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Claws and Fangs #1 (Scarred and Kilt)
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Volume 2
Fatman & Robyn
Jaid Black
Jake Chamberlin, star quarterback of the New York Bloods, has a not-so-little secret—he’s into chubby chicks. He does all he can to resist temptation, but when Jake bumps into the gorgeous Robyn DiMarco at a bistro in Little Italy, all bets are off.
Scarred and Kilt
Laurann Dohner
Matty has a new neighbor, and she strongly suspects the kilt-wearing hottie is a vampire—he only goes out at night, has weird visitors and the blood bank is making regular deliveries. But he doesn’t seem to hurt anyone, so “live and let live” is Matty’s motto. Until she sees a guy armed with crosses and wooden stakes breaking into the neighbor’s house. Matty charges to the rescue—and ends up in Mr. Hottie’s bed…and on his desk…and…
Tinderbox
Regina Carlysle
Set in the same world as Jaguar Hunger.
Private investigators Nate and Daniel don’t expect to find their mate while working a case. But they recognize Olivia as theirs the second they catch the missing woman’s scent—the scent of a female jaguar shifter in heat. Nate and Daniel’s task? Find then claim Livvy in every raw, animalistic way possible…and release her inner beast.
Asterion
Katalina Leon
Betrayed by her village chief, Larisa is brought to a mysterious island and left bound in a subterranean labyrinth, where drops of her blood summon the mythical Minotaur. She expects the man-beast to take her life…but it’s her body that’s sacrificed. Darron, a shapeshifting being, ravishes Larisa, and she gives herself freely to the pleasure—a decision that will change both their worlds forever.
Decadent Dance
Aubrey Ross
Surely the dress Zoe purchased did not transport her to an alien ship, right? No. Hallucinations. Must be. Though…the gorgeous alien who greets her seems real enough. And the sex? Out of this world.
Vaden has waited years for his Decadent Dancer, and though Zoe swears she didn’t know what the dress could do, Vaden has been lonely too long to be easily thwarted. He’ll use every sensual trick he knows to convince Zoe she’s right where she belongs.
Sahara Heat
Diana Hunter
As a favor to a friend, author Carla Braun agrees to meet with archaeologist Josef Anderson to discuss his recent desert find. To her dismay, the man’s infuriating…as well as tall, blond, gorgeous—and into BDSM. If she can look beyond Dr. Anderson’s cool exterior, Carla just might discover some scorching Sahara Heat…
Reader This story has graphic sexual language and scenes - no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
A Romantica® erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Jaid Black
Jake Chamberlin, star quarterback of the New York Bloods, has a not-so-little secret—he’s into chubby chicks. He does all he can to resist temptation, but when Jake bumps into the gorgeous Robyn DiMarco at a bistro in Little Italy, all bets are off.
Scarred and Kilt
Laurann Dohner
Matty has a new neighbor, and she strongly suspects the kilt-wearing hottie is a vampire—he only goes out at night, has weird visitors and the blood bank is making regular deliveries. But he doesn’t seem to hurt anyone, so “live and let live” is Matty’s motto. Until she sees a guy armed with crosses and wooden stakes breaking into the neighbor’s house. Matty charges to the rescue—and ends up in Mr. Hottie’s bed…and on his desk…and…
Tinderbox
Regina Carlysle
Set in the same world as Jaguar Hunger.
Private investigators Nate and Daniel don’t expect to find their mate while working a case. But they recognize Olivia as theirs the second they catch the missing woman’s scent—the scent of a female jaguar shifter in heat. Nate and Daniel’s task? Find then claim Livvy in every raw, animalistic way possible…and release her inner beast.
Asterion
Katalina Leon
Betrayed by her village chief, Larisa is brought to a mysterious island and left bound in a subterranean labyrinth, where drops of her blood summon the mythical Minotaur. She expects the man-beast to take her life…but it’s her body that’s sacrificed. Darron, a shapeshifting being, ravishes Larisa, and she gives herself freely to the pleasure—a decision that will change both their worlds forever.
Decadent Dance
Aubrey Ross
Surely the dress Zoe purchased did not transport her to an alien ship, right? No. Hallucinations. Must be. Though…the gorgeous alien who greets her seems real enough. And the sex? Out of this world.
Vaden has waited years for his Decadent Dancer, and though Zoe swears she didn’t know what the dress could do, Vaden has been lonely too long to be easily thwarted. He’ll use every sensual trick he knows to convince Zoe she’s right where she belongs.
Sahara Heat
Diana Hunter
As a favor to a friend, author Carla Braun agrees to meet with archaeologist Josef Anderson to discuss his recent desert find. To her dismay, the man’s infuriating…as well as tall, blond, gorgeous—and into BDSM. If she can look beyond Dr. Anderson’s cool exterior, Carla just might discover some scorching Sahara Heat…
Reader This story has graphic sexual language and scenes - no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
A Romantica® erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2012
24 people are currently reading
663 people want to read
About the author
Jaid Black
101 books744 followersJaid Black is the pseudonym of Tina Marie Engler—the founder/owner of the former Ellora's Cave Publishing. Engler has been featured in every major news outlet such as Forbes, Publisher's Weekly, Salon, and Time Magazine. Ms. Engler was officially recognized by Romantic Times Magazine with their first ever Trail Blazer award for being the mastermind of adult (erotic) romance as you know and love it today, as well as for the pivotal role she played in popularizing the e-book.
Writing as Jaid Black, her books have received numerous distinctions, including a nomination for the Henry Miller award for the best literary sex scene written in the English language. Most of her novels and novellas are a hybrid of sci-fi and adult romance. She is a proud member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA.)
Also writing as Jasmine LeVeaux
Writing as Jaid Black, her books have received numerous distinctions, including a nomination for the Henry Miller award for the best literary sex scene written in the English language. Most of her novels and novellas are a hybrid of sci-fi and adult romance. She is a proud member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA.)
Also writing as Jasmine LeVeaux
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
February 13, 2017
This review is for the book Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner..
3 Good stars..
Cannot say more than it was 'good', but seriously, this was nothing as mindblowing as Ms. Dohner's other work.
Gonna be checking the rest of the series and hopefully will find it better than this one.
Off to read more!
3 Good stars..
Cannot say more than it was 'good', but seriously, this was nothing as mindblowing as Ms. Dohner's other work.
Gonna be checking the rest of the series and hopefully will find it better than this one.
Off to read more!
June 5, 2012
Originally published on http://www.torimacallister.com on June 5, 2012
I'm not going to lie - I love short story anthologies. Other reviewers seem to get cranky and whine about how the stories aren't long enough, they don't know the author, they like shifter not BDSM, they didn't like every story, blah, blah, blah.
Get over it, people.
Short story anthologies are just that, an anthology, which simply means a collection gathered together for consumption. You don't have read it in order, you don't have to read every story, you just pick and choose and enjoy what you get. Think of it like one of those fabulous Las Vegas buffets. Hate waffles, but love pancakes? Eat the pancakes and see if that kiwi fruit salad is as good as it looks even though you've never tried kiwi before. You're not committing to a lifetime, it's just a little bowl of fruit salad.
For me, anthologies satisfy a much-needed reconnaissance mission of scoping out new authors. With a three to 18 book per week habit, I am on the constant lookout for new authors (from any genre) to add to my repertoire. With that in mind, you can imagine I was thrilled to see this short story compilation available on Netgalley and snatched it right up to review.
I can honestly say I enjoyed all of the short stories, with a few standing out to the point where I have several authors' works added to my "to-read" list. After reading that Jaid Black, the first listed contributor, is the pen name for Tina M. Engler, the owner of Ellora's Cave Publishing, it's no surprise about the quality of this anthology. Who better to get the best out of erotic authors than the woman who owns the publishing house synonymous with erotic fiction? Here's my take on each contribution.
****************************************************************************************************
"Fatman and Robyn" by Jaid Black
Jake Chamberlain is a star quarterback of the New York Bloods, but the Super Bowl ring on his finger just reminds him how actually empty is life is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't warm up to the skinny supermodels he's expected to date. Even when he fantasizes they are the lush, curvy woman of his dreams, one touch of their bony body and his erection takes a nosedive. He's even sought out a therapist, but doctors don't seem to have an answer either.
Resigned to his fate, he goes to enjoy a pastry in a small shop in Little Italy when a lush siren in a sundress highlighting more curves than the Pacific Coast Highway walks in and suddenly an erection is not a problem. Knowing he's found the woman of his dreams is complicated when said woman, Robyn DiMarco, thinks the red-faced and muttering Jake is a madman. Correcting her misunderstanding, he begins to woo her, falling head over heels in love with both her and her crazy, loving Italian family. But when Robyn realizes that she doesn't fit the mold of what people expect from a woman dating Jake, his longed-for happily ever after might never come true.
This story had me laughing like an idiot and alternately sighing over the poignant moments. I went through so many emotions, I had to recheck how long the story was - the impact of it was so hard that I felt like had read a full-length novel! Robyn and her wonderful family make you wish you were a DiMarco and Jake's struggle to be respectful of Robyn when he really just wants to ravish her wins you over damn quick to this hero. I've added a bunch of Jaid Black books to my "to-read" list just on the basis of this amazing story.
"Scarred and Kilt" by Laurann Dohner
Do you know what makes a hot Scotsman in a kilt even hotter? Making him an uber-smoking sexy vampire, that's what. Matty is a night owl who has appointed herself the neighborhood watch, a natural side effect of her attack from a would-be rapist. She fended him off, but it's left her with some scars, both physical and otherwise. She's enjoyed the eye candy of her neighbor who walks around in a kilt, always at night and gets regular deliveries from a blood bank. Yes, she's figured out "Kilt" is a vampire, but since he doesn't hurt anyone who is she to judge?
When some guy shows up with stakes and holy water and breaks into Kilt's house, she grabs her stun gun to go help, much to Kilt's astonishment. When he kisses her to heal an injury, the fire that leaps between them ends up with unbelievably hot sex on a desk (yowza) but Blaron (Kilt's actual name) realizes that they are destined to be together, something Matty is not quite ready for, having just spoken to him for the first time five minutes earlier.
This story wrapped up a little quickly, but I still loved every word. The hero and heroine felt fleshed out and the vampire world is familiar enough to paranormal romance lovers that it was easy to understand some of the world details. Blaron was H-O-T and bringing Scotsmen and vampires together makes for a sexy mash any woman could get behind. I was interested to see that Laurann Dohner's speciality tends towards more science fiction storylines. You could fooled me with the facility she handled this more purely paranormal one.
"Tinderbox" by Regina Carlysle
Classic shifter menage, this was nevertheless nicely handled for a short story. When the local police bring in shifter P.I.s Nate and Daniel all they have is the footage of a pretty blond being kidnapped during a carjacking. But once they scent the purse she left behind they are stunned - not only is she a rare female jaguar but she's also the mate they've searched for over a hundred years to find. They quickly catch up to her, freeing her from her kidnapper, but there's a major complication. She's in heat.
Oliva knows she should be elated to be free but biology is interfering with her enjoyment of being rescued by two unbelievably gorgeous men. Unable to shift until they go through their heat cycle and mate, female jaguars have a complicated biology that results in a tremendous amount of pain if they aren't finding a sexual release with a mate.
This story is set in the same world as Regina Carlysle's previous work, Jaguar Hunger (a 68 page story) and the characters from that work pop up in this one. I was most impressed at how sensitively Regina handled the fact that Olivia is compelled to have sex with two strangers, albeit very caring ones. All three members of the partnership regret not being able to woo Olivia and gradually get to know one another, but the sex is smoking and the moment when she shifts emotionally charged and very sweet.
"Asterion" by Katalina Leon
Having lost her father and her betrothed in battle, Larisa is betrayed by the weak village chief. He rows her to a remote island where a gorgeous palace, dedicated to the Minotaur, stands and where she will be a virgin sacrifice. But rather than die at the horns of a god, Larisa finds herself used to give corporeal form to an alien being, one whose chosen form is that of a handsome man bent on pleasuring her and helping humanity.
This was one of my favorite stories! I felt the reader didn't need the couple pages of explanation about the Minotaur prior to the story, but other than that blip, it was pitch perfect. Larisa is brave and bold and the "god" who takes such on a luscious form delights in his body and Larisa's with such abandon that you have to smile for the thousand-plus year old virgin. I was surprised to discover that Katalina Leon has written a ton of books (she has a few listed on her Goodreads page) and none of them seem to be myth based like this story. I'll be trying one of her books to see if she can delight me again.
"Decadent Dance" by Aubrey Ross
Choreographer Zoe purchased a dress in an odds and ends shop that came with a funny little booklet that she thought was fiction since it detailed wars between planets and men who guarded the far reaches of the universe. After she tried on the dress and got transported to an alien vessel, she's taking its tale a little more seriously.
Vaden has been lonely for a while, waiting for his contract on his Decadent Dancer to come through, and now she claims she had no idea about the contract's existence to say nothing of its terms. She says she's a dancer but is seemingly surprised at the idea of intimate contact. What gives?
This was an interesting idea, but I worry that science fiction is something that involves a lot of world building (more than paranormal, since there are certain known tropes which readers can associate with those plotlines). It was easy to emphathize with Zoe for being startled about her sketchy dress transporting her to the ship and with Vaden for being so frustrated after waiting for sexual companionship to have a beautiful woman hemming and hawing about having sex with him. But where this stuttered to a stop for me was a crucial point in the story, namely where Zoe realizes that the race of people she has ended up with has no art or music...and she's a dancer. This seemed like a big piece of culture to be missing and all those anthropology classes in college tell me that there really isn't any such thing as a culture without some kind of music. That really threw me.
"Sahara Heat" by Diana Hunter
When an archeologist friend calls her from the desert to tell her about a fascinating find, romance writer Carla Braun agrees to meet with the colleague who is presenting the paper with all the details. But Carla is shocked that her friend's colleague, Dr. Josef Anderson looks like a Nordic god...and seemingly has an ego to match. While he's infuriating, she can't help but notice the heat between them. With Josef about to leave New York in a day or two he could be the perfect fling, but she's worried he'll disappoint her like all the others.
Josef can't believe that this red-haired beauty is a romance writer. Despite his being so cranky, she agrees to meet him for dinner. Maybe with a little too much hope in his heart, he goes to the nearest hardware store and buys the ropes and chains that are his stock in trade. What if he misread the situation? Or what if this spicy woman gives him the ultimate surrender?
This was another one of my favorites from the anthology. Diana Hunter shows how utterly respectful and caring a Dom/submissive relationship can be with her tender portrayal of Josef and Carla and the moment where they realize what they have found in one another. I was just sorry this story wasn't longer!
****************************************************************************************************
If there was any criticism I could constructively offer, it's that several of the authors in the anthology were rather difficult to find on Twitter and nonexistent on Facebook. That's tough for me since I like to keep track of authors through social networks, particularly if they don't have a regularly updated blog I can put in my Google Reader.
I can't help but connect the lack of social networking to the fact that many of these authors, who have clearly been producing at least a book or two per year for a few years, have very few reviews of each work on Goodreads. Without promoting them online through different venues, it makes sense that a talented author might very well go unnoticed versus a lesser one relentlessly promoting themselves to potential readers. It's hard that an author has be both a writer and worry about promoting themselves on a platform, but I'd hate to see them lose publishing opportunities because they aren't selling as well as they should. Please promote yourselves, authors! Readers want to hear from you. :-)
While it doesn't have a release date yet, I was happy to see that Something Wicked This Way Comes 3 has a designed book cover and will be coming out (fingers crossed) hopefully this year. Not only does it have new contributions by Jaid Black and Laurann Dohner (both of whom had stories I adored in this anthology) but there's even a story from Kele Moon, who I just finished qvelling over in a previous blog post about her fabulous book, Defying the Odds. I'm also happy there are a few more authors I haven't read since I'll have a chance (again) to see if I can find a new favorite.
I'll be purchasing Something Wicked This Way Comes 3 as soon as it hits the Kindle store. After all, any good buffet/anthology involves going back for second helpings.
I'm not going to lie - I love short story anthologies. Other reviewers seem to get cranky and whine about how the stories aren't long enough, they don't know the author, they like shifter not BDSM, they didn't like every story, blah, blah, blah.
Get over it, people.
Short story anthologies are just that, an anthology, which simply means a collection gathered together for consumption. You don't have read it in order, you don't have to read every story, you just pick and choose and enjoy what you get. Think of it like one of those fabulous Las Vegas buffets. Hate waffles, but love pancakes? Eat the pancakes and see if that kiwi fruit salad is as good as it looks even though you've never tried kiwi before. You're not committing to a lifetime, it's just a little bowl of fruit salad.
For me, anthologies satisfy a much-needed reconnaissance mission of scoping out new authors. With a three to 18 book per week habit, I am on the constant lookout for new authors (from any genre) to add to my repertoire. With that in mind, you can imagine I was thrilled to see this short story compilation available on Netgalley and snatched it right up to review.
I can honestly say I enjoyed all of the short stories, with a few standing out to the point where I have several authors' works added to my "to-read" list. After reading that Jaid Black, the first listed contributor, is the pen name for Tina M. Engler, the owner of Ellora's Cave Publishing, it's no surprise about the quality of this anthology. Who better to get the best out of erotic authors than the woman who owns the publishing house synonymous with erotic fiction? Here's my take on each contribution.
****************************************************************************************************
"Fatman and Robyn" by Jaid Black
Jake Chamberlain is a star quarterback of the New York Bloods, but the Super Bowl ring on his finger just reminds him how actually empty is life is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't warm up to the skinny supermodels he's expected to date. Even when he fantasizes they are the lush, curvy woman of his dreams, one touch of their bony body and his erection takes a nosedive. He's even sought out a therapist, but doctors don't seem to have an answer either.
Resigned to his fate, he goes to enjoy a pastry in a small shop in Little Italy when a lush siren in a sundress highlighting more curves than the Pacific Coast Highway walks in and suddenly an erection is not a problem. Knowing he's found the woman of his dreams is complicated when said woman, Robyn DiMarco, thinks the red-faced and muttering Jake is a madman. Correcting her misunderstanding, he begins to woo her, falling head over heels in love with both her and her crazy, loving Italian family. But when Robyn realizes that she doesn't fit the mold of what people expect from a woman dating Jake, his longed-for happily ever after might never come true.
This story had me laughing like an idiot and alternately sighing over the poignant moments. I went through so many emotions, I had to recheck how long the story was - the impact of it was so hard that I felt like had read a full-length novel! Robyn and her wonderful family make you wish you were a DiMarco and Jake's struggle to be respectful of Robyn when he really just wants to ravish her wins you over damn quick to this hero. I've added a bunch of Jaid Black books to my "to-read" list just on the basis of this amazing story.
"Scarred and Kilt" by Laurann Dohner
Do you know what makes a hot Scotsman in a kilt even hotter? Making him an uber-smoking sexy vampire, that's what. Matty is a night owl who has appointed herself the neighborhood watch, a natural side effect of her attack from a would-be rapist. She fended him off, but it's left her with some scars, both physical and otherwise. She's enjoyed the eye candy of her neighbor who walks around in a kilt, always at night and gets regular deliveries from a blood bank. Yes, she's figured out "Kilt" is a vampire, but since he doesn't hurt anyone who is she to judge?
When some guy shows up with stakes and holy water and breaks into Kilt's house, she grabs her stun gun to go help, much to Kilt's astonishment. When he kisses her to heal an injury, the fire that leaps between them ends up with unbelievably hot sex on a desk (yowza) but Blaron (Kilt's actual name) realizes that they are destined to be together, something Matty is not quite ready for, having just spoken to him for the first time five minutes earlier.
This story wrapped up a little quickly, but I still loved every word. The hero and heroine felt fleshed out and the vampire world is familiar enough to paranormal romance lovers that it was easy to understand some of the world details. Blaron was H-O-T and bringing Scotsmen and vampires together makes for a sexy mash any woman could get behind. I was interested to see that Laurann Dohner's speciality tends towards more science fiction storylines. You could fooled me with the facility she handled this more purely paranormal one.
"Tinderbox" by Regina Carlysle
Classic shifter menage, this was nevertheless nicely handled for a short story. When the local police bring in shifter P.I.s Nate and Daniel all they have is the footage of a pretty blond being kidnapped during a carjacking. But once they scent the purse she left behind they are stunned - not only is she a rare female jaguar but she's also the mate they've searched for over a hundred years to find. They quickly catch up to her, freeing her from her kidnapper, but there's a major complication. She's in heat.
Oliva knows she should be elated to be free but biology is interfering with her enjoyment of being rescued by two unbelievably gorgeous men. Unable to shift until they go through their heat cycle and mate, female jaguars have a complicated biology that results in a tremendous amount of pain if they aren't finding a sexual release with a mate.
This story is set in the same world as Regina Carlysle's previous work, Jaguar Hunger (a 68 page story) and the characters from that work pop up in this one. I was most impressed at how sensitively Regina handled the fact that Olivia is compelled to have sex with two strangers, albeit very caring ones. All three members of the partnership regret not being able to woo Olivia and gradually get to know one another, but the sex is smoking and the moment when she shifts emotionally charged and very sweet.
"Asterion" by Katalina Leon
Having lost her father and her betrothed in battle, Larisa is betrayed by the weak village chief. He rows her to a remote island where a gorgeous palace, dedicated to the Minotaur, stands and where she will be a virgin sacrifice. But rather than die at the horns of a god, Larisa finds herself used to give corporeal form to an alien being, one whose chosen form is that of a handsome man bent on pleasuring her and helping humanity.
This was one of my favorite stories! I felt the reader didn't need the couple pages of explanation about the Minotaur prior to the story, but other than that blip, it was pitch perfect. Larisa is brave and bold and the "god" who takes such on a luscious form delights in his body and Larisa's with such abandon that you have to smile for the thousand-plus year old virgin. I was surprised to discover that Katalina Leon has written a ton of books (she has a few listed on her Goodreads page) and none of them seem to be myth based like this story. I'll be trying one of her books to see if she can delight me again.
"Decadent Dance" by Aubrey Ross
Choreographer Zoe purchased a dress in an odds and ends shop that came with a funny little booklet that she thought was fiction since it detailed wars between planets and men who guarded the far reaches of the universe. After she tried on the dress and got transported to an alien vessel, she's taking its tale a little more seriously.
Vaden has been lonely for a while, waiting for his contract on his Decadent Dancer to come through, and now she claims she had no idea about the contract's existence to say nothing of its terms. She says she's a dancer but is seemingly surprised at the idea of intimate contact. What gives?
This was an interesting idea, but I worry that science fiction is something that involves a lot of world building (more than paranormal, since there are certain known tropes which readers can associate with those plotlines). It was easy to emphathize with Zoe for being startled about her sketchy dress transporting her to the ship and with Vaden for being so frustrated after waiting for sexual companionship to have a beautiful woman hemming and hawing about having sex with him. But where this stuttered to a stop for me was a crucial point in the story, namely where Zoe realizes that the race of people she has ended up with has no art or music...and she's a dancer. This seemed like a big piece of culture to be missing and all those anthropology classes in college tell me that there really isn't any such thing as a culture without some kind of music. That really threw me.
"Sahara Heat" by Diana Hunter
When an archeologist friend calls her from the desert to tell her about a fascinating find, romance writer Carla Braun agrees to meet with the colleague who is presenting the paper with all the details. But Carla is shocked that her friend's colleague, Dr. Josef Anderson looks like a Nordic god...and seemingly has an ego to match. While he's infuriating, she can't help but notice the heat between them. With Josef about to leave New York in a day or two he could be the perfect fling, but she's worried he'll disappoint her like all the others.
Josef can't believe that this red-haired beauty is a romance writer. Despite his being so cranky, she agrees to meet him for dinner. Maybe with a little too much hope in his heart, he goes to the nearest hardware store and buys the ropes and chains that are his stock in trade. What if he misread the situation? Or what if this spicy woman gives him the ultimate surrender?
This was another one of my favorites from the anthology. Diana Hunter shows how utterly respectful and caring a Dom/submissive relationship can be with her tender portrayal of Josef and Carla and the moment where they realize what they have found in one another. I was just sorry this story wasn't longer!
****************************************************************************************************
If there was any criticism I could constructively offer, it's that several of the authors in the anthology were rather difficult to find on Twitter and nonexistent on Facebook. That's tough for me since I like to keep track of authors through social networks, particularly if they don't have a regularly updated blog I can put in my Google Reader.
I can't help but connect the lack of social networking to the fact that many of these authors, who have clearly been producing at least a book or two per year for a few years, have very few reviews of each work on Goodreads. Without promoting them online through different venues, it makes sense that a talented author might very well go unnoticed versus a lesser one relentlessly promoting themselves to potential readers. It's hard that an author has be both a writer and worry about promoting themselves on a platform, but I'd hate to see them lose publishing opportunities because they aren't selling as well as they should. Please promote yourselves, authors! Readers want to hear from you. :-)
While it doesn't have a release date yet, I was happy to see that Something Wicked This Way Comes 3 has a designed book cover and will be coming out (fingers crossed) hopefully this year. Not only does it have new contributions by Jaid Black and Laurann Dohner (both of whom had stories I adored in this anthology) but there's even a story from Kele Moon, who I just finished qvelling over in a previous blog post about her fabulous book, Defying the Odds. I'm also happy there are a few more authors I haven't read since I'll have a chance (again) to see if I can find a new favorite.I'll be purchasing Something Wicked This Way Comes 3 as soon as it hits the Kindle store. After all, any good buffet/anthology involves going back for second helpings.
June 17, 2013
Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner 4 stars
Sexy Scottish vampire meets scarred shut-in. Fabulous sex ensues. I love Laurann Dohner, she is one of my favorite authors!
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle 3 1/2 stars
Sexy shifters find their mate. I don't usually go for ménage but this was well written with an HEA. These shifters are all about their mate.
Asterion by Katalina Leon 2 stars
Mythology based storyline. This one just didn't work for me. The characters were not developed at all and the dialogue was odd and didn't fit with the setting (modern verbage in an ancient setting).
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross 3 1/2 stars
Human woman is unwittingly transported to space ship to be the lover of a hot alien. I liked this storyline. I had read a previous story by the same author and had decided not to read anymore based on the "multiple partner" storyline. This story had a monogamous couple and it worked for me.
Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter 3 stars
Author and Archaeologist meet through a mutual friend and discover they share a preference for edgy sex. At first the heroine came off unlikable but the story turned out well. Mild BDSM.
Fatman and Robyn by Jaid Black 4 stars
What can I say, I love Jaid Black. She injects humor without making it a farce. She knows how to write sexy alpha men and kind-hearted strong (but not bitchy) heroines you can really like. Jake is a retired superbowl champion with yen for curvy girls. Robyn is a confident suspense author from a big loving Italian family. When they meet, sparks fly.
Sexy Scottish vampire meets scarred shut-in. Fabulous sex ensues. I love Laurann Dohner, she is one of my favorite authors!
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle 3 1/2 stars
Sexy shifters find their mate. I don't usually go for ménage but this was well written with an HEA. These shifters are all about their mate.
Asterion by Katalina Leon 2 stars
Mythology based storyline. This one just didn't work for me. The characters were not developed at all and the dialogue was odd and didn't fit with the setting (modern verbage in an ancient setting).
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross 3 1/2 stars
Human woman is unwittingly transported to space ship to be the lover of a hot alien. I liked this storyline. I had read a previous story by the same author and had decided not to read anymore based on the "multiple partner" storyline. This story had a monogamous couple and it worked for me.
Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter 3 stars
Author and Archaeologist meet through a mutual friend and discover they share a preference for edgy sex. At first the heroine came off unlikable but the story turned out well. Mild BDSM.
Fatman and Robyn by Jaid Black 4 stars
What can I say, I love Jaid Black. She injects humor without making it a farce. She knows how to write sexy alpha men and kind-hearted strong (but not bitchy) heroines you can really like. Jake is a retired superbowl champion with yen for curvy girls. Robyn is a confident suspense author from a big loving Italian family. When they meet, sparks fly.
May 30, 2012
Several short stories. Not all of them appealed, but some of them were very good.
I love short stories.
And some of these were bacon-frying hot.
P.S. Double-decker pecker. You decide.
I love short stories.
And some of these were bacon-frying hot.
P.S. Double-decker pecker. You decide.
July 15, 2012
Originally posted at: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...
SCARRED AND KILT
By Laurann Dohner – is a clever little story with a heroine who is both brave and wary, not to mention inquisitive and a tiny bit aggressive. Matty’s had some hard knocks in her life and what I liked about her character is that she epitomizes the phrase, “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. The author presented me with a woman who no longer bows to bullies yet somehow has kept a part of her innocence and trust intact. I believe that is what allows the heroine to do what she does and with whom. The man that has fascinated her for months, Blaron, is a pretty decent guy, for a vampire. He’s the typical take charge, male-blown-away-by-a-sexy-woman kind of guy who doesn’t expect to find what he finds. His surprise was entertaining, their coming together was hot and frantic and their dialogue snappy and well paced. Even though their “I love you” comes a bit too soon, this is a short paranormal romance and he’s a vampire. And since we all know that vampires move really really fast, this fits just fine. Not only that but the author threw in a sentence that made it a tad more realistic – their relationship won’t be all roses and moonlight and it’s that willingness to work it out that made this tale feel rounded and grounded.
TINDERBOX
By Regina Carlysle – is loaded with explosive hotness and thrilling consummation scenes as Livvy finds her inner animal with two dedicated gorgeous men. This installment is about fulfilling a dream when all hope seems lost. It’s about a flash-fire romance where the paranormal rules are fast, furious and violent and undeniable. The author knows her way around a physical love scene and proves it again and again throughout the chapters. With the help of the mystical aspect of their kind, love is gone about differently but no less effectively. Certainly, if readers like a good romp, Tinderbox is going to deliver. Also, it ends with a nice hook that grabbed my imagination and set me up for wanting more about a certain secondary character and that’s why I enjoy anthologies so much – it opens the door for new authors, new adventures and new experiences. This one succeeded.
ASTERION
By Katalina Leon – is a mild mannered story with great descriptions, an unusual and imaginative take on the legend of the Minotaur and a hero unlike any other. Although there were some aspects of the story that sound more modern than the Middle Bronze Age, it’s a fantasy that is meant to entertain without taxing the brain. It’s a story about a woman, who, for the time period, was outspoken and strong. Since men think they’re the cat’s meow, even when they are more like dirty piglets, Larisa’s brains are not appreciated. Figures that it takes a man from a myth to appreciate her fine attributes, and Darron does a great job at “appreciating”. I enjoyed his early antics where he’s more puppy than bull and I liked the growth of his character. The ending was along the lines of a grand fairy tale flavored with spice and although it was a bit unbelievable it was nonetheless fun, cute and delivers the requisite happily ever after.
DECADENT DANCE
By Aubrey Ross – is a fantastical science fiction romance that starts off contemporary and jets off into the unknown by means of wearing a simple sexy dress. Somebody else’s greed ends up sending this poor unsuspecting woman on the adventure of her life. Just in time too, because the story opens up with her at a crossroads in her career and her trepidation and uncertainty of her future was causing her no end of worry. What happens next makes her initial problems pale in comparison. I think being faced with a handsome man of gigantic proportions, speaking an unknown language and wearing odd clothes certainly spun Zoe’s world into the Twilight Zone.
Vaden is the confused but determined hero. The heroine may not know what’s going on but he does and it’s causing him no end of frustration on many levels because he believes Zoe should know. The fact that she doesn’t slowly dawns on him and for the first time, this uber-macho warrior is at a loss. So what does a man do in that situation? What any red blooded, horny and single-minded man does -- seduces her into compliance. I enjoyed that he ended up being seduced as much as Zoe was. The author wrote the passionate scenes filled with fervor and desperation. It was truly a dance but of the emotional kind. For every step forward, there were steps back, and for every twirl there was a dip and twist that brought the couple together, set them apart and drew them in again. Ultimately, what Zoe discovers about herself and what Vaden discovers about his physical relationship with Zoe made this story work. It’s hot, entertaining and an interesting flip to the often used plot of a contemporary woman finding herself in another time and place.
SAHARA HEAT
by Diana Hunter – is a story that explores the value of friendship. In short, good friends never give up on matchmaking when they’re sure they are right. And the smart ones never let you see it coming. That’s the fun aspect of this story. Because the heroine didn’t have performance pressures like those other blind dates that her friend, Angie, had arranged in the past, she was free to be herself. Carla has attitude and she’s not afraid to use it. However, Josef is a man who has a secret. He’s the dominant one and the heroine’s attitude has only thrown down a gauntlet he’s only too happy to take on. Watching this relationship unfold was better than a tennis match. Ultimately, the BDSM element is explored with enough emotional and sexual detail, fans of that romance lifestyle will get a treat. I enjoyed the dialogue and the sharing of themselves to the point that I am confident that Carla and Josef really are perfect for the other; mostly because there is enough relationship growth to make it believable. It was a good read.
FATMAN and ROBYN
by Jaid Black – The opening salvo to this short story is intensely humorous and is so off the wall, it’s an immediate attention grabber. From there it’s a wonderfully warm and delightful romance that's like a whipped cream topping on a very rich and decadent hot fudge sundae. Ms. Black’s contribution to this anthology is the one most filled with heart, home and happiness. It’s a gentle sigh of satisfaction after the sexual roller coaster of the previous tales. Don’t get me wrong, when Jake and Robyn finally wear each other out, it is after a lot of well written active bed scenes that met all my expectations. I enjoyed the family aspect of Robyn’s life and how Jake fit in. I liked how the author built up the sensual suspense and how the relationship grew. I even liked the little quirks of the language flipping – so real and likeable. The dialogue was cool and the characters had personality; pretty much everything in this story worked. It was the best happily ever after of the lot. Ms. Black has a winner with this one.
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Vol 2 is a credit to the authors who contributed to its existence. There's something for everyone to enjoy. Even if a reader isn’t into BDSM or Sci-Fi, there's a romantic commonality that binds them together. I found the choices of plot, venue, dialogue and character made all the difference. And since they all have happily ever afters or happily for now with a strong element of anticipated future happiness, every story met my expectations. They’re true pleasers on many levels and is a book that should not be missed.
SCARRED AND KILT
By Laurann Dohner – is a clever little story with a heroine who is both brave and wary, not to mention inquisitive and a tiny bit aggressive. Matty’s had some hard knocks in her life and what I liked about her character is that she epitomizes the phrase, “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. The author presented me with a woman who no longer bows to bullies yet somehow has kept a part of her innocence and trust intact. I believe that is what allows the heroine to do what she does and with whom. The man that has fascinated her for months, Blaron, is a pretty decent guy, for a vampire. He’s the typical take charge, male-blown-away-by-a-sexy-woman kind of guy who doesn’t expect to find what he finds. His surprise was entertaining, their coming together was hot and frantic and their dialogue snappy and well paced. Even though their “I love you” comes a bit too soon, this is a short paranormal romance and he’s a vampire. And since we all know that vampires move really really fast, this fits just fine. Not only that but the author threw in a sentence that made it a tad more realistic – their relationship won’t be all roses and moonlight and it’s that willingness to work it out that made this tale feel rounded and grounded.
TINDERBOX
By Regina Carlysle – is loaded with explosive hotness and thrilling consummation scenes as Livvy finds her inner animal with two dedicated gorgeous men. This installment is about fulfilling a dream when all hope seems lost. It’s about a flash-fire romance where the paranormal rules are fast, furious and violent and undeniable. The author knows her way around a physical love scene and proves it again and again throughout the chapters. With the help of the mystical aspect of their kind, love is gone about differently but no less effectively. Certainly, if readers like a good romp, Tinderbox is going to deliver. Also, it ends with a nice hook that grabbed my imagination and set me up for wanting more about a certain secondary character and that’s why I enjoy anthologies so much – it opens the door for new authors, new adventures and new experiences. This one succeeded.
ASTERION
By Katalina Leon – is a mild mannered story with great descriptions, an unusual and imaginative take on the legend of the Minotaur and a hero unlike any other. Although there were some aspects of the story that sound more modern than the Middle Bronze Age, it’s a fantasy that is meant to entertain without taxing the brain. It’s a story about a woman, who, for the time period, was outspoken and strong. Since men think they’re the cat’s meow, even when they are more like dirty piglets, Larisa’s brains are not appreciated. Figures that it takes a man from a myth to appreciate her fine attributes, and Darron does a great job at “appreciating”. I enjoyed his early antics where he’s more puppy than bull and I liked the growth of his character. The ending was along the lines of a grand fairy tale flavored with spice and although it was a bit unbelievable it was nonetheless fun, cute and delivers the requisite happily ever after.
DECADENT DANCE
By Aubrey Ross – is a fantastical science fiction romance that starts off contemporary and jets off into the unknown by means of wearing a simple sexy dress. Somebody else’s greed ends up sending this poor unsuspecting woman on the adventure of her life. Just in time too, because the story opens up with her at a crossroads in her career and her trepidation and uncertainty of her future was causing her no end of worry. What happens next makes her initial problems pale in comparison. I think being faced with a handsome man of gigantic proportions, speaking an unknown language and wearing odd clothes certainly spun Zoe’s world into the Twilight Zone.
Vaden is the confused but determined hero. The heroine may not know what’s going on but he does and it’s causing him no end of frustration on many levels because he believes Zoe should know. The fact that she doesn’t slowly dawns on him and for the first time, this uber-macho warrior is at a loss. So what does a man do in that situation? What any red blooded, horny and single-minded man does -- seduces her into compliance. I enjoyed that he ended up being seduced as much as Zoe was. The author wrote the passionate scenes filled with fervor and desperation. It was truly a dance but of the emotional kind. For every step forward, there were steps back, and for every twirl there was a dip and twist that brought the couple together, set them apart and drew them in again. Ultimately, what Zoe discovers about herself and what Vaden discovers about his physical relationship with Zoe made this story work. It’s hot, entertaining and an interesting flip to the often used plot of a contemporary woman finding herself in another time and place.
SAHARA HEAT
by Diana Hunter – is a story that explores the value of friendship. In short, good friends never give up on matchmaking when they’re sure they are right. And the smart ones never let you see it coming. That’s the fun aspect of this story. Because the heroine didn’t have performance pressures like those other blind dates that her friend, Angie, had arranged in the past, she was free to be herself. Carla has attitude and she’s not afraid to use it. However, Josef is a man who has a secret. He’s the dominant one and the heroine’s attitude has only thrown down a gauntlet he’s only too happy to take on. Watching this relationship unfold was better than a tennis match. Ultimately, the BDSM element is explored with enough emotional and sexual detail, fans of that romance lifestyle will get a treat. I enjoyed the dialogue and the sharing of themselves to the point that I am confident that Carla and Josef really are perfect for the other; mostly because there is enough relationship growth to make it believable. It was a good read.
FATMAN and ROBYN
by Jaid Black – The opening salvo to this short story is intensely humorous and is so off the wall, it’s an immediate attention grabber. From there it’s a wonderfully warm and delightful romance that's like a whipped cream topping on a very rich and decadent hot fudge sundae. Ms. Black’s contribution to this anthology is the one most filled with heart, home and happiness. It’s a gentle sigh of satisfaction after the sexual roller coaster of the previous tales. Don’t get me wrong, when Jake and Robyn finally wear each other out, it is after a lot of well written active bed scenes that met all my expectations. I enjoyed the family aspect of Robyn’s life and how Jake fit in. I liked how the author built up the sensual suspense and how the relationship grew. I even liked the little quirks of the language flipping – so real and likeable. The dialogue was cool and the characters had personality; pretty much everything in this story worked. It was the best happily ever after of the lot. Ms. Black has a winner with this one.
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Vol 2 is a credit to the authors who contributed to its existence. There's something for everyone to enjoy. Even if a reader isn’t into BDSM or Sci-Fi, there's a romantic commonality that binds them together. I found the choices of plot, venue, dialogue and character made all the difference. And since they all have happily ever afters or happily for now with a strong element of anticipated future happiness, every story met my expectations. They’re true pleasers on many levels and is a book that should not be missed.
September 13, 2017
Got this for two specific authors, Laurann Dohner and Jaid Black but really enjoyed the whole lot.
LAURANN DOHNER - SCARRED AND KILT
Short insta love/lust read but lots of fun with a spunky heroine Maddy and a gorgeous Scottish vampire Blaron. Maddy was awesome in her actions, especially after what had happened to her. Loved his friends as well.
REGINA CARLISLE - TINDERBOX.
Not read this series but a good read with likeable characters. Nate, Daniel and Olivia made a great triad and I do enjoy cat shifter stories.
KATALINA LEON - ASTERION
Wasn’t bad.
AUBREY ROSS - DECADENT DANCE
Interesting plot.
DIANA HUNTER - SAHARA HEAT
Enjoyable
JAID BLACK - FATMAN AND ROBYN.
What a sweet enjoyable read. Loved both Robyn and Jake. Great story about real love and people not the plastic dolls that we see and have rammed down our throats.
LAURANN DOHNER - SCARRED AND KILT
Short insta love/lust read but lots of fun with a spunky heroine Maddy and a gorgeous Scottish vampire Blaron. Maddy was awesome in her actions, especially after what had happened to her. Loved his friends as well.
REGINA CARLISLE - TINDERBOX.
Not read this series but a good read with likeable characters. Nate, Daniel and Olivia made a great triad and I do enjoy cat shifter stories.
KATALINA LEON - ASTERION
Wasn’t bad.
AUBREY ROSS - DECADENT DANCE
Interesting plot.
DIANA HUNTER - SAHARA HEAT
Enjoyable
JAID BLACK - FATMAN AND ROBYN.
What a sweet enjoyable read. Loved both Robyn and Jake. Great story about real love and people not the plastic dolls that we see and have rammed down our throats.
January 29, 2017
De esta antología me gustarón dos:
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle 3 estrellas
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross 3.5 estrellas este me gusto mucho yq uise que fuese más largo este relato de esa nave galáctica
los otros relatos no me gustaron
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle 3 estrellas
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross 3.5 estrellas este me gusto mucho yq uise que fuese más largo este relato de esa nave galáctica
los otros relatos no me gustaron
January 13, 2014
Reviewed by Crystal
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Review: Warning this book has BDSM, strong language, and really hot sex.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is the Second Volume. I really enjoyed reading about some new authors, so now I’ve added to my list of books that I’d like to read. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself in for when I started reading this book. There are six mini stories and I enjoyed each and every one in a different way.
In the Fatman & Robyn is about a quarterback and he has been trying for years to get rid of a weird fetish that he thinks he has.
I really enjoyed this story because it was something a little different. Jake finds out that it’s ok to like a woman that has a little extra meat on her bones. It takes him awhile to come to grips that you don’t need to make anyone happy but yourself.
Robyn is an author that writes suspense and she knows about living in the limelight and that’s not the life for her. She is a very spunky woman and you can just see the way she really loves her family. I loved watching this spunky woman and the quarterback figure things out so that they can have a life together.
In Scarred and Kilt I loved this one the best because it’s about vampires and vampires are my favorite.
Maddy is a woman that has lived through a tragedy and has become a hermit in her house and the only enjoyment that she gets is watching her neighbor and all the weird things he does.
Blaron is a really sexy vampire and when he meets Maddy everything in his life changes. He knows that Maddy is the one for him and he needs to make her see that. He is the best thing that could ever happen to her. But, can he change her mind and make her believe in herself and that she needs to come out of her shell. Let’s hope that all the hot sex they have will be enough.
Tinderbox is about Olivia who moves to a place that has jaguars. She knows that she needs to find a mate so she can turn into what she needs to.
I really love Nate and Daniel. Who wouldn’t love two handsome men to be there for all your sexual needs and to be there for you no matter what. They know that Olivia is the mate that is destined to be theirs. Even though they are two single men and both have the same mate, there is no jealousy between them.
Now this is one hot steamy read and has one woman having sex with two men. Admit it you wish you could change places with Olivia.
Decadent Dancer is a book that is a little different. I really couldn’t say it was a time-travel because Zoe doesn’t go back in time she just goes to a different place.
Zoe is a woman who used to be a dancer but because of an acciedent she has to teach dance instead. She goes into a shop with her friend and see’s a dress and buys it. Little does she know when she puts the dress on says the words, that her life will change forever.
Vaden is a man who paid for a woman to come to him when she puts the dress on. It takes years of waiting and then she finally arrives. Let’s just say that nothing goes the way it was supposed to.
To them dancing means to different things. I like watching them having to work out the differences between their two cultures. Having them work to make the best out of a situation and working with each other to be able to fall in love.
Sahara Heat is got some BDSM. I enjoyed these two coming together and realizing that they’ve been set up.
Carla is a romance author who writes about BDSM, which is her secret desires. She wants to find a man that will bring out what she writes about into the real world.
Josef is very dominant man and he wants a woman that will trust him completely so that he can act out his basic needs with. When these two come together it wasn’t love at first sight. I guess you could say they really didn’t like each other.
I really enjoyed watching two people who are very strong willed. To watch the passion that they share when they get to act out their inner sexual fantasies.
And last is Asterion by Katalina Leon. Larisa is expecting to be a virgin sacrifice. She gets tied up in the middle of a labrinth. There she sees a Minotaur and she thinks her life is over. Darron is sent to Earth to find out all he can about humans. He takes on the form of a Minotaur to better do his research. When he see Larisa he starts turning into a human. Instead of Darron sacrificing Larisa he shows her pleasure. The more Larisa excepts him the more human and less beasts he becomes.
I enjoyed reading Larisa and Darrons story because they both need the other in different ways. Larisa for her village and to help them out and Darron to help him understand humans. To prove to his leaders that they can learn things from humans and they can teach him things to.
So I really enjoyed reading all six stories and they all was different in their own way. It doesn’t matter if your looking for a certain genre. When you first start reading you are truly amazed by all six journeys that you get to experience. So happy reading to everyone who decides to experience this great book for themselves.
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Review: Warning this book has BDSM, strong language, and really hot sex.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is the Second Volume. I really enjoyed reading about some new authors, so now I’ve added to my list of books that I’d like to read. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself in for when I started reading this book. There are six mini stories and I enjoyed each and every one in a different way.
In the Fatman & Robyn is about a quarterback and he has been trying for years to get rid of a weird fetish that he thinks he has.
I really enjoyed this story because it was something a little different. Jake finds out that it’s ok to like a woman that has a little extra meat on her bones. It takes him awhile to come to grips that you don’t need to make anyone happy but yourself.
Robyn is an author that writes suspense and she knows about living in the limelight and that’s not the life for her. She is a very spunky woman and you can just see the way she really loves her family. I loved watching this spunky woman and the quarterback figure things out so that they can have a life together.
In Scarred and Kilt I loved this one the best because it’s about vampires and vampires are my favorite.
Maddy is a woman that has lived through a tragedy and has become a hermit in her house and the only enjoyment that she gets is watching her neighbor and all the weird things he does.
Blaron is a really sexy vampire and when he meets Maddy everything in his life changes. He knows that Maddy is the one for him and he needs to make her see that. He is the best thing that could ever happen to her. But, can he change her mind and make her believe in herself and that she needs to come out of her shell. Let’s hope that all the hot sex they have will be enough.
Tinderbox is about Olivia who moves to a place that has jaguars. She knows that she needs to find a mate so she can turn into what she needs to.
I really love Nate and Daniel. Who wouldn’t love two handsome men to be there for all your sexual needs and to be there for you no matter what. They know that Olivia is the mate that is destined to be theirs. Even though they are two single men and both have the same mate, there is no jealousy between them.
Now this is one hot steamy read and has one woman having sex with two men. Admit it you wish you could change places with Olivia.
Decadent Dancer is a book that is a little different. I really couldn’t say it was a time-travel because Zoe doesn’t go back in time she just goes to a different place.
Zoe is a woman who used to be a dancer but because of an acciedent she has to teach dance instead. She goes into a shop with her friend and see’s a dress and buys it. Little does she know when she puts the dress on says the words, that her life will change forever.
Vaden is a man who paid for a woman to come to him when she puts the dress on. It takes years of waiting and then she finally arrives. Let’s just say that nothing goes the way it was supposed to.
To them dancing means to different things. I like watching them having to work out the differences between their two cultures. Having them work to make the best out of a situation and working with each other to be able to fall in love.
Sahara Heat is got some BDSM. I enjoyed these two coming together and realizing that they’ve been set up.
Carla is a romance author who writes about BDSM, which is her secret desires. She wants to find a man that will bring out what she writes about into the real world.
Josef is very dominant man and he wants a woman that will trust him completely so that he can act out his basic needs with. When these two come together it wasn’t love at first sight. I guess you could say they really didn’t like each other.
I really enjoyed watching two people who are very strong willed. To watch the passion that they share when they get to act out their inner sexual fantasies.
And last is Asterion by Katalina Leon. Larisa is expecting to be a virgin sacrifice. She gets tied up in the middle of a labrinth. There she sees a Minotaur and she thinks her life is over. Darron is sent to Earth to find out all he can about humans. He takes on the form of a Minotaur to better do his research. When he see Larisa he starts turning into a human. Instead of Darron sacrificing Larisa he shows her pleasure. The more Larisa excepts him the more human and less beasts he becomes.
I enjoyed reading Larisa and Darrons story because they both need the other in different ways. Larisa for her village and to help them out and Darron to help him understand humans. To prove to his leaders that they can learn things from humans and they can teach him things to.
So I really enjoyed reading all six stories and they all was different in their own way. It doesn’t matter if your looking for a certain genre. When you first start reading you are truly amazed by all six journeys that you get to experience. So happy reading to everyone who decides to experience this great book for themselves.
May 14, 2018
Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner -3
We meet Matty as a neighborly peeping tom, with excellent breaking and entering skills. While I understand this is a short it moved way too fast for me.
We meet Matty as a neighborly peeping tom, with excellent breaking and entering skills. While I understand this is a short it moved way too fast for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2018
This review is only for scarred and kilt by Laurann Donner.
Short, quick story, a ok read
Short, quick story, a ok read
February 27, 2020
This was five short stories by five different authors and I just wanted to read "Scarred and Kilt" by Laurann Dohner. It was good, but not her best work.
April 27, 2020
This was a good selection of erotic romance short stories. If you're a fan of any of these authors, you'll want to read it at least once.
March 17, 2017
Loved it.
June 17, 2012
This review and more are posted on my blog
Something Wicked Comes this way is pretty much what you would expect from an erotic literature anthology. Some of the stories are good, some are bad and some are just damn bizarre.
My reactions whilst reading this book went from this:
To this:
All in all the book was good. The stories were well written, well developed and really imaginative…sometimes TOO imaginative.
I am going to go through each story (as they appear in the book) and give you my thoughts on each one.
- Scarred and Kilt by Luarran Dohner: This was a typical paranormal romance story. Take one curious girl, one massive hulk of a vampire, add a desk and...you know where this is going. This story is completely unrealistic, but it takes that fact and runs with it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and because of that it ends up being fun.
- Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle: This is a mating/shifting/menage story. I am not going to lie, menage is not really my thing but I know there are a lot of readers out there that love these stories. The plot was ok, the characters were ok it was just ok. I found the main female character to be a little bit of a wet blanket and that is generally something I am not a fan of. But if you are a fan of this particular type of story then I think you will like it.
- Asterion by Katalina Leon: I actually quite liked this one. The story (especially in the beginning) was really quite interesting. It was atmospheric and intriguing. The characters were Good especially Darron who was all kinds of cute and endearing. There was a plot which I really liked. I would have liked more of it and think it would make a great full length novel. The ending felt rushed which was a real shame.
- Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross: What is blue and has two penises?
NO! (I actually have no idea how many penises smurfs have but they are a bit weird so...) The correct answer is the male protagonist of this story. This to be quite honest is Avatar porn (who knew Sam Worthington was hiding that in his pants!) I cannot pretend that I enjoyed this story. My tastes are a lot more…average. I liked the idea though and the aliens sounded really pretty! But apart from that I didn’t really like it, it wasn’t just the alien business there were also some questionable behaviour from said alien that I didn’t quite like.
- Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter: This was my second favourite story in this anthology. It had great characters that bounced off one another brilliantly. There is a spark between them and their banter is entertaining. I am not the biggest BDSM fan but this was on the light side so I was ok with it. It also has a great male protagonist. He looks like Thor, enough said.
- Fatman and Robyn by Jaid Black: This is by far my favourite story of the collection. There is a great plot, it is well written, the characters are likeable, it is cute, hot and they don’t rush into having sex! 90% of this story has no sex in it at all and because of that you get to know the characters and you end up caring for them because you know them.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is not going to change you life. Some of it is great and some is pretty bad. If you are a fan of the genre then it has a little something for everyone. also, despite its sometimes silliness there is plot to be found in these stories which is something I think should always be praised with these books.
Something Wicked Comes this way is pretty much what you would expect from an erotic literature anthology. Some of the stories are good, some are bad and some are just damn bizarre.
My reactions whilst reading this book went from this:
To this:
All in all the book was good. The stories were well written, well developed and really imaginative…sometimes TOO imaginative.
I am going to go through each story (as they appear in the book) and give you my thoughts on each one.
- Scarred and Kilt by Luarran Dohner: This was a typical paranormal romance story. Take one curious girl, one massive hulk of a vampire, add a desk and...you know where this is going. This story is completely unrealistic, but it takes that fact and runs with it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and because of that it ends up being fun.
- Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle: This is a mating/shifting/menage story. I am not going to lie, menage is not really my thing but I know there are a lot of readers out there that love these stories. The plot was ok, the characters were ok it was just ok. I found the main female character to be a little bit of a wet blanket and that is generally something I am not a fan of. But if you are a fan of this particular type of story then I think you will like it.
- Asterion by Katalina Leon: I actually quite liked this one. The story (especially in the beginning) was really quite interesting. It was atmospheric and intriguing. The characters were Good especially Darron who was all kinds of cute and endearing. There was a plot which I really liked. I would have liked more of it and think it would make a great full length novel. The ending felt rushed which was a real shame.
- Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross: What is blue and has two penises?
NO! (I actually have no idea how many penises smurfs have but they are a bit weird so...) The correct answer is the male protagonist of this story. This to be quite honest is Avatar porn (who knew Sam Worthington was hiding that in his pants!) I cannot pretend that I enjoyed this story. My tastes are a lot more…average. I liked the idea though and the aliens sounded really pretty! But apart from that I didn’t really like it, it wasn’t just the alien business there were also some questionable behaviour from said alien that I didn’t quite like.
- Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter: This was my second favourite story in this anthology. It had great characters that bounced off one another brilliantly. There is a spark between them and their banter is entertaining. I am not the biggest BDSM fan but this was on the light side so I was ok with it. It also has a great male protagonist. He looks like Thor, enough said.
- Fatman and Robyn by Jaid Black: This is by far my favourite story of the collection. There is a great plot, it is well written, the characters are likeable, it is cute, hot and they don’t rush into having sex! 90% of this story has no sex in it at all and because of that you get to know the characters and you end up caring for them because you know them.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is not going to change you life. Some of it is great and some is pretty bad. If you are a fan of the genre then it has a little something for everyone. also, despite its sometimes silliness there is plot to be found in these stories which is something I think should always be praised with these books.
May 27, 2012
Like most anthologies, there were stories here that I liked, others not as much. This book consisted of six very hot stories - they are definitely on the erotica side - in fact, all the way over. And all different types. We have straight, menage, BDSM, shape shifters, mythology and beings from the stars. All the stories were enjoyable. The only thing that really bugged me - and please note, this was an unedited ARC I received from Netgalley - but, especially in the first story, there were enough typos that it was a distraction. I didn't notice so many in the others, just the first one. Hopefully, by the time it goes to print, the editors will have taken care of these issues. Like all EC quick stories, there's more sex than story, but they're still not bad.
Scarred and Kilt (author Laurann Dohner) - take a brave woman whose face was scarred from a rapist's attack - one she survived and he didn't - add a several hundred year old vampire neighbor and an inept hunter and you have the makings of an interesting story. When Matty sees a strange man sneaking into her neighbor's home, she knows she has to do something. She screws up her courage, captures the potential murderer and finds a hot, hot vampire who now owes her his life.
Tinderbox (Regina Carlisle) - Olivia has recently moved to Texas in order to find more of her kind - jaguar shapeshifters. What happens, though, is that she's carjacked and kidnapped. The two men who find her recognize her for what she is - and realize that she is their mate. Because of the dearth of females, they mate in threes - two men to one woman. What follows is hot times three.
Asterion (Katalina Leon) - Based on Minoan mythology. Larisa was kidnapped by her village chief, a troll of a man who wants to sacrifice her to the bull in the labyrinth in order to gain favor with the king of Minos. Instead of being torn to shreds, Larisa finds an incredible being from the stars who wants nothing more than to experience life as a human man. And he starts off by making passionate love to her. He learns very quickly and she is not unhappy with her "sacrifice".
Decadent Dance (Aubrey Ross) - Zoe is a dancer who can no longer dance, thanks to a broken ankle. But she still loves Broadway and everything it embodies. While on a shopping trip, she is talked into a beautiful dress with an "instruction book". While sounding out the strange words in the book, she is transported to a spaceship where "dancing" has nothing to do with music. While the man who owns her contract goes about pleasuring her, she teaches him that there is more to dancing than he knows.
Sahara Heat (Diana Hunter) - Carla is a romance writer specializing in BDSM. Her best friend keeps trying to fix her up, but so far nobody has worked for her. When Carla meets her friend's archeology partner, Josef, Carla believes it's just for a possible story. The plot thickens when he turns out to be a Dom and they both realize they've been set up. Fortunately, this time, it works.
Fatman and Robyn (Jaid Black) Jake Chamberlain is an ex-quarterback with a Super Bowl ring, lots of money, and no life. He's tired of skinny girls who want nothing but his fame and money. Robyn is an Italian American from Little Italy in NY, a huge family, and plenty of curves. Though Robyn isn't sure Jake wants her because of her "size" - he proves to her that there's more to him than just a pretty face.
If you want lots of heat, definitely pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.
Scarred and Kilt (author Laurann Dohner) - take a brave woman whose face was scarred from a rapist's attack - one she survived and he didn't - add a several hundred year old vampire neighbor and an inept hunter and you have the makings of an interesting story. When Matty sees a strange man sneaking into her neighbor's home, she knows she has to do something. She screws up her courage, captures the potential murderer and finds a hot, hot vampire who now owes her his life.
Tinderbox (Regina Carlisle) - Olivia has recently moved to Texas in order to find more of her kind - jaguar shapeshifters. What happens, though, is that she's carjacked and kidnapped. The two men who find her recognize her for what she is - and realize that she is their mate. Because of the dearth of females, they mate in threes - two men to one woman. What follows is hot times three.
Asterion (Katalina Leon) - Based on Minoan mythology. Larisa was kidnapped by her village chief, a troll of a man who wants to sacrifice her to the bull in the labyrinth in order to gain favor with the king of Minos. Instead of being torn to shreds, Larisa finds an incredible being from the stars who wants nothing more than to experience life as a human man. And he starts off by making passionate love to her. He learns very quickly and she is not unhappy with her "sacrifice".
Decadent Dance (Aubrey Ross) - Zoe is a dancer who can no longer dance, thanks to a broken ankle. But she still loves Broadway and everything it embodies. While on a shopping trip, she is talked into a beautiful dress with an "instruction book". While sounding out the strange words in the book, she is transported to a spaceship where "dancing" has nothing to do with music. While the man who owns her contract goes about pleasuring her, she teaches him that there is more to dancing than he knows.
Sahara Heat (Diana Hunter) - Carla is a romance writer specializing in BDSM. Her best friend keeps trying to fix her up, but so far nobody has worked for her. When Carla meets her friend's archeology partner, Josef, Carla believes it's just for a possible story. The plot thickens when he turns out to be a Dom and they both realize they've been set up. Fortunately, this time, it works.
Fatman and Robyn (Jaid Black) Jake Chamberlain is an ex-quarterback with a Super Bowl ring, lots of money, and no life. He's tired of skinny girls who want nothing but his fame and money. Robyn is an Italian American from Little Italy in NY, a huge family, and plenty of curves. Though Robyn isn't sure Jake wants her because of her "size" - he proves to her that there's more to him than just a pretty face.
If you want lots of heat, definitely pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.
January 8, 2016
Fatman and Robyn - by Jaid Black - This was alright for me. It's about a retired football quarterback who we meet at his therapists office discussing how to fix his problem. He finds bigger women attractive. It was pretty disappointing that he thought it was such a problem he had to see someone for it. I mean, he more than one therapist? It was pretty disappointing. Luckily, it got a little better.
Scarred and Kilt - By Lauranne Dohner - Finally, definitely my favorite of the entire book. Also, I think it's the first in a series. Matty notices her new neighbor never seems to be up passed dawn. She does a lot of street watching ever since she was attacked. She barely leaves her home. So she strongly suspects that her kilt wearing neighbor is a vampire. One such night as she watches him enter his home she notices a stranger loading up with weapons. She knows he's about to go after her neighbor so she does what any normal neighbor would do...right? I loved this one. Dohner has become a favorite and I can't wait for more from her. I have fallen in love with all her series.
Tinderbox - by Regina Carlysle - This was way different that what I'm used to. I'm not a huge shapeshifter lover so I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I enjoyed it a lot. Olivia gets kidnapped from a mall parking lot and ends up tied up in the middle of nowhere. Private detectives, Nate and Daniel, know they have to find her. They've been waiting so long to find there mate and they can tell it's her. Hopefully, they can find her in time.
Asterion - by Katalina Leon - This was good as well. Larisa is tied to a boat being hauled off by the self-proclaimed chief of her village. He wants her lands for himself and the best way to get rid of her is to offer her up to the gods. Darron summoned by Larisa's blood shifts into human form and instead of killing her he ravishes her instead. So different from my norm and good because I didn't know what to expect.
Decadent Dance - by Aubrey Ross - I almost forgot about this one but it was good. Zoe finds herself in a shop with her friend where the salesman talks her into a dress that he tells her will change her life. Bored with the norm Zoe accepts. Once she puts on the dress though, it transports her to an alien ship where Vaden has been waiting a long time for his decadent dance partner.
Sahara Heat - by Diana Hunter - Carla a romance writer hears from her archeologist friend who has a story for her. She insists Carla meet her colleague to discuss the story to get the details. Carla realizing it's a setup and not super interested in the story goes to satisfy her friend. Having been setup on dates before she's not thrilled. Dr. Josef Anderson is running about 45 minutes late when she decides to bolt and runs directly into him. It is not love at first sight. Lucky for them they decide to hear each other out. It ends up being beneficial to both of them.
I think this book had a little something for everyone. Shapeshifters, vampires, BDSM, aliens, and Gods. I enjoyed the stories! I picked this up because of Laurann Dohner's Scarred and Kilt. I like to read series in order and I believe this is the first.
Scarred and Kilt - By Lauranne Dohner - Finally, definitely my favorite of the entire book. Also, I think it's the first in a series. Matty notices her new neighbor never seems to be up passed dawn. She does a lot of street watching ever since she was attacked. She barely leaves her home. So she strongly suspects that her kilt wearing neighbor is a vampire. One such night as she watches him enter his home she notices a stranger loading up with weapons. She knows he's about to go after her neighbor so she does what any normal neighbor would do...right? I loved this one. Dohner has become a favorite and I can't wait for more from her. I have fallen in love with all her series.
Tinderbox - by Regina Carlysle - This was way different that what I'm used to. I'm not a huge shapeshifter lover so I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I enjoyed it a lot. Olivia gets kidnapped from a mall parking lot and ends up tied up in the middle of nowhere. Private detectives, Nate and Daniel, know they have to find her. They've been waiting so long to find there mate and they can tell it's her. Hopefully, they can find her in time.
Asterion - by Katalina Leon - This was good as well. Larisa is tied to a boat being hauled off by the self-proclaimed chief of her village. He wants her lands for himself and the best way to get rid of her is to offer her up to the gods. Darron summoned by Larisa's blood shifts into human form and instead of killing her he ravishes her instead. So different from my norm and good because I didn't know what to expect.
Decadent Dance - by Aubrey Ross - I almost forgot about this one but it was good. Zoe finds herself in a shop with her friend where the salesman talks her into a dress that he tells her will change her life. Bored with the norm Zoe accepts. Once she puts on the dress though, it transports her to an alien ship where Vaden has been waiting a long time for his decadent dance partner.
Sahara Heat - by Diana Hunter - Carla a romance writer hears from her archeologist friend who has a story for her. She insists Carla meet her colleague to discuss the story to get the details. Carla realizing it's a setup and not super interested in the story goes to satisfy her friend. Having been setup on dates before she's not thrilled. Dr. Josef Anderson is running about 45 minutes late when she decides to bolt and runs directly into him. It is not love at first sight. Lucky for them they decide to hear each other out. It ends up being beneficial to both of them.
I think this book had a little something for everyone. Shapeshifters, vampires, BDSM, aliens, and Gods. I enjoyed the stories! I picked this up because of Laurann Dohner's Scarred and Kilt. I like to read series in order and I believe this is the first.
July 14, 2012
As with all anthologies, some stories are amazing, some a great and some are good. This anthology had a story for each, it had everything anyone could want, a little bit of kink for everyone, from BDSM, to aliens, and shifters.
Personally my intial reactions to the stories are as follows:
I'm in love with the BDSM story, it was short and sweet but got down to the hot scenes quickly, you got the sense that we are peeking in on their story that they had some history and that the story will continue well after you put it down, It was a good peek into their lives, the characters had wit, good vibes and the story was just ranuchy enough to engage you.
The alien story was sexy, but maynot be to everyone's taste, it was a little weird at first, since it went from her to him then back again, and she captulated pretty quickly to her fate, I think I would have had at least needed a few weeks before I decided not to blame him anymore, no matter how hot he was, but it was a quick read, and flowed well.
OH My Goddess the Shifter story was intriguing. Am I the only want who wants to know what happens to the Hawk?? Can we get a follow up on the jaguars?? They were pretty raunchy and still managed to make it a romantic story with a whole lot of sexual tension. I Loved it!!!
Jaid Black's story, just the title alone had me cracking up and I couldn't wait to read it. Once I got into it I loved it. I loved the flow between the characters, and that she wasn't a complete idiot, she didn't have hangups and she was a woman who enjoyed her life. This was a great way to end the story. It flowed so well.
My only pet peeve was the first story, I'm all for a hot man in a kilt with a Scottish brogue, but ummm can we stop with the sterotypes, I've been to Scotland and talked with lots of Scots, they don't all say "wee bonny lass". Not sexy you know why?? My GreatGrandfather said that, it just jerked me out of the story. Pg 2 "she was brave and cute" umm buddy that's a little condescending. What is his name?? "Kilt" got a little over used and went from cute to annoying pretty fast.
Other than this the series was really good. I may not remember every single detail of all the stories but I came away with a great reading experience from it. I loved this series and would read anymore that had these authors again.
Happy Reading.
Aisha
Personally my intial reactions to the stories are as follows:
I'm in love with the BDSM story, it was short and sweet but got down to the hot scenes quickly, you got the sense that we are peeking in on their story that they had some history and that the story will continue well after you put it down, It was a good peek into their lives, the characters had wit, good vibes and the story was just ranuchy enough to engage you.
The alien story was sexy, but maynot be to everyone's taste, it was a little weird at first, since it went from her to him then back again, and she captulated pretty quickly to her fate, I think I would have had at least needed a few weeks before I decided not to blame him anymore, no matter how hot he was, but it was a quick read, and flowed well.
OH My Goddess the Shifter story was intriguing. Am I the only want who wants to know what happens to the Hawk?? Can we get a follow up on the jaguars?? They were pretty raunchy and still managed to make it a romantic story with a whole lot of sexual tension. I Loved it!!!
Jaid Black's story, just the title alone had me cracking up and I couldn't wait to read it. Once I got into it I loved it. I loved the flow between the characters, and that she wasn't a complete idiot, she didn't have hangups and she was a woman who enjoyed her life. This was a great way to end the story. It flowed so well.
My only pet peeve was the first story, I'm all for a hot man in a kilt with a Scottish brogue, but ummm can we stop with the sterotypes, I've been to Scotland and talked with lots of Scots, they don't all say "wee bonny lass". Not sexy you know why?? My GreatGrandfather said that, it just jerked me out of the story. Pg 2 "she was brave and cute" umm buddy that's a little condescending. What is his name?? "Kilt" got a little over used and went from cute to annoying pretty fast.
Other than this the series was really good. I may not remember every single detail of all the stories but I came away with a great reading experience from it. I loved this series and would read anymore that had these authors again.
Happy Reading.
Aisha
May 13, 2012
I got this book from netgalley and the reason I did was that I had heard of some of the authors but had yet to read some of them. So I figured I would give it a shot.
The Jaid Black story: Fatman and Robyn was 3 stars for me. First off I liked that it involved an atypical heroine (as given by the title she was curvy). I liked the interaction between Jake and Robyn, but I could have done with a little more sex. This is my first book by Black and I would definitely give her other books a try.
Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner: I gave this one 2 stars. I wasn't really interested and didn't like either of the main characters.
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle: I liked this book a lot and gave it 4 stars. I definitely love books with shifters and I especially love books with menage in it. I like the way the author approached the story and although it was short, I still understood the whole idea of mates and women not really coming into their own until they go into heat. Very interesting concept and it explained away the reason she was having sex so quickly with virtual strangers. Sex scenes were written well and I definitely wanted to have more. I'll be looking for more books by this author in the future.
Asterion by Katalina Leon: I gave this one 3 stars. The sex scenes were good and the story built up nicely. But there wasn't much memorable about it and although I enjoyed it I probably wouldn't want to read it again.
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross: LOVED LOVED LOVED this short story! By far my favorite from the bunch, definitely 5 stars for me! It was a great concept and very different from other stories I've read. Zoe is the main character and a dress she bought transports her to an alien ship. No seriously! It sounds weird but it really worked. Vaden was definitely sexy and once his extra... appendage, shows up it was even hotter. BTW if you don't like backdoor action, might want to skip this one. But I highly recommend reading it and giving it a try because it was hot hot hot.
Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter: 3 stars for this one. Don't have much to say about it though.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this a try as it gave me some new authors to look into. And the first one on my list is Aubrey Ross!
The Jaid Black story: Fatman and Robyn was 3 stars for me. First off I liked that it involved an atypical heroine (as given by the title she was curvy). I liked the interaction between Jake and Robyn, but I could have done with a little more sex. This is my first book by Black and I would definitely give her other books a try.
Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner: I gave this one 2 stars. I wasn't really interested and didn't like either of the main characters.
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle: I liked this book a lot and gave it 4 stars. I definitely love books with shifters and I especially love books with menage in it. I like the way the author approached the story and although it was short, I still understood the whole idea of mates and women not really coming into their own until they go into heat. Very interesting concept and it explained away the reason she was having sex so quickly with virtual strangers. Sex scenes were written well and I definitely wanted to have more. I'll be looking for more books by this author in the future.
Asterion by Katalina Leon: I gave this one 3 stars. The sex scenes were good and the story built up nicely. But there wasn't much memorable about it and although I enjoyed it I probably wouldn't want to read it again.
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross: LOVED LOVED LOVED this short story! By far my favorite from the bunch, definitely 5 stars for me! It was a great concept and very different from other stories I've read. Zoe is the main character and a dress she bought transports her to an alien ship. No seriously! It sounds weird but it really worked. Vaden was definitely sexy and once his extra... appendage, shows up it was even hotter. BTW if you don't like backdoor action, might want to skip this one. But I highly recommend reading it and giving it a try because it was hot hot hot.
Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter: 3 stars for this one. Don't have much to say about it though.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this a try as it gave me some new authors to look into. And the first one on my list is Aubrey Ross!
January 23, 2016
Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner - 4 stars
Loved this short about a scarred human female who races to her vampire neighbor's rescue (though he doesn't need it) when she suspects a vampire hunter is entering his house at dawn. Cute and sexy and well done for a short story.
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle - 3 stars
A female jaguar shifter finds her mates in two investigators after she is kidnapped out of a mall parking lot. This one is straight up sex, so unfortunately I was kind of bored. My favorite part was Livvy's swining her suitcase-sized purse at the thief's head - I've been purse shopping for two days now!
Asterion by Katalina Leon - 3.5 stars
Set in the Bronze Age Aegean, this short story channels the mythological tale of the Minotaur and the labrynth, but with a space age twist of energy-beings from Asteria who populate the Earth and become god-like creatures. A little out there, but nicely done.
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross - 3.5 stars
A dress purchase takes a New York City choreographer from her apartment building to an interstellar spaceship to play nookie with a space commander. Lots of fun alien sex. Ahem.
Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter - 3 stars
Slightly boring tale about a hook up/set up between an archaeologist and an erotica author.
Fatman & Robyn by Jaid Black - 5 stars
My favorite tale of the anthology, this short story centered about a pro football quarterback who's attracted to oversized women. Thinking there's something wrong with him, he seeks professional advice and laments his tastes, until he ends up one day in Little Itay, New York City, and meets Robyn, our curvy Italian-American Sophia Loren type. The characters, the humor, the dialogue - all well done.
Loved this short about a scarred human female who races to her vampire neighbor's rescue (though he doesn't need it) when she suspects a vampire hunter is entering his house at dawn. Cute and sexy and well done for a short story.
Tinderbox by Regina Carlysle - 3 stars
A female jaguar shifter finds her mates in two investigators after she is kidnapped out of a mall parking lot. This one is straight up sex, so unfortunately I was kind of bored. My favorite part was Livvy's swining her suitcase-sized purse at the thief's head - I've been purse shopping for two days now!
Asterion by Katalina Leon - 3.5 stars
Set in the Bronze Age Aegean, this short story channels the mythological tale of the Minotaur and the labrynth, but with a space age twist of energy-beings from Asteria who populate the Earth and become god-like creatures. A little out there, but nicely done.
Decadent Dance by Aubrey Ross - 3.5 stars
A dress purchase takes a New York City choreographer from her apartment building to an interstellar spaceship to play nookie with a space commander. Lots of fun alien sex. Ahem.
Sahara Heat by Diana Hunter - 3 stars
Slightly boring tale about a hook up/set up between an archaeologist and an erotica author.
Fatman & Robyn by Jaid Black - 5 stars
My favorite tale of the anthology, this short story centered about a pro football quarterback who's attracted to oversized women. Thinking there's something wrong with him, he seeks professional advice and laments his tastes, until he ends up one day in Little Itay, New York City, and meets Robyn, our curvy Italian-American Sophia Loren type. The characters, the humor, the dialogue - all well done.
June 12, 2013
Something Wicked This Way Comes was the second of the Something Wicked This Way Comes anthologies. I bought both of them because they both contain stories by Laurann Dohner. Amazingly enough, in this one, at least, the story by Laurann wasn't my favorite. I am honestly surprised, but pleasantly so!Here's my breakdown of the stories with star ratings for each:
"Scarred and Kilt" by Laurann Dohner 3.5 stars
"Tinderbox" by Regina Carlysle 4.5 stars
"Asterion" by Katalina Leon 3 stars
"Decadent Dance" by Aubrey Ross 5 stars
"Sahara Heat" by Diana Hunter 4 stars
"Fatman and Robyn" by Jaid Black 4 stars
I enjoyed this anthology! It was well worth the price!
February 17, 2017
I read this book as part of the Claws and Fangs compilation.
Scarred and Kilt
3 out of 5 stars.
Matty+ Blaron
This is where the series stars with Matty, the cloistered neighbor who ends up saving her Vampire neighbor Blaron aka Kilt from a vampire slayer, by being a nosy neighbor. The first book is very cutesy. Matty is scarred and a fighter after what happened to her, which Blaron finds endearing and basically he knight in shining armors her.
Scarred and Kilt
3 out of 5 stars.
Matty+ Blaron
This is where the series stars with Matty, the cloistered neighbor who ends up saving her Vampire neighbor Blaron aka Kilt from a vampire slayer, by being a nosy neighbor. The first book is very cutesy. Matty is scarred and a fighter after what happened to her, which Blaron finds endearing and basically he knight in shining armors her.
March 19, 2015
Again, I don't understand the theme of this anthology as it's literally got everything. Vampires, Aliens, Contemporary, BDSM, Football, Chubby Chasing, Greek Myths... and none of it particularly wicked.
Fatman & Robyn Jaid Black - Hate the name. This was the first thing I read by Jaid Black, and though I didn't dislike the story per say, I don't like the title. I didn't care for it being all about the junk in the main female's trunk etc. But, I think I can dig Jaid's writing style and thus give it a go in the future.
Scarred and Kilt Laurann Dohner - This is the one where I even bothered reading these two anthologies for, as it's the start of her Claws and Fangs series apparently. I didn't dislike it. However, the main male had a dumb name. And you would never, NEVER sew a scabbard onto a kilt. Does the author even know how a kilt works?
Tinderbox Regina Carlysle - Did not read because I didn't know if this was an introduction to a series or if it was between books in her Jaguar Hunger series (and I'm too lazy even now to go look)
Asterion Katalina Leon - I did like this one, but Darron was a bit too excited and puppy like for me personally, and things were quite speedy.
Decadent Dance Aubrey Ross - I liked this one. Wouldn't mind reading more if it exists.
Sahara Heat Diana Hunter - Meh. Contemp BDSM. Nothing really fabulous.
Fatman & Robyn Jaid Black - Hate the name. This was the first thing I read by Jaid Black, and though I didn't dislike the story per say, I don't like the title. I didn't care for it being all about the junk in the main female's trunk etc. But, I think I can dig Jaid's writing style and thus give it a go in the future.
Scarred and Kilt Laurann Dohner - This is the one where I even bothered reading these two anthologies for, as it's the start of her Claws and Fangs series apparently. I didn't dislike it. However, the main male had a dumb name. And you would never, NEVER sew a scabbard onto a kilt. Does the author even know how a kilt works?
Tinderbox Regina Carlysle - Did not read because I didn't know if this was an introduction to a series or if it was between books in her Jaguar Hunger series (and I'm too lazy even now to go look)
Asterion Katalina Leon - I did like this one, but Darron was a bit too excited and puppy like for me personally, and things were quite speedy.
Decadent Dance Aubrey Ross - I liked this one. Wouldn't mind reading more if it exists.
Sahara Heat Diana Hunter - Meh. Contemp BDSM. Nothing really fabulous.
May 31, 2012
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Imprint: Romantica
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Overall, this was a very well-rounded steamy anthology, with a little bit of something for everyone. With stories running the gamut from contemporary to BDSM to paranormal polyamory to vampires to sci-fi and mythology, it’s a great range of short, steamy stories that all manage to have a *ahem* satisfying ending.
That said, because there is such variety in the stories, I would personally recommend this anthology more to fans of these specific authors than to newcomers to Ellora’s Cave. My own personal tastes in romantica tend to be quite wide, and therefore I enjoyed all of the stories to some extent no matter what subgenre they hailed from, but I fear that those readers with more specific tastes in erotica will find that only one or two of the stories might appeal to them.
A solid 4/5 Stars.
Expected Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Imprint: Romantica
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Overall, this was a very well-rounded steamy anthology, with a little bit of something for everyone. With stories running the gamut from contemporary to BDSM to paranormal polyamory to vampires to sci-fi and mythology, it’s a great range of short, steamy stories that all manage to have a *ahem* satisfying ending.
That said, because there is such variety in the stories, I would personally recommend this anthology more to fans of these specific authors than to newcomers to Ellora’s Cave. My own personal tastes in romantica tend to be quite wide, and therefore I enjoyed all of the stories to some extent no matter what subgenre they hailed from, but I fear that those readers with more specific tastes in erotica will find that only one or two of the stories might appeal to them.
A solid 4/5 Stars.
May 3, 2012
To read Shadow's entire review, which includes her thoughts on each short story, visit Guilty Pleasures
This is an entertaining anthology of short stories about women who find their loves in unexpected ways. Among other oddities, we have shape shifters, aliens in ancient Greece, and vampires.
All of the stories are hot, and the writing is exceptional for an anthology. Readers will find lots of sex in the short stories, and all are fairly complete within themselves. My favorite was Scarred and Kilt, even though I’m not into vampires. But a good writer is a good writer no matter what the venue, and Dohner fits that bill. What that vampire does with his fang…
All in all this is a highly recommended read.
This is an entertaining anthology of short stories about women who find their loves in unexpected ways. Among other oddities, we have shape shifters, aliens in ancient Greece, and vampires.
All of the stories are hot, and the writing is exceptional for an anthology. Readers will find lots of sex in the short stories, and all are fairly complete within themselves. My favorite was Scarred and Kilt, even though I’m not into vampires. But a good writer is a good writer no matter what the venue, and Dohner fits that bill. What that vampire does with his fang…
All in all this is a highly recommended read.
October 30, 2014
These 5 are Stars for "Scarred and Kilt" by Laurann Dohner
I had already read the other two stories related to this one and I'm glad I finally got my hands on this anthology so that I could read it. It was really good but like all her short stories, too damn short and leaves you wanting more! Which is good and bad. Good because you just can't wait to get your hand on her next book. Bad because you have to wait months to do so! Jejeje
As for the other stories in the anthology... Well, I got this anthology mainly for LD's story so I don't know the other authors. I'm not in a hurry to read their stories at the moment. Later on I might take a look at their synopsis and see if any of them catch my attention. If I do read one of them, I'll update this review and let you know what I think.
Happy readings!
I had already read the other two stories related to this one and I'm glad I finally got my hands on this anthology so that I could read it. It was really good but like all her short stories, too damn short and leaves you wanting more! Which is good and bad. Good because you just can't wait to get your hand on her next book. Bad because you have to wait months to do so! Jejeje
As for the other stories in the anthology... Well, I got this anthology mainly for LD's story so I don't know the other authors. I'm not in a hurry to read their stories at the moment. Later on I might take a look at their synopsis and see if any of them catch my attention. If I do read one of them, I'll update this review and let you know what I think.
Happy readings!
August 7, 2016
Das Ganze bekommt nur deswegen drei Sterne, weil die Geschichten von Diana Hunter und Jaid Black gut zu lesen waren und mich auf die beiden Autorinnen neugierig gemacht haben (auch wenn der Titel Fatman and Robyn von letzterer definitiv unpassend ist!). Die anderen vier Kurzgeschichten der Anthologie liefern zwar kreative Ideen, sind in ihrer Ausführung aber leider sehr flach angelegt, was übrigens der Grund war, warum ich Volume 1 von Something Wicked This Way Comes abgebrochen habe. Kurzgeschichten: ja, gerne. Fade Charaktere, an den Haaren herbeigezogene Handlungsstränge: nein, danke.
July 15, 2013
Fatman and Robyn- Loved this. Such a great short story. Funny, emotional, romantic and with an epilogue! Perfect!
Scarred and Kilt- Nice story. Really liked Matty.
Tinderbox- Ok story with good characters.
Asterion- Interesting concept and good read.
Decadent Dance- Really enjoyed this. Would have loved an extra chapter or epilogue to round out the story.
Sahara Heat- Didnt enjoy this at all. I felt no connection with the characters and the story seemed forced.
Scarred and Kilt- Nice story. Really liked Matty.
Tinderbox- Ok story with good characters.
Asterion- Interesting concept and good read.
Decadent Dance- Really enjoyed this. Would have loved an extra chapter or epilogue to round out the story.
Sahara Heat- Didnt enjoy this at all. I felt no connection with the characters and the story seemed forced.
May 23, 2014
The only story in this anthology that I really enjoyed was "Fatman & Robyn" by Jaid Black. I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if the prologue with the shrink was way over the top and not believable. The rest were meet, have sex and fall in love the same day or be semi-abducted, have sex with me willingly or I'll force you and fall in love the same day. Not to my liking.
May 2, 2013
There was a wide range of stories, some paranormal and some not. All in all I enjoyed the lot of them and they were pretty well written. Of course I liked some more than others, and one I skimmed briefly because I couldn't get into it, so the entire collection balances to a rating of four stars for me!
March 3, 2015
Only read Scarred and Kilt by Laurann Dohner in order to start the series Claws and Fangs. It was really good at first but then ended lacking with underdeveloped issues and woman falling into place and accepting and total change without really understanding just too easily. I was left wondering what she got herself into.
Very short
Very short
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