HIS LION TAMER

TITLE: HIS LION TAMER

AUTHOR: CAITLIN RICCI

Pages: 116

Date: 30/04/2014

Grade: 4

Details: Received from Dreamspinner Press

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Charlie thinks his Friday will be the same as any other working as an animator, until Quinn Fitzgerald and his rescued Asiatic Lion, Aseem, walk into the studio. While the lion is impressive, his handler is the real reason Charlie’s heart skips a beat. 

Quinn has devoted years of his life to rescuing big cats, so he can’t turn down the donation the animation company is offering in exchange for using one of his cats as a model. 

Charlie isn’t quite as confident as the handsome, charming man his sister teasingly calls Sex God Quinn Fitzgerald. He’s so nervous he can hardly talk to the other man, so he’s shocked when Quinn not only notices him but invites him to spend the weekend at his big cat sanctuary.” 

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My thoughts:

Note: This novella is derived from a combination of two novellas previously published by Silver Publishing: Taming the Lion Tamer and Lions in the Candlelight

Quinn Fitzgerald runs a sanctuary for large cats. When he brings his young Asiatic Lion, Aseem to an animation studio to model for the artists, all he expects in return is a donation and maybe some exposure for his sanctuary. What he didn’t expect to find was the interesting but very shy artist who draws a wonderful picture of the lion. When Quinn leaves his gives Charlie his card and invites him to come for a visit the following weekend.

Charlie is insecure and shy as well as very impressed with the self-assured and very attractive Quinn. He can’t believe the man would talk to him never mind invite him to his sanctuary. Despite his shyness and encouraged by his sister he decides to accept the invitation.

The weekend will change both men’s lives in ways they couldn’t have foreseen.

I should start by saying that this description only covers the first part of the book. I’ve got a feeling it may well have been the description for ‘Taming the Lion Tamer’ when this book was still two novellas’. I’m disinclined to expand on it though. I think it is nicer if you’re unaware of what or how much is still to come. I know I was very pleasantly surprised.

I enjoyed this book. It is a sweet, almost angst free romance about two men who are clearly made for each other. Quinn is loud, self-assured and in charge with a wonderful sense of humour and a big heart. In fact, Quinn was adorable. Charlie is far less secure in and about himself but brave enough to take the bull by the horn when opportunity stares him in the face. I loved reading about Quinn and Charlie together; the way they fitted and complemented each other was wonderful. They sparked off each other nicely and were very hot together too.

Charlie’s sister Lisa was an amazing secondary character, She is fun and completely over the top. I loved her and couldn’t stop laughing at her referring to Quinn as ‘Sex God Quinn Fitzgerald’.

It was nice to read a book in which we get some of the aftermath. Most romances are, for obvious reasons, about the road that leads to the two main characters getting together. There will be twists and turns, obstacles and U-turns but in the end, true love prevails. The reader leaves the characters at the moment when everything has at last come together and they can start the rest of their lives, together. This book gives a little bit more. The story goes on after the two men have found each other and decided to make a life together and I enjoyed it, even though I realise it is the result of this book previously being two stories. I enjoyed watching them living their daily lives in the sanctuary. I enjoyed seeing them still deliriously happy with each other after a few weeks, a few months, a year. And I loved the second happy ending we got to enjoy with Quinn and Charlie.

In fact, that’s the best way to describe this book: pure enjoyment. Easy to read, with likeable characters and a charming story this book gave me an afternoon of relaxed reading enjoyment. There are worse ways of spending your time.

THE FRENCH TOAST EMERGENCIES

TITLE: THE FRENCH TOAST EMERGENCIES

AUTHOR: BRIGHAM VAUGHN

Pages: 45

Date: 29/04/2014

Grade: 5

Details: Story M/M

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Arthur Cain has removed himself from a social life littered with mistakes and unhappiness. When a freak April snowstorm hits, he just wants to stock up on the basics so he can get back to writing his thesis. Samuel Richards is a musician with a wicked sense of humor and he knows how to use it. The last thing he expected was to have it save him when he heads out for supplies and everything falls apart. The storm sends both to the grocery store, but neither had a “date” on their shopping list. 

It’s one disaster after another for Samuel, but the history student comes to his rescue. If only Arthur was as good dealing with live men as he was with dead Vikings.” 

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My thoughts:

“With ten to twelve inches predicted, don’t forget to stop at your local store and stock up on milk, eggs and bread. We have a level five French toast emergency...”

‘The French Toast Emergencies’ is a charming and wonderful story and since this is a new to me author also a revelation. I adored Arthur and Samuel and their meeting in a grocery store. With a freak April snow storm on the way, both young men are trying to stock up on essentials before the weather confines them to their houses. A tug of war over the last loaf of bread sparks something in both of them and when Samuel finds himself stranded outside the store after locking his keys in the car, Arthur offers him a place to sleep until the weather improves.

I loved the contrast between these two men. Arthur is very serious, caught up in writing his thesis, with little time for a social life, never mind dating. Samuel appears to be more carefree and playful and yet they’re perfectly suited to each other. I really liked that despite the obvious attraction between them, Arthur and Samuel decide not to rush things from the very first moment. And I loved, that when it came down to it, both of them were looking for the same thing. By the end of the story I felt that I knew both characters, which impressed me since it is ‘only’ 46 pages long.

Picture taken from author's FB page

All too often when I read short stories I’m left feeling short changed. The stories feel rushed, the characters underdeveloped or the ending disappointing. ‘The French Toast Emergencies’ had none of those issues. It was a complete and very satisfactory story about two interesting and likeable characters. I’m more than a little bit impressed and will have to add Brigham Vaughn to my must read list.

On a side-note, even if I hadn’t liked this story I would have loved the way it came into being; as the result of a Facebook thread. Which just goes to show that inspiration can really be found anywhere provided you’re open to it.

FRACTURED

TITLE: FRACTURED

AUTHOR: MICKIE B. ASHLING

Pages: 221

Date: 29/04/2014

Grade: 3.5

Details: A Bay Area Professionals book

            Received from Dreamspinner Press

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Roque “Ro” Celdran dreams of a better life, far away from the hand-to-mouth existence of his migrant worker family. He moves to San Francisco to study Landscape Design but finds himself short of cash. Tony, Ro’s identical twin, comes up with a plan to help Ro make ends meet. The BDSM club Tony frequents is looking for gay men to act as submissives to the Dommes-in-training. Ro reluctantly takes the job and falls headfirst into a world he neither understands nor desires. 

Lance Roberts is the new doctor at the dental practice started by Scott Gregory and Robin Kennedy. On the surface, he seems to have it all: the Mensa IQ, blond and blue-eyed good looks, and the determination to make it in his competitive field. Underneath lies a frustrated Dom in search of the perfect sub who can handle his obsessive behavior and debilitating need for control. 

When Ro ends up in Lance’s dental chair, the last thing either one expects is a physical and mental connection. Ro’s attraction to “White Bread” never pans out, and Lance’s weakness for Latinos always leads to a dead end. Could this time be different? What happens between the two alphas leads to a lot of soul-searching and some surprising conclusions.”

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My thoughts:

I do like a book that starts right in the middle of the action, and ‘Fractured’ certainly does that. The very first thing the reader encounters is poor Roque – Ro - Celdran being beating into a pulp not knowing what has provoked the attack and unable to adequately defend himself.

The beating leaves Ro with severe damage to his mouth and teeth which brings him to Lance Roberts’ surgery and the free dental care he so desperately needs. From the moment the two man meet there is an attraction between them. While both of them try to deny it to themselves for a while, it isn’t long before they are spending more time together and not much longer before they act on the irresistible pull.

Both Lance and Ro have issues they’d prefer not to share. Lance tries to hide his ODC from the man he’s attracted to, afraid his compulsive need for order will scare the other man off. Conscious that Ro is as much of an alpha as he is, Lance also decides against sharing his need to dominate with Ro. Ro has things he’s ashamed of as well and fails to mention that he has been supplementing his income by working as a submissive in a BDSM club. He doesn’t believe in BDSM or that it could ever be a viable life-style or relationship choice and has no interest in ever exploring it further. Ro also fails to mention his troubled twin brother Tony and the huge chip his has on his shoulder about being Latino.

The slow emergence of their secrets initially only brings the two man closer together. But when everything Tony has done comes back to haunt Ro, the time for secrets is over. And even full disclosure might not be enough to safe the relationship between these two man who thought they’d at last found what they’d been looking for all along. Even without the secrets they are still two dominant males wanting to control their counterpart. A delicate and surprising balance will have to be found.

There were quite a few things in this book I really liked. It was refreshing to read a book in which the two main characters were equally flawed and needed each other to the same extend. The issues between these two men and the secrets they wanted or needed to keep made perfect sense and added interest to the story. I also really approved of the fact that the conflict in this book was not drawn out. I do prefer a story in which a problem is dealt with rather than allowed to linger on for chapters on end. And most of all, I loved how these two dominant man managed to find a way to make their relationship work. I adored the give and take between them, with both Lance and Ro willing to give themselves to their partner in ways they’d never considered before.

I did have one issue with this book though. 52% into the story there’s a huge ‘for-telling’ of what’s to come. I had no objection to knowing that trouble lay ahead – I had known that since the start of the book. Nor did it bother me that I those few lines revealed who would be the cause of the problems – that had been clear from the start as well. I didn’t like that the exact from the problem would take was spelled out in detail nor the way in which it was described in those few line. In fact this frustrated me so much that I had to put the book down and walk away from it and found myself reluctant to pick it up again. And that was a shame because up until that point I had loved the story and was really invested in the characters and their journey.

This was an interesting story that would have been better if it the author had been a little bit stingier with the information she shared with the reader, or had timed that sharing differently. Overall though, I loved spending time with Ro and Lance and enjoyed their torturous road to happiness.

THE PLEASURES OF SPRING

TITLE: THE PLEASURES OF SPRING

AUTHOR: EVIE HUNTER

Pages: 320

Date: 27/04/2014

Grade: 4

Details: No. 4 Pleasures

             Received from Penguin Ireland

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

An invitation to the hot and steamy world of bestselling Irish erotica author Evie Hunter...

He picked up her hand where it grasped the water glass, felt her pulse and looked into her eyes. 'You don't want a man with manners. You want someone who will let you walk on the wild side, who knows what you're really like ...'

Roz Spring is an actress and a chameleon, the kind of woman who always lands on her feet. But even Roz can't talk her way out of witnessing a murder, and she must go into hiding before the murderer comes for her.

Andy McTavish has turned his back on a life of privilege to prove himself in the world of international security. Tall, dark and dangerous, Andy is the ultimate seducer who has never met a woman who can tame him.

Roz needs his protection and, to get his family off his back, Andy needs a fake fiancée. The solution is obvious: pretend to be a couple. Getting up close and personal won't be hard, as the chemistry between them is electrifying.

As two practiced charmers drive each other beyond the limits of sensual endurance, they find their usual defences are no good. When the barriers come crashing down, a raw passion emerges that neither wants to admit.

They know that when the murderer shows his hand, they will face a fight for life and freedom. And if they survive, what will happen when the need to pretend is over?

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My thoughts:

Once again the two authors who are Evie Hunter have provided their readers with a fun, intense, intriguing and hot story. This is the fourth book in ‘The Pleasures’ series and didn’t disappoint.

Both Roz and Andy were wonderful characters, although Roz managed to captivate me most. None of Evie Hunter’s female characters have been shrinking violets or walk-overs but Roz is in a category of her own when it comes to independence and living life according to her own rules. Her slow progression from complete self- sufficiency and deep distrust of others to acceptance of her past and her own desire to share her life with others, was wonderful and almost overshadowed Andy’s journey from playboy adventure seeker to loving lord of the manor.

Did I mention that these two characters were hot together? Well, they were. Roz is a former professional dominatrix, convinced that she hasn’t a submissive bone in her body. Yet every time Andy takes control she finds herself not only, reluctantly and after a huge internal fight, submitting but also thriving on it. Andy has the time of his life giving this independent woman what she didn’t even know she wanted and needed. As for the reader, they are the lucky beneficiaries of Roz and Andy’s hot exploration of each other.

If I had an ‘issue’ with this book it would be that it took so long to get Roz and Andy together. Apart from a short interlude early on in the story they spend a lot of time apart while Roz is trying to hide and Andy is either trying to find her or spending time with his parents. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with those parts of the story but more that the story was so much more fascinating when the two of them were together. And I don’t just mean in the biblical sense, hot as those encounters were. The way Andy and Roz spark off each other and the constant struggle between them for the upper hand was entertaining overall and panty-melting when they got to the sexy stuff.

This book has it all, adventure, danger, hot sex, angsty romance and quite a few laugh out loud moments. Not to mention two fascinating main characters as well as interesting secondary characters. I can think of quite a few less enjoyable ways to spend a spring day.

While this is the fourth book in this series it can, without any problem, be read as a stand-alone title. Having said that, all the characters from the previous three books make an appearance here and already knowing their stories would probably add to your reading enjoyment. Taking into account that the three previous books are wonderful reads in their own right I can only recommend that you read those books as well.

If you’re interested links to my reviews of the previous titles can be found through the links below:

The Pleasures of Winter

The Pleasures of Summer

The Pleasures of Autumn

Don’t forget to take a look at the fascinating guest post the author wrote for me. Everything you might want to know about ‘Research for writing BDSM’ explained in a fun narrative.

And finally the authors have been kind enough to provide their readers with a free Kindle novella accompanying this book. If you want a taste of their writing or need more Roz and Andy, make your way over to Amazon and help yourself to ‘A Touch of Spring’.

Amazon UK

Amazon US.

GUEST POST: EVIE HUNTER ON RESEARCH FOR WRITING BDSM

Today, April 24, 2014, 'The Pleasures of Spring', Evie Hunter's final novel in the 'Pleasures' series is released. To celebrate the fact I'm happy to share a fascinating post the author wrote about the research involved in writing BDSM. And don't forget to keep an eye out for my review which should be going up over the next few days.

By Evie Hunter:

“Write what you know.” Great advice, except when you don’t know.

A very experienced friend of mine read one of my stories and said, “You are clearly kinky as hell, but you have no experience and it shows. You need to learn what this stuff feels like.”

So, in the interests of accuracy, I put my ass on the line, delved into the depths of depravity and whipped myself into a sweat in my quest for information about all things kink.

First stop, the internet. My friend had given me a list of websites so I joined them all and started reading. There wasn’t just Dom and sub. Oh no, there was Master and slave, top and bottom, rigger and bunny, hedonist, littles, Domme, switches and all sorts of variations. And that was before we got to the actual fetishes.

Next stop, workshops. 

I went to a bondage workshop with no idea of what to expect, but ventured in and found a dozen people tying each other to chairs. The friendly woman running the workshop, realizing I was a totally novice, showed me some basic knots and loaned me a length of gorgeous hemp rope to practice with. She ran though the safety stuff: “Tie rope to rope, not to skin. Make sure circulation is not compromised. Avoid nerve clusters. Always check with your bunny.”

During the workshop, we tied people to each other, did some breast bondage (I got a shock when half the women there whipped off their tops so the rope could go on bare skin) and the session finished with the instructor blindfolding me and tying my wrists.

I was amazed at how different reality was from my imagination. The physical sense of her beside me, the smell of her skin and the sound of her breathing was a revelation, not to mention how disorientated I became when she moved me.

Next I dragged Caroline to a Pervertables workshop: using household items for kinky fun. Flyswats, shoehorns and spatulas are all excellent spanking implements. Certain types of candles are good for wax play, but not beeswax, it gets too hot. Feather dusters tickle. Rice torments. There was a competition to find the best kinky use of a bag of chopsticks, and the winner used them as nipple clamps.

The flogging workshop was great fun, and dispelled my fear that it was all pain and torture. A good flogging feels more like an intense massage. 

The needle-play workshop was a bust. I took notes on the hygiene stuff (more precise than any doctor’s surgery I’ve ever seen) but my husband fainted when the first sterile needle went in, so that was the end of that. 

But no workshop could tell me what it’s like to be a man. So I lined up all the Doms in Dublin and interviewed them, getting them to give me a minute by minute account of how a scene feels to them, what they experience and what kink feels like from inside their skin.

Then came Nimhneach, Ireland’s BDSM nightclub, complete with A-frame, spanking benches, bondage points and a cage for misbehaving slaves. Everyone was in full fetish gear, which ranged from a mini-codpiece to head-to-toe rubber gear. The rules were clear: no nudity (even if sometimes an outfit consisted of a few pieces of strategically placed duct tape), no sex, and always, always play with consent. 

After the first ten minutes, I went from feeling half-naked to over-dressed in my slutty schoolgirl outfit. I was surprised at how formal it was. I was introduced to people and got recommendations as to who would be a good play partner. Swallowing hard, I was led to the X-cross for my first spanking, but only after a discussion about my experience, expectations and safe-words. Yeah baby, I did it.

I was surprised at how welcoming people were to me, especially as they knew I’m a writer, but no one gave me a hard time. Well, not unless I asked him to!

I’ve been to private parties and clubs where the dress code is anything or nothing and where the play is extreme and I’ve tried all sorts of things, discovering along the way that I’m claustrophobic when I’m tied tightly, that I love impact, that elector-stim can leave me quivering two days later, that I look great in corsets, that mixed changing rooms can be amazing craic and that “Fuck!” is not a safe word. 

But above all, I learned that consent is key and the person who can give or withhold the consent controls the scene. 

About the book:

An invitation to the hot and steamy world of bestselling Irish erotica author Evie Hunter...

He picked up her hand where it grasped the water glass, felt her pulse and looked into her eyes. 'You don't want a man with manners. You want someone who will let you walk on the wild side, who knows what you're really like ...'

Roz Spring is an actress and a chameleon, the kind of woman who always lands on her feet. But even Roz can't talk her way out of witnessing a murder, and she must go into hiding before the murderer comes for her.

Andy McTavish has turned his back on a life of privilege to prove himself in the world of international security. Tall, dark and dangerous, Andy is the ultimate seducer who has never met a woman who can tame him.

Roz needs his protection and, to get his family off his back, Andy needs a fake fiancée. The solution is obvious: pretend to be a couple. Getting up close and personal won't be hard, as the chemistry between them is electrifying.

As two practiced charmers drive each other beyond the limits of sensual endurance, they find their usual defences are no good. When the barriers come crashing down, a raw passion emerges that neither wants to admit.

They know that when the murderer shows his hand, they will face a fight for life and freedom. And if they survive, what will happen when the need to pretend is over?

The Pleasures of Spring is the latest sizzling standalone novel from Evie Hunter whose trademark combination is an addictive erotic story and a page-turning plot. If you're an Evie fan, you won't be disappointed. And if you're new to Evie, well, you're in for quite the delicious treat...

PRAISE FOR EVIE HUNTER:

• 'More colour and better written than EL James and a more exciting read than any of Sylvia Day's books' Irish Independent
• 'As near perfection as a Suspense/Romance/Erotic/BDSM novel could EVER get!' Ripe for Reader
• 'Every delicious moment comes with amazing tension and believability ... masterfully written, artfully told, and yummy to read.' My Book Boyfriend
• 'All I can say is, holy yowza, Batman! Yes, this book falls firmly into the 'What to read after Fifty Shades of Grey' category, but in my opinion ... this book blows Fifty Shades out of the water. I unabashedly adored this book.' This Bookish Endeavor
• 'Danger, heat, obsession and unexplored desires come together to form a combustive and sizzling tale, not soon forgotten.' Romancing The Book
• 'One of those rare books that has stolen my heart, my mind and my soul ... a flawless, exciting and down-right steamy read that will stay with you long after your finish.' Totally Bookalicious

 About the author:

Evie Hunter is actually two authors, Caroline McCall and Eileen Gormley, who met at a creative writing workshop in Dublin in 2010.

Eileen Gormley grew up in the midlands of Ireland.  Within a couple of years of leaving college, she started writing articles for local papers and graduated to becoming a full-time freelance journalist for the Irish National newspapers, specializing in court and crime reporting. Her first novel, DON’T FEED THE FAIRIES, made it to the quarter-final of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and was published by Ragz Books.

Caroline McCall lives with her partner, and several spoilt, ungrateful felines, on the windswept east coast of Ireland. Raised on a diet of romance and science fiction, Caroline turned to writing time travel and paranormal romance. A mild mannered paralegal by day, Caroline spends most of her evenings and weekends dreaming up alpha males and feisty heroines.

On discovering that they shared a passion for erotic fiction, they became the best of friends. In early 2012 they got a chance to co-write a series of erotic novellas for an American publisher. When they completed the second one without killing each other, they decided to take on something bigger.

Eventually, they emerged into daylight, clutching THE PLEASURES OF WINTER, saying ‘Never again’ … until the next time.

Find out more about  Evie Hunter on their Facebook fan page or follow the authors tweets on Twitter.

Buy links:

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Author Website: 

Evie Hunter

The books:

The Pleasures Series 

Link to my reviews by clicking on the covers.

                     

Other:

   

THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT 1 - 5

TITLE: THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT (1 – 5)

UK cover for Scars & Stripes

AUTHOR: TIFFANY REISZ

Pages: 148 (in total)

Date: 23/04/2014

Grade: 5

Details: An Original Sinners Novella in five parts

            Received from Harlequin / MIRA

            Through NetGalley

Own / Kindle

‘The ‘Last Good Knight’ is a novella published in five parts and I will review it as such below. Before I do that though, I’d like to share some general thoughts.

Once again I bow at the altar of Tiffany Reisz’s genius. I think I may have said this before but the extent to which she manages to draw me into her world never ceases to amaze me. I can hear her character’s voices in my head. The world they live in is so real I’m convinced I’ll be able to visit it one day.

Every Tiffany Reisz book I’ve read has dragged me through a myriad of emotions. I laugh, cry, frown and smile. Her stories make me think about issues I’ve never thought about before and leave me enriched. The quotes I share below show some of the author’s brilliance. It doesn’t matter if it is comic timing or profound wisdom; Tiffany Reisz has an uncanny ability to hit the nail on the head.

If there is one ‘issue’ with this book it stems from the fact that most if not all of us already know how it has to end. This story takes place before events in the first four ‘Original Sinners’ books which means I wasn’t surprised that poor Nora is once again rather unlucky when it comes to the man she falls for. The fact that I knew that both Nora’s and my heart were about to be broken didn’t lessen a delightful reading experience though.

What follows are descriptions of and my thoughts on the five parts of ‘The Last Good Knight’. I apologize in advance for the length of this review.

Part One: SCARS AND STRIPES

The blurb:

It's lust at first sight when Mistress Nora encounters a sexy newcomer to The 8th Circle. She's happy for the distraction, since she left her lover, Søren, but her session with Lance is cut short when her boss, Kingsley Edge, reveals they're all in danger….

My thoughts:

“Dominatrixes weren’t just allowed to treat men like sexual objects, they were expected to.”

Nora is in the 8^th Circle, frustrated because the sub she’d wanted to ‘abuse’ that evening has just walked off with Søren, when a handsome man she’s never seen before enters the bar. An intriguing man with troubled eyes who turns out to be an ex-Navy SEAL named Lance as well as a submissive. The attraction Nora feels is immediate and it doesn’t take much to convince Lance to spend the night with her.

“Let’s go and find out what you mean by anything.”

Lance turns out to be everything Nora could wish for in a sub and even has her thinking thoughts she didn’t think she’d ever entertain. A wonderful session follows and the night promises to become even more fabulous when an unwelcome visitor delivers very disturbing news, thus putting an end to the fun.

“You have a gorgeous body, Lance. I don’t say that to everyone. Just people with gorgeous bodies.”

Part Two: SORE SPOTS

The blurb:

With a potential stalker on the loose, Kingsley hires Lance as Nora's bodyguard, but stipulates no sex while he's on duty. Frustrated by the ex-SEAL's noble chivalry, Nora is driven to seek release with the one man she's trying to forget….

My thoughts:

Poor Lance and Nora. First their exceptional night together is cut short and then they’re pushed together when he’s appointed as her bodyguard as well as torn apart by Kingsley’s  no sex rule. When Lance shares his personal life with her, Nora’s left angry and heartbroken for the man she’s more attracted to than she should be.

“Stop being rational when I’m horny.”

Lance’s refusal to break his word to Kingsley leaves Nora frustrated and she finds herself reaching for the one man she wants even more than her Navy Seal.

Part Three: THE GAMES DESTINY PLAYS

The blurb:

Shocked to see Nora's bruises, Lance is furious that she put herself in danger and demands to know where she got them. As Nora confesses her true nature, she's equally shocked to learn that Lance has some secrets of his own, drawing them together despite Kingsley's orders….

My thoughts:

Søren and Nora together. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything more sexy. I’m glad I already know how their story ends because my heart breaks every time I read about their separation, the lies Nora has to tell herself to stay away most of the time and the pain it must be causing her priest.

“Sex was at its most potent to them both when spiked with pain.”

I adore, as I did in the first four Original Sinners’ book, the certainty Søren has that Nora will return to him, although all the signs indicate that she won’t.

“You’re mine...” he whispered in her ear. “Whether you’ll admit it or not, you’re still mine.”

And the bond between them is breathtakingly beautiful.

“I treasure our friendship more than anything, even more than these nights when you come back to me.”

Tiffany Reisz is a genius when it comes to words and using them to paint a picture. She does humour as well as she does angst and manages to make being profound look easy. If only it was...

“Hate’s like lube,...” “Makes it easier to get in and get out. If it was all love with Søren ,if I didn’t make myself hate him, I don’t think I could get out again.”

And apropos of nothing and for purely personal reasons, the following may well be one of my favourite quotes.

“Scars are sexy. Scars mean you’ve lived”

Part Four: FIT TO BE TIED 

The blurb:

With her feelings for Lance warring with her recent encounter with Søren, Nora returns to Lance's bed and finds herself toying with the idea of…toying with him on a permanent basis. But after she gets a glimpse into his personal angst, Nora realizes she has the power to rescue this white knight….

My thoughts:

As soon as the perpetrator of the attack is caught Nora decides that the restrictions Kingsley has placed on her contact with Lance have been lifted. After all, if she doesn’t need bodyguard anymore, he is no longer off limits. After a disturbing confrontation with Søren and an orgasmic afternoon with Lance, Nora is set to claim Lance as her own. When she witnessed the full extent of the pain his personal life is causing him she knows she can’t, even if it means pushing her own needs aside.

If ever we needed proof of Tiffany Reisz’s versatility, this book provides it. It doesn’t matter what emotion she’s describing, she always gets it spot on.

Nora’s frustration:

“I know the feeling. That feeling that what you’re doing is right, so unbelievably right, and yet knowing the entire world would say it was wrong.”

Her sense of humour, even while dominating:

“Say ‘ouch’ again. You know that’s my favourite word.”

And finally, for now, her deeper thoughts:

“The submissive existed to offer himself at the feet of the Domme. So why did she suddenly feel so humbled.”

Part Five: THE LAST GOOD NIGHT

The blurb:

Now that the perpetrator has been apprehended, Nora sadly acknowledges she doesn't need a bodyguard anymore. She adores Lance and wants to keep him but is faced with a dilemma—if she uses her connections to help Lance, she'll have to give him up forever….

My thoughts:

Although we saw it coming, this is where our hearts are shattered. Nora would love to keep Lance and collar him. Although she never expected it to happen, she can envision a future with him. And Lance is convinced he’s found the perfect woman in Nora. The decision should be easy, but Lance’s personal life throws a mighty spanner in the works.

“My dad said that there comes a time when what you want to do is the opposite of what you need to do. And the boys do what they want to do, but the men do what they need to do.”

One last night together to indulge in their need for each other could never be enough and yet is all Nora and Lance have. 

“Such was the nature of dreams. They only feel endless in the dream. By dawn they turn to dust.”

And so the author breaks our hearts once again. And while Nora has no doubts that she will be survive and the reader already knows how her story is going to end, I still finished the books with tears in my eyes as well as a smile on my face. I feel deprived now that I’m once again without new words by this author and can’t wait until her next book hits my reader. There’s no such thing as too much Tiffany Reisz.