Wild & Steamy (Includes: Iron Seas, #0.4; The Disillusionists Trilogy, #2.5) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Mar 16, 2013 AH rated it really liked it

Shelves: anthology, free-downloads, kindle-freebies, k-files, zzread-mar-2013

Overall, a wild & steamy anthology...

The Blushing Bounder - A Tale of the Iron Seas by Meljean Brook - 4 stars
Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series is one of my favorite steampunk series. The author's world building is extensive and the story takes the reader to an alternate history of London, complete with airships, nanobots, steampunk contraptions galore, and strangely enhanced humans. This story focuses on Temperance and Edward Newberry, two Americans forced to move to London because of a public k Overall, a wild & steamy anthology...

The Blushing Bounder - A Tale of the Iron Seas by Meljean Brook - 4 stars
Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series is one of my favorite steampunk series. The author's world building is extensive and the story takes the reader to an alternate history of London, complete with airships, nanobots, steampunk contraptions galore, and strangely enhanced humans. This story focuses on Temperance and Edward Newberry, two Americans forced to move to London because of a public kissing indiscretion. (Oh, the shame of it!) Temperance suffers from consumption and is slowly dying unless she takes a transfusion of nanobots that would cure her.

This is definitely steampunk done right, if not just a little bit grotesque. In addition to all the cool gadgets, people in this world have machinery grafted on to their bodies! As this is part of the Wild and Steamy anthology, there is a little steam...

Vixen by Jill Myles - 3 stars
This is the first time I've read a story by Jill Myles and I will definitely look out for more. This is by far the steamiest story of the anthology. Vixen is the story of a were-fox or kitsune named Miko. Kitsunes are known for their voracious sexual appetite. Miko's mother is worried that her little girl/fox is all alone and arranges for two hot were-cats to be her bodyguards. It seems that a local hunter is illegally hunting fox and Miko may be in danger. Werecats Sam and Jeremiah to the rescue!

Oh my, there was a lot of steam factor here. Two hot guys and one sexy fox. Need I say more?

Kitten-Tiger and the Monk by Carolyn Crane - 4 stars
I was struck by the fantastic world created by the author. This story is probably my favorite of the anthology. I loved this story about Sophia, a woman with the power to change memories and Robert, her old flame and a power to be reckoned with. Sophia wants to rid herself of her power and seeks out the Monk to help her out. The Disillusionist World has to be one of the more original series out there and I really must start reading that series soon.

Steam factor - Yes.

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Aug 18, 2011 Chelsea rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, uf-pnr, weres, smexy, magic

This review was originally published at Vampire Book Club.

“Blushing Bounder” by Meljean Brook (3 stars)

Meljean Brook’s story is set in her Iron Seas world, before the events of The Iron Duke. We get to learn how Constable Newton ended up in London and learn about his wife. He and the missus are Bounders — what the London folk call those who skipped to the New World when the Horde invaded only to return after the fact with the audacity to look down their noses at Londoners. Temperance and the Con This review was originally published at Vampire Book Club.

“Blushing Bounder” by Meljean Brook (3 stars)

Meljean Brook’s story is set in her Iron Seas world, before the events of The Iron Duke. We get to learn how Constable Newton ended up in London and learn about his wife. He and the missus are Bounders — what the London folk call those who skipped to the New World when the Horde invaded only to return after the fact with the audacity to look down their noses at Londoners. Temperance and the Constable aren’t those Bounders, they just don’t know better. She’s constantly afraid of the bugs — tiny machines — that keep Londoners healthy. And the machines graphed on to their flesh (fancy prostheses), make her incredibly uncomfortable.

The crux of this story is Temperance’s belief that her husband tricked her into marrying him and is an all around bastard. (He’s not.) Both have a big sense of propriety and — to the shock of everyone — have only ever kissed. Once. The writing is, of course, on point, but it takes “Blushing Bounder” quite some time to build up. I kept waiting for the love or the action, and it took longer to get there than I’d hoped. I liked getting the insight into the Constable, though, and fans of the Iron Seas will like glimpses of other characters.

“Vixen” by Jill Myles (4 stars)

If you’re read much of Jill Myles’ books, you know the woman can bring the heat. Really, her story “Vixen” is the key to the Steamy in Wild & Steamy. If you thought the sex scenes in her Succubus Diaries books lifted your eyebrows, you are in for a treat. This story focuses a kitsune (a.k.a. were-fox) named Miko. She’s long fought her were-fox nature, which causes her sex drive to kick up every time a potential mate is around. It ruins relationships, because she needs more than one person. And she does not want to be like her mother, flitting from one man to the next. So, she moved out into the middle of nowhere. She avoids people and is able to run through the woods in her fox form. That is until the locals decide to start fox hunting. Miko’s mom sends two total hotties to her house as bodyguards.

Miko keeps the boys in line and teases the hell out of them by way of a cruel game of strip poker. Menage action is involved. “Vixen” is fun and very sexy. Romance readers will delight in it.

“Kitten-Tiger and The Monk” by Carolyn Crane (4 stars)

Carolyn Crane gives us serious insight into The Monk, one of the most dangerous and elusive members of the Disillusionists, in her story “Kitten-Tiger and The Monk.” Known for his ability to push his utter despair, loneliness and hopelessness into others, The Monk’s identity and location have always been kept secret. Sophia is riddled with guilt. She’s a memory revisionist, and she’s abused the skill. In politics she’s managed to create eye-witnesses to events that never happened, change history. And she did it to the one person she loved most, Robert. He’d been so talented, and she’d made him think no one wanted him. Stole away opportunities, because her goals took prescendence. And that choice haunts her. So, she seeks out The Monk. She wants to be rebooted. She wants him to fill her with despair so she can start over. And the one person who can lead her to him turns out to be Robert. And he’s on to her.

Expect an impressive amount of emotional upheaval for a shorter tale. Of the three stories, Crane’s “Kitten-Tiger and The Monk” has the most depth and had me clenching at my chest at the riveting ending. Maybe I just like heroes and heroines who hate themselves, then find redemption. Not sure, but those who like the darker love stories (and fans of the Disillusionist books) will enjoy reading Crane’s novella.

Sexual content: It is called Wild & Steamy… sex scenes, references to sex and a three-way. ...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Anja rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: c, w-az, r-a

"The Blushing Bounder" by Meljean Brook.
3.5 stars.

"Vixen" by Jill Myles.
1 star.

"Kitten-tiger & the Monk" by Carolyn Crane.
2.75 stars. ...more

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Aug 28, 2011 KarenF rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, romance, kindle, steampunk, anthology

It's always hard to rate an anthology as the different stories are sometimes of differing quality. I enjoyed all the stories in this one but some more than others.

I loved the Meljean Brook Iron Seas story (The Blushing Bounder). My only complaint with this tale of Constable Newberry and his wife, Temperance is I wanted it to be longer. It's still a fully realized, beautifully sweet romance. I liked Constable Newberry in The Iron Duke but I love him even more now. He's such a sweet and honorable ...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Cc rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, 2011

The Blushing Bounder by Meljean Brook 4 stars
Vixen by Jill Myles 4.5 stars
Kitten-tiger & the Monk by Carolyn Crane 3.5 stars

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Jun 10, 2011 namericanwordcat rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle-lendable, romance-anthology, kindle-own, steam-punk

So, far I have read Vixen.

The were fox heroine was fun and funny and the heros were cute. Even in this novella, I would have liked more development though, more time in the happily ever after. This was closer to erotica at points than erotic romance.

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May 06, 2011 Judithe rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, e-book, anthology, pn-shifter, steampunk, short-story, e-book-aldiko, pn-ordinary-humans-w-special-abilit, z-2012-reads, z-2011-12-winter-seasonal-challenge

Picked it up to read the Iron Seas short, and enjoyed all three. Two new-2-me authors whose books I also have~definitely bumping them up on the TBR.

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