Urban Wars Two: Cold Wind in August by Pat Cromwell

Title: Urban Wars Two:  Cold Wind In August

Author: Pat Cromwell

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN:978-1-60435-254-2

Genre: Urban fantasy

Length: 173 pages

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Author Website

Author Email: pacd97867@cs.com

Rating: 3  diamonds

Heat Level: spicy

Other: m/f, m/m

Reviewer: Brecken Stevens

Date: October 30, 2010

JD is a police officer in a different time-a much harder time. The only light in his existence is his job and an encounter with his angel years before. But now Angel is back and JD has some serious decisions to make. To be with her means accepting compounded lies and prophesies. To walk away means leaving the woman he loves to fend for herself.

Cold Wind In August is what I’d call urban fantasy. It’s a little futuristic, the world is completely changed and the romance never builds, never crests but it serves its purpose to get JD and Angel where they need to be for the next segment of the series to happen. The amount of back story needed to get the reader even into the plot line was very off putting and even halfway through I wasn’t rooting for JD and Angel to make it. So, three diamonds in the romance department and readers wanting to see a romance build, aren’t going to find it here. If a reader does like the urban fantasy type story with some sex in it, this might be a good go-to read.

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Agent of Mercy by Betty Ann Harris

Title: Agent of Mercy

Author: Betty Ann Harris

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: April 22, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-682-3

Genre: contemporary romance

Length: 71 pages

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Author Website

Author Email: lizzie0412@hotmail.com

Rating:  3 Diamonds      

Heat Level:  sensual

Reviewer: Gabrielle

Date: 11/5/10

   

FBI agent Sam Blake finds himself falling for the woman he is supposed to be taking down. Catherine is known for getting rich men to fall in love with her so she can steal their money. As the two find themselves in the beginnings of a relationship things begin to go awry. Just who is playing whom?

 

 I had a hard time getting into this story. The characters lacked depth and emotions making it a dry read for me. The way it is written it reads more like a summary of a longer story. I would have enjoyed learning more about Sam and his feelings. I enjoyed the storyline and I think that if the story were a bit longer and continued on from where it ended it would have been a better read for me.

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Tricks by Veronica Tower

Title:  Tricks

Author:  Veronica Tower

Publisher:  Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date:  October 14, 2010

ISBN:   978-1-60435-790-5

Genre:  Erotica

Length:  72 pages

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Author Website  http://www.veronicatowers.com/

Author Email    heypatk2000@yahoo.com

Rating:   2.75 Diamonds

Heat Level:  Scorching

Other:   Oral, Multiple Partner,

Reviewer:  Yasmine

Date:  10/17/2010

“Cassie likes to play tricks on Halloween.

 She spends the whole year planning – constructing the perfect sexy costume to attract just the right sort of man. He has to be tall, strong, handsome, and totally self-confident. And, of course, too horny to expect the sort of trick Cassie is about to play on him.

 It’s Halloween again.

 Let the fun begin!”

Unfortunately the fun for me didn’t start in this book until the end when Cassie gets tricked herself.  There was nothing redeemable about our lead character, Cassie is self centered woman who spends the year thinking up ways to screw and then demean any man stupid enough to fall into her trap. I kept hoping that for once there was a point of view shift and by some miracle the book would be about Cassie’s best friend Brooke who is likable and who I enjoyed watching come out of her shell.  And I nearly wooted out loud when she gets up the courage to flirt with her secret crush.

The writing in the book is really good, and if Ms Tower were to write a book based on Brooke I would read it.  But this book fell short when its lead was someone I could neither empathize with nor like. 

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Forbidden by Anya Howard

Title: Forbidden

Author: Anya Howard

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: July 29,2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-092-0

Genre: BDSM, romance

Length: 28 pages

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Author Website 

Author Email:  an_howard@charter.net

Rating:  4 Diamonds     

Heat Level:  erotic

Other:  anal/oral play, sex games, BDSM, spanking

Reviewer: Gabrielle

Date: 10/5/2010

 

This short story was a sweet read. A husband and wife living and loving a life filled with BDSM. When Vicki disobeys him Ethan must discipline her.  As we follow Vicki and her thoughts we see just how much she loves her husband. Ethan may teach Vicki a hard lesson but in the end we see his love shine through. These two not only share their love for a lifestyle but for each other as well. If you are looking for a quick hot read this story might be just what you are looking for. Anya Howard does a good job of bringing the reader into the story and entertained until the end.

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Cambio by Anthony Stevens

Title: Cambio

Author: Anthony Stevens

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-761-5

Genre: Erotic Romance/Paranormal/Shifters

Length: 14,838 words

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Author Website

Author Email: masteranthonysteves@gmail.com

Rating: 3 Diamonds

Heat Level: Sweet to curiously sensual

Other: Shifters

Reviewer: S. K. Fero

Date: 9-10-10

Shifter Series: Book Two

This is a story of young romance and of discovery.

Sapphire Samuels is a teenager and, as if that isn’t hard enough, she is discovering shifting abilities she didn’t know she had. She has always felt different and now she is learning why.

Marco Martinez meets the troubled Sapphire and instantly recognizes another shifter. He also realizes she doesn’t know who and what she really is and that he can help her.

The story is short and is a romance in the very early stages, with the focus being more on discovering shifting abilities. The characters are slightly developed and the conflicts there, but all could have been stronger.

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Betrayed by Love by Marilyn Lee

Title: Betrayed by Love

Author: Marilyn Lee

Publisher: Red Rose ™ Publishing

Publication Date: August 26, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-751-6

Genre: Erotic

Length: 32,438 words

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Author Website

Author Email: Mlee2057@aol.com

Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: Spicy

Other: BBW, Contemporary, Interracial/Multicultural

Reviewer: Reena Jacobs

Date: 9/2/2010

Linea Hills is an attractive, confident, full-figured woman in full control of her heart and her life—until she falls into lust with her best friend's husband. Then her life is turned upside down as she feels betrayed by love that hits her at the wrong time and with the wrong man. Her precarious situation worsens when her friend tries to draw her into the marital games she and her husband play.

Grant West is an eligible bachelor with a job that keeps him on the road and a charm that ensures he has his choice of companionship from a succession of women—none of whom can expect a commitment from him. Then he meets Linea and falls for a woman who is determined not to surrender what he wants most from her—her heart.

The cover of this book immediately attracted me. So how did judging a book by the cover work for me? Not bad.

I wouldn’t exactly call this a romance, as the story between Linea and Grant did not always take precedence. In fact, it seemed more on the lines of erotic women’s fiction or chick lit. That little tidbit didn’t put me off though, as the storyline kept me engrossed.

Sex was a central theme in Betrayed by Love and included frequently. And though the novella is labeled as an erotic and the language was coarse enough to bring a blush to some, the scenes were not detailed enough to make the steam truly rise. Even so, that aspect didn’t make the read any less enjoyable, just an observation.

The storyline was told completely from Linea’s first person POV, except for one oddball scene in Grant’s third person POV. The style was quite interesting. It had a Forrest Gump-type feel with Linea narrating her journey of love as if the reader was right there with her.

I found it easy to relate with Linea. Her struggle to balance right from wrong and reconcile her self-perception with her impulses kept me engaged. Above all, her views on love versus lust hit the nail on the nose (in my opinion), and because if it, the storyline was realistic. I’d recommend this novella to readers who enjoy lusty stories which examine aspects of interracial dating.

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Curling Up by K.T. Bishop

Title: Curling Up
Author: K.T. Bishop
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Publication Date: April 22 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60435-658-8
Genre: Contemporary, Interracial/Multicultural
Length: 79 pages
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Author Website
Rating: 3.75 Diamonds
Heat Level: sensual
Other: oral
Reviewer: Suki
Date: August 9, 2010

“Robin Friesz skipped college to take a radio gig in Canada. He walked into a drug raid in Toronto. The charges were eventually dropped. He was befriended by a Lawn care owner who harnessed his skills as a Curler. He worked his way on the American curling team. Inga Johan found herself out of work as her TV series was cancelled in Sweden. She re-discovered the world of figure skating and beat out a talented squad to make the Olympic team.”

Awesome a love story that involves curling. And I am serious---I love curling. Mr. Bishop has the definite knack for righting a love story that involves sports he is able to talk about a reader may not understand but do it in a way that flows and is exciting.

I absolutely fell in love with the Hero Robin, he is charming and well mannered. It is unfortunate that his luck is as lousy as it is at the beginning of the book, but it’s all those bad things that lead to greatness.

I hated the Heroine, she isn’t supposed to be likeable in the beginning and she isn’t, she is self-centered and rude. Because of this, the transformation into a likable woman is a hard one but one that the author is able to eventually make.

If the reader is ready to suspend disbelief (because it hard to believe that these two could accomplish what they do) and take a jump of faith into this sports romance, you will enjoy it. Yes I would read this one again and yes I will read more by this author.

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Familiar One With Eternity by Annette Shelley

Title: Familiar One With Eternity

Author: Annette Shelley

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-60435-711-0

Genre: paranormal romance

Length: 77 pages

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Author Website: www.annetteshelley.com

Rating: 3 1/2 Diamonds

Heat Level: spicy

Reviewer: Brecken Stevens

Date: July 5, 2010

Constantino, Angel and Benedicto are three brothers, cursed to share forms with cats of all sizes. It came about when Constantino’s relationship with Esmerelda, a powerful sorceress turned sour and she took a thousand years’ revenge on his family. Now, on the eve of the thousand year anniversary, Angel and Benedicto are trying to get to Constantino to find a way to break the curse now that the two younger brothers have women they love. Working against them is time, Constantino’s shame and the FBI who wants to find the people who can change into cats.

Familiar One With Eternity is the final installment of Ms. Shelley’s shifter series. With a stronger background in the other two, I’m sure this one would have been more fulfilling. I enjoyed it, but I’m not quite sure it’s strong enough to stand alone if someone just picks it up since there is so much interesting back story. I loved Rachel and Benedicto-there’s something about a woman calling a strong, tough man “Fluffy” (as was his name when he was her housecat) tickles my funny bone. The other characters were also sexy and strong, but if a reader wants to pick this story up, read the other two first. I’m sure the whole package makes a great kitty-related read for those who enjoy paranormal shifter stories.

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Just Ducky by Talia Kelley

Title: Just Ducky

Author: Talia Kelley

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-688-5

Genre: Paranormal Suspense

Length: 58 pages

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Author Website

Author Email: taliakelley@yahoo.com

Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: Sensual erotic

Other: Self-play

Reviewer: S. K. Fero

Date: 7-1-10

This is a story of both a first chance and a second chance at love, with a paranormal twist.

Emma Brooks has enough inherited money to not need to work. She is free to spend her time looking for old books and curiosities. She leads a comfortable, but lonely life. She longs for someone to desire her.

What a sweet, sensual story to read. My heart broke for Drake, ached for the lonely Emma, and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop.

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To Have and to Hold by Dana Littlejohn

Title: To Have and To Hold

Author: Dana Littlejohn

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-60435-622-9

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novella

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Author Website

Author Email: authordanalittlejohn@gmail.com

Rating: 3.5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: Oral

Reviewer: S. K. Fero

Date: 6-22-10

This is a second chance at love story with a twist. Sometimes a good marriage can turn boring after time. Sometimes a woman can wonder about what her life might have been like with the first love of her life, instead of with the man she married.

Andrea Cooper loves her husband of twenty-some years. But now that their children are grown and gone, and Christian has started a new business, she is feeling unsure of her place. And she misses the intimacy and passion they once had. By chance meeting, she runs into Raymond Reyes, her first love. Their friendship renews, but things start heating up between them. She must make a hard choice now.

The characters are fairly well developed and the situation realistic. My only problem was that the writing could have been smoother.

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Voice in the Night by Kat Holmes

Title: Voice in the Night

Author: Kat Holmes

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-60435-625-0

Genre: Contemporary 40+

Length: 27 pages

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Author Website

Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: Self-play

Reviewer: S. K. Fero

Date: 6-21-10

If you want a quick, fairly hot read about an older woman and a younger man, then you’ll like this story.

Phaia Mykos is a librarian. She hasn’t had an easy life, but she loves her college-age daughter enough to do anything to help her, including extra money as a phone sex operator. She also has spent a while fantasizing about her much younger neighbor. He doesn’t even speak to her, so she doubts those fantasies will ever come true. Until trouble develops for the phone sex ladies. Until Derek Hoffman, a policeman, is assigned to set a trap in her home.

For a very short story, the plot was fairly well developed.

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Punished By Her Sheik by Nicole L. Pierce

Title: Punished by Her Sheik

Author: Nicole L. Pierce

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-60435-480-5

Genre: Contemporary Suspense

Length: Novel (243 pages)

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Author Website

Author Email: wordsmythe94@gmail.com

Rating: 5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Hot erotic

Other: Spanking, oral play, anal play, sex games

Reviewer: Starla Kaye

Date: 6-16-10

Oh my goodness! This is so hot you’ll need to fan yourself as you read it.

Ben Zaldana is a sheik by birthright, a former secret agent, and now spends boring days as a P.I. Boring until Abigail Cartwright pops out of a closet with a gun determined to kidnap him and make him pay for breaking her step-sister’s heart, his former fiancée. Ben is more amused and aroused by the courageous, misguided beauty than worried. She plans to “punish” him for his supposed crime. He plans to seduce the strong-willed woman, especially as he discovers she is secretly a submissive. Since he is a dominant man in many ways they are more drawn to each other than either first realized. But their growing romance isn’t all “fun and games,” someone wants her dead.

The characters were well-developed with intriguing backgrounds, emotional depth, and had numerous internal conflicts to deal with, as well as having to face dangerous obstacles. If you’re looking for a story with some suspense, a wonderful cast of characters, and plenty of heat, Punished By Her Sheik is definitely for you.

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Love Choice by Cooper McKenzie

Title: Love Choice

Author: Cooper McKenzie

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-679-3

Genre: Erotic Romance

Length: 6260

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Author Website

Author Email: coopermckenzie@ymail.com

Rating: 2.5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Spicy

Other: Vampire

Reviewer: Reena Jacobs

Date: 6-13-2010

Loving a vampire comes easy for Jayne Peters. Working for that same vampire is more difficult, but she finds that teasing and treating him with sex gets the work accomplished faster. Problem is, she is so in love and so attuned that her body sometimes betrays her.

Love choice is the third installment of the Vamping with Jayne trilogy. Though I did not read the first two, I had no problem following this work. Even so, it read more like chapters from the middle of a complete novel than a standalone short story. For a final piece, it seemed a bit incomplete and left me wondering, shouldn’t there be more to the ending?

There were plenty of sex scenes in this erotic piece. In fact, I found the emphasis of this novel to lean more toward the physical aspects of the relationship rather than romantic. Considering the two stars of the show had already developed a relationship, this seemed fitting, as the newness which drives many couple to work through personality issues was gone.

As for the heat level, I would have liked a little more from an erotic work. The word choices had a pornographic feel, while the lack of details and quick climaxes left it lacking in the area of sensuality. In the end, it was neither pornographic nor erotic.

Readers might consider starting at the beginning of this series to get the maximum effect of this storyline.

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Fear of Darkness: In Darkness We Dwell Book 1 by Honoria Ravena

Title: Fear of Darkness: In Darkness We Dwell Book 1

Author: Honoria Ravena

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-60435-498-0

Genre: Paranormal romance

Length: 133 pages

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Author Website

Author Email : honoriaravens467@yahoo.com

Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: spicy

Reviewer: Brecken Stevens

Date: 06/04/2010

Natalya wants to be left alone because more than anything she needs to feel safe after years of abuse from her husband. Vahe is a hunter for the vampire king, on the prowl for a rogue vampire killing humans and leaving the bodies to be found by humans. In his search for the killer, Vahe runs into Natalya and is drawn to her terror, feisty attitude and her blood. Attraction burns hot and fast, but Vahe has a job to do and before it’s done more than a few drops of blood will be shed.

Ms. Ravens has my attention! From start to finish the story moved quickly and was genuinely interesting. The sex was hot and frequent without being ridiculous. There were things I didn’t like about Vahe, which perversely made me like him more. I love that the hints were dropped for a series, and what a series it could be! I can’t wait to read the next one. The only thing I found distracting was the back and forth first person point of view. I hope the next story in the series is a little different in that aspect, but if it’s not, I’ll still read it and, chances are if Ms. Ravens keeps the pace and interesting characters, I’ll love that one too.

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The Vampire Who Spanked Me by Honey Jans

Title: The Vampire Who Spanked Me

Author: Honey Jans

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-60435-694-6

Genre: Contemporary Paranormal/Vampire

Length: Novel

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Author Website

Author Email: honey@honeyjans.com

Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: Spicy

Other: Sensual spanking

Reviewer: S. K. Fero

Date: 6-4-10

Cherish McCloud has a confused life, helping as a phony psychic, descended from a gypsy queen and a voodoo priestess, and has dreams haunted by a fantasy lover. It becomes even more confusing when she gets attacked by a pack of Verdant hunting demons and finally meets her dreamland lover, a vampire.

Vlad Masters is desperate to find who killed his sister and has no time for anything else. Then he comes across a beautiful mortal battling a pack of demons and his world gets more complicated. He learns their dreams have melded and they’ve become fantasy lovers. He tries to resist her because he has a duty to do, but circumstances pull them together. He quickly realizes that not only can he not resist her, but also there’s something much more to Cherish than just being a mortal. Can they battle all the enemies that keep popping into their lives and survive? Can they find happiness together?

The characters are complicated and fairly well developed. There are conflicts and obstacles aplenty. And the attraction between them lightly sizzles.

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Dangerous Liasons Book Two: Men of Danger by Blake Deveraux

Title: Dangerous Liaisons Book Two: Men of Danger

Author: Blake Deveraux

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-60435-474-4

Genre: contemporary gay romance

Length: 217

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Author Website

Author Email : blake.deveraux@yahoo.com

Rating: 5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: m/m, m/m/m, oral

Reviewer: Brecken Stevens

Date: May 20, 2010

Brandon and Daniel are at the cusp of making their relationship something more than either of them has ever had. With all the happiness and love, unfortunately, memories of Brandon’s haunting past have come to terrorize the otherwise affectionate, playful man. Daniel isn’t sure how to handle Brandon and despite his desire to help and love his man, he’s afraid of failing him and failing them both.

There are just too many exciting things happening to give a better blurb because I don’t want to give any spoilers! I loved this story. Brandon and Daniel are two of the most likable characters I’ve ever read. I liked how they handled adversity and how they treated each other even when things were difficult for them. The sexual tension was constant and often indulged but in enough different ways that it was always exciting and new. I gave Dangerous Liaisons five stars because for all the action and sex, it was still all heart and that is what romance is all about.

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