Reviews

Something Wicked This Way Comes Volume 1 is an erotic anthology that offers stories that span a wide range of romance subgenres and themes. The stories are very sexually explicit, as in wicked naughty, so if you prefer the love scenes incorporated into your romance reading to be sweet or light in nature, this anthology may not be your cup of tea.

Here are highlights:

In the science-fiction erotic fantasy Captain of Nara's Heart by Laurann Dohner, trader Nara Barns and her shuttle crew have been arrested for illegal trade on a distant planet. Nara is a human who left Earth and became a professional trader after being jilted by her ex-husband. Nara's shuttle has been impounded, and she and her crew are to be sold as a sex slaves to the highest alien bidder. The prospect is not only terrifying but repugnant to Nara for a number of reasons.

Nara is approached by a scout for Captain Cathian Vellar, who is a Tryleskian (a feline alien race). Because of a miscalculation, Cathian has gone into heat far from his home planet, and he needs female hormones to stave off madness until females arrive from his planet. Nara is left with little choice but to agree to go with Cathian's scout in exchange for a significant lessening of her sentence and the return of her vessel.

The method Cathian uses to satisfy his need for female hormonal nourishment is, um, interesting. As the days go on, Nara becomes quite infatuated with Cathian and becomes an enthusiastic participant during the intimacy required to stave off his hunger and madness. Cathian has beautiful feline eyes but is otherwise humanoid in appearance.

I think this story can best be described as campy, and while I did like heroine Nara, I had trouble buying into the choices she makes at the end of the story. The author did employ vivid descriptions and was successful in creating an interesting fantasy world. A word of warning: There is bondage incorporated into the love scenes, particularly during the story's conclusion.

Dragon Heat by Mel Tesho is a paranormal romance about Grace Macintosh who is a top agent with the Paranormal Detection Agency. Grace is sent on a mission to apprehend Benson Marres, a billionaire recluse, suspected of being a rare dragon shifter (a Kezmak). Benson is a known womanizer, and Grace poses as a high-class prostitute to gain access to his penthouse.

I quite liked Tesho's characterization of Grace and Benson. The former is haunted by a troubled past, and the later is the last of his kind, struggling to survive. As it turns out, Benson knows what Grace is up to, having orchestrated her involvement in the mission. These two are inexorably drawn together by an instinctual need to mate. You see, unknown to Grace, she is a rare Kezmak breeder, and Benson needs her if there is any hope for the survival of his species.

Tesho weaves an intriguing subplot of manipulation and betrayal into this short story, which I felt was extremely well-crafted. Grace and Benson must flee for their lives from a skilled, highly trained enemy who is bent on their capture for nefarious purposes. Readers can expect plenty of action sequences, a very seductive dragon shifter and hot love scenes.

Erotica author Desiree Holt's contribution to the anthology, Dangerous Addiction, is a contemporary BDSM-themed story. I have a fairly low threshold of tolerance for BDSM-themed stories. But thanks to Holt's skillful storytelling, Dangerous Addiction worked for me.

At 40 years old, Cord Jamieson has worked hard and amassed enough capital to enable him to purchase a failing Texas ranch. Cord is revitalizing it for personal use and as an entrepreneurial venture. In Cord, Holt develops a man who is comfortable in his own skin, a strong alpha male dominant who has embraced a BDSM lifestyle for years. He has enjoyed the company of numerous female submissive companions but never been in a committed relationship. Cord hires Fallon Crowe to handle promotion for his ranch and recognizes her as a natural submissive from the moment they met.

The moment he'd been introduced to Fallon Crowe, the instant they shook hands, the electricity of the connection shocked him. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had hit him that hard, if ever. He saw the effect reflected in her eyes, too — and in the way she quickly removed her hand from his.

The awareness was still front and center — as well as that intangible something, that undeniable feeling when like recognized like.

Fallon is a confident career woman who enjoyed being the submissive in BDSM relationships for 15 years before things went horribly wrong. Fallon endured nightmarish abuse at the hands of her previous partner. As a consequence, she hasn't been able to trust enough to become involved with anyone since a friend rescued her from relationship horror. Fallon is frightened and terribly unhappy in her personal life. She is understandably skittish about becoming involved with a "dom" again, despite a deep-seated need to feed what she sees as an addiction to the lifestyle.

In a few short pages Holt crafts a moving relationship-driven tale of a woman's journey to emotional wellness and renewed faith in herself with the support of a compassionate, complex man who understands her need to be dominated in an intimate setting. There are graphic scenes depicting this couple's unconventional lovemaking. Dangerous Addiction proved to be a memorable story.

And The Addiction by Jaid Black, my favorite in the anthology, is a contemporary erotic romance about world-weary Jack McKenna who has built an empire from his highly successful Hotel Atlantis Resort, which in essence is a high-class brothel. Jack is at the crossroads of his life. Depression is nipping at his heels, he suffers from insomnia, and he has very low self-esteem. He's tired and feels dead inside. I empathized with Jack and could feel his sense of hopelessness. Then he walks into a club called Venus Rising and comes across the absolute worst stripper in the world, and something remarkable happens: She makes him laugh.

Shelli Rodgers is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology in the final three months of her studies. She has been working part time as a stripper at Venus Rising, which is owned by her friend Lynette. Shelli is close to being fired because of her incompetence. Like a lethal weapon on stilettos, she falls on stage, has no rhythm and gets herself into hilarious scrapes. The only reason she is desperate to keep the job is because the money is good, she can work part-time hours and earn a full-time wage. The night Jack walks into the club is Shelli's last performance as she makes one blunder after another. The thin ice she is walking on shatters, and Lynette fires her.

Using coercion, and thanks to a little luck, Jack tracks Shelli down at her family home in a small town. A spontaneous attraction morphs into much more. Jaid Black's stellar characterizations of Shelli and Jack and their special romance tugged at my heartstrings, making The Addiction a memorable story.

WOW! Love these stories, Scorching Hot and Super sexy! Each one was unique, but equally enjoyable…a great collection!

Captain of Nara’s Heart. This book had a very different storyline, very interesting. Characters were amazing; the chemistry between the characters was fantastic. The story was extremely well written; the author grabs your attention from first page and holds it until the last!

Dragon Heat. Love the characters, and storyline. The story had a perfect amount of suspense that kept the story very interesting. This story takes you on a very different journey, and you just don’t know what will happen until the very end.

Dangerous Addiction. HOT HOT HOT with lots of sexy details! The story is sexy and sweet with a positive message about finding happiness again, even after a bad experience.

Highland Tryst. Certainly not a typical romance story, characters were far fetch, but surprisingly almost believable. The story was sweet, interesting and very funny. It was interesting to compare our lifestyle to that of many many years ago.

Tattoo Witch. The story was Interesting and held my attention the entire time. It was a very hot and sexy. You just didn’t know what was going to happen. I certainly couldn’t predict what happened at the end…but was very happy with the ending.

The Addiction. I enjoyed this story very much; it was sweet, with an ending that will melt your heart.

Carnal Moon was an exceptional novella. With a lot of paranormal romance, it is not uncommon for me to figure out the path of the plot early and go with the flow until the end, and this book was really no different. I expected the outcome to some extent and was not surprised by the ending of the book. What made this novella different was the characters themselves as they, especially Holly, revealed their turmoil over what was happening in their lives and their inability to do anything about it.
Carnal Moon was sexy, appetizing and decadent — a quick read that will leave you with a feel-good vibe to get you through your day or take away the hum-drums of a bad afternoon. Take a chance and enjoy this brief but spicy read — it will only leave you wanting more.

HockeyVamps review: 4 tombstones

Fantastic! World building in a short story that lacked nothing. From the pheromones to the shift, to the hunt, you’ll experience werewolf life as Holly does. You’ll be invested and swept into Mel’s incredibly erotic shifter world. Attention to the smallest detail made this story complete in a way most quickies aren’t. Without giving away any spoilers, I wasn’t surprised by the ending. In fact, it ended just as I hoped it would and the predictability didn’t detract from my enjoyment. To repeat myself because it was just so hot, sexy and satisfying. This story is fantastic.

Ice Queen, Celeste Diamond has a secret. She looks human, but she hides the fact that she has hideous, bat-like wings of a Gargoyle just like her father, Cray Diamond.

Pascal Daniels is a son of a mobster, who pursues Celeste. She finally gives into the attraction she feels for him. She believes she can overcome her obsession of the man by sleeping with him once and walking away afterward. Besides, Pascal is a womanizer. He would have no intentions of carrying on a relationship. Or so she believes, but Pascal has other plans. He wants someone special. Someone he can trust and share his own secrets.

This is the second story in Ms. Tescho's Gargoyle series. She has a way of bringing her characters alive with emotion and a heart wrenching need to be wanted and loved. Another fast paced tantalizing romance to add to your list of must read tales! I also recommend Stone Cold Lover. Both stories stand alone, but you don't want to miss Celeste's. 

Karen Michelle Nutt, 5 stars.

Night Owl Reviews

Ice Cold Lover is a wonderfully woven tale of Pascal and Celeste by Mel Tescho. As a reader, right away, you feel the intense emotional cravings of the characters. It's fast paced read. You get a lot of heat in this fast paced book. You wonder at the seeming obsession of Pascal for Celeste until their secrets are revealed, beautifully to each other. Just when you think that’s it, we learn the true reason for Pascal's obsession with Celeste. This is the first book by this author that I have read and cannot wait to read more from her and the series.   

Eaim, 4.5 stars

Overall rating:  4 hearts

Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Susan W.

There is more to the shallow heiress, Loretta Shaw, who seeks to forget her past. She takes many lovers but her heart yearns for a man she can never have.

Cray Diamond is cursed. By day, he's a monstrous Gargoyle effigy. When the sun sets, he's flesh and is Loretta's bodyguard, who will do anything to keep her safe. Cray is attracted to Loretta and wants her. Honor is all he has left and he will leave her untouched by his hands. There can be no future for them. He's bound to protect and when his services are no longer needed, his curse will force him to find another. Even if he wanted to stay with her, he wouldn't be able to do so.

Loretta has other plans. She wants Cray and is determined to make him see they belong together. Only an ex-lover of hers is just as determined to stop her. His demented actions may cost both lovers their lives.

This is a fast paced story with a tantalizing romance, suspense and non-stop action. You will fall in love with honor bound Cray, who hates the way his body transforms into the hideous Gargoyle, and you'll feel for Loretta and understand how a life changing event left her scared on the inside.

This is a fabulous book of tortured souls who need each other to heal. Highly Recommended. Don't miss the second book of this series: Ice Cold Lover.

Rated 5 stars by Karen Michelle Nutt