I haven’t done this one in a bit because I haven’t had much reading time but I have managed to get some reading done as my brain is still racing from nightly writing and I’m trying to relax.

Several of them had been in my TBR Pile for some time and I finally got to them and I wasn’t sorry:

Jaci Burton’s Wild, Wicked and Wanton – Loved it. I’ve been reading Jaci for some years now, in fact she was one of the first authors I tried at EC and I’ve just always thought she’s really talented. In Wild, Wicked and Wanton she gives us a trio of novellas centered on three friends and a bet. Loads of fantasy variety here, you’ve got some menage, voyeurism, exhibitionism, some D/s – lots of great stuff and all done well. Burton also manages to give the reader characters they can like, which is often a difficult task in a novella. The women and their friendship is lovely as well and I liked the variety of ages and walks of life too.

Jaci Burton, Eden Bradley and Lisa Renee Jones’ Exclusive – Another anthology, this one featuring three very fine authors. I’m extremely picky about BDSM themed books because well if you’ve read this blog any length of time you’ll know I think most authors miss what I find so interesting about D/s which is internal and emotional and about trust and nto just spanking. Bradley shines here in Sanctuary. There are moments when we’re inside the heroine’s head and it’s a true thing of beauty. Emotional and striking. I liked how she portrayed the hero as well. I’m not always a fan of sex club based stories but this one is so wonderfully internal, the point is really about the two people and the path they’re on.

Burton gives us Wild Night, following up with a character she introduces us to in WWW. What I liked here, was the unconventional way Grace and Mike come together. I think what I enjoyed most was the idea not that opposites attract (which I do love) but that sometimes what we need is someone who mirrors us in many ways. Mike and Grace are a lot alike, lots of defenses, lots of walls and as they learn each other, they learn about themselves.

Lisa Renee Jones Purple Magic throws a really wonderful paranormal ending to the anthology. She gives us Jolene, a half vampire needing help to save her human friend from the clutches of a pretty evil vampire and so she goes to Drago, a slayer and one of those fabulously dark and reluctant heroes that when he gets all sweet you melt because it’s so genuine. Jolene is loyal and wary but also not stupid when it comes to depending on the experts to do their job. Sexy and really well done and I hope to see more from the other slayers we met.

Rachel Caine’s Thin Air – oh wow. Seriously, just wow. If you’ve read the series you were made of stone if the end of the last book didn’t move you (for me, to tears). But this one opens with danger and action and really sucks you right into the book and you don’t get much chance to breathe until halfway through and then something else happens! You don’t quite know who to trust and neither do the characters. It makes for a really fast paced and edgy read and I really loved it.