FurryFury
Addict of Sensation
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The BIG question is, should be put off picking a selection for May since the April selection was so long or not?
Nominees for the next selection (be it in May or June) include the following:
1.) Daughter of the Blood, by Anne Bishop, from The Black Jewels Trilogy which includes-- Heir to the shadows and Queen of the darkness.
Descriptions: Anne Bishop's debut novel, Daughter of the Blood, is like black coffee--strong, dark, and hard on delicate stomachs. Within the Blood (a race of magic-users), women rule and men serve, but tradition has been corrupted so that women enslave men, who seek to destroy their oppressors. Female children are violated before they can reach maturity; men are tortured and forced to satisfy witches' sexual appetites.
Bishop's child heroine, Jaenelle, is destined to rule the Blood, if she can reach adulthood. Her power is hidden; her family believes her mad. Saetan, High Lord of Hell and most powerful of the Blood males, becomes Jaenelle's surrogate father and teacher. He cannot protect her outside Hell, where he rules. She refuses to leave Terreille, risking herself to protect or heal other victims of violence. Can Daemon, Saetan's estranged son, keep her safe from the machinations of the evil High Priestess? Or will he lose his battle to control his destructive urges and endanger her?
Readers may find some aspects of Bishop's world confusing; not least that most of the good guys live in Hell. But her protagonists are compelling, sympathetic characters who overcome terrible adversity. If you like Anne Rice or Laurell K. Hamilton, try this one. --Nona Vero
From Library Journal
The prophecy of a coming Queen destined to shake the foundations of the Dark Kingdom heralds a war of intrigue and Machiavellian politics as three rivals seek control over the innocent young girl fated to ascend to greatness. Lavishly sensual and overtly erotic, Bishop's fantasy debut features a richly detailed world based on a reversal of standard genre cliches of light and darkness. Fans of Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series may appreciate this adults-only series opener. Large libraries may want to consider for their fantasy collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
2.)Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down: Three Tales of Erotic Romance by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Melanie George, Jaid Black
Book Description
In this sexy erotica anthology, three hot authors reel you in with sizzling novellas about alpha heroes who will do anything to get the women they want -- even kidnap them!
Bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon presents "'Captivated' by You," the second sexy story in her series featuring the Bureau of American Defense. Rhea Stevenson is a "BAD" agent who has just been handed her most challenging assignment. She must go undercover as a dominatrix to bring in a deadly terrorist. The only upside is that her fellow agent, "Ace" Krux, whom she has long desired, is her training partner. Almost immediately the roles of master and slave are wonderfully blurred and Rhea and Ace unleash a wealth of hidden desire.
From bestselling romance author Melanie George comes "Promise Me Forever," the story of Savannah Harper, who has finally put her breakup with pro-football player Donovan Jerricho behind her. But when Tristan comes home to Mississippi on the eve of Savannah's wedding, he still wants her. And when he carries her off and holds her hostage, Savannah's surprised to find that the desire's deliciously mutual....
From Jaid Black comes "Hunter's Right," the fantastical story of Corporal Ronda Tipton of the U.S. Army, whose chopper goes down in the Arctic Circle. The only survivor of the crash, Ronda happens upon a hidden civilization of Vikings -- where she must face the bridal auction block. Only Nikolas Ericsson, the man who found Ronda, can save her by claiming her as his own according to sacred rights. But will she and this primitive brute give in to the sparks made when their worlds collide?
Sensual and playful, these three novellas will carry you away!
Download Description
"In this sexy erotica anthology, three hot authors reel you in with sizzling novellas about alpha heroes who will do anything to get the women they want -- even kidnap them! Bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon presents ""'Captivated' by You,"" the second sexy story in her series featuring the Bureau of American Defense. Rhea Stevenson is a ""BAD"" agent who has just been handed her most challenging assignment. She must go undercover as a dominatrix to bring in a deadly terrorist. The only upside is that her fellow agent, ""Ace"" Krux, whom she has long desired, is her training partner. Almost immediately the roles of master and slave are wonderfully blurred and Rhea and Ace unleash a wealth of hidden desire. From bestselling romance author Melanie George comes ""Promise Me Forever,"" the story of Savannah Harper, who has finally put her breakup with pro-football player Donovan Jerricho behind her. But when Tristan comes home to Mississippi on the eve of Savannah's wedding, he still wants her. And when he carries her off and holds her hostage, Savannah's surprised to find that the desire's deliciously mutual.... From Jaid Black comes ""Hunter's Right,"" the fantastical story of Corporal Ronda Tipton of the U.S. Army, whose chopper goes down in the Arctic Circle. The only survivor of the crash, Ronda happens upon a hidden civilization of Vikings -- where she must face the bridal auction block. Only Nikolas Ericsson, the man who found Ronda, can save her by claiming her as his own according to sacred rights. But will she and this primitive brute give in to the sparks made when their worlds collide? Sensual and playful, these three novellas will carry you away!"
3.) Wild women : contemporary short stories by women celebrating women / edited by Sue Thomas
Contents The tiger's bride / Angela Carter -- Woman from America / Bessie Head -- The English disease / Nina Fitzpatrick -- The smile of a mountain witch / Ohba Minako -- Two words / Isabel Allende -- The debutante / Leonora Carrington -- Liking men / Margaret Atwood -- Simmering / Margaret Atwood -- In the garden / Darcey Steinke -- The odalisque, extinct / Diana Hartog -- Bloodmantle / Tanith Lee -- Sleeping Beauty, revised / Jill McCorkle -- All strapped in / Sue Thomas -- Orchids to you, dear / Fiona Cooper -- Really, doesn't crime pay? / Alice Walker -- Stone-eating girl / Meena Alexander -- The raw brunettes / Lorraine Schein -- I like to look / Kathy Page -- Planetesimal / Keri Hulme -- Perma red / Debra Earling -- The queen's chamber / A. N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) -- Her thighs / Dorothy Allison -- Four bare legs in a bed / Helen Simpson -- How to save your own life / Erica Jong -- It's bad luck to die / Elizabeth McCracken -- MindMovie / Christine Slater -- A day at the peep show / Veronica Vera -- Roses / Evelyn Lau -- Julia and the bazooka / Anna Kavan -- Silver water / Amy Bloom -- In my next life / Pam Houston -- Many mothers / Beverley Daurio -- Suicide / Mariarosa Sclauzero -- Autobiography / Carol Emshw.
From Library Journal
Capitalizing on the appeal of Clarissa Pinkola Este's popular Women Who Run with the Wolves (LJ 6/15/92), editor Thomas has prepared this volume of short stories that "bring together modern examples of the warrior guises of Wild Woman." Thomas, a novelist and writing instructor whose own "All Strapped In" is included in the volume, divides the works into eight thematic sections-empowerment, sex, and righteous rage, among them-and provides informative introductory remarks to each section. The short stories come from a politically correct mix of contemporary women writers that include Isabel Allende, Margaret Atwood, Pam Houston, Alice Walker, and a number of emerging voices. It's not an essential purchase, but your Wild Women readers will want to check it out.
Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati Technical Coll.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
A hyena who takes the place of an unwilling debutante at the debutante's ball; a woman, worn from years of family duties, who fixes her gaze on a visiting sister who's escaped her portion of the familial burden and turns her to stone; men who jealously vie for kitchen supremacy while their wives work outside their homes; a writer who's researching sex-show performers at the Triple Treat Theater--all these and more are to be found in this compilation of short fiction by contemporary women that examines the wild-woman archetype characterized in various ways by the wanderer, the dreamer, and the story-teller. Editor Thomas distributes the contents (which include stories by Alice Walker, Anne Rice, Margaret Atwood, Erica Jong, Isabel Allende, Andrea Dworkin, and Fay Weldon and stunning supershorts by Kathy Page and Veronica Vera) into eight topical sections on the wild woman per se, the intruder mate, empowerment and self-esteem, sex, extreme behavior, creativity and life phases, rage, and endurance, respectively. What with its contemporary interpretations of archetypal themes, a good addition for the sake of women's studies as well as literature. Whitney Scott
4.) Topping From Below by Laura Reese.
From Publishers Weekly
The title of this devilishly pornographic?albeit literate?novel is taken from the argot of sadomasochism and refers to a rebellious dynamic in which the dominant partner (the "top") is subtly manipulated by the submissive partner (the "bottom"). After her young sister, Franny, is found murdered?bound, gagged and mutilated?Nora Tibbs, a journalist for the Sacramento Bee, discovers in Franny's computer a diary that details her brief affair with "M.," an arrogant music professor in his late 40s. Cruelly exploiting the overweight, love-starved woman, M. forced Franny to submit to a humiliating gamut of outre sexual practices. Convinced that M. is Franny's murderer, Nora sets out to prove his guilt by pretending to submit to his depraved aberrations. But, to her astonishment, she discovers a dark, pagan side of herself when M. enthralls her with intense, if perilous, sexual pleasure. Graphic descriptions of exotic sexual practices (bondage and discipline, sadomasochism, bestiality, etc.) accumulate, counterpointed by Nora's sweetly romantic relationship with a fellow reporter. The suspense, a bit attenuated by thin secondary characters, also is muted by artless foreshadowing, but the conclusion is satisfying in a savage sort of way and Nora's plunge "down, all the way down" under M.'s manipulations will keep most readers gripped even as they're aware that Reese's shameless pandering is manipulating them in turn. Comparison to Story of O is well earned. 100,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
After her sister is murdered, Nora Tibbs moves to a small college town near Sacramento. She believes that Franny's lover, Michael, is responsible for her death. Nora becomes entangled in a vicious web of wanting to know more about her sister's life and the dark fascination that Michael holds for both sisters. In her first novel, Reese explores the ghastly realm of women who, through some quirk of nature, allow themselves to be physically brutalized in order to feel loved. She writes well, using succinct prose, and in the process creates a neat little suspense novel. Be forewarned, though: explicit sex, sex with animals, mutilation, and torture are all here for the asking, as is the harsher reality of sadomasochism in all its pain, degradation, and domination. Recommended for adult fiction collections.
5.) Small Town by Lawrence Block is a book I think would be good. Y'all let me know what you think. Here are some reviews of it;
Amazon.com
A solid craftsman with five bestselling series under his belt as well as numerous standalone mysteries and short-story collections to his credit, Lawrence Block breaks new ground with a resonant, compelling thriller about one man's response to the Twin Towers tragedy--an insane yet totally comprehensible, seemingly unconnected string of serial murders, or, as the killer calls them, "sacrifices" to the city he believes will be reborn out of the ashes of destruction. Block, a New Yorker born and bred, has penned a paean to the Manhattan he knows and loves, and created a cast of fascinating characters whose lives are touched by the killings. Among the most interesting are a woman whose sexual obsessions ensnare a former police commissioner who's being groomed for higher political office, a crime novelist uncertain about his own culpability in the so-called Carpenter Killings, and a gay housecleaner whose clients keep ending up dead. This may be Block's best novel to date--it's certainly his most erotic and astonishing one, and it will keep you going until the last extraordinary page. A mesmerizing take on New York after 9/11, this solidly paced, brilliantly executed thriller deserves all the attention it will surely receive. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
This is a rare standalone from the Edgar Award-winning creator of Matt Scudder, Bernie Rhodenbarr, hit man Keller and others, and takes a number of risks unusual for its author. For a start, it is very deliberately a post-9/11 thriller, in which a man bereaved by the loss of his wife and children in the Twin Towers sets out to wreak what he thinks of as a sacrificial vengeance on the city by becoming a serial terrorist himself. For another, Block, who wrote some pornography early in his career, has created a female character whose kinky sex antics will definitely ruffle some of his mainstream readers. And while an intimate knowledge of New York and its folkways, and of urban character and conversation, has always been one of Block's great strengths, and is on plentiful show again here, his rather improbable action climax seems carelessly tacked on to the meticulous rest of the book. The novel offers a very crowded canvas whose central characters are the sad figure of the terrorist himself; a former police commissioner who eventually sets out to bring him down; a midlist writer who suddenly gets to be a hot property when he's accused of a murder (the publishing scenes will be delightful for insiders); the aforementioned kinky lady, an art dealer when not playing pierced dominatrix; a gay recovering alcoholic who unwittingly leads the villain to the scenes of his crimes; and, of course, the city itself, which, as the title suggests, is a place where everyone is somehow connected to everyone else's business. It's a bold and flashy effort, but its deliberately disturbing elements may somewhat limit its appeal.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Block temporarily abandons Matthew Scudder for a standalone thriller set in New York City after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Central to the tale is a mass murderer with an agenda.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Here is one of those fairly rare cases in which an author'svoice marvelously fits the story and characters of his own book. Notall authors can read well--slowly and lucidly--but Block does. He hasa flat middle-American voice even though virtually everything hewrites is set in New York City. He slightly alters his tone, and thecharacters stand out as individuals, instantly recognizable onceintroduced. The story here is a simple framework of a man driven madby the events of 9/11 who becomes a clever serial killer and massmurderer. On this framework Block hangs a myriad of sex scenes,spending more time on those than on the plot. Typically Block.D.R.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
From Booklist
Marilyn Fairchild, a Manhattan real-estate agent, is murdered. John Creighton, a writer with declining sales, is the last person she was seen with. Susan Pomerance is a successful art dealer who purchased her apartment through Fairchild. A murder of someone within her personal circle triggers Susan's sense of mortality, and she responds with a series of life-affirming sexual adventures. Creighton soon becomes the suspect in this high-profile murder as well as a very hot literary property: his proposed first-person account of his ordeal is on the publisher's auction block for millions. Block, the best-selling author of the Matthew Scudder detective series, carefully weaves these key characters--and others--into a rich tapestry of modern life set against the backdrop of beloved New York City. Though murder is the catalyst, the focus is not on the solution of the crime but on how it alters the course of so many lives. Block's shifting third-person narrative draws us into each life, including that of the unnamed killer. This is a novel at once profoundly disturbing, graphically erotic, satiric, and above all, entertaining. A fascinating effort by a writer who never fails to exceed expectations. Expect intense demand. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
The author of dozens of acclaimed novels including those in the Scudder and Keller series, Lawrence Block has long been recognized as one of the premier crime writers of our time. Now, the breathtaking skill, power, and versatility of this Grand Master are brilliantly displayed once again in a mesmerizing new thriller set on the streets of the city he knows and loves so well.
That was the thing about New York -- if you loved it, if it worked for you, it ruined you for anyplace else in the world.
In this dazzlingly constructed novel, Lawrence Block reveals the secret at the heart of the Big Apple. His glorious metropolis is really a small town, filled with men and women from all walks of life whose aspirations, fears, disappointments, and triumphs are interconnected by bonds as unbreakable as they are unseen. Pulsating with the lives of its denizens -- bartenders and hookers, power brokers and politicos, cops and secretaries, editors and dreamers -- the city inspires a passion that is universal yet unique in each of its eight million inhabitants, including:
John Blair Creighton, a writer on the verge of a breakthrough;
Francis Buckram, a charismatic ex–police commissioner -- and the inside choice for the next mayor -- on the verge of a breakdown;
Susan Pomerance, a beautiful, sophisticated folk-art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality;
Maury Winters, a defense attorney who prefers murder trials because there's one less witness;
Jerry Pankow, an ex-addict who has turned being clean into a living, mopping up after New York's nightlife;
And, in the shadows of a city reeling from tragedy, an unlikely killing machine who wages a one-man war against them all.
Infused with the raw cadence, stark beauty, and relentless pace of New York City, Small Town is a tour de force Block fans old and new will celebrate.
6. Cooking Up a Storm by Emma Holly
Book Description
The Coates Inn Restaurant in Cape Cod is about to go belly up when its attractive owner, Abby, jumps at a stranger's offer to help her – both in her kitchen and her bed. The handsome chef claims to have an aphrodisiac menu that her patrons won't be able to resist. Can this playboy chef really save the day when Abby's body means more to him than her feelings? Beautifully written and evocative story of love, lust and haute cuisine.
---------This novel by Emma Holly is set on Cape Cod, and boy oh boy you have to look at the Cape differently after reading Cooking Up a Storm. Thee is more sex here than you can imagine regular working people having, but not only do both Emma and Storm have each other, they have numerous other partners. This is ma modern erotic romance where the woman has traditionally masculline traits, and the hero has more feminine traits in some respects. While that may be disconcerting to some, it makes for a different, interesting read.
Storm comes looking for a job but really for a business he can take over. He is not sympathetic at all. Abby has a failing restaurant and needs help, both in the restaurant and in finding her sexual side. Storm unleashes a monster. Abby finds herself witha a number of people before deciding to make her way back to the aphrodesiac laced cooking, and loviong, of Storm.
I started our liking Abby and not caring much for Storm, but ended liking Storm much more but still not rooting for either one. I thought, by the end of the book, that they deserved each other.
Would I buy it? Yes. Would I keep it? No. The ses is to ordinary and the plot not interesting enough for it to go on my keeper shelf. Good beach or bathtub read where you don't care if it gets wet.
----------------Ms Holly has recently been reissuing several of her earlier erotic stories, beginning with the terrific PERSONAL ASSETS. I decided to check out this story as well, but I must say that I did not enjoy this one nearly as much as I did PA. I'm no puritan, but I think casual sex can be taken too far! One of the things I liked best about PERSONAL ASSETS was the relationship within each of the couples and the fact that there were feelings involved along with the sex. But here I found next to no romance - just lots of gratuitous, incredibly casual sex under the guise of a woman "exploring her sexuality".
The book started out great! Jaded Storm Dupre is a hot, sexy LA-based chef looking for a fresh start and new challenges. A help-wanted ad for a chef to work in a small Cape Cod inn grabs his attention and soon he has uprooted his life and moved across the country intent on eventually buying out the inn's owner. She is Abby Coates who is hanging onto the inn by a thread. She hopes that the additional business a hotshot new chef will bring in will allow her to get the inn back on firm financial footing. Abby has just ended her relationship with a longtime boyfriend with whom she had a less than satisfactory sex life. Of course she and Storm are immediately attracted and she finds that sex with Storm has opened her eyes to lots of possibilities. Unfortunately, from there things went downhill for me, as Abby proceeds to have sex with just about everyone in town! Meanwhile the love-em-and-leave-em Storm begins to fall hard for her.
But I have to say that toward the end I really disliked Abby (...)! On the flip side, I began to like Storm more and more. I would have liked this book much more if it had concentrated on Abby and Storm as a couple rather than Abby's sexual exploits. And in the end, I have to say that I had no faith that their relationship would survive. But that's just me. For those who like erotica for it's own sake, this story may work. It didn't for me.
7. Top of Her Game by Emma Holly
Book Description
Style and sensuality. Power and passion...There's something about the Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis that provokes all who enter to blur the line between business and pleasure. No one knows this better than Beatrix Clouet, the daughter of its infamous and not-so-dearly departed founder, and her best friend-and new management trainee-Lela Turner.
Now, as they try to get their professional and personal lives on track, these best friends will have to weigh the price of love and lust-while making their wildest fantasies come to life... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Download Description
"Style and sensuality. Power and passion...There's something about the Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis that provokes all who enter to blur the line between business and pleasure. No one knows this better than Beatrix Clouet, the daughter of its infamous and not-so-dearly departed founder, and her best friend-and new management trainee-Lela Turner. Now, as they try to get their professional and personal lives on track, these best friends will have to weigh the price of love and lust-while making their wildest fantasies come to life..."
-----------------Now this is Emma Holly! I enjoyed her historicals (BEYOND INNOCENCE & SEDUCTION) however; I did not care for her paranormal CATCHING MIDNIGHT (I didn't even bother with HUNTING MIDNIGHT). But this book is my favourite by this author so far (I may just have to check out COOKING UP A STORM). Sure I expected the steamy erotica, but what I didn't expect was that I would care so much about these characters! The story surrounds four people all with some connection to exclusive Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis (Best Friends).
Beatrix Clouet is the estranged daughter of the boutique's founder, Eve, who has recently passed away. Philip Carmichael is Eve's much younger husband and CEO of the chain of shops. Parisian society has long believed (with some justification) that Philip was nothing more than Eve's boy toy. But now that she's gone, Philip is determined to prove that he's more than a pretty face - that he is a CEO to be reckoned with and that he can successfully run the company without Eve. Beatrix has been in love with Philip since she first saw him (he's only five years her senior after all) but Philip has always treated her with the kindly attention of a doting stepfather. Now, with her mother gone Bea can no longer hold her feelings back and she and Philip share several steamy encounters that, though he enjoys them, he feels are wrong. Though he obviously has feelings for Bea, the fact that she is his stepdaughter holds him back. Can Bea convince him that a relationship between them is not wrong and that they belong together?
Meanwhile, Bea's American best friend Lela Turner puts herself forward to be manager of the New York shop, though she has no experience. She gains a one-month trial from Philip and off she goes. Lela is confident that she can succeed in managing the shop, but a month to learn the ropes may not be enough time. One day a dark haired businessman enters the shop and an electric connection is palpable between them. Turns out he's Simon Graves, CEO of Graves Department Stores who, unbeknownst to Lela, is planning to buy out Meilleurs Amis! Their obvious mutual attraction leads to a seemingly cold deal: he teaches her about management and finance and she becomes his mistress. But it quickly becomes apparent that there is more here than just sex. Lela's blithe and streetwise exterior hides a vulnerable desire to belong, to have the family she was denied growing up. And Simon turns out to be a kindred spirit, but a lucky one in that a wealthy but warm couple adopted him, saving him from his unhappy life in an orphanage. Will each finally find the contentment they seek in the other?
Of course the fate of Meilleurs Amis, Philip's future as CEO and Lela's as manager of the New York store must be sorted out but will these two couples survive the upheaval? Obviously, there is plenty of sex here, including two threesomes, so if edgy sex offends you, you probably should not be reading Emma Holly in the first place. I enjoyed this story of sex and love and hopes and dreams and I highly recommend it for those who like this type of story. Bon appetit!
-----------I am officially hooked on Emma Holly! Having read Menage, a rather spicy Black Lace offering, I couldn't wait to get my hands on another book from this author. Personal Assets is one of the steamiest, insatiable and wonderful erotic romance novels ever written. Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis (Best Friends) exudes elegance and eroticism. Beatrix trusts that her young and hot British stepfather Philip will look after her late mother's business. Bea has always loved Philip and she seizes the opportunity to seduce him. But in the midst of seduction, her best friend Lela falls for Simon, a powerful and good-looking businessman who threatens the future of Meilleurs Amis. Will carnal and heart desires get in the way of the aforementioned dilemma? There are various twists throughout the novel.
The erotic scenes keep the juices flowing and your senses in full alert. I loved the scenes that centered on Bea and Philip. The sex scenes between Lela and Simon are also wonderful, but the sexual tension isn't as palpable. The man-woman-man menage a trois in Italy is my favorite scene. The romance in the novel is also wonderful. Emma Holly sure knows how to write erotic romance without the formulaic bells and whistles that accompany said genre. Her writing is sharp, the sex scenes downright explicit and the story is memorable. I shall read her other novels with gusto. Are you in the bargain for a book that contains pure animalistic passion? Pick this one up!
8. In the Flesh by Emma Holly
Book Description
Exotic dancer Chloe Dubois is better at being bad than anyone David Imakita knows. To keep her, this Japanese American CEO will risk everything: his career, his friends, even his integrity. And what of Chloe? Will the unrepentant temptress trade her wild ways for a future with a man who loves her? Or will the secrets of her past rise up to destroy them both? This book is for anyone who's ever dreamt of showing off . . .
-------This is the first Black Lace book I have read. I was expecting (hoping?) that it would be essentially erotica, but I found it to be mostly a romance story with some explicit sex scenes. These sex scenes I found hottish - not amazingly sensual and creative, but sufficient to warm me up a little. I did not find that the sexuality moved the story along (as I would expect in quality erotica), but rather the story stopped when the characters became sexual.
The story itself concerns Chloe DuBois, an exotic dancer, who is rescued from some dimly imaged fray by David Imakita, a multi-millionaire executive of a computer games company. I suppose when you have beautiful people with lots of money, your plot can go most anywhere...I didn't really buy the plot, but I decided this wasn't intended to be Great Literature, and just kept reading.
It's interesting that the author, Emma Holly, apparently did a fair amount of research on Japanese culture to write character David Imakita. I respected this, but was disappointed that it was not really woven into the plot in an integral way. Neither does she really tackle the issue of an interracial couple.
Black Lace books are marketed as erotica for women, written by women. I would have thought that I'd find myself really in sync with the female protagonist, but instead I found her, while sympathetic, a simple "type," plucked from a made-for-TV movie. On the other hand, I was really intrigued by the male characters -- David and his bodyguard Sato -- and wished she had gotten into their heads more.
This book was not so compelling that I raced through it, but it was interesting enough to finish. I found the erotic element rather ho-hum, but not dreary enough to keep me from trying another Black Lace (or Emma Holly) book again.
----------------------In The Flesh is excellent! Holly has paired together two of her best and strongest characters to go head to head in a tale that is a romance as well as erotica. Like all EH books the storyline is seamless and well written, but I may have to call In The Flesh my favorite. After Velvet Glove I was not looking for a story that mixed in elements of light bondage, In The Flesh does that perfectly. Actually it is barely there, and it is intrinsic to the romantic theme in the story. I keep underestimating Ms. Holly's ability to top herself and every time she proves me wrong.
--------------------After a successful announcement of acquiring a financially troubled Korean hardware firm, Japanese American David Imakita, CEO of the number one entertainment and gaming software in the world, heads to his car with his best friend and bodyguard Sato. However, they intercede in an incident between a couple; Sato restrains the male but the woman kicks her opponent in his treasured parts. When David tries to keep her from damaging her antagonist further, she goes wild after him; although receiving bruises he subdues her. Thus David meets cheeky Chloe Dubois, the model for his Laura Fleet software program.
Out of loyalty Sato worries for his boss because of how he seems smitten with Chloe. He has her investigated and learns that she has some nasty skeletons in her family closet. Still, Sato is unable to stop David from falling in love; to her shock the siren reciprocates her employer's feelings.
No one does erotic romance integrated into a solid contemporary love story better than Emma Holly as the sex scenes enhance the lead couple's relationship as opposed to being tossed in to shock readers. The glimpse into the software gaming world adds intrigue while the support cast especially Sato and her family to include her missing sister Mary Alice add depth to the enticing plot. Though some readers may feel disturbed by a homosexual encounter and the use of profanity (it is the most descriptive concise verb, noun, and adjective of the sexual act), sub-genre fans will appreciate submissive reading IN THE FLESH.
------------
ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS??? If so get them in! If I have missed someone's nominee please bring it to my attention. It would be an oversight not a deliberate thing, I promise. I need feedback! Tell me what you want, please!
I am also posting this in the Reading Books For Pleasure Thread.
Fury
Nominees for the next selection (be it in May or June) include the following:
1.) Daughter of the Blood, by Anne Bishop, from The Black Jewels Trilogy which includes-- Heir to the shadows and Queen of the darkness.
Descriptions: Anne Bishop's debut novel, Daughter of the Blood, is like black coffee--strong, dark, and hard on delicate stomachs. Within the Blood (a race of magic-users), women rule and men serve, but tradition has been corrupted so that women enslave men, who seek to destroy their oppressors. Female children are violated before they can reach maturity; men are tortured and forced to satisfy witches' sexual appetites.
Bishop's child heroine, Jaenelle, is destined to rule the Blood, if she can reach adulthood. Her power is hidden; her family believes her mad. Saetan, High Lord of Hell and most powerful of the Blood males, becomes Jaenelle's surrogate father and teacher. He cannot protect her outside Hell, where he rules. She refuses to leave Terreille, risking herself to protect or heal other victims of violence. Can Daemon, Saetan's estranged son, keep her safe from the machinations of the evil High Priestess? Or will he lose his battle to control his destructive urges and endanger her?
Readers may find some aspects of Bishop's world confusing; not least that most of the good guys live in Hell. But her protagonists are compelling, sympathetic characters who overcome terrible adversity. If you like Anne Rice or Laurell K. Hamilton, try this one. --Nona Vero
From Library Journal
The prophecy of a coming Queen destined to shake the foundations of the Dark Kingdom heralds a war of intrigue and Machiavellian politics as three rivals seek control over the innocent young girl fated to ascend to greatness. Lavishly sensual and overtly erotic, Bishop's fantasy debut features a richly detailed world based on a reversal of standard genre cliches of light and darkness. Fans of Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series may appreciate this adults-only series opener. Large libraries may want to consider for their fantasy collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
2.)Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down: Three Tales of Erotic Romance by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Melanie George, Jaid Black
Book Description
In this sexy erotica anthology, three hot authors reel you in with sizzling novellas about alpha heroes who will do anything to get the women they want -- even kidnap them!
Bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon presents "'Captivated' by You," the second sexy story in her series featuring the Bureau of American Defense. Rhea Stevenson is a "BAD" agent who has just been handed her most challenging assignment. She must go undercover as a dominatrix to bring in a deadly terrorist. The only upside is that her fellow agent, "Ace" Krux, whom she has long desired, is her training partner. Almost immediately the roles of master and slave are wonderfully blurred and Rhea and Ace unleash a wealth of hidden desire.
From bestselling romance author Melanie George comes "Promise Me Forever," the story of Savannah Harper, who has finally put her breakup with pro-football player Donovan Jerricho behind her. But when Tristan comes home to Mississippi on the eve of Savannah's wedding, he still wants her. And when he carries her off and holds her hostage, Savannah's surprised to find that the desire's deliciously mutual....
From Jaid Black comes "Hunter's Right," the fantastical story of Corporal Ronda Tipton of the U.S. Army, whose chopper goes down in the Arctic Circle. The only survivor of the crash, Ronda happens upon a hidden civilization of Vikings -- where she must face the bridal auction block. Only Nikolas Ericsson, the man who found Ronda, can save her by claiming her as his own according to sacred rights. But will she and this primitive brute give in to the sparks made when their worlds collide?
Sensual and playful, these three novellas will carry you away!
Download Description
"In this sexy erotica anthology, three hot authors reel you in with sizzling novellas about alpha heroes who will do anything to get the women they want -- even kidnap them! Bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon presents ""'Captivated' by You,"" the second sexy story in her series featuring the Bureau of American Defense. Rhea Stevenson is a ""BAD"" agent who has just been handed her most challenging assignment. She must go undercover as a dominatrix to bring in a deadly terrorist. The only upside is that her fellow agent, ""Ace"" Krux, whom she has long desired, is her training partner. Almost immediately the roles of master and slave are wonderfully blurred and Rhea and Ace unleash a wealth of hidden desire. From bestselling romance author Melanie George comes ""Promise Me Forever,"" the story of Savannah Harper, who has finally put her breakup with pro-football player Donovan Jerricho behind her. But when Tristan comes home to Mississippi on the eve of Savannah's wedding, he still wants her. And when he carries her off and holds her hostage, Savannah's surprised to find that the desire's deliciously mutual.... From Jaid Black comes ""Hunter's Right,"" the fantastical story of Corporal Ronda Tipton of the U.S. Army, whose chopper goes down in the Arctic Circle. The only survivor of the crash, Ronda happens upon a hidden civilization of Vikings -- where she must face the bridal auction block. Only Nikolas Ericsson, the man who found Ronda, can save her by claiming her as his own according to sacred rights. But will she and this primitive brute give in to the sparks made when their worlds collide? Sensual and playful, these three novellas will carry you away!"
3.) Wild women : contemporary short stories by women celebrating women / edited by Sue Thomas
Contents The tiger's bride / Angela Carter -- Woman from America / Bessie Head -- The English disease / Nina Fitzpatrick -- The smile of a mountain witch / Ohba Minako -- Two words / Isabel Allende -- The debutante / Leonora Carrington -- Liking men / Margaret Atwood -- Simmering / Margaret Atwood -- In the garden / Darcey Steinke -- The odalisque, extinct / Diana Hartog -- Bloodmantle / Tanith Lee -- Sleeping Beauty, revised / Jill McCorkle -- All strapped in / Sue Thomas -- Orchids to you, dear / Fiona Cooper -- Really, doesn't crime pay? / Alice Walker -- Stone-eating girl / Meena Alexander -- The raw brunettes / Lorraine Schein -- I like to look / Kathy Page -- Planetesimal / Keri Hulme -- Perma red / Debra Earling -- The queen's chamber / A. N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) -- Her thighs / Dorothy Allison -- Four bare legs in a bed / Helen Simpson -- How to save your own life / Erica Jong -- It's bad luck to die / Elizabeth McCracken -- MindMovie / Christine Slater -- A day at the peep show / Veronica Vera -- Roses / Evelyn Lau -- Julia and the bazooka / Anna Kavan -- Silver water / Amy Bloom -- In my next life / Pam Houston -- Many mothers / Beverley Daurio -- Suicide / Mariarosa Sclauzero -- Autobiography / Carol Emshw.
From Library Journal
Capitalizing on the appeal of Clarissa Pinkola Este's popular Women Who Run with the Wolves (LJ 6/15/92), editor Thomas has prepared this volume of short stories that "bring together modern examples of the warrior guises of Wild Woman." Thomas, a novelist and writing instructor whose own "All Strapped In" is included in the volume, divides the works into eight thematic sections-empowerment, sex, and righteous rage, among them-and provides informative introductory remarks to each section. The short stories come from a politically correct mix of contemporary women writers that include Isabel Allende, Margaret Atwood, Pam Houston, Alice Walker, and a number of emerging voices. It's not an essential purchase, but your Wild Women readers will want to check it out.
Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati Technical Coll.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
A hyena who takes the place of an unwilling debutante at the debutante's ball; a woman, worn from years of family duties, who fixes her gaze on a visiting sister who's escaped her portion of the familial burden and turns her to stone; men who jealously vie for kitchen supremacy while their wives work outside their homes; a writer who's researching sex-show performers at the Triple Treat Theater--all these and more are to be found in this compilation of short fiction by contemporary women that examines the wild-woman archetype characterized in various ways by the wanderer, the dreamer, and the story-teller. Editor Thomas distributes the contents (which include stories by Alice Walker, Anne Rice, Margaret Atwood, Erica Jong, Isabel Allende, Andrea Dworkin, and Fay Weldon and stunning supershorts by Kathy Page and Veronica Vera) into eight topical sections on the wild woman per se, the intruder mate, empowerment and self-esteem, sex, extreme behavior, creativity and life phases, rage, and endurance, respectively. What with its contemporary interpretations of archetypal themes, a good addition for the sake of women's studies as well as literature. Whitney Scott
4.) Topping From Below by Laura Reese.
From Publishers Weekly
The title of this devilishly pornographic?albeit literate?novel is taken from the argot of sadomasochism and refers to a rebellious dynamic in which the dominant partner (the "top") is subtly manipulated by the submissive partner (the "bottom"). After her young sister, Franny, is found murdered?bound, gagged and mutilated?Nora Tibbs, a journalist for the Sacramento Bee, discovers in Franny's computer a diary that details her brief affair with "M.," an arrogant music professor in his late 40s. Cruelly exploiting the overweight, love-starved woman, M. forced Franny to submit to a humiliating gamut of outre sexual practices. Convinced that M. is Franny's murderer, Nora sets out to prove his guilt by pretending to submit to his depraved aberrations. But, to her astonishment, she discovers a dark, pagan side of herself when M. enthralls her with intense, if perilous, sexual pleasure. Graphic descriptions of exotic sexual practices (bondage and discipline, sadomasochism, bestiality, etc.) accumulate, counterpointed by Nora's sweetly romantic relationship with a fellow reporter. The suspense, a bit attenuated by thin secondary characters, also is muted by artless foreshadowing, but the conclusion is satisfying in a savage sort of way and Nora's plunge "down, all the way down" under M.'s manipulations will keep most readers gripped even as they're aware that Reese's shameless pandering is manipulating them in turn. Comparison to Story of O is well earned. 100,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
After her sister is murdered, Nora Tibbs moves to a small college town near Sacramento. She believes that Franny's lover, Michael, is responsible for her death. Nora becomes entangled in a vicious web of wanting to know more about her sister's life and the dark fascination that Michael holds for both sisters. In her first novel, Reese explores the ghastly realm of women who, through some quirk of nature, allow themselves to be physically brutalized in order to feel loved. She writes well, using succinct prose, and in the process creates a neat little suspense novel. Be forewarned, though: explicit sex, sex with animals, mutilation, and torture are all here for the asking, as is the harsher reality of sadomasochism in all its pain, degradation, and domination. Recommended for adult fiction collections.
5.) Small Town by Lawrence Block is a book I think would be good. Y'all let me know what you think. Here are some reviews of it;
Amazon.com
A solid craftsman with five bestselling series under his belt as well as numerous standalone mysteries and short-story collections to his credit, Lawrence Block breaks new ground with a resonant, compelling thriller about one man's response to the Twin Towers tragedy--an insane yet totally comprehensible, seemingly unconnected string of serial murders, or, as the killer calls them, "sacrifices" to the city he believes will be reborn out of the ashes of destruction. Block, a New Yorker born and bred, has penned a paean to the Manhattan he knows and loves, and created a cast of fascinating characters whose lives are touched by the killings. Among the most interesting are a woman whose sexual obsessions ensnare a former police commissioner who's being groomed for higher political office, a crime novelist uncertain about his own culpability in the so-called Carpenter Killings, and a gay housecleaner whose clients keep ending up dead. This may be Block's best novel to date--it's certainly his most erotic and astonishing one, and it will keep you going until the last extraordinary page. A mesmerizing take on New York after 9/11, this solidly paced, brilliantly executed thriller deserves all the attention it will surely receive. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
This is a rare standalone from the Edgar Award-winning creator of Matt Scudder, Bernie Rhodenbarr, hit man Keller and others, and takes a number of risks unusual for its author. For a start, it is very deliberately a post-9/11 thriller, in which a man bereaved by the loss of his wife and children in the Twin Towers sets out to wreak what he thinks of as a sacrificial vengeance on the city by becoming a serial terrorist himself. For another, Block, who wrote some pornography early in his career, has created a female character whose kinky sex antics will definitely ruffle some of his mainstream readers. And while an intimate knowledge of New York and its folkways, and of urban character and conversation, has always been one of Block's great strengths, and is on plentiful show again here, his rather improbable action climax seems carelessly tacked on to the meticulous rest of the book. The novel offers a very crowded canvas whose central characters are the sad figure of the terrorist himself; a former police commissioner who eventually sets out to bring him down; a midlist writer who suddenly gets to be a hot property when he's accused of a murder (the publishing scenes will be delightful for insiders); the aforementioned kinky lady, an art dealer when not playing pierced dominatrix; a gay recovering alcoholic who unwittingly leads the villain to the scenes of his crimes; and, of course, the city itself, which, as the title suggests, is a place where everyone is somehow connected to everyone else's business. It's a bold and flashy effort, but its deliberately disturbing elements may somewhat limit its appeal.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Block temporarily abandons Matthew Scudder for a standalone thriller set in New York City after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Central to the tale is a mass murderer with an agenda.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Here is one of those fairly rare cases in which an author'svoice marvelously fits the story and characters of his own book. Notall authors can read well--slowly and lucidly--but Block does. He hasa flat middle-American voice even though virtually everything hewrites is set in New York City. He slightly alters his tone, and thecharacters stand out as individuals, instantly recognizable onceintroduced. The story here is a simple framework of a man driven madby the events of 9/11 who becomes a clever serial killer and massmurderer. On this framework Block hangs a myriad of sex scenes,spending more time on those than on the plot. Typically Block.D.R.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
From Booklist
Marilyn Fairchild, a Manhattan real-estate agent, is murdered. John Creighton, a writer with declining sales, is the last person she was seen with. Susan Pomerance is a successful art dealer who purchased her apartment through Fairchild. A murder of someone within her personal circle triggers Susan's sense of mortality, and she responds with a series of life-affirming sexual adventures. Creighton soon becomes the suspect in this high-profile murder as well as a very hot literary property: his proposed first-person account of his ordeal is on the publisher's auction block for millions. Block, the best-selling author of the Matthew Scudder detective series, carefully weaves these key characters--and others--into a rich tapestry of modern life set against the backdrop of beloved New York City. Though murder is the catalyst, the focus is not on the solution of the crime but on how it alters the course of so many lives. Block's shifting third-person narrative draws us into each life, including that of the unnamed killer. This is a novel at once profoundly disturbing, graphically erotic, satiric, and above all, entertaining. A fascinating effort by a writer who never fails to exceed expectations. Expect intense demand. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
The author of dozens of acclaimed novels including those in the Scudder and Keller series, Lawrence Block has long been recognized as one of the premier crime writers of our time. Now, the breathtaking skill, power, and versatility of this Grand Master are brilliantly displayed once again in a mesmerizing new thriller set on the streets of the city he knows and loves so well.
That was the thing about New York -- if you loved it, if it worked for you, it ruined you for anyplace else in the world.
In this dazzlingly constructed novel, Lawrence Block reveals the secret at the heart of the Big Apple. His glorious metropolis is really a small town, filled with men and women from all walks of life whose aspirations, fears, disappointments, and triumphs are interconnected by bonds as unbreakable as they are unseen. Pulsating with the lives of its denizens -- bartenders and hookers, power brokers and politicos, cops and secretaries, editors and dreamers -- the city inspires a passion that is universal yet unique in each of its eight million inhabitants, including:
John Blair Creighton, a writer on the verge of a breakthrough;
Francis Buckram, a charismatic ex–police commissioner -- and the inside choice for the next mayor -- on the verge of a breakdown;
Susan Pomerance, a beautiful, sophisticated folk-art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality;
Maury Winters, a defense attorney who prefers murder trials because there's one less witness;
Jerry Pankow, an ex-addict who has turned being clean into a living, mopping up after New York's nightlife;
And, in the shadows of a city reeling from tragedy, an unlikely killing machine who wages a one-man war against them all.
Infused with the raw cadence, stark beauty, and relentless pace of New York City, Small Town is a tour de force Block fans old and new will celebrate.
6. Cooking Up a Storm by Emma Holly
Book Description
The Coates Inn Restaurant in Cape Cod is about to go belly up when its attractive owner, Abby, jumps at a stranger's offer to help her – both in her kitchen and her bed. The handsome chef claims to have an aphrodisiac menu that her patrons won't be able to resist. Can this playboy chef really save the day when Abby's body means more to him than her feelings? Beautifully written and evocative story of love, lust and haute cuisine.
---------This novel by Emma Holly is set on Cape Cod, and boy oh boy you have to look at the Cape differently after reading Cooking Up a Storm. Thee is more sex here than you can imagine regular working people having, but not only do both Emma and Storm have each other, they have numerous other partners. This is ma modern erotic romance where the woman has traditionally masculline traits, and the hero has more feminine traits in some respects. While that may be disconcerting to some, it makes for a different, interesting read.
Storm comes looking for a job but really for a business he can take over. He is not sympathetic at all. Abby has a failing restaurant and needs help, both in the restaurant and in finding her sexual side. Storm unleashes a monster. Abby finds herself witha a number of people before deciding to make her way back to the aphrodesiac laced cooking, and loviong, of Storm.
I started our liking Abby and not caring much for Storm, but ended liking Storm much more but still not rooting for either one. I thought, by the end of the book, that they deserved each other.
Would I buy it? Yes. Would I keep it? No. The ses is to ordinary and the plot not interesting enough for it to go on my keeper shelf. Good beach or bathtub read where you don't care if it gets wet.
----------------Ms Holly has recently been reissuing several of her earlier erotic stories, beginning with the terrific PERSONAL ASSETS. I decided to check out this story as well, but I must say that I did not enjoy this one nearly as much as I did PA. I'm no puritan, but I think casual sex can be taken too far! One of the things I liked best about PERSONAL ASSETS was the relationship within each of the couples and the fact that there were feelings involved along with the sex. But here I found next to no romance - just lots of gratuitous, incredibly casual sex under the guise of a woman "exploring her sexuality".
The book started out great! Jaded Storm Dupre is a hot, sexy LA-based chef looking for a fresh start and new challenges. A help-wanted ad for a chef to work in a small Cape Cod inn grabs his attention and soon he has uprooted his life and moved across the country intent on eventually buying out the inn's owner. She is Abby Coates who is hanging onto the inn by a thread. She hopes that the additional business a hotshot new chef will bring in will allow her to get the inn back on firm financial footing. Abby has just ended her relationship with a longtime boyfriend with whom she had a less than satisfactory sex life. Of course she and Storm are immediately attracted and she finds that sex with Storm has opened her eyes to lots of possibilities. Unfortunately, from there things went downhill for me, as Abby proceeds to have sex with just about everyone in town! Meanwhile the love-em-and-leave-em Storm begins to fall hard for her.
But I have to say that toward the end I really disliked Abby (...)! On the flip side, I began to like Storm more and more. I would have liked this book much more if it had concentrated on Abby and Storm as a couple rather than Abby's sexual exploits. And in the end, I have to say that I had no faith that their relationship would survive. But that's just me. For those who like erotica for it's own sake, this story may work. It didn't for me.
7. Top of Her Game by Emma Holly
Book Description
Style and sensuality. Power and passion...There's something about the Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis that provokes all who enter to blur the line between business and pleasure. No one knows this better than Beatrix Clouet, the daughter of its infamous and not-so-dearly departed founder, and her best friend-and new management trainee-Lela Turner.
Now, as they try to get their professional and personal lives on track, these best friends will have to weigh the price of love and lust-while making their wildest fantasies come to life... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Download Description
"Style and sensuality. Power and passion...There's something about the Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis that provokes all who enter to blur the line between business and pleasure. No one knows this better than Beatrix Clouet, the daughter of its infamous and not-so-dearly departed founder, and her best friend-and new management trainee-Lela Turner. Now, as they try to get their professional and personal lives on track, these best friends will have to weigh the price of love and lust-while making their wildest fantasies come to life..."
-----------------Now this is Emma Holly! I enjoyed her historicals (BEYOND INNOCENCE & SEDUCTION) however; I did not care for her paranormal CATCHING MIDNIGHT (I didn't even bother with HUNTING MIDNIGHT). But this book is my favourite by this author so far (I may just have to check out COOKING UP A STORM). Sure I expected the steamy erotica, but what I didn't expect was that I would care so much about these characters! The story surrounds four people all with some connection to exclusive Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis (Best Friends).
Beatrix Clouet is the estranged daughter of the boutique's founder, Eve, who has recently passed away. Philip Carmichael is Eve's much younger husband and CEO of the chain of shops. Parisian society has long believed (with some justification) that Philip was nothing more than Eve's boy toy. But now that she's gone, Philip is determined to prove that he's more than a pretty face - that he is a CEO to be reckoned with and that he can successfully run the company without Eve. Beatrix has been in love with Philip since she first saw him (he's only five years her senior after all) but Philip has always treated her with the kindly attention of a doting stepfather. Now, with her mother gone Bea can no longer hold her feelings back and she and Philip share several steamy encounters that, though he enjoys them, he feels are wrong. Though he obviously has feelings for Bea, the fact that she is his stepdaughter holds him back. Can Bea convince him that a relationship between them is not wrong and that they belong together?
Meanwhile, Bea's American best friend Lela Turner puts herself forward to be manager of the New York shop, though she has no experience. She gains a one-month trial from Philip and off she goes. Lela is confident that she can succeed in managing the shop, but a month to learn the ropes may not be enough time. One day a dark haired businessman enters the shop and an electric connection is palpable between them. Turns out he's Simon Graves, CEO of Graves Department Stores who, unbeknownst to Lela, is planning to buy out Meilleurs Amis! Their obvious mutual attraction leads to a seemingly cold deal: he teaches her about management and finance and she becomes his mistress. But it quickly becomes apparent that there is more here than just sex. Lela's blithe and streetwise exterior hides a vulnerable desire to belong, to have the family she was denied growing up. And Simon turns out to be a kindred spirit, but a lucky one in that a wealthy but warm couple adopted him, saving him from his unhappy life in an orphanage. Will each finally find the contentment they seek in the other?
Of course the fate of Meilleurs Amis, Philip's future as CEO and Lela's as manager of the New York store must be sorted out but will these two couples survive the upheaval? Obviously, there is plenty of sex here, including two threesomes, so if edgy sex offends you, you probably should not be reading Emma Holly in the first place. I enjoyed this story of sex and love and hopes and dreams and I highly recommend it for those who like this type of story. Bon appetit!
-----------I am officially hooked on Emma Holly! Having read Menage, a rather spicy Black Lace offering, I couldn't wait to get my hands on another book from this author. Personal Assets is one of the steamiest, insatiable and wonderful erotic romance novels ever written. Parisian boutique Meilleurs Amis (Best Friends) exudes elegance and eroticism. Beatrix trusts that her young and hot British stepfather Philip will look after her late mother's business. Bea has always loved Philip and she seizes the opportunity to seduce him. But in the midst of seduction, her best friend Lela falls for Simon, a powerful and good-looking businessman who threatens the future of Meilleurs Amis. Will carnal and heart desires get in the way of the aforementioned dilemma? There are various twists throughout the novel.
The erotic scenes keep the juices flowing and your senses in full alert. I loved the scenes that centered on Bea and Philip. The sex scenes between Lela and Simon are also wonderful, but the sexual tension isn't as palpable. The man-woman-man menage a trois in Italy is my favorite scene. The romance in the novel is also wonderful. Emma Holly sure knows how to write erotic romance without the formulaic bells and whistles that accompany said genre. Her writing is sharp, the sex scenes downright explicit and the story is memorable. I shall read her other novels with gusto. Are you in the bargain for a book that contains pure animalistic passion? Pick this one up!
8. In the Flesh by Emma Holly
Book Description
Exotic dancer Chloe Dubois is better at being bad than anyone David Imakita knows. To keep her, this Japanese American CEO will risk everything: his career, his friends, even his integrity. And what of Chloe? Will the unrepentant temptress trade her wild ways for a future with a man who loves her? Or will the secrets of her past rise up to destroy them both? This book is for anyone who's ever dreamt of showing off . . .
-------This is the first Black Lace book I have read. I was expecting (hoping?) that it would be essentially erotica, but I found it to be mostly a romance story with some explicit sex scenes. These sex scenes I found hottish - not amazingly sensual and creative, but sufficient to warm me up a little. I did not find that the sexuality moved the story along (as I would expect in quality erotica), but rather the story stopped when the characters became sexual.
The story itself concerns Chloe DuBois, an exotic dancer, who is rescued from some dimly imaged fray by David Imakita, a multi-millionaire executive of a computer games company. I suppose when you have beautiful people with lots of money, your plot can go most anywhere...I didn't really buy the plot, but I decided this wasn't intended to be Great Literature, and just kept reading.
It's interesting that the author, Emma Holly, apparently did a fair amount of research on Japanese culture to write character David Imakita. I respected this, but was disappointed that it was not really woven into the plot in an integral way. Neither does she really tackle the issue of an interracial couple.
Black Lace books are marketed as erotica for women, written by women. I would have thought that I'd find myself really in sync with the female protagonist, but instead I found her, while sympathetic, a simple "type," plucked from a made-for-TV movie. On the other hand, I was really intrigued by the male characters -- David and his bodyguard Sato -- and wished she had gotten into their heads more.
This book was not so compelling that I raced through it, but it was interesting enough to finish. I found the erotic element rather ho-hum, but not dreary enough to keep me from trying another Black Lace (or Emma Holly) book again.
----------------------In The Flesh is excellent! Holly has paired together two of her best and strongest characters to go head to head in a tale that is a romance as well as erotica. Like all EH books the storyline is seamless and well written, but I may have to call In The Flesh my favorite. After Velvet Glove I was not looking for a story that mixed in elements of light bondage, In The Flesh does that perfectly. Actually it is barely there, and it is intrinsic to the romantic theme in the story. I keep underestimating Ms. Holly's ability to top herself and every time she proves me wrong.
--------------------After a successful announcement of acquiring a financially troubled Korean hardware firm, Japanese American David Imakita, CEO of the number one entertainment and gaming software in the world, heads to his car with his best friend and bodyguard Sato. However, they intercede in an incident between a couple; Sato restrains the male but the woman kicks her opponent in his treasured parts. When David tries to keep her from damaging her antagonist further, she goes wild after him; although receiving bruises he subdues her. Thus David meets cheeky Chloe Dubois, the model for his Laura Fleet software program.
Out of loyalty Sato worries for his boss because of how he seems smitten with Chloe. He has her investigated and learns that she has some nasty skeletons in her family closet. Still, Sato is unable to stop David from falling in love; to her shock the siren reciprocates her employer's feelings.
No one does erotic romance integrated into a solid contemporary love story better than Emma Holly as the sex scenes enhance the lead couple's relationship as opposed to being tossed in to shock readers. The glimpse into the software gaming world adds intrigue while the support cast especially Sato and her family to include her missing sister Mary Alice add depth to the enticing plot. Though some readers may feel disturbed by a homosexual encounter and the use of profanity (it is the most descriptive concise verb, noun, and adjective of the sexual act), sub-genre fans will appreciate submissive reading IN THE FLESH.
------------
ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS??? If so get them in! If I have missed someone's nominee please bring it to my attention. It would be an oversight not a deliberate thing, I promise. I need feedback! Tell me what you want, please!
I am also posting this in the Reading Books For Pleasure Thread.
Fury
