Today is the last day of my Bandicoot Cove Experience, a feature on the Blog beween August 25th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee. *sniff*

Yesterday was the release day of Jess Dee's ISLAND IDYLLE, my favorite of the series so far! Click HERE for my review of ISLAND IDYLLE.

Today Jess tells us a little about how it all came to be.
Please help me give Jess a warm welcome and enjoy this last post of the Bandicoot Experience for now...


In the beginning, Viv, Lex and I knew we wanted to write an anthology together… and that’s about all we knew. We had no idea where the anthology would be set, who the characters were, and what the common factors tying the books altogether would be. In order to be productive, we’d arrange chatting times on Yahoo Instant Messenger. The point of these chats? To answer all these questions and brainstorm the anthology.

We’d spend hours just trying to find common times to chat to each other, and then have to pretend to be very focused on the books, when we all really just wanted to have a good chat. Sometimes, to help keep all three of us focused on the writing, we’d even make lists in advance: lists of various issues that needed to be discussed during these chats.

I took some time to browse through the earlier emails we’d written, and came across this one I thought I’d share. It’s an email I sent Lex and Viv, focusing on some questions I believed we’d need to find answers to during a chat. I asked the questions and followed each one up with my opinion (in brackets). Lexxie then returned the email with her responses in bold

On 05/09/2010, at 8:19 PM, Jess Dee wrote:

Right, some things I've been mulling over which we can chat about tomorrow.

1) Where is it set?
(On a tropical island? We won't do a wedding, we can have another central plot.)
I reckon a very small but very exclusive island just off the tropical far north Queensland coastline called Bilby Island

2) Are we going with the hotel theme? (I'm very happy with it.)
I love this theme

3) Who is the central character linking them all? Is it a central character, or just a central theme?
(For eg, is it simply the opening of a new hotel, first weekend in the hotel? Or is it Jane Doe's first hotel opening and she's sent out invites to her nearest and dearest to attend?)
I like central character

4) Is the central character one of our main characters?
I'm thinking the central character isn't one of ours. She's the lynchpin that brings ours together

5) Can I have conversations in my book with your characters, and if so, can I send them through to the owner of that character to write an appropriate dialogue?
(I love the idea of that - if you have any clue what I'm talking about.)
If we don't, I will sulk (and if you don't, I will sulk)

6) Are we going to begin each book at the same time, ie one common scene, but obviously the scene will be viewed in three different ways as it will be in the POV of one of our characters.
(Love this idea)
Oooh, I love love this idea

7) Do we have a Central opening line: eg, "I hereby declare this hotel open."
(love this idea)
By the Power of Greyskull....

8) If one of us wakes up in the middle of the night and feels the need to work on the antho, is it ok to completely ignore her, or yell at her to go back to sleep?
If I'm not asleep, talk/chat/work away :)

(Note from Jess, added for blog: This question was targeted at Viv, who has a ridiculous habit of waking up at obscene hours in the night…and writing.)

10) How much junk food can one consume while working on this antho?
As much as one likes (I will most likely consume copious amounts of tea)

11) How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Forty-two

12) What's big, white and very dangerous when it falls out a tree?
A fridge.

13) What is the meaning of life?
Forty-two (same as the woodchuck question *grin*)

14) Can you tell I'm totally into this idea and already having loads of fun with it?
Yes.

15) Do you have questions to throw out?
What’s big, white and blue?

BTW - the answer to no. 12 is a fridge. So maybe we don't actually have to discuss it after all. ;)

And finally - just because I love an idea doesn't mean I'm stuck on it.

————————-

So, that was the email with Lex’s answers. (She never did tell me what was big, white and blue!)
A couple hours later Viv’s reply came:

Will answer properly once I'm not lying in bed writing on my itouch. ;)

BUT, I had an extra little idea I wanted to throw at you guys. Q#3-- the girl who is opening the resort and invites her friends along. You KNOW we are going to have people asking about her. It would take a little figuring out, but I'm totally game to write an additional 4k or something and come up with a freebie to add to this set.

Could be G1 shows up in our books occasionally flustered, and everyone chalks it up to opening nerves, but it's really that every time she rounds a corner or hits her room she's being fucked silly by HER two lovers.

:)

Sent from my iPod


Nope, Viv never did respond to the rest of the questions. But that was okay. Because her little email sparked a whole new idea, and Kylie Sullivan’s book, Exotic Indulgence was born.

It’s nice to be sitting here now, on the other end of the journey. All four Bandicoot Cove books have released. I sincerely hope the reader’s journey to Bilby Island and Bandicoot Cove is as fun and satisfying as the trip we took while writing the books!

Jess

Island Idyll

Adolescent fantasies can grow into very adult realities.

Bandicoot Cove, Book 4

Sienna James has come to Bandicoot Cove to mourn the end of her eight-year relationship with Ben Cowley. The last person she expects to meet is the star of every one of her high school fantasies.

Joshua Lye is not only as appealing as he was in high school, he reveals she was the main feature in his adolescent wet dreams. As kids they never got it together. But they’re adults now, and there’s nothing keeping them apart.

When Ben arrives at the resort determined to win Sienna back, finding another man in her bed kind of throws a spanner in the works. But he isn’t deterred. Rather than admit defeat, he comes up with an alternative plan: Let Sienna sleep with both men—at the same time. Then she can make an informed decision as to which man she wants.

Sienna shouldn’t want to go through with this shockingly sexy plan, but she does. Desperately. Except after the sexual storm passes, she could have it all…or be left holding an empty heart.

Product Warnings
Contains a suggestion beyond risqué, a solution beyond orgasmic, and two men who know how to play dirty. Really, really dirty.

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

This pen-ultimate post starts the wrap-up of my Bandicoot Cove Experience (a feature on the Blog beween August 19th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee). I am sad to see this experience coming to an end (for now). I had a blast reading the books and hosting the authors with their posts. Three awesome authors, each in their own way, with their own writing styles and personalities. I feel honored to have been given this opportunity!

Today marks the day of the last ARC-Review and boy did this book blow me away. Completely and unexpectedly Jess Dee gave me one of my all-time favorite ménage-reads so far and one of my favorite reads this year!

Coming up next:

• Jess Dee’s Guestpost – Wednesday September 21st

Adolescent fantasies can grow into very adult realities.

Sienna James has come to Bandicoot Cove to mourn the end of her eight-year relationship with Ben Cowley. The last person she expects to meet is the star of every one of her high school fantasies.

Joshua Lye is not only as appealing as he was in high school, he reveals she was the main feature in his adolescent wet dreams. As kids they never got it together. But they’re adults now, and there’s nothing keeping them apart.

When Ben arrives at the resort determined to win Sienna back, finding another man in her bed kind of throws a spanner in the works. But he isn’t deterred. Rather than admit defeat, he comes up with an alternative plan: Let Sienna sleep with both men—at the same time. Then she can make an informed decision as to which man she wants.

Sienna shouldn’t want to go through with this shockingly sexy plan, but she does. Desperately. Except after the sexual storm passes, she could have it all…or be left holding an empty heart.

Warning: Contains a suggestion beyond risqué, a solution beyond orgasmic, and two men who know how to play dirty. Really, really dirty.

Title: ISLAND IDYLL
Author: Jess Dee
Series: Bandicoot Cove, book 4
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2011, September 20
Format: eBook
Source: received an e-ARC from the author for review

First line:
Sienna James drew her arm back, took aim and flung a flattish oyster-colored shell forward with as much gusto as she could manage.

Memorable Scenes:
- Josh and Sienna meeting for the first time after 12 years > sparks flew in that short delicious scene
- Ben's entrance scene > Wow! That was some first impression
- the scene that followed Ben's entrance > heart-wrenching


A relationship of eight years gone wrong, a high school crush and adolescent fantasies left unfulfilled and a romantic luxurious resort with one man happy to finally discover if the real thing is as good as the fantasy and another man desperate enough to save his relationship by suggesting something risky. The woman looking for a hot holiday fling is in for some good and dirty times. The main characters in this smokin’ hot 4th installment of the Bandicoot Cove series are Sienna James, Joshua Lye and Ben Cowley.

Sienna is friends with Kylie, the resort’s manager and has accepted the invitation to the soft opening without hesitation. Sienna is a determined, bold and sexually inhibited woman who is just coming out of a long-term relationship and ready to dive into the dating-pool again.

Her first encounter with a man after leaving her ex is Joshua, who happens to be the resort’s IT-guy. But Joshua is no stranger. They went to high school together and they had mutual crushes on which they never acted. Joshua has a great sense of humor, he’s direct, a fighter and he’s gentle and considerate but absolutely no pushover.

But if Sienna thought Ben was going stand back and accept her leaving him without a fight, she has another think coming because Ben decided to follow her to the resort and is willing to go to extremes to get her back. Even allowing another man in their bedroom. Ben is mercurial to say the least. He’s a bit forceful yet not domineering. He is commanding, raw and a strategist.

At some point I was hoping Sienna would make Ben grovel more than the little effort he was making before she considered taking him back. It was as if she'd forgotten he was more committed to his career than to their relationship of 8 years. And the minute I was thinking that about Sienna she did me proud and reminded Ben exactly why she'd left him in the first place. Love it when an author does that!

The sexual chemistry between Sienna and the two men was off the charts. And the dynamics between the two men "fighting" over Sienna's affection, challenging each other, egging each other on, was the icing on the cake. It was intense and super-hot. And a very different kind of ménage compared to the themes in the other books of the series. This is what made this book stand out in the series and made it the best one! I will elaborate later in this review why without spoiling, which is very hard

Jess Dee's writing is just mesmerizing. It flows so smoothly and paints vivid images in your mind. It oozes wit and heat with a very down-to-earth vibe to it. The sex scenes are carnal, explicit and dirty in the best sense of the word. They are exquisitely written and I may have found another author trying to kill me with overheating while reading her sex scenes. Thanks, Jess!

I spent a great part of the book wondering if Sienna was going to have to choose between Ben and Josh and if so, who would she choose? In the end an emotional twist that I was expecting and yet dreading made it seem Sienna didn't have to choose at all and I thought that was that. But no, Jess Dee threw a final but major twist at me (one I was secretly hoping for) and she totally gave me what I wanted, taking that uniqueness of her ménage story to an even higher level. Not to mention making me cry my eyes out at the same time.

On top of that Jess also gave me the ending I wanted though I wasn't expecting it because it was not the safe, PC (romance-wise) path to take. So I applaud her for taking it anyway and giving me this awesome reading experience.

ISLAND IDYLLE is a more than worthy addition to the Bandicoot Cove series. With its own unique approach to the ménage theme it was definitely my favorite of the 4 books so far. It’s a perfect combination of explicit, luscious eroticism, heartbreaking emotions and awesome writing skills. It was an awesome, almost perfect, story that just checked all the right boxes with me. It moved me to tears, it aroused me to combustion and it resonated deeply, even after having finished reading it!

I hope the wait for the next Bandicoot Cove book won't take very long as I'm already in withdrawal.

Favorite Quotes:
“Josh?” she asked tentatively.
He nodded. “In the flesh.”
And, oh, dear Lord, what flesh it was. If the teenage Josh had made her blush like a fool, the very adult version made every nerve ending stand to attention. At sixteen, he’d been cute. At thirty, he was full-blown sex on a stick.

He looked downright lickable. Sienna could only thank her lucky stars the waitress arrived with her daiquiri at that moment. Otherwise, she would, without a doubt, have licked him.
Not all over. Just a little sample of his neck. And maybe his lips. And, if she could just get that T-shirt out of the way, then maybe a nipple as well.

Holy f#ck! She’d parted her lips for him, inviting his tongue in, leaving the hot, sweet cavern of her mouth open to his exploration.
Her taste hit him with the force of a cannonball, smashing into his chest, winding him. Sweet and tangy, like strawberries and rum. And salty, like the sea air. Innocence, mischief and…sadness, all rolled into one.

Did he want her sympathy? Tough! He wasn’t about to find it here. “Whose fault is that?” She didn’t wait for his reply. “How the hell do you think I felt all those times you had to work? All those times I pleaded with you to spend a little time together, and you said no? You think the loneliness wasn’t unbearable? You think it didn’t break my heart?” Uh-uh. Too subtle. “You think you didn’t break my heart?” Her hand shook as she pointed at him, jabbing his chest with her finger. “ You broke us. You broke you and me. If you’re feeling a little lonely now, there’s only one person to blame.”
Ben’s groan was guttural. “You’re right. About everything. I fucked up. I broke us. And I was too damn blind to understand it at the time.” He rapped his chest. “It was my fault.”

“Walk away, princess,” he whispered. “If you can.”
She shook her head, but before words could form in her mouth, telling him she couldn’t and she didn’t want to, hands fastened around her shoulders and twirled her around, out of Josh’s grasp.
“She doesn’t have to walk,” Ben snapped at Josh. “I’ll take her.”
And take her he did, straight into another kiss, just as forceful and just as exquisite as Josh’s.

“Kiss him,” Josh said in her ear. “Enjoy his mouth. But when you come, know who gave you this orgasm, because this time it won’t be your fiancé.”
O-orgasm? This time? What the—?
Before the thought could solidify, Ben tore his mouth from Sienna’s. “Touch her—and die!”

Watching Sienna kiss Ben had been a huge, freaking turn-on.
It shouldn’t have been. It should have made his c#ck shrivel up and die. It should have made him want her less. It hadn’t.

“That’s assuming I want to have a threesome with you,” Josh said, just as dangerously as before.
Screw the gentleman act. “Mate, you had your dick buried against my fiancée’s naked #ss, while she kissed me . You and I both know that had Sienna given you the okay, you would have buried it inside her #ss without a second thought. So don’t feed me your crap about me and threesomes.”

“Tell us what you want. You’re in control, baby. Lead us.”
Josh nodded, murmuring in her ear. “I’ll follow wherever you take us.”
The only trouble with their request was that it meant Sienna had to talk, and since she was a raging mass of hormones, a multi-pleasured sack of bones, speech was not all that easy.

“You created the magic, [SPOILER]. Not him. It sparked the second I saw you by the pool and exploded into something undeniable when we made love yesterday afternoon. [SPOILER] got caught up in our magic. Yours and mine. That’s why the sex was so good. It wasn’t about him, it was about us.”

Her heart belonged to him completely. Him, and no one else. And his mouth told her his heart belonged to her—and no one else. Which was a damn good thing, because Sienna was just as selfish as [SPOILER]. She too refused to share.

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Today is the start of the last leg of my Bandicoot Cove Experience (a feature on the Blog beween August 19th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee). I am sad to see this experience coming to an end (for now). I had a blast reading the books and hosting the authors with their posts. Three awesome authors, each in their own way, with their own writing styles and personalities. I feel honored to have been given this opportunity!

It's Jess Dee's turn to share a few teasers from her upcoming contribution to the series, ISLAND IDYLLE and I will add a snippet of my review and a few of my own favorite quotes to the mix. Bear in mind that this is just a selection of the quotes I had, the others are included in the upcoming review.

Coming up next:

• ARC-review of ISLAND IDYLL – Monday September 19th
• Jess Dee’s Guestpost – Wednesday September 21st

Please help me give a warm welcome to Jess Dee. Take the mic, Jess ;)

Tuesday, the 20th of September is a day I’ve been anticipating for almost a year now, Why? Because it’s the day Island Idyll, the final novella in the Bandicoot Cove Anthology, finally releases.
This book was written mostly between the hours of midnight and 2am, when the rest of the house—heck, the rest of Sydney—slept. So when Pearl asked if I could find a couple of quotes from the book I particularly liked, well, I got a little nervous. C‘mon. Have you ever reread stuff you’ve written in the wee hours of the morning? Admit it. More often than not, it doesn’t make much sense the next day.
Fortunately (or with thanks to my editor), I managed to find a couple of quotes that not only made sense, but they kind left me smiling. I hope they have that same effect on you.

:D

Jess

QUOTES

1) Was that a dolphin?
Uh, not likely, unless the dolphins living in this water were white, and Josh knew for a fact they weren’t. He’d swum out to a pod frolicking off the island just yesterday afternoon, and their sleek skins had been obviously grey. Varying shades of grey, yes, but still grey.
He blinked, looked again, and this time focused properly.
Ah, person. Not dolphin.
Woman, to be more specific.
Wha—? Wait. Naked woman!
Naked woman, wading through the water and…whooping?

2) Sienna had only had a crush on him the entire way through high school. She’d have shed her good-girl image in a second if even once he’d shown her any interest. Hell, she’d have tossed her much-cherished virginity aside in a heartbeat for just five minutes with him.

3) Ben was the only man she’d desired in eight years. Eight long years. She still desired him. That was a hard, unrelenting fact she couldn’t deny.
Yet sitting this close to Josh, with the salty, ocean air filling her nose and nothing but crystal water stretched out around them, her belly flipped from one side to the other. Hunger and lust coursed through her veins like an incoming tide. She wanted him. Wanted him with a fierceness that shook her.
Not Ben. Josh.

4) Don’t blush. Do not blush. “Know what I used to call you back in school?”
“Josh?” he hazarded.
“Nice try.” She rolled her eyes. “But wrong. I called you Josh Lie-With-Me.”
The eyebrow lifted higher.
“Because all I freaking wanted to do was lie with you. Even for just five minutes.”
He threw his head back and laughed out loud, the first genuine emotion he’d shown since he’d begun telling her his sorry story. “See, princess. That’s why you and I could never have worked. You and your angelic ways. You had a crush on me for five years, and all you wanted to do was lie with me?”
“No, you moronic halfwit. I had a crush on you for five years, and all I wanted to do, even if it only lasted five minutes, was fuck your brains out.”

5) God, Ben. He felt so damn good. So damn real. He was there. With her. The man she’d loved her entire adult life. Her best friend. Her lover. Her fiancé.
Her throat clogged with emotion. She’d missed him. Every minute of every day. His absence had left a gaping hole in her life. A bottomless pit of loneliness, and now he was there. With her. Again.

6) She ran her hands over the thick muscles in his arms, up over his shoulders. So broad. So secure. She’d always felt safe, protected when leaning against those massive shoulders.
She still did, although not quite so safe as she once had. The trust and the security had been ripped away. Finding it again, in its wholeness, would take a while.
What wouldn’t take a while was her utter sexual surrender to him. She could never refuse Ben. Never wanted to. Physically, she couldn’t wait to give herself to him. Emotionally…they’d have to see.

So those were Jess's teasers...Having read ISLAND IDYLLE I have quite a few quotes of my own to add to the mix, but first a snippet from the review that is coming Tuesday...This book totally blew me off my socks!

ISLAND IDYLLE is a more than worthy addition to the Bandicoot Cove series. With its own unique approach to the ménage theme it was definitely my favorite of the 4 books so far. It’s a perfect combination of explicit, luscious eroticism, heartbreaking emotions and awesome writing skills. It was an awesome, almost perfect, story that just checked all the right boxes with me. It moved me to tears, it aroused me to combustion and it resonated deeply, even after having finished reading it!

Some of my Favorite Quotes:

Of course she was swimming naked. Anyone with a body quite so bountiful and beautiful should swim naked. It should be written into Australian federal law. She should have the political right to display that body to every red-blooded male in the country.
Er, hell, no. She shouldn’t.
She should only display that body to him. And only ever in private, away from the prying eyes of any other hot-blooded male anywhere on earth.
Okay, so he wasn’t so close he could make out details like cup size and freckles, but his view was clear enough that his dick stood up for a look as well.
“Down boy,” he growled quietly. “No way I can run with a woody.” (Josh)

Sienna had been primed and ready for Josh. The idea that he might indulge in a little secret play in public had thrilled and excited her. True, it was Ben who’d taught her about the thrill of hiding in plain sight, who’d introduced her to the danger, the risk and the incredible exhilaration. But it was Josh whose touch she’d expected tonight. She’d responded readily, happily when he’d embraced and caressed her. And she’d felt comfortable, right in her response.

“You mistook me for another man?” Ben asked with a strange hollowness to his voice.
Sienna gaped at him. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’re not supposed to be holding me. Touching me.”
“And he is?” Ben asked with a soft snarl.
Yes! The answer was on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back. Her answer was not his concern. Once it would have been his concern. Now? No.
Didn’t mean his presence wasn’t making her heart pound a gazillion miles an hour. Didn’t mean she wasn’t breathing him in greedily, committing his scent to memory once again, shaking violently from his mere presence. His physical proximity had always affected her like this. Always made her want him so badly her muscles weakened.

“You want to go back to him? Then go,” Josh said. “I won’t stop you. I won’t get in your way. But you have to take those steps. You have to walk away from me in order to get to him. Can you do that?"
Without waiting for her response, he kissed her. With the full force of his Josh Lie-With-Me mouth. His lips consumed, his tongue seduced and his body molded to hers, reminding her of every delicious pleasure they’d shared that afternoon. Every mind-blowing orgasm, every titillating tease. Every laugh he’d wrung out of her and every tear she’d held inside upon learning about this childhood.

A jerk pulsed through her when a pair of hands settled on her hips. While Ben’s mouth devoured hers, the taste of chocolate rich and sweet on her tongue, Josh tugged gently, pulling her ass backwards by mere inches, until it rested against his pelvis, his erection pressing between her butt cheeks.

He straightened his legs, still standing behind her, but he kept his distance. If he brushed his dick against her ass, even once, he’d lose control and come in his damned pants.

Damn it, he could barely breathe as he looked at her. As he considered sharing her. Love for Sienna welled in his chest, constricting his lungs and his heartbeat.
She’d lost weight, felt different in his arms. But she still smelled like the woman he loved. Like roses in summer. Like a breath of fresh air. With her he felt like a whole man and not the hollow ghost he’d become after she left. (Ben)

In her entire life, Sienna had never been more aroused, more alive. She had never experienced such bone-deep pleasure. Had the world ended right then, Sienna would die a contented, happy woman.

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Tuesday marked the third release during this Bandicoot Cove Experience, a feature on the Blog beween August 25th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee. It was the release day of Lexxie Couper's TROPICAL SIN, a hot and emotional addition to the series, with a rock star who found a place in my heart! Click HERE for my review of TROPICAL SIN.

Today Lexxie tells us a little about the island where the resort is located and the myth of it's origin.

Coming up next:

• Preview of ISLAND IDYLL byJess Dee – Friday September 16th
• Review of ISLAND IDYLL – Monday September 19th
• Jess Dee’s Guestpost – Wednesday September 21st

Please help me give Lexxie a warm welcome and enjoy the myth of Bilby Island!

A Canadian, a South African and an Aussie walk into a luxurious island resort…

So far, Viv has told you why the Bandicoot Cove anthology is different and you’ve had the chance to discover the characters of Paradise Found (and met some of the characters from Tropical Sin and Island Idyll), but I’d like to tell you about the island itself.

Like the Bandicoot Cove anthology, Bilby Island is unlike any island you’ve experienced before. It truly is magical, you see.

All three of us could see the island in the mist surrounding it way back in 2010 when we began the journey together but it wasn’t until we “stood” on its previously untouched white sandy beaches that the magic began to seep into my consciousness. The original inhabitants of Australia speak of a spiritual time and place called the Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is as wonderful and surreal and evocative as it sounds, a place of unquantifiable beauty and mystery. A place where beings of unfathomable power and endless time create everything and everything creates unfathomable beings. Bilby Island is one such “everything”. Even now, the Dreamtime teaches those that are willing to listen the true soul of this country, its spirituality and the ways of life.

The story of Bilby Island’s birth in the Dreamtime is as romantic (and sad) as they come…

Once an empty bilby lay sleeping in the sweet green grass of a stolen burrow. The scent of the burrow spoke of patient longing and gentle hope and the bilby—tired after an eternity seeking his home—could not resist such a scent. He lay on the grass, its coolness soothing his weary paws, and drew into his body the life of the burrow.

As he slept, the burrow whispered to him of its creator, a sprite lost to the hungry sea serpent. The sea serpent—a giant being that devoured all it rolled over—had spied the sprite and wanted her gentle hope for itself. With the force of a single stroke from its powerful body, the sea serpent swept the lonely sprite into the sea and she was gone. When the bilby woke from his slumber, he knew the sprite was the home he had been seeking for all existence. She was his heart and his heart was lost to the waves.

The bilby, knowing she waited for him to find her in the sea serpent’s depths, walked from the land of his creation and swam out into the sea serpent’s prison. The bilby swam and swam, waiting for his heart to tell him when his home was near. When the water was at its cleanest and the sky at its bluest, the bilby knew he had found her.

But the sea serpent would not release the sprite, taunting the bilby with whispers of her voice calling him, teasing him with the caress of her kisses on his body as he swam. Such was the bilby’s love for his sprite however, that the bilby made a deal with the sea serpent. For his true heart’s freedom, the bilby would take her place. The sea serpent agreed and the sprite was released to the waves. The bilby watched her be carried away by the sea serpent’s wake, unable to follow.

But the sprite could not exist without the bilby and she returned to him, defying the sea serpent and hiding her kisses in a million perfect beads of glass she draped over the bilby’s form. Hiding her caresses and tears in the gentle stroke of every wave that lapped against the bilby’s body. Whispering her love in the breeze that ruffled through the bilby’s fur…until the whispered words formed trees and leaves and grass. The bilby heard it all, felt it all, lived it all and knew his heart was with him.

And it came to be that the passion and the love of the bilby and the sprite became the island, an island of ancient magic and timeless romance. It is said that those that walk on Bilby Island’s pristine sands, those that breathe its pure air, take into their souls the endless love and timeless passion of the bilby and his sprite and, if they listen, will find their heart and their home while there.

Bilby Island truly is magic…and Bandicoot Cove is the perfect place to lose yourself to it.

(*Please note: Bilby Island is a fictitious island…but who’s to say if it existed, the above tale is not how it would have come to be? *wink*)

Four stories, one setting, friends and lovers—Bandicoot Cove.

Tropical Sin, by Lexxie Couper

It takes more than a rock star to rock your world. Sometimes you need a friend.

McKenzie Wood is Australia’s star gossip mag journalist, and she’s just spied the story of a lifetime: rumor-shrouded rock star, Nick Blackthorne—who thinks he’s incognito at Bandicoot Cove resort. The word is Nick’s a sex addict about to come out of the closet, and who better to lure Nick out than her BFF, Aiden Rogers—a pulse-poundingly gorgeous firefighter who is always there when she needs him, no matter the challenge.

Aiden admits it’s pretty damned pathetic that he can rush into burning buildings, but not have the guts to tell McKenzie he’s in love with her. No way can he tell his best friend he’d like to do some seriously sinful things to her, especially since she’s never shown one iota of sexual interest.

Nick looks forward to some “unfamous” downtime in his home country. He’s surprised to find his creative muse stirred—more like brought to rigid attention—by a couple so sexy that all he can think about is the three of them. Together.

Three bodies move together as one, and the music becomes a smoldering beat that rivals the island’s heat. When the truth inevitably comes out, the heat might be enough to save three souls…or end up just another sinner’s lament.

Warning: One plus one plus one equals OMG sex, are-you-freaking-kidding-me orgasms and some serious mind-blowing climaxes.

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Tomorrow will be the release day for the third Bandicoot Cove book. This means today there's another Bandicoot Cove Experience (a feature on the Blog beween August 19th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee) post; an ARC-Review for this third book: TROPICAL SIN by Lexxie Couper.

Coming up next:

• Lexxie Couper’s Guestpost – Wednesday September 7th
• Preview of ISLAND IDYLL byJess Dee – Monday September 16th

It doesn’t take just a rock star to rock your world. Sometimes, it takes a best friend as well.

McKenzie Wood is Australia’s most notorious tabloid journalist. Trouble is, she’s not altogether happy in that position. It’s time to grow up and use her degree for serious work. When she spies rumor-shrouded rock star, Nick Blackthorne, a man far more sexy than he has a right to be, at the island resort, Bandicoot Cove, McKenzie knows this is her ticket out of the tabloid world. She just needs a little unorthodox help from her BFF, Aidan Rogers.

Aidan Rogers has been in love with McKenzie for sixteen years. Of course, he’s never told her that, which he has to admit, is pretty damn pathetic. But when it comes to McKenzie, he is a prisoner of his heart. It isn’t easy telling your best friend you’re madly, irrevocably in love with her and want to do sinfully, seriously non-friend like things to her. Especially when she’s never shown an iota of sexual interest in you.

Nick Blackthorne has his own secrets. Having spent the last two months in Germany, Nick jumps at his agent’s offer to spend some “unfamous” time at a new resort in his home country. Nick is surprised to find his creative muse stirred—and stirred greatly—by a very sexy couple he spies at Bandicoot Cove and it’s not long before all he can think about it all three of them. Together.
When three bodies move together as one, the music becomes a smoldering beat that rivals the tropical heat on the island. But will it be enough to save three souls? Or will it be just a sinner’s lament?

Warning: One plus one plus one equals OMG sex, are-you-freaking-kidding-me orgasms and some serious mind-blowing climaxes. And in amongst all this, two people discover they’re meant to be together and another finds the music of his soul once again.

Title: TROPICAL SIN
Author: Lexxie Couper
Series: Bandicoot Cove, book 3
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2011, September 6
Format: eBook
Source: received an e-ARC from author for review

First line:
“Holy shit!” McKenzie Wood grabbed at her best friend’s sleeve, almost yanking Aidan off his seat and into her lap.
Memorable Scenes:
- the song lyrics that come to Nick when he first sees Mac and Aidan > Wow! Fabulous scene!
- Nick asking for the threesome, asking them for just one day > so poignant it made my heart ache for Nick's need of intimacy
- Nick's performance > I have no words, I totally choked up at that scene


McKenzie 'Mac’ Wood is a journalist. She is working for a tabloid but wants to pursue a more serious path in journalism. She thinks she can do that by writing an exposé on Nick Blackthorne's (who happens to be at the soft opening of her friend’s resort) sexual tendencies. Mac is outspoken and incorrigible. Growing up with 6 brothers she’s used to banter and roughhousing with males and she has few inhibitions.

Aidan Rogers is a firefighter and Mack's best friend. He has been in love with her since forever but it takes a near-death experience and a famous rock star to convince him to admit it and finally fess up to Mac that he has more than friendly feelings for her.

I absolutely love the friends-to-lovers trope and especially when at first one of the main characters is all "why do I want to do my BFF all of a sudden?" and the other has had a crush on his BFF forever but doesn't dare tell her because he's afraid there's no reciprocation.

And just when Aidan and Mack decide to give in to the inevitable, there's Nick, desperate to be a part of the intense and strong intimacy between these two people who are so much in tune with each other. In the end there was an unexpected turn to the romance and won't say much about it as it could be a spoiler.

One thing was a tiny bit out of sync and that was the fact that Nick was such a larger than life character that there were times I had the feeling he took over from Aidan and Mack who should've been the main characters to focus on seeing how the story developed. This being said, I don’t think I minded it that much because Nick caught my attention the minute he sauntered onto the scene. All I want to say to Lexxie Couper is: somebody had better be getting his own story ;) (Meanwhile I’ve been informed that this story I’m yearning for is coming in April 2012…YAY)

In Lexxie Couper I have found another unabashed author of erotic romance. She tells it like it is and doesn't beat around the bush. She has this raw, carnal edge to her writing that pulls you in and makes you read on breathlessly.

TROPICAL SIN is a novella filled with heat, humor and unrequited love turning into a wonderful match of soul mates. If you need something to heat up a cold night, just read TROPICAL SIN and central heating will not be necessary!

Favorite Quotes*:
“Yeah, yeah, yeah—” she rolled her eyes, “—funny bastard, aren’t you? The last time anyone saw Nick Blackthorne, he was supposedly checking into a sex rehab clinic in Germany for being an addict.”
Aidan cocked an eyebrow. “Sex addict? The guy’s a bloody rock star. The biggest rock star this country has produced. Isn’t he meant to have sex with just about everything in a dress that throws herself at him?”

Aidan let out a sharp breath, turning back to their table and reaching for his beer. “McKenzie,” he said, his voice level, “we are at the soft opening of your friend’s resort. If you go all tabloid-journalist and stalk a guest, Kylie will kill you. Then I will have to explain to Mason why I let his twin sister get killed. And then Mason will probably try to punch me.”

She’d met him in her second year of high school when his family had moved to Newcastle. The minute he’d walked into the science lab, towering over just about every boy in the class, and the teacher as well, she’d smiled. It had nothing to do with the way he looked—which even at fourteen she knew was pretty damn good. She’d smiled because his eyes said, there’s mischief to be had. Who wants in?

It wasn’t the fact he was here, at the soft opening of the resort, that made him happy, nor the fact he was walking around without a minder or bodyguard or groupie to be seen. It was simply because the woman laughing behind him had a delightfully throaty, infectious laugh.
He stopped himself from shooting a look over his shoulder, concentrating instead on finding the correct passageway that would lead him to the Oasis Bar. He was a touch jetlagged and needed something more than coffee to wake up.
A touch? You’ve been on one plane or the other for the last three days. You’re more than jetlagged, you’re jet-fucking-dragged-through-the-turbines stoned.

His prick twitched in his jeans and he scowled, turning away from the young lovers. There was a time he’d have walked straight on up to them and suggested something far more depraved than either could probably imagine. Something very dirty and very enjoyable. That time had passed, however.

McKenzie’s head swam. Hot fingers of raw sensations threaded through her, twisting and turning through the center of her heat as Aidan made love to her mouth.

“I haven’t heard music, lyrics, for a long time. Too long to remember.” He let out a ragged sigh. “I haven’t felt alive for a long time either. I’ve been dead inside for so long I’d forgotten what it was like to feel anything . But the second I heard McKenzie laugh—” he closed his eyes for a moment, an expression of sheer rapture crossing his face, “—the second I saw her in your arms…”

He stared at the man on the verge of sexual implosion, and—a mere heartbeat from destruction himself—felt McKenzie’s sex contract. (Nick)

What happened after Nick Blackthorne left their lives and it was just the two of them again? Aidan the fiery and Mack the journo? What happened then?
What happens if Nick doesn’t want to leave, Rogers? What happens if he decides he wants McKenzie for himself? What do you do then? How do you compete with the world’s biggest rock star with a dick the size of a rhino’s?

She kissed him back, her tongue mating with his, fierce and demanding and ferocious. Everything McKenzie-ish. And everything McKenzie-ish was everything he loved.

Love. Such a raw, inescapable, ungovernable emotion. Complicated and fraught with great moments of absolute terror, love was the single most wonderful gift a person could experience.

*I used some in the Preview Post last Friday, these are the ones that I had also marked as favorites but decided to leave for the review ;)


Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Today my Bandicoot Cove Experience (a feature on the Blog beween August 19th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee) continues.
Today Lexxie Couper shares a few teasers from her upcoming contribution to the series,TROPICAL SIN and I will add a few of my favorite quotes to the mix.

Coming up next:

• My ARC-Review of TROPICAL SIN by Lexxie Couper – Monday September 5th
• Lexxie Couper’s Guestpost – Wednesday September 7th

Take it away Lexxie,


Being a True Blue, fair dinkum Aussie (translation: a proud and patriotic Australian citizen), I may be a little biased when I say there’s nothing as sexy and seductive as a smolderingly hot Aussie hero. But then again, maybe I’m just speaking the truth?

That being the question, are you ready for more Aussie heat from Bandicoot Cove Resort?

He looked up at her, his jaw square, his expression unreadable. He’d been her best friend since before she had her first boyfriend. He’d been her rock, her anchor. Her voice of reason when her journalist’s mind got carried away with her. She didn’t want him upset with her. She needed him with her on this.
He studied her with those deep, direct eyes of his. Eyes that missed nothing. Eyes that seemed to see nothing in the world but her.
A soft flutter constricted in McKenzie’s sex, unexpected and just as eager as her earlier response to Blackthorne.
She hitched in a silent breath and let his arm go, a lump forming in her throat. “Please,” she muttered, looking everywhere but at the man sitting before her. “Please come with me, Aidan.”
“Fuck it,” she heard him grumble, half a second before his chair scraped over the polished bamboo floor and he stood.



*****
“He said no.”
“No?” She scrambled from her chair, her heart beating harder. Faster. “How could he say no? How could anyone with a pulse say no to you?”
Aidan’s face became still, a small muscle twitching in his jaw. “I don’t know, Mack. How can you?”
McKenzie’s heart didn’t just thump harder in her chest. It tried to smash its way out of her chest cavity. She looked up at him, lost for a thing to say.
“Ah, fuck it.” The words were almost a guttural growl. In two steps he destroyed the small space left between them, pressed his large hands on either side of her face and took her lips with his.



*****
Without a word, Aidan removed the scarf from Nick’s hand, stepping behind McKenzie, towering over her.
Nick took his place in front of her, his gaze holding hers as Aidan slid his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, the scarf held loosely between his fingers, caressing her skin as he reached her wrists.
“You trust him, don’t you?” Nick’s balls rose at the concentrated want in McKenzie’s direct blue eyes.
He saw Aidan become still, his head bent, his body pressed close to McKenzie’s back, as if he needed to hear an answer he already knew. Perhaps, with Nick there, he did.
A small smile pulled at the corners of McKenzie’s mouth. “I trust him.”
Nick’s balls throbbed and he took a step closer, letting his denim-clad thighs brush her naked ones. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” She drew in a deep breath, the action causing her nipples to graze the front of his shirt and his balls didn’t just throb, they ached. “I do. Besides, I know Aidan will break you in two if you do anything to hurt me.”
Nick chuckled. “True.”
Aidan’s gaze flicked up to his. “True,” he said softly just as McKenzie’s gasp filled the room and her body stiffened.
Nick’s pulse thumped harder in his chest, her reaction telling him exactly what Aidan had done: tied the scarf around her wrists. Bound them together. Rendering her vulnerable.
Fuck, yes.

So, what do you think? Sexy and seductive? Or am I just a tad too biased? ;)

Bandicoot Cove awaits you. Where Paradise can be Found, the Island is Idyll and the Tropical heat makes for pleasurable Sin…

So those were Lexxie's teasers...Having read TROPICAL SIN I have a few quotes of my own to add to the mix, but first a snippet from the review that is coming Tuesday...

TROPICAL SIN is a novella filled with heat, humor and unrequited love turning into a wonderful match of soul mates. If you need something to heat up a cold night, just read TROPICAL SIN and central heating will not be necessary!

Some of my Favorite Quotes:

Aidan’s low grumble played over her senses and she started, her stomach tightening again. And not just her stomach this time, but all sorts of other parts of her anatomy: parts of her anatomy that had no right getting tight over Aidan Rogers.

Aidan pulled McKenzie—still squirming in his arms—harder to his body. It was a bad idea, of course. The way her toned backside kept rubbing against his dick, the way her full breasts kept pushing against his forearm, he was going to be in a rather stiff situation any second now. Better that, however, than Blackthorne taking a swipe at the tabloid journalist bugging him on his holiday. If that happened, Aidan was likely to do something very foolish. Knocking out the world’s most famous musician wasn’t on his bucket list.
(...) Just get her outta here, Rogers. Take her as far away from him as you can. Now. Before she bites your hand or you come on the small of her back.

“I came to ask…” Nick paused, rubbing at his mouth with a hand before raking it through his hair; hair, Aidan couldn’t help but notice, much more messy than it had been at the bar. “I wanted…” He let out a harsh breath, shaking his head and stepping backward. “F#ck,” he muttered, turning his face away, “where’s the cool f#cking rock star when I need him?”

“Arousing,” Nick growled, and it was a growl. Guttural and barely controlled, it was the horniest sound Aidan had ever heard a man make. “So damn arousing.”

“Was it good?” Kylie gushed, her excitement thrumming through the connection. “Tell me it was good. Tell me it was amazing. Oh, my God, tell me you’re going to do it again. And again. And again.”
With a small, lopsided smile, Aidan reached out and took the phone from McKenzie’s fingers, raising it to his ear. “And again,” he said into the mouthpiece, his voice a deep rumble that sent a shard of wet electricity into McKenzie’s core. “Now excuse us, will you Kylie? There’s somewhere I have to take Mack. And something I have to do to her. Again.”

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Tuesday marked the first release date of this Bandicoot Cove Experience, a feature on the Blog beween August 25th and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee. It was the release day of Vivian Arend's PARADISE FOUND and the freebie EXOTIC INDULGENCE, which kicks off the series with an sizzling hot introduction. My review of EXOTIC INDULGENCE can be found HERE and click HERE for my review of PARADISE FOUND

Today Vivian introduced the series to you and tells us a little about its origin and what it's like to work on a series with two fellow authors.

Coming up next:

• Preview of TROPICAL SIN by Lexxie Couper – Friday September 2nd
• My ARC-Review of TROPICAL SIN by Lexxie Couper – Monday September 5th
• Lexxie Couper’s Guestpost – Wednesday September 7th

The floor is yours, Viv!

There’s a lot more heat in the air and it started Tuesday. Welcome to Bandicoot Cove, where myself and my two fellow authors take you away with some wonderful new friends, an exciting exotic location, and passionate love.

When we started talking, Jess Dee, Lexxie Couper and I, about writing an anthology together, the opening conversation was pretty much OH MY GOD, yes, lets do it! The exact details of the world changed a little as we progressed, but what I think is the most spectacular part of the experience, is how things progressed to a very unique, and very appropriate conclusion for us three friends.

See, we didn’t just write three books with a common theme. You’ve seen anthologies like this—and there’s nothing wrong with them—like three books that are all ménages, or three books that are all steampunk. You might have even seen books that are set in the same place—Liquid Silver Books has a series like this in the Strange Hollow world.

Well, we have a common theme in our books—and yes, it’s ménage. We have an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous common setting: Bilby Island off the Queensland coast of Australia where Bandicoot Cove’s exclusive resort is set. But we went one farther. All three of our novellas and the free short story also have overlapping characters, and those characters weave in and out of the other stories. So while the books all stand alone, you’ll get glimpses of familiar characters at other moments as they interact and enjoy the soft opening of the resort.

PARADISE FOUND is my offering to the anthology. In it, Trent (younger brother of Kylie from the free read EXOTIC INDULGENCE) and Mason (twin to McKenzie from TROPICAL SIN) have been enjoying a year of wild adventuring in and out of the sack with Paige. They have plans to move their sexual relationship to something more, not aware that Paige is planning on leaving within the week. Leaving before she confesses she’s broken the rules and fallen in love—with them both.

You don’t have to read the short story first to enjoy PARADISE FOUND. In fact, you don’t have to read any of the books in order- they are deliberately written to be spoiler free. Only you’ll have to wait until September for TROPICAL SIN and ISLAND IDYLL.

Trust me, the wait will be worth it.
---

Fate is a wind that can change at the drop of a heart…

Bandicoot Cove, Book 2

Paige has enjoyed every no-strings-attached minute with her two Australian lovers, Trent and Mason. Over the past eleven months, they’ve surfed, hiked…and explored their seemingly limitless sexual chemistry.

Her lovers’ invitation to the opening of a new resort comes at the ideal time, because in a few days she’s returning to Canada. It’ll be a fitting swan song for their easygoing relationship. A chance to fulfill a few fantasies and then escape before her men realize she’s broken the rules by falling in love with them both. Better to take flight than be forced to choose.

Unaware of Paige’s self-imposed deadline, Trent and Mason scheme to get Paige on their yacht for a once-in-a-lifetime voyage with one goal in mind: break the news that they’re ready for something more than casual—and hope she doesn’t run like hell.

It’s a delicate operation that’ll require close attention to which way her emotional winds are blowing. One wrong word, and their paradise-perfect arrangement could be lost in an instant.

Warning: This book starts with the heat turned way up high. Two men entirely focused on one woman’s pleasure. One woman stepping outside the box to please her men. An exotic resort suite featuring an erotic piece of furniture that makes ménage a trois even hotter than usual. Really.

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Tomorrow marks the first release date of the Bandicoot Cove Experience, a feature on the Blog beween now and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee. And it's a twofer! Because not only does Vivian Arend's PARADISE FOUND come out, there's also the freebie EXOTIC INDULGENCE, which kicks off the series with an sizzling hot introduction. My review of EXOTIC INDULGENCE can be found HERE

Today I have my ARC-review of PARADISE FOUND for you to enjoy. My only warning for this book: Have a tall glass of ice-water ready once you start reading this one! It's smokin' hot!!

Coming up next:

• Vivian Arend’s Guestpost on PARADISE FOUND and the series – Thursday August 25th
• Preview of TROPICAL SIN by Lexxie Couper – Friday September 2nd
• My ARC-Review of TROPICAL SIN by Lexxie Couper – Monday September 5th

Fate is a wind that can change at the drop of a heart…

Paige has enjoyed every no-strings-attached minute with her two Australian lovers, Trent and Mason. Over the past eleven months, they’ve surfed, hiked…and explored their seemingly limitless sexual chemistry.

Her lovers’ invitation to the opening of a new resort comes at the ideal time, because in a few days she’s returning to Canada. It’ll be a fitting swan song for their easygoing relationship. A chance to fulfill a few fantasies and then escape before her men realize she’s broken the rules by falling in love with them both. Better to take flight than be forced to choose.

Unaware of Paige’s self-imposed deadline, Trent and Mason scheme to get Paige on their yacht for a once-in-a-lifetime voyage with one goal in mind: break the news that they’re ready for something more than casual—and hope she doesn’t run like hell.

It’s a delicate operation that’ll require close attention to which way her emotional winds are blowing. One wrong word, and their paradise-perfect arrangement could be lost in an instant.

Warning: This book starts with the heat turned way up high. Two men entirely focused on one woman’s pleasure. One woman stepping outside the box to please her men. An exotic resort suite featuring an erotic piece of furniture that makes ménage a trois even hotter than usual. Really

Title: PARADISE FOUND
Author: Vivian Arend
Series: Bandicoot Cove, book 2
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2011, August 23
Format: eBook
Source: Received e-ARC from author for review

First line:
Trent dropped the engraved invitation back into his shirt pocket and dug out the access code he’d been given for the computerized keypad.
Memorable Scenes:
- Mason's entry into the story, misinterpreting the role play > awesomely written
- Paige and Trent baking and naming a heavenly dessert for a wedding at the resort > perfect example of the excellent mix of humor and heat
- the erotic piece of furniture scene > all I could think was OMG Viv, OMG!



Paige Kingston is a pastry chef who’s adventurous, bold, uninhibited, sensual, and headstrong. Her guys are two yummy Aussies: Trent Sullivan, a customs inspector and Kylie's younger brother (Kylie is heroine of book 1). Trent is passionate, wild, a talker (exactly how I like ‘em!). He’s also a little dominating and a little rough around the edges. And then we have Mason Wood, a writer of erotic romance novels (YAY!). He’s impulsive, gentle, protective, and chivalrous.

Paige is a Canadian pastry chef on an Australian adventure for over a year and during that adventure she's also explored sexually, getting hot and heavy with not one but two gorgeous guys. But her adventures are coming to an end as she's about to head back to Canada
Trent and Mason are best friends and both in love with Paige and while she is planning and sad about her departure they are planning how to keep her with them forever, taking it from casual to permanent.

The (sexual) dynamics between Trent, Paige and Mason is awesome. Paige likes to be dominated a bit by Trent but with Mason it's she who likes to be the one calling the shots and giving the commands. And yet Mason seems the one more sure about their feelings for Paige whereas Trent seemed to be a tad more uncertain about the future and hesitant to dive in with both feet at first.

I loved the secondary cast and their introduction into the book. Most of them are the main characters in the other books and they form a group of family and friends that I know I am going to have an awesome time with reading their stories. I really liked how they were subtly introduced without intruding on the main characters of this book.

Viv's writing suits me so well. The way she's able to suck me into her stories every time is not only because of the tropes but also because of her easy, fluent and crisp writing. Lots of fabulous dialogues, no heavy-duty stuff yet still enough going on to hook me emotionally. And the humor, OMG, the humor is so on point and so my kind of humor I read her books with a either a big smile on my face or laughing out loud in between fanning away the hot flashes.

I love that Vivian Arend started the book in the here and now and with a sexual bang and then goes back and subtly inserts back-stories and there's even a flashback of how the three of them met. I love that as it gives the characters depth, keeps the pace fast and yet you get the full story feel even if it is a fairly short (novella-length) story/book.

What I also love is Vivian Arend's approach of the ménage trope. Next to all the hot sexy times she never lets the characters go into a permanent threesome mindlessly. There are doubts and insecurities that make her characters likeable, keeps them down-to-earth and easy to relate to and it they make her ménages realistic and less ultimate fantasy-like.

PARADISE FOUND is explicit, so if you're looking for sweet non-smutty romance without words like c#ck, f#ck or p#ssy...turn the other way because it will not be for you. However if you're okay with explicitness and ménages (like I am) you will gobble this one up. This book was so hot it made me think sexual stuff even when they weren't talking about sex. An example:

A resounding groan slipped from his mate’s lips, and Mason chuckled under his breath as Trent popped the top button of his trousers and stretched his legs under the table.
“I’m going to explode,” Trent complained.

Guess where my dirty mind went...
And then:

Paige shook her head in mock sympathy. “Really? Why does that not surprise me? Wait, let me guess. Maybe it was the four helpings of crepes you hoovered down? Or the six-egg omelet?”
“I think it was the tarts. I’ve never seen a selection of pastries like that before.”

So much for my dirty mind... :)

If EXOTIC INDULGENCE (the freebie first book) was the appetizer that started off this indulgent and yummy meal of ménages that is Bandicoot Cove, then PARADISE FOUND was the entrée that makes me look forward to the main course with bated breath. As far as ménages go, this series is definitely going to be a the top of my favorites list and Vivian Arend has set the bar high for her fellow authors in this series.

Favorite Quotes:
“Touch yourself.”
Paige instantly covered her breasts.
He rumbled with laughter. “That’s not what I meant.”

Trent rose from the ground. All six-foot-four of him looked pissed, although with his dick hanging out of his pants, a little of the overall intimidation factor was lost. Mason snickered in spite of fearing he might be smacked in return.

Mason picked her up and returned the squeeze as he attempted to ignore the soft swell of her breasts peeking above the low scoop of her top. Tried to refrain from grinding his half-hard c#ck against her body and rutting on her like a sex-crazed maniac. It was tough considering the moment her knees left the mattress she’d swung her legs around his hips and now clung to him, an erotic body wrap. The wet heat of her sex sat directly over his dick, and things were not getting any less impressed below his beltline.

Mason kissed her, drawing a moan of satisfaction from her in the way he made love to her mouth. He really was the most fantastic kisser. Plus all the other things he did with that mouth—sinfully good.

As she pulled on her swimsuit, her thoughts whirled.
Was she going to enjoy the weekend? Physically, she had no doubts that she’d be sated and completely satisfied long before their time together ended. Emotionally? She needed to brace her few remaining walls, or the coming heartache was going to kill her.

Paige snatched his wrist in both her hands and actually bounced with excitement. “We’re going to the water slide. You want to come?”
Jesus. No . Sliding with his c#ck the size of a cricket bat he was liable to put out an eye.

Trent’s jaw swung open. “Holy f#ck, are you hitting on me?”
“No! Bloody hell, I mean with Paige. I see no reason why we can’t both be with her, for good. If she wants a marriage license to make it official, that’s fine with me, but I don’t care if it’s your name on the piece of paper next to hers, or mine. There’s enough room for me to care for her, and you—in a totally nonsexual way—and I just…” Mason trailed off. The look of amusement on Trent’s face pissed him off a little. “What?”
Trent sniffed dramatically. “My first marriage proposal. Mason, I’m touched.”

“Kylie was appreciative, although also a little distracted.”
“That makes sense. She’s responsible for a lot right now.”
Her laughter increased. “Oh yeah, I’m sure that broom closet I saw her getting dragged into by Mr. Tall, Dark and Studly was high on the priority list for the soft opening.”

She ran a finger along the edge of the bowl, scooped up a smear of the chocolate sauce onto her fingertip and offered it to him.
[...] He sucked her finger into his mouth and moaned. The dessert was tasty, but having her finger to suck and tease, to be able to watch her eyes widen and hear her breath catch as he twirled his tongue around the digit? Torture.

Mason leaned in on her right, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. He stared at her legs before giving a low growl. “I’m so going to strip those stockings off with my teeth.”

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence

Yesterday my ARC-review of EXOTIC INDULGENCE kicked off the Bandicoot Cove Experience, a feature on the Blog beween now and and September 21st with Previews, ARC-reviews and Guestposts from the authors Vivian Arend, Lexxie Couper and Jess Dee.
Today Vivian Arend tells us a bit about her upcoming contribution to the series, PARADISE FOUND, with teasers and I will add a few of my favorite quotes to the mix.

Coming up next:

• My ARC-Review of PARADISE FOUND – Monday August 22nd
• Vivian Arend’s Guestpost on PARADISE FOUND and the series – Thursday August 25th

Take it away Viv,


Looking forward to some Down Under Heat?
---


This coming Tuesday a very special place in the world opens its doors to you. Take a trip to Bandicoot Cove, where the exclusive resort provides a place for more than just fun and relaxation. It’s somewhere you’ll find the perfect setting for passion, lust and falling in love.


Three linked novellas will be released August and September—stories that stand alone but intertwine with each other as well. And just to get you in the mood, there’s a free short story prequel, Exotic Indulgence, that gives you a glimpse of the resort and just how hot things really can get down-under.


I’ll tell you more on Thursday, but here’s a few teasers from my book PARADISE FOUND, both out next Tuesday.

The feather duster wasn’t nearly as intriguing as the five-inch heels gracing her long legs. And when she walked, her ass wiggled from side to side in time with the lusty song she sang. Dirty words, nicely in tune with the thoughts running through his brain. Oh, she could take it off if she wanted to. He’d have no complaints.
Bloody brilliant woman.
Trent pushed the door open and stepped into the entranceway. Paige twirled and straightened with a gasp, her long black braids flying as one hand snapped up to cover her mouth like some old-fashioned modest heroine. The laughter and smoldering heat in her eyes said there was nothing modest about what she wanted.

~~~
Oh God, she could kiss. All his plans to start a more serious discussion evaporated as she kissed her way up his jaw line to his ear and teased with her tongue.
“Damn it, woman, that drives me crazy.”
She nipped at his earlobe. “I know. That’s why I do it.” The words whispered past Mason’s ear, and he chuckled.

~~~
Paige shrugged the soft blouse from her shoulders, letting it flutter to the floor before reaching for the snap on her skirt. Trent swallowed the rest of his words as lust raced over his face, his gaze glued to her fingers.
Powerful. There was nothing on earth comparable to holding two passionate men in the palm of her hand like this.

So those were Viv's teasers...I have read PARADISE FOUND and I have a few quotes of my own to add to the mix, but first a snippet from the review that is coming Tuesday...

...From the first page Vivian Arend doesn't let down on the heat. A luscious hotel room and a little maid/guest roleplay was just the start for some scorching scenes. Just the kissing scenes set me on fire, let alone all the rest of it...

...PARADISE FOUND is explicit, so if you're looking for sweet non-smutty romance without words like c#ck, f#ck or p#ssy...turn the other way because it will not be for you. However if you're okay with explicitness and ménages (like I am) you will gobble this one up...

Some of my Favorite Quotes:

“Touch yourself.”
Paige instantly covered her breasts.
He rumbled with laughter. “That’s not what I meant.”

Mason picked her up and returned the squeeze as he attempted to ignore the soft swell of her breasts peeking above the low scoop of her top. Tried to refrain from grinding his half-hard c#ck against her body and rutting on her like a sex-crazed maniac. It was tough considering the moment her knees left the mattress she’d swung her legs around his hips and now clung to him, an erotic body wrap. The wet heat of her sex sat directly over his dick, and things were not getting any less impressed below his beltline.

Paige snatched his wrist in both her hands and actually bounced with excitement. “We’re going to the water slide. You want to come?”
Jesus. No . Sliding with his c#ck the size of a cricket bat he was liable to put out an eye.

Trent’s jaw swung open. “Holy fuck, are you hitting on me?”
“No! Bloody hell, I mean with Paige. I see no reason why we can’t both be with her, for good. If she wants a marriage license to make it official, that’s fine with me, but I don’t care if it’s your name on the piece of paper next to hers, or mine. There’s enough room for me to care for her, and you—in a totally nonsexual way—and I just…” Mason trailed off. The look of amusement on Trent’s face pissed him off a little. “What?”
Trent sniffed dramatically. “My first marriage proposal. Mason, I’m touched.”

Mason leaned in on her right, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. He stared at her legs before giving a low growl. “I’m so going to strip those stockings off with my teeth.”

Buy links: Samhain | Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend | Lexxie Couper | Jess Dee | Bandicoot Cove
Paradise Found | Tropical Sin | Island Idyll | Exotic Indulgence