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Brava Girlfriends #1
All Through The Night
First, you were CAPTIVATED. Then you were FASCINATED. Now, you are invited to explore a new world of temptation, desire, and pleasure -- in a book that will keep you turning the pages...
All Through the Night
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster
Once on the cutting edge of her profession, software designer Kerry Houston is now a shut-in, terrified of the outside world. She works from home, and one day encounters the man of her fantasies--in a video game! What will she do when her sexy dream man knocks on her locked door?
No Mercy by Thea Devine
Seven years after her spontaneous marriage spontaneously combusted, Regan Torrance is a little older, a little wiser, and a lot smarter about what she wants--and doesn't want. So when her ex-husband, Bobby, comes sauntering back into her life, as dangerous and sexy as ever, she's not about to get burned again. But that doesn't mean Regan doesn't like to play with fire--and this time, she's really going to turn up the heat....
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster
When a sophisticated sex shop opens in their small town, Asia Michaels and her friends find themselves fascinated by its sensual possibilities. And now it's time for Truth or Dare...Asia is about to meet a man who holds the key to her fantasies--and to desires she never even knew she had...
Something Wild by Shannon McKenna
It started out as a not-so-innocent flirtation, but Annie Simon can't resist the powerful man on the motorcycle...or his tantalizingly erotic promises. Long-haired and leather-clad, Jake Kerr is strong, sexy, and determined to give her the ultimate lesson in pleasure, if she's willing. And all she can say is yes...
All Through the Night
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster
Once on the cutting edge of her profession, software designer Kerry Houston is now a shut-in, terrified of the outside world. She works from home, and one day encounters the man of her fantasies--in a video game! What will she do when her sexy dream man knocks on her locked door?
No Mercy by Thea Devine
Seven years after her spontaneous marriage spontaneously combusted, Regan Torrance is a little older, a little wiser, and a lot smarter about what she wants--and doesn't want. So when her ex-husband, Bobby, comes sauntering back into her life, as dangerous and sexy as ever, she's not about to get burned again. But that doesn't mean Regan doesn't like to play with fire--and this time, she's really going to turn up the heat....
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster
When a sophisticated sex shop opens in their small town, Asia Michaels and her friends find themselves fascinated by its sensual possibilities. And now it's time for Truth or Dare...Asia is about to meet a man who holds the key to her fantasies--and to desires she never even knew she had...
Something Wild by Shannon McKenna
It started out as a not-so-innocent flirtation, but Annie Simon can't resist the powerful man on the motorcycle...or his tantalizingly erotic promises. Long-haired and leather-clad, Jake Kerr is strong, sexy, and determined to give her the ultimate lesson in pleasure, if she's willing. And all she can say is yes...
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
4 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Forster
62 books49 followersNew York Times and USA Today best-selling author Suzanne Forster is living proof of William Shakespeare’s maxim that the uses of adversity are sweet. Suzanne’s writing career began by accident. Literally. A car accident ended her dreams for a career in clinical psychology. During her recovery, she began writing to fill the hours, and before she was well enough to return to graduate school, she’d sold her first book and launched a new career.
Since then Suzanne has written more than thirty novels and been the recipient of countless awards, including The National Readers’ Choice Award for Shameless, her mainstream debut. She’s received recognition for outstanding sales from Waldenbooks and Bookrak, and her recent novel, Unfinished Business, was made into a movie for the Oxygen Network.
Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and she teaches and lectures frequently. Her seminars on Women's Contemporary Fiction at UCLA and UC Riverside were rated outstanding, and her most requested workshop, "The High-Concept Synopsis," is based on personal experience. Her breakout novel, Shameless, sold on a synopsis that triggered a bidding war and garnered her a six-figure contract.
Suzanne has received considerable media attention, including a feature segment on Extra, NBC's news and entertainment magazine, and an Emmy Award–winning "Special Report" on CBS Channel 23 News. Her many print appearances include the L.A. Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Redbook and Orange Coast Magazine
Since then Suzanne has written more than thirty novels and been the recipient of countless awards, including The National Readers’ Choice Award for Shameless, her mainstream debut. She’s received recognition for outstanding sales from Waldenbooks and Bookrak, and her recent novel, Unfinished Business, was made into a movie for the Oxygen Network.
Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and she teaches and lectures frequently. Her seminars on Women's Contemporary Fiction at UCLA and UC Riverside were rated outstanding, and her most requested workshop, "The High-Concept Synopsis," is based on personal experience. Her breakout novel, Shameless, sold on a synopsis that triggered a bidding war and garnered her a six-figure contract.
Suzanne has received considerable media attention, including a feature segment on Extra, NBC's news and entertainment magazine, and an Emmy Award–winning "Special Report" on CBS Channel 23 News. Her many print appearances include the L.A. Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Redbook and Orange Coast Magazine
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 31, 2013
Reviewed for THC Reviews
*newest review for this anthology
"3.5 stars overall
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster - Stranger in Her Bed was a very different kind of romance. It embodies an almost surreal quality throughout most of the story, because the heroine isn't quite sure if she's dreaming or going crazy or what. The premise is very unique as well. Kerry is a software designer who was fired when she sent a suggestive email to an attractive man she met at her company's picnic, not knowing he was the owner of the company. Around that same time, she also developed a severe case of agoraphobia after being mugged twice in her own neighborhood. I could relate to Kerry's sentimental feelings for her grandparents' house, and how she was reluctant to move even though the area where it was located had seriously gone downhill and become unsafe. I could also sense her fear of going outside. As a result, she now lives a very isolated life locked up in her house, wearing several layers of clothing, and works at home as a video game tester.
Kerry's latest project involves testing an adult video game in which a man's voice tries to seduce her, based on her verbal responses to his questions and a heart-rate monitor. When the video game designers add a man's face to the game at her suggestion, she starts to fall in love with him. This is where the story starts to feel like a fantasy romance. I thought Kerry's reaction to the possibility that she was falling for her video game hunk who she dubbed Jean (she's huge Le Miserables fan) was pretty realistic. Intellectually, she knows he's not real and keeps trying to tell herself that, but I think all the loneliness and isolation made her more open to the idea that he might be. Then when he shows up in her bedroom one night in the flesh, seducing and pleasuring her, she first thinks she's dreaming and then, going crazy. As I said, it's a very unusual concept but a very intriguing one as well.
Jean truly is a fantasy lover. He tells Kerry that he's cursed and needs her to make him feel something he's never felt before in order to be free, yet at the same time, his sole mission seems to be reawakening Kerry to the things she's been missing in life. He always seems to know just the right things to do and say to put her at ease and make her feel better. In between Kerry's visits with Jean, we get to know a little bit about two other men who are connected to her. Kerry's former employer, Joe, feels terrible about what happened that caused her leave his company, but every time he's tried to call and apologize, she's hung up on him. He's crazy about her in more ways than one, so pretending to be “Phil,” the human resources director, he keeps trying to entice her to take back her old job. Then there's Malcolm, the eccentric tenant who lives in Kerry's garage apartment. She finds him to be a little creepy and has him pegged as a wacky conspiracy theorist, until he brings her some little gifts and says something that brightens her day. I won't say anything else about the three men in Kerry's life, because I don't want to spoil the story. Suffice it to say that someone loves Kerry enough to go to great lengths to help her which was very sweet. I figured out pretty early in the story what was going on, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the journey.
Stranger in Her Bed was a unique and slightly off-beat romance that was a very pleasant read. Although it was published in an anthology that is billed as erotic, there is only one almost and one full love scene. The author's style of writing these scenes is more about feelings, sensations and setting a mood, rather than body parts or explicit language. There were times that I almost wanted the wording to be more straightforward, because it could be a tad confusing. Still, I can't deny the appeal. I've never read sensual scenes written like this before, which was yet another uncommon element. Since this was my first read by Suzanne Forster, I don't know if she writes like this all the time or specifically wrote this way to add to the dream-like quality of this particular story, but this sampling of her work whetted my appetite enough to want to find out. Stranger in Her Bed was first published in the anthology All Through the Night and was later reprinted in the anthology Kiss Me Again. Star Rating: ****
No Mercy by Thea Devine - No Mercy was my first read by Thea Devine, and I'm sorry to say that it didn't really resonate with me. In fact, there is virtually nothing about the story that I can honestly say I enjoyed. For starters, the characters were not the typical kinds that I like to read about. I have no problem with wealthy characters as long as I can relate to them in some other way, but these characters were not only rich, but very high-powered, type-A personalities who seemed to enjoy playing games in both the boardroom and the bedroom. The author tells us that Regan was born on the wrong side of the tracks, but after her marriage to Bobby fell apart, the father of Tony, a supporting character, gave her an opportunity in real estate. Now she's a top-selling agent, working with the wealthiest clients on commercial properties and apparently making a ton of money at it. We don't get to see anything of her humble beginnings at all, and the story opens with her buying a $300 pair of shoes (the sale price:-0), which is something so far outside the realm of my experience as to be completely foreign. Bobby was born into money and his family hated Regan for her origins, not thinking her good enough for him. They supposedly had a whirlwind romance, marrying young, but their marriage failed due to Bobby not being good enough in the bedroom for the passionate Regan and also because of his extreme jealousy and possessiveness. When he returns, he claims to have changed, but he's still an arrogant alpha who seems to think he can waltz back into Regan's life and start calling the shots. The only two secondary characters are Angie, Bobby's sister and Regan's best friend and Tony, Regan's boss who has a thing for her. I never fully understood what Tony's relationship to Regan and Bobby was. He seemed to know an awful lot about their personal lives for a mere boss. The twist at the end involving Tony and Angie wasn't entirely unexpected, but I did find it to be extremely abrupt with no satisfactory explanations. Overall, I thought all the characters were very much lacking depth and none of them were particularly relatable to me.
A large part of my issues with the characters can probably be traced to the fact that the author left me with more questions than answers about them. Why did Bobby and Regan continue to carry a torch for each other for seven long years when by all reports, they constantly fought when they were married? Why did they break up to begin with if they loved each other so much? It was supposedly due in part to Bobby not being experienced enough to handle Regan's sexual appetites, so what made her think that he could satisfy her now? When they first reunited and Bobby started propositioning her, Regan said, "No sex, no sex, no sex," then abruptly did an about face, saying, "Yes sex." Why? Apparently because she couldn't resist him, but I repeat myself, why? What were Regan's carnal needs that Bobby couldn't fulfill when they were married? I almost expected her to want BDSM or to have some unusual fetish, but nothing like that ever came to light. When they got back together, they did have wild monkey sex, but nothing I'd call kinky or even particularly unusual. If Ms. Devine had taken the time to explain some of these things, I might have liked the story a whole lot better, but as is, I felt like there were a lot of holes.
The last thing that nearly drove me to distraction was the author's writing style. She engages in an extreme amount of head-hopping, where one paragraph is in one character's POV, and the next is in another's. Numerous times, I had to backtrack to make sure I was clear as to whose perspective I was reading. The characters also frequently “think out loud.” It's not even what I would call meaningful introspection, but simply them having a conversation with themselves in their own mind, which I found annoying. The author would often interrupt one character's dialog with another character, to have the POV character meander off into these long passages of internal monologuing, which made me lose track of the conversation. Ms. Devine composes her prose in a very short, clipped manner which doesn't flow well, and her dialog is sometimes choppy too, not embodying the natural flow of conversation. I also thought the dialog was more or less inane chit-chat, not really advancing the character or plot development like it should have, and it also lacked the proper tags to set the emotion and atmosphere of a scene. Lastly, everything, including the love scenes felt extremely cold, clinical and lacking in feelings. It was darn near impossible to believe that these two people loved each other, because I couldn't sense it at all. It was all telling and no showing. I kept asking, “Where's the romance?” Regan and Bobby were reuniting after many years of supposedly still loving each other, and yet, there was no excitement, no tenderness, no loving feelings, no romantic gestures, just pure unadulterated lusty sex, which does not a romance make, in my opinion.
No Mercy was quite simply an unsatisfying read on a number of levels. I'm afraid even my love of reunion romance couldn't save this one from being a frustrating read. Despite all my criticisms though, I ended up giving it two stars, mainly because I didn't entirely hate it. I simply didn't connect with the story or characters in a meaningful way, but perhaps others might. I also think the author's writing style is more of an acquired taste. I may have been feeling a bit more generous too, because it was a short story. If I'd had to wade through these kinds of deficiencies in a full-length novel, I'm sure I would have been begging for mercy.;-) I may have made it through this novella, but I certainly won't be actively seeking out any more of Ms. Devine's works in the future. Star Rating: **
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster - I had previously read one novella and one full-length novel by Lori Foster and can't say that I was overly impressed with either. Since Ms. Foster seems to be well-loved among most romance readers, this had been quite disappointing to me. I decided to give her one more try and picked up her Truth or Dare anthology. The first story in it, Satisfy Me, turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed this steamy little novella, and am happy to say that it has put Lori Foster back on my watch list.
Asia was a nice mix of shy uncertainty coupled with just a little bit of daring. I liked that in spite of her ex-husband having done a number on her confidence with his selfishness in the bedroom, she had managed to mostly rebuild her self-esteem and was ready to take the bull by the horns so to speak. It took some adventurousness on her part to live up to her friend's dare and go to the adult shop, then ask Cameron out when he purchased the agreed upon item. I also really appreciated that she gave Cameron a chance to explain himself when there was a miscommunication about her preferences in the bedroom, and more importantly, that she believed him rather than jumping to conclusions.
I thought that having Cameron lusting after Asia for the entire two months since he had come to work at the same company made their quick hook-up and falling for one another more believable. I just couldn't help adoring Cameron. He was just so loving, giving and focused on Asia's pleasure which of course, is exactly the kind of man she needed in her life. I liked that he was willing to do anything to get her and keep her, including something slightly kinky, even though he ended up being mistaken about that. It just showed that he was completely committed to fulfilling her needs even if it was by doing something that wasn't entirely his cup of tea.
Overall, Satisfy Me was a quick, sexy and satisfying read that is the first story in Lori Foster's Brava Girlfriends series. It introduced Asia's two best friends, Becky and Erica who become the heroines of the next two novellas, Indulge Me and Drive Me Wild respectively. I'm really looking forward to continuing the series and finding out what Becky's fantasy is. Hopefully, her story will be equally as delightful as this novella was. Satisfy Me was first published in the anthology All Through the Night. It was later reprinted in the anthology Kiss Me Again, and a third time in the single-author anthology Truth or Dare along with its two companion novellas. Star Rating: *****
*Something Wild by Shannon McKenna - Something Wild was Shannon McKenna's first published romance and the second by her I've read. There were some strong similarities between the two stories, and I'm sorry to say that both were just OK for me. Ms. McKenna seems to use certain themes in her romances, such as uber-alpha heroes who like to be bossy and dominant, and angry sex, that are simply not my cup of tea.
This story is pretty much the ultimate road trip. After finally getting out of an abusive relationship, Annie packs up some meager belongings in her rattle-trap truck and heads for a casino in Louisiana where Lady Luck had favored her in the past. Along the way she catches the attention of Jacob who is on vacation and had hit the open road on his motorcycle. Apparently, having no particular destination in mind, he follows the beautiful lady who heats his blood and flirts with her along the road for the next three days. The beginning of the story made me uncomfortable, because Jacob's behavior borders on stalkerish. The man followed her halfway across the country after seeing her at a stop along the way, and then insinuated himself into her life. Once Jacob and Annie finally meet and talk in person, they end up sleeping together that very same night without even knowing the other's last name. Stranger sex doesn't usually work very well for me either, but I couldn't deny that at first, Jacob was a very seductive sweet-talker and a tender lover. This started to draw me into the story despite my earlier misgivings, but then everything changed.
Having just ditched her abusive ex, Annie is struggling to find her independence. As a result, she enjoys having sex with the sensuous, sexy Jacob, but she understandably doesn't want any strings. Two mornings in a row, she basically blows him off, and it seems that things are over between them until he can't resist and goes searching for her again. This time, when he went after her, he was none too happy about it and what ensued, when he finally caught up to her, amounted, in my opinion, to an extreme show of dominance which bordered perilously on forced seduction. This is something I don't care for and don't find romantic at all, so I didn't really enjoy this part of the story much. From there they engage in a ridiculous amount of nearly continuous angry sex until Annie decides to make a run for it. This time when Jacob goes after her, he finally lightens up and admits that he only acted like a caveman because he was afraid of losing her and couldn't live without her. By then, it was too little too late for me. Not to mention, in my mind, his behavior was still bordering on obsessive stalker. If I were Annie, having just gotten away from one abusive man, Jacob's actions would have scared the heck out of me and had me running as far away from him as I could possibly get, but deep down she actually loves his crazy pursuit of her, trusts him implicitly from the first time they meet, and falls madly in love with him in only a few days. I'm afraid these things stretched the bounds of credibility further than my imagination was willing to go.
The bottom line: Readers who have fantasies of being pursued by a dominant, bad boy, motorcycle man will probably enjoy this one more than I did, but due to his volatile nature, Jacob was far from an ideal hero for me. I gave it three stars for the couple of scenes where I enjoyed Jacob's seductiveness, but ultimately, I didn't really feel the love connection between these two. It felt more like they were playing a dangerous game that in real life could have damaging psychological consequences. That simply didn't work for me from a romance standpoint, because to my way of thinking, love should heal not hurt. Something Wild was originally published in the multi-author anthology, All Through the Night, and later republished in the single-author anthology, All About Men. Star Rating: ***
*newest review for this anthology
"3.5 stars overall
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster - Stranger in Her Bed was a very different kind of romance. It embodies an almost surreal quality throughout most of the story, because the heroine isn't quite sure if she's dreaming or going crazy or what. The premise is very unique as well. Kerry is a software designer who was fired when she sent a suggestive email to an attractive man she met at her company's picnic, not knowing he was the owner of the company. Around that same time, she also developed a severe case of agoraphobia after being mugged twice in her own neighborhood. I could relate to Kerry's sentimental feelings for her grandparents' house, and how she was reluctant to move even though the area where it was located had seriously gone downhill and become unsafe. I could also sense her fear of going outside. As a result, she now lives a very isolated life locked up in her house, wearing several layers of clothing, and works at home as a video game tester.
Kerry's latest project involves testing an adult video game in which a man's voice tries to seduce her, based on her verbal responses to his questions and a heart-rate monitor. When the video game designers add a man's face to the game at her suggestion, she starts to fall in love with him. This is where the story starts to feel like a fantasy romance. I thought Kerry's reaction to the possibility that she was falling for her video game hunk who she dubbed Jean (she's huge Le Miserables fan) was pretty realistic. Intellectually, she knows he's not real and keeps trying to tell herself that, but I think all the loneliness and isolation made her more open to the idea that he might be. Then when he shows up in her bedroom one night in the flesh, seducing and pleasuring her, she first thinks she's dreaming and then, going crazy. As I said, it's a very unusual concept but a very intriguing one as well.
Jean truly is a fantasy lover. He tells Kerry that he's cursed and needs her to make him feel something he's never felt before in order to be free, yet at the same time, his sole mission seems to be reawakening Kerry to the things she's been missing in life. He always seems to know just the right things to do and say to put her at ease and make her feel better. In between Kerry's visits with Jean, we get to know a little bit about two other men who are connected to her. Kerry's former employer, Joe, feels terrible about what happened that caused her leave his company, but every time he's tried to call and apologize, she's hung up on him. He's crazy about her in more ways than one, so pretending to be “Phil,” the human resources director, he keeps trying to entice her to take back her old job. Then there's Malcolm, the eccentric tenant who lives in Kerry's garage apartment. She finds him to be a little creepy and has him pegged as a wacky conspiracy theorist, until he brings her some little gifts and says something that brightens her day. I won't say anything else about the three men in Kerry's life, because I don't want to spoil the story. Suffice it to say that someone loves Kerry enough to go to great lengths to help her which was very sweet. I figured out pretty early in the story what was going on, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the journey.
Stranger in Her Bed was a unique and slightly off-beat romance that was a very pleasant read. Although it was published in an anthology that is billed as erotic, there is only one almost and one full love scene. The author's style of writing these scenes is more about feelings, sensations and setting a mood, rather than body parts or explicit language. There were times that I almost wanted the wording to be more straightforward, because it could be a tad confusing. Still, I can't deny the appeal. I've never read sensual scenes written like this before, which was yet another uncommon element. Since this was my first read by Suzanne Forster, I don't know if she writes like this all the time or specifically wrote this way to add to the dream-like quality of this particular story, but this sampling of her work whetted my appetite enough to want to find out. Stranger in Her Bed was first published in the anthology All Through the Night and was later reprinted in the anthology Kiss Me Again. Star Rating: ****
No Mercy by Thea Devine - No Mercy was my first read by Thea Devine, and I'm sorry to say that it didn't really resonate with me. In fact, there is virtually nothing about the story that I can honestly say I enjoyed. For starters, the characters were not the typical kinds that I like to read about. I have no problem with wealthy characters as long as I can relate to them in some other way, but these characters were not only rich, but very high-powered, type-A personalities who seemed to enjoy playing games in both the boardroom and the bedroom. The author tells us that Regan was born on the wrong side of the tracks, but after her marriage to Bobby fell apart, the father of Tony, a supporting character, gave her an opportunity in real estate. Now she's a top-selling agent, working with the wealthiest clients on commercial properties and apparently making a ton of money at it. We don't get to see anything of her humble beginnings at all, and the story opens with her buying a $300 pair of shoes (the sale price:-0), which is something so far outside the realm of my experience as to be completely foreign. Bobby was born into money and his family hated Regan for her origins, not thinking her good enough for him. They supposedly had a whirlwind romance, marrying young, but their marriage failed due to Bobby not being good enough in the bedroom for the passionate Regan and also because of his extreme jealousy and possessiveness. When he returns, he claims to have changed, but he's still an arrogant alpha who seems to think he can waltz back into Regan's life and start calling the shots. The only two secondary characters are Angie, Bobby's sister and Regan's best friend and Tony, Regan's boss who has a thing for her. I never fully understood what Tony's relationship to Regan and Bobby was. He seemed to know an awful lot about their personal lives for a mere boss. The twist at the end involving Tony and Angie wasn't entirely unexpected, but I did find it to be extremely abrupt with no satisfactory explanations. Overall, I thought all the characters were very much lacking depth and none of them were particularly relatable to me.
A large part of my issues with the characters can probably be traced to the fact that the author left me with more questions than answers about them. Why did Bobby and Regan continue to carry a torch for each other for seven long years when by all reports, they constantly fought when they were married? Why did they break up to begin with if they loved each other so much? It was supposedly due in part to Bobby not being experienced enough to handle Regan's sexual appetites, so what made her think that he could satisfy her now? When they first reunited and Bobby started propositioning her, Regan said, "No sex, no sex, no sex," then abruptly did an about face, saying, "Yes sex." Why? Apparently because she couldn't resist him, but I repeat myself, why? What were Regan's carnal needs that Bobby couldn't fulfill when they were married? I almost expected her to want BDSM or to have some unusual fetish, but nothing like that ever came to light. When they got back together, they did have wild monkey sex, but nothing I'd call kinky or even particularly unusual. If Ms. Devine had taken the time to explain some of these things, I might have liked the story a whole lot better, but as is, I felt like there were a lot of holes.
The last thing that nearly drove me to distraction was the author's writing style. She engages in an extreme amount of head-hopping, where one paragraph is in one character's POV, and the next is in another's. Numerous times, I had to backtrack to make sure I was clear as to whose perspective I was reading. The characters also frequently “think out loud.” It's not even what I would call meaningful introspection, but simply them having a conversation with themselves in their own mind, which I found annoying. The author would often interrupt one character's dialog with another character, to have the POV character meander off into these long passages of internal monologuing, which made me lose track of the conversation. Ms. Devine composes her prose in a very short, clipped manner which doesn't flow well, and her dialog is sometimes choppy too, not embodying the natural flow of conversation. I also thought the dialog was more or less inane chit-chat, not really advancing the character or plot development like it should have, and it also lacked the proper tags to set the emotion and atmosphere of a scene. Lastly, everything, including the love scenes felt extremely cold, clinical and lacking in feelings. It was darn near impossible to believe that these two people loved each other, because I couldn't sense it at all. It was all telling and no showing. I kept asking, “Where's the romance?” Regan and Bobby were reuniting after many years of supposedly still loving each other, and yet, there was no excitement, no tenderness, no loving feelings, no romantic gestures, just pure unadulterated lusty sex, which does not a romance make, in my opinion.
No Mercy was quite simply an unsatisfying read on a number of levels. I'm afraid even my love of reunion romance couldn't save this one from being a frustrating read. Despite all my criticisms though, I ended up giving it two stars, mainly because I didn't entirely hate it. I simply didn't connect with the story or characters in a meaningful way, but perhaps others might. I also think the author's writing style is more of an acquired taste. I may have been feeling a bit more generous too, because it was a short story. If I'd had to wade through these kinds of deficiencies in a full-length novel, I'm sure I would have been begging for mercy.;-) I may have made it through this novella, but I certainly won't be actively seeking out any more of Ms. Devine's works in the future. Star Rating: **
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster - I had previously read one novella and one full-length novel by Lori Foster and can't say that I was overly impressed with either. Since Ms. Foster seems to be well-loved among most romance readers, this had been quite disappointing to me. I decided to give her one more try and picked up her Truth or Dare anthology. The first story in it, Satisfy Me, turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed this steamy little novella, and am happy to say that it has put Lori Foster back on my watch list.
Asia was a nice mix of shy uncertainty coupled with just a little bit of daring. I liked that in spite of her ex-husband having done a number on her confidence with his selfishness in the bedroom, she had managed to mostly rebuild her self-esteem and was ready to take the bull by the horns so to speak. It took some adventurousness on her part to live up to her friend's dare and go to the adult shop, then ask Cameron out when he purchased the agreed upon item. I also really appreciated that she gave Cameron a chance to explain himself when there was a miscommunication about her preferences in the bedroom, and more importantly, that she believed him rather than jumping to conclusions.
I thought that having Cameron lusting after Asia for the entire two months since he had come to work at the same company made their quick hook-up and falling for one another more believable. I just couldn't help adoring Cameron. He was just so loving, giving and focused on Asia's pleasure which of course, is exactly the kind of man she needed in her life. I liked that he was willing to do anything to get her and keep her, including something slightly kinky, even though he ended up being mistaken about that. It just showed that he was completely committed to fulfilling her needs even if it was by doing something that wasn't entirely his cup of tea.
Overall, Satisfy Me was a quick, sexy and satisfying read that is the first story in Lori Foster's Brava Girlfriends series. It introduced Asia's two best friends, Becky and Erica who become the heroines of the next two novellas, Indulge Me and Drive Me Wild respectively. I'm really looking forward to continuing the series and finding out what Becky's fantasy is. Hopefully, her story will be equally as delightful as this novella was. Satisfy Me was first published in the anthology All Through the Night. It was later reprinted in the anthology Kiss Me Again, and a third time in the single-author anthology Truth or Dare along with its two companion novellas. Star Rating: *****
*Something Wild by Shannon McKenna - Something Wild was Shannon McKenna's first published romance and the second by her I've read. There were some strong similarities between the two stories, and I'm sorry to say that both were just OK for me. Ms. McKenna seems to use certain themes in her romances, such as uber-alpha heroes who like to be bossy and dominant, and angry sex, that are simply not my cup of tea.
This story is pretty much the ultimate road trip. After finally getting out of an abusive relationship, Annie packs up some meager belongings in her rattle-trap truck and heads for a casino in Louisiana where Lady Luck had favored her in the past. Along the way she catches the attention of Jacob who is on vacation and had hit the open road on his motorcycle. Apparently, having no particular destination in mind, he follows the beautiful lady who heats his blood and flirts with her along the road for the next three days. The beginning of the story made me uncomfortable, because Jacob's behavior borders on stalkerish. The man followed her halfway across the country after seeing her at a stop along the way, and then insinuated himself into her life. Once Jacob and Annie finally meet and talk in person, they end up sleeping together that very same night without even knowing the other's last name. Stranger sex doesn't usually work very well for me either, but I couldn't deny that at first, Jacob was a very seductive sweet-talker and a tender lover. This started to draw me into the story despite my earlier misgivings, but then everything changed.
Having just ditched her abusive ex, Annie is struggling to find her independence. As a result, she enjoys having sex with the sensuous, sexy Jacob, but she understandably doesn't want any strings. Two mornings in a row, she basically blows him off, and it seems that things are over between them until he can't resist and goes searching for her again. This time, when he went after her, he was none too happy about it and what ensued, when he finally caught up to her, amounted, in my opinion, to an extreme show of dominance which bordered perilously on forced seduction. This is something I don't care for and don't find romantic at all, so I didn't really enjoy this part of the story much. From there they engage in a ridiculous amount of nearly continuous angry sex until Annie decides to make a run for it. This time when Jacob goes after her, he finally lightens up and admits that he only acted like a caveman because he was afraid of losing her and couldn't live without her. By then, it was too little too late for me. Not to mention, in my mind, his behavior was still bordering on obsessive stalker. If I were Annie, having just gotten away from one abusive man, Jacob's actions would have scared the heck out of me and had me running as far away from him as I could possibly get, but deep down she actually loves his crazy pursuit of her, trusts him implicitly from the first time they meet, and falls madly in love with him in only a few days. I'm afraid these things stretched the bounds of credibility further than my imagination was willing to go.
The bottom line: Readers who have fantasies of being pursued by a dominant, bad boy, motorcycle man will probably enjoy this one more than I did, but due to his volatile nature, Jacob was far from an ideal hero for me. I gave it three stars for the couple of scenes where I enjoyed Jacob's seductiveness, but ultimately, I didn't really feel the love connection between these two. It felt more like they were playing a dangerous game that in real life could have damaging psychological consequences. That simply didn't work for me from a romance standpoint, because to my way of thinking, love should heal not hurt. Something Wild was originally published in the multi-author anthology, All Through the Night, and later republished in the single-author anthology, All About Men. Star Rating: ***
September 14, 2010
5 stars, 4 stars and 3 stars.
This book contains the following four stories. The first two stories are great and make this worth buying.
5 stars for SATISFY ME by Lori Foster.
This is one of three stories about three women, who make a bet regarding a porn shop and its customers. In this story, Asia tells the others her make believe fantasy is spanking, not realizing that a male coworker Cameron overhears. He is secretly in love with her and will do anything to win her. The story was definitely sensual and satisfying. It was my favorite in this book. Ms. Foster knows how to write a great short story.
The two other stories about these three women are Indulge Me (in anthology I Love Bad Boys) and Drive Me Wild (in anthology I Brake For Bad Boys).
5 stars for SOMETHING WILD by Shannon McKenna.
Kerry is running away from abusive boyfriend. She doesn’t have much money. She is driving from NY to a casino in Louisiana. She has a bag of lucky dollar coins she plans to use in a slot machine, hoping to win and start a new life somewhere else. In Philadelphia, Jason sees her in a diner, and follows her on his motorcycle. She pitches a tent at rest stops, and he joins her in her tent at night. I found the heroine and hero to be inconsistent in what they wanted. He pursued her, caught her, then she dropped him. Then she seemed vulnerable, and he became dominating. It was a good story, but a little uneven. Definitely the most erotic of the four stories. I didn't like Kerry as much as some of the author’s other heroines, but it was still a fun read.
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon McKenna books, see my 5 star review of “Ultimate Weapon” posted 11/15/08.
4 stars for NO MERCY by Thea Devine.
This was a fun read, but a little light on character development and plot.
Regan is a beauty from a poor family. She married Bobby, a rich kid. They were too immature and soon divorced. Bobby leaves NY and lives in Chicago for seven yrs. He comes back still loves her and woos her. I did not find Regan likable. I thought one of her reasons for divorcing Bobby made her seem self-centered. The heroine should have been made more sympathetic. The story was sensual, and on balance, it was a fun read.
3 stars for STRANGERS IN HER BED by Suzanne Forster.
This was odd and confusing but ok. Kerry works for computer game developer. She met Joe at the company picnic, did not know who he was, and sent him an inviting email. His assistant saw the email, deleted it and fired Kerry. Joe never saw the email. When Joe learns about it he tries to get Kerry to come back to her job but she won't talk to him. He sends her a sensual game, where she talks to him via the game. He later visits her during the night. I agree with another reviewer who said the story was not really sensual and the story line so-so.
DATA FOR ALL FOUR STORIES:
Sexual language: strong/erotic. Genre contemporary romance.
This book contains the following four stories. The first two stories are great and make this worth buying.
5 stars for SATISFY ME by Lori Foster.
This is one of three stories about three women, who make a bet regarding a porn shop and its customers. In this story, Asia tells the others her make believe fantasy is spanking, not realizing that a male coworker Cameron overhears. He is secretly in love with her and will do anything to win her. The story was definitely sensual and satisfying. It was my favorite in this book. Ms. Foster knows how to write a great short story.
The two other stories about these three women are Indulge Me (in anthology I Love Bad Boys) and Drive Me Wild (in anthology I Brake For Bad Boys).
5 stars for SOMETHING WILD by Shannon McKenna.
Kerry is running away from abusive boyfriend. She doesn’t have much money. She is driving from NY to a casino in Louisiana. She has a bag of lucky dollar coins she plans to use in a slot machine, hoping to win and start a new life somewhere else. In Philadelphia, Jason sees her in a diner, and follows her on his motorcycle. She pitches a tent at rest stops, and he joins her in her tent at night. I found the heroine and hero to be inconsistent in what they wanted. He pursued her, caught her, then she dropped him. Then she seemed vulnerable, and he became dominating. It was a good story, but a little uneven. Definitely the most erotic of the four stories. I didn't like Kerry as much as some of the author’s other heroines, but it was still a fun read.
For a list of my reviews of other Shannon McKenna books, see my 5 star review of “Ultimate Weapon” posted 11/15/08.
4 stars for NO MERCY by Thea Devine.
This was a fun read, but a little light on character development and plot.
Regan is a beauty from a poor family. She married Bobby, a rich kid. They were too immature and soon divorced. Bobby leaves NY and lives in Chicago for seven yrs. He comes back still loves her and woos her. I did not find Regan likable. I thought one of her reasons for divorcing Bobby made her seem self-centered. The heroine should have been made more sympathetic. The story was sensual, and on balance, it was a fun read.
3 stars for STRANGERS IN HER BED by Suzanne Forster.
This was odd and confusing but ok. Kerry works for computer game developer. She met Joe at the company picnic, did not know who he was, and sent him an inviting email. His assistant saw the email, deleted it and fired Kerry. Joe never saw the email. When Joe learns about it he tries to get Kerry to come back to her job but she won't talk to him. He sends her a sensual game, where she talks to him via the game. He later visits her during the night. I agree with another reviewer who said the story was not really sensual and the story line so-so.
DATA FOR ALL FOUR STORIES:
Sexual language: strong/erotic. Genre contemporary romance.
March 23, 2019
2.5 - None of these stories really carries the book and makes it worthwhile. 2 mediocre stories and 2 that weren't great at all.
Stranger in Her Bed - Suzanne Forster - 2 /5 - Kerry Houston is a video game tester who left Genesis games earlier that year because of a misunderstanding with her boss, Joe Gamble. Joe has been trying to get her back ever since, but she won’t listen to him...and now she can’t leave her apartment because of her anxiety. She’s testing a new game with a fantasy lover named Jean. He suddenly comes to life and begs her for her help in releasing his curse so he can be free. Kerry learns a lot about herself, but also that someone is desperate to reach her and will do anything to help her. I think I saw this coming...I didn’t anticipate the Malcolm thing, but I knew Jean and Joe . But I had problems with Joe’s methods here...I mean, breaking and entering, out and out deceit, and sleeping with a woman without revealing his identity. But I think the biggest crime was letting Kerry voice out all her fantasies without letting her know that a real person was listening. That felt to me like a major abuse of trust and Kerry was way too forgiving in the end. So basically this ended up just feeling like a strange story and not really to my liking at all.
No Mercy - Thea Devine - 3 /5 - Regan and Bobby were married seven years earlier, but his jealousy, wealth and family kept them apart, so they divorced and Regan hasn’t seen Bobby since. Now she’s a successful real estate agent working for a man who is in love with her and still good friends with Bobby’s sister. When Bobby comes back to town and announces to Regan that he’s back for her, she’s flabbergasted. But she can’t deny that the feelings between them are still there, and Bobby is an improved version of himself. So the whole second chance romance thing was actually kinda okay. Obviously there’s a lot of bitterness and I think it’s fair to say that both Regan and Bobby were better off for having at least some separation and chance to grow up. Their relationship back when was clearly very troubled and the separation allowed Bobby to move past his jealousy and for Regan to build her self-confidence - see this is how the “it was for the best” thing is done. It didn’t feel like a lot of happy years were wasted. And yet, even when Bobby was still set on being with Regan, Angie (the sister) for her own selfish reasons, was trying to keep them apart. She was basically stabbing them both in the back. And she got off WAY too easy. And the whole secondary romance between Tony and Angie was just weird - no way they aren’t just rebounding.
Satisfy Me - Lori Foster - 3 /5 - Asia and her friends are all atwitter about the porn shop opening across the street from where they work. They’re all interested in maybe finding a guy over there who can satisfy their fantasies, so they agree to search. Asia, a divorced woman whose ex-husband ruined her for sexual adventure, claims she wants someone to spank her, when all she really wants is some loving vanilla sex. But Cameron, her co-worker who has been lusting after her for months, overhears this and decides to take advantage. So when Asia sees him buying a spanking video, she’s obligated by her bargain to accept his come-on. She just doesn’t expect their chemistry and truly awesome connection. Nor does she expect him to spank her. Oops. Wading past all those stereotypes about porn shops and the people who frequent them (a surprising number of women embrace their sexualities and freely and openly patronize such places - I would), as well as a strange comment from a character who got all bent out of shape because her boyfriend masturbated later in the day when they’d already had sex that morning (why is that so offensive?), this was an okay story. I liked Cameron, and although Asia has certain sexual insecurities, she wasn’t annoying about them or anything. And she was absolutely justified in getting all pissed off with Cameron...one should probably not go spanking a woman if she hasn’t cleared it with you already. Although I think the fact that Asia liked that initial swat was an overlooked opportunity to open up to her own adventures just a bit.
Something Wild - Shannon McKenna - 1 /5 - Oy vey. Annie Simon is on an independent trip, sort of her comeback from being with an abusive ex and she’s being followed by a biker. Motorcycle Man is actually Jacob, who saw her a ways back on her trip, became instantly obsessed by her and began stalking her across several states. He catches up to her in a campground and she lets him have wild hot monkey sex with her. But he’s not done after one. He follows her some more and the pattern repeats. Each time though, Jacob gets a little more controlling and Annie feels overwhelmed by his passion for her. But she can’t deny how good it feels to have someone love her the way he does. Well, yeah. At first. Until he loses control and ends up abusive because she’s not acting the way control-freak Jacob wants her to act...because she’s not comfortable accepting the “strength of his passions.” This was not a romance, this was a crime waiting to happen. Jacob doesn’t really respect Annie’s boundaries, he’s so obsessed with her that he gets riled up and angry when she puts him off. He forcibly seduces her and leaves her sobbing because she doesn’t want him to have sex with her when he’s angry, but does he feel any remorse? No. Not really. It’s all about the fact that HE wants to take care of her, even if she doesn’t want it. It’s so bad that she actually escapes him...runs from him while his back is turned. And he shows up at her destination a week or so later and she’s all happy and thrilled to see the love of her life again. I just couldn’t with these people. So the HEA is that she ends up with a controlling, obsessive jerk who is probably going to abuse her. Yay.
Stranger in Her Bed - Suzanne Forster - 2 /5 - Kerry Houston is a video game tester who left Genesis games earlier that year because of a misunderstanding with her boss, Joe Gamble. Joe has been trying to get her back ever since, but she won’t listen to him...and now she can’t leave her apartment because of her anxiety. She’s testing a new game with a fantasy lover named Jean. He suddenly comes to life and begs her for her help in releasing his curse so he can be free. Kerry learns a lot about herself, but also that someone is desperate to reach her and will do anything to help her. I think I saw this coming...I didn’t anticipate the Malcolm thing, but I knew Jean and Joe . But I had problems with Joe’s methods here...I mean, breaking and entering, out and out deceit, and sleeping with a woman without revealing his identity. But I think the biggest crime was letting Kerry voice out all her fantasies without letting her know that a real person was listening. That felt to me like a major abuse of trust and Kerry was way too forgiving in the end. So basically this ended up just feeling like a strange story and not really to my liking at all.
No Mercy - Thea Devine - 3 /5 - Regan and Bobby were married seven years earlier, but his jealousy, wealth and family kept them apart, so they divorced and Regan hasn’t seen Bobby since. Now she’s a successful real estate agent working for a man who is in love with her and still good friends with Bobby’s sister. When Bobby comes back to town and announces to Regan that he’s back for her, she’s flabbergasted. But she can’t deny that the feelings between them are still there, and Bobby is an improved version of himself. So the whole second chance romance thing was actually kinda okay. Obviously there’s a lot of bitterness and I think it’s fair to say that both Regan and Bobby were better off for having at least some separation and chance to grow up. Their relationship back when was clearly very troubled and the separation allowed Bobby to move past his jealousy and for Regan to build her self-confidence - see this is how the “it was for the best” thing is done. It didn’t feel like a lot of happy years were wasted. And yet, even when Bobby was still set on being with Regan, Angie (the sister) for her own selfish reasons, was trying to keep them apart. She was basically stabbing them both in the back. And she got off WAY too easy. And the whole secondary romance between Tony and Angie was just weird - no way they aren’t just rebounding.
Satisfy Me - Lori Foster - 3 /5 - Asia and her friends are all atwitter about the porn shop opening across the street from where they work. They’re all interested in maybe finding a guy over there who can satisfy their fantasies, so they agree to search. Asia, a divorced woman whose ex-husband ruined her for sexual adventure, claims she wants someone to spank her, when all she really wants is some loving vanilla sex. But Cameron, her co-worker who has been lusting after her for months, overhears this and decides to take advantage. So when Asia sees him buying a spanking video, she’s obligated by her bargain to accept his come-on. She just doesn’t expect their chemistry and truly awesome connection. Nor does she expect him to spank her. Oops. Wading past all those stereotypes about porn shops and the people who frequent them (a surprising number of women embrace their sexualities and freely and openly patronize such places - I would), as well as a strange comment from a character who got all bent out of shape because her boyfriend masturbated later in the day when they’d already had sex that morning (why is that so offensive?), this was an okay story. I liked Cameron, and although Asia has certain sexual insecurities, she wasn’t annoying about them or anything. And she was absolutely justified in getting all pissed off with Cameron...one should probably not go spanking a woman if she hasn’t cleared it with you already. Although I think the fact that Asia liked that initial swat was an overlooked opportunity to open up to her own adventures just a bit.
Something Wild - Shannon McKenna - 1 /5 - Oy vey. Annie Simon is on an independent trip, sort of her comeback from being with an abusive ex and she’s being followed by a biker. Motorcycle Man is actually Jacob, who saw her a ways back on her trip, became instantly obsessed by her and began stalking her across several states. He catches up to her in a campground and she lets him have wild hot monkey sex with her. But he’s not done after one. He follows her some more and the pattern repeats. Each time though, Jacob gets a little more controlling and Annie feels overwhelmed by his passion for her. But she can’t deny how good it feels to have someone love her the way he does. Well, yeah. At first. Until he loses control and ends up abusive because she’s not acting the way control-freak Jacob wants her to act...because she’s not comfortable accepting the “strength of his passions.” This was not a romance, this was a crime waiting to happen. Jacob doesn’t really respect Annie’s boundaries, he’s so obsessed with her that he gets riled up and angry when she puts him off. He forcibly seduces her and leaves her sobbing because she doesn’t want him to have sex with her when he’s angry, but does he feel any remorse? No. Not really. It’s all about the fact that HE wants to take care of her, even if she doesn’t want it. It’s so bad that she actually escapes him...runs from him while his back is turned. And he shows up at her destination a week or so later and she’s all happy and thrilled to see the love of her life again. I just couldn’t with these people. So the HEA is that she ends up with a controlling, obsessive jerk who is probably going to abuse her. Yay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2009
Read:
- 'Satisfy Me' by Lori Foster (4 stars)
- 'Something Wild' by Shannon McKenna (3 stars)
Did Not Finish:
- 'Stranger in Her Bed' by Suzanne Forster
- 'No Mercy' by Thea Devine
- 'Satisfy Me' by Lori Foster (4 stars)
- 'Something Wild' by Shannon McKenna (3 stars)
Did Not Finish:
- 'Stranger in Her Bed' by Suzanne Forster
- 'No Mercy' by Thea Devine
October 7, 2023
This anthology of 4 novellas was all over the place. Average stars: 1.75, rounded down because DNF'ed 2 of 4 novellas.
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster: ⭐ generous star... 98 pages
I DNF'ed this one about halfway through. It started out okay. Heroine is a software developer / debugger but is now a recluse after being mugged. She's testing a VR program with a decidedly erotic bent. I don't mind flawed characters - but this cupcake is all over the place. She's afraid of her own shadow but when a character in the video game appears at her home, she's *not* freaked out. The whole premise was too woo-woo and I was not invested in how it turned out. There was a lot of talk and very little action in the first half of this one, so even the sex was not a redeeming quality.
No Mercy by Thea Devine: ⭐ star... 85 pages
I DNF'ed this one at 50 pages in, and usually never do that once I'm more than 50% through. The story is a second chance romance - the heroine is appalled when her ex of 7 years ago makes an appearance and starts to establish his life again in the same town. The ex is arrogant and unsympathetic; so's the heroine for that matter. There was no connection and little heat between these two - they deserved each other.
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster: ⭐⭐⭐ stars... 69 pages
I have read some of the author's novels and they are usually pretty good and very steamy. I liked this one. A group of co-workers decide to go to the recently opened adult store and challenge each other to go inside and use the store as a way to meet a guy. (Insert eyeroll.) Asia is first up to go over. Little does she know that a guy who's been wanting to get to know her better was on the other side of the break room table and overheard the women's plan. He decides to go into the store with the intention of picking her up. It's humorous and fun and steamy.
Something Wild by Shannon McKenna: ⭐⭐ stars...106 pages
This novella was all over the place and I almost gave it 1 star because the middle section went totally off the rails. The first part gives us Annie, a woman who's down on her luck and escaping an abusive relationship. A few days into her roadtrip she notices a cool guy on his motorcycle. He's been chasing her and trying to get with her for several days and when they first meet, she's expecting a quick hook-up and no strings. She's surprised when he's there in the morning and her attitude is giving Jacob whiplash. He was a tender lover and he can't understand why she's this way. This goes on in the same vein for a few days - hot nights, followed by distancing the next morning. When Jacob finally has enough of it, HE changes into an Uber-controlling, sex-obsessed asshole. This middle section was almost enough to stop reading. He's unconcerned with Annie's pleasure although he explains / excuses it to himself by telling himself that this is what she really wants. Whaaaat. The. Hell. The ending was a *slight* redemption but still left me wondering - was the novella written by 2 different people who just jammed random scenes together? Huh. I probably should have DNF'ed this one, too.
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster: ⭐ generous star... 98 pages
I DNF'ed this one about halfway through. It started out okay. Heroine is a software developer / debugger but is now a recluse after being mugged. She's testing a VR program with a decidedly erotic bent. I don't mind flawed characters - but this cupcake is all over the place. She's afraid of her own shadow but when a character in the video game appears at her home, she's *not* freaked out. The whole premise was too woo-woo and I was not invested in how it turned out. There was a lot of talk and very little action in the first half of this one, so even the sex was not a redeeming quality.
No Mercy by Thea Devine: ⭐ star... 85 pages
I DNF'ed this one at 50 pages in, and usually never do that once I'm more than 50% through. The story is a second chance romance - the heroine is appalled when her ex of 7 years ago makes an appearance and starts to establish his life again in the same town. The ex is arrogant and unsympathetic; so's the heroine for that matter. There was no connection and little heat between these two - they deserved each other.
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster: ⭐⭐⭐ stars... 69 pages
I have read some of the author's novels and they are usually pretty good and very steamy. I liked this one. A group of co-workers decide to go to the recently opened adult store and challenge each other to go inside and use the store as a way to meet a guy. (Insert eyeroll.) Asia is first up to go over. Little does she know that a guy who's been wanting to get to know her better was on the other side of the break room table and overheard the women's plan. He decides to go into the store with the intention of picking her up. It's humorous and fun and steamy.
Something Wild by Shannon McKenna: ⭐⭐ stars...106 pages
This novella was all over the place and I almost gave it 1 star because the middle section went totally off the rails. The first part gives us Annie, a woman who's down on her luck and escaping an abusive relationship. A few days into her roadtrip she notices a cool guy on his motorcycle. He's been chasing her and trying to get with her for several days and when they first meet, she's expecting a quick hook-up and no strings. She's surprised when he's there in the morning and her attitude is giving Jacob whiplash. He was a tender lover and he can't understand why she's this way. This goes on in the same vein for a few days - hot nights, followed by distancing the next morning. When Jacob finally has enough of it, HE changes into an Uber-controlling, sex-obsessed asshole. This middle section was almost enough to stop reading. He's unconcerned with Annie's pleasure although he explains / excuses it to himself by telling himself that this is what she really wants. Whaaaat. The. Hell. The ending was a *slight* redemption but still left me wondering - was the novella written by 2 different people who just jammed random scenes together? Huh. I probably should have DNF'ed this one, too.
April 27, 2020
I will give it a 3 star rating, because from all four stories, I enjoyed only 2 of them - "Satisfy me" and "Something wild". They were, short and steamy and I liked reading them.
November 3, 2010
Anthology - 4 stories. Overall I'm giving this book 3 stars even though the average would be 2.375 stars, but I'll be generous. The first story drove me crazy. The 2nd, I didn't like that she just fell on her back and spread her legs for an ex-husband who broke her heart, that's why I gave it such a low rating. The other 2 were better. So, I'll leave it up to you whether you'd be interested in this book.
1. Stranger in her Bed by Suzanne Forster. This was a pretty stalkerific story. The man Kerry used to work for and met only once sees her at videotaped meetings and gets a crush on her. Then after she sends a sexy e-mail to him after that first meeting his assistant finds it and threatens her with it, she quits after being humiliated. He then tries to hire her back, no go. He moves into an apartment above her garage and pretends he's someone else. He also pretends he's another guy at HR trying to hire her back and then he pretends he's a computer program, a sexual computer program, come to life and she can only free him by making him shudder. WTF! While she's trying to figure out if the computer guy was real, he as the neighbor made her feel like a nut. And when she finally finds out who he is, she thinks, "Wow he went through all that just to get to know me? I think I'll give him a chance and get angry later." Totally unrealistic. This guy is not good for you!!!!!! 1 star
2. No Mercy by Thea Devine. Regan's ex-husband shows up just as she's about to get a promotion and wants her back. For 7 years, no calls, no letters, nothing. And she does. 2 stars.
3. Satisfy Me by Lori Foster. Asia's moved to small town in Indiana to get away from her ex-husband and bad memories. She makes friends and they dare each other to make a move on the first guy that goes to their favorite department in a new porn shop. It's her boss who has been trying to get her attention. This story was cute, with the usual love at first sight but still a good story. I wonder if there's more about her two friends? 3 stars
4. Something Wild by Shannon McKenna. Now this one has Annie running away from an abusive boyfriend and flirting with this guy on his motorcycle. Well, they flirt over 800 miles and finally meet, and kiss, and you know what else. Another fall in love very quick story. But this had him super desperate for her to think of him more than a fling and even had a very sweet scene with him. 3.5 stars.
1. Stranger in her Bed by Suzanne Forster. This was a pretty stalkerific story. The man Kerry used to work for and met only once sees her at videotaped meetings and gets a crush on her. Then after she sends a sexy e-mail to him after that first meeting his assistant finds it and threatens her with it, she quits after being humiliated. He then tries to hire her back, no go. He moves into an apartment above her garage and pretends he's someone else. He also pretends he's another guy at HR trying to hire her back and then he pretends he's a computer program, a sexual computer program, come to life and she can only free him by making him shudder. WTF! While she's trying to figure out if the computer guy was real, he as the neighbor made her feel like a nut. And when she finally finds out who he is, she thinks, "Wow he went through all that just to get to know me? I think I'll give him a chance and get angry later." Totally unrealistic. This guy is not good for you!!!!!! 1 star
2. No Mercy by Thea Devine. Regan's ex-husband shows up just as she's about to get a promotion and wants her back. For 7 years, no calls, no letters, nothing. And she does. 2 stars.
3. Satisfy Me by Lori Foster. Asia's moved to small town in Indiana to get away from her ex-husband and bad memories. She makes friends and they dare each other to make a move on the first guy that goes to their favorite department in a new porn shop. It's her boss who has been trying to get her attention. This story was cute, with the usual love at first sight but still a good story. I wonder if there's more about her two friends? 3 stars
4. Something Wild by Shannon McKenna. Now this one has Annie running away from an abusive boyfriend and flirting with this guy on his motorcycle. Well, they flirt over 800 miles and finally meet, and kiss, and you know what else. Another fall in love very quick story. But this had him super desperate for her to think of him more than a fling and even had a very sweet scene with him. 3.5 stars.
February 19, 2021
This was awful. Lori Foster's story was ok but the rest were garbage. Stranger in her Bed has a messed up woman having sex with her "computer sex guy" who is a real man who breaks into her home. No Mercy has main characters who are just dogs in heat; all the characters are manipulative backstabbers and made them all unlikable. Something Wild was the worst - unless you like reading about a woman with severe self esteem issues who literally just escaped an abusive boyfriend and then within days allows a stranger who stalked her on the road following her across multiple states to verbally and physically abuse her.....then calls it love. It was beyond horrible.
December 8, 2013
3.5 to 4.0 stars overall for all the stories
Read
January 13, 2024I liked 3 out of 4 stories
May 10, 2024
Nothing too memorable about these stories. Although, if I had to pick a favorite, it was Stranger in Her Bed. My least favorite was No Mercy. A find at a library book sale and worth the price.
February 25, 2017
I didn't like the first two stories but the last two were good.
August 11, 2011
Contempory ROmance Short stories
Stranger in Her Bed
Once on the cutting edge of her profession, software designer Kerry Houston is now a shut-in, terrified of the outside world. She works from home, and one day encounters the man of her fantasies in a video game! What will she do when her sexy dream man knocks on her locked door?
She feels victimised by his previous behaviour - but he has been fanisnated by her for a while and his assistant orchestrated Kerry's humiliation and was fired... except Kerry refuses to come back to work so she does not know
No Mercy
Seven years after her spontaneous marriage spontaneously combusted, Regan Torrance is a little older, a little wiser, and a lot smarter about what she wants and doesn't want. So when her ex-husband, Bobby, comes sauntering back into her life, as dangerous and sexy as ever, she's not about to get burned again. But that doesn't mean Regan doesn't like to play with fire and this time, she's really going to turn up the heat .
Satisfy Me
When a sophisticated sex shop opens in their small town, Asia Michaels and her friends find themselves fascinated by its sensual possibilities. And now it's time for Truth or Dare Asia is about to meet a man who holds the key to her fantasies and to desires she never even knew she had .
Asia found love right under her nose - but when will Elisa and Betsie have their stories?
Something Wild
It started out as a not-so-innocent flirtation, but Annie Simon can't resist the powerful man on the motorcycle or his tantalizingly erotic promises. Long-haired and leather-clad, Jake Kerr is strong, sexy, and determined to give her the ultimate lesson in pleasure, if she's willing. And all she can say is yes
She has nothing except a junk car and some silver dollars
She is driving across several states to go to a casino to try and strike it lucky again.
He feels compelled to follow her and after a few bumps they get their HEA moment
Stranger in Her Bed
Once on the cutting edge of her profession, software designer Kerry Houston is now a shut-in, terrified of the outside world. She works from home, and one day encounters the man of her fantasies in a video game! What will she do when her sexy dream man knocks on her locked door?
She feels victimised by his previous behaviour - but he has been fanisnated by her for a while and his assistant orchestrated Kerry's humiliation and was fired... except Kerry refuses to come back to work so she does not know
No Mercy
Seven years after her spontaneous marriage spontaneously combusted, Regan Torrance is a little older, a little wiser, and a lot smarter about what she wants and doesn't want. So when her ex-husband, Bobby, comes sauntering back into her life, as dangerous and sexy as ever, she's not about to get burned again. But that doesn't mean Regan doesn't like to play with fire and this time, she's really going to turn up the heat .
Satisfy Me
When a sophisticated sex shop opens in their small town, Asia Michaels and her friends find themselves fascinated by its sensual possibilities. And now it's time for Truth or Dare Asia is about to meet a man who holds the key to her fantasies and to desires she never even knew she had .
Asia found love right under her nose - but when will Elisa and Betsie have their stories?
Something Wild
It started out as a not-so-innocent flirtation, but Annie Simon can't resist the powerful man on the motorcycle or his tantalizingly erotic promises. Long-haired and leather-clad, Jake Kerr is strong, sexy, and determined to give her the ultimate lesson in pleasure, if she's willing. And all she can say is yes
She has nothing except a junk car and some silver dollars
She is driving across several states to go to a casino to try and strike it lucky again.
He feels compelled to follow her and after a few bumps they get their HEA moment
October 10, 2013
Lori Foster came up with a series called Brava Girlfriends (Brava for the publishing company and girlfriends cuz the series is about 3 female friends) and published the first story, Satisfy Me, in this anthology, All through the Night.
Basically, a new sex shop opens up in this 'very quiet' (lol) town and the 3 friends make a pact with each other to tell each other 1. what their favorite sexual fantasy is and 2. visit the sex shop and the first male that comes in while they are there who also shows interest in their fantasy (ie: bondage, spanking, etc), they have to go out on a date with them and act out their fantasy with them.
********HILARIOUS*************
Satisfy Me is about Asia and it's humorous, but NOT the best story. In my opinion, the best story comes next with Becky published in the anthology I (heart) BAD BOYS, titled Indulge Me. And last but not least we have Erica's story published in I BRAKE FOR BAD BOYS, titled Drive Me Wild.
I cannot give enough props for humor and ingenuity. I loved the premise of the stories and also the execution. They really are quite hilarious and very easy to read. I read all three in just a few hours!
Basically, a new sex shop opens up in this 'very quiet' (lol) town and the 3 friends make a pact with each other to tell each other 1. what their favorite sexual fantasy is and 2. visit the sex shop and the first male that comes in while they are there who also shows interest in their fantasy (ie: bondage, spanking, etc), they have to go out on a date with them and act out their fantasy with them.
********HILARIOUS*************
Satisfy Me is about Asia and it's humorous, but NOT the best story. In my opinion, the best story comes next with Becky published in the anthology I (heart) BAD BOYS, titled Indulge Me. And last but not least we have Erica's story published in I BRAKE FOR BAD BOYS, titled Drive Me Wild.
I cannot give enough props for humor and ingenuity. I loved the premise of the stories and also the execution. They really are quite hilarious and very easy to read. I read all three in just a few hours!
April 7, 2018
It's hard to rate a book with several short stories. I bought this because Lori Foster was one of the authors and I love her and then, just what I needed to do because my TBR list isn't large enough, I found a new-to-me-author I may now be a fan of, Shannon McKenna. Will certainly look for more of her books to try. So, Lori Foster and Shannon McKenna I will rate as 5/5 stars, but while the stories were interesting by the other two authors,and allowing for the fact that there is only so much time to get invested in characters in short stories, I didn't get the same connection with the characters in the stories by Suzanne Forster and Thea Devine so I would rate those two stories 2.5/5 stars. I'll round the whole book out to 4 stars simply for having included Lori Forster and Shannon McKenna.
November 28, 2012
This review is based only on the story by Lori Foster. I had to laugh at the premise of this one, three women talking about their fantasies and using a new adult store in town to jump start them. I loved that as the girls were speaking a very interested party overheard and used the knowledge to his advantage. I thought Asia and Cameron were cute together and was glad to see them work out. I look forward to reading about the other girls.
June 12, 2015
4 short erotic tales.
Satisfy Me is the only one tale that did. Asia Michaels bargains with her friends to take home the first man that fits in to her erotic dream of being spanked. Cameron O'Reilly knows he is just the man that Asia needs. Overhearing her desire, he sets his goal to become her man.
The other 3 stories were flat.
Satisfy Me is the only one tale that did. Asia Michaels bargains with her friends to take home the first man that fits in to her erotic dream of being spanked. Cameron O'Reilly knows he is just the man that Asia needs. Overhearing her desire, he sets his goal to become her man.
The other 3 stories were flat.
September 8, 2015
Stranger in Her Bed by Suzanne Forster
No Mercy by Thea Devine
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster
Something Wild by Shannon McKenna
I'd actually already read 2 of the 4 stories but as far as anthologies go, not bad.
No Mercy by Thea Devine
Satisfy Me by Lori Foster
Something Wild by Shannon McKenna
I'd actually already read 2 of the 4 stories but as far as anthologies go, not bad.
October 20, 2010
I'm giving this 3 stars strictly for the last 2 staries. The first 2 were so horrendously written. I kept feeling like I was missing something. Lori Foster and Shannon McKenna's stories weren't bad.
November 1, 2010
The first two stories in this book were awful. I probably should have just skipped ahead, but I didn't! Lori Foster & Shannon McKenna's stories were pretty good. Overall, I didn't love this book and am glad I checked it out from the library and didn't purchase it!
September 21, 2011
Lori Foster story only.
This is only a short story and normally I am not a lover of them but I loved this one! Ok the romance went a bit fast for me but then it had to due to the length - well worth reading.
This is only a short story and normally I am not a lover of them but I loved this one! Ok the romance went a bit fast for me but then it had to due to the length - well worth reading.
February 20, 2008
hated it and didn't read past the first chapter.
Read
August 6, 2009I just started All Through The Night by Various authors. It is tales of Erotic Romance.
May 13, 2018
1 �� star
November 21, 2009
I really liked Lori Foster's story. The other stories in this book have moved from romance to erotica. Be aware.
Read
January 9, 2010Stranger in her bed / Suzanne Forster -- No mercy / Thea Devine -- Satisfy me / Lori Foster -- Something wild / Shannon McKenna
March 27, 2010
Something wild Stands out in this anthology.
October 15, 2010
Thea Devine - F
Suzanne Forster - F
Lori Foster - C
Shannon McKenna - B-
Suzanne Forster - F
Lori Foster - C
Shannon McKenna - B-
November 9, 2011
a few pretty good stories but nothing great or making me overly enthused... the best was by far lori foster's story for me.
November 30, 2013
First story was hard to get into but the last two! Hot HOT HOT!!!!
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