The Bartered Bride by Reece Butler

The Bartered Bride (Climax, Montana #3)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Series-Climax, Montana #3
Genre-Contemporary/Menage
Reviewed by Kate
 
Jane is trying to escape an abusive father and an arranged marriaged to an even more vile man. She’s stuck at a bar with no way of leaving when Travis and Riley show up. Travis and Riley seem like the only ones at the bar who might not take advantage of her, so she stows away in their truck. While the men are helping Jane get away, can they also help her discover herself?
 
I’m a sucker for cavemen heroes. The kind that can say “You’re going to do what I say because I know what’s best for you.” The kind that are protective and dominant without being abusive. The kind that, quite honestly, can come across as being a huge ass. And Reece Butler does a very good job writing those cavemen heroes I adore.
 
As a heroine, Jane struggles to be independent when she never has had a chance to stand on her own. She’s had a lot of terrible things happen in her past and we get to watch as Travis and Riley support her on her journey. We get to see a lot of character growth for Jane.
 
The only complaint that I had with this book was that there was a section in the middle that started to go down a hero-taking-the-place-of-daddy path and a trying-to-fix-the-heroine path. Those are themes that I don’t typically enjoy reading, but seemed to be rather short lived in this book. I was quickly able to loose myself in the story after getting past that section.
 
This book met all the preferences I have in erotic menage books. Strong heroes and heroines, character growth, a plot that is fast paced, and scenes steamy enough to fog your glasses. If you enjoy erotic menage with a bit of cowboy, I suggest you give this one a try.
 
An additional note: While this one is considered to be the third book in her Climax, Montana series, it can definitely be read by itself. The first 2 books in this series take place back in the 80s and are worth checking out. If you like historical menage, I’d recommend Reece Butler’s earlier Bride Train series.
 
I’m caught up on all of Reece Butler’s books now. Do you have recommendations for any other erotic menage series to try?

Free Agent by Roz Lee

Free Agent (Mustangs Baseball, #0.5)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Genre-Contemporary/BDSM
Series-Mustangs Baseball #0.5
Reviewed by Kay
65 pages

Todd is a Major League Baseball player with the Dallas Mustangs. He thinks he needs more money and a better deal for his future. He likes his teammates and the city but feels it’s ran its course. He is also a Dom, something most people don’t know. He’s also become bored with the usual subs he’s been around. He hardly goes out much less to his Dungeon of choice. One of his friends talks him into going to the Dungeon one night and he sees Brooke.

Brooke is a successful bakery business owner in Dallas. She also knows she’s a sub. She wants a relationship with the right Dom. She sees Todd from across the room and brings herself off in front of him. Then she abruptly leaves the club. This starts a cat and mouse game that changes both of them.

This is a short story of two people who find exactly what there looking for in each other. I liked it but didn’t love it. A little too heavy on the BDSM stuff for me but it was a freebie so I took a chance. I would read more by this author and this series.

Dirty Pleasures by Melody Snow Monroe

Dirty Pleasures (Pleasure, Montana #10)
Grade-D-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Pleasure, Montana #10
Genre-Contemporary/Menage
Reviewed by Kate
166 pages
 
Gabe and Dylan had been assigned to protect Ceci on their last case. Despite being extremely attracted to her, they kept their hands to themselves. But now the case is over and it’s time to discover if Ceci feels the same way about them.
 
This book didn’t work for me on so many levels. Other than being huge and manly in so many masculine ways, there didn’t seem to be anything remarkable or memorable about either Gabe or Dylan. Ceci had so much internal turmoil that it was hard to connect with her. She has what comes across as OCD and is also trying to deal with her self hatred eminating from her ex-boyfriend’s suicide. It was more than I wanted to read about.
 
As far as the kink goes with this one, I couldn’t decide whether this one was a BDSM read or not. There was some spanking and they did visit a club (which was a disappointing scene for a BDSM reader like me). But neither of the men seemed real dom-like even though Ceci granted them the Dom title simply because they never let her do what she wanted.
 
This book may appeal to fans of the Pleasure, Montana series, but to a Pleasure, Montana virgin (*snort*)like myself, it just didn’t work.