J.R. Ward – Lover Awakened

Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
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Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #3
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other – six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

MIND. BLOWN.

“I was dead until you found me, though I breathed. I was sightless, though I could see. And then you came…and I was awakened.”

There’s really no eloquent way to describe my emotional state after reading this book, which could ever live up to the journey I just went on.

J.R. Ward has a crazy habit of getting under my skin with these books. For all the humor and playfulness of the Brothers, there is never a shortage of hard-hitting plot line. Even though this is the third book I’ve read in the series, I’m still amazed by how amazing and well written the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series is.

You know what else?

• Strong female characters (that’s right, multiple strong women)
• Edge of your seat action and suspense
• So much love (brotherly love, loyalty, compassion, & sacrifice)
• The character development is outstanding
• Z’s story was moving and emotional without being unbearable angsty
• The story lines weave through each book, so
  – No Cliffhangers
  – Our favorite characters continue with the series

“Your hands on a gun butt right now, isn’t it? Afraid of me?”
“Just want to make sure I can take care of you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, in case you need Glock-to-mouth-resuscitation.”

All of the flashbacks which filled in the history of Zsadist and his brother Phury were beautifully incorporated. Their respective histories had been hinted at in the first two books, but it was so awesome to see how the twins came together through tragedy.

The last quarter of the book was so packed with emotion, I could hardly contain myself… I won’t give anything away, but these books never shy away from intensity. They really hit you where it hurts sometimes. I never see these twists coming, and I’m right these with the rest of the Brotherhood, soaking up the outcomes…

“I’m not broken, I’m ruined. Do you understand the difference? With broken maybe you can fix things. Ruined? All you can do is wait to bury me.”

Here’s the amazing thing about the Black Dagger Brotherhood – there are so many characters, so many motives, backstories, curses to bear…

Everyone gets their chance to share their point of view, and you can’t help but get wrapped up in their stories. Even the bad guys get their shot at giving their POV – and I was enraptured. I hated David/O, but man oh man, I loved seeing the world through his psychotic eyes.

The fact that J.R. Ward can get me emotionally attached (for better or worse) to all of these characters really speaks to the quality of her writing.

I’m going to snuggle up with a bottle glass of wine and try to come down from this serious book hangover before moving on to Lover Revealed… I’m just not mentally ready yet…

C.J. Roberts – Captive in the Dark

Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts
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Series: The Dark Duet #1
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.

Christ on a Cracker…
This book is Stockholm’s Syndrome Filed under Erotic Romance…

“[You thought] that you could fix me? What’s more, that I could fix you? Well, sorry, Pet, I don’t want to be fixed. Whatever your little school-girl brain told you about men is absurdly wrong. This isn’t a romance. You’re not a damsel in distress, and I’m not the handsome prince come to save you. You ran. I went to collect my property. End of story.”

A Dual P.O.V. story about a girl abducted off the streets of LA, and the man who intends to train her as a pleasure slave before selling her into the sex trade. This is a non-consensual piece of Erotica, so be forewarned…

And the really Crazy thing? I Liked it.
Dark,
Twisted,
Suspenseful,
Well Written…

I’m impressed with this one, but a rough cliff-hanger leaves me hesitant… I have it marked on my list of books to read in the distant future.

A.N. Roquelaure – Beauty’s Release

Beauty’s Release by A.N. Roquelaure
(Pen Name of Anne Rice)
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Series: Sleeping Beauty #2
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final book in Anne Rice’s erotic Sleeping Beauty series

Before E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day’s Bared to You,, there was Anne Rice’s provocative take on the timeless fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty. “ In the final volume of Anne Rice’s deliciously tantalizing erotic trilogy, Beauty’s adventures on the dark side of sexuality make her the bound captive of an Eastern Sultan and a prisoner in the exotic confines of the harem. As this voluptuous adult fairy tale moves toward conclusion, all Beauty’s encounters with the myriad variations of sexual fantasy are presented in a sensuous, rich prose that intensifies this exquisite rendition of Love’s secret world, and makes the Beauty series and incomparable study of erotica. In it, Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquelaure, makes the forbidden side of passion a doorway into the hidden regions of the psyche and the heart.

A fitting end to this High-Fantasy erotic series complete with HEA for all the characters we’ve come to love.

“Yes,” I thought, “Do it harder. Whip me soundly for what I have done. Let the blaze of pain grow brighter, hotter.” But it was not coherent, what I thought. It was like a song in my head, made up of rhythms – The strap, my cries, the creak of the wood…

I actually enjoyed this much more than the other two books which preceded it. I was particularly pleased with the way that the Sultan’s castle was described, as well as all the luscious debauchery contained within.

“…I felt as I always did at the core of punishment: The coming of a tranquility, a quiet place in the very center of frenzy, in which I could surrender all the parts of my being.”

A.N. Roquelaure – Beauty’s Punishment

Beauty’s Punishment by A.N. Roquelaure
(Pen Name of Anne Rice)
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Series: Sleeping Beauty #2
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The delicious and erotically charged sequel to The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

This sequel to The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, the first of Anne Rice’s (writing as A.N. Roquelaure) elegantly written volumes of erotica, continues her explicit, teasing exploration of the psychology of human desire. Now Beauty, having indulged in a secret and forbidden infatuation with the rebellious slave Prince Tristan, is sent away from the Satyricon-like world of the Castle. Sold at auction, she will soon experience the tantalizing punishments of “the village,” as her education in love, cruelty, dominance, submission, and tenderness is turned over to the brazenly handsome Captain of the Guard. And once again Rice’s fabulous tale of pleasure and pain dares to explore the most primal and well-hidden desires of the human heart. Preceding the visceral eroticism of E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day’s Bared to You, and even more haunting than her own novel Belinda, this second installment is not to be missed.

High Fantasy, Graphically Sexual, and Exquisitely Detailed… I feel that in this day and age, there are few taboo texts which still exist to embarrass the reader who unapologetically devoured the pages without regard to the outside world… But the Classic Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping Beauty comes as close as possible to that point…

Many readers detest these books… I enjoy them!

“It was over. The cracks still rang in her ears. She could still feel the paddle as if in a dream. And her sex was like a hollow chamber in which all pleasures she had known left their loud, reverberating echo.”

I’ll not go so far as to pretend that these books represent some sort of hallmark for the genre (or of the D/s Lifestyle in general), but they are a journey worth taking if you have the metaphorical balls for it.

I’m not even going to try and pretend that I don’t wield these books as a weapon against those who are ignorant enough about the D/s Lifestyle to believe that Fifty Shades of Grey and its fuzzy handcuff contemporaries represent BDSM… Not that those books aren’t entertaining for what they are (Modern Romance with a slightly erotic, slightly kinky kick)… But let’s endeavor to call a spade a spade, people… Before someone gets their pretty little feelings hurt…

When I picked up the infamous & highly erotic The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, so many years ago,  I did not know that additional books existed in the series. A few weeks ago, Carie Ernst and I were discussing Erotic Fiction, and she brought up these books. The next time Carie arrived on my doorstep she had the second and third books in hand for my reading pleasure.

These books are completely over-the-top graphically sexual & and descriptive to the point of making the reader squirm… However, I find the psychology of the submissive much more accurate in Anne Rice’s fantasy land than it is often portrayed in the soft-core BDSM-light Erotic Romances which come across my path more frequently.

I found Tristan’s chapters “In the House of Nicolas” and “Splendid Equipage” to be amazingly (perhaps morbidly?) fascinating… It was my first foray into horsey-play after all… and a lady never forgets her first. 😉

A.N. Roquelaure – The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure
(Pen Name of Anne Rice)
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Series: Sleeping Beauty #1
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquleaure. In the traditional folktale of ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind’s unconscious. Now Anne Rice’s retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince reawakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty’s complete and total enslavement to him…as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience.

One piece of Erotica which shall forever hold a special place in my naughty little heart…

This was the real world then – Beauty and I free to have each other and all the others gone. Just the two of us in my bedchamber, where I should envelop her naked soul in rituals and ordeals beyond our past experiences, our dreams. No one to save her from me. No one to save me from her. My slave, my poor helpless slave…

I suppose I should preface this review with a bit of a confession…
This was one of the very first pieces of Erotica I ever read, and I read it at an age which (in hindsight) was wholly inappropriate for my level of sexual awareness…

Due to this fact, I was completely overwhelmed with what I read in the pages of this book.

I was completely sucked-in and transfixed by the elaborate (and oftentimes absurd) fantasy world full of debauchery within. This tiny paperback, pages now yellowed, spine cracked and flaking, was once tucked away under my mattress like a playboy…

Now it sits proudly – though tattered with love – on my bookshelf…

Because if it weren’t for finding this book in my youth, I might never have become a professional Reader of Erotica. You might never have read a book review by Shurrn…

So as I said, it holds a special place for me.

That being said… This is a ridiculous book filled with absurdity and it lies closer to the line of satire and farce than it does to the modern erotic. Many readers are going to find this book – and the whole series – to be unreadable for it’s over-the-top nature in every scene and character…

I can’t fault them for that…

I’ve often felt that this book was the literary equivalent of The Aristocrats story swapped between comedians… Where the story teller attempts to inject as much vile/offensive/taboo material into their tale as possible.

For all that, this book is still special to me, regardless of the overall quality.

So please feel free to take this review with a grain of salt…