Stroke of Luck by Opal Carew

ABOUT THE BOOK

The newest erotic romance from bestselling author Opal Carew, Stroke of Luck.

Good things do come in threes.

April Smith’s luxurious Las Vegas wedding crashed and burned when her wealthy fiancé cheated on her and left her with a hotel bill that costs more than she makes in a year. Even more humiliating, her college ex-boyfriend Quinn Taylor has come to her rescue and bailed her out. They didn’t part on the best of terms and never expected to see one another again.

For Quinn, April was the one who got away and despite the heartache she caused him, he’s never gotten over her. Not wanting to be in his debt, April makes Quinn a tempting offer: she’ll spend the next month with him during his Vegas vacation, fulfilling his fantasies. Being with April has always been Quinn’s number one fantasy, and next on the list is sharing a woman with his best friend and business partner, Austin Wright. Since he can see an undeniable attraction between April and Austin, he makes that a condition of their deal, too.

Enjoying the attention and affection from two hot and handsome men, April gives in to her desires to be with both of them. But with those desires comes a growing love that she fears may force her to choose between Quinn and Austin—or lose them both.

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REVIEW

April has found herself in a precarious situation. Her fiancee has left her with nothing but a debt that she cannot pay. As chance would have it, a man from her past appears when there seems to be no reasonable hope. The couple makes a deal, and Quinn asks April to rekindle their past romance for the month of his Las Vegas vacation. The catch is that Quinn's business partner Austin will share in their relationship.

Stroke of Luck is a steamy romance fantasy I was granted a copy of from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin. April is reticent in the beginning about revealing her attraction to Austin, but soon enjoys the touch of the two attractive men. Quinn embarks on the relationship as a sort of revenge for past slights but realizes what April truly means to him. This story is very passionate and very adult. I suggest only those looking for a highly sensual romance venture here. Stroke of Luck is a quick read. April, Quinn, and Austin fit nicely into their roles and are likable enough. With this story, one gets what one would expect, and that is certainly enough. 

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Being a sex goddess should be my dream come true—as much sex as I want, with magic powers to heal people, too. Until I realize the enormously strong human I desire most is completely off-limits. My people will put me in prison if I’m caught with a human.

But one encounter together leaves me panting for more. So I whisk him away to an alien sex retreat. I soon discover not only is my big strong human a virgin, his bio-engineering might have made him the largest person I’ve ever seen, but also it made him unable to feel any sensation on his skin.

We’ve got three days to try to heal him with my sex powers before I risk someone discovering us. Then I find out his biggest secret…

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REVIEW

Graven finds himself on the run, a fugitive human on a foreign planet. Niva is the sex goddess healer that he finds himself unable to stop obsessing over.  When Niva eventually regards him, she discovers he needs her more than anyone she has ever encountered. 

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett is what you would expect based on the plot summary.  So ask yourself what do you want from this story.  Some sexy time, under the guise of a healer and her patient? Yes? Okay.  But it doesn't get a lot deeper than that.  Niva and Graven experience a pretty superficial relationship, but it is very steamy. 

That being said, there are elements of Forbidden Desire that advance it beyond mind-numbing erotica.  The author makes an effort to weave a story into Niva's healing sessions, and I did find it intriguing.  Graven's torturous past, Niva's fear of her council's reaction to a forbidden human it was all enough to keep me engaged in their stories. 

Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett is one of the better erotica's I have run across.  I finished it, which for me and this type of book means a lot, but some of it I only skimmed.  Take that as you will.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice writing as A. N. Roquelaure

 ABOUT THE BOOK 

Before E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day's Bared to You, there was Anne Rice’s New York Times best seller The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

In the traditional folktale of "Sleeping Beauty," the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind's unconscious. In the first book of the trilogy, Anne Rice (author of Beauty's Kingdom), writing as A.N. Roquelaure, retells the Beauty story and probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince awakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty's complete and total enslavement to him . . . as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience. Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey will indulge in Rice’s deft storytelling and imaginative eroticism, a sure-to-be classic for years to come.

Praise for The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty:

"Articulate, baroque, and fashionably pornographic." —Playboy

"Something very special . . . at once so light and yet so haunting." —The Advocate

 REVIEW 

Being a fan of Anne Rice, I have always been curious about this book. In an effort to read a "fairy tale retelling," I decided to give the story a try, and I am not sure how I feel having just finished the reading. What I am sure of is this, this is a BDSM fetish story. I don't know how it compares to what one gets out of the experience in reality. I only speak as someone with a mild curiosity on the subject. I was as uncomfortable with this story as I was excited by it. I understand the fixation. I can concede how willing participants might gain insight and restraint from the act, but the humiliation and degradation the love slaves suffered in Claiming of Sleeping Beauty was periodically hard to take. But I did read all the way to the end. Only to be handed a big stinking cliff hanger. Now I have to decide how much I want to know where the tale is going and if it is worth more titillating discomfort. So, this story is not for everyone. If you are easily offended by dubious consent or severe treatment, just don't read it. If you are interested, be ready for an in-your-face journey. Would I recommend it? Yeah, maybe, but still not sure.