Review: Dark Around the Edges: We Are Family

Dark Around the Edges: We Are Family by Cari Z.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Episode 3 of the serial picks up exactly where the last series left off. Devon has given away his sense of touch to a witch in exchange for information about their target. The information seems good but Devon is horrified when he realizes the true cost of the bargain. Losing his sense of touch plagues him in ways he had no way of knowing. Distraught and scared, Devon and Rio head to Devon’s hometown and his dads to wait out the remaining few days before getting his full ability back. Once there though, revelations, complications, and intense emotion are just a few of the things waiting for them.

Review: Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts

Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this quick novella. It’s incredibly hot, interesting, and a lot of fun. The writing is clean and descriptive with a nice blending of instruction and emotion. Blending an alien world and culture with a human submissive is a fun idea but the story is very clever. From start to the finish the entire novella is well crafted. The characters are also well developed, even if the differences in cultures are sometimes hard to imagine. This is a great introduction for those new to this author and fans are likely to appreciate the quirky humor and excellent writing.

Review: The Bacchi

The Bacchi by Belinda McBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5-4 stars

I’m a fan of this author’s alternate world stories and was excited to see another one. The Bacchi is peripherally associated with An Uncommon Whore and When I Fall but can easily be read as a stand-alone book. The world building and occasional character from the previous books shows up but I think the author offers enough details to understand this one on it’s own. The writing is clean and engaging and the characters draw you in from the start. The world building is creative and interesting even as it draws on so me considered taboos. There is some m/f but really it’s minor and I honestly wouldn’t think it would bother a lot of readers. This is definitely an m/m romance with some hermaphrodite and other species kinkiness added in.

Review: A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal by Felicitas Ivey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A Modest Proposal is an easy to read, light erotica tale. It has a touch of D/s, lots of sex and a thin plot mainly as a vehicle to turn pages and have more sex. It’s a fun enough read for something empty but satisfying – if you’re looking for a lot of sex and a little bit of futuristic yaoi world building to round it out. It’s not really that memorable or interesting for me but it’s a decent read and hits the spot for those wanting more erotica than romance.

Review: Shepherd, Slave, and Vow

Shepherd, Slave, and Vow by Lyn Gala
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Shepherd, Slave, and Vow is a fun, quick erotica story about a spoiled royal son that finally meets his match in a slave shepherd. The novella is entertaining and well written with a deft hand that keeps the main narrator from being too insufferable or obnoxious but gives instead a light hearted tone about a bratty, attention seeking man who finally finds someone to give him the “tending” he’s always wanted.

Review: The Forester

The Forester by Blaine D. Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Forester is an impressive mix of fantasy and murder/mystery. The writing is superior and the romance is a nice touch without being too easy and ignoring the many potential problems. I personally liked the mystery component of the story more than the romance as ménages are a tough sell that I don’t always appreciate. Overall I quite like this novella and recommend it even if the threesome didn’t quite win me over as a reader.

Review: The Tea Demon

The Tea Demon by Cornelia Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pirates and thieves and treasure abound in this short fun story. It’s quasi steampunk with just enough details to set the story in that genre but not enough to really delve into the setting or satisfy die hard fans. The Tea Demon works despite this lack of detail because the real focus is on the men and their entertaining relationship with a backdrop of rather humorous and far-fetched hijinks. The writing and Grey’s style is what I like the most. The story is enjoyable and short enough that it gives a quick thrill and an enjoyable tale.

Review: When I Fall

When I Fall by Belinda McBride
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

I’m not sure what’s going on with sequels lately but they haven’t been living up to the greatness of the first books. Sadly, When I Fall is no different. An Uncommon Whore was such a vivid and wonderful book that I’m so disappointed and saddened in When I Fall. It has the same world and excellent writing but after that I’m left to wonder exactly what I read. The characters feel very different from the first book and unfortunately I couldn’t connect to either one. There are too many secrets, too many political plots and no real resolution or happy ending. Instead the happy couple just ignores their many, many problems in a move that makes me think these two actually won’t end up together.

Review: His Holy Bones

His Holy Bones by Ginn Hale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rifter Book Ten: His Holy Bones is finally here. The end of an epic series and it’s both good and bad. The ending is good with a solid happy ending but getting there is a challenge. This episode is filled with blood, torture, pain, suffering, and basically every horrible thing you can imagine that happens. Of course it’s alright in the end but you have to be willing to slog through the blood to get there. Furthermore the story valiantly attempts to tie up the loose ends and give closure to the many subplots going on but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the choices. I think ultimately the story is simply too big and too convoluted to wrap up so simply but regardless, it remains an epic and masterful tale.

Review: Desert World Allegiances

Desert World Allegiances by Lyn Gala
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Desert World Allegiances is the first book in a two book series by Lyn Gala. The science fiction world is very well developed, even if based off a familiar premise of terraforming a new planet. The characters in this first book are pretty immature and they honestly drove me nuts. While I really quite enjoyed the writing and world building, I disliked almost every single one of the actual characters. This does give them room to change and grow but since this is just the first book, they don’t actually make that big of a change in the space provided so it’s more of an interesting idea that I’m waiting to see how it ends.