A very short story. It is written at a YA level (small words, short sentences, obvious plot) but the subject matter is for the older [read: of legal majority] crowd. I like the topics it raises, but the story was so short and the writing so undeveloped I don't think I can recommend this. The author tells rather than shows throughout the story, which pretty much iced what could be some hot alien on human m/m action.
As a lifelong scifi fan, there were some issues with the mechanics of the scenario. First and foremost, the two "established" species had no trouble understanding the vocalizations of the newly discovered species sans the benefit of any type of interpreter. Secondly, the aliens weren't very alien - you had a species of Glorious Noble Warriors and their buddies The Cybernetic Nerds. Neither imaginative nor believable. And there wasn't enough story around them to convince me, the dear reader, to suspend my disbelief.
Also, the whole story hinges on Instant All Consuming Attraction which I'm not a fan of. It's not squicky, it just always reeks of lazy writing to my eye. Unless, of course, there's a succubus involved but that's a whole different genre. I think a few passes through a skilled editor and another few pages to allow both the background and characters to develop more would benefit this story greatly.
Please note: I don't review to provide synopses, I review to share a purely visceral reaction to books and perhaps answer some of the questions I ask when I'm contemplating investing time and money into a book.
Brainycat's 5 "B"s: blood: 0 boobs: 1 bombs: 0 bondage: 0 blasphemy: 0 Bechdel Test: PASS Deggan's Rule: FAIL Gay Bechdel Test: PASS Please note that I only reBrainycat's 5 "B"s: blood: 0 boobs: 1 bombs: 0 bondage: 0 blasphemy: 0 Bechdel Test: PASS Deggan's Rule: FAIL Gay Bechdel Test: PASS Please note that I only read about 15% of this book, then skimmed quickly through another 10% before I gave up on it. So my scores only reflect the first quarter of the book.
Again, I ask myself, "Am I reading the same book everyone else who gave these great reviews read?"
Usually, when I give up on a book because it's just not my cup of tea, I don't mention it on goodreads because I don't think it's fair for someone outside the target market to skew the ratings. On the other hand, I want to jump in and save other readers like myself who may be contemplating the book but don't have all the information they'd need to make a decision. So, in a compromise, if I chose a book solely on reviews at GR and I find it wildly different than my expectations, I'll put a review up. I wish there was a way you could skip 'starring' a review and just add some comments without affecting the overall rating.
I'm just going to mention the reasons I don't believe this book is for me and try refrain from making any unnecessary judgements. To reiterate, this book is not for readers like myself but there's no reason other readers won't enjoy it.
1) This book appears to be young adult fiction, I guess it's aimed at people around 14-16 years old. It uses lots of short sentences and small words. There is no subtlety to the language or the plot devices.
2) This story has a very strong christian bias. And not in the fun to read critical way; there are no moral ambiguities. The lines are clearly drawn and you're either in god's light or you're a dirty hellspawn who deserves to die.
3) The book is not even a little bit smutty. There were plenty of opportunities for some action in the part of the book I read and they were all passed over with barely a quickened pulse. See also point #1.
Please note: I don't review to provide synopses, I review to share a purely visceral reaction to books and perhaps answer some of the questions I ask when I'm contemplating investing time and money into a book.
For a story about a sacred prostitute, blessed by the god of vengeance and redemption with the gift of perfect masochism set in a fantasy world teetering on a full scale war of succession, there was a sad and disappointing lack of sex and violence. It was a decent story; I finished all 1280 ereader screens but I won't be reading any more of the saga. Truth be told, they could probably shave a couple of hundred of pages by condensing all the ridiculously long french and gaelic inspired names. The names of the supporting characters were very challenging for me - I couldn't sound them out properly, so I couldn't keep them straight in my head.
Generally, this wasn't too much trouble, as there aren't a lot of scenes with more than two or three big players. Despite reaching for The Heights of Epic Fantasy, and exceeding the Minimum Words requirement, this is a story about one person, and the other people exist only to push and pull her along the path set out so long ago by the likes of Tolkien, etc. The worldbuilding was 'meh'; another varnished copy of feudal Europe. Magic doesn't have as big a place in the story as faith does, further driving the characterization towards internal dimensions rather than the broad horizons and intricate plots of Martin or Jordan styled fantasy.
This was an exceptionally wordy book that borrows liberally from the french, gaelic and olde english vocabularies, and everytime I felt like I was getting into the groove of the tone and voice I got jolted by some turn of phrase that didn't fit. One glaring example that sticks with me is the use of 'meter' to describe the height of a statue, when every other dimension in the book was described in relative terms. Also, while I know more than I could ever possibly care about what people were wearing and the colors of their eyes, I don't know anything about the quirks and details of any of the main characters. The author did a better job describing the thread holding each dress together than the handedness of our heroine and her companions. Despite providing us with the recipe of every dish in every lavish meal, I know nothing about the cutlery or table settings. After a while, it felt like lazy writing, like the author only cares about clothes and food. Imagine a huge painting where 7/8 of the painting is a rough charcoal sketch, and 1/8 is vividly painted in pointillist detail - that's what reading this book was like. I'm sure I would've appreciated it more if the focus was on details I care more about, namely sex and violence.
I'm still undecided if the retrospective point of view was a device to keep the story moving, or a way for the author to gloss over description and world building. We definitely get inside the head of Phaedre and learn about how she feels about her childhood and adolescence; but her singular viewpoint sacrifices the internal lives of other characters and avoids illuminating the world. The more I read about this book, the more I found myself caring less about Phaedra and more about the people around her. I was hungry for their feelings and motivations, and grew a bit tired of the predictable way Phaedra reacted to the events unfolding around her.
Especially bothersome to me was the way the sadists who hired Phaedra were protrayed. This is a problem throughout BDSM oriented writing, and this book was one of the worst offenders. Most of the reason I finished the book was because I hoped she'd meet a top that wasn't just a means to an end for her. The tops described in this book were each nasty, brutish, selfish and/or otherwise undersirable. WTF? I understand that there are many, many more subs than tops in the world, and therefore marketing dictates stories should be written for them. But that doesn't mean that sadists are any less dimensional, caring or conflicted than any other human. Additionally, Phaedre's experience as a masochist is handled too gingerly by the author. Numerous times throughout the book, there were perfect opportunities to explore the intersections of desire, pleasure, pain, control, servitude and disgust but they were each neatly sidestepped before any genuine intimacy could emerge. Along these lines, there was no explicit sex to speak of, but lots of sex happens and it's crucial to driving the story.
As she wanders around her country, and her country's neighbors, she has basically three assets. Firstly, her desireability. It's a given for her; asking Phaedra about what it's like to be wanted is like asking a fish to describe 'wet'. This is her principal asset in getting herself involved in the machinations of statecraft. Secondly, she's had an education and a gift for languages, so the character interacts easily with the various peoples she encounters on her travels. Ultimately, though, it's her willingness to bed the right people at the right time that helps her achieve her goals. This isn't a bad thing, don't ever let it be said that I'm not in favor of releasing sexuality into more of our lives, but the way it was presented, and because the sex wasn't explicit, I feel a real chance to illustrate how empowering sexuality can be was horribly wasted. Additionally, by not getting into the sweaty details of any of the sex that happens, perhaps the best chance to connect with the characters was lost.
This book was entertaining enough, but it's not especially engrossing or groundbreaking. The lack of dimensionality in most of the characters was disappointing and, in my mind, makes this less of an Epic Fantasy and more like "Memoirs of a Feudal European Geisha". I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who like to think about kinky sex, but not talk about it.
I liked this book enough to finish it, but it didn't engage me the way the first book in the series did. Firstly, I couldn't really get into Shade's hI liked this book enough to finish it, but it didn't engage me the way the first book in the series did. Firstly, I couldn't really get into Shade's head - I think he's my least favorite of the Seminus brothers. He's not a bad guy; I think he's a little too goody-goody for me to relate to.
Runa reminds me of a lot of the women I know, or rather she could, but she was drawn as such a caricature that I really couldn't see her as a dimensional person. Also, I'm not into the werewolf thing. I'm not a big fan of dogs and pack-politics and alphaism, so that whole plot complication felt wearisome to me.
The relationship between Shade and Runa seemed forced and contrived. There was so much room to sketch both of their feelings in more detail, and provide more depth for their motivations, but Larissa never took advantage of this space. Given the emotional background of both the characters, I felt they could have related to each other in a number of different ways, but it was never clarified why they chose to behave as they did.
The mystery wasn't very mysterious, and because I didn't feel involved with the characters the sex didn't seem nearly as hot as it did in the first books. The action was pretty good, and as the real standout aspect of the book I would've liked to have seen more of it.
The subplot between Kynan and Gem was interesting, but it's never been explained why Gem is carrying such a torch for Ky. I really like Gem, except for the part about her being so batshit crazy for Ky that she had never been with a man. I've been hanging out in goth/rivethead circles for twenty years; I think everyone I know from these circles lost their virginity by the time they were sixteen. Virgin sex is squicky for me too, and as much as I liked Gem and the first sex scene with her, the second was a turnoff and I'm trying very hard to hold some affection for her.
All in all, I felt like I was pushing myself through this book so I could continue on with the series. I like Wraith, and the denoument indicates the next book is about him, so I'm glad I finished it. If this book hadn't been part of a series I'm interested in, I'm not sure I would have finished it....more
I really liked this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. The pace was fast, the action was constant and the sex was hot and happenI really liked this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. The pace was fast, the action was constant and the sex was hot and happened at just the right times - not so often as to become a porny parody of a story, and not so rare as to be an urban fantasy with a couple spicy interludes.
Setting the story around the Underground Hospital really clicked for me. Larissa's knowledge of medical procedures grounds the story in visceral reality; I have a background in medicine and I appreciated the way the medical aspects of the characters and action helped drive the story.
The two heroes, Eidolon and Tayla, are both characters I liked and admired. This is crucial for me to enjoy erotica, and Larissa balanced "the tragic flaw" against "only I can fix him/her" very well.
Some of the setting was a bit shorthanded, IMHO; I think that Larissa wanted to focus on the key characters and let a lot of details of the world they live in slide. I think it's a little too easy to move around, disguise the "otherworldly" goings-on from the sheeple, and generally live in a world of demons vs. Aegis without interacting with the "normal" world. I can see why Larissa did this, and the story really does shine on it's own without getting bogged down in too many mundane details.
The pacing was very well done, lots of independent conflicts come together at the right points in the book and their resolutions fly as straight as arrow to the final conflict, which turns out exactly like you'd suspect. The denouement seems a little short; there's a few pages where she quickly ties off some loose ends and paints a huge arrow to the unresolved question that will clearly be the basis for Book 2.
The first few pages of the book introduces a fuckton of characters, and honestly I had a difficult time keeping them straight in my head. I'm glad I plowed through it; each of the characters becomes unique shortly and the relationships between them are easy to follow, if not always clear. The murkiness between some of the characters is a product of the balance of competing desires and personalities, and I'm glad this isn't "one for all, all for one" story.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to fans of PNR erotica who enjoy action, strong female characters and an interesting and unique setting....more
I don't know why I took so long to finish this book. I think a lot of my reticence was a desire to savor it; there's only a few books in this series.
II don't know why I took so long to finish this book. I think a lot of my reticence was a desire to savor it; there's only a few books in this series.
I don't like Master Dan as much as I like Master Z, but I'm probably more like Dan than Z. Go figure, eh? I really enjoyed the way Kari went from "nice catholic girl who doesn't do that sort of thing" to a willing sub who desperately wants and fights for her dom.
I would have liked to see Dan spend more time confronting the feelings holding him locked in the past; the first 80% of the book is setting up how hard he works to keep his feelings to himself, and then suddenly in the last few pages they have a fight - and make up right away - and he's willing to commit to her 100%?
I like this series because of the way doms are real people, with thoughts and feelings and their own motivations, but I think Dan got short changed by the way the story unfolded. I think more give and take between Kari and Dan, both in and out of the bedroom would have helped make both characters more real.
The sex was every bit as hot as in the first book of the series, and really focused on the transformation of Kari rather than sexual gymnastics or furniture. Public nudity was a big part of her training, at the expense of pain.
I very highly recommend this series, it's one of the three best smutty series' I've ever read. ...more
I gave up on Nicholas: The Lords of Satyr after completing 52%. This is not going to be a bad review, however. It IS a good erotic book, it just doesnI gave up on Nicholas: The Lords of Satyr after completing 52%. This is not going to be a bad review, however. It IS a good erotic book, it just doesn't push my good buttons too well and then it clicked a couple of my squicks.
Firstly, I'm not really into historical pieces. I read it hoping that since our heroes walk in two worlds (Earthworld and Elseworld) that they'd rise above the primitive state of european culture in the 1700s or so. Unfortunately, no. When our title character is tasked with marrying a specific woman, I was hoping that it would be a seduction story with our heroine Jane, as she's a very interesting character. Instead, the male protagonist Nicholas has his lawyer arrange it and buy off the parents via dowry. Disappointing, but since this book came so highly recommended I soldiered on.
Wedding night squicked me. I don't like virginal sex at all. Not my thing. My second squick was the way the male character handled it. Nick's detachment from the experience and unconcern for Jane's inner life really bothered me deeply; I completely lost interest in him. I kept going for a while, but nothing happened. Nick has a brief moment of consciensce in a brothel, but suffers no ill effects nor changes his behavior whatsoever.
I was hoping that since the book is about a family of satyrs that this would be a mirror of the classic greek myths. I was hoping that the satyrs, as acolytes of Pan, would become entangled with acolytes of Artemis. While Jane certainly shows more independence than most of her contemporary women, I wasn't feeling any Artemis energy from her. It's entirely likely that I've read too much CG Jung and Joseph Campbell and simply came into the book with too many expectations.
It is very well written, it's easy to read without being simple. The plot was set up well and their are several intersting relationship dynamics at play. The story drives the plot, and the steamy scenes are well placed and explicit without being porny. I can easily see how this is such a popular series....more
Club Shadowlands (Masters of the Shadowlands, #1) was really good. The heroine slowly discovers her proclivity for being tied up and having wonderfullClub Shadowlands (Masters of the Shadowlands, #1) was really good. The heroine slowly discovers her proclivity for being tied up and having wonderfully horrible things done to her, at the hands of the owner of an exclusive sex club catering to BDSM practitioners. It's been a while since I read it, so I apologize for not remembering any of the character's names.
Our heroine's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and she ends up at this exclusive mansion during Party Night. Naturally, she immediately falls into deep lust for the owner of the club, and her hormones help her overcome her fear even though her straightlaced self is in no way prepared for the sensual delights on display in the club.
Over the following weeks, the owner of the club proves himself to be a wise, kind and accomplished man with a need to dominate and discipline, and he provides the safety and comfort the heroine needs while she learns what her proclivities and limits are.
I haven't read the rest of the series yet; I'm a bit leery to start them. What made this book so hot was the way her Dom slowly took her from a "nice girl who doesn't do that sort of thing" to a willing and eager participant. I'm afraid that since that arc has been played out, the rest of them will be more romantic at the expense of the psychological give and take between master and submissive.
The sex was HOT and explicit; there are lots of club scenes that I really enjoyed. A lot of BDSM erotica is written for subs, and that sort of leaves people like me out in the cold. The way Cherise handled the relationships between different tops was superb. I think the relationships between tops are too often glossed over; like we we all have a static pecking order and respect everyone's place on it all the time. This is derived from the idea in a lot of BDSM erotica that tops are untouchable, unyielding uberhardasses 24/7. Cherise's tops are multidimensional characters, and for that alone I recommend this book.
Another important aspect of this book is that all types of body types and shades of skin are represented. In a perfect book, there would be more gender identities and sexualities represented, but hey... It's Cherise's book, not mine....more
Cyborg is the second in a series of romantic scifi books about... well, cyborgs trying to escape extermination at the hands of their human makers and Cyborg is the second in a series of romantic scifi books about... well, cyborgs trying to escape extermination at the hands of their human makers and colonizing a world for themselves. Due to an error with the way I setup the metadata on my reader, I read this first before any of the other books.
I bought it because it was in the erotica section of feedbooks, and I found myself disappointed. It really belongs in the romance section. Small beautiful female is irresistably drawn to the large gorgeous male who has her in a moral dilemma between what her society expects of her and what her body desires. Unrequitted (for way too long) sexual tension ensues. You know the formula.
There are some sexual situations in the first 23% of the book, but I feel that if this were "erotica" the situations would have been more explicit and "gone farther".
As far as scifi goes, I didn't find it especially interesting. It has pale reflections of the standard post-cyberpunk tropes without anything new to add. The writing wasn't particularly vivid or descriptive, and the characterization was too hackneyed for me to take seriously.
That being said, a lot of people like this series, and they are reasonably priced at fictionwise so if you like romance and scifi, you will probably like these books. I won't be reading the rest of this book nor any others in the series, however. ...more
I bought the trilogy based on recommendations I found on another forum. I made it 64% of the way through before giving up. It really wants to be a greI bought the trilogy based on recommendations I found on another forum. I made it 64% of the way through before giving up. It really wants to be a great story, but it gets bogged down by over explanations. The character development reminded me of Robert Jordan - give each character Their One Trait, then never pass up a chance to cut'n'paste The One Trait into the narrative, even if it breaks the flow of the story.
The action is thin and predictable, but I kept reading through it expecting the characters to become interesting. Unfortunately, I never felt emotionally invested in the characters, and by a third of the way through I decided I was going to give it another third to become interesting. Not only did it not get interesting, it started reading like a young adult romance. Not my thing, though if the sales figures for Twilight are any indication I must be in the minority.
The writing style is very expository. It felt a little droll; like reading an objective recollection rather than fighting side by side with our heroines while society collapses around them. The author 'tells' more than 'shows', which is fine but I like a more vivid, descriptive style in my horror.
Obviously, a lot of people like this book so please give it a try. I found it VERY reasonably priced at kobo. Readers like me, who enjoy vivid violence, gore and sex and uniquely quirky characterization will be disappointed. However, if you like your romance and horror "PG" I expect you would like this a lot....more
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