a way that's genuine rather than forced to create conflict. She's also direct, which is nice. There's not a lot of pussyfooting around, of bitten tongues and so forth - she knows exactly what she's done by agreeing to the contract, and she calls Gustav on whatever crap she thinks he might be slinging.

As for our hero, well.... I couldn't get a clear picture of Gustav in my mind. For one, the name Gustav felt too old-fashioned to me, like it belonged to a much older man - in his late fifties or sixties even.  I couldn't reconcile it with a man nearing forty, and that made it a bit more difficult for me to connect to him and his place in the story. Because he's also cast as Serena's mentor (master, patron, whichever role he seems to fill at the time), the sense of age and maturity is already heightened through the contrast. His vulnerability did appeal to me, but I still couldn't quite embrace the guy.

The sex is sexy, as it should be. There's quite a bit of kink - Gustav's need for control, the silver chain, punishment via spanking and whips, and then the running theme of voyeurism/exhibitionism. The photography, the use of a telescope, windows and doors, there's lots of opportunities to watch and be watched in this book, and it's heady stuff for a heroine who has never truly been seen. I also liked that while Gustav wants to set the pace and control the scenarios, he can be thrown off course through Serena's often small but significant efforts to resist. The first time they're together in his home, I was glad to see that he wasn't a master of self-control, as it were. It made him seem much more relatable.

The settings are gorgeously wild - each one is more *something* than the last. From richly appointed homes to the sublime cliffs and mountain sides that Serena and Gustav seem to favour, there's majesty all around these two. Artistic inspiration is easy to come by, and I think the fairy tale quality of their romance - certainly Rapunzel's name is thrown around a lot - was emphasized by these lush environments. 

I also really like how complete this story felt. Yes, there's an opening at the end to lead into a sequel, and the book is up front about being the start of a trilogy. I don't know that I really need to read more of Serena and Gustav's story. I think because I had that disconnect with Gustav, I probably wouldn't look for a sequel unless a good opportunity to pick it up arises. 

Bottom Line:

I definitely recommend this one. Despite my issues with the hero, I still really enjoyed it. I think Serena is a very appealing heroine - someone who is figuring herself out, but already has a sense of self. She's not just yearning for more, she's going out and working for it, living the life she wants to lead and not feeling guilty for it. I appreciated the novelty of it - there's no guilt here, just pleasure. That's a heady thing.

4.5 stars
For fans of erotica, punishment, voyeurism, older men, fresh starts

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.

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.