Kate

Colters’ Gift by Maya Banks

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Colters' Gift (Colters' Legacy, #5)

Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Colters’ Legacy #5
Genre-Contemporary Menage
Reviewed by Kate
368 pages

I read the first book in the series (Colters’ Woman) for the first time a few years ago. I remember emailing my sister and telling her “yes, the apostrophe is in the right place!” You see Colters’ Woman was my introduction to menage and to this day, it remains one of my favorites. I enjoyed the second book just as much. The 3rd and 4th book, eh-not so much. The 3rd because it strayed from the menage aspect and because Max was an ass. The 4th because there wasn’t really a central couple, it was more of a family update. So I was cautiously anticipating the release of Colters’ Gift because it was going back to the menage aspect and also gave us a romance revolving around a new set of characters.
 
In Colters’ Gift we get to follow Lauren, who is recovering from an abusive relationship, on her journey with Liam and Noah. Lauren’s brother hired Liam and Noah to protect Lauren, so of course, they fall for her instead. Well, actually, they both protect and fall for her. They are, after all, manly men who don’t shirk their duties. There is a fair deal of suspense in this one as well. Suspense is not my cup of tea, so I had to stay up late to finish this one so I could sleep.
 
I appreciate the fact that Lauren’s first time with Liam and Noah wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t filled with magic sparkles and fairy dust. It ended badly, and the characters dealt with it.
 
I quickly got tired of how involved in the story the other Colters (from books 1, 2, and 3) were in this book. While I liked the characters in their own books, suddenly there were 10 extra main characters surrounding Lauren and her men. I found myself having to stop and do a roll call. Is Adam here? Yep. Ethan? Yep? Michael? Nope. He’s home with Lily. As this is the last book in the Colters’ Legacy series, I understand why they were all present and accounted for, but it was a lot to keep track of and pulled me away from Liam, Noah, and Lauren.
 
One last note. While the heat level for this book is high, I didn’t feel it had as high a heat level as the first 3 books.
 
If you have enjoyed Maya Banks’s Colters’ Legacy series, you are sure to enjoy this one as well. If you haven’t read the Colters’ Legacy series, I would suggest starting with the first book, Colters’ Woman.
 
Have you read the Colters’ Legacy series? Do you have another menage seriees to recommend?

Adventure in Parenthood by Dawn Atkins

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Adventures In Parenthood
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
384 pages

Aubrey has a popular blog where she chronicles all the outdoorsy challenges that she attempts. She is all about taking a risk. Dixon works for a charity organization and is all about being safe and stable. He avoids risks at all costs. When Dixon’s brother and sister-in-law (who happens to be Aubrey’s sister) die in a car crash, Dixon suddenly finds himself responsible for his 4 year old twin nieces. Aubrey wants to help too. As attraction builds between Dixon and Aubrey, so does the tension surrounding Aubrey’s lifestyle. Can she help Dixon give the girls the stable life they need?

This book seemed rather formulaic. Take a risk-avoiding character and throw them together with a risk-taking character. Throw in two cute little kids. Add a dash of risk-related conflict. Mix well. Top with a sprinkle of predictable ending.

In general, I don’t mind a predictable read. There’s something comfortable in reading something new, but yet somehow familiar. However, I didn’t like the ending. I just can’t see the characters being happy in the long term. It seemed like too much of a huge change for one of the characters, rather than a compromise of sorts.

Awakening by Elene Sallinger

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne


Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Published: 11/5/13Reviewed by Kate

224 pages

Evan, local bookshop owner, lost his wife/submissive to cancer 10 years ago. He was so in love with his wife that he can’t imagine loving anyone else. Claire is slowly entering the land of the living again after 1 year of self-imposed isolation following the breakup of her marriage. Her first adventure is to attend a book club meeting at Evan’s bookshop. Evan’s physical reaction to Claire is strong, but definitely unwanted. Then he overhears a conversation between Claire and a friend. He realizes Claire knows nothing about BDSM, but it may be exactly what she needs. What’s a Dom to do?

Here’s the thing, Evan’s an ass. He really is. The way he deals with his attraction to Claire is avoidance. In fact for the first 1/3 of the book, Evan and Claire barely talk. But he’s written in such a way that I completely got the ass-ishness and was okay with it.

Elene Sallinger has written strong characters with compelling stories. There is a unique tone to this story. A gradual build-up to a relationship here, rather than a ‘first meeting equals first scene’ pace that is usually seen in BDSM novels. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

A special note: References to Yoda and Harry Potter had my inner geek doing a happy dance!