menage

Never Been Kisssed by Mari Carr

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

22284914
Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, menagé
Series: Second Chances #5
Published: 8/19/14
Reviewed by Kate
155 pages

As a New Year’s resolution, Shelly has vowed to become someone else.  Someone other than the shy, overweight virgin that she currently is.  She’s got a diet underway and has joined a gym.  Maybe her coworker, Christian, can help her with that virginity issue.  Or maybe her kickboxing instructor Lance.

I’ve read other menagé romances before.  Okay.  I’ll be honest.  I’ve read a lot of menagé romances before.  And it seems like if the heroes don’t start off with a really strong relationship (I’m talking non-sexual here, like brothers, cousins, life-long best friends, etc.), then the menagé relationship seems more of a spontaneous decision that we’re expected to believe is completely logical course of action.  A well-there’s-one-of-her-and-two-of-us-what-else-can-we-do? kind of mentality.  I loved that this one didn’t follow that pacing at all.  It starts off as a friendship that very gradually grows into more.

There is no secret that Shelly is overweight.  I appreciated that it was not something that was only mentioned once or twice.  Each chapter started off with an entry from Shelly’s weight loss journal.  And Christian and Lance are supportive of Shelly, no matter what weight she’s at.  It isn’t because she’s losing weight that they love her.  In fact Christian was well on the way to falling for her before she even started the diet.

This was a great friends to lovers menagé, the kind you don’t run across too often.  While they’re not all in bed together by the end of the first chapter, we still see that they’re working toward something lasting and special.  I wish I could find more of this kind of relationship to read.

Eternal Fires, Eternal Love by Lynn Stark

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

21851915
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?

Bound to be Tamed by Becca Jameson

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

21822908
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: HIgh Kink
Genre: Contemporary, menage, m/m, m/m/f
Series: Emergence #2
Published: 7/29/14
Reviewed by Kate
369 pages

Stephanie has decided to enter into a full time Dom/sub role with Doms Aiden and Dane.  So she takes a huge step and quits her job (her new relationship is not the only reason that she quits) and moves in with the men.  Aiden and Dane have been looking for a female sub to add to their relationship and Stephanie is perfect for them.  But can they walk the fine line between helping Steph embrace her submissiveness and pushing her too hard?

Stephanie is new to the Dom/sub scene and Dane and Aiden want to push her past her comfort levels.  And boy do they push her.  She struggles with each new task they set before her, yet finds that each task completes something inside her.  What a journey to watch her go through.

Dane and Aiden are relatively new to the scene as well.  Only having been Doms for around 6 months.  For being newbies, I was surprised at how good they seemed at it, maybe even a little too good.  I really wanted to see them stumble a bit.

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this review it’s this:  the sex scenes were smoking hot.  Extremely graphic and extremely frequent.  A friend of mine would refer to this one as a one-hand-two-finger read.  The scenes between Dane and Aiden were perfection and the scenes between the three of them were beyond that.

I’ve not read the first book in this series, but it’s at the top of my TBR pile. This one met and exceeded my expectations on so many levels.  If you like menage, m/m, and bdsm this is one that you have try, but you might want a little privacy while you’re reading.