| Author: Anthology | |
| Rating: 7 | Reviewer: Raven Westly |
| Publisher:Berkley Trade | |
| Pages: 384 | Orig Pub Date: December 2007 |
| Binding: Paperback | Cover Illus.: Don Sipley |
A daring collection of never-before-published erotic desire from four of the hottest names in paranormal romance. Four of the most sizzling authors of paranormal romance take readers beyond their wildest fantasies, to a seductive midnight world of erotic suspense, demons, mages, vampires, and knights. A world of queens with devilish secrets, and of demons with secret desires. So dangerous and fun, readers may never want to come back down to earth again...
Let's take each section one at a time, shall we?
DRAGON DANCE by Angela Knight
straight sex - magically enhanced
Think X-Men meets Penthouse Forum Letters.
The thought process behind the transformation of some humans in Hypers(beings with extraordinary abilities) was wildly creative and implemented in an exciting new way. Arial is changed by a touch from an out of control Hyper and must look to Tracker for guidance. Josiah used to be a football coach until he met up with Kali, an evil Hyper bent on dominating the world. Now he is Tracker, a huge hulking Hyper with the sex drive of a mega sized bottle of Spanish Fly.
In Arial he has finally met his sexual equal. Arial not only can handle the massive Tracker, but the invisible tiger that leaps from his chest. Soon she discovers her own hidden dragon. The magical being shows her how Hypers came to be and gives her the tools to defeat the tyrannical Kali. Together with Psych (Think Professor Xavier), Tracker and Arial use their hyper abilities to turn Kali's powers against her and destroy her mind control over her minions.
In the end, Arial becomes Tempest and she and Tracker create a sexual storm that thunders for eternity.
This story could have been dark and ominous but Knight portrayed it with a sense of humor and wickedly hot sex scenes. Although not really a rip off of X-Men, I could not get the image out of my head the entire story. I think it was the costumes and the names. But I enjoyed it. It was just the right balance between smut and plot.
CAUGHT BY THE TIDES by Diane Whiteside
straight sex - magically enhanced
The least erotic of the four stories, this one had the most seemingly natural magic. An alternative history during the Napoleonic Wars, Owen is a Mage in the King's service. Nearly fatally weakened by a magical storm, he is found by Emma, a magical chalice.
Using her magnifying power, Owen heals himself but finds he cannot leave the grounds nor send a message for aid. Realizing that in order to obtain enough power to break the spell holding him from delivering the remedy which will defeat Napoleon's magically enhanced forces, he must get closer to Emma. Intimately closer. He finds this no hardship as she is both lovely and growing dear to his heart.
Through sexual union, a massive untapped force of magic is unearthed, hidden since the time or Arthur and the Round Table. Owen must use it to defeat the menacing Trevelyan and his blood seeking enchanted sword. Using her love, Emma channels the hidden power of the land and Owen emerges the victor. A magical Griffin, England's protective spirit, dispatches the dark Mage leaving only a bloody heap.
This story was enthralling. The sex was a vital part of the plot but done so perfectly that is did not seem jarring at all. In many historicals, the sex seems so smashed in. Here it flows like a river, without a bump or pause to jar you out of the created world. Excellent story. Not even my favorite time period and I was swept away.
QUEEN OF ALL SHE SURVEYS by Emma Holly
straight sex- magically enhanced - sex toys
WOW. Where to begin? Sex sex and then more sex.
Memnon is the warrior son of an ageless God-like king with a supernatural sex drive that must be unleashed once a month. He has never had trouble controlling it. Until the Queen from the Upper Southland gains control of a vital piece of property. The King has no choice but to accept her terms if he wants his men released alive. She wants the King's son.
Queen Tou rules with the Upperland with the velvety grip of her...you know. Men are slaves to her merely by gazing on her perfection. Memnon is no different but he has the God-like pride of old. Tou was once a beggar girl who was gang raped then tossed outside the kingdom for stealing food. Wandering, she stumbled on the gift of the God's and was promised her heart's desire. So far she has everything she has ever wanted. But the Gods gave the Lowland King a gift denied her, an offspring. Demanding his child in payment for the way he participated in her rape seemed fitting.
Until she saw Memnon. Something about the hardened warrior makes her blood pound with a frenzy that not even her regular consort of nightly lovers can silence. But she needs to show her dominance over the proud warrior, so she brings to the heights of orgasmic pleasure while remaining outwardly aloof. That aloofness is false and her body yearns for him until at last they both open to each other.
King Ravna tries to implement a Trojan Horse attack and kill both Queen Tou and his son, ensuring his supreme dominance as ruler of both lands. But together, back to back, the royal couple fights off the invaders and their allegiance is sealed.
The story to sex ratio in this story seemed skewed. The extreme sexual nature of the characters did give the story credence but the god-like "gifts" were not fully explained, detracting from the story. I am still not sure whether she got pregnant or just found a climax like no other she ever experienced and I read the scene 4 times.
Altho erotica is not strictly "romance", the story did attempt to connect the lovers outside the bedroom. But the gang rape, the sex toy use on the hero and the promiscuity of the heroine in front of the hero were all real leaps from the romance genre. I think I would classify this story not as Romantic Erotica but Erotica with romantic elements.
This story lacked an ending. It set up the couple to prepare for battle against King Ravna, but left the reader hanging with one more sex scene thrown in. I would have preferred to see a resolution than an orgasm at the last.
IN THE WOLF'S EMBRACE by Lora Leigh
straight sex - magically enhanced -anal sex
I like werewolves. I do. But this story...
Matthias was not born. He was created as were most of the other Breeds. Genetically engineered with wolf DNA, he is human with an animalistic nature. He kills the man responsible for the torture and study of Breeds in front of Grace, the human who is to be him mate.
Grace is horrified to see the murder and crushed by Matthias' deception. He kidnaps her so she cannot expose his crime. more to save her from being killed by other Breeds than to save himself from punishment. His nature has decided Grace is his life partner and there is nothing he can do to change that. And he doesn't want to.
Drawn to Matthias before his crime, Grace fights her growing attraction for him in the isolated cabin. But the strange pheromone he is emitting weakens her resolve and she gives into lust and seals the physical bond between them. Now she can not even think of turning him in.
Those 'scientists' who study Breeds track down the couple and try to apprehend Matthias and his new mate. She is of great interest to them now as she may be breeding. While fighting for their lives, Grace is shot and nearly dies. Only a strangely special transfusion of Breed blood from Matthias saves her.
The love story seemed very forced, as if it was only the instinct that controlled Matthias and Grace and not their hearts. The sex, altho very erotic, seemed to get in the way. I wanted more meat, less flesh. Perhaps if this had been a book length story, more would have evolved but for it's length, it was lacking.
I didn't care about these characters. Which really bummed me because I love the premise of the storyline. I think this was the weakest of the four stories.
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