Heartbeat by Mary Winter

Title: Heartbeat

Author: Mary Winter

Publisher: Pink Petal Books

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-9829099-3-5

Genre: Erotica, Contemporary

Length: 100 pages

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Author Email mary@marywinter.com

Rating:  3 Diamonds     

Heat Level: Erotic

Other:  Oral, Anal, Bondage

Reviewer: Cassandra Parker

Date: October 16, 2010

Reba had a high power, high stress job and unfortunately 4 years ago when she met Todd her job was the dominating force in her life. 4 months later Reba had a heart attack and she had to give up her job for her health. Now living with her friend Hope, Reba has had to completely start over and still struggles with her health. Hope recommends the alternative treatments offered at Healing Hands but Reba knows that means seeing Todd again.

Todd owns Healing Hands, a natural healing center, which helps people lead healthier lifestyles through alternative methods. When Todd receives a call from Reba out of the blue he can hardly believe it. After all Reba is the one who got away. Todd believes that everything happens for a reason and isn’t willing to let Reba get away twice.

This story was good but a little too long for me, which is a surprise because usually I have the opposite problem. The plot moved really slowly and really the book could have ended 50 pages earlier if some of the superfluous sex scenes had been cut. I like a hot read but basically all Reba and Todd did together was either talk about Reba’s health or have sex. It got incredibly redundant. There wasn’t really enough meat to this story for it to be the length it was and it really started to drag to the point where I was becoming incredibly fed up with Reba and just wanted her to do something. This was still a pretty good read and if you’re looking for a story with a lot of sex and not a lot of substance this is the book for you, but if not I would pass on this one.

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Live Action Hero by Mary Winter

Title: Live Action Hero

Author: Mary Winter

Publisher: Changeling Press

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-59596-340-6

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Collection of short stories

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Author Email: mary@marywinter.com

Rating: 5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: M/M, oral, anal

Reviewer: Starla Kaye

Date: 6-3-10

MISSION: CARNAL

Mack Walker gets seriously injured as an action hero only to be repaired by the owner of a comic shop. With the repairs completed, he remembers a past life as a human dying in Vietnam and finds himself given a second chance as a human. The Toymaker gives him that chance and a special mission: teach Adrian to trust and love again. But can Mack convince the guarded man that he is no longer the toy he repaired but a man now? Can they heal each other’s past pains and find love that will last?

MISSION: RAW

Sawyer Airestok was another seriously injured action hero, repaired by his former team mate, Mack Walker. He remembers how he’d died from a sniper’s bullet in Uganda in late 1970s and then become an action figure. Now he’s given one more chance to be human and a mission to heal Dean’s wounded heart. But can he fulfill that mission? Can he make the man who has pulled away from relationships believe in both his renewed life and in his love?

MISSION: POSSESSION

Talon Jameson is another of the seriously wounded action heroes brought back to human life by the Toymaker. He’d died in 1990 in Desert Storm only to become an action hero for eighteen years. But he’s earned a second chance at life and given a mission of helping a third partner in the comic book company with an ad campaign to help save the company. He’d modeled before being a soldier and now he is getting a chance to model again. But can he convince Hugh to love him for more than just his cover-model body? Can the two men find a lasting love together?

MISSION: TOUCHDOWN

Van: torn between staying a partner in the comic shop and finishing law school

Brice is the final part of the team of action heroes restored from a serious injury by the owners of the comic book company. The Toymaker gives him a second chance to be human and a mission to help the fourth partner, Van, in the comic shop make a tough decision. Can Brice help Van make the right decision? Can the two of them find happiness like their friends?

When I first started reading this collection of stories, I wondered about the basic theme: action hero dolls coming to real life. But I quickly found myself enjoying each of the stories and caring for each of the men, including the former action-hero-turned-living men. Each of the eight men had emotional depth, each carried baggage, and each needed and deserved a chance at finding the love of their life. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

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Southern Rose by Mary Winter

Title: Southern Rose
Author: Mary Winter
Publisher: Pink Petal Books
Publication Date: October, 2009
Genre: Erotic Historical Lesbian (f/f) Romance
Length: Novella
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Rating: 5 Diamonds
Heat Level: Erotic
Other: sex toys, f/f
Reviewer: Kate
Date: 1/10/10

Southern Rose is a tale of two ladies at the time of the Civil War. Rose is a widow, making her way as a schoolmarm, and Agnes is a seamstress with a past. Can two ladies manage to find romance in each other’s arms in the restrictive society of their time? Read and find out.

The feminist in me always cheers for women who manage to be their own people and find their own happiness in societies where they are little better than chattel. Mary Winter’s heroines are both strong women who manage to do just that. The backdrop against which the story proceeds is illustrative of the restrictions under which many women lived then...and some still do. But if a woman is willing to take chances, she may just find her soulmate. I would love to know what happens with them later. Okay? Please?

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