Bounds of Passion (Bound, Book 1)

LUCIA JORDAN

Synopsis from Amazon: Popular erotica writer Lucia Jordan brings you the first short story in her new 'Bound' series. This short story (approx. 4,400 words) contains adult content, hot sex and mild BDSM themes so only check it out if you are ready to get very, very excited.

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2012.

How acquired: Amazon freebie

First line: Lydia could feel the man beneath her weakening and he was silently mouthing at her to stop – wait, to give him a minute, but she couldn't – not when she was so close to her own climax.

My thoughts: A very short, quick, hot read. Some suspension of disbelief required - girl has to be crazy to meet a stranger on a BDSM website, then meet him in a coffee house and immediately go home with him - but it's fiction so I can get past that pretty quickly. Some shades of that shades book what with the contract she had to sign before they got down to business. But if you have a little time to kill and want to be tantalized a bit, this is a good choice. 

Five Ways 'Til Sunday (Delta Heat 1)

DELILAH DEVLIN

Synopsis from Goodreads: Sometimes a man’s just gotta call for backup…
Delta Heat, Book 1

Marti Kowalski is all wrong for Officer Jackson Teague—he just won’t listen to reason. She didn’t finish high school, runs a bar. Has a tattoo and a blue streak in her hair. Yet he still wants to marry her? She can’t say she’s not tempted, but she’s got a bucket list to complete before she ties the knot.

Not just any bucket—more like a fifty-five-gallon drum of sexual wishes so explicit, there’s no way one man, even Jackson, can fulfill them all.

When Marti turns him down again, Jackson insists on knowing why. That’s when she shows him her list. He takes it, thinks about it—and calls on the only men he can trust: four buddies from his academy graduating class.

Between the five of them, he’s sure they can come up with a plan to check off every item on her list in one wild, wicked weekend. That is, if she has the nerve to follow through—and if he can bear to share her.
Product Warnings
Contains five men on a mission to break down the resistance of one determined woman, using everything in their arsenal from BDSM accoutrements to roleplay of non-consensual situation.

Stats for my copy: ebook, Samhain Publishing, 2011.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts:  Hot from the first page! I read this novella in one sitting. Twice. Well, I read it in January 2012, and then again a few days ago. I particularly liked the characters. They aren't just random people, they're a couple who obviously love each other. The blurb pretty much tells you the whole plot. While Jackson gets his buddies to help him fulfill Marti's fantasies, he's not just gung ho completely comfortable doing so. But he thinks if he gets Marti through her bucket list, then she'll have no more excuses not to marry him. So for him, the ends justify the means. And that hastily scribbled bucket list was just an excuse. As much as Marti loves Jackson, she's scared of marriage, and she feels she will not be the right wife for Jackson. So she's shocked when she finds herself checking off each fantasy, along with some extra surprises that Jackson and his buddies plan along the way. *sigh* Where is MY Jackson? 

Salvatore: A Dark Mafia Romance (Benedetti Brothers, Book 1)

NATASHA KNIGHT

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Lucia   

It all started with a contract signed by him, then by me, while our families watched. While my father sat silent, a man defeated, giving his daughter to the Benedetti monsters. I obeyed. I played my part. I signed my name and gave away my life. I became their living, breathing trophy, a constant symbol of their power over us. That was five years ago. Then came the time for him to claim me. For Salvatore Benedetti to own me. I had vowed vengeance. I had learned hate. And yet, nothing could have prepared me for the man who now ruled my life. I expected a monster, one I would destroy. But nothing is ever black or white. No one is either good or evil. For all his darkness, I saw his light. For all his evil, I saw his good. As much as he made me hate him, a passion hotter than the fires of hell burned inside me. I was his, and he was mine. My very own monster.

Salvatore

I owned the DeMarco Mafia Princess. She belonged to me now. We had won, and they had lost. And what better way to teach a lesson than to take from them that which is most precious? Most beloved? I was the boy who would be king. Next in line to rule the Benedetti Family. Lucia DeMarco was the spoils of war. Mine to do with as I pleased. It was my duty to break her. To make her life a living hell. My soul was dark, I was hell bound. And there was no way out, not for either of us. Because the Benedetti family never lost, and in our wake, we left destruction. It’s how it had always been. How I believed it would always be. Until Lucia.

Author’s Note: Salvatore and Lucia’s story is a steamy standalone romance with a happily-ever-after. No cliffhanger and no cheating. It is intended for mature readers.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts:  Mafia, mobsters, gangsters, and the like – not the type of hero who has ever appealed to me. Violent men in violent worlds, breaking laws and laundering money and killing rivals. What's to love about those men? But the author of this book is Natasha Knight, and I very much like her, so I took a chance and doled out the $11.99 for it. And I'm happy to say I have no regrets.

The premise is a little horrifying. Two heads of rival mob families signing a contract for peace between the families, with one man giving his teen-aged daughter to the other man's son. Lucia is forced to sign a contract that effectively gives ownership of her to Salvatore. Would it hold up in a court of law? Of course not. Lucia is a minor and slavery is outlawed. But the mob doesn't follow our laws, and both Lucia's and Salvatore's fates are sealed that day.

Fortunately, Lucia is sent away to a boarding school for the first five years of the contract, so she's of legal age before she is actually physically handed over to Salvatore. She hates him of course, and his father and brother, not to mention her own father for putting her in this position. But she's strong and feisty, and refuses to cower down.

The story is told in first person POV, alternating between Lucia and Salvatore, and I don't think the story could have worked as well otherwise. Hearing Salvatore's side of the story, his thoughts and feelings about a contract that he, too, was forced into, helped make his character sympathetic. He wasn't just a mobster, he was a man who lived under the thumb of his overbearing father, who still mourned the loss of his older brother, and who was determined to protect Lucia and make the situation as easy on her as he could, albeit while still maintaining control of her.

Definitely a relationship with a rocky start. And then a war is brewing, and with Salvatore's brother and Lucia's sister and cousin involved, it's hard to imagine our hero and heroine ever coexisting peacefully. When you're born into a mob family, it seems your life is never just your own, but you can't just walk away. For Salvatore, there is some soul searching, a yearning for a different kind of life. Men who seek redemption – what's not to love about them? 

Kink

SASKIA WALKER and SASHA WHITE

Synopsis from back cover:

SEX, LIES, AND BONDAGE TAPE

Clayton's one hunk of a musician. A pinup hottie for squealing teens everywhere. And he's gay, Kelly Burton discovers when she sneaks into his dressing room for an autograph, but gets a peep show instead. But Kelly's soon distracted: a bouncer has found her. A bouncer with pecs of steel, a six-pack, and sinewy arms. After a scolding, the bouncer decides to have his wicked way with the naughty-but-eager groupie. And what follows is a night of passion, hard-rock style...

WATCH ME

Some people have coffee. Some have tea. But the only thing that really wakes Bethany Mack up in the morning is sex. Too bad marriage to Grant has settled into a sex-starved routine. That is, until she spies a hot roofer next door. Broad, sexy shoulders: check. A muscular chest you could nuzzle all day: check. And under those jeans, well, the thought just makes her weak. So she puts on a little show for him through the window, letting her inhibitions loose, and discovers a naughty new addiction. But how will her husband react when he discovers just how far a desperate housewife will go for some lovin' from him?

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, The Berkley Publishing Group, 2007.

How acquired: Borrowed from a friend.

My thoughts:  The first story is “Sex, Lies and Bondage Tape”, by Saskia Walker. When one of Kelly's roommates is injured skiing and unable to attend a concert, she gives her ticket to Kelly. While Kelly enjoys the concert, she's not quite as gaga over the rock star Clayton as her friends are, but at the end of the concert she decides to sneak backstage and try to get his autograph for her roommate. Of course she gets caught and is carried out by security, aka Tommy. Literally, as in Tommy swings her up over his shoulder and carries her out, giving her bottom a couple of smacks on the way. Tommy thinks Kelly is just another groupie, and one of his personal rules is he doesn't hook up with groupies. But when he realizes that Kelly seems to be enjoying his manhandling of her, he ramps it up a notch, and they end up spending the night together in his hotel room.

Being a novella, there isn't a lot of time for true character development, but I enjoyed what little we did get. Kelly has issues dating back to her father abandoning her mother when she was young, and Tommy thinks Kelly settled for him when she couldn't get Clayton. Neither of them are planning to start a relationship when they hook up for the night, so afterwards there's a lot of internal dialogue as they each explore their own doubts and feelings. In between some pretty hot bouts of sex, there's Kelly running all over town trying to track Tommy down, and then later Tommy trying to track Kelly down.

“What is it with you two? You shag, you say good-bye, and then you realize you haven't got each other's phone number?”

The writing is good, the characters are likable, and while the plot may be a little unrealistic, I don't read these books for reality, and this story was a nice way to while away part of an afternoon.

The second story is “Watch Me”, by Sasha White. This one started out a little slower for me. Bethany's husband Grant has become immersed in his work after a promotion, and she's feeling neglected. Then she inadvertently discovers the joys of teasing strangers in public, from giving little peep shows to masturbating on a bus. Exhibitionism and masturbation are two of my least favorite tropes, for lack of a better word, and here they both are in one story. But eventually Grant catches her, and while his initial reaction was anger and storming off in a huff, his later response was smoking hot and got my attention right along with Bethany's.

This story was told in first person POV, so we only got insight into Bethany's thoughts and feelings, as she grappled with missing her husband's attention, and then getting his attention and loving it but still feeling that under the surface things were not yet right between them. I would've loved for this story to be a full length novel as it ended way too soon. Or too late, as I sat up until midnight last night reading. The resolution between them, Grant opening up about his feelings, came rather abruptly, and I would've loved to see some more exploration – and action – before everything was neatly wrapped up. But the resolution was satisfying and left no doubts of the couple having their HEA.

The back cover blurb is a little misleading, as both stories had more depth and plot to them than I had anticipated, which is a good thing. 

Boss's Pet

EVA LUXE

Synopsis from Goodreads: It was supposed to be an arrangement. Neither expected to fall in love.

RANDALL STERN always gets what he wants: A net worth of over a billion dollars and the status of founding partner of a large and successful law firm. He’s invincible in the courtroom and in the bedroom. When he’s not winning cases he’s enjoying exotic vacations with his choice of women. Women who know what to expect from him when they venture into his bed. Complete and utter domination. He’s set up iron-clad rules to make sure he maintains control, provides boundaries and keep women at a distance. His rules are perfect. Until he meets Brianna Hawkins. Now he’s dangerously close to being thrown off his game. But how can he break his rules without risking letting Brianna Hawkins break his heart?

BRIANNA HAWKINS only wants one thing: A stunning and unblemished career as a new lawyer at the illustrious Stern law firm. She not only made it to # 1 in her law school class but also through the rigorous hiring process to land a spot at the best firm in town. She puts in more hours than any other first year lawyer, and her career is her life, ever since leaving a bad relationship and giving up her personal life for work. The last thing she needs is distraction in the form of Randall Stern, the firm’s billionaire founding partner who wants to mentor her in more than just the legal profession. She’s spent years perfecting her teflar-like surface. She doesn’t let anyone see the fragile nature lurking just beneath it. But when she gives in to what she thinks is just a physical temptation, will she learn how to let down her carefully built up guard and let in the possibility of love? Or will her one tiny indulgence with Randall Stern lead to the destruction of the career she’s worked so hard to build, before it’s even had a chance to flourish?

Boss’s Pet is a stand-alone with a happy ending and no cliffhanger. It includes light BDSM and heavy steam!

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2016.

How acquired: ARC received from eBook Itch ARC Group. 

My thoughts: This is the first ARC I've requested since joining the eBook Itch ARC Group mailing list, and I didn't realize the book would be such a short one. More of a novella than a novel. From the synopsis I think I anticipated a story with a little more depth to it.

Brianna, fresh out of law school, has been hired as an associate at a prestigious law firm. Her relationship with her live in boyfriend has gone stale, even after counseling. They have very differing ideas of what a perfect romantic moment should be, namely, the boyfriend doesn't have a clue. Dissatisfied, Brianna breaks up with him. Randall (will I ever be able to see that name and not think of an evil Jacobite Rebellion era British soldier?) is the founding partner of the firm. His ex-wife apparently did a real number on him, and he does not do girlfriends or commitment. Instead, he chooses one of the new associates each year to mentor, in the courtroom and in the bedroom. Well, in the office actually, since the only time we saw him outside the office was during a mountain climbing expedition, of which Brianna was not a part. All of the associates are assigned a mentor, but Randall's mentee is also his “Pet”. And when he chooses Brianna, some of the other women are absolutely green with jealousy.

The narrative is in first person POV, switching back and forth between Brianna and Randall. We get a lot of internal dialogue, but not necessarily a lot of characterization – the short length of the book doesn't really lend itself to much more.

The book is billed as having "heavy steam", and the few sexual scenes did get pretty steamy, but they didn't last long and there aren't very many of them. Being Randall's mentee entails calling him Boss, wearing specific lingerie that he picks out, and at one point Brianna walks from her cubicle through the building, up the elevator and to Randall's office with a pink feather in her mouth and her shirt open with her nipples hanging out. Fortunately for her it's fairly early in the morning and she and Randall appear to be the only two people in the building.

It's a little out there to believe that an attorney and one of his associates could have the type of relationship they do, which, while not spoken about or openly acknowledged by his partners (on page anyway) is apparently well known and coveted by all of the other female associates. But suspend belief,and it's a quick, easy read and a nice diversion from reality for an hour or so.