Dario Parisi is willing to marry for different reasons. He wants his birthright back and wants it at any costs. He is even willing to marry an enemy to get back a decayed Sicilian estate that was stolen from his family.

Alissa’s and Dario’s family have been enemies after Allissa’s grandfather swindled Dario’s families estate. Her grandfather was ruthless and cruel not only in business but also in private. Allisa and her sister, Donna, lived with her grandfather after her mother died. Once she was grown and able to take care of her sister, they left. Dario wants his family’s estate back. When her grandfather died he left the land to her but the will states that she must be married for 6 months first. Once the 6 months are over they can divorce and sell the estate. No strings, just the way Alissa wants it. Dario wants his land back and is willing to blackmail her in order to get it. Alissa expects a marriage of convenience and nothing more while Dario wants it be as man and wife with all of the privileges. He may hate her but he isn’t blind. Can either of them last 6 months without killing each other or will they decide that marriage isn’t so bad after all as long as it is to each other?

Blackmailed Bride, Inexperienced Wife by Annie West was such a wonderful read. It had all of the right ingredients for a good quality story. You have two families that despise each other but need each other in order to get what they want. Dario is a sexy Italian business man but has a big and sensitive heart towards others. If you cross him, you better watch your back. Alissa is also strong and is willing to stand up for what she believes in. Family is everything to her and she will risk anything for them. Watching these two dance around each other was not only humorous but also frustrating. The sexual tension could literally be cut with a knife. Both have misconceptions of one another but the reality they find is so much better. I hated to see this book end but like all stories, it must have a conclusion.

Book Stats:

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Usually, her electrician is an older man named Ed, but today he sent his nephew, Vance, instead, and she is really glad he did. Vance is a young and extremely good looking Italian man who offers to rewire more than her electricity, if you know what I mean, “wink”. Being older then Vance makes Krista at first hesitant, but she quickly gets influenced by his nice hard body and baby blue eyes. He gives her the confidence to explore her sexuality and makes her feel like a goddess playing out her fantasies.

I thought this novella was an excellent length to tell the story of a woman who accepts that she is a beautiful sexual being that can be wanted by a much younger man. It was a light read with enough juicy scenes to leave you wanting more but not too long, which avoided the overdoing-it stage. Oh, and when Vance and Krista run into her ex lover at the restaurant, that was a nice, hilarious touch! Thanks, Renee, I really enjoyed it.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
• Book Length: Quickie
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9781419912665

To purchase an eBook copy of Electrify Me click here.

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Her eyes closed; she was disappointed they were unable to have this passenger sit elsewhere on the plane. Opening her eyes, she was pleasantly surprised. Sitting next to her was the ever successful psychology novelist Luisandro Montalban. Instantly, there was a little chemistry between these two passengers. After a pleasant ride home the infamous author offered her a job - a live-in job - running his castle.

Their romance and passion flourished throughout the novel. A very predictable storyline from beginning to end. If you are looking for a nice, well written, happily ever after - this novel is for you! She will not disappoint.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: DCL Publications
• Book Length: Novel
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-921347-36-8

To purchase an eBook copy of Not Without Love click here.

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Sam “Snake” Thompson had just finished a six-year stint at Corcoran on a drug possession charge. The problem he had with that was he was innocent, had a newbie lawyer who was told to do the minimum and the planted drugs in his pack were enough evidence to keep him behind bars for the duration. Snake had one plan when he was let out, but at a truck stop along the way to find his revenge, he found something more.

Abel was stuck bartending and schlepping food at Casey’s Diner but was waiting for the right person to give him direction. When Snake walked in to the diner, Abel’s body knew that he needed to serve this hunk whatever he wanted whether it was on the menu or not. Giving each other the affection and love they had been deprived of from their families due to the incarceration, death and bigotry, the two find their attraction turns to a full out blaze as they spend the night together. When Abel’s boss the next day provokes Abel’s fury with his bigoted and homophobic rant, he finally walks out of the diner and into Snake’s arms, ready to start a new adventure with his sexy partner.

Sam has yet to come clean to Abel about his past but when he does, Abel not only understands but is adamant in his conviction to help Sam find the one responsible for stealing a good chunk of his life from him. Finding the drug-addicted dealer was easier than they thought, and the set up was almost perfect when the two took the man down - perfect except that no one saw the knife the dealer had hidden.

This tale is full of sizzling hot male bodies finding love while indulging in erotic love play. The men are both flailing at loose ends as one looks for revenge and the other wants to put his bigoted family and boss behind him and start fresh. I wish there was a bit more substance, but the story in itself was a good base; I was just hoping to have a little more depth to the characters as they seemed a little one dimensional instead of going that little bit extra to make them two or three.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Phaze Publishing
  
• Book Length: Novella
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-59426-781-9

To purchase an electronic copy of I’d Die for You click here.

Books in the Slippery When Wet series in the order they should be read:

Living On A Prayer
I’d Die For You

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Logan was alone, even walking past the shelter and catching an eyeful of the sexy reverend that helped out there had him wishing for some contact. With no job and only $28 to his name, his options were limited when he finally broke down with a howl outside of the Lost Sheep Shelter; Logan had nothing left to lose. When the walking wet dream of a man introduced himself as Reverend Shane Grayson, Logan was compelled to tell the man his every secret. Reverend Shane had secrets of his own, which was why he had been transferred to this little out of the way place to begin with, and Logan sparked more than his spiritual nature as they talked of their past and their desires for the future.

Shane wanted to help; he knew that Logan had had a hard time of it and he wanted to help the sexy hunk find his way back on his feet. Logan’s need for a job was the first thing to settle, and connections set him up with a restaurant that needed a dishwasher. Next was to find a permanent place to live other than the seedy flop house he was in now. When the two crash the barrier standing between them and give into their desires, the second problem is taken out of the equation as the two begin a torrid affair.

It is Logan’s instincts, honed by being on the inside, that tell him that there is something else going down at the restaurant, and when he is brutally attacked, it is up to Logan and the strength that Shane can give him to do the right thing and take down the powerhouse that operates from within the system.

This short novella was a fast and furious as the men took control of their lives. “Living on a Prayer” is a very sexy and smoldering look into the lives of two men as they come together as a couple despite their differing backgrounds and beliefs.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Phaze Publishing
  
• Book Length: Novella
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-59426-779-6

To purchase an electronic copy of Livin’ on a Prayer click here.

Books in the Slippery When Wet series in the order they should be read:

Living On A Prayer
I’d Die For You

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Chronicles of the Lost Years is a wonderful read for all ages. This reviewer really enjoyed reading it not only due to a great like of mysteries every so often, but, in essence, cutting my teeth on Sherlock Holmes. I came into this book with an open mind as every author will have his or her own stamp when writing within a different author’s “world” and I was very pleasantly surprised. Ms. Cooper-Posey wrote Chronicles with the proper balance of staying true to Mr. Doyle’s creation while putting her own stamp on his works.

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Ravenstone; 1 Ed edition (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888012411
• ISBN-13: 978-0888012418

To purchase a print copy of Chronicles of the Lost Years from Amazon click here.

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Stephan’s life is on a bit of a downward slide. His book deal is stalled, and his lover Gary has left him for a younger man. Things begin to look up when Patrick walks into his life.

Though only half his age, Patrick is the kind of man that Stephan can spend hours fantasizing about. He could never hope to have a man like Patrick - or could he?

Brought to us by award winning author Jade Falconer, “Around the World” is a short story that follows the May-December flirtation between young dog groomer Patrick and the somewhat jaded travel writer Stephan. Though aimed at a particular audience, any reader will become engrossed in this story and root for Stephan and Patrick to move beyond their sexy banter into a real relationship. Well written and engrossing, readers will get pulled in and wish for a full novel when they reach the end.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Phaze Publishing
  
• Book Length: Novella
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-59426-775-8

To purchase an electronic copy of Around The World click here.

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Editor Alessia Brio brings us Coming Together Against the Odds, the seventh anthology of erotic fiction from the Phaze Books Coming Together series and twelfth in the Coming Together collections from all publishing venues. Two things make this special collection stand out from the pack. First, there is that all of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to Autism Speaks, and second, that each of these tales involves an element of mystery that captivates the reader and holds them riveted to their seat.

Each of the fourteen stories featured in this book is uniquely crafted to take the reader on a journey that can be taken alone or share with a partner, as well as reading the entire book through or enjoying it in single story bites. From the four couples taking their revolving dinner parties to a new level in “Blind Tasting” to the Psychic Advisor with a penchant for S&M in “Sixth Sense” and the somewhat psychotic Trina in “The Arch”, the characters are each so well written and engaging that a series or a novel could be written around them. With a balanced blend of both intrigue and erotica, Coming Together Against the Odds would be an appropriate book for neophytes to the genre of erotic fiction.

About The Book:
“All behavior is communication. The trick is to figure out just what it’s saying. No behavior communicates as clearly or on as many levels as sex. All the physical and emotional senses are engaged. Add the element of intrigue, and the intellect is engaged as well.

Phaze Books, in partnership with editor, Alessia Brio, is proud to announce the release of Coming Together: Against the Odds, a collection of erotic fiction with a mystery theme, with an introduction written by the one & only Maxim Jakubowski.

All proceeds from the sale of this special anthology will benefit Autism Speaks.”

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Phaze Books (May 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606590472
• ISBN-13: 978-1606590478

To purchase a print copy of Coming Together: Against the Odds click here.

To purchase an eBook copy of Coming Together: Against the Odds click here.

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This historical tale is both sexy and exciting as Ms. Killion delves into the sometimes brutal and unjust lives of the Lairds of the Scottish Highlands in the late 1400s.

The secrets of Brycen Castle were the reason a young lad was able to witness the birth of a young lass, her father’s maniacal temper, and his father’s, her mother’s and members of his clan’s violent and savage deaths. Stepping out of the shadows to take the babe from the priest’s hands before the Laird returned to lay waste to her young life, too, he brands the bundle with his father’s signet and escapes with the little one in tow.

Throughout the young maiden’s life, she has been shunned as a witch or worse. Akira is much loved by her adoptive family but is not privy to the information on her real heredity. Her benefactor, although unknown, has captured her young heart as he has long said that he will send for her to become his bride when the time is right. Laird Calin MacLeod has grown since he escaped with his betrothed from Brycen castle and now was a Laird in his own right. When he arrives to get his bride, it is found that she has been taken by someone of his own house, and he and her brother Kendrick must rescue her from the slave auctions to which she had been sold. Returning from the auctions, Calin must slowly woo the lady he has trothed his life to as they make their way back to MacLeod lands and to the wedding. When Akira finds out he is one and the same as her benefactor and that she is not truly a sister to Kendrick, Akira shows her strength in battling her feelings of betrayal and her growing feelings for Calin.

The two must deal with their growing relationship, internal strife and betrayal in the MacLeod lands and the uprising of Laird Kinnon, Akira’s true father, in his attempts to control not only his lands but neighboring clans as well.

I was truly enraptured with this story and its characters. Calin and Akira were both very strong and brave in their drive to protect the ones they love and rid themselves of a man who had left a trail of blood and turmoil throughout their young lives. The book was a sensual and romantic read that fascinated me from the start to the finish with its both amusing and tantalizing scenes, including two weddings and a mass murder. This would be a great beach or summer read to fill your thoughts with imaginative, suspenseful and arousing images of a life long ago.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra Books (Mass Market) (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420104411
• ISBN-13: 978-1420104417

To purchase a print copy of Highland Dragon from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Highland Dragon from Barnes & Noble click here.

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Miranda Wake has made enemies of most of the chefs in New York City because of her sharp-tongued reviews. However, when she meets Adam Temple, she discovers that his food lives up to its reputation. But when Adam makes a dare for her to spend a month in his kitchen and find out the real side of cooking, Miranda cannot pass it up.

It might be just the thing she needs to add to her book. But the publisher wants a tell-all book instead, so Miranda has to decide whether she will lower her journalistic integrity to write it. Adam teaches Miranda how to cook, and that is when things start to really heat up. Will Miranda be able to pass up the opportunity to write the book once she discovers that Adam and his crew are not the bad guys they are made out to be?

I LOVED Can’t Stand The Heat. Besides enjoying crafty romances, foodie romances are coming in a close second for me. Things really get spicy in the kitchen, and the chemistry that occurs between Miranda and Adam is enjoyable and a fun read. I also enjoyed the side story of Miranda’s brother Jess. It definitely took an unexpected twist that I did not see coming. But it was a fun read, as well, and I hope to see more of him in a future book. Miranda is a tough woman, and I held my breath throughout the story to see what she would do in the end about her tell-all book. I enjoyed the fact that the book even contains a couple of recipes that were mentioned in the story. Louisa Edwards has written a great debut novel, and I look forward to reading more of the Recipe for Love series.

Book Excerpt: “For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple’s kitchen to write an exposé is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. But she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.

Adam’s not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn’t even know the difference between poaching and paring. He’ll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than simply preparing sumptuous food.”

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312356498
• ISBN-13: 978-0312356491

To purchase a print copy of Can’t Stand the Heat from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Can’t Stand the Heat from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the Recipe For Love series in the order they should be read:
Can’t Stand The Heat
On the Steamy Side

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