Review - Duty & Devotion by Tere Michaels

Title: Duty & Devotion

Author: Tere Michaels

Publisher: Loose Id, LLC

Buy Duty & Devotion Here!


Rating: You Gotta Read


Reviewed by: Patchcat


After their happily ever after in Faith & Fidelity, Matt and Evan move forward to a new chapter of their lives – inside the bedroom and out – with some surprises in store for both. Evan struggles with labels and feelings even as he wants to give in to his baser desires. Matt, now the ideal househusband of Queens, New York, has his own set of struggles – who is he now? What does he need and want?

A visit from his friend and one-night stand Jim Shea (of Love & Loyalty) throws everything into disarray as Evan’s jealousy and unease push Matt’s buttons – and not always in a good way.

This is the third installment in Tere Michael’s Faith, Love, and Devotion series, and it’s just as good as the other two titles. In fact, I’d almost say it’s the best one yet. Ms. Michaels’ writing just keeps getting better, and her characters keep growing.

This book centers once again on Matt and Evan, two formerly straight men who find each other and fall, rather unexpectedly, in love. The beginnings of their romance are detailed in Faith & Fidelity, the first book in this series and another title that I highly recommend checking out.

Duty & Devotion picks up right where Faith & Fidelity left off. We get to see that, while Matt and Evan may be back together, everything isn’t all sunshine and roses, and Evan’s insecurities and uncertainties haven’t all dissolved like dust in the wind just because he has Matt back. Although he does resolve to do better and not screw this up, it’s obvious that it’s going to be a long road ahead.

I think one of the many reasons I like these books and these characters so much is that they are very real. They have real issues and real hang-ups and they go about solving them – or obsessing over them in Evan’s case (Oh, Evan. I just wanna cuddle you and squeeze you and tell you that everything is going to be okay…when I don’t want to smack you upside the head for being an idiot and insist that you please to be getting over it and letting it go~oo) – just like a regular person would. They also annoy the ever-living crap out of each other while they’re doing it. I love that there’s no magic bullet, no wand that gets waved and suddenly all is well here. These guys have to muddle through just like the rest of us.


Something that really struck me in this book was the intimacy between these characters. Sex wasn’t the be-all, end-all of their relationship. Yeah, it was there and it was hot, but it didn’t always go as planned…and that was okay – both for me and for the characters themselves. I loved that Evan was allowed to work things out in his own time. It added a lot of depth to both his character and to the story itself.

Overall, this book is a very solid You Gotta Read. It’s sweet, it’s endearing, it’s well-developed, and the characters are awesomely human and real. Go read it. You’ll be glad you did.

Review - Instructing Emily by Lyla Sinclair

Title: Instructing Emily

Author: Lyla Sinclair

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

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Rating: You Need to Read


Reviewed By: Janelle


Graduate student Emily Brooks wishes she were going to a romantic rendezvous with Professor Mark Kendall. Instead, she’s heading to his office to salvage her grade-point average, since she was too distracted by his hotness to pass some of his tests. When the professor realizes Emily wants more than a passing grade, he agrees to retest her—while he administers some new, very pleasurable distractions.

When Emily passes, Mark invites her to his house for the weekend and she’s thrilled that her romantic dreams are finally coming true. However, once there, she learns he expects her to be his sex slave. His touch is too exquisite to resist and his demands and dominance become more and more exciting as the weekend progresses. But is this all part of a bigger test? And if she passes, will she get the one thing she’s wanted for years?


This story is a pretty standard erotica with just enough plot to flesh out the characters a bit. The back stories of the two characters help give their motivation and makes for a rather sweet ending. I like that the emotional issues both characters are going through, something that is often left out of this kind of story.

The sex is creative and fun and varies from vanilla to kind of kinky. This story is definitely one that can please a variety of tastes.

Overall, a good before bed read.

Review - Unwanted Desire by Aubrey Ross

Title: Alpha Colony: Unwanted Desire

Author: Aubrey Ross

Publisher: Changling Press

Buy Unwanted Desire Here!


Rating: You Need to Read


Reviewed By: Janelle


When Barbary Pride lions are blamed for the brutal murder of a she-wolf-shifter, animosity flares and tempers ignite. In a moment of desperation, the victim's mate kidnaps Jizette and threatens to return her, one piece at a time, until the murderer is turned over to Timberline pack.

Kage is afraid his grief-stricken friend will follow through with his grisly threat, so he hides the terrified cat, giving her pride time to investigate the murder. Jizette isn't sure what to think of her rescuer. He's gruff and aggressive, and stirs feelings she doesn't want to feel. Interspecies couples are shunned. Forbidden. Yet, the flash of his eyes, and the press of his muscular body, make her burn as never before.

To protect her, Kage must take her beyond the walls of Alpha Colony, and expose her to a world she's never experienced before. His rash plan might incinerate the sheltered beauty, or free her to become more than she ever dreamed possible.


I think my favorite part of this story is the end; largely because it isn’t a happily ever after. In romance there tends to be a formula that likes to end the story with all the loose ends tied up in a neat bow, but despite the paranormal nature of the story, this ending is far more realistic.

Now, this story is the third in an on going series I have not read. However, I firmly believe that every story, part of a series or not, must be able to stand on it’s own. While the main romantic plot of this story is solid, the subplot surrounding their “evil overlords” takes for granted that the first two books have been read. Names and titles are tossed about between characters but never explained to the reader. It makes the threat that drives the main plot seem vague and nebulous.

Overall, I like this story. The characters are amusing and the star crossed love story makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. While I do with it had a bit more background, this does not detract too much from the enjoyment.

Review - Nightmare by Karen Lewis

Title: Nightmare

Author: Karen Lewis

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

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Rating: You Want to Read

Reviewed By: Janelle


Her husband is arrested as a serial killer and Kyla thinks it’s as bad as it gets. But there’s much more in store. Set in the frenzy of Olympic games Vancouver, Kyla swings from believing in his innocence to the utter conviction of his guilt, and then back again. And discovers, in the process, that nothing is ever as it seems.


I love a good who-done-it, or in this case did-he-do-it. The speculation, the mystery, the emotional highs and lows. I can’t say I have experienced anything like what Kyla is going through, and I can assume most readers would be the same. But I still find her very relatable as she reacts to each change in her crumbling world.

This story’s biggest problem is pacing. The whole plot is rushed, revelation happen at break neck speed with no time for suspense to build or the audience to catch up emotionally. Really, this story would be better served if it where about twice as long.

It has a few mechanical problems as well, mostly the tendency to scene jump without warning. In one paragraph Kyla will be talking to one man, then in the next she is in a different place talking to a different person without any indication that time has passed.

Overall a good story that could use a bit more polish.

Review - Have Stake, Will Travel by Rebecca Leigh

Title: Have Stake, Will Travel

Author: Rebecca Leigh

Publisher: Noble Romance

Buy Have Stake, Will Travel Here!


Rating: You Could Read - An Average or slightly less than average book


Reviewed by: Shawn M. Weisser


Orion Masters is no ordinary slayer, she's a dhampir—half vampire—and she uses her superhuman abilities to her advantage.

After all, a girl's gotta make a living.

But her life takes a dramatic u-turn on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The balmy nights of paradise hold a forbidden temptation. Hot, steamy sex with Julian Hunter.

Like Orion, Julian is a slayer. Unlike Orion, Julian is a pure blood. Their paths cross on the hunt and Orion finds herself unable to control the allure of Julian's seductive powers. Yielding to her body's instinctive, passionate reaction to Julian, she discovers the erotic lure of heritage, shared blood, and destiny.


This little book was right up my alley, or so I thought, a vampire action book. What it turned out to be was an erotic fantasy. The story was built up to be about a vampire slayer and her unprepared for love interest, a vampire. Although the author, Rebecca Leigh, introduced the characters and the storyline I felt as if the sex was the most important part. Unfortunately the story fell flat and after the first dozen sexual innuendos and fantasies by the main character the book lost appeal. Even the sex scenes where not original, the author used the same words to describe each orgasm, each seduction, and each result. I was grateful the story ended because although it wasn’t the worst I have read it wasn’t good enough to keep my interest. If the reader is looking for repetitive sexual scenes with brief action in between, this book will fit the bill.

Review - I Came Upstairs by M.C. Halliday

Title: I Came Upstairs: A Victorian Courtesan’s Memoir – 1867-1871

Author: M.C. Halliday

Publisher: Eternal Press

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Rating: You Want to Read - A Good book.


Reviewed by: Shawn Weisser



Led from filth and poverty by a gentleman in the hopes of gaining coin for his purse, Mae is shaped into a lady and tutored in the arts of pleasure. With raw sensuality, she creates a seductive dance that entices the peerage in puritanical England, and she quickly becomes favored courtesan to Prince of Wales. Her renown and riches ever rising, she continues to romp with gamely men and women of both the nobility and the lower classes. Eventually, Mae’s bohemian ways cause suffering for those she loves and her own heartbreak. Must she conform to Victorian mores, or can she remain true to her sensual desires?

These intimate memoirs reveal a young woman’s journey from the slums of Whitechapel to celebrated dancer of the Victorian music hall, and courtesan to the highest peers of the British realm. From the years 1867 to 1871, Mae recounts her varied lovers and false loves, and her heartbreaking losses in a quest for happiness.



Scrumptious, sensuous, sexual, and satisfying. I Came Upstairs was a delight to read. M.C. Halliday successfully blended historical fiction and sensual romance in a story that made me cheer the heroine, Mae. The author told this story with ease and grace. It never felt vulgar as sexual scenes are often written. I enjoy reading books that empower young women to rise above what they may think they are to what they believe they can become. Mae came from the gutters to achieve acclaim in the only fashion she knew how and on her own terms. The end came too soon for me and I anticipate the sequel to Mae’s story – as to which Halliday alluded – will enchant me as well.

Review - Dirty Deeds by Eliza Gayle

Title: Dirty Deeds

Author: Eliza Gayle

Publisher: Loose ID

Buy Dirty Deeds Here!


Rating: You Want to Read


Reviewed By: Janelle

As a newly turned demon, Melody loves being a bad bad girl. Sex is her weapon and she knows how to use it. But when her boss demands five souls in five days, she’s in an awful fix. Desperate to find those souls, in as easy a way possible, she heads for the Dungeon: the hot new BDSM club in town where she’s bound to find just the kind of man she’s looking for.

Drake is the Master here in the Dungeon. Anything and everything he wants is for the taking…until he meets Melody. But despite his need to master the strong willed demon, he harbors a secret that threatens their bond, Melody’s soul, and even immortality.

This story is fairly well written with solid characters. Admittedly, they could have been more well rounded with deeper background. For example, why did Melody become a demon, why sell her soul? Did it have anything to do with Drake? It could have a serious impact on the relationship.

The plot is predictable, with no twists or surprises. The flow is broken in several places where long conversations appear in the middle of fight scenes.

The sex is good and plentiful, but probably nothing you haven’t read before.

Overall, this book is average. It is well written, but follows the romance formula too closely.

Review - Thief by Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Title : Thief

Author: Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Publisher: Mundania Press

Buy Thief Here!


Rating : You Want to Read


Reviewed By : Jennifer


In the crumbling city of Eloria, there is one indisputable fact:
everyone has a price. Protestations of morality and better judgment have
little meaning when confronted with the chance to obtain the unobtainable.
The only question remaining is just how much a person is willing to
sacrifice in order to win their heart’s desire.

Sevy has always been a quick study in the wicked ways of Eloria. She has
no qualms about taking what she wants, and when the love of her life is
mysteriously murdered, Sevy will stop at nothing to get him back. Elvish
black magic, necromancy and demonic pacts are of little consequence if it
means she can once again have her beloved at her side. But is she willing
to murder her only friend to get the job done?


Ms. Lehoux is an imaginative storyteller. She manages to combine so many elements and characters into a fast paced, intense, sad, and hard story. There is so much depth in the book. Sevy is such a strong independent girl. She shows how strong she really is at the end of the story. My verdict on Jarro is still out. I can't decide if he's weak, or just compassionate and wants to think the best of everyone. Revik is a mix of both. I like Revik.

Review - Outcast by C.L. Talmadge

Title: Outcast (Green Stone of Healing Book Four)

Author: C.L. Talmadge

Publisher: HealingStone Books

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Rating: You Gotta Read - This is a book that you would tell everyone you know about. It's a book you can't get out of your head even after you close the book or file. There shouldn't be a lot of these.


Reviewed by: Shawn Weisser


The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it ended much too soon! This is the second book in the Green Stone of Healing I have had the pleasure to read and review. C.L. Talmadge has a wonderful storyteller way about writing that leaves me intrigued and wrapped up within the tale she has woven. The characters are rich and full. They invite you into their lives making you either love them or hate them but never ambivalent about them. The family lineage created by the author helps set the background for her story of Helen, the bastard child of two races that have been separated by their difference and united by their similarities. I love the way Talmadge has integrated the mythological with the historical as the storyline resembles pre-Christian Rome. The author blends romance, mystery, hope, and political intrigue. I really loved book four and can’t wait for the rest!

Review - $20 Per Gallon by Christopher Steiner

Title: $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better

Author: Christopher Steiner

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Buy $20 Per Gallon Here!

Rating: You Gotta Read - This is a book that you would tell everyone you know about. It's a book you can't get out of your head even after you close the book or file. There shouldn't be a lot of these.

Reviewed by: Shawn Weisser


Imagine an everyday world in which the price of gasoline (and oil) continues to go up, and up, and up. Think about the immediate impact that would have on our lives.

Of course, everybody already knows how about gasoline has affected our driving habits. People can't wait to junk their gas-guzzling SUVs for a new Prius. But there are more, not-so-obvious changes on the horizon that Chris Steiner tracks brilliantly in this provocative work.

Consider the following societal changes: people who own homes in far-off suburbs will soon realize that there's no longer any market for their houses (reason: nobody wants to live too far away because it's too expensive to commute to work). Telecommuting will begin to expand rapidly. Trains will become the mode of national transportation (as it used to be) as the price of flying becomes prohibitive. Families will begin to migrate southward as the price of heating northern homes in the winter is too pricey. Cheap everyday items that are comprised of plastic will go away because of the rising price to produce them (plastic is derived from oil). And this is just the beginning of a huge and overwhelming domino effect that our way of life will undergo in the years to come.

Steiner, an engineer by training before turning to journalism, sees how this simple but constant rise in oil and gas prices will totally re-structure our lifestyle. But what may be surprising to readers is that all of these changes may not be negative - but actually will usher in some new and very promising aspects of our society.

Steiner will probe how the liberation of technology and innovation, triggered by climbing gas prices, will change our lives. The book may start as an alarmist's exercise.... but don't be misled. The future will be exhilarating.


Christopher Steiner does an impeccable job describing how the cost of gasoline has impacted how we function. He uses the past gas hikes as his basis for analysis and predictions of how we will respond in the future. Not only does he describe how we as individuals behave when gas prices skyrocket but also includes how businesses have behaved in the past and how he believes they will behave in the future. I think all consumers of oil should read this book in order to prepare for the inevitable rise in gas prices and oil shortages. The author covers change with each two dollar increment as he foresees them to be. He covers the good as well as the bad changes in how we view energy to how we use energy. Will we pay twenty dollars per gallon of gas? Possibly, but Steiner wants the reader to know the ever rising cost of oil is not a bad thing. The rising cost will bring about change in what energy production will include. Companies will respond by creating alternatives, consumers will demand alternatives, government will push for alternatives, and eventually they will come about. As we watch prices climb we need to begin now looking for and creating those alternative sources of energy.