Saturday, June 29, 2013

Review: Bound Temptations


Bound Temptations
by
Shiloh Walker

Genre: Erotic Romance
Source: Won from a contest on the author's blog.
Rating: Overall: /10; Tempt Me: 9/10; Beg Me: 6/10
Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble ~ Books-A-Million ~ IndieBound ~ Book Depository
Content Warnings: cussing, explicit sex, BDSM, minor amount of violence (mostly in flashback form)

Print edition of two previously released ebooks, TEMPT ME and BEG ME

TEMPT ME
She’s a temptation he can’t resist…

Roxanne ‘Rocki’ Monroe’s life is full of secrets and hidden heartaches. Cole Stanton would love to heal her pain and chase away the ghosts of her past, but she’s just a complication he doesn’t have room for in his life.

Or so he thinks.

It doesn’t take Cole long to realize he’s more than willing to let temptation get the best of him, more than happy to deal with complications if that’s what it takes to get her.

What he has and what he needs are two different things…and what he needs is Rocki.


BEG ME

Beg me…there had been a time when those words made her burn with desire. But now, there was only fear.

Once, Tania Sinclair’s life was almost perfect…But a couple of tragedies later, she’s barely holding it together. A car accident took away her husband, and an attack from somebody she should have been able to trust has shaken not only her confidence, but it’s also stripped away her fantasies and even made it painful to look back on her memories of her husband without fear.

Two years after her attack, Tania is determined to take her life back and the first step is taking back herself…her fantasies, her dreams, her memories. There’s only one person she can trust to do it, too. One person she wants enough…Drake Bennett, her husband’s best friend.


Warning: This book involves light bondage play, rape fantasy & role-playing. The acts between the hero & heroine are consensual, but they may not be ideal for all readers…


Book blurb from Goodreads

I read tons of teasers and snippets for these two novellas while Ms. Walker was writing/working on them, so I was eager to read both stories. I liked the first story, Tempt Me, much more than I liked the second story. I still liked Beg Me, but, well, I'm thinking I may steer clear of BDSM books for a bit.

What I Liked:

Tempt Me

  • Rocki - She is an awesome character who really came alive during the story.
  • Lacey, Rocki's best friend - She's just as snarky and outspoken as I am. She needs her own story. ^_^
  • Lush & Lace, Rocki's lingerie store - I wish this existed, especially considering the setting.
  • the setting - Asheville, NC! I was born there and have lived just outside of the city for all but three years of my life. I didn't realize until halfway or so that this was the setting, but it made me happy when I did.

Beg Me

  • Drake - great character, realistic I think. (Reading this story made me realize where I'd gotten the name Drake for the main character of my current WIP - the snippets I read on Ms. Walker's blog!)
  • Tania - she was portrayed realisticly. She went through so much. I cried reading some of the story she told Drake about the night her fantasies were stolen.
  • their connection - it felt like it had been building for a while, though Tania didn't realize it.


What I Didn't Like:

Tempt Me

  • Cole - At times, I loved him. But, really, why was he with Mara for so long? How did he not see her true nature?
  • Mara - "the bitch of High Street" and Cole's former fiancee. We're not supposed to like her, but I don't understand why she acted the way she did. Of course, it was perfectly realistic. I know people who act like that in real life. I don't like them either.
  • the rushed romance between Rocki and Cole - probably due, at least in part, to the novella format. Still, though, it was way too fast. Way, WAY too fast.
  • a couple of details about the setting - where is High Street? And Molly Flannagan's (the pub that Rocki and Cole visited once)? (Hannah Flannagan's, I've heard of; I know where it is. Never heard of the other.) Nitpicky, yes, but this is my hometown. And I know Ms. Walker has visited before.

Beg Me

  • Gail, Tania's mother-in-law - BITCH. That's all I can say about her.
  • anal sex - it seriously creeps me out. I mean, I've read it before and it didn't bother me so much. This scene, though, just weirded me out. Why? I've no idea.


Knowing What I Know Now, Would I Read This Book?

Yes, I would. But I'd probably skim a certain scene in Beg Me.

Should You Read This Book?

Maybe. If you like erotic romance, then yes. If not, skip it.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: The House of Hades



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

My choice for the week:

The House of Hades
(Heroes of Olympus, #4)

by
Rick Riordan

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus


Release Date: 8 October 2013


Okay, confession time: I haven't actually read book 3 in this series (Mark of Athena), but I know I'll like it. I loved the first two books in this series, and all of the Percy Jackson series, which is set just previous to this series. My husband keeps telling me I need to read it already. I'll read it before book 4 releases. (I hope.) ^_^

Monday, June 24, 2013

Stacking the Shelves II


Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme for sharing the books you have recently added to your shelves. It is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


Sorry for the longish gap in blogging. I have four reviews pretty much finished, I just need to add book covers and blurbs.

Links are to the book on Goodreads.

For Review
Purchased:
Free:
I've gotten several other books free, but I don't remember all of them. The ones listed are either ones I have read or gotten recently.