Beguiling Enchantment: Riley Murphy

Beguiling Enchantment

Riley Murphy

Contemporary.  Paranormal

M/F

55 pages

5 star

Telly is a very misunderstood and underestimated witch.  She has promised her virginity to her yet-to-be-met mate and when she is left alone and wanting for two years she becomes desperate.

She has caused magical mayhem and has been quarantined in her cottage behind a stone wall and hexed.

When Sexton finally is able to return to claim her he finds things far different than he had been lead to believe.  Now he needs to set things right and get her to want and accept him.

Doomed To Torment: The Inherited Damnation Tour

1/15 Guilty Pleasures

1/16 Harlie's Books 

1/17 Scorching Book Reviews 

1/18 My Odd Little World 

1/21 Mrs. Condit & Friends Read Books 

1/22 Under the Covers

1/23 Ezrabet's Enchancements  

1/24 Herding Cats & Burning Soup 

1/25 Heart Breaking Reviews

Doomed to Torment

Isolde McLaine left Hatherly Hall and its darkly handsome owner Angus Shaw to escape her incubus father's curse. But when word reaches her that Angus is selling the piece of British history, she returns to talk sense into him. Little does she realized that returning to England will throw her into her sire's vile world and leave her fighting not just her heart and the danger of falling in love but battling to save Angus's son's life.

For three and a half months, Angus has done his best to put Isolde and the one unforgettable kiss they shared behind him. Yet when she returns, scolding him for selling his deceased wife's estate, he's sharply reminded of the passion she awakens inside him. Yet as Isolde pushes for him to leave his son's legacy intact, their battle of wills provokes far more than just desire. His son's nightmares have returned. And Isolde triggered the hellish dreams.

Torn between protecting his child and the love he feels for Isolde, Angus must find the strength to trust in Isolde before her demonic sire claims his son.

Good morning, everyone!  Thanks for hosting me today.  I’m excited to be here, on a new-to-me blog and meet some new faces.

When this tour came together, the question was posed to me that I might talk about The allure of the damned in erotic fiction.  I can talk about erotic fiction, as I write as the Nationally Bestselling Author, Tori St. Claire, for Berkley Heat (erotic fiction.)  But my Claire Ashgrove works aren’t erotic – and I really want to put that clear upfront and center.  They’re mainstream romance, and the book we’re talking indirectly about today is Doomed to Torment, a mainstream paranormal romance novella…which is absolutely about the damned.

So the topic really fits, because we find “the damned” in a lot of paranormal.  From an authorial perspective, I think you find a lot of “damned” individuals in paranormal fiction (and even a lot of other romance subgenres) because it adds another layer of conflict to a story.  And for me, the more damned the character, the more fun it is to redeem him or her.

And I think Joss Whedon set this up completely with Angel (and to a degree Spike) in the all-revered series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

If you consider it, a damned creature usually has one of three issues.  A) their damned state influences their ability to commit to a loving relationship in one way or the other or B) They’re facing imminent death or C) they are dark and ‘rebellious’.  Romance is about redemption.  The heroine or hero “saves” the other – be that emotionally or situationally.  It’s so much more satisfying when the bad boy is saved.  Add in when that salvation comes with the promise of saving someone’s life the romance is that much more important.

As a reader, I enjoy characters that walk a fine line between right and wrong.  Damned characters usually struggle with this, sometimes veering off in the wrong direction, only to be hauled back in line in a quest for ‘right’ by that soul deep yearning for love.  As an author, that fine line gives us more freedom to be creative.  Reactions to any sort of situation can be somewhat larger than life, and they’re plausible if the background is appropriately set forth. 

It’s rather a “no holds barred” situation that rings reminiscent of the rebellious Regency rake who wants nothing to do with societal conformity.  But instead of saying “he just doesn’t” the damned aspect gives legitimacy to the proverbial rake’s solitude.

I mean, think about it – at some point in life weren’t you fascinated with the bad boy, and the idea of converting him to ‘good’?  I know I for one was in my younger days. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

~Claire

Award-Winning Author, Claire Ashgrove

www.claireashgrove.com

National Bestselling Author, Tori St. Claire

www.toristclaire.com

Purchase Claire's books from THE WILD ROSE PRESS

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=Claire%20Ashgrove

Tour Prizes -  Each blog will give away a digital copy of the book featured on your stop.  The tour grand prize will be all 8 books in the series.  Please select your winners for your post at the end of day 1/25 and email me thier email address and preferred digital format.   The Grand Prize winner will be selected and announced on 1/26.

Cleis News: Tristan Taormino Featured on E!

Cleis Press Author Tristan Taormino Featured on E! Entertainment TV in "Real 50 Shades of Grey" January 2013 Grab a bowl of popcorn and make yourself comfortable for an hour of sheer entertainment with Cleis Press VIP author Tristan Taormino talking about the "real 50 Shades of Grey," an E! Special, which premieres on E! Entertainment January 22 at 9:00 pm. This one-hour special features commentary from therapists, authors and other experts about the BDSM practice, and also profiles the real-life experiences of couples who follow this lifestyle. Taormino is a sought-after speaker and commentator on a range of issues, including alternative practices and communities. Her groundbreaking collection The Ultimate Guide to Kink, published by Cleis Press in 2012, features the work of leading kink experts from around the country. Dan Savage calls it a guide "everyone can learn from." Her latest book (also from Cleis Press), 50 Shades of Kink: An Introduction to BDSM, offers readers practical advice and techniques based on real world experience about how to eroticize power, cultivate deeper connections, and incorporate kink into your life. More · Buy 50 Shades of Kink  An Introduction to BDSM by Tristan Taormino Tristan Taormino can tell you everything you want to know about the world of kink, and more! Operating on the pleasure principle, 50 Shades of Kink is a truly helpful how-to that is a perfect beginner's guide into the realm of kinky sex and can also serve as a wonderful refresher course. Whether you want to get up close and personal with blindfolds, crops and paddles or just looking for some inspiration to keep your love life fresh, 50 Shades of Kink is just the book for you and your lover(s). More · Buy The Ultimate Guide to Kink  BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge by Tristan Taormino Award-winning author, filmmaker and sex educator Tristan Taormino presents this bold and sexy treasury that runs the gamut from expert tutorials on kinky erotic practices to thought-provoking essays that delve into complex questions about desire, power and pleasure. The Ultimate Guide to Kink features the expertise of renowned educators writing passionately on their favorite subjects.  Tristan Taormino Tristan Taormino is an award-winning author, columnist, editor, filmmaker, and educator. She’s written for a multitude of publications from Yale Journal of Law and Feminism to The Village Voice to Penthouse. She has been featured in more than 400 publications and appeared on countless TV and radio shows. She lectures at top colleges and universities and teaches around the world. Books By Tristan Taormino  In Sometimes She Lets Me, Tristan Taormino chooses her favorite butch/femme stories from the  Best Lesbian Erotica series. The salacious stories in Stripped Down will draw you in and sweep you off your feet. Here is love sex, revenge sex, stranger sex and so-good-you-can't-think-straight sex in all its raw, messy glory.

Ninja Cupcakes by T. A. Chase

Ethan’s special talents and cupcakes bring him the love of his life.

Ethan Gallagher loves to bake, and his cupcakes are known throughout his area as being the best. When he agrees to do the desserts for a sci-fi convention his brother is putting on, Ethan gets a chance to realize his biggest fantasy.

One of the panelists is Callum MacLaughlin, a man Ethan’s been lusting after since they’d met four years ago. Ethan discovers Callum will be there, and he decides it’s time to make his move on the astrophysicist.

With the help of some special cupcakes, Ethan makes not only his dream come true, but the hopes of his brother and his best friend as well.

Ninja Cupcakes
T. A. Chase
Contemporary
M/M.  Anal Play
51 pages

Ethan met Jacelyn at culinary school and they became great friends.  They graduated 1st and 2nd in their class.  About a year after graduation Ethan opened his bakery, NinjaCupcakes, and with Jacelyn have built it into a very successful business.

Ethan's brother, Earl, is hosting a sci-fi convention and has requested that Ethan do 20 dozen cupcakes for the event.  Ethan is more than happy to but he wants to be sure Callum will be attending.  He met Callum a few years ago at a convention and has been building a friendship via e-mail in hopes to get to know him better.  Now may be the opportunity he has been waiting for.

Before Ethan leaves for the convention he has three special cupcakes to make for three special people, each different and special in its own way.

The 20 dozen cupcakes delivered and two of the special ones also taken care of, Callum and Ethan head to Callum's room to finally get better acquainted as they are both anxious for time alone with each other.

Expectation of being together is only peaked higher at first touch as they each explore their desires. This is a beautiful sensual story about two people sharing each other for who they truly are.  Such emotion and tenderness is ever present.

5 stars
Victoria Storm

Destined for Love by Diane Thorne

Three wishes. Two men. One woman and a very happy ending

Valerie is a confident, independent, and cheerful woman with a boyfriend, a great job, and a cosy home. In one day, her life falls into the dumpster. To unwind, she takes a stroll on the beach. She locates a strange looking bottle and removes the cork. When two gorgeous men appear, she thinks she’s died and gone to Heaven.

Cursed to a bottle, Mark and James roam the earth until someone in desperate need of their help releases them. The handsome duo offer Valerie three wishes, but warn her they come with great responsibility. While she ponders over her choices the two hot genies show her love and passion beyond her wildest dreams. She falls in love with them. But do they share the same feelings for her?

Confused, in love, and still needing to put her life back on track, Valerie must decide how to use her remaining wish after she mistakenly uses two. Should she spend the last wish to help herself, or free her two insatiable lovers?

Destined For Love
Diane Thorne

Contemporary.  Paranormal.    Sus/Myst
M/F/M.  Ménage   Anal Play
103 pages

Having lost her job, told that. She had 30 days to find a place to live and her boyfriend calling and dumping her, guess you could say Valerie was having a bad day.  So down with her bad luck she went to the beach to enjoy something she felt sure could not go bad, a walk on the beach and the beauty of the sunset.

A long walk and letting go of her frustration helped a bit, she sees a bottle carelessly thrown on the beach and goes to pick it up to properly throw away when she notices a cork in it.  She pulls the cork and out comes two genies.  Two hunks of pure male perfection.

Mark and James convince Valerie that they mean her no harm and talk her into letting them go home with her to further explain.  She has three wishes coming ..."Do you mind if we both take care of your needs?  James asked" ...

They did take care of her needs starting with a bubble bath and tender loving, cooking forher and all sexual needs.

Three wishes is hard for her because she see possible consequences for each, good and bad.  Oh the choices.

5 stars. Fun and fantastic sex

Victoria Storm

A Christmas Match Made In Heaven

A Christmas Match Made in Heaven is a tale that unites two lonely souls while reuniting two departed ones just in time for the holidays.

On the day after Thanksgiving, Carroll Moore is presented with three items that once belonged to her beloved, now deceased Aunt Maggie — a woman's ring, a diamond pendent, and a man's college ring. The accompanying letter reveals the items' history, and while the woman's ring and diamond pendant are Carroll's to keep, she is asked to return the man's college ring to a very special young man. What follows is a romantic tale that unites two lonely souls while reuniting two departed ones just in time for the holidays.

A Christmas  Match Made In Heaven

Brianna Lorin

Contemporary  Holiday

M/F

113 pages

Fabulous cover

Carroll has been given a package from her aunt that has passed away sometime ago with three items and a note explaining what her last wishes were.

Carroll has a problem complying with one of the requests to give a ring to someone she doesn't know.  Carroll is divorced and has a bad taste in her mouth where men are concerned and hesitates making contact with an unknown man.

Her Aunt however has different plans and makes sure the two meet.  I should clarify her ghost makes sure it happens.

A totally delightful story.

5 Stars

Victoria Storm

Wine & Nine: Erotic Temptation in Scotland

Magic Mac and his Mystical tours, the brochure said. What it didn't tell the participants of this coach trip is that the quaint Scottish Inn they stopped at held a secret.
When you add women, wine, and men the outcome is never certain. Will it be happy ever after or is this just the beginning?

Find out in these nine scorching erotic short stories, guaranteed to raise a kilt or two.

Give me an erotic novel about men in kilts and you have me enraptured for hours. These stories are centralized around a tour, some good wine and sexy Scots that have something special just for you under their kilts. And I say...what can be better than that?

Each story is its own little jewel but all relate to the same tavern and tour. All of the passengers are women on a journey of sexual freedom. There are just a few surprises to be had along the way, especially in the last story in the collection. 

Hot BDSM, erotic ghosts, sexy kilted men and lots more await you in this collection of hot and bothered sex kittens and the men who shed their kilts for them. 

5/5 for hotness and a fun read!

The Maiden and the Lion by Lizzie Lynn Lee: Sizzling Sex with Werelions

Book two in the Lions of Manhattan Series

Some lions in town aren’t locked in the zoo...

Twenty-one year old receptionist Beatrice Summer has the hots for her new boss, Alexandre Larousse. But Alex seems never to notice her. Bea understands. He’s too handsome, too rich, and a tad too mature for someone like her. But it doesn’t stop Bea from wanting him in secret.

One night, Bea witnesses a man being shot from a bridge. She swims after him and drags him to safety. She is shocked to find the victim is nothing but the boss she’s enamoured with. What makes it even more shocking, the unconscious Alex turns into a lion before her eyes.

Bea doesn’t think shape-shifters are real. Seriously. Werelions? They are nothing but a myth, right? Feeling more curious than a fickle cat, Bea is hell bent on spying Alex—especially when Alex tells her not to. Then, Bea discovers the reason why Mr Hot Boss pretends he never interested in getting into her panties. Bea had never thought playing detective can be so thrilling, sexy…and deadly.

Lions of Manhattan. Maiden & the Lion
Lizzie Lynn Lee

Contemporary.  Paranormal.  Act/Adv.  Sus/Myst
M/F
87 pages

Loved the cover who could not want to read about all that yumminess

Alex is being blackmailed to keep his secret about being a lion shifter.  When the blackmailer threatens Bea he has gone too far.  Alex has had the hots for Bea since he first saw her but has kept his distance because he felt that he was too old for her.

Bea felt the same attraction when she briefly saw Alex when she was going to apply for a job but she knew he was way out of her league so she kept her infatuation to herself.

Bea hears shots and someone thrown off a bridge into the river and she tries to help and discovers that it is her boss, Alex.  She pulls him to the shore and manages to save him.  But in her attempt to get him help discovers more than expected.

Alex can no longer hold on to his feelings about Bea and let's his feelings be known.  Oh how lives change for both.  He still has the blackmailer to deal with and does so efficiently.

5 stars

Rippled by Erin Lark

Ripples aren't just rings on a pond anymore.

Tied to a friendship that should've ended years ago, Brian's torn between destroying the shifter virus—named Ripples because of the way the skin reacts during a shift—and turning a blind eye to Malcom's ridiculous experiments. But when Krista—a delicious brunette—takes a violent turn of her own, Brian will do whatever it takes to keep the virus from going public.

Krista can't remember anything from before she was infected with the virus. Her world revolves around her fear of shifting into a leopard and Brian's intense, blue eyes. Hidden in a camp and imprisoned in her own body, the only thing she wants is to live a life free of electric locks, barbed wire fences and armed guards.

But the more she learns about Brian—who is very much a shifter—and the fragments of life she has left behind, the more intrigued she becomes by the life she’s been given. And if that isn’t enough to make her stay, Brian’s charm, his desire to stop the virus and their sharing a bed are.

Can they survive the virus long enough to destroy it? Or will the Ripples devour them from the inside out?

RIPPLED
Erin Larr

Contemporary.  Paranormal
M/F
153 pages

Fantastic cover

Brian and Malcom were college roommates and both were into genetics.  They did a thesis on it for class but Malcom carried it further than theory on paper.  Malcom continued research and got funding to do experiments and testing.  Snow leopards were created with dual identities.

Krista was a test subject that changed everything.  Her shift was different and Brian felt a connection to her that couldn't be explained.

Brian having also been injected, against his will, with the virus had total understanding of what she was feeling and helped her thru many difficult times.  Brian taught Krista control, first as his sub and she delighted in pleasing him.  Sex was fantastic!

When testing continued and a woman died Brian knew things had gone too far and had to be stopped.  Malcom had to be stopped and the whole mess had to be destroyed for the safety of all.

5 star
Victoria Storm

The Dryad In Her Pool by Allie Standifer

Drunk on Canadian tree sap, Reece Oak accidentally ends up in Quinn's pool. The next morning proves that—drunk or not—this male dryad has just the right stuff to claim his mate…if he can get her to stop arguing with him long enough to listen.

Determined to show his family and friends his life is fine without an immortal mate, Reece Oak drowns his sorrows in the finest Canadian tree sap a dryad can find. The next morning, he wakes up in a strange bed…face to face with his mate.

Quinn's seen a lot of weird things in her life, but a drunk dryad singing commercial jingles while spouting words of love and devotion takes the cake. Before she can call the men in the white coats, Reece sets out to prove his feelings are as real as his magic.

The Dryad in Her Pool
Allie Standifer

Contemporary.  Paranormal
M/F.  Anal Play

59 pages

Yummy cover
This is funny, fantastic, witty, humorous, sexy and sexual satisfying.

Drunk on Canadian tree sap, Reece, a dryad finds himself floating in a pool.  Naked and at the mercy of a mere human female he tries to put things together.  Is this a joke or what, he questions himself.  He has found his mate!!!

Quinn doesn't know what to make of Reece but one touch of his lips and she finds herself deeper and deeper in a sexual fog.

The night is spent in passion, the likes of which Quinn has never known.  She cannot stop herself from more and more of Reece.  Reece is overwhelmed by Quinn and cannot get enough of her.  They spend the entire night exploring each other and finding climax after climax does little to cool things down, one touch and they seem to start all over.

The new day brings things to another complex situation for all.  Reece is sober and Quinn has trees growing in her house.

5 star - Witt and humor
5 star - Sexual  exploration and satisfaction
5 star - Tears from laughter
1 star - Too short

If you have any doubt about my impression of this book let me say IT'S. FABULOUS.

Reviewer: Victoria Storm

Bound With Pearls by Sidney Bristol

BDSM

m/f

anal, club scene, voyeurism, 

The last thing Christine wants to do is another favor for her sister, but Lucy always gets what she wants. This time it’s Chris playing sub to a demanding Dom. Their relationship begins with a power exchange and progresses to time spent between the sheets. Now emotions are getting complicated and the Dom isn’t just a hunky guy in black.

Daniel’s expectations are turned upside down when he meets Chris. She’s more than a well-trained submissive. She’s a woman with a body he wants to memorize. He’s willing to spend as much time as it takes to learn her, because she might be his match and his muse. He’ll make her come so hard he’s imprinted on every inch, and then he’ll offer her the most precious thing he can, himself.

What can I say? I love a great book with angst, family drama and some hot sex. In this book you get all three wrapped up in a nice string of pearls. 

Chris is a character that really resonates and if you have a sibling that has gotten on your nerves at all then you can really identify. Lucy, Chris's sister, has put her in a horrible position-if she wants her mother's pearls, she has to go and meet for a play date with an unknown Dom. OMG! What would you do? Christ reluctantly does it, but really limits what will happen. (Good girl!) The fun part is when said Dom (Daniel) and Chris find that they have a firework filled chemistry that just won't quit. 

I loved this book for the vulnerable characteristics of both main characters. They each had issues that make life messy and that just made the book that much more real. This is the second book I have read by Sidney and her style is really gripping. She crafts characters that pop off the page and don't let go. Always with a tattoo to spice things up too!

Hot sex, sweltering bondage scenes and some fun tattoos and jewelry make this a fun read you won't want to end any time soon.

Excellent read.

5/5 

Banishing Shadows

Banishing Shadows

Lorna Jean Roberts

Contemporary.  Act/Adv.  Sus/Myst. 

M/F.  BDSM. Anal Play.  Toys

Kayla is tired of waiting for Cord to notice her.  Cord is her brothers best friend and she has had a crush in him for years.

Cord had noticed Kayla ago but she was taboo, best friend's little sister and too young to touch.  Oh no he couldn't go there, but when she throws herself at him and puts herself in danger he has to step up and do something.  He can no longer hold back his attraction to her when she makes the first move and proves that she wants him as much as he wants her.  All caution to the wind he takes her and feels guilty as he feels she needs someone gentle and not the rough sort that he is.

A two year separation doesn't  dampen his desire and apparently when he returns she feels the same.  When Cord returns and finds she is in danger he will not rest until her safety is ensured and he insists she stay with him so he can keep an eye on her.  Being so close to each other only makes it very clear that they were meant to be together and the forces to be will not be altered.

Kayla does not have to make the first move this time as Cord has finally admitted to himself that he cannot live without her.  She is everything he remembers her to be and more because she has been attacked and now lives in fear.  He must work to regain her trust as a person before he can try to be the lover he wants to be.  To touch her and hold her safely in his arms again is a challenge and one he is up for.

He finally gains her trust and they share their mutual lust for one another only to discover it is more than lust, it is love.  Then she is kidnapped and her life threatened, he now has to fight again to get her back, back alive.

Great book!

5 stars

Victoria Storm