Assorted Erotic Romance eBook Reviews

After a considerable drought, I bought a number of ebooks off the usual small publisher sites lately.  As always, the editing and proofing at New Concepts Publishing sucked.  And the prices at Siren are entering the silly zone.  What are publishers thinking?  I bought a couple of Siren books, but had they had just slightly more reasonable prices, I would have bought 3 more titles.

As usual with erotic romance, it was kind of a mixed bag when it comes to quality.  Mostly the reads were derivative, but one was original enough to be worth a serious mention.

• Title: Ranin Seven
  
• Author: Evanne Lorraine
• Type:  Paranormal futuristic romance
• Genre:  Shifter demons who need to mate; Woman warrior is unwitting pawn
• Sub-genre:  new series book 1
• My Grade: B- (3.7*)
  
• Rating:  X to XX
• Length and price: Novella – about 37,000 words;  ebook $3.50
• Where Available: Publisher’s website – New Concepts Publishing
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased ebook from publisher site

Book Review – Cat’s Cradle by Bianca D’Arc+

• Title: Cat’s Cradle
  
• Author: Bianca d’Arc
• Type:  Paranormal romance
• Genre:  Shifter and woman in jeopardy
• Sub-genre:  new series book 1
• My Grade: C+ (3.5*)
  
• Rating: NC-17 to X
• Length and price: Full Novel – about 80,000 words;  ebook $5.50
• Where Available: Publisher’s website
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased ebook from publisher site

Set in the same ‘world’ as her Brotherhood of the Blood and Tales of the Were series, Bianca d’Arc’ s Cat’s Cradle starts another tangential series that revolves around magic users, shifters, and other supernaturals, as well as the watchers of the Altor Custodis, and the resurgence of the Venificus.   Venificus is the group who seek to return Elspeth from the Fourth Realm where she was banished centuries before and control the world.

Recent Releases from Samhain – Short Reviews

Well, obviously, I’ve been buying a fair number of Samhain ebooks.  I just seem to find more to read there than I do from the other small press outlets.  One is from December, but the other two here were released in the last few weeks.  Two are full length novels, one short novella, but all were good in their own way.

• Title: Happy Snak
  
• Author: Nicole Kimberling
• Type:  Futuristic
• Genre: Alien Romance
• Sub-genre:  Unique
• My Grade: B- (3.8*)
  
• Rating: PG-13
• Length and price: Full Novel – about 90,000 words;  ebook $5.50
• Where Available: Publisher’s website
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased ebook from publisher site

This was a unique read and, given the publisher, utterly unexpected.  While it is, technically, a romance, it is even more really good science fiction.  The downside is, the appeal of this story is likely limited given the readers attracted to Samhain.

Gaia Jones is an ordinary divorced, blue collar, entrepreneur.  She came to the A-Ki space station orbiting Mars to open her very own snack bar, Happy Snak.  Her dreams are modest and center on creating her very own little business where people can happily enjoy “happy” food.  It’s only a small place and she lives in a tiny room behind the snack bar on a lower level of the station where the blue collar workers go.  She has no grand ambitions – but even her modest dreams are disrupted one night an awful smell in the food

Book Review: Moira Rogers and The Southern Arcana Series

Samhain might be best known as an erotic romance publisher, but they sell a lot of mainstream paranormal and romantic suspense as well.  One of their writers is Moira Rogers, a pen name for two women who have started the Southern Arcana series.  The first book, Crux, was released in print in January.  The second book, Crossroads, was just released as an ebook this week with print likely to follow in 6 to 9 months.  Having read both books within weeks of each other – even though the ebook has languished waiting for me to get to it since early last year – I figured the two should be reviewed together.

• Title: Crux
  
• Author: Moira Rogers
• Type:  paranormal Contemporary Romance
• Genre:  Woman with mysterious past on the run from danger
• Sub-genre:  Shifters and magic
• My Grade: B- (3.8*)
  
• Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
• Length and price: Novel – about 65,000 words; print $15.00 with discounts available, and ebook $5.50
• Where Available: Where books are sold and publisher’s website
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased from online bookstore and ebook from publisher

Crux introduces a world of magic and shifters set in New Orleans.  Mackenzie Brooks is on the run from a man who is determined to marry her.  A man she barely knows who insists that she is his destined mate.  Plagued by strange dreams and terrified because they keep finding her, she abandons the last thing she has that they could use to track her, her car, and runs to New Orleans.  Bar owner Nicky Peyton thinks she’s a shifter, but she isn’t a wolf like Nicky.  A wolf she’d recognize.  But she does know a frightened woman when she sees one.  Nicky gives Kenzie a job and starts makes an effort to look out for her.  She asks her friend, PI and magic user, Jackson Holt to check up on Kenzie and make sure she gets home safely.

Book Review: Nice Girls Don’t have Fangs by Molly Harper

• Title: Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs
  
• Author: Molly Harper
• Type:  paranormal Contemporary Romance chick lit
• Genre:  Librarian has day from hell and wakes up undead
• Sub-genre:  Fangs, family, and a hot sire in a small town; Tracy and Hepburn do vampires
• My Grade: C+ to B- (3.5*)
  
• Rating: PG-13
• Length and price: Full Novel – over 80,000 words for $7.99; various discounts available
• Where Available: Where books are sold
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased from online bookstore

I do love finding books with a sense of humor and snappy dialogue.  I also like finding new authors.  With Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs I found both, though there is a strong sense of déjà vu.  The unoriginal trope and all to familiar characters weigh against the book, but that’s offset by the acerbic wit of Jane Jameson, the first person narrator for the book.  On the whole, the lack of originality was made acceptable by a combination of good writing, fast pacing, and plenty of laugh out loud moments.

Short Reviews: Erotic Romance Novellas

I could be wrong, but I seems to me that the vast majority of erotic romances these days are novellas – often sold as short novels.  A few of these ‘novellas’ have been outrageously priced – like Tymber Dalton’s Steam which sells for $4.50 for just under 29,000 words for an ebook.   Sometimes I have to wonder what possess publishers.  It is stopping me from buying, I’ll tell you that.  Had Ms Dalton’s latest release been correctly priced, I would have bought it happily.  As it stands, not a chance.  I seem to be saying that more and more often.  Ah well, here are some that I did buy!

• Title: Ringo’s Ride
  
• Author: Regina Carlysle
• Type:  Erotic paranormal romance
• Genre:  Angsty werewolf mating; the ‘princess’ and the dark and dangerous cowboy battle rogue werewolves
• Sub-genre:  I am unworthy of a mate, even though we both have only one chance
• My Grade: C+ (3.2*)
• Rating: x
• Length and price: Novella – sold as a short novel, about 32,000 words for $5.20 as an ebook
• Where Available: ebook available from Ellora’s Cave
• FTC Disclosure: Purchased from publisher’s website

Ringo’s Ride, the third installment of Regina Carlysle’s werewolf series picks up where Lone Star Lycan left off.  As Joe McKinnon and his mate Quinn celebrated their Consummation Ceremony, rogue weres, lead by attacked and made off with unmated females for their pack.  They were led by Ramona, Joe’s former lover and wannabe mate to the pack Alpha.  She ran after her unsuccessful attempts on Quinn’s life, but returned with the rogues to steal the unmated females.  One of those females was Rayne Poteet, the only daughter of well to do pack members.  As Ringo walked into the party, he and Rayne formed the psychic bond that only happens between mates.  In wolf form, he goes after her captors while Joe handles the rogue Alpha.