B Reviews

The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Sevenfold Spell
Grade – B-
Hotness Level – Blaze
Kink Level – No kink
Genre – Fairytale
Series – Accidental Enchantments #1
Reviewed by Kate

When it is decreed that all spinning wheels in the country need to be destroyed (you recognize Sleeping Beauty here, right?), Talia and her mother lose their only source of income. But Talia loses a bit more. They are forced to use her dowry to fund the purchase of a loom as well as food for the pair of them. With her dowry depleted, her chance for marriage disappears.

Willard, a local farm boy, had agreed to marry Talia. But being a younger son and no longer having her dowry, the pair would not be able to survive. Willard’s father sends him to join the Church. Talia decides he shouldn’t leave without knowing a woman’s touch and the two engage in a three week affair that gives the town gossips something to talk about.

Failing to make a go of their weaving business, Talia and her mother craft an illegal spinning wheel. Then it is simply a matter of time before the curse comes to call. Can Talia change the course of the curse?

I don’t know that I would label this as a romance. While love does develop between Talia and Willard, it becomes more of a back story as Talia has many other affairs. Most of the story is about Talia’s place in the course of Princess Aurora’s curse and how Talia’s actions affect the outcome of the fairy tale.

The French Kiss Chronicles (Deux, Trois, Quarte) by Em Petrova

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Grade – B
Hotness Level – Inferno
Kink Level – Mild Kink (menage, no BDSM)
Genre – Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
Deux (The French Kiss Chronicles)
Jane is happy in her relationship with her husband Ethan. But although she loves him deeply, she feels there is something missing fom her life. Or someone…Margot. Margot is in the same kickboxing class with Jane. Jane approaches her in the locker room after class one day and the encounter soon turns into an affair.
Trois
When Ethan finds out about Jane’s affair with Margot, he asks to join in. Margot is initially hesitant, but quickly comes around and welcomes him. The three enjoy not only hot sex but deep heart felt connections as well.
Quatre
A few months later Margot meets Danny. While she enjoys her bond with Jane and Ethan, she is still going home to an empty house. An instant connection with Danny gives her hope for more. But will he be interested in joining Jane and Ethan in bed?

I went into this trilogy with high hopes and was not disappointed. The scenes were plentiful and steamy…and in almost any combination imaginable. Going into the first book, I knew that Jane started her affair with Margot despite being married. Jane knows that Ethan will be fine with it, but I was a bit disappointed that Jane didn’t discuss her desires with Ethan until after the fact. The other negative mark for me came when Margot begins her relationship with Danny. She knows that she is not willing to give up Jane and Ethan, but she waits until after Danny has declared his love and they’ve slept together to tell him about her other lovers. I enjoyed this series a lot and would recommend the stories to any menage romance readers.

**contains f/f, m/f/f, m/f/f/m, and m/m situations**

Rough Ride by Keri Ford

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Rough Ride (The Roughnecks, #1)
Grade – B
Hotness Level – Blaze
Kink Level – No Kink
Genre – Contemporary
Series – The Roughnecks #1
Reviewed by Anne
 
Gretchen is a young widow who owns a trailer park.  Lane is back in town to help his brothers fix up some property and is renting a trailer from Gretchen.  He’s been really clear about his short term status. He’s not staying in town and he’s not looking for a relationship.  Despite this, sparks fly between him and Gretchen. 
 
However, Lane is keeping a secret (cue drama) from his brothers.  (By the way, he’s one of set of unidentical, but all handsome, triplet brothers, with a younger brother to boot.) This big secret makes him want to keep his distance from his brothers, hence his plans to leave town as soon as renovations to the property are done.  He knows Gretchen is a forever kind of girl, so he’s not going to go anywhere near her.  Except when he does.  Which is kind of a lot.
 
Meanwhile, Gretchen decides, with the help of her two best and very funny friends, that it’s time to have a no strings attached affair.  She needs to seduce Lane.  Except she really has no idea how.  So she sets out baking a lot.  She tries to explain this to her friends.

“They say the quickest way to a man is through his stomach.”
 
“That’s to his heart, Gretchen. I know it’s been a while, but what you’re looking for is a bit farther south.”

 
This book really worked for me.  It’s got over the top humor, and I was really in the mood for that.  It reminded me of the Neighbor From Hell Series by R.L. Mathewson.  Funny and cute.  As with the Neighbor From Hell series, food plays a big part in this story.  In this case, Gretchen really has a thing for pie.  Here Lane is asking her about pie:

“What are the options?”

“Cherry?  Lemon, lime, banana, coconut cream?”  She looked down, her lips twisted and she bit at her lower one.  “Um, sweet potato.  Pumpkin, oh my god, I can’t wait for fall so I can make fresh pumpkin pie.  It’s just creamy and sweet.  Spiced like Christmas and smooth like cheesecake.  Flavor just pops in your mouth.”

Lane’s tongue was thick in his mouth for reasons that had nothing to do with hunger for pie.  Her eyes glazed as she went on about different kinds of pies and their “full bodied” tastes.

“Oh yeah.  And the cheesecakes.”  Her lips were parted, cheeks pinked and eyes a little dreamy.  “They have this stuff in the store.  Premade cheesecake pie filling and it’s awesome.  I’ll eat it off the spoon like a pudding cup.”

There was a good chance she just had an orgasm on his couch talking about pie.

 
I really enjoyed Lane’s brothers and Gretchen’s friends, too.  Unfortunately, Lane’s big secret seemed dumb to me.  I also thought the last few chapters of the story were weak, probably because the drama didn’t really work for me. Overall, though, I enjoyed it and I’m putting the sequels, Rough Play and Rough Tumble, on my To Be Read list.