Poseidon’s warriors have learned that the battle to protect humanity produces unexpected enemies--and alliances. But none more unexpected than the bond between a cursed Atlantean warrior and a woman whose sight surpasses any lie…

A warrior with no emotion …
Doomed by Poseidon millennia ago to live life bereft of feelings, Atlantean warrior Brennan’s curse is shattered when he meets Tiernan--a human with the ancient Gift of Truth Telling. Attraction turns deadly when the woman he could never forget becomes the woman he can never remember. With the fate of Atlantis on the line, will a warrior’s uncontrollable desire destroy the world?

A woman with an eye for the truth…
Tiernan’s job as an investigative reporter is perfectly suited to her unique ability to see through any falsehood. But when she discovers human scientists conducting hideous experiments on humans and shape-shifters alike, only a wildly sexy Atlantean can help protect her from those determined to see her fail—and die. When the future of the world is at stake, can she overcome death itself so together they can protect mankind?

When truth and passion collide…Atlantis is redeemed.

Title: Atlantis Redeemed
Author: Alyssa Day
Series: Warriors of Poseidon, book 5
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Berkeley Sensation
Year of release: 2010, March 2
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
Source: Bought via The Book Depository

First line: Brennan fell against the stone wall of the tavern, his wild laughter tinged with madness

Memorable Scenes:
I’m absolutely sure there were some memorable scenes but unfortunately I didn’t mark them/write them down and as I read this book about 5 months ago I can’t remember any, which totally makes me annoyed at myself.

Brennan wooed me with his gentlemanly ways. He's protective and courteous with a deep fierce and passionate side to him. Don't let the gentlemanly ways trick you into thinking he's anything less than a strong, fearless warrior who goes into berserker mode when his woman is in danger. I loved that right at the beginning (in the prologue) it is explained why Brennan was stripped of his emotions and yet there were plenty of questions left to find answers to throughout the book.

Tiernan Butler is an investigative reporter and a walking lie detector, she has the Gift to tell lies from truth just from hearing them. She's a Truth Teller. Tiernan is headstrong, courageous and tenacious.

Brennan caught my eye from the first moment I read about him in ATLANTIS RISING yet I was hesitant to read his story because in many of my favorite ongoing series the secondary characters that enthralled me in previous books don't do so well in their own books and disappointed me being the main character instead of secondary. But Brennan certainly did do well, oh how he did well. He exceeded my already high expectations and didn't disappoint. And Tiernan, his heroine fits right in the line of great heroines the Warriors of Poseidon series has to offer.

One thing Alyssa Day never fails at, is keeping the ongoing plot-arc going full force and very clear and understandable yet without rehashing big parts of it. Every one of the books in this series could be read as stand alones, though order-obsessed as I am I do feel the overall enjoyment is greater when the books are read in order, but as a loyal reader I am thrilled to see little to none repetitiveness and I can't praise Ms. Day enough for it.

Another thing that reels me in every time with Alyssa Day’s books, no matter if I immediately click with the characters or not, is the humor infused in every installment. It pleases me every single book again and I know that no matter what else I may think of the books, the humor is always there to put a smile on my face.

At page 205 I was still waiting for an appearance by Anubisa, my hate-her-but-love-the-zing-she-adds-to-the-plot villainess and even though no Anubisa I was very satisfied with the overall plot arc. It tied neatly with the earlier books in the series and moved forward through some intriguing developments. I am so ready for the next book.

With ATLANTIS REDEEMED another layer has been added to the overall plot arc, just when I thought Alyssa Day couldn't surprise me any more she did and I loved it. She had me laughing one page, crying on the next, looking for a something to cool me down with one moment and entranced in the evil plot the next moment. This book gave me everything I was looking for in this series.

Favorite Quotes:
She wanted to protect him. She was defending him.
His heart so long unused fell out of his body and shattered into tiny pieces at her feet. He wanted to weep. He wanted to shout out his joy and triumph to the universe. He did neither, but simply moved to stand at her side, where he hoped to spend the rest of eternity.

She threw up her arms and started walking again. “Great. I needed stealth for undercover work and I get Rambo with a definite need for a time-out chair.”

Tiernan couldn’t believe she’d done it. Thrown her shirt and her caution aside; probably her common sense, too. But relief and passion and something far stronger than both pushed her toward this. Toward him.
He tried to be a gentleman about it, she could tell, but it was hard for him since he was staring at her breasts like heaven had opened up and dumped a load of angel dust in his lap.
She grinned at him. “Men. You’re all the same. Human or Atlantean, you’re all helpless in the face of naked boobs.”

Brennan found that he was cursing; a steady, virulent stream of ancient Atlantean that should have singed the flesh of a man’s bones. He switched to English. “Touch her and die. I will hunt you down, peel the skin from your body, and eat the beating heart from your chest if you touch so much as one hair on her head.”

THE PRICE OF PASSION…
Sold. With one word, Lady Elena Ravenscliffe’s destiny changes forever. Forced into Constantinople’s slave market to pay off her late husband’s debts and save her son, Elena reinvents herself as Jinan—a harem girl adored by the rich lords who bid on her favors. But one man instantly sees through her façade.

…IS COMPLETE SURRENDER
Griffin Summerfield, Marquess of Rothburn, let Elena slip through his fingers years ago. When he recognizes her on the auction block, he pays an outrageous sum to possess her even if it is for a short period of time. But when his deadline looms, Griffin will risk all in a desperate bid to make her his—and his alone…

Title: Surrender of a Lady
Author: Tiffany Clare
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year of release: 2010, September 28
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Won an ARC of this book in a Twitter contest held by author

First line:
“What do you mean you’ll work this out? You’ve gambled me away! I’m your wife for heaven’s sake!”

Memorable Scenes:
- Elena’s reunion with her infant son > absolutely heartbreaking!

The heroine of this book, Elena Ravenscliffe, is gambled away by her irresponsible and self-centered husband. She ends up in a harem as a sex slave after being bought at a slave market. As the harem girl Jinan she is forced to grow up from a young, almost naïve girl into a strong, resilient woman of the world.

The hero of this book was a bit of a problem for me. He’s a former opium-addict and from the start I found him a little selfish and I didn’t really click with him to begin with. Sadly this never improved throughout the book.

Though I really enjoyed reading this book, there were also a few things that didn’t quite work for me. First was the hero, but there was also the placement of chapter 3 in relation to chapters 4 through 7 in the chronology. I didn’t understand the reason for not keeping it chronologically and put the events of that chapter after chapter 7. I am sure the author and/or editor must have had a reason for this but it never was clear to me and though this did not lessen the enjoyment of the book, it did take me out of the reading flow a little during that first part of the book.

In this unusual historical romance Tiffany Clare is not afraid to touch subjects like prostitution, drug addiction and kidnapping in a way that was acceptable to me as a reader who is sometimes wary of these subjects. I also liked that she kept non hero/heroine sexual activities from going all the way in detail and mostly off the page, the way she did for example in the scene with Jinan and Amir. I don’t think I could have handled or appreciated a detailed scene at that point.

While I really loved the first part of the book, despite the minor chronology issue, I was a bit less enthusiastic about the start of the second part of the book as in that part I lost the connection with the romance and the characters a bit and I missed some crucial plot information, which once again took me out of the reading flow trying to sort it out in my head. Though I can’t fully condone what Griffin did in the beginning of this second part of the book, on the other hand Jinan had refused to tell him about herself and her past so he had no way of knowing how hurtful his actions were. However, what he does further on is inexcusable. He just seemed totally blind and deaf to Jinan’s feelings and completely unwilling to see the difficulty of the position she was in and in my opinion that just went on too long and Griffin went too far in his hardheadedness.

As much as Griffin made me want to pound my head against the wall, I really loved and admired Jinan for the strong, determined woman she had become, standing her ground and facing a man deaf and blind to her protests, reasoning and dilemma.

I must say that a HEA seemed unattainable and I was constantly wondering how on earth the story was going to have a happy ending. And when the conclusion had started to take form I couldn’t help but feel a bit of trepidation. It was certainly not a HEA the way I was expecting and for me there was not enough groveling from Griffin’s part in the end to justify his redemption. The end left me a bit unsatisfied despite the HEA that was definitely there.

SURRENDER OF A LADY is a wonderful and promising historical romance by debut author Tiffany Clare, with an admirable heroine, an unusual setting and an extraordinary premise. While the harem girl/sex slave trope is not uncommon in historical romance, Tiffany Clare managed to give it a unique twist that left me with absolutely no reason to question her imagination and writing skills. Her newest book is definitely on my order-list.

Quote:
She was only Jinan here. Elena had died long ago when the last shred of decency she once esteemed herself in had been stolen. By the man she’d been forced to marry in the end. Men never brought her love. They brought her misery upon misery. Loneliness.

Surrounded by beer-swilling, skirt-chasing cowboys her whole life, barmaid Daphne Norris has no intention of ever settling for any of the men in her Podunk hometown. So when bronc rider Will Hanson sends shock waves to her core with just one glance from his striking green eyes, no one is more surprised than her.
But Will is no ordinary cowboy, and he can see that Daphne is no ordinary small-town girl. He can sense in Daphne the quiet strength and devotion needed to satisfy a man like him, a man who needs to be on top, in every aspect of his life.
Daphne hasn't ever succumbed to her submissive desires before, and Will awakens her in ways she never imagined. While she's not prepared to give him her heart, she agrees to Will's offer of three days of intense pleasure, and then she's walking. But Daphne falls hard and fast, and now she has a decision: return to a normal life, or give up everything for Will...

Title: Consent to the Cowboy
Author: Abby Wood
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Year of release: 2010, June 28
Format: eBook
Source: Requested from publisher via NetGalley

First line:
Daphne hooked the heel of her red cowboy boot on the first rail of the fence and hung her arms over the top.

Memorable Scenes:
- The scene at the Chum's parking lot and at Chum's > emotional and important scene for Daphne's character development.
- The last 3 chapters where a conflict originates and propels into a very emotional ending > Daphne's letter to Will made me tear up

Quick & Dirty-review:

Ingredients:
rodeo cowboys, serving girls/barmaids, light bondage, shady parents, a huge misunderstanding, ranch life, hot D/s sexy times

Hero:
Will Hanson is a bronc rider who likes to be in control. He’s self-confident and oozes quiet power. He knows what he wants and goes for it without qualms. In Daphne he sees his ideal woman; strong and submissive

Heroine:
Daphne Norris is guarded and keeps to herself. With a deadbeat two-timing dad and her share of washed-up cowboy exes she's determined to keep all men at an arm's length, especially cowboys who think they can order her around. Until she meets the one cowboy who may be capable of drawing out her secret fantasy of submission

Plot:
Will knows what he wants from Daphne from the moment they meet: her submission to his Domination. He starts by slowly easing her into it, while retching up the sexual tension between them. But at one point he did rub me the wrong way in his demands (I'd never be a good submissive LOL) and I felt a bit of trepidation:

Quotes:
“You’ll move into my house, you’ll quit your job, and your life will center on our relationship, is that understood?”

“Will you or won’t you give up your life to come and share my life?”

But then when in the light of day Daphne has doubts and withdraws what she agreed to in the heat of the moment, he only asks for three days of her time so she can give it a chance...and he can take her doubts away. He actually tones down the Dom a bit. This made Will more likable to me but at the same time it also made it harder for me to get a firm grip on his character.

Writing:
CONSENT TO THE COWBOY is a lovely story that at some point gave me a Pretty Woman meets The Wild West feeling. It was engaging and attention grabbing, while focusing on the chemistry between the main characters. Simple and unembellished it put Abby Wood on my authors-to-keep-an-eye-on list.

Likes:
- the fireworks between Will and Daphne
- the light BDSM stuff: exhibitionism, spanking, and bondage
- the cherry thing
- Klep, the kleptomaniac dog

Dislikes:
- the beginning (first 5/6 chapters), though compelling and intense, felt a bit like going too fast.
- The heavier BDSM (slave/Master) stuff
- Some of Will's demands and how, at times, he shut himself off emotionally from Daphne

Verdict:
Excellently written and though Will was the kind if hero I had to warm up too, it was a hot erotic romance that kept me thoroughly entertained for a few evenings. This book once again proved that the Carina Press acquisitions team knows how to pick some great books.

Favorite Quotes:
“Look at me, sweetheart.” He issued a soft order but one that left her struggling for breath. Why did he order her to do things in such a way that she wanted to do anything he asked?

The strength he displayed rocked her world, but this side of Will wrapped itself around her heart and didn’t want to let go.

She forgot about the blindfold, the binds holding her in place, and gave herself over to the pleasure he elicited. The way he worked her body into arousal and held her at her peak, then drove her over into her personal utopia, washed away every doubt, every inhibition that invaded her thinking.

Waking up naked in bed with a man’s arms holding you close wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing…except when that man is your husband.

Leslie has tried so hard to put Leo’s betrayal behind her—the ink was almost dry on the divorce papers. But when circumstances throw her in bed with her estranged husband one last explosive time, Leslie learns how quickly anger can turn to passion and hurt can turn to need, even while she knows there’s no way she can ever trust him again.

What Leslie considers goodbye, Leo insists is only the beginning. But the damage between them runs too deep, and sometimes, the only thing more devastating than the night before, is the morning after...

Title: The Morning After
Author: J.K. Coi
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year of release: 2010, January 12
Format: eBook, 55 pages
Source: Won in a Twitter contest held by author

First line: Consciousness came slowly.
Memorable Scenes:
- Against the bedroom door scene > don't think I need to elaborate on that
- On the stairs scene > I reserve the right to refer you to my above comment
- In the club chair scene > again I refer to my above comment (seeing a pattern yet? LOL)

Quick & Dirty-review:

Ingredients:
a separated, soon-to-be-ex-couple, drugged drinks, hazy memories, two very different views on a marriage, misunderstanding and ready assumptions, steamy hot passion,

Hero:
Leo Stevenson is a successful agent to the stars. He seemed to genuinely love his wife so I was wondering what he'd done to cause Leslie to kick him out and start separation/divorce. He is lightly sexually dominant and that’s just the way I like my romance novel heroes.

Heroine:
Leslie Stevenson. The only thing I noted about Leslie other than her stubbornness and tenaciousness was her irrational fear of crowds as she was agoraphobic.

Plot/Theme:
An estranged couple who, because of miscommunication, are struggling their way back to each other

Writing:
J.K. Coi’s writing is clean, crisp and fluent. The story is fast paced because due to the short length there are no unnecessary amounts of background information. And yet you get all the information you need to fill in the gaps along the way.

Likes:
- smoking hot sex scenes
- fast pace and great writing
- resolution to the conflict

Dislikes:
- non-communication and assumptions instead of talking stuff out
- Leslie's initial refusal to explain to Leo why she kicked him out
- Leo's initial acceptance of this refusal, no questions asked whereas in other areas his dominance shone through
- Leslie's acceptance of how her father dictates her life

Verdict:
THE MORNING AFTER is a smoking hot and well rounded for a very short novella. It was an unputdownable lightning-quick read that I enjoyed immensely and makes me hunt down all J.K. Coi's erotic contemporary work asap!

Favorite Quotes:
Need, desire, anger and pain all swirled together in his gut until he was afraid it would overflow and cause him to do something stupid--like kiss her. Fuck. How many times was she going to be able to rip out his soul before there was nothing left of him? Why was he letting her?

(...) and she knew that he was gauging her reaction to every one of his long, controlled thrusts. Slow thrusts to drive her crazy. Slow thrusts until she completely lost control. He'd always been relentless when it came to sex, driving her until she fell apart, mind, body, soul. There was something inside him that needed to dominate her responses until she begged him to let her come.

He couldn't get enough of her touch, needing it as much as he'd always needed her, with a fierce, possessive intensity that sometimes frightened him to his soul.

Logan has been in love with Meredith for as long as he can remember. Seeing her with another had been its own brand of torture, but now that she’s free, nothing can stop him from claiming what is rightfully his.

The magnetism of Logan has never been lost on Meredith, but crossing the line between friend and lover scares her, even after dumping her slimeball ex. When Logan kisses her, an attraction like she’s never known ignites, sweeping her into an affair she can’t walk away from.

As Logan fights to win her heart, Meredith wages a battle of her own. Is she willing to admit her interest stretches way beyond merely doing Logan?

Title: Doing Logan
Author: Rhian Cahill
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year of release: 2010, November 4
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Jasmine Jade Enterprises

First line:
Logan Foster was a man of action.

Memorable Scenes:
- from the moment Logan and Meredith are in the car via against-the-wall-by-the-door making out to the panties-ripping in the bedroom > *fans self*

Quick & Dirty-review:

Ingredients/Summary:
It's an Ellora's Cave Quickie so the blurb about covers it as far as a summary goes.

Hero:
Logan Foster

Heroine:
Meredith Wainwright

I guess I was too engrossed in the hot stuff to notice any personality traits in the main characters, because where I normally make annotations about hero and heroine while reading a book, this time I have nothing written down…nothing. Well, draw your own conclusions from that *wink*

Plot:
DOING LOGAN is a short and sweaty hot friends-to-lovers erotic romance novella.

Writing:
Engaging writing that hooks you from start to finish. And Rhian Cahill writes the sexy like no one else can. Hot, enticing, sensual and intense. Her writing is clear, very explicit and calling things by their name but never turning vulgar or crude. Rhian Cahill's sex scenes are awesome! They leave nothing to the imagination and still stay on the right side of explicitness.

Likes:
- the sex scenes. Rhian Cahill has an uncanny talent for writing fabulously intense smexing

Dislikes:
- due to the shortness of the story there's no real getting to know Logan and Meredith other than how they behave in the early stages of taking their friendship to being in a relationship.
- beating a dead dog here but: this novella is just too damn short, I wanted more Logan and Meredith.

Verdict:
Oh sweet Lord, no matter what subject or trope Rhian Cahill tackles, it's always a deliciously HOT read and DOING LOGAN is no exception. From start to finish this short read is sizzling enough to burn the pages.

Ms. Cahill, you have got yourself a fan for life, where your erotic contemporary work is concerned, I thank you for writing such amazing and hot stories that take me away for a couple of hours and make me forget my troubles.

I want more of it so publishers please don’t make me wait too long for her next erotic contemporary, okay?


LET ME SAY UPFRONT THAT I COULD'VE QUOTED THIS ENTIRE BOOK, IT HAD SO MANY SNIPPETS WORTHY OF MENTIONING so enjoy the “handful” I’ve included below…

Quotes:
If he wanted something, he went after it. Simple. Except for one thing. Meredith Wainright . Where she was concerned, his courage disappeared completely. For over twenty years she’d had him tied in knots and unable to be his usual assertive self. He’d be putty in her hands if she ever decided to touch him.

Meredith couldn’t believe they talked about the weather. She was trying to get up the courage to ask Logan inside for coffee and all that came out was “nice weather we’ve been having”. If it wouldn’t make her look more of a twit she’d slap herself upside the head.

The closer they got to her house the more tense she became. It didn’t help that the man oozed sex. From the way he moved to the way he smelled, Logan Foster projected dark forbidden pleasure.

There was no time to wonder what Logan was apologizing for. Her back hit the wall and his mouth slanted over hers. This kiss was nothing like the one in the car. Hot lashes of his tongue had her opening to him. He swept inside, touching, tasting, devouring. Wet velvet ribbons unfurled inside her and rolled out until every inch of her melted against his hard body. With lips, tongue and teeth he ate at her. Consumed her in a fiery lip-lock that incinerated all memory of previous kisses.

“The bare little-girl look does nothing for me but a well-groomed woman makes me hotter than hell."

She was gorgeous. Lush curves painted pink from exertion and satisfaction, she glowed and Logan had the sudden urge to lick every inch of her. From head to toe he wanted to feast on all that female flesh.

Razor-sharp need cut and sliced at senses already teased to their limits. With the slide of his fingers, Logan shoved her over the edge of sanity. Wanton desire ripped through her, the force shook her limbs and made her heart race at alarming speed.

The woman could tempt a saint and watching her eat was better than watching porn. She savored every mouthful, the look of bliss on her face one he recognized well. Their whole meal had been foreplay.
The way she sucked the food from her fork to the way she licked her lips between bites had his heart pounding and blood racing. He’d shifted so many times in his seat it was a wonder he hadn’t worn a hole in it.

Their mouths were a breath apart but he didn’t touch her. If they kissed now he’d lose it completely and take what his body screamed was his.

One night in Bangkok is all it takes to turn Beth Martin's future plans upside down. After being betrayed by her fiancé the last thing she needs is another man screwing up her life.

But Tom is different. He makes her feel sensations long forgotten, makes her want in ways best left unspoken. Can she live out her wildest fantasies in one decadent night? And when it's over, can she walk away, or will what she doesn't want prove to be what she needs?

Title: ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK
Author: Rhian Cahill
Series: Passport to Passion Collection
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing
Year of release: 2009, May? ---I know I talked with the author on Twitter about the release date but can't remember and didn't write it down anywhere for some obscure reason, or I did and can't find it anymore *headdesk*---
Format: eBook, 28 pages
Source: Gracefully offered to me by author when I wasn’t able to buy it from publisher

First line:
Sweat oozed from every pore, pooled and then dripped between Beth's breasts, the slide of moisture a warm caress, like a lover's tongue.

Memorable Scenes:
- Dinner scene > foreplay from start to finish, HOT!

Quick & Dirty-review:

Hero:
His name is Tom and that’s all I can tell you without spoiling the story.

Heroine:
Beth Martin. A capable and professional woman who has a passionate side to her that’s waiting to be sparked by the right man. She’s decided she won't be dictated by others any longer and wants to take life head-on and on her terms. That’s exactly what she does on her last night in Bangkok.

Plot:
A one night stand in Bangkok leads to a HEA with a nice twist at the end

Writing:
Rhian Cahill's writing is simply mesmerizing. The way she describes sexual chemistry and arousal is amazing. It's so vivid and sensual I can actually feel the zing and sparks coming of the pages. She's one of the very few authors whose descriptions I love to read as they are anything but page fillers and they almost form a character of their own in the books I've read by her.

Likes:
- writing, sex scenes and premise

Dislikes:
- minor one: missed Tom's POV though at the end I understood why the story was told almost exclusively from Beth's POV.

Verdict:
Rhian Cahill did it again. She seduced me with another incredibly hot and well-written novella that just sizzled of the pages. I can't wait to read her next erotic contemporary book! Bear in mind that I am being this enthusiastic about a 28-page story…Me! The reader who always complains about novellas being too short but in this case it was so deliciously written I can’t even fathom complaining about length.

Quotes:
Lost in the thrill of what he was doing to her hand—and in a domino effect,
her entire body—Beth feared she would agree to anything he suggested as
long as he didn’t stop.
“Have dinner with me.” He spoke against her skin and his breath puffed over the moisture left by his tongue. It cooled and heated at the same time as sparks of fire shot through her hand and up her arm leaving a trail of tingling starbursts in their wake.

“Dinner?” She moved out of the way to let the server pass and Tom closed the distance between them, crowding her against the wall.
“Yes, dinner,” he whispered into her ear.
“But I thought—”
“What? That I would strip you naked and take you against this wall the minute you walked in?” His warm, moist breath sent shockwaves of lust down her neck. He bit her earlobe lightly. “Make no mistake, Beth, I will have you. But I’m a civilized man. I invited you to dinner and I will feed you dinner.”

A whimper of anguish slipped past her lips before she could stop it. Want and desire laced every note, conveying her arousal, her need, her desperation to have him touch her.

Carly Simmons has lusted after her boss for six months. Throwing caution to the wind while on a business trip in Singapore, she suggests a fling. When Saxon takes her up on her offer, Carly gets far more than the conservative businessman she’s expecting.
Saxon Grant is definitely up for a weekend of red-hot sex, but once he gets his hands on Carly he knows a couple of days will never be enough. Months of wanting her explode into a weekend of tangled sheets and twisted emotions.

And after one wild weekend, these two hearts will never be the same.

Title: SINGAPORE FLING
Author: Rhian Cahill
Series: Passport to Passion Collection
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing
Year of release: 2009, August 31
Format: eBook, 44 pages
Source: I won this book at the Down Under Divas Blog

First line:
“See anything you like?”

Memorable Scenes:
- All the sex scenes: against hotel room door, floor, bed, bathtub and bed but especially the one in the elevator…
- Bathtub sponge bath scene > I was in lust with Saxon before this scene, but after it, I was in love

Sometimes you find treasures of books where you least expect it. When I was told I won choice of a book by any of the contributing authors of the Down Under Divas Blog because I was the first commenter, I had a choice to make. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t make choices easily. Just ask my hubby to tell you what a pain I am in restaurants…on second thought…don’t…

Back to the subject, I had an author and then a book to choose. As I already had all the books I wanted from Jess Dee and Lexxie Couper this left me with Rhian Cahill and Sami Lee to choose from. I checked their backlists and found books I’d love to read. My pick ultimately was Rhian Cahill’s SINGAPORE FLING and the only reason for that was that it was from a publisher that didn’t accept Paypal payments so credit card-less me couldn’t buy it from them and the Sami Lee book was from a publisher I should get bulk-discount from, as many ebooks as I buy with them monthly LOL *cough*Samhain*cough*

When I received the book, I transferred it to my iPhone and there it sat for a while, until I needed a quick new –to-me-author e-read and thought of the won book. I started the first page and within moments I’d already marked more quotes than I have ever done for entire full-length books (talking 300+ pages here!) and this is a 44-page novella. I started gushing and gushing on Twitter and couldn’t stop reading.

There’s a quote in the book that sums up exactly how I feel about this book:
There were no more words. Just love and lust, and everything in between.
YES!

Now if you are still with me I will start an actual review, I can imagine some people have fled because there hasn’t been any actual reviewing yet, but I had to get this off my chest in order to be able to be coherent…

The hero of SINGAPORE FLING shot straight to the top of my favorite heroes list. And that was not because Saxon Grant was intelligent, confident and had a strong work ethic. No! It was solely because he was the BEST dirty talking hero I read in 2010. He had me from the moment he opened his mouth: Commanding, growling and utterly sexy!

Carly Simmons, the heroine was great too. She’s a straight shooter who speaks her mind and she witty and smart. Yet, however great Carly was, it was overshadowed by my lust for Saxon. He absolutely stole the show for me. But I’m also realistic enough to realize that without Carly, Saxon wouldn’t have been the great hero he was. And now I’ll stop about Saxon. I dislike it when reviewers make the review all about gushing over the hero so I must practice what I preach.

I originally intended to write a Quick and Dirty review for SINGAPORE FLING and in the QnD-reviews I have a few points that I write something about while reading. One of them is “plot” When writing this review I checked my review notes for this book and this is what I said about the plot: “Plot? Who needs a plot!” So that settles reviewing the plot part of the book. Let’s move on.

The only reason I'm not giving this novella the perfect read stamp is because the high it started and ended on, lost a bit of it's strength in the middle part and I wanted that promised desk smexing scene and yet again didn't get it. SINGAPORE FLING was the second book in a row I’d read where desk smexing was hinted at but author didn’t come through on it and if there’s one reason why I adore the co-workers/boss-employee trope it’s for the desk play. So I’m going to be a spoiled brat and deduct half a point for not giving me my desk smex ;)

Now let’s talk about the writing, because a drool-worthy hero is good and all, but that alone still does not make a gush-worthy book. My first encounter with Rhian Cahill’s work left me mesmerized. To me her writing is imaginative, vivid moving, intense and hot. The writing style is magical, gripping and takes you into the mind and vision of her characters. I had the impression I could feel their compelling lust. The way she writes she could make describing watching paint dry exciting and lust-inspiring, so I will most definitely be reading much more of her work and may even venture into her paranormal stuff, even though contemporary romance is higher on my favorites list.

Rhian Cahill set the pages on fire from the very start and never let up. I loved this hot and sweet little novella. There's hot, there's smokin’ hot and then there's SINGAPORE FLING, a character-driven, hot number that takes you beyond smokin’ hot with scorching lust and urgent desire, delivered by an awesomely talented writer.

As with a book I reviewed recently I’m not able to cut the quotes down to 2 or 3 and don’t have the time for a Quotes-Post at the moment so I’m leaving all the quotes I initially marked for my fellow romance-readers’ enjoyment. And I dare you not to go out and get this book the moment you finish reading them (if you haven’t got the book already, that is).

Quotes:
He was a tall drink of mouthwatering delight she'd had her eye on for a while now.

She had to stop thinking about jumping Saxon Grant. The man would never go for her if she came off as a trashy nympho.

Carly was going to love teaching the man all about down and dirty. But first she had to play it cool, be subtle.

He had a bedroom voice, a little rough, a little naughty.

"Good. I'd hate to think this was a bad habit you have." He watched her closely before adding, "I'd have to punish you if it was."
Her eyes widened and her tummy lurched. "Punish?"
"Oh yeah. I'd turn you over my knee and spank that sexy ass of yours."

Oh, she might think she fooled everyone with those conservative business suits of hers, and most people were fooled, but he hadn't been duped. She was made for sex. Hot, sweaty sex.

Slamming his mouth to hers, he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth and bit into the tender flesh. Her gasp of surprise allowed him access to the dark warmth his tongue sought to claim. All the months of holding back, waiting to take her, exploded into the kiss. He dominated, ravished and took without apology. Every corner, every recess became his.

The sounds tripping past her lips drove him further into the carnal hunger to
take, possess. Purrs, whimpers, murmurs, the hitch of breath when he found a
sensitive spot, all dragged him into the inferno of raging lust that consumed them both. He couldn’t wait. He had to have her now. How he tore himself away from her he’d never know, but he did. He yanked his wallet from his back pocket, fumbled for the condom he kept inside.
“Strip,” he ordered.
He tossed his wallet over his shoulder and ripped the foil packet open with his teeth while undoing his jeans.

She’d trusted him with her pleasure and given him more than he’d ever asked for by doing so. He’d taken her like an animal, demanded she give him everything and without pause she had. Never before had a woman been so generous. So trusting. She was a treasure to be looked after, to be cherished and he wanted to be the man who took care of her. And wasn’t he off to a good start? He’d torn the clothes from her body and rutted on her like a wild beast. Saxon closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. Damn. He'd be lucky if she didn't quit her job and run for her life when she finally came around.

She couldn't even drum up the energy to worry about how wanton she'd behaved, or how he'd been nothing like she expected. The man had rocked more than her world. He'd shifted the whole damn universe on her. And right now she didn't care. She'd be happy for him to do it all over again.

She almost purred at his light touch, the tingle of desire sparking to life as his fingers grazed the side of her breast.

If she could think straight she'd end it now. Cut the cord before it attached too firmly, before it entwined so fully with her soul she'd never get untangled.

When this weekend was over he'd either get everything he never knew he wanted or he'd be left with a bleeding heart and broken soul.

About a month late because of my drowned iPhone and not having access to all my review-notes but hey, better late than never...Here's my review of the last Wild Irish book that was supposed to close of my Wild Irish Week...

The child who is born on the Sabbath day, is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Sean Collins is happy working at the family pub and sharing a house with the woman of his dreams. He and Lauren are equals in every way, including in bed, where they burn the sheets. Life is good. Even if he must hide a couple of secrets to keep it that way.

Lauren is madly in love with Sean. They share everything—almost. She can’t deny sensing…something. A certain feeling when she, Sean and their friend Chad are all together. But she doesn’t press. How can she when she’s not being completely forthright herself?

Chad is feeling pretty miserable, and renting a room in Sean and Lauren’s home has only made it worse. In a house filled with secrets, Chad’s are doozies.

When an opportunity arises to explore their deep desires, the trio plunges into a sex-filled, emotionally charged ménage. Long-buried feelings are revealed, changing their lives irrevocably. Whether for better or worse, only Sean, Chad and Lauren can decide.

Trope/themes:
Ménage, friends-to-lovers, D/s, spanking, m/m, toys,

First Line:
“Where’s Chad?” Lauren asked breathlessly as they entered Sean’s apartment.

Memorable:
The scene in which Chad confessed to kissing Lauren and Sean's reaction that followed > very powerful and pivotal scene.

The baby shower (not spoiling who's shower) > both emotional (serious talk between Lauren and Keira) and LOL funny

The 3 Sundays > some of the best ménage sex scenes I've read since I started reading erotic romance

Review:
The main characters in ANY GIVEN SUNDAY are Sean Collins, Lauren Chase and Chad Watterson. They have been friends forever and at the beginning of this book Lauren and Sean decide to move in together and for various reason invite their best buddy to shack up with them. What they don’t know is that each individually has yearnings he or she is hiding deep down…yearnings that make their living together a lot more complicated than they could have imagined.

Sean is the youngest Collins sibling. He’s impulsive, romantic, outgoing and a heart on his sleeve type of guy. Throughout the series Sean was always an element of tranquility among the boisterous Collins family. He was the one with sound advice and a listening ear for his siblings when they were balancing on the amorous edge.

Chad Watterson is Lily’s younger brother. He’s perceptive, guarded, solitary and an over-thinker. He’s not the most talkative or sociable of men but when he’s in his comfort zone (mostly with Sean and Lily) he loosens up and a different Chad emerges. You might remember Lily as the heroine from SWEET THURSDAY. When I first found and read the blurb for ANY GIVEN SUNDAY I was pretty surprised that Chad was one of the main characters as his reaction to his sister’s relationship with Justin and Killian was pretty explosive. He was considerably younger in that book, but still I was looking forward to all the possibilities this development was going to bring to this book.

The woman in the middle of these two fine specimen of men is Lauren Chase.
She’s direct, open, headstrong, chatty and has a steel backbone. From early in their friendship she’s developed strong feelings for both Sean and Chad but she keeps her feelings for Chad quiet as she and Sean pursue a relationship together. What she doesn’t know is that in their friendship she isn’t the only one keeping feelings hidden and unspoken.

The final installment of this series definitely packs a punch. It started off scorchingly hot and actually never let up. Mari Carr held me captive from start to finish with this journey and exploration into secret and hidden desires. It’s all about admitting and submitting to them. She made ANY GIVEN SUNDAY about love between 3 people...pure and simple yet emotionally complicated

Sean caught my attention from the first time he set foot in this series and his story being the last was both fitting and torturous. Mari Carr definitely delivered on the promise for Sean's story! From the first line to the last I was enthralled by this excellent closure to the Wild Irish series. The prologue at the start sets the tone and once again it was all there: the heat, the family dynamics, the relational dilemmas, the humor, the excellent storytelling and the emotional ending. ANY GIVEN SUNDAY may well be the most intricate book of the series. The HEA isn't as cut and clear as in most of the other books.

I'm in awe of how Mari Carr tackled the ménage-theme in this book, she showed the problems and dilemmas and never took the easy way out. Approaching the possibility of à threesome from all angles and not making it mainly a sexually triggered one makes this book a keeper on my shelves and Mari Carr a definite favorite.

It's known m/m is a trope that is not on my erotic romance menu much. I can count the books that include m/m action that I've liked on one hand and there are very few authors who can make me forget my reluctance to read m/m scenes or romance. Mari Carr turns out to be one of those very few.

I've praised Mari Carr in previous reviews about her ability to keep all the books in this series unique and fresh despite known tropes and recurring subjects and themes and with this book she remained true to form. Underneath all the emotional intensity of this book there's still that humor I like so much in the books. It's subtle, giving way for the intricate and heavy emotional struggles

If you thought previous books in this series were hot, brace yourself for this one! To say ANY GIVEN SUNDAY is one sizzling hot book would be the first and biggest understatement of this new year.

Words fail to describe the emotional impact this book had on me and I can't but give this lovely closing installment of the Wild Irish series my highest rating!

Quotes:
Years as best friends had bred a comfortable familiarity. It had also built up some pretty deep-seated need in Sean. If he didn’t get her into his bed soon, he was likely to do himself an injury. Sporting a hard-on 24/7 couldn’t be good for anybody.

Chad felt like a middle-aged accountant whenever he stood next to Sean. He spent too much time indoors. While he was trim, no one would call him built. He certainly wasn’t sporting a six-pack. Shit. He’d be lucky to find just one in his pack and his skin was too pale from lack of sun.

She curled against his shoulder as he engulfed her in his large embrace. For once, she wasn’t trying to solve the puzzle. For once, she gave up all her internal struggles and placed herself in Sean’s capable, strong hands. And for the first time in a long time, she felt happy.

(Sean) He’d tossed and turned and jacked off all night as he lay on the couch thinking about Lauren’s proposition and that damn kiss. She’d reached into his head, pulled out all his naughtiest fantasies and was now offering them to him on a silver platter.

She’d been a fool to listen to Riley’s advice. She’d thought she was engaging in a ménage, exploring some wicked fantasies. With her stupid plan, she’d blown the lid off an ancient, unseen volcano and she had a feeling they were all about to be taken down in the ensuing scorching lava flow.

Sean gave them a shit-eating grin before moving to his knees and crawling forward. He didn’t stop until his face reached Lauren’s and he gave her a long, wet kiss. Chad marveled over how natural their closeness felt. He’d always been a firm believer in personal space…but Lauren and Sean fit in his space.

Alana MacGregor craves excitement, but when her sometimes lover dumps her at a popular sex club, she wonders if she’s outgrown her live-fast-and-recover-later lifestyle. The last thing she expects is to run into the nerdy guy she rebuffed in high school—or for him to rock her world in ways no other man ever has.

Hot on the trail of a story, Carter Nicholas can’t believe his luck at encountering the one woman he’s never forgotten. He’s come a long way from being a wall-hugging geek. Now he gets all A’s between the sheets. But can he convince Alana he’s her sure ticket to an unforgettable night—and maybe much more?

Title: REVEAL ME
Author: Cari Quinn
Series: Kink series, book 1
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year of release: 2010, January 19
Format: ebook, 52 pages
Source: Bought at Jasmine Jade

First line:
“Is this some kind of sick joke, Ramon? You’re dumping me?” Alana demanded, staring up at her pathetic excuse for a boyfriend.
Memorable Scene:
The moment at the bar, right before Carter and Alana had to get out of the club > Talk about sexual tension, Cari’s a master at building it!

Quick & Dirty-review:

Summary:
After 8 years coincidence (or is it fate?) brings Alana MacGregor and Carter Nicholas together, at a sex club of all places. Carter has a major crush on Alana in high school but she mowed him down ruthlessly. Now Carter is no longer the quiet, geeky boy he was in high school and he’s determined to get the woman he’s wanted for years.

Hero:
Carter Nicholas, high school computer geek turned into a man with a sexual intensity that sets the pages on fire. He’s serious, sweet and a really nice guy.

Heroine:
Alana MacGregor is a carefree party-girl and a pleasure/good times seeker. She’s out-going, vivacious and a try-anything-once person. She tries to hide her insecurity with bravado and doing things that seem inconsiderate and before getting this I was having a bit of a hard time with how bitchy she could be with Carter.

Alana and Carter couldn’t have been any more different if they tried. They are the textbook example of opposites that attract and proceed to set the pages on fire!

Notes:
Cari Quinn never fails to pull me into her stories with her easy, fluent and hot writing. REVEAL ME was no exception. From the first sentence I was invested in Alana’s story and wondering what Cari had in store for me this time around.

Cari writes sex scenes like few other erotic romance authors do. They’re bold, straightforward and explicit and they way I absolutely like them the best: with talkative participants. Also, her books are fresh, original and never repetitive. Every one of Cari’s books I’ve read are uniquely hot. But it’s not just about the heat, she also puts characters on the page that go through development, no matter how short the book is. REVEAL ME was like that too. As I said, I had to warm up to Alana but she was never unlikeable to me because I could understand why she behaved like she did.

My only complaint about REVEAL ME is that is was such a short story because I could’ve read on forever and I hope to see Alana and Carter back in future books. Speaking of future books, I am very curious about Kelly and if there’s a story there. I dare hope that PROVOKE ME will be about her and her mysterious behavior in this book…(reviewer’s note: In the meantime I’ve heard from the author that book 2 is indeed about Kelly…YAY).

Verdict:
“Quickie” is an appropriate adjective for REVEAL ME. And this is not just because the book was short and sweet, though sweet is not the word I’m looking for…Short and scorching is more like it! Thanks Cari, for another great read and I’m anxiously looking forward to Kelly’s longer story!

Funny thing:
I keep referring to Carter as Nick…every time I’ve typed his name in this review I’ve typed Nick first, only to change it to Carterand in my head I keep calling him Nick…Why? It could have something to do with his last name, Nicholas and Alana calling him Nicky throughout the book…

Quotes:
Once again thoughts of her best friend fled her mind. Yeah, she was going to hell. At the rate things were going, she wouldn’t even get an orgasm first.

Alana to Carter: “Whoa. You’re sounding mighty self-righteous for someone with a glow-in-the-dark condom in his pocket.”

Finally, after a delay of a few months, my blog make-over is here.
It cost me a few years of my life (you know I'm exaggerating LOL) but I got it done, all by myself...even the photoshop stuff, okay I'll be honest and say that hubby did help a little bit with the photoshop hell... but colors, lay-out, ideas for images, font, sidebars etc...that was all me.

The way the blog looks now is how I had it in my head for a very long time and thanks to dear friend Leontine who pointed me in the direction of Artisteer I am now proud to present the new and improved PEARL'S WORLD OF ROMANCE!!

Even though I am not the world's best replier to comments, (I really, really suck at that) I hope you will continue to visit and read what romance novels I'm buying, reading and reviewing and what authors I welcome to talk romance with us. If you promise to keep visiting, I promise to pick up posting reviews more regularly again. With the new job, I've been slacking in that department but after almost 2 months I'm starting to get into a comfortable rhythm and finding small batches of time to do some reviewing in between work, social life with family and friends, reading and watching my TV shows.

Cari picked a winner:
"I picked the winner of the ebook copy of Reveal Me ..."

lisagk said...

I agree with Daisy. I very seldom read a book if there are children involved any more. Got really burned out on the cute kid thing.

Congratulations Lisa! As you included your email address, you don't need to contact us. Cari will send you the ebook shortly.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion and giveaway. Thank you Cari for the guest post and the giveaway. My review of REVEAL ME will be posted this weekend...