Driftwood Deeds by Laila Blake

When journalist Iris Ellis visits a sleepy seaside town to interview recluse screenwriter Paul Archer, he offers her insights into never acted upon fantasies of dominance and submission. Too curious to deny herself a taste of them, Iris gives herself up to Paul's gentle guidance, but when she realizes that a taste can never be enough, she must find the courage to ask for what she needs or risk losing it all.
 
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A Hotter State (Publisher)

I picked this one up after reading another friend's review of it, so I knew what to expect from it, though I found as I was reading it that it wasn't really what I expected. I think I expected something more explicit, a little more hardcore on the BDSM, and while it does get quite explicit in places the overall tone is much more sensual than overly erotic. And the writing here is very sensual indeed with the author doing a superb job of conveying every detail of scenery and sensation from the smell of the sea as they walk along the beach to the more intimate skin-on-skin sensations as the two main characters come together.

Tower in the Woods by Tara Quan

Raised by the Women’s Independent Territory Church (WITCH), Nel Zapur is a skilled sniper tasked to eliminate zombies. Never having once laid eyes on a man, she has been a prisoner in her tower for eleven long years. A fateful snowstorm leads a mysterious stranger to her window, and saving him may prove to be the best and worst decision of her life.

Special Agent Dane Prince was sent to gather intelligence on the WITCH, and his journey leads him to a mysterious tower in the woods. Snowed in with a virginal member of the feminist cult, Dane is determined to use the situation to his advantage. Not only will Nel provide him with the information he needs, she will also learn to submit to his every desire.

Based on the Grimm’s fairy tale "Rapunzel", Tower In the Woods is a post-apocalyptic thriller, complete with zombies, snipers, a fateful snowstorm and...a hot, alpha male!

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Liquid Silver Books

As is evident by the title and the description, this book is inspired by the classic fairytale, Rapunzel. Our heroine has been locked away in a tower from which she can't escape for nearly half her life with no way to escape it and dependent upon her jailor/caretaker to bring her supplies. She brings the supplies (and later Dane) up into the tower by means of a rope made from human hair. That is pretty much where the similarities end however, and what follows is quite unique.

Dark Citadel by Cherise Sinclair

After Kari breaks up with her date during Beginner's Night at Club Shadowlands, she's given the option to continue with an experienced dominant. Despite her steamy fantasies about BDSM, the inexperienced schoolteacher plans to simply observe. Yet under the unyielding hands of Master Dan, she not only participates, but gives him everything he asks for. There is nothing she can hide from him. Not her passion…or her love.

Still mourning the death of his wife, Master Dan avoids getting involved with women and he never takes a sub twice. But this modest little beginner is such a sweetie, one night is far from enough. As he plumbs her responses, taking her ever deeper into the world of BDSM, the gentle submissive begins to show him how barren his life has become and what a dark citadel he's made of his heart.

During their three nights together, the teacher will learn to submit...can she teach the master to love?

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A great follow-up to Club Shadowlands, and every bit as emotion filled. Cherise Sinclair does a great job of bringing her characters to life and pulling you into the story such that you feel everything they're feeling right along with them.

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.

Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.

Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality.

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A big disappointment after the strength of the last book in this series. All of the good momentum that had been gained in Fifty Shades Darker was largely lost in this volume, or at least the first half of it. After all the growth and progress Ana and Christian make with their relationship in Darker, the first half of this book puts us back to the repetitive back and forth bickering that we saw so much of in Fifty Shades of Grey. While it does pick up again in the second half, the agonizing first half really makes you question if you want to stay with it or not. Frankly, only sheer determination to make it through this one kept me from bailing on it, and even then it was a near thing at times.

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven, and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront her anger and envy of the women who came before her and make the most important decision of her life.




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A strong follow-up entry in the series to a somewhat weak first book. I found this one to be much more enjoyable and engaging to read, right from the start, than I did the previous book. While I think there are several situations throughout that were handled/resolved a bit too quickly and easily, still the majority of the book felt very realistic and it's easy to picture Christian and Ana as a real couple that are trying to work through their various issues and find a way to be together and both be content.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.



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This book has been reviewed by many, many people, most of whom are far better at the review craft than I am. So, I'll simply endeavor to offer my observations, opinions, etc. about this somewhat controversial and rather polarizing book.

Deadly Captive by Bianca Sommerland

Deadly Captive by Bianca Sommerland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A grim and sometimes confusing read. Not quite as dark and twisted as some things I've read, but it's up there. Characterizations change somewhat throughout the book, and it's hard to know at times whether to feel sympathy for the main characters or be somewhat repulsed by them. No one is entirely innocent in the final accounting, and frequently it's hard to know who, if anyone, you should be rooting for to come out on top in the end.

Lydia begins as a sympathetic character, but as the book goes along she seems to lose her way. At best, it could probably be argued that the things she's made to endure drive her more than a little insane. Then again, maybe she was heavily conflicted to begin with whether or not it was ever obvious before. She goes along with things a little too easily at times, and then at others, she'll suddenly balk and throw a bit of a temper tantrum over the slightest thing, and/or over something you'd think she'd have no objection to.

Joe seems to be a fairly softhearted guy at first. An iron will, and willing to do reprehensible things in the name of saving or protecting Lydia at times, but seemingly a pretty easygoing nice guy underneath. There are flashes of a darker side to his personality at times, and this side comes to the fore more later on making him a much less sympathetic character by the end than he is at the beginning. By the end you're left wondering if Lydia's really better off with him or if she's just traded one captor for another.

Not an easy read by any means, anyone with a weak stomach or who's easily upset by things such as graphic rape, torture, and other violence should steer clear of this one. Even if such things don't bother you overmuch in a book, this one will likely make you uncomfortable at best, and will probably leave an uneasy feeling in its wake once read.

In the end, I'm not entirely sure what to think about this one exactly - I'm not entirely sure I really liked it, and yet it held a definite morbid fascination for me and I found it hard to stop reading once I'd started. Kind of like watching a train wreck I suppose; you want to look away from the horror of it, but you can't quite seem to tear your eyes away. Approach this one with caution if you choose to read it.

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Master of the Mountain by Cherise Sinclair

When Rebecca's boyfriend talks her into vacationing at a mountain lodge with his swing club, she quickly learns she's not cut out for playing musical beds. Now she has nowhere to sleep. Logan, the lodge owner, finds her freezing on the porch. After hauling her inside, he warms her in his own bed, and there the experienced Dom discovers that Rebecca might not be a swinger...but she is definitely a submissive.

Rebecca knows that no one can love her plump, scarred body. To her shock, lodge owner Logan not only disagrees, but ties her up and shows her just how much he enjoys her curves. Under his skilled hands, Rebecca not only loses her inhibitions, but also her heart.

Damaged from the war, Logan considers himself too dangerous to be around the enticing little sub. He sends her away for her own safety, not realizing she believes she has once again been rejected because of her size. As Logan's mountains echo with her voice long after she's gone, he realizes she's taken his heart with her. But when he arrives in the city to reclaim her, Rebecca's phone has been disconnected and her apartment is empty...

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An engaging read that will have you swooning and panting right along with the heroine. Ms. Sinclair does a wonderful job of writing the emotions of her characters that pulls you right in and has you feeling everything right along with them. A well rounded narrative with characters that come alive and get you truly caring about them to the point that the sizzling sex is just a bonus rather than the main course.

Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair

Her car disabled during a tropical storm, Jessica Randall discovers the isolated house where she's sheltering is a private bondage club. At first shocked, she soon becomes aroused watching the interactions between the Doms and their subs. But she's a professional woman--an accountant--and surely isn't a submissive...is she?

Master Z hasn't been so attracted to a woman in years. But the little sub who has wandered into his club intrigues him. She's intelligent. Reserved. Conservative. After he discovers her interest in BDSM, he can't resist tying her up and unleashing the passion she hides within.

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I've read this book several times, and each time I have enjoyed it as much as the first. It's become something of a go-to book for me when I'm in the mood for something racy, edgy, and quick to read. It's short enough that even I can put it away in a few hours, and I'm a pretty slow reader, but for all that it's short, and the story just a bit rushed at times because of that perhaps, it still packs a lot of punch emotionally.

Mastering Marissa by Cyna Kade

Mastering Marissa by Cyna Kade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A powerful story that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster. The author does a wonderful job of pulling you into the story to the point that you can feel Marissa's anger, fear, and frustration as she tries to come to grips with the customs and culture of Darinth. It seems almost excessively cruel in some ways the way that Kytar tricks her first into accepting him as an escort, which leads to him binding her, and then into accepting his collar, withholding key information from her all along so that she acts without really understanding what she's agreeing to or what the consequences will be. It is true, however, that she refuses to believe him when he does try to explain things to her, so perhaps his deceptions are a bit more forgivable.

On the negative side, Marissa ends up turning the corner from defiance to submission fairly suddenly and unexpectedly, her change of heart coming a bit sooner than one would have expected. By that point, however, things had reached the stage where something had to give one way or another - either she had to decide to stop fighting so hard and work to accept and submit, or there was a very real chance that the training would have ended up breaking her. Still, things could have gone on just a bit longer, and the change of heart could have happened a little more gradually so that it wasn't quite as jarring to the flow that had been established. The author's skill at bringing the emotions of the situation alive so vividly well overcomes these few negatives, however, and the story deserves the full five stars as being one of the best in it's class.

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