GENRE:  Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

LENGTH:  109 (Kindle pgs)

HEAT LEVEL (content):  Erotic (see FYI below)

PUBLISHER (pub date):  self (19 March 2014)

SERIES INFO:  n/a

BLURB:

Unexpectedly more :)

* Review copy provided by the author.

What a surprise! Initially expected a quick, enjoyable erotic romp, but by the ending, got a story with greater depth & emotions―with a (presumed) HEA to boot. IDK why but this book reminded me of the movie, Pretty Woman. As with the movie, I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to see how Kit & Pike fare. :)

Interesting concept of sex trade turned corporate, with licensed 'companions' getting assignment contracts & pay, as well as bonuses for consenting to extra duties. Light world-building, just enough to maintain sci-fi feel. Diverse mix of characters/clients, with plenty of sex scenes (altho some more for plot movement whilst others definitely for arousal).

I liked how Kit's attitude & character slowly changed due to her new assignment. I only wish that I knew how/why she became the way she was in the beginning. As for Pike, I liked him immediately & could relate to his caution.

Also loved Ms. Vora's writing in this one―overall, very well-written, with some sections being almost poetic. Example:

... A breeze ruffled her hair, bearing the sharp scent of greenery, the perfume of live flowers. Real sunlight warmed her cheeks, the backs of her hands.

 

And everywhere she looked, she found something to delight her eyes. Pike's fabulous complex. The trees and towers and shining windows of nearby residences. Parks and fountains and mother-of-pearl paths that glittered from afar.

 

It really was too good to last. Too beautiful, too pleasurable, too perfect. ...

Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a hot, erotic read with varied sex content. If one were to classify this as 'dark erotica', then I would consider it to be on the 'lighter' side, meaning more grey than black.  But do check to see if anything in the content FYI poses a problem. ;-)

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Content FYI: 

This is normally $12.99.  (*gulp* IKR?)  I almost keeled over & kicked myself for missing it @ NetGalley last Fall.

Erotic (and I mean *erotic*) HR which, from brief skim of reviews, includes m/f, m/m, and m/m/f.  Apparently, there's a love triangle but it seems unconventional so I'm all curious. :)

If you're already familiar with Kate Pearce (especially her House of Pleasures series), then you'll be fine.  If not, then proceed with caution. *grins*

www.amazon.com/Sinners-Club-ebook/dp/B00DV1ITB2/

Genre: Contemporary; Erotica

Length: short (31 Kindle pgs)

Heat Level (sexual content):  Smuttiest (see below)

Publication Date: October 2012

Publisher: Pouch Productions

Series Info: Office Toy #1

BLURB: Elle’s job interview starts with Cunningham throwing away her cheap clothes and sending his assistant to buy new outfits. He’s got her naked, so of course he’ll lay her out on the conference table and claim her mouth. Soon Elle is trussed up, all of her holes stretched full while three hot men have their wicked way.

She loves her first tastes of liberated, naughty sex. But she’d better not start falling for her boss—no matter how safe he makes her feel—because while office sex is encouraged, romance is strictly forbidden.

* Office Toy is an erotic MfMM (3 guys, 1 lucky gal) BDSM story of 8,400 words.

Pure, unadulterated smut-fest of a gang-bang fantasy (including the “aftercare” ^.^), initiated via (mild) use of the coercion trope.

Most definitely straight erotica (hell, some can call this “porn” and I won’t disagree).  C’mon—consider the title. ;-)  So leave all expectations of in-depth plot and/or character development at the door b/c there ain’t enough pages here. The critical factor is that Elle wanted it, consented every step of the way, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. And the way everything unfolded, I half-expected Elle to wake up from an erotic dream at the end.

Given its length, it’s pretty much “places, everyone, aaaaand... ACTION!”. And man, is there action! *fans self* But this smutty tidbit differs vastly from much of the schlock flooding the erotica market more and more these days.  It’s actually adult erotica, as opposed to some watered-down wanna-be.  I found Office Toy to be very well-written, highly erotic, and rather intelligent smut. (Yes, that’s right―intelligent... as in I didn’t feel insulted or fear losing IQ points by reading this.) That says much about the writer, methinks. :) So if you're curious, try this author out whilst it’s free.

My only “negative” re: Office Toy is that it’s part of a series of equally short vignettes (read: serial). Which is fine, in and of itself, b/c some writers work best in that format and there’s a time and a place for hot shorties, right? But the length (31 Kindle pgs) vis-à-vis a price of $2.99 gives me serious pause re: subsequent works. I’d love to find out what happens but getting invested in this kind of serial gets very pricey, very quickly. Plus, I tend to enjoy longer reads more, so may just wait for the bundle set. :)

ETA: FTR, in the world of erotica, there's a vast (and very critical) difference between “gang bang” and gang *rape*.  Obviously, one basic element is consent.  But still, to mistake one for the other is... well, IDK.

* ARC provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley (later got 2014 freebie)

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Sexual content: f/m/m/m (my way of noting “it’s all about the girl” & not m/m interaction); oral & anal; DP; more D/s than full-out BDSM (or even BDSM-lite).

NB: Re-read Jan 2014; first read in July 2013 (but damn, pain killers work a doozy on the memory).

BEYOND SHAME is a solid ★★★1/2 and a definite recommend! Don't be scared off by mentions of BDSM because there's only a tease of it and it's not critical to the overall story.

Only familiar with the PNR books by Kit Rocha's other persona (Moira Rogers), I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I admit that the blurb made my inner smut sit up and growl. Sure, there was an orgy, a few F/F action, a ménage à quatre, exhibitionism/voyeurism, and a little slap and tickle. But in the end, BEYOND SHAME ended up being a rather sweet, sexy/hot story involving some memorable characters.

Set in a dystopian world struggling to survive in the aftermath of solar storms, the story starts when Noelle is cast out of Eden—literally—for possession/consumption of alcohol and fornication. Expelled with nothing but the clothes on her back, Noelle is the proverbial innocent lamb thrown to the wolves prowling the debauched and depraved Sector slums. Luckily, she's saved by Jasper, a member of the O'Kane gang which controls Sector Four. I actually gave a mental "thumbs up" to the author for foregoing instant sex in favor of building up the sexual tension from their instant attraction.

Raised and trained to be a proper wife (organize/manage a household and host elaborate dinner parties), Noelle plaintively says at one point:

"I don't know what I want. I don't know anything."

Through Noelle's experiences and interactions with various members of the O'Kane "family", as well as the multiple POVs, we realize that they all have a heart of gold underneath their rough and tough exteriors. And each member helps Noelle in some way to get her bearings, gain a little self-esteem, and carve her own niche within the gang. But most of all, Noelle learns to overcome her ingrained shame and embrace her sexual desires within the accepting openness found in Sector Four.

I initially thought that this book was a 4-star shoo-in. But when I started to write my review, the left side of my brain (aka "Party Pooper") suddenly popped up like a petulant child and reminded me of notes and questions taken subconsciously. (E.g., Noelle was sexually curious, but I had difficulties separating that from her more basic condition of being touch-starved due to Eden's tenet that "raising healthy, moral children" necessitated minimizing a child's dependence on tactile affection, even in the form of toys or stuffed animals, as well as the social taboo forbidding unnecessary physical contact.) Because this review is based on an ARC, some of the plot weaknesses I noticed may have been addressed prior to actual publication (ARC had 239pgs while Kindle has 354pgs).

Technical assessment based on the ARC may have ultimately lowered my final rating, but I still thoroughly enjoyed BEYOND SHAME and plan to read the next book in this series. Is it 2013 yet?

* ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of the author, without any obligation to review.