Tag Archives: erotica

Book Review of Captive (Beautiful Monsters, #1), by Jex Lane

Captive I received a free ARC of Captive, by Jex Lane, in exchange for an honest review.

Description from Goodreads:
Matthew Callahan has spent seven years struggling against the insatiable hunger for blood consuming him. Unable to stop the vampire inside from preying on humans, he keeps himself confined to a lonely existence.

Everything changes the night he is lured into a trap and taken prisoner by High Lord General Tarrick—a seductive incubus who feeds off sexual energy. Forced into the middle of a war between vampires and incubi, Matthew is used as a weapon against his own kind. Although he’s desperate for freedom, he is unable to deny the burning desire drawing him to the incubus general he now calls Master.

Review:
Man, I hate being the first person to give a book a poor review, but I just can’t agree with the majority here. I did not enjoy this book. The writing and editing are fine, but I had some major problems. The first of which was a preference thing. I’m not into the master/slave thing. It’s not my kink. Watching a man be broken and then come to love his enslavement is just not something I enjoy. I personally find it abhorrent. Not morally or anything, I wouldn’t bring that into a review. But I don’t find anything about it sexy. I consider it torture porn and, again, not my kink. I wouldn’t have picked the book up at all if I’d really believed this was the plot.

But outside of just not liking the type of book this turned out to be, I also basically thought this was 200+ pages of Matthew being too perfect and that just got old really, really fast. He started out clueless and I liked him as a character. But as soon as he got a little information he excelled at everything. He was faster, stronger, smarter, sexier, wittier, etc than everyone else. And not just a little bit better, but four times stronger than any other vampire. Plus, he had additional skills that I won’t mention so as not to include a spoiler, but he shouldn’t be impossible. He could charge into a room head-on, outnumbered and over-powered and win every time. Well, knowing that it’s hard to feel any real tension in any of the numerous fight sequences.

I did not feel the supposed affection between him and Tarrick (even when keeping a mind open for lies of protection). Please, don’t mistake this for a romance just because there is sex in it. You will be disappointed. I did appreciate that Matthew and other characters had both M/M and M/F sex, but I was shocked to find incubi and succubi with such HUMAN sentiments toward sex and relationships.

Humans were shockingly disposable. The narrative frequently fell into long tell heavy passages, as time passed. Matthew accepted his situation with shocking ease. The answer to the ‘what am I’ mystery was painfully obvious. The book felt overly long and, worst of all, never really accomplished anything significant before concluding with an open ending.

All in all, while it might be a matter of matching a book to a reader, I was disappointed with Captive. I could see what the author was trying to create with it, but I don’t feel it ever really accomplished it.

Book Review of Fated Dates and Mating Addiction, by Abraham Steele

I downloaded Fated Dates and Mating Addiction (by Abraham Steele) from Amazon when they were free. They are the first and the fifth book in the Fated Date Agency series. I’m not sure why I only had one and five, but I did.

Fated Dates Description from Goodreads:
Bryant had always known that Cade was straight. After years of crushing on his best friend, the bookish young omega was ready to move on. Cade would never be interested in him like that. It was time to move on – time for Bryant to get matched by the Fated Date Agency.

The agency’s response only showed Bryant how cruel fate could be. His sexy jock friend wasn’t just a crush – he was the only one for him. But Cade was still straight. Bryant couldn’t let him know that they were fated mates.

And yet… he couldn’t let him go.

Review:
WTH? This plot had more holes that a mesh screen! Seriously, I spent the whole book being confused about how it was still holding together at all. It was also repetitive, self absorbed, and the writing had a painfully naive quality to it. I didn’t like either of the characters. Being on the receiving end of anal sex was explicitly equated to being a woman. The happy ending was forced and unbelievable. The characters blithely broke the one rule of being a shift the reader was told about (more than once) and it was originally published in three parts, which makes no conceivable sense at all. Thank goodness I had a compilation.

Mating Addiction Description from Goodreads:
Disowned by his family, cut off from his pack, Raymond Fusco lives for the next conquest. And he’s definitely making one tonight. There’s no way he’s going to close off the weekend without pumping his cum into a hot, willing asshole. Any of the anonymous guys messaging him will do. The young alpha’s standards aren’t exactly high – there’s no point when he’s only going to see them once. The new guy who just emailed him stands out, though. Not only does Diago have a gorgeous face and cock, his way with words is also intriguing. Why would he refer to Grindr as an “agency”?

A week after breaking up with his first and only boyfriend, Diago Ayling has finally heard back from the Fated Date Agency. The lovelorn omega just got his heart stomped on, and now he’s ready to find the real thing: his fated mate. Even though Raymond told him to come straight to his place, Diago is picturing flowers and candlelight for their first date.

Diago is about to get a whole lot more than he bargained for. Then again – so is Raymond…

Review:
What the hell did I just read? MPreg, shifter romance, sure I’m familiar with the trope—fated mates, knotting, male pregnancy. I knew what I was in for in that respect. But this book was just…well, it’s just a big fat nope for me. The dual first person narratives were painful and the writing style is one I don’t enjoy.

Raymond and his sex addition (more like sex frenzy) was a jerk until the magic peen cured him. Or that’s not quite right, he didn’t get the magic penis because he’d the alpha they don’t get dick. They give the dicking, cause they’re The Man. So, I guess he got the magic ass. Either way he was magically cured of his sex addiction by having sex with Diago. I bet all sex addicts wish they’d known all they needed to beat that demon is the right sex and lots of it. This book is predominantly sex, but really rushed frantic sex that wasn’t in the least satisfying.

I somehow only had book one and five in this series this one is better than the first and both stood alone just fine. Though I don’t understand the breaking into three parts. I think they may have been initially published as serials. If I’d read these as serials instead of a compilation I’d have been furious. Also this (and the first one for that matter) is listed at 200+ pages in length. I have a hard time thinking it’s really that long.

Book Review of Bloodlines (KinKaid Wolf Pack #1), by Jessica Lee

I picked up a copy of Bloodlines, by Jessica Lee, when it was free on Amazon. It was still free at the time of posting.

Description from Goodreads:
Evin KinKaid, the only son of the KinKaid pack’s alpha, has a secret. One that will tear his family apart. In one year, Evin is to succeed his father as alpha leader and continue the dominant bloodline of his family. There’s only one problem: Evin is gay. When Evin is pushed into the bed of his intended female mate, he’s forced to reveal the truth. And for an alpha male wolf shifter promised to a female whose goal is to one day be queen, coming out has never been more explosive.

To Mason Thorne II, heir to Thorne Global Inc., life is a lie. To sustain his father’s love, Mason has agreed to stay in the family business and to one day assume his place as CEO. Instead of reaching for his heart’s desire, he’s settled for a life he never wanted. But an unexpected auto accident will send Evin and Mason into each other’s arms and down a path toward a destiny neither man can escape: an eternity sealed in blood.

Review:
This was ok, not great, deep or important in any way, but also not all bad. It was basically 75% sex though. Which was a shame because that left far too little room for the plot, which was weak to say the least. I rather thought it just a pretty skin laid over the sex to tie it all together. Meh.

The main characters, while likable, were shallow and poorly developed. Everyone else were just caricatures, blown up and over exaggerated villains or angels. Mostly including cheesy dialogue to match their role. Meh.

The writing, when not dripping cheese, was fine. But the editing was a mess. Meh.