Genre:  ER-PNR

Length:  @ 127pgs (ebook)

Heat Level/Content:  erotica-lite (m/f; a dash ’o kink)

Publication Date:  April 23, 2013 (orig = Oct 2009)

Publisher:  Loose Id (orig = Changeling Press)

Series Info:  Truckee Wolves #1

BLURB:

* Review copy provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley.

It's rare that I give 4 stars to a novella, especially when it's PNR. But there was so much that I enjoyed about this revised edition of Toxic, starting w/ the luscious hero (or rather, his wolf) who is so infatuated w/ the chocolatey smell of his mate that he forgets that chocolate is a major no-no for canines. Loved the MCs, loved the various secondary characters (especially Briony's mum!), and definitely loved the romance and the HOT! sexy times.

Even tho it's almost to be expected for a novella, lost a star due to less than substantial world-building, as well as sketchy references to common trope of secret military experiments. (TBT, for me, any references to genetic experiments, super-soldiers, traumatised females and such immediately invite comparisons to Lora Leigh's Breeds series.) Also, I found it distracting to have POVs beyond the MCs in a novella-length story; multiple POVs work better for me in a full-length novel with a more substantial plot.

Given the number of interesting characters introduced in Toxic, there's such potential for more stories in this series! If so, hopefully there will be more backstory re: Abraxas, the shadowy organisation involved in the illicit experiments, and how the various pack members came together. Frankly, I'm hoping that Ms. McBride will be inspired to focus on Sage. Or even Dionne. *grins* Oh, and what's the story w/ Kurt and Ethan?!

Whilst I wait, guess that I'll re-read the shorts in the 2 Doms of Dark Haven anthologies so to finally put everything in proper chrono order.  FYI, “Educating Evangeline” (published in Doms of Dark Haven) is first, then Toxic, and then “Hunting Holly” (published in Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night).

NB: Review of 2013 revised edition. This got lost in calibre due to being merged with the original 2009 story put out by Changeling Press. B/c of when I read the original version years ago, I didn't remember enough to notice what was different this time around.

* ARC provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley.

Genre: CR

Length: novel

Heat Level/Content: Sexy Hot (m/f vanilla; frank but not overly explicit/graphic)

Publication Date: 5 Nov 2013

Publisher: Forever (Hachette/GCP)

Series Info: #2 in Hot in the Kitchen

Author Info: Publisher's Author Page

BLURB: see BL book page

Another NTM author for another great read! As a foodie, love, love, LOVE that this series uses the backdrop of the restaurant/haute cuisine world.

I got All Fired Up when it came up at NetGalley last fall.  But due to the usual year-end + holiday madness, I wasn’t able to read it before the allotted reading period expired.  Then a friend recently reminded me to check if I had sent it to my Kindle account.  Man, so glad that she did!

All Fired Up was a fast read for me because I was into the story the entire time―smexy with a simmering build-up of UST, a “yup, opposites do attract” theme, and highly likeable and grounded characters (both primary and secondary).  Having worked where I worked, I could immediately relate to some of Cara DeLuca’s personality “quirks” but it may take others a bit longer to warm up to her.  Especially when, in the beginning, she comes across as a control-freak, designer-label-conscious Lemon Tart (the nickname used by the other restaurant workers ^.^).  But give her a chance and she may surprise you.

Shane Doyle, on the other hand... Hmmm, think that the only way Shane could’ve been better for me is if he were Black Irish.  Oh, and older.  But that’s just me. :)  No doubt aided by her background, Ms. Meader did a wonderful job of imbuing Shane with Irish flavour and authenticity via his thoughts and dialogue.  He was an interesting mix of still-youthful determination and optimism overlaid with the sobering influence of his backstory.  Think that most readers will be rooting for Shane from very early on.

However, the best (and a relief) for me was that the angst and conflict moments woven into the storyline, as well as the characters’ behaviour and reactions, weren’t so OTT or grossly manufactured so to be eye-roll inducing.  Instead, they were things which could easily happen IRL.  And honestly, who hasn’t experienced the love/jealousy of a sibling at one point or another? Or a sticky moment or two at family gatherings? ^.~

Highly recommend All Fired Up to those who enjoy sweet and smart CR with occasional (and sometimes unexpected) LOL moments. I, for one, plan to read the rest of this series. :)

NB: I didn’t pay close enough attention so thought that this was the first in series. Although easily a stand-alone read, the couple from Feel the Heat do appear in this one so there are minor spoiler-ish moments. If interested, I would suggest starting w/ Book #1 (plus, Jack & Lili’s story seems to promise some fireworks).

UPDATE: Kindle Smut on GR has chosen Ms. Meader’s Hot in the Kitchen series for a group read, with approximately 3 weeks allocated to each book. The read/discussion for Book #1, Feel the Heat, started on March 1st so if you’re a member, come join us!

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)

____________

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).

FULL REVIEW TO COME (great writing; hot DD/spanking)

Original note back on 22 Sept 2013:

* Had planned to write up tonight w/ all the rest but not in proper mood

Ambivalent.  That's the word which best describes how I felt at the end of RED by Kate Kinsey, a NTM author.

Part of my ambivalence about RED is that it seemed to try for too much so that the sum of its parts ultimately diluted the individual elements.  So as much as I wanted the "WOW", it didn't quite get there.

But there are many aspects about RED which appealed to me and I snickered at certain banter and asides.  And I particularly loved the various quotes and excerpts at the beginning of each chapter.  (I would never have had BDSM and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the same thought!)  So I would recommend RED to anyone who enjoys suspense mixed with a bit of romance and/or kink.  I look forward to the next book by Ms. Kinsey, a smart and refreshing writer with much promise.  Definitely like her style and philosophy.

First and foremost, RED is not erotica, despite a few erotic moments and the frank and explicit words used to describe sexual activities and events.  I point this out only because some readers may be bothered by such language in books, even if I'm not.

RED is a murder mystery—specifically, a police procedural told from the male protagonist's POV (think James Patterson's Alex Cross series)—about a serial killer whose victims appear to have only one common denominator: the BDSM lifestyle.  (In this sense, the plot loosely reminded me of Evangeline Anderson's “Dangerous Cravings”.)   This revelation creates the opportunity for Tom Hanson to re-connect with Gina Larsen, his former partner and lover, for help in navigating the local BDSM community.  As expected, past feelings are resurrected during the course of the investigation.  I pretty much guessed most of the plot twists but was engaged enough to finish so to learn the how and why.

RED works in an "Introduction to BDSM", pinpointing certain stereotypes, misconceptions and behaviour primarily through the various characters (some better drawn than others), as well as insights into what happened with Tom and Gina in the past.  While I understood the author's intent, I felt that some of the discussions weren't critical to the main goal of solving murders and only served to slow the pace of the book.  Tension would build up with each new lead or twist in the investigation and then deflate as the "action" derailed temporarily to focus on the BDSM aspect.

Lastly, the side plot of the renewed relationship between Tom and Gina further weakened the book for me.  What I assumed was meant to be the pivotal turning point didn't work for me because there wasn't enough before or after it to document and substantiate the change in mindset and resolution of past/current hurdles.  Based on what was provided, I think that I would've more easily accepted Tom and Gina simply resolving past hurts.  As for the end scene... well, I'll have to see if my suspicion is correct.

TECHNICAL: Very well-written.  But odd and single-sentence paragraph structuring impeded smooth reading in many places, especially when the speaker and the actual dialogue were in separate paragraphs.  At times, kept having to pause to confirm which character went with which dialogue.  A final, more aggressive editing pass may have produced a much tighter story.

* ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of the publisher/the author.