Review: Agency of Extraordinary Mates, Volume 4 By Aubrey Ross, Eve Vaughn, and Kate Douglas

Title: Agency of Extraordinary Mates, vol. 4

Author: Aubrey Ross, Eve Vaughn, and Kate Douglas

Publisher: Changeling Press

Buy Link: Buy Agency of Extraordinary Mates, vol. 4 Here!

Rating: You Could Read

Reviewed By: Wendy Mitchell

Blurb:

4Saken: Tegor, Rain, and Geho won't let the opportunity to reclaim their woman slip through their fingers. They'll do whatever it takes to win her back. And with the mood Shelby's in, it's going to take a lot.

Chasing Dragons: Ex-bodyguard Lester Ondáge and Elven manservant Tady O'Shea are living and loving in the land of the Fae, and all is right with their world... or it would be if Lester could fly. Tady and Lester embark on a journey to the Seat of Magic to ask a boon of She Who Rules -- that she turn Lester into a shape-shifting Elf just like Tady.

Carousel: The Carousel's owner, Evette, is fascinated by the Dark Elf Lyell. He stirs her passion in a way she's never experienced. But Evette has a secret, she's a Nocturnal Dichotomy. How will the other half of her being, easy going day-dweller Aurora, react to Lyell's intense sexuality?

Snow Blind: Dezmon is determined to claim feisty Sekarrah as his mate. He introduces her to a drink called Snow Blind, and the games begin. When passion and ambition collide, can two stubborn Elves find their happy ending?

Review:

The Agency of Extraordinary Mates specializes in fulfilling the desires of their supernatural clients. From the tiniest of fairies to the largest of ogres, all are welcome and accepted. The hidden tropical island of Chimera is a supernatural paradise where the AOEM agents work their magic, bringing lovers together and wiping away inhibitions.

4Saken by Eve Vaughn is a continuation from a previous work in which the heroine, Shelby, a human, had been banished from a tribe of feline shifters. Her mates, Tegor, Rain and Geho believed lies spread about her and let the punishment stand. After spending a year in the Forbidden forest alone and in constant danger, Shelby is vindicated and allowed to return. Honestly, well big whoop!!! Shelby returns to her human life and family, and rightly so, but is somehow persuaded to return to Chimera where she is once again pursued by her three former mates.

I ground my teeth to nubs reading this. I don’t care how good the sex is, there is NOTHING that could make up for her prior treatment.

Chasing Dragons by Kate Douglas was a delightful spin on the Wizard of Oz. Lester Ondage is a human investigator who has mated royal elven manservant, Tady O’Shea. Lester watches as Tady and others of the royal court shift into dragons and fly through the air. He longs to be able to join them. Tady and Lester are off to see She Who Rules to beg for this boon. I really enjoyed this sweet but incredibly lusty version of the classic Oz story. It had everything, adventure, humor, true and binding love, oh and lest I forget some really smoking m/m action.

Carousel by Aubrey Ross involves family members of characters from previous stories, Prince Lyell is a dark elf on the trail of an evil mage who is killing off members of the royal court. The investigation leads him to Carousel, a night club with heavy ties to AOEM. He mistakenly suspects Aurora/Evette, a female Nocturnal Dichotomy as perhaps being involved in some way. This was a good continuation of Ms. Ross’s previous dark elf tales and I enjoyed the read. The plot holds the readers interest and the appearances of former main characters is always enjoyable. There were some light BDSM elements that some may find enjoyable. I found the story held my interest more than the sex.

Snow Blind by Aubrey Ross deals with Sekarrah, the first female to head a royal security team and her mentor Dezmon. She and Dezmon were lovers before she was accepted into the Royal Academy where Dezmon instructed. They always knew their affair was temporary because Dezmon was of the elite class and though Sekarrah had advanced enough to head Prince Lyell’s security, she still was a commoner. OK, enough with the snotty males already. I am tired of the heroines having to take it on the chin in this book. Let the male pride get dragged through the dirt for once.

I needed to see some serious groveling here, not some macho dominant (insert expletive). I am not against being a little submissive occasionally in certain situations, but not in general attitude. Compromise is not a feminine duty.

Review: Assassins In Lace: Impressions by Jocelyn Michel

Title: Assassins In Lace: Impressions

Author: Jocelyn Michel

Publisher: Changeling Press LLC

Buy Link: Buy Assassins In Lace: Impressions Here!

Rating: You Want To Read

Reviewed by: Layne

Blurb:

Vampire Chantel Mathis, AKA Karma, is an assassin who always gets her werewolf. Tonight she’s posing as an interior decorator applying for a position at Aubrey Enterprises. Her interviewer and mark is Ren Aubrey, the delectable CEO and owner. Though Ren plays the role of savvy businessman to perfection, Karma knows there’s more there than meets the eye. This werewolf is really an assassin so deadly that the vamps have nicknamed him Slayer.

What Karma doesn’t know is that Ren is exactly her type. Worse, he’s onto her. So the moment he steps into the room, she struggles not only to keep her wits about her but to keep her distance. It doesn’t help that Ren is every bit as beguiled and perfectly willing for their business relationship to be much more. Will Karma be able to resist Slayer’s many charms? Or will their night of passion turn deadly?

Review:

Karma is hell-bent on being the one to finally kill Slayer, so she’s all cocky. Confident in her many tricks at the ready until Ren’s many charms disarm her, one by one, and she’s on her back, legs in the air.

I’m rather stumped as to how these two went from one to the other, but okay, I’ll ride along. Suddenly Karma decides Ren’s too what? Pretty? She needs to sleep with him before she kills him. Cool, don’t see the logic, but like I said, riding along. Comes time Ren let’s her know he knows who she is. How? When? All this is in Karma’s POV so we have no idea what he’s thinking. He knows who she is and decides to go along, doing the nasty in his office. His business is top-secret, at least our Karma doesn’t know what he does until he pulls out the sex toys. Convenient.

This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the read. I took it for what it was—a quick read. Once I allowed myself to suspend all belief and just go with the flow, I enjoyed the sex scenes and the banter, and I actually liked Karma and Ren. I even cracked a smile at the end.

Review: Beyond a Highland Whisper By Maeve Greyson

Title : Beyond a Highland Whisper

Author: Maeve Greyson

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Buy Link: Buy Beyond a Highland Whisper Here!

Rating : You Need to Read

Reviewed By : Jennifer

Story Blurb :

The last time Latharn MacKay walked among his kinsman was in Scotland of 1410. Sensuous and charismatic, all the women wanted him, but none could capture his heart. Latharn's charm became his curse when a dark sorceress didn’t take rejection well. She snared his soul into a crystal globe until the one woman destined to be his love whispered his release. Now all Latharn has to do is find her and guide her to him without speaking a word.

One of the youngest archeologists in St. Louis of 2010, Nessa credits one thing for this achievement: the recurring dream of a heart-stopping Highlander since the summer she turned eighteen years old. Little does she know, he's not some fantasy cooked up by her subconscious. He’s a trapped soul determined for Nessa to end his six centuries in hell. Can love prevail over the dark magic of a woman scorned?

Review :

I liked this book, because there was a twist to where Latharn was banished. He was banished to a pretty glass globe, which could react as he reacted. Nessa comes and saves him from his curse, and she must also destroy the evil witch. I loved all the characters. They were well rounded and believable. Ms. Greyson does a wonderful job telling a story and making the characters real and the story just flowed nice. The intimate scenes with Latharn and Nessa were hot but tender. Overall, a great read!

Review: An Unexpected Evening By Roxanne Rhoads

Title: An Unexpected Evening

Author: Roxanne Rhoads

Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Buy Link: Buy An Unexpected Evening Here!

Rating: You Want to Read

Reviewed By: Wendy Mitchell

Blurb:

Samuel is a centuries-old vampire who prefers to be a recluse. He is always afraid of losing control and becoming the monster he once was. Falling in love with a young witch has pushed his boundaries and pulled him out of his comfort zone.

Katerina always encourages Samuel to be more open, to let loose, and to really "live" instead of only existing in the shadows.

One night, he finally grants her wish . . . in ways she never imagined.

Review:

Katerina is a young witch looking for more passion from Samuel, her vampire boyfriend, who is afraid of unleashing his true self. In a startling turn of events, Samuel tries to scare Katerina away by showing her exactly what she’s been asking for.

This was just a quick, saucy, little read that was quite fun. The story starts off with Kat giving Samuel a heck of a hummer in a valiant effort to loosen him up. Katerina was my kind of girl. Save the warm and sweet for s’mores, just give me the hot sauce, baby. There was a history with Samuel and Kat that was briefly touched on, and I would definitely like to follow up on these two. Samuel evidently has some authority issues that we are not privy to in this little snippet. Samuel did not however, have in issues in the bedroom, when he finally uncapped his fangs and let loose. For under 13 pages, this was quite a firecracker of a story.

Review: A Lady’s Pleasure by Jolie Cain

Title: A Lady’s Pleasure

Author: Jolie Cain

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Buy Link: Buy A Lady’s Pleasure Here!

Rating: You Want to Read

Reviewed by: Karen Parker

Blurb:

Lilith Laughton, Lady Morely, is quite content being a well-to-do widow. After a miserable marriage, she sees no reason to ever wed again. She does her best not to call attention to herself, living her life quietly in the country and avoiding anyone who might disrupt the peaceful life she has created for herself. When her good friends the Earl and Countess of Brentwood invite her to a house party, she goes so far as to disguise herself as a frumpish dowd to keep from attracting attention.

Her masquerade doesn’t fool the Duke of Carlisle, however. It just so happens that the handsome and wealthy duke is finally looking for a wife, but the twittering debutantes of the ton hold no interest for him. No, he wants someone more mature and interesting with whom to tie himself for the rest of his life. And Lily seems like the perfect choice. But what can he do to convince Lily that marriage to him would offer her more than she could imagine? The wily duke decides he must teach Lily all about the pleasure a lady can find with the right man in order to change her mind and win her heart.

Review:

Lilith Laughton, Lady Morely, has sworn off men, vowing to never marry again. Surviving a miserable, loveless marriage, she sees no reason to hinder her carefree life being accountable to any man. She is a widower of means, with no need for a husband. Or so she thinks… Her longtime friend, Caroline, Countess of Brentwood and her husband the Earl, have insisted she come to their house party. Caroline has other ideas, certain that she knows better than Lily in this matter. Caroline is a hopeless romantic, positive that there is no way her dear friend could possibly be happy without the ‘benefits’ of marriage. Lily accepts their invitation, but arrives wearing a frumpish disguise hoping to keep any suitors at bay.

At 35 years old, Richard Wentworth St. John, the fifth Duke of Carlisle, has decided that it is time for him to marry. He isn’t interested in any of the young debutantes, nor the too-willing merry widows looking for a husband. As a result of unintended eavesdropping, Richard has discovered the secret of Lily’s disguise. To his own surprise, he has become intrigued by her resolve to remain single. Richard is determined to change her mind, using any means necessary. He plans on seducing her into wedlock!

“A Lady’s Pleasure” is a satisfying romp to another time, giving the reader a vivid experience life in the lives of her characters. Jolie Cain does a good job of making the reader feel like they are actually experiencing the Regency time period. She writes knowledgably of this time, and paints beautiful images in the readers’ minds. The verbal, sexually charged bantering between Richard and Lily keeps one reading on, eager to see what will happen next. As the love affair between them becomes more heated, a string of misconceptions and ill-conceived schemes of playing “hard-to-get” threaten to drive the lovers apart. Will love prevail?

The length of the book, only 65 pages, makes this a quick read. I would recommend “A Lady’s Pleasure” to someone looking for lighthearted romance, but not a lot of time to indulge in a longer story. I enjoyed this book very much but would have preferred it had developed into a full novel. That being said, it was fun taking this romantic journey with the author!