Fae Eye for the Golem Guy by Robert Roman

Title: Fae Eye for the Golem Guy

Author: Robert Roman

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 9781936394074

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romantic Comedy

Length: novella

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Rating:  4 Diamonds

Heat Level:  sensual

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: Oct 2010

Micah Slate has lived centuries, his lonely existence dedicated to the protection of art. Then he meets Ophilia Morgan, a young artist who has transformed herself into a living work of art. Micah thinks she'll never give him a second glance, but she has dark secrets of her own. When a greedy socialite uses Micah's museum as the setting for fraud and destruction, he and Ophilia will be thrown together in a night of mayhem.

I had to include the actual blurb for Mr. Robert Roman’s Fae Eye for the Golem Guy because it is so much a reflection of how this story runs. The cover and title are intriguing. The blurb interesting but deceptive in its serious tone. The main character is made of stone, and the heroine is a tattooed fairy, sweet and tough enough, to turn rock to rubble. Almost every page had something to pull me in and make we wonder what would happen next. I honestly loved this story. I laughed out loud so many times that friends thought I was loosing it. The little gay pixies alone are worth picking this one up.

A slightly slow start and occasionally weighty description kept this from being a perfect score for me, but if you like intelligent or sometimes ridiculous humor mixed with a bit of intrigue and a taste of romance you will adore Mr. Roman’s Fae Eye for the Golem Guy.

Untouched Places by Grace Meadows

Title: Untouched Places

Author: Grace Meadows

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Publication Date: August 2010

ISBN: 978-1-936394-02-9

Genre: Erotic Fantasy

Length: Short Story

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Rating: 3 Diamonds

Heat Level: erotic – sort of

Other: oral

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: August 2010

Ruth Arnison wants attention from her lover, more she wants sex, but she’s not getting either. When he reveals a secret that sends her stomping into the rain soaked day, she has no idea where she’s going or what she intends to do with her life. After a short diversion submersed in Iceland’s rugged beauty, she realizes she needs to find herself and a purpose beyond men. Can she find it while working to pay the bills and entertaining a busload of equally frustrated women?

Parts of Untouched Places were fun and so real that I could hear my friends or myself venting over lost or dumped boyfriends through the years. Grace Meadows made me smile and laugh as I jumped into this story. Why then did it only get an average rating? Typos and easily checked but still incorrect information as well as insert tab A in slot B “we had sex” “they fucked” type scenes, which lacked the description to be truly hot, kept this from sucking me in.

In addition, Untouched Places does not read as a romance. While Ms. Meadows certainly can write a tale that will make readers smile, there are far too many stories in these few pages for any of the characters to truly develop beyond a glimpse. If you are looking for a bit of true romance I’d say pass. However, if a little fun and couple wild, though somewhat emotionless romps, are what you need then this is a perfect afternoon read.

Sinful Treats by Violet Summers

Title: Sinful Treats

Author: Violet Summers

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Publication Date: Nov 2008

ISBN: 978-1-59578-496-4

Genre: BSDM Contemporary Romance

Length: short story

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Author Email: violetsummers@yahoo.com

Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: erotic

Other: anal/oral play, sex games, BDSM

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: March 2010

Kendra never thought of herself as a sexual submissive. At least not until the fateful Halloween night she sneaks up to the private third level of Velvet Ice, an exclusive BDSM club, and finds herself fascinated by the place and the gorgeous Adonis, Sinclair Martin.

When Sin sees the beautiful little devil walk into Velvet Ice, he’s determined to throw her out on her delicious backside, but once he gets close, he wants to claim her for his own. “His woman. His to mark. His to train. No one else’s.”

I picked up “Sinful Treats” because I had read Velvet Submission and loved it. Though brief, the story of Kendra and Sin did not disappoint. Like Kendra, I am not familiar with the lifestyle beyond what I have learned through the pages of a book, but Ms. Summers writes about the Dom/Sub life better than any other author I have read. The sex scenes are extreme, erotic, and mind-blowing, but always intimate.

My main problem with this story was a couple examples of head hopping that pulled me from the moment, but Ms. Summers quickly sucked me back into her world. There were also a couple scene elements that made this novice cringe. Although the second problem was mine not the author’s, I will warn those who might be easily offended that this might not be the story for you. However, if you’re brave, “Sinful Treats” is too delicious overall to be missed.

Colliding in Free Fall by Vivien Dean

Title: Colliding in Free Fall

Author: Vivien Dean

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-59578-637-1

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

Length: short story

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Author Email: vivien_dean@yahoo.com

Rating: 4.5 Diamonds

Heat Level: erotic

Other: anal and oral, M/M

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: March 2010

Jay is a small town fireman looking to find a way to stay active and remain in the town he knows in the home he loves. Frank is a rash young author whose motto in life is “No Regrets.” Jay’s life represents regrets – what if he had never come out to his ex-wife, what if he had moved away to a larger more accepting town, what if? The question becomes will Jay allow himself to love a man he knows will move on without him? Can he embrace Frank’s motto or show the younger man the impossibility of such an outlook.

Vivien Dean’s richly drawn characters leaped off the page with an aching tenderness so often lost in today’s world. The intimate scenes, though hot, never crossed the line to complete eroticism which M/M fiction can sometimes do. The emotional element remained present throughout.

I loved this story. I hurt for Jay and Frank both and for the lifetime of lies Jay has had to create. Ms. Dean’s little community and its people could be my neighbors, but I had to laugh at the idea that at forty-three a man might be too old to be a fireman in a small town. I live in rural America, and we are too desperate for emergency personnel to turn away a man still so vital. Although I had a problem with the idea that the town doctor might see Jay as too old, I had no problem believing that Frank might fall despite their age difference. “Colliding in Free Fall” is a warm and tender read that touched my heart and is certainly worth the time and money.

Velvet Submission by Violet Summers

Title: Velvet Submission

Author: Violet Summers

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-59578-661-6

Genre: BDSM Romantica

Length: 72 pages

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Author Email: VioletSummers@yahoo.com

Rating: 5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: anal/oral play, sex games, and BDSM

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: March 2010

Megan Jamison plays the sweet southern belle to perfection. She also lives the life of a Domme within the safe walls of the bondage club, Velvet Ice. She never mixes sex with domination. Sex is about trust and letting go. Domination is purely that, an opportunity to find peace through control.

Gregori watches Megan Dom other men who don't deserve her. He knows what she needs, what they both need, but how does a muscle-bound, Russian, pain slut convince a golden goddess to trust him enough to allow his total submission for her pleasure?

Bondage is not usually my favorite genre, but let me say Ms. Summers made a convert out of me with Velvet Submission. The sex leaps off the pages in blazing Technicolor. More than that though is the story itself. Megan and Gregori spar in a delightful mix of give and take. Gregori may be a believable and delicious submissive, but he remains a sexy and powerful male and a perfect foil for Megan’s own strengths and weaknesses. In a word, Velvet Submission is scrumptious. I can’t wait to read other work by this talented writer.

Guardian Cowboy by Crystal-Rain Love

Title: Guardian Cowboy
Author: Crystal-Rain Love
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: January 2010
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Length: 116 pages
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Rating: 4 diamonds
Heat Level: sensual
Reviewer: Dana Dean
Date: March 2010

Presley West walked away from the bodyguard business to return to his roots as a cowboy. He does not want to go back to his other life. Too bad fate has other ideas. When he rescues a woman stranded on the interstate, his protective instincts roar back to life.

Amber Barlow doesn’t need or want a man to tell her what to do. She’s had enough of that from her abusive ex. But violence and degradation lurk behind her, and whether the man hunting her finds her or not, the past could destroy her future and the sweet guardian cowboy she longs to share it with.

Guardian Cowboy offers exactly what readers of this genre look for – a handsome, tough cowboy with a tender heart and a feisty woman to make him face his soft side. Amber’s fluctuating self-image and Presley’s need to save the world complement one another nicely. Although a bit cliché in places, overall Ms. Love’s story is a sweet, gentle and well-written love story that will tug at your heart strings.

Cover of Darkness by Kaylea Cross

Title: Cover of Darkness
Author: Kaylea Cross
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 1-60154-603-3
Genre: Sensual
Length: 348 pages
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Rating: 5 Diamonds
Heat Level: spicy
Reviewer: Dana Dean
Date: March 2010

Though born and raised in the United States, half Lebanese and half American, Bryn McAllister understands the diplomatic world her lives in. Or so she thinks until that world explodes around her and launches her into danger unlike anything she has ever experienced before. On the other hand Navy SEAL Lieutenant Declan McCabe realizes just how deadly the war torn Middle East can be. He’s lived, fought, and watched fellow soldiers die there, but he’s never experienced anything or known anyone he could not distance himself from until Bryn. Can he keep her alive long enough to get her out of the country and into his arms?

Wonderful. In Cover of Darkness Ms. Cross did exactly what a writer should do. Almost from the first page I wanted to be the heroine even when danger and chaos lurked around every corner. I admired Bryn’s dedication to a father she rarely saw, her strength and determination to do whatever it took to survive, and her compassion. Mostly, I envied her opportunity to be rescued by several hunky men. Although Dec is obviously and spectacularly the hero in this story, the other men who circle Bryn like satellites should not be disregarded. In fact, I suspect they won’t be. Cover of Darkness tells Bryn and Dec’s story, but it also drops tantalizing hints about the lives of several others and left me wanting more. I enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see whose story is next. Well done, Ms. Cross.

First Dimension by Rebecca Royce

Title: First Dimension
Author: Rebecca Royce
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59578-650-0
Genre: Fantasy
Length: novel
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Author Email rebecca@rebeccaroyce.com
Rating: 4 Diamonds
Heat Level: spicy
Other: N/A
Reviewer: Dana Dean
Date: 2/18/2010

Kidnapped and hauled through time and space by a gorgeous hunk, Ms. Hadley Pettigrew represents hope and salvation for more than one dimension. Unfortunately, she has no idea why. Fortunately, Hawk does. Born and raised a warrior, he has battled to save his princess for decades. Now he must use her daughter to go home despite the sense of defeat that comes with his decision.

Together Hawk and Hadley face her talents, his people’s needs, the concerns of another dimension long held hostage by grief and disease, and the strange affliction of the wise ones. With Hadley the first year in a new dimension arrives and the future begins.

Danger, intrigue, sibling rivalry, and compassion roll together nicely in Ms. Royce’s First Dimension. Hot and hunky Hawk represents a true warrior in his desire to protect those he loves. Hadley quickly becomes a member of that elite group, but neither of them knows quite what to do with the other. Hawk’s love for Hadley’s deceased sister makes him a bit of forbidden fruit until a surprise turn of events rocks even that reality. Though filled with almost too much information at times, altogether First Dimension is an interesting read that kept me wondering what would happen next, and sets the scene well for the sequel(s) I assume are to follow. Nice job, Ms. Royce.

Beauty and the Geek by Roni Adams

Title: Beauty and the Geek
Author: Roni Adams
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 1-60154-159-7
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 265 pages
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Author Email roni@roniadams.com
Rating: 4 diamonds
Heat Level: sensual
Other: oral play
Reviewer: Dana Dean
Date: Jan. 2010

Computer geek Louie Hanson loves Becky Richardson, the elusive town beauty. In fact, Louie has loved Becky most of his life, but she sees him as her buddy, the one man she can expect not to hit on her. She does not want the fairytale of marriage and children. She’d rather love ‘em and leave ‘em so she doesn’t get hurt. However, when her nerd pal gets a chance to oversee the renovation of the Ryan mansion, Becky and Louie find themselves drawn to the house’s history, the mystery of its new owner, and of course one another.

I loved Louie from the very first page. He’s cute, funny, and clever despite his somewhat misguided plans to capture the heart of his beauty. Becky, however, is the epitome of the over indulged beauty. She is well written and believable, but in all honesty I didn’t like her much at first. She seemed too shallow and superficial for the delightful “Nerdman.” Even the nickname she lays on him felt insulting rather than fun. However, Ms. Adams did a good job of showing me Louie’s princess through his eyes. Slowly Becky’s insecurities and issues come to light and make her redeemable if not nice. Ms. Adams’ Beauty and the Geek made me cheer for this unlikely couple and believe in the possibility of true love.

Cupid's Dilemma by Mia Romano

Title: Cupid’s Dilemma
Author: Mia Romano
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: 2008
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Length: 88 pages
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Rating: 3.5 Diamonds
Heat Level: spicy
Reviewer: Dana Dean
Date: Jan. 2010

Cupid’s on a deadline. He needs to meet the woman of his lifetime and make her fall in love with him by midnight February fourteenth. Miki has no plan to do anything before she gets her finances in order, that is until sexy Preston Heartgrove shakes up everything.

Cupid’s Dilemma is cute and flirty. A talking cat, hundreds of boxes of chocolate, and a reconnaissance expedition in the middle of the night add to the fun. Ms. Romano pushes the mystery right to the end as she leaves Miki and the reader wondering. Although the story stats a little slowly, overall it’s an enjoyable short read.

Loving Luke by Jenny Anderson

Title: Loving Luke

Author: Jenny Anderson

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 1-60154-627-0

Genre: Contemporary Suspense

Length: novel

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Rating: 3 Diamonds

Heat Level: spicy

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: January 2009

Horse trainer Hannah Bluefield needs help. Money is tight and men willing to work on a ranch in the middle of nowhere are few and far between. So when Luke Stone comes up for parole, she jumps at the opportunity to help the man she has loved forever – before he married someone else, before his wife was killed, before Luke went to prison for murder. Hannah decides offering him a job will provide an opportunity to show Luke he isn’t alone while giving her access to his skills as a trainer. If he happens to notice her while he’s there, then perfect. She doesn’t realize that after ten years in the state’s harshest prison, the outgoing, charismatic man she remembers just may not exist anymore.

Jenny Anderson’s Loving Luke is a modern day western filled with bad guys, passion, and love. Jenny writes men that are certainly lovable. Luke, his bodyguard Zeph, and the local sheriff Monty made me want to hang out with them all. Ms. Anderson’s supporting characters such as Allie, Teresa, and Derek provide believable drama to the storyline. Were I to base this review on the hero and townspeople, I would have rated the novel much higher. Unfortunately, the heroine comes off as immature and almost stalker-like in her interactions with Luke. While Hannah’s use of horse training skills to gentle the rough and wounded hero had great potential, they missed the mark. In addition, inconsistencies in time, events, and place made it impossible to suspend disbelief for very long. Although I had great hopes for this novel, and it certainly has redeeming moments, in general the errors overshadowed the romance for this linear minded reader. However, if you want a simple tale of a good girl trying to rescue an old friend while saving her family farm then Loving Luke would provide a nice escape.

Cowboy Love by Sandy Sullivan

Title: Cowboy Love

Author: Sandy Sullivan

Publisher: Siren Publishing

Publication Date: September 2009

ISBN: 1-60601-557-5

Genre: Contemporary

Length: novel

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Rating: 3.5 Diamonds

Heat Level: erotic

Other: anal/oral play

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: November 30, 2009

Amy has been burned by a cowboy in the past. She knows better than to jump into anything with the cute man who lands literally at her feet, but instantaneous attraction is hard to ignore. Tanner has his own past to overcome as well. Add in four hours of travel time between them, possessive fans, a manipulative ex-boyfriend, and an overly protective roping partner and you have an impossible scenario in Amy’s opinion. Can their mutual attraction overcome so many problems?

Cowboy Love contains hot sex with a little danger thrown into the mix making Sandy Sullivan’s story one that will take readers on a nice ride. The problems lie in a heroine with mood swings that distract from her likability and so many lines of “suspense” that the story loses a bit of its charm. In addition, though the hero claims he is about more than sex, the readers do not often get to see it. Overall, this was a nice read, but it did not leave me wanting more.

Her Master's Gift by Dena Celeste

Title: Her Master’s Gift

Author: Dena Celeste

Publisher: Noble Romance

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 978-1-60592-056-6

Genre: Contemporary

Length: novella

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Rating: 4 Diamonds

Heat Level: erotic

Other: anal/oral play, sex games, BDSM, ménage f/f/m

Reviewer: Dana Dean

Date: November 2009

Collared and cherished, Katie loves her role as her master’s slave; unfortunately, her past has made her afraid to face her own desires. Despite her insecurities, her master knows what she longs for and wants her to push past her fears, but will his strength be enough? Can she trust him to keep her safe and allow her to fly secure in his sweet dominance?

Dena Celeste offers readers a glimpse at the lifestyle that moves beyond the sexual to the truly intimate. The most astounding and pleasant part of this story is the ever present tenderness that flows between Katie and her master. I enjoyed this short story and believe other readers will too. It showed me a side of domination and submission that I had heard about but never really understood. If you want a gentle look into the life of a submissive, Her Master’s Gift provides the perfect opportunity. Nicely done, Ms. Celeste.