Tag Archive | No or Low Angst

Stretching the Rules by B.A. Tortuga (4 Stars)

Dec21

Pack politics has kept them apart so far, but when their lives are in danger, love will come out ahead.

Jonah loves belonging to the pack. It’s a huge part of who he is. He is the beta for his pack and his pack counts on him. Falling in love with a cougar and coyote means he can’t live with them, but it doesn’t mean he can’t love them. Olivia and Hank were together, but with Jonah in the mix, they finally feel like they are a complete package. Olivia is a stripper who knows how to drive the guys crazy, but she’s also very strong and likes to be in control. Hank is the perfect sub who likes to make sure everybody is taken care of. I was glad we got perspectives from each of them.

As the three of them build their lives together outside of the pack, Jonah must continue to keep it a secret. However, one horrible night changes everything when a roving pack of hybrids tries to kill Olivia and Hank. Jonah has no choice but to request help from the pack.

Although this was a short story, it certainly wasn’t lacking in the steam department. These three people love each other with all of their hearts and certainly enjoy playing in the bedroom. The majority of the beginning of the story was a series of non-stop sex scenes, which was enjoyable, but fortunately, the story itself picks up toward the second half. A steamy paranormal story of love and devotion with a bit of action.
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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

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Affiliations, Aliens & Other Profitable Pursuits (Claimings #3) by Lyn Gala (5 Stars)

Dec18

Another adventure in the interesting lives of Liam and Ondry.

I always enjoy the discussions between Liam and Ondry and the Grandmothers. The delicate choice of words and the thought that must go into each conversation is fascinating. It would be exhausting to live like this with every single conversation, but there are definitely advantages to being more careful with our choice of words.

Liam and Ondry are traveling on a ship as part of Ondry’s personal mission to find a cure for Liam’s short life as a human. Ondry is convinced that there is a genetic answer to this problem. It was nice seeing how well these two continue to work and live together. They are a perfect match and it shows in all of their interactions. I think my favorite new part of their relationship was Ondry discovering the delight of kissing.

The Grandmothers on the ship haven’t recognized Ondry with the rank of tuk even though the Grandmothers on his planet have already given him that designation. As Ondry works to prove himself, Liam is dealing with his own issues. Liam meets up with some of his former comrades and learns what has happened to them since he left. One of them is concerned that Liam is not in a healthy relationship. It was sweet watching Ondry try to help Liam deal with his emotions.

This is part of an amazing series and should definitely be read in order.

I adore this unique series with its sweet romance and a love for the nuances of communication.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Not Safe for Work by L.A. Witt (5 Stars)

Dec17

As a huge fan of kissing, this story was made for me! Two middle-aged men, who knew what they wanted in life, fall in love, and it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Jon McNeil builds models to scale for an architectural firm, but it’s a job that is quickly getting replaced by technology. Rick Pierce is a wealthy property developer who is trying to improve the city. Although they’ve been working with each other, they don’t really get a chance to talk to each other. Jon’s bosses don’t allow him to talk to their biggest client. That all changes when they discover they’re both on the same website searching for the right partner.

I enjoyed learning about Jon’s job. There was just enough detail to keep it interesting and add to the story without overwhelming it. There was a nice edge to the relationship since they had to keep it under wraps. Jon was afraid he would lose his job or cause problems for Rick. It was realistic and gave the story a bit of drama.

Jon oozed sex appeal in and out of the bedroom. Their scenes together were both hot and romantic. The feelings they had for each other seemed sincere. They were always thinking of each other and struggled to stay focused on their jobs. Even though it wasn’t their first love affair, they both knew they finally found the “one”. There’s plenty of kink to go with it, including bondage, pinwheel use, and hot wax, but the multiple romantic kissing scenes were the highlight.

The epilogue was perfect and had me in tears. Jon’s ex-wife and college students play a role in the story and give a back-drop for some of his actions. It was all positive, which was nice. Outside of the evil owners of Jon’s firm, which were a bit over the top, the story was pretty realistic.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, when you find the right person, you do everything you can to keep them.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Rated: XXXmas by Lisa Henry, J.A. Rock, E.F. Mulder (3 Stars)

Dec7

Fall On Your Knees by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

What happens to a couple when playing with a third person starts to mean more to both of them?

The story was mostly very kinky sex with lots of pain involved. Asa and Javier have been in a long-term committed relationship. They are both Doms, and they regularly bring a third person, a sub, into their night of fun. Asa has been crushing on Drew, his coworker, for the last six months and wants to invite him to play. You can already see the potential for some serious issues with the relationship happening. Fortunately, that aspect was not a major focus and limited the angst of the story.

My biggest issue with the plot was that it tried to be more than just a kinky story, but it wasn’t able to sell me on the new relationship. Drew really didn’t know Javier or Asa very well, and even though they all acknowledged that fact, it still didn’t feel right. There weren’t enough conversations for it to be believable, leading me not to buy into the relationship progression. The BDSM aspects included bondage, a molasses enema, and using a pinwheel, cane and wooden spoon to inflict pain.

This writing team is excellent, and if these elements work for you, then this should definitely be an enjoyable story.

Shepherd, Wise Man, and the Little Drummer Boy by E.F. Mulder

Shep, Rusty, and C.J. are about to make some decisions that will change their lives. They’ve all lived through some tough times, but together they can face all of their challenges and make a better life for themselves.

The characters all seemed like nice guys, and I thought they got along great. C.J. captured my heart with his cheerful and optimistic view on life even though he was in the midst of fighting cancer and learning to live without a few of his limbs. I would have liked to have gotten to know the characters better through dialogue instead of being told what was happening.

There were also too many other characters in the story. They added very little value but took away from the main relationship. I never developed strong feelings for Shep or Rusty and had a hard time understanding why they all fell in love with each other. I also really struggled with the sex scenes. Part of it related to the descriptions which didn’t feel sexy. The other part was the result of the missing emotional connection.

In the end, these three seemed happy together, and it certainly seem believable that they would find some way to make it work. Allowing themselves to rely on each other opened the door to love.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb