If Wishes Were Horses

by Joey W. Hill

If Wishes Were Horses By Joey W. Hill Sarah Wylde did not move from Chicago to a small town to get involved with a man. Particularly one like Justin Herne, a man far too mesmerizing and dynamic to be in a rural town like Lilesville. To make matters worse, Herne runs a sex shop in the unincorporated limits of Lilesville, and Sarah is Lilesville's new police chief. She doesn't care whether or not the locals call it a "women's sensuality shop" and that Herne is considered a respectable citizen. She's keeping her eye on him. The only problem is, Justin is more than happy to stay within viewing distance. When a ritual murder draws them together on a case, she finds that maintaining a professional distance isn't going to be an option.

Genres: Erotica, Erotic Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, BDSM, Contemporary Romance

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2003

About the author

"BDSM Romance for the Heart & Soul"

A submissive herself, Hill brings authenticity to her intensely emotional BDSM love stories. With over fifty titles and seven series, her contemporary and paranormal romances feature everything from billionaires, bikers, SEALs, firefighters, cops and housemaids, to vampires, mermaids, witches and angels.

"Joey translates the world of BDSM with such intense power and exquisite beauty. LOVE is the most powerful element entwined through the Dominance and submission.” –Goodreads, Pink Lady

Joey is the recipient of the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Erotic Romance, and she loves to hear from her readers!

If you're on Bookbub, she'd love for you to follow her:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joey-...

You can also find her here:
Website: storywitch.com
Facebook: @JoeyWHillAuthor
MeWe: mewe.com/i/joeywhill
Twitter: @JoeyWHill

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 7, 2014: Rating downgraded from 5 to 4 stars.



This is bliss at its best, delivered by the very gifted Joey W. Hill. She is definitely one of the main reasons why I love to read--I seriously adore her.

Sarah Wylde is the chief of the Lilesville police department and she is trespassing private property. The property belongs to Justin Herne, owner of a local sensuality boutique. It's not a sex shop. Sarah is surprised to hear strange voices, raised in a chanting song, and she is witnessing a Wiccan ritual on Herne's property. This scene is related to my one and only WTF moment when I learned that the guy with the stag head strapped to his skull is our hero Justin. He was the one who had sex with a woman during their rite. So, don't let this scene put you off. Even though I didn't particularly appreciate it I got over it eventually. What follows suit is a great and very compelling erotic story. Once you're able to pick up this thread of tension between Justin and Sarah, it won't let you go anymore. The story lives and breathes intense sexual attraction.

"Lovers are those who share heart, mind and soul, outside the circle as well as inside it."

Shortly after, Sarah has to deal with a mysterious "murder" case. The victim is a drug addict who'd been found in a Florida forest, wearing a three-digit wig, sporting a new tattoo and looking like she had died of exposure on an Alaskan tundra. And Justin turned from possible murder suspect to lover. Sarah's lover. By the way, the "murder" case, the suspense as well as the PNR element are only a minor aspect of the story.

The world narrowed to the flickering light of candles, and his dark, mysterious eyes. "I can walk, Justin," she said as an afterthought.
"I know. Just let me take care of you."

If Wishes Were Horses mainly revolves around the evolving relationship between Justin and Sarah. The murder case is connected to the slight PNR element of the story. Funnily enough, I had an encounter with an incubus. I won't spoil it for you though, you just have to read the story if you want answers.

"A woman is a fire you build, and the heat, once ignited in this fashion, can last as long as you both could possibly want. Once you know this lesson, and know it well, you can keep her embers smoldering so the tinder strikes up to a blaze, igniting her again and again."

"Yes, good sex requires us to take a hard look at our lives and how we're living them. That's why you make a sacred space.(…)"

Justin.What a man. He's got presence as all get out. He reveres women. There's something so incredibly powerful and magnetic about him that I can't really describe. You just have to experience that man. Besides, his voice and his hands are spellbinding--I wanted to absorb every. Single. Word that came out of his mouth. Justin knows how to touch a woman, how to listen without guile. As a matter of fact, he just knows their deepest secrets.

Justin's Tantra class.

"Tantra is, very basically, increasing the spiritual connection with your partner through erotic and intimate practices, and thereby increasing your closeness to whatever you call God."
"Using sex to get closer to God. I don't remember that from my Baptist Sunday school lessons."
He grinned. "It may be a little left of conservative, but it's not quite trucker massages in a trailer by the interstate either. Sarah." He let go of the robe ties, framed her face with both of his hands in a semi-impatient caress. "Trust me. I understand the importance of your job. I wouldn't endanger it."
Her jaw flexed under his touch. "You tricked me into this. Don't think I'm going to forget that."
"You can handcuff me and beat me with your nightstick later."
"Smart ass."

Um, should I give it a try myself? I think I have never read anything like that before. Beautiful. Thoughtful. Intense. Justin made love to her with words and of course he made her come with words (after the tantra class). I do remember that Joey said that the most important feature in her books are strong and compelling characters. I agree and once again she delivers in spades! The characters are wonderfully portrayed and I loved their dialogue and the banter between these two was just a nice bonus. Joey writes with beauty and spirituality. Truth be told, even when I don't love one of her books her prose is beautiful. Always.



The part between 38 % and 56 % is fabulous--it starts out with a sizzling hot love scene, and then we move on to Justin's Tantra class. Whew! After the class he makes love to her with words. Final highlight of my favorite part is a special scene at his home. It was very emotional and sad; the book title is related to Justin's personal drama.

Sarah. Her ex-husband told her that she's a dead fish in bed. She believed him. But was she ever wrong. She looked breakable, and yet there was strength in her eyes. Sarah is like an elf--one of Tolkien's elves. Tall, slim, ethereal. Sarah is a very sensual woman, and what she needed was the right man to recognize the truth. Justin is the man to cater to her every need and desire.

"You're a very sensual woman, Sarah. But you don't believe that."

I simply ravished their sex/love scenes. Their chemistry is off-the-charts hot and the sparks were flying. The love scenes are highly erotic, sensual, mesmerizing and passionate. Hence, it was so thrilling to see these two devouring each other. And I was the voyeur who'd been drooling in their wake.

What didn't work for me
The ending. It was too rushed.

If Wishes Were Horses is not a BDSM story. Even though Justin used Sarah's handcuffs during their first erotic encounter, the story never gave me a BDSM feeling. They did not use any toys either. The sex was all about body, hands, voice and mind.

Highly recommended.

[Michele ~ la Smoocherina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty good. There are a lot of elements of the Wiccan religion and it's portrayed respectfully. It's definitely fantasy. In the beginning, I found the Hero to be feminine in my mind, but that eventually changed. Well written as per usual with Ms. Hill.

I thought it was very erotic and I loved the understanding and reverence Justin has of women. The leg orgasm was awesome, and for me believable. A woman's sex organ is her mind. This book showed that to a tee.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok 4 stars maybe 41/2 for this nice story from one of my favourite authors. This is an erotic romance with it's theme set in suspense to which there is a paranormal element. Sarah (tired of the big city and following a divorce from an unloving husband) ends up in leafy Lilesville. One night when out for a run on privately owned land she stumbles across something that blows her mind. Justin Herne ( OMG what can I say about Justin except if we all had a man like him we'd be in seventh heaven LOL) is not all he seems, in more ways than one, knows just who Sarah is and sets out to put her mind at rest about the 'activities' in the ravine. However Justin is a man of great intuition and perception and things don't go exactly as he planned. Pretty soon these two are falling for each other in a big way although Sarah bless her is a once bitten twice shy kind of girl and tries to bury her emotions with plain facts. Then the unspeakable happens and Sarah and Justins world is thrown into turmoil.

I enjoyed this story alot. I liked the way JWH describes feelings, and visuals, reading this was little like savouring melting chocolate, rolling the pieces around your mouth and over your tongue, the words run over and through you and your imagination becomes defused with softness. Some of the scenes in this story are a sensualists delight.

So if like me you enjoy your reading to feel like an sensual massage this one may be for you.

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah Wylde is the new police chief in Lilesville. One evening she goes jogging through her neighbors ( Justin Herne) land and comes across a man and woman performing a strange sexual ritual. Justin is a Wiccan priest and owns the local women sex shop. He notices that Sarah is spying on him and that night breaks into her house to confront her. Once he is face to face with her he knows that she is his soul mate.
Sarah just went through a divorce and does not trust men anymore. That does not stop her from being sexually attracted to Justin. Then we have the strange murder of a woman near Justin's property which Justin believes was comitted by a demon.
Justin is very good at seducing Sarah and the sex and sexual tension is great. The beginning of the story was a little slow and I had a hard time continuing with the book. But I am glad I did.

[Glamdring · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” He lifted his head, looked at her. “We’d all ride.”

Another beautiful story by Joey W. Hill. The story wasn’t only hot but also highly sensual.

Her body shoved away her inhibitions in a way it never had, mowed them over like an eager child overriding its mother’s feeble protests in the face of an offer of candy. This wasn't just candy. This wasn't even a whole candy store. This was a child's paradise of endless treasure to discover, summer days that never ended, bare feet in the mud and all the mysteries of the universe expressed in ways so simple they did not have to be spoken.

I really loved Justin who is an unusual kind of hero. He is undoubtedly an alpha hero but also a wiccan priest as well as the owner of a shop dedicated to the women's pleasures.

I absolutely loved the love story, Sarah/Justin relationship as well as how the wiccan part was handled.

"You asked for more, Sarah. I’m going to give you more.” He nuzzled her ear, licked her neck. “But I won’t stop. I’m going to fuck you so well you’re going to lose consciousness. This will all be a dream. You won't be sure if you want to savor it or regret it. But you won't forget it. Not ever. I'm taking away that option." He hesitated, staring down into her face, and she sensed something there, something she did not understand. “The other two choices, to savor or regret, those will be yours.”

But there is also a police investigation in the story and for me that part was weak. Fortunately the rest of the story made up for it.

"I used to believe we have to heal our own wounds to be able to love others, but I don't think that's true. All we need to do is accept the love of others, because there are broken places that can't be healed without that. It would be like a pitcher trying to glue its own handle back on."

[Rene' Hurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance at love

Sarah is this cop from a bigger city with a broken heart. Justin is a owner of a erotic shop. Their relationship is intense. If you want to find out how their story ends you'll need to read this book. Joey has a great way of story telling. You can feel that your there.

[Lit Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolute perfection in my eyes.
I'm a fan of this author and still this short piece caught me blind-sided. Beautiful narration, great character descriptions, and a very unique magical component that went over the average paranormal and right into the religious realm. Love and sex can be outlets for the spiritual, which here take form in the supernatural aspects in the stage of this story.
I would love to read more about Justin's coven (yeah, that's a thing) and about his and Sarah's future.
Recommend 100%.

[Cheap and Lazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the novella "Chance of a Lifetime," this is a relatively light read for Joey Hill. You can always count on Joey to give you heroines you can believe in and heroes you can't wait to dream about (along with some pretty hot love scenes to get you started). This story is far from an exception to that. Other than some bondage in the first chapter, there aren't any BDSM elements, although Justin is a minor character in her BDSM series, Nature of Desire. Just lots of romance and heat with a little magic, both light and dark.

[Spynonu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a sultry Southern summer day, the kind of day that makes you feel hot and bothered, needing to strip down to the bare minimum to find some relief.

Joey Hill is gifted at building characters that immerse you in their joys and pains. And of course the sex is always ooooh, ahhh, inspiring. The spiritual elements and the mystery of things not seen make this book one not to be put down until the final page is read.

Wishes are horses - enjoy the ride.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Joey W Hill hits the mark with this story. Although it is a bit lighter than some of her other books it is worth the time.
There are so many elements at play here, the Wiccan Religion, the BDSM aspect, and a man who knows just what Sarah needs to begin trusting men again. Oh and then there's the fact that Justin not only owns a woman's sex shop but is also a Wiccan Priest.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if it would be a 3.5 or 4 stars but what I really liked outweighed what I didn't therefore I think it does deserve the 4 stars

Full review to follow

[Emilye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. A supernatural story.

When Jon Forte referred to Justin’s store down in Florida, I wanted to know more about that. Not a part of the BDSM scene - at all - but Justin and Jon’s lives intersect around Jon’s mad tinkerings.

Justin Herne (color me suspicious) owns a shop designed around the sacred space of sexuality, specifically female sexuality. It’s not a prurient interest, but more of a liberation for both aspects of a couple. Clothes, candles, scents, education, exploration have all been taken into consideration and accounted for.

Sarah Wylde is the new police chief of Lilesville, Florida, where Justin lives and owns his shop. Her first sighting of Justin is during Wiccan Rite, when Sarah was trespassing. She watched from a distance, never expecting to become part of the ritual. But her energy flowed and she contributed, before sneaking back home.

The ritual called the lord and lady, who manifested through the leaders of the coven. Justin sensed Sarah, and finding her back door unlocked, came to see her. It was tumultuous.

Complicating their relationship is the discovery of a woman’s body in another ritual circle, one who is covered in frost, with no appreciable marks on her body, but a tattoo. Finding out who she is why she died and who killed her, is the outer focus of the book. But the inner focus is just as important, and given equal time.

Nice.

[Book · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the most ridiculous of all of her books I've read yet. The H and h meet because she happens upon a private wiccan ritual, on the H's land, where the H has unprotected sex with one woman, the "Goddess". So he feels the need to invade h's home in return that same night and screw her mindless, again having unprotected sex, b/c he wants to teach her a lesson? And oh by the way, He also radiates so much sex appeal and she is so attracted to him that he turns in her into a quivering, mindless, witless pile of need and she can't say no to him whenever she's around him? Unbelieveable. The H is described as pale and gaunt, and never comes across as very masculine or desirable. Throw in a little paranormal with an Incubi and altogether, this story was crap. Wish I could forget ever having read it.

[Ameliah Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erotic and then some

This is the first book I've read by Joey Hill. I understand she usually has bdsm undertones. This book didn't have much for those who read he for that, however this is a very erotic read! Ms Hill is a very descriptive and captavating writer. I felt the book moved a bit slowly for me but it was good. The rituals and other parts of the story were well written and drew me in. I think I will have to check out her other work!

[H]

very binary understanding of gender that grates. but otherwise I enjoyed it (ofc hate the police jobs, LOL).

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an early work by the author, I believe. It contains elements of the supernatural that are presented in a very believable way. Wiccan rituals and love at first sight make this an interesting ride. Her writing style is impeccable and takes this reader's breath away every time.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out and loved it then. I feel no different about this story now. I love Joey W. Hill's work and it never gets old. She is one of the best writers on the market today. I found several things in this story that didn't click before. The first is a description of a fountain in Justin Herne's garden that is part of the store. The fountain portrays a mermaid and an angel twine together. The description reminds me of the cover of A Mermaid's Kiss. It brought up memories of reading that story. The second thing that I noticed was Sarah borrows a uniform from a petite state police officer that is tough as nail. I am sure that this is Violet Siemanski. I am sure that Justin had some explaining to do about the state of the uniform when he and Sarah got done with it. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when they told her about how the uniform was damaged.

This story has a lot of supernatural aspects to it. There is also some wonderful information about the Wicca faith. I was very intrigued with all that was revealed. The ceremonies that were described are something I would love to see in person. I have a affinity with the earth and this religion has spoken to me. Having a Incubus as a villain was a twist that I didn't remember. The Incubus being sent to another plane reminded me of what Mina did to Dante in a Witch's Beauty. I have to wonder if Ms. Hill setup all these books with just this one story. Holding the Cards came out first and set up the Nature of Desire series, which Violet's story is a part of, but this book seems to tie more of her series together than any of the others.

Justin has been one of my favorite Joey W. Hill characters since I first read this story. He is still one of my favorites. I can't recommend this story enough. This is a wonderful paranormal story and should have a bigger fan base than it probably does.

[Noura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some supernatural elements to it, although it is about Justin and Sarah - characters that appear in other Nature of Desire series that has no supernatural elements at all in them. So this book struck me as weird. BUT! the story itself is good. It is sweet, a bit weird, but very sexy all the same.

Justin is probably the sexiest straight-male character in the NoD series. He's the owner os a sensuality boutique (a non-seedy name for a sex shop...but if there is such a shop, one wouldn't call it a mere sex shop too) and his unlikely love interest is a no-nonsense police chief recovering from a failed marriage. Unlike the usual NoD series where there are distinctive Dominant-Submissive character traits between the pair, this one doesn't seem to come off very clear. Perhaps midway through the story you kind of sense that Justin might be a Dom type but he doesn't come off as the alpha male, i'm the Dom so don't cross me type of person.

I love the fact that J Hill stories (that i've read so far - Vampire Queen Series, Nature of Desire Series) have great, strong resilient female characters. Not the wimpy damsel in distress type (ughh!!!!) or the obnoxious i need to prove something to the world type too (double ughhh!). Sarah comes across as someone who is vulnerable (after what she's gone through) yet still strong and in control, noble. But i don't get that first time sex with Justin scene. Why would you have sex with someone who broke into your house? So you know the guy. But he broke into your house! And he just did some pretty abnormal stuff just before that. WHY?????

So a lot of parts in the story kind of not make sense. But if you are just in for some nice sexy romantic story ala Joey Hill (that means the sex scenes can be muy muy caliente!)....this book may just hit the spot.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 4.5, but couldn't quite go to a full 5. Whew, this started HOT. I really love Hill's writing. She is not a lazy author but weaves a wonderful story. Justin is a sensual man who runs a shop selling erotic lingerie, literature, romantic decor and much more, including classes in tantra etc. New police chief Sarah is immediately drawn to the mysterious man. The relationship moves faster than she can deal with, so we have the necessary conflicts mixed up with a murder investigation that draws Justin into the probe. Some nicely inventive episodes that are out of the typical writer's scope.

[Carole-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely description of a Wiccan Lord and Lady performing a healing ceremony (LOL) and making sure we know Justin Hearne is one helluva male :)

I love the descriptions of Justin's shop For Her and wish we had something like it (anywhere) :)

Sarah is a dutiful cop, and is bound to fall. The PNR elements only exist towards the end in order to make sure the "murder" can be explained. Otherwise a good story.

[Ameliah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Joey Hill. I understand she usually has bdsm undertones. This book didn't have much for those who read he for that, however this is a very erotic read! Ms Hill is a very descriptive and captavating writer. I felt the book moved a bit slowly for me but it was good. The rituals and other parts of the story were well written and drew me in. I think I will have to check out her other work!

[Imjstgr8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.... that sums this book up in one word from beginning to end. Hot. Hot. Hot. I really enjoyed the interaction between the characters. Great portrayal of Wicca and informative. I'm glad that the erotic store was described as tasteful and not tacky. Joey W. Hill has a way with words that is absolutely enthralling.

[books-on-a-wire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up until the end, I was really enjoying the book. Sarah and Justin had great chemistry, the sex scenes were very hot, and like all of her books, it was well written. I didn't know it was fantasy and paranormal and that pulled me right out of it and skimmed the ending. I've read her vampire series so I know she writes this genre well, just was not expecting it for this book.

[Kerry sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this book I found the supernatural aspect to the story a little wishy-washy. I didn't find justin as engaging as some of her other leading men even a little bit vanilla compared to some of her other main men.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I though a different paranormal milieu would help me enjoy Hill's fiction a bit more, but I think it's safe to say that this spiritual, dominance/submission character motivation doesn't really work for me.

[C C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to believe we have to heal our own wounds to be able to love others, but I don't think that's true. All we need is accept the love of others, because there are broken places that can't be healed without that. It would be like a pitcher trying to glue its own handle back on.

[ElaineY · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not find this book sensual or erotic. There's the non-vanilla sex, of course, but no depth to the relationship and I did not find Herne an attractive man.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this story was really cute and sexy, I was particularly fond of the hero.

[Glynda Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love well written erotica. Joey W Hill is a master.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always love anything by Joey W. Hill. Excellent book. Yummy characters!!