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Rogue Desire

(Rogue #1)

Adriana Anders (Goodreads Author),

Dakota Gray (Goodreads Author),

Amy Jo Cousins (Goodreads Author),

Emma Barry (Goodreads Author),

Stacey Agdern (Goodreads Author),

Jane Lee Blair,

Tamsen Parker (Goodreads Author),

Ainsley Booth (Goodreads Author)

3.82 · Rating details · 169 ratings · 78 reviews

When all else fails, find love.

Eight brand new romances for fans of the West Wing, fired-up #resistance fighters, and everyone who ever had a crush on that guy at a protest...

GRASSROOTS
by Adriana Anders

Veronica Cruz is in the fight of her life for a seat on the city council. Meeting reclusive finance genius Zach Hubler should be a stroke of good luck—he has the power to sw ...more

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Published July 20th 2017

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Jul 23, 2017 K.J. Charles added it

Shelves: m-m, contemporary, m-f, politics, anthology

Critics of romance often call it wish fulfilment fantasy, which [insert my full essay and promise of violence here]. However, this anthology really is exactly that. The stories ache for things the authors want: Decent politicians who care. Rich people who give a shit. Activists who win. People who can talk about their opposing views and respect each other. Action being taken against cruelty, bigotry and corruption in the heart of government.

Gosh that silly wish-fulfilment stuff, eh.

It's nakedl ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Brandy Painter rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, adult-fiction, romance

This is an incredibly diverse grouping of stories. Diverse in terms of style, type, explicitness, and, yes, characters. Not every reader is going to like all the stories (I had to DNF a couple because they were so out of the realm of what I want from romance). But on the other hand, every story will appeal to some reader of the anthology, and I think that is a truly GOOD anthology. I like that the authors each have their own style and that there were so many different ways of writing romance inc This is an incredibly diverse grouping of stories. Diverse in terms of style, type, explicitness, and, yes, characters. Not every reader is going to like all the stories (I had to DNF a couple because they were so out of the realm of what I want from romance). But on the other hand, every story will appeal to some reader of the anthology, and I think that is a truly GOOD anthology. I like that the authors each have their own style and that there were so many different ways of writing romance included here. It wasn't the same story over and over. It does make giving the book as a whole a star rating difficult. (Or more difficult that usual at any rate.) Like I said, I didn't even finish every story. My four stars is for the three stories I loved the most, which are the ones I'm going to talk about here.

"Grassroots" by Adriana Anders
This is the first story in the anthology (though it was the second one I read). I have talked in reviews before about how I'm not a fan of first person in romance. This one worked for me so well though. I think that is partly due to there being a purpose for the first person. It is how the story needed to be told. Veronica is the point of view character. She is a young pre-school teacher running for city council to affect change at the level that impacts her and her students the most. She is wonderful. And as a former teacher who worked at a Title One school some of her rants are ones I've spouted myself almost word for word. I loved her to bits. And Zach is a really great hero (also super hot). I enjoyed how Anders built their interactions and resolved their final conflict.

"Kissing and Other Forms of Sedition" by Emma Barry
This story is why I bought this as soon as it was humanly possible. It's an Emma story and I'm always here for those, but it's also the story she tweeted out one night on Twitter during a particularly rough US political day (so a recent day that ends in y). I wanted her to write it instantly. I read this story first and it was everything I wanted and more. If you've read Emma's work, you know how much she loves nerdy characters and prickly heroines. This story delivers all of that and delivers it well. Cadence and Graham are adorable together and I loved their car trip to save the world so much.

"My Delight is In Her" by Jane Lee Blair
This is Blair's debut, and I can not wait to read more from her in the future. She is a Christian and her story shows it. Being a Christian myself, I loved her use of Scripture and theology combined with the realism of living daily life. Her characters curse, feel lust, and struggle with a multitude of issues and she portrayed it all so clear and well while giving us a great romance between very real people. Leonard and Kim were college sweethearts so this a reunion story. Those aren't always my favorites. I'm picky about how they come off, but this one did all of the things I look for right.

There were other stories in the anthology I enjoyed, but these three are the ones I will return to. I bought this when it was $0.99. It's no longer on sale, but I would pay full price just for these three stories.
...more

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Jul 18, 2017 Linda rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemp-romance, kindle-books, challenge, challenge-2017

I received a copy of "Rogue Desire" from one of my favorite authors Ainsley Booth in exchange for an honest review.

" Rogue Desire" , is a compilation of eight different authors shorts stories: each story focusing on a couple drawn together in slightly different situations with the common thread being the current political state here in the United States. Taking the reader from campaigning at a Grassroots level, and discovering unlikely help; help that you find yourself falling for, or finally t ...more

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Jul 12, 2017 Amy Cousins added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: books-i-wrote

For everyone looking for a new Bend or Break story... This spinoff stands alone, but if you've read Nothing Like Paris, you'll spot a familiar face! :) ...more

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Aug 03, 2017 Briar's Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, drama, guilty-pleasure, anthology-and-short-stories, top-books, chick-lit, one-hit-wonders, romance, bdsm-and-erotica, requested-reviews

Rogue Desire, an anthology of incredibly sexy stories, will play with your temptations.

This anthology holds stories from Adriana Anders, Tamsen Parker, Dakota Gray, Emma Barry, Jane Lee Blair, Ainsley Booth, Amy Jo Cousins and Stacy Agder.

If you're looking for some sensual stories to fulfill your fantasies, this is the book for you. Especially if you want some quick, easy reads instead of a super long romance novel to fill up your time - you've found what you're looking for!

I wouldn't necessari Rogue Desire, an anthology of incredibly sexy stories, will play with your temptations.

This anthology holds stories from Adriana Anders, Tamsen Parker, Dakota Gray, Emma Barry, Jane Lee Blair, Ainsley Booth, Amy Jo Cousins and Stacy Agder.

If you're looking for some sensual stories to fulfill your fantasies, this is the book for you. Especially if you want some quick, easy reads instead of a super long romance novel to fill up your time - you've found what you're looking for!

I wouldn't necessarily call it just contemporary romance - some of these stories are a bit more sexy than that name hints - but this still hits all the notes of a sexy, steamy romance.

For me, as a Tamsen Parker fangirl extraordinaire (can I get a button or something pronouncing my love for Tamsen's writing? I feel like I'm apart of the fan club by now) I really love that her writing is growing yet again. I grew to love and feel for the characters in such a small set of chapters, and melt into a puddle reading the sexiness in that story. And I probably blushed a lot - that story was really steamy...

I will applaud this anthology as a whole though. Normally anthologies all have very similar stories or similar styles of writing - this one does not. Yes they are "similar" - you know, romance and sexiness all over - but they all have different themes and plot lines. Not just 'hey you're sexy, let's get together" plot lines. Also, each writer is unique and completely different than the others. It's not just carbon copies of the same type of author over and over writing a slightly different story. So, you will most likely find at least one story in this if you like romance - or hopefully more than one!

I kind of wish I could give each individual story star ratings, but they all rate between 4 and 5. Some of the stories weren't necessarily my cup of tea, but they were all great reads - they kept me hooked and interested, I felt invested in the characters, and I enjoyed reading the stories. It didn't feel like work or like I was forcing myself through the stories.

Reading some other reviews, I have seen that some people think these stories are "rushed" and yes, I might agree - but you need to remember these are short stories with little wiggle room for giant character development. Many of my favourite short stories seem "rushed" to me - The Veldt - but they still worked. If given the opportunity, I would love to see all authors expand on these stories, but to me they felt like they were just "rushed" enough - not so crazy fast it's unbelievable, but not to slow to make it an entire novel.

Another great point about this book is the new authors you will be introduced to. While I've seen the names of some of these authors floating around Goodreads and Twitter, I never really looked into them - and now I know I should! Being able to see some of these authors write a full length novel instead of a tiny, itty, bitty story will be delightful!! So you may find your new must-read in this series!!!

My other thought from other reviews I peeked at after reading - "political" is a word used a lot, and it does seem fitting but I, for whatever reason, don't like that word necessarily being put with this. Sexy politics seem so off...yet the politics behind each story made each a little bit better. It's not like your following a sexy election from beginning to end, which is what that word leads me to believe when I see it pop up. So readers beware!

Overall, five out of five stars. It was sexy and a great read!

I received an uncorrected proof from Tamsen Parker for an honest review. ...more

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Jan 02, 2018 Katherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, m-m, m-f, contemporary, anthology

Hands down, this is one of the best anthologies I’ve ever read. It is timely and relevant. I am impressed as hell that these authors wrote & published this anthology so quickly, yet with quality writing. The passion of the politics is gripping and stirred something in me.

GRASSROOTS by Adriana Anders
Veronica is such a great heroine. She isn’t accepting the status quo, and is actively working to do something, to make a difference. The hero, Zach, is a bit too good to be true, but the contrast be Hands down, this is one of the best anthologies I’ve ever read. It is timely and relevant. I am impressed as hell that these authors wrote & published this anthology so quickly, yet with quality writing. The passion of the politics is gripping and stirred something in me.

GRASSROOTS by Adriana Anders
Veronica is such a great heroine. She isn’t accepting the status quo, and is actively working to do something, to make a difference. The hero, Zach, is a bit too good to be true, but the contrast between him and her worked for the story.

DEEP THROAT by Dakota Gray
Interesting - I liked the idea that Hayley was a gray hat, that she wanted to do more than complain about the politicians. I kinda bought into Davis, and how he got strong-armed into doing what he’s doing. I also bought the chemistry between them. But it didn’t all gel for me, and I’m not sure why.

RESISTANCE by Amy Jo Cousins
It has been far too long since I read anything by Ms. Cousins. This short was stellar. It’s in the Bend or Break world, featuring peripheral characters. The sex in this short was scorching - the balance of hot and public and forbidden - was perfect. I loved how Kaz and Willis both bring out the best in each other. Their ending is a HFN, which felt right for them. I hope they get their HEA.

KISSING AND OTHER FORMS OF SEDITION by Emma Barry
I couldn’t quite swallow my disbelief of the road trip these two take, but I did love their story and their chemistry. Loved the intelligence of this couple.

TRUTH, LOVE AND SUSHI by Stacey Agdern
This one has a bit of a caper/spy feel to it. This one if the most overt in it’s references to the Trump family. But I liked it. I liked that one daughter didn’t want to be like her family. I liked that she worked carefully to do what was right and protect her sister. There is only the promise of a relationship with this one, and though I wish we’d seen more, I respect the way this story was told.

MY DELIGHT IS IN HER by Jane Lee Blair
Probably the closest I’ve ever read to an inspirational title, though as the author said, there is faith, there is also swearing. 😃 The heart of Ms. Blair’s writing was this fundamental belief in god, Jesus, humanity. Though I am not religious, I was gripped by the story and the love between these two.

PERSONAL DISASTER by Ainsley Booth
Good. It felt a bit unfinished, albeit with a promising HFN. I liked both characters and their interactions.

LIFE, LIBERTY, AND WORSHIP by Tamsen Parker
So good. I enjoyed every single word in this story. The sly humour, the kink so maturely owned without guilt. Carter and Paige are great together. He get shaken up and comes out of it a better and stronger person. Enjoyed the references to other characters in the Personal Geography series. ...more

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Aug 14, 2017 Jewlsbookblog rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology, 2017

This was a fun little anthology! There's something for everyone romantically-and politically-speaking. My personal favs:

Grassroots by Adriana Anders
sweet and steamy romance with thought provoking topics

Deep Throat by Dakota Gray
sexy romance, witty conversations, and the clearest consent I think I've ever come across

Personal Disaster by Ainsley Booth
it's Ainsley Booth..enough said:) ...more

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Aug 16, 2017 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: own-ebook, novella, romance, romance-contemporary, 2017-all, 2017-new

On the whole, I think this collection is a little messy. Obviously, for reasons, it's incredibly difficult to name check actual politicians and actual events (though some of this gets very close, some of it inadvertently, I think), but the writing around it made it all seem fake in a way that wasn't cathartic the way that I wanted it to be. Instead it felt much more like this was being done because this is the thing to do, and from following several of these authors, I don't at all think that wa ...more

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Jul 19, 2017 Christine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, anthology

Making sedition sexy, this gorgeous smorgasbord of passionate, funny, poignant, and romantic stories is a must read for anyone who has fumed at the crazy goings on in DC and online and thought, "There must be something more, something good, something better." These stories, while fiction, give heart and hope to romance readers who need something more than 140 characters on Twitter to get them through our current political climate.

Also, I love anthologies where I can discover new authors or genr ...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Cait rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in2017

So, I have opinions.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 20, 2017 Cheri rated it it was amazing

Loved this unique box set. I was only familiar with Ainsley Booth and Dakota Gray. But now I have six more to add to my TBR list.

Deep Throat by: Dakota Gray was hot. She makes you want to know what's going on in that hotel room. And when you find out, have mercy. Davis is an escort and Haley is a maid at the hotel. They have a connection, but if the secrets they know come out it could cost them both dearly.

Personal Disaster by: Ainsley Booth was worth every minute you spend reading it. Marcus ...more

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Jul 23, 2017 Maria Rose rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook-purchases, fully-reviewed-books

From a preacher to a male escort, this anthology shows that everyone has a stake in the political direction of the country. I loved the variety and differences in heat levels of the stories, some by established authors I've read before and some by new to me writers. Most of the stories are m/f though there is one m/m as well. Taking events from real life happenings and more fanciful 'what if' scenarios, you are sure to find a story or two that will resonate with you. ...more

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Dec 07, 2018 Cherry Lips rated it really liked it

8 stories in one book, amazing!
My favorite are Deep Throat by Dakota Gray and Personal Disaster by Ainsley Booth.
Personal Disaster is instalust kind of stories between ranger man and reporter. Its lust at first sight of Paige's ass for marcuss and mountain man appeal of marcus melted poppy's brain. Then less than 24H they just bam..bam..bam in outdoor surrounding by bird chrip, mountain's wind and fresh air.
I am not quite liker of instalust but one in time it's ok and needed. ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 Jess rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rmodb2018

Not a bad one in the bunch

This devourable collection of novellas gives us some interesting people living in interesting times. I loved them all. Though i have to say: while the inclusion of POC and queer characters was awesome, it would have been nice to have them come from #ownvoices authors.

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Aug 10, 2017 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: anthologies, read-in-2017, bought-2017

I liked more of these stories than not, so that's pretty good for an anthology. I loved reading about characters who are feeling some of the same things I've been feeling this year. ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Sarah Austin rated it really liked it

Shelves: anthology, contemporary-romance, erotica

I have FINALLY finished this anthology and.it was great especially the last story...yowza that was hot...

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Jul 18, 2017 Terri rated it it was amazing

Rogue Desires is a romance anthology of original novellas/short stories by eight very talented writers. Incredibly, the stories each incorporate the current political climate and trends in one fashion or another. I found it easy to visualize settings of protest marchers wearing pink pussy hats on Washington, DC streets, or office cubicles full of writers of white papers within the West Wing of the White House, or a remote mountain forest where consequences of political decisions affect the obscu ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: interracial-couples, second-chance, boys-who-like-boys, office-boss-employee, arcs, bdsm, professor, politics, collections-anthologies-boxsets, author-writer-journalist

I'm not much into politics, and I absolutely hate discussing them to people outside of my party (Democrat) but I enjoyed most of the stories in this political, resistance inciting anthology.

Grassroots by Adriana Anders: 4 stars. Veronica and Zack are so sweet together. She's running for city council when she meets the owner of a house she's canvassing. He turns out to be a hot, blind computer hacker who just happens to be a virgin. She teaches him about the joy of kissing and sex and he fall ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Kini rated it liked it

Review originally posted at Smexybooks.com

I have read several of the authors in this anthology so I was interested to see what kind of story they would tell, especially as it related to resistance. I am pretty bad at reading anthologies because I prefer a longer length novel and I’m a lazy reader. But I powered through, not that it was a struggle, and read them all. I was not disappointed. Here are my top three, some notes about the others and because they are all based on resistance of some sor ...more

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Aug 29, 2017 new_user rated it it was amazing

I'm giving this five stars for Adriana Anders work. Her style is beautiful, sexy, and the characters and story were interesting: Latina running for local government meets hot blind guy with secrets I don't want to spoil. I will say that social media influencing an election is not as implausible as one reviewer said. I am absolutely reading more from this author.

I really wanted to like the others, especially as I'm already an Emma Barry fan, but there was always something missing. Oh, well, I li ...more

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Jul 11, 2017 Katie rated it liked it

Shelves: how-own, format-ebook, books-read-in-2018, books-read-in-2018-new

Soooo. This was either too close to reality or not close enough. I get naming real life people is hard, but when you only refer to "the president" and "the administration", it just distracts me and lessens the impact. One story made up a fake president and I think that's a better way to go.

Anyway, these stories were really just okay for me overall. Also, the Emma Barry one was about the president tweeting about nuclear war. I REALLY SHOULD'VE READ THIS SOONER. ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 Crystal Wilke rated it really liked it

All of these authors are new to me. I enjoyed reading each Author's work. I definitely found new authors to stalk. This is one of the reasons why I like reading anthologies because you found new authors. Rogue Desires is unique in its own way. Get ready to meet all kinds of fun, witty, sexy characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC for this book. ...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Eleanor rated it really liked it

The special thing about this anthology is that all of the stories are themed around Resistance. What type of resistance? That varies, but they are all valid. Some hit the nail right on the head, and some we wish could happen IRL.

I enjoyed this collection of stories, both for the value of the tales and for the romance. Gotta love a good romance, right?

Grassroots - Adriana Anders
Oh how I loved Zach and Veronica. This story is unique, unexpected and so freaking sexy I absolutely loved it.
Zach’s ha ...more

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Jul 20, 2017 Chasing Away Reality rated it really liked it

Avg rating for this book is 4.375

Grassroots by Adriana Anders - 5 stars

I adored this unique story. Zach was such a sweet and caring man. I loved watching him evolve from being reclusive and shy. I also enjoyed witnessing the connection and passion he had with Veronica. I've never truly imagined what it must be like for a blind man to form an intimate relationship. I liked how Veronica took the time to understand him and how the author formed their connection.

Deep Throat by Dakota Gray - 5 stars ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 Cat rated it it was ok

I enjoy the concept of these anthologies - romance as resistance, and giving voice to diverse stories as a model of hope in what some consider a difficult political environment (to say the very least). However, I found this anthology uneven, due in part to what I wanted out of it--I wanted the romances and the hope to be the focus, with veiled references to politics in order to keep the anthology relevant for more than X number of months/years and in order to let each reader impose their own rea I enjoy the concept of these anthologies - romance as resistance, and giving voice to diverse stories as a model of hope in what some consider a difficult political environment (to say the very least). However, I found this anthology uneven, due in part to what I wanted out of it--I wanted the romances and the hope to be the focus, with veiled references to politics in order to keep the anthology relevant for more than X number of months/years and in order to let each reader impose their own reading on it. And some of those stories worked for me in that way. Others were anti-you-know-who fan fiction, and I was not into it.

"Grassroots" - 4 - This was adorable, but the conflict was too flimsy and made the second half lose momentum.
"Deep Throat" - 2 - This was much more erotica than romance, which isn't too my taste, and I didn't agree with the heroine's motivation.
"Resistance" - 4 - I really enjoyed the conceit here, of contrasting two approaches and talking through it with respect for each side. Also, it was super-hot, but everything happened in public places and there's no way that someone else didn't catch on at some point, and that squicks me out.
"Kissing and Other Forms of Sedition" - 2 - One example where I thought it would be much cuter if it wasn't fan fiction about triggering the 25th Amendment.
"Truth, Love, and Sushi" - 2 - Also fan fiction.
"My Delight Is In Here" - 3 - I loved having a thoughtful story about people of faith and how their faith informs their lives and choices. But, yet again, the explicitness of the references to the current situation in the US was not to my taste.
"Personal Disaster" - 2 - This is what I mean when I complain that being too explicit ruins the relevance. No one cares about alt-park service anymore, as far as I know, so this alt-park-service fan fiction is super lame. Also, just as damning, I felt no connection between the two characters.
"Life, Liberty, and Worship" - 1 - I loved how they worked things out, working through conflicting viewpoints, similar to "Resistance." But OMG I am SO, SO, SO, SO uncomfortable with the violations of consent. The heroine decides that based on the hero's T-shirts with political slogans, and the fact that he works for Satan Himself (i.e. the current administration), and a (somewhat misleading) conversation she overheard, that she is going to have revenge sex on behalf of outraged resisters everywhere, and rapes the guy. He just thinks that she's into him and that she's into rough sex, but her intent is to violate him. Like. WHAT. NO. It's clear that the author is leaning into the gender flip, and the structural power dynamics in current American society, but it just was not working for me at all. Having this as the last story in the anthology really left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I've tried to show, because of the political nature of these stories, my responses were EXTREMELY subjective. Someone more radical than me may very well love every single second of reading this, and feel empowered to continue with their political activism, and that's great. But it just wasn't working for me. I'm going to keep reading the books in this series, because they are great at intersectionality, giving love stories to people of various orientations, races and ethnicities, gender identities, and physical abilities. But I fear that the longer I take to read them, the more out of sync they will feel, because many (but not all) of these were written for a very specific moment in time. ...more

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Aug 15, 2017 Romance Rehab rated it it was amazing

I think by now you all know that I’m a huge Adriana Anders fan. I reviewed and LOVED Under Her Skin, and the author is a repeat offender on our weekly “best of” lists. So, at this point, I’ll pretty much read anything that has her name on it without bothering to look at a blurb or cover. That’s what I did with this book, so imagine my surprise when I find out it’s not a standalone Adriana Anders book, but rather an anthology featuring a ton of other authors (some I’ve read before, some I haven’t I think by now you all know that I’m a huge Adriana Anders fan. I reviewed and LOVED Under Her Skin, and the author is a repeat offender on our weekly “best of” lists. So, at this point, I’ll pretty much read anything that has her name on it without bothering to look at a blurb or cover. That’s what I did with this book, so imagine my surprise when I find out it’s not a standalone Adriana Anders book, but rather an anthology featuring a ton of other authors (some I’ve read before, some I haven’t).

It was like winning the book lottery! I love anthologies. They’re the quickest way I know to try out a bunch of new authors and see who might become your next favorite. I’m happy to say this anthology didn’t disappoint.

I’ll admit, though...I was a tiny bit skeptical when I read the blurbs. My husband was a West Wing FANATIC. He once suggested that we install a special TV in our living room that descended from the ceiling and played nothing but West Wing 24/7. (Crusher of hopes and dreams that I am, I nixed the idea. But I digress...) So, needless to say, I’ve seen every episode of the show a couple of times. I thought it was a great show, but I never LOVED it as much as my husband did. So, when I read that this was a romance anthology with a political/pseudo-West Wing vibe to it, I pouted a little. Would I get the big, strong, scarred alphas I so enjoy reading about in my favorite romance novels?

Well, I didn’t really get those kinds of alphas, but the book was full of great short, sexy reads nonetheless.

True to form, my fav author in this anthology didn’t take the easy route with her story. I loved that she wrote about a blind, hermit, virgin hero who moonlights as an online political activist. And despite the short length of the story, I felt like Zach and Veronica’s relationship went beyond instalove and that those two crazy kids actually had a happily ever after in their not-too-distant future.

The other stories were great, too, and I’ve now found several authors I plan to add to my cyber stalking list. But the thing that really surprised me the most was the diversity in this anthology. This is a REALLY diverse list of authors. There’s super sweet and sexy romance (Anders), there’s hot and dirty-talking romance bordering on erotica (Gray), there’s a steamy M/M romance (Cousins) and even a second-chance romance with a pastor (Blair). All in all, I’d say there’s at least a couple stories in this anthology every type of romance reader will enjoy.

Now, I will say that if you tend to get political and can’t handle someone cracking on your chosen political party, you might want to steer clear of this one. I won’t give anything away, but let’s just say that even if you’re only half paying attention as you read, you won’t have any trouble discerning the authors’ chosen political affiliations. Ahem.

That said, I highly recommend this to fans of smart, political romances and anthologies that just might help you find your next favorite author.

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review.
...more

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Jul 19, 2017 The_Book_Queen rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-copy, 3-and-a-half-stars, romance, contemporary, anthology, e-book, novella, blind-hero, virgin-hero, second-chance-at-love

3 1/2 Stars

Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology -- the theme for it, the variation (in so many ways) from story to story. It was a good read.

But there were some stories I liked more than others. Though I didn't hate any of them; the ones I'd give a lower rating to were simply "meh", and didn't grab my attention as much.

Anders' story (heroine of color, hero is blind and reclusive) was great, and I only wish it was longer. Those two were sweet and hot together.

Gray's story (hotel maid + for ...more

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Jul 16, 2017 Michelle Claypot_Reads rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars for me. Some stories were a 5 & some a 4 so let's meet in the middle

The Rogue Desires Anthology is original, smart, heartfelt, sweet, funny and hot. I have happily added a bunch of new to me authors to my TBR. In the current world climate this was a very smart way to get people talking.
Definitely recommend ❤️

Grassroots by Adrianna Anders
I absolutely loved this story. Original, witty, sweet and just enough hot. I don't remember the last time a story made me want to immediately one cli ...more

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Jul 26, 2017 Jodi rated it liked it

I am giving this book a 3, but that's only because I am speaking of several specific stories within the anthology. There were a few stories that I could not finish, as they were just not my taste.

Grassroots by Adriana Anders

4.5* I LOVED this story. Author Adriana Anders was new to me, but I am now following her, for sure. I loved the idea of a blind, hermit Hero overcoming his shyness and fear in order to profess love to the hard-working teacher doing her best to win a grassroots election. Thei I am giving this book a 3, but that's only because I am speaking of several specific stories within the anthology. There were a few stories that I could not finish, as they were just not my taste.

Grassroots by Adriana Anders

4.5* I LOVED this story. Author Adriana Anders was new to me, but I am now following her, for sure. I loved the idea of a blind, hermit Hero overcoming his shyness and fear in order to profess love to the hard-working teacher doing her best to win a grassroots election. Their love story was so sweet and hot. The only problem was that I wanted more of them!

Deep Throat by Dakota Gray
3.5* I liked the idea of this story- a maid from the lower class and a well-to-do hotel guest with an attraction that burns hot, but feels forbidden. But that guest is an escort and there is political intrigue and danger under the surface and I'm not sure how much of it I really believed. I did think it was well-written and I did believe the characters' attraction, though.

Personal Disaster by Ainsley Booth

5* Oh, mountain man Park Ranger Marcus Dane is SO hot. And I love his insta-attraction to feisty freelance reporter Poppy. I loved watching them try to outsmart and outdo one another and then caving to those feelings they both were hit with so hard at their first meeting. Even the political intrigue was interesting and I wanted to know what more Poppy would do when she got her information. I HATED that it ended so abruptly. LOL. But I have been promised, by the author herself, that we will see more of these two characters.

3* Life Liberty and Worship

I was intrigued in this story of the political statement T-shirt wearing hottie, Carter, described by ultra- Democrat HUD employee Paige and the development of their respect and attraction through government policy documents. However, I was NOT a fan of how Paige turned on him without even talking to him, and then decided to revenge screw him. I thought that was immature and childish. I also wasn't a fan of their sexual encounters. I am pretty open-minded and don't necessarily have a problem with people pegging. It's just not my taste. So this story wasn't really for me.
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May 12, 2018 Fedora rated it it was amazing

This is a great collection of stories--all of them with a bent towards #resistance, although you won't want to resist reading them immediately.

All well written, one standout for me was My Delight Is in Her, by a new-to-me author, Jane Lee Blair. She has a warm, authentic voice for people of color, for Christians in America, for people who've grappled with tough choices. I definitely look forward to reading more of her work.

The collection includes:
GRASSROOTS
by Adriana Anders
M/F; Veronica Cruz is ...more

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About Adriana Anders

Adriana Anders

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Adriana Anders is author of the Survival Instincts, Love at Last, and Blank Canvas series. Her debut, Under Her Skin, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017 and double recipient of the HOLT Medallion award, and Loving the Secret Billionaire was a Romance Writers of America 2019 Rita® Award Finalist. Her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Oprah Mag, Bustle, USA Today Happy Ever Af ...more

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Quotes from Rogue Desire

“The problem with early exposure to Terminator 2 was when the president ranted on social media and caused an international crisis, visions of nuclear apocalypse, with everyone and everything turning to ash and blowing away in a super-heated wind, took over your brain.” — 1 likes

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