Show Me, Baby: 1001 Dark Nights by Cherise Sinclair

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Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands #9
Published: 8/19/14
Reviewed by Kate
207 pages

Rainie has been avoiding Jake, her secret crush, since she was 16 but the winds of fate seem to be blowing in the wrong direction lately.  When she comes across a dog that was hit by a car, she ends up taking him to Jake’s veterinary practice.  Then later, Jake is put in charge of the trainees at Shadowlands, herself included.  Soon she finds herself offering to help him out at the veterinary clinic and in way over her head with Jake.  On his part, Jake doesn’t remember Rainie in her younger days.  He can’t figure out why she’s been avoiding him, but he’s glad that fate seems to be throwing them together.

Cherise Sinclair is one of the few authors whose book I preorder.  And then wait with baited breath for them to download on my kindle at midnight on the day of release.  I know I’m guaranteed a book with deep characters, moving plots, and off the charts sex.  This one did not disappoint.  It was everything that I’ve come to expect from Cherise Sinclair.  As a bonus, we get to attend the double wedding of Sally and Gabi.

I have read this series in order but this one could easily stand on its own.  Be warned though, if you read one book in this series, you’ll quickly be devouring them all.

I’ve caught up on all the Shadowlands goodness from Cherise Sinclair.  Do you have any other BDSM series to recommend?

November Rain by Daisy Harris

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Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Fire & Rain #4
Published: 9/2/14
Reviewed by Anne
117  ebook pages

You like m/m?  Then you should read this story.  Right now.  Please, stop reading this review, go buy this book, read it and come back.

What?  Not convinced yet?  OK, fine, let me explain to you why you should read November Rain.

First, there’s the characters.  Gruff and tough Joe is a Seattle cop.  He’s shopping for a new sweater (to wear to his ex’s wedding – ugh!) when he meets the young sales clerk, Elias.  Elias’ parents immigrated from Africa just before Elias was born.  Their bias against homosexuality has kept Elias not only in the closet, but very, very innocent.  Elias pushes Joe’s buttons in all the right ways, but before he can ask for Elias’ number, he ends up getting shot in the leg by a customer who is harassing Elias.  Elias is so drawn to Joe, and so concerned for his health that he shows up at the hospital to check on Joe.   This starts an interesting relationship between Joe and Elias.

Joe is stubborn and having a hard time dealing with his injury.  He’s not sure what to make of Elias’ eagerness and withdrawl, but he’s trying to figure it out.  Elias has more backbone than he appears to.  He knows what he is and isn’t willing to do and put up with, and he stands up for himself when needed, and wow is that a joy to read!  The sex between these two is dirty and hot, and sometimes messy and emotionally painful.

The secondary storyline is interesting, too.  It’s about Elias’s slightly older brother and his wife.  Since Elias’ parents moved back to Africa, they are the only family Elias has left.  He’s scared of their reaction if they find out he’s gay, and he’s also worried about the two of them.

Really the only complaint I can come up with is that things work out a bit too well for everyone.  And, honestly, that’s not really a complaint.  I’m fine with some sunshine and rainbows in my reading!

So, if you’re up for some really great characters who stand up for themselves and admit it when they’re wrong, along with some wonderfully smutty m/m sex, I highly recommend this book by Daisy Harris!  It’s going on my Best of 2014 list!

Even better news, it turns out this is the fourth book in the series!  What?  It stood alone just fine, but I can’t wait to go back and read the others!  Daisy Harris’ blog says that the first book, Fire and Ashes will be free until September 5!

 

Eternal Fires, Eternal Love by Lynn Stark

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Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: paranormal, m/m/m menagé, shifter
Series: White Horse Clan #1
Published: 4/5/14
Reviewed by Kate

After the death of their mate and children almost 50 years ago, Ian and Malcolm, (a vampire) haven’t been as close as they once were.  Ian (a warhorse shifter) has been lonely but content to stay alone, but now he’s feeling the need to gather mates and form a herd once more.  And Malcolm keeps reminding him how much he needs that bond.  When Malcolm and Ian catch the scent of their mate, they discover Danny, a younger (in shifter terms) gibbon shifter, and the hope that maybe they can have that deep connection that comes with a mated triad once again.

I find it hard to write a review comparing this book to others that I’ve read because there was so much uniqueness with this one.  I’ve never read a m/m/m menagé before, much less one set in a paranormal world.  So I’ll share my 5 favorite things about this book.

 

  1. Come on!  A vampire, a warhorse, and a gibbon walk into a renaissance fair…what sounds like the start of a joke is actually the start of a great book.

 

  1. You’re forced to abandon all former “rules” you’ve had when reading paranormal romances and immerse yourself completely in the world Lynn Stark has created.  Much like the way Stephanie Meyer threw the rules of vampires out the window when she wrote about sparkly vampires in the Twilight series, Lynn Stark has rewritten the rules of almost every paranormal romance I’ve read.

 

  1. Ian is considered an alpha, the leader of his non-existent (at least at this point) herd.  As such he can impregnate both females AND males!  And yes, we get to see exactly how that all plays out.

 

  1. All sorts of paranormal creatures.  Obviously vampires, warhorse shifters, gibbon shifters.  But also trolls, griffins, dragons, giraffes, rabbits, wolves, and more.

 

  1. Danny’s inner gibbon often comes out.  Being younger, when he is scared he often finds himself shifted to gibbon form and climbing up to cling to one of his mates.  This made me laugh too many times to count.

 

While I know that this one won’t work for everyone, I’m really in love with it and I can’t wait to read the second one!  If you like menagé, m/m, or paranormal romances I suggest you give it a try.  If you’re like me and enjoy all three of them, this is a trifecta of goodness just waiting for you to read.

The premise of this one is kind of out there, but it really worked well for me.  What’s a premise that sounded outlandish but you really ended up enjoying?