|
|
|
Publisher:
Avon Red
Release Date:
November 4, 2008
Genres:
Anthology
Erotic
Contemporary Romance
Paranormal Romance
BDSM
Science Fiction
ISBN:
Print
9780061463174
Bookmark Rating:
Reviewed by
Jennifer Ray
Review Posted:
October 2008
|
|
More than a year and a half ago, seven talented authors teamed together to
create a memorable collection of erotic stories in ALLURING TALES 1:
AWAKEN THE FANTASY. That collaboration worked so well that this group
of authors decided to do it again, following up their first book together with a
new release for Fall 2008 – ALLURING TALES 2: HOT HOLIDAY NIGHTS.
The stories run the gamut from contemporary romance to paranormal romance to
science fiction, but one essential element in each is a heaping helping of
eroticism. Each tale is a sort of vignette in the day of these characters
lives, although some do actually span a little longer than a day.
Although the stories are brief, the authors manage to immerse you completely in
their individual worlds while they last, and each tale is sure to capture the
hearts and imaginations of readers.
~PEACHES AND CREAM by Cathryn Fox~
Jennifer is a smart girl – too smart to let a prime opportunity pass her by. So
when she finds her chance to live out her sexually fantasies with her
oh-so-yummy and more than willing blind date, she lets herself go completely.
Fans of Cathryn Fox’s Pleasure Games series first met Jennifer in the third book
of that series, PLEASURE EXCHANGE, where Jennifer was that
heroine’s neighbor. With her snappy wit and lively personality, she made a
memorable appearance. That wit is back in PEACHES AND CREAM,
where Ms. Fox once again delivers a story that manages to be both funny and
ultra-hot at the same time.
~INDECENT EXPOSURE by Delilah Devlin~
Once upon a time, Harmony Wilkins had the crush of all crushes on the hottest
guy in high school – Dalton McDonough. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do in
hopes of catching his attention. Fate moved Harmony far away, but now she is
back, and even twelve years later, old habits seem to die hard. This time,
however, her sexy hijinks meet with much more success than they did before…
Who of us hasn’t that one high school crush we never forgot? Wouldn’t you just
love to meet up with that person again now and see what might have been? In
INDECENT EXPOSURE, we get to live that fantasy right along with the
story’s heroine, Harmony. This vicarious thrill is ultimately satisfying in
some much deeper ways as we find that sometimes love just needs the right place
and right time to blossom fully.
~FORBIDDEN FRUIT by Lisa Renee Jones~
Laura Cameron has a problem. She’s in love with her brother’s best friend.
Always has been, probably always will be. It was easier to ignore it when the
object of her affection was constantly out of town, in service with the Army.
Now Blake Alexander is back for good, and she’s not sure she can hide it any
longer, no matter how much her brother might frown on the pairing.
I am always a sucker for romances where the lead characters have long loved each
other from afar but for whatever reason could never be together before. Add to
that the fact that I am a big fan of Lisa Renee Jones’ work, and FORBIDDEN
FRUIT was bound to be a winner for me. Ms. Jones did not let me down.
This is one of the few stories in the anthology that actually takes place over a
few days, rather than just one. The author packs a lot of momentum into a few
pages, never sacrificing the story or the relationship. Of course, the fact
that Laura and Blake have known each other for years gives us a head start on
the relationship part – they already have the friendship part down, but have
simply never given in and consummated that attraction – until now. When they
do, you can just feel the love flowing between these characters, and you know
they are bound for a happy ending.
~BILLBOARD BABE by Myla Jackson~
It’s tough to work day in and day out with a man you’ve secretly fallen in love
with – especially when he doesn’t see you as a woman, just a co-worker. That’s
the position A.J. is in. When her boss tasks her and Daniel with coming up with
an attention-getting campaign to bring more business into their advertising
agency, she finds a way to kill two birds with one stone. She undergoes a
makeover to pose for one traffic-stopping billboard, positioned in full view of
Daniel’s office window. Once she’s sure she has his attention, she shows up in
full BILLBOARD BABE guise to experience one mad, passionate night
of anonymous sex with the man of her dreams. Having had a taste, however, she
realizes that one night will never be enough.
When I think of author Myla Jackson, I tend to think of her paranormal
romances. After reading BILLBOARD BABE, however, I am here to say
she gives good contemporary romance too!
You have to love a story where the leading lady finally takes her life into her
own hands and effects a change for the better. Instead of moping around for
Daniel, that’s what A.J. does. Well, sorta… It’s one thing to be a vivacious
sexpot when she is in her ‘Babe’ persona, but years of being a wallflower make
it difficult for her to break out of that shell when she is being herself, plain
old A.J. Lucky for both her and us, Daniel is the kind of guy who is more than
willing to meet the woman he loves halfway. *grin*
~WISH UPON A STAR by Sasha White~
As a professional Dominatrix, Mistress Sarah is rarely without male
companionship, but those encounters are fleeting and meaningless in the grand
scheme of her life. She gives each man what he needs, but the sessions leave
her hollow inside. When she wishes upon a falling star one night, the man of
her dreams lands in her life, all hunky, growly six-and-a-half feet of him.
Commander Nealon Graves is nothing she expected, but everything she could ever
want, and promises a romance that is truly out of this world.
Sasha White is one of my favorite authors of BDSM romances. She knows just how
far to go with the BDSM scenes to inspire new fantasies for her readers, and she
always does a splendid job of building a believable romantic connection between
the Dom or Dominatrix and their submissive.
In WISH UPON A STAR, we witness a professional Dominatrix at work,
along with her soul mate as he plays voyeur to one of her sessions. Nealon
isn’t sure what his mission on earth is at first, but once he sees Sarah with
her submissive client, he recognizes his soul mate immediately. The beauty of
this is that Nealon isn’t himself a submissive – he simply desires a woman who
can match his own strength, meeting him as an equal both in and out of the
bedroom – something Sarah is more than capable of.
~THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC by Sylvia Day~
Max and Victoria mean more to each other than anything else. Max has vowed not
only to protect Victoria, but also to wreak revenge on The Triumvirate, the trio
of evil brothers who are responsible for her first master’s untimely demise. If
they are to stand a chance, Max and Victoria must combine all their powers.
Even then, it may not be enough.
Sylvia Day’s story, THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC, continues the story she
began in ALLURING TALES, VOLUME 1. In A FAMILIAR KIND OF
MAGIC, Max was tasked with collaring the beautiful familiar, Victoria.
He succeeded in taming the feline fatale, and found his true love in the
process.
This pair faces threats from all sides – from the Council who wishes them both
dead to the minions of The Source of All Evil, who delight in destroying
everything good.
The odds are definitely against Max and Victoria as they battle their foes
together. But they have the power of love on their side, and each is willing to
sacrifice everything to save the other. With love like that, they simply can’t
lose.
~SILVER WATERS by Vivi Anna~
A year after their escape from the nefarious First Lady Maxine Madison, Sangria
had just started to believe that she and Vance were safe in their Caribbean
paradise. Their idyllic existence is shattered when Maxine’s goon catches up
with them. Soon they are back in her diabolical clutches with only their wits
to save them.
Vivi Anna also continues her story from ALLURING TALES, VOLUME 1.
In QUICK SILVER, Sangria and Vance met for the first time.
Sangria had a mission to transport a mysterious cargo – cargo that turned out to
be an abused and unwilling Vance. When she helped him escape, she became a
target herself. But the pair fell in love, and could weather any trial as long
as they were together.
SILVER WATERS finds the couple in hiding, but settled a year after
their narrow escape. We enjoy a few moments of the bliss they have found
together in their tropical hideout before their enemies burst onto the scene.
The situation looks dire, but Sangria once again proves herself cunning and
resourceful as she finds a way to save both herself and the man she loves from
certain death. |
|
Buy it in Print
at
Amazon :
Buy it in Print
at
Barnes & Noble
|
|
|
