ARC Review: Three to Tango by Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly, Bethany Kane

Blurb:

Four of erotic fiction’s most talented authors carry readers away with all-new tales of ecstasy that prove that the most delectable things in life come in threes…

In Emma Holly’s FLIPPING FOR CHELSEA, Shay and Liam shared an unforgettable night with their lifelong friend, Chelsea, awakening a rush of forbidden feelings—feelings they have to reckon with when the three reunite, and the unrequited lust between them is too much to bear.

Though Ava left her hard-knock Georgia childhood behind, she never forgot Luca and Angelo. Together they were best friends with a bond that could never be broken. But when she returns, the three must decide whether to face the fires that burn between them, or forgo their desires forever in Lauren Dane’s DIRTY/BAD/WRONG.

In Megan Hart’s JUST ONE NIGHT, fun-loving couple Kerry and Jeremy find themselves in a triangle of trouble when Kerry’s old crush, Brian, returns for a school reunion, and Jeremy gives her his enthusiastic approval to seduce him. But while Jeremy has no trouble sharing Kerry, Brian isn’t sure he can handle what’s coming.

Years ago, Walker walked out on Madeline when she needed him most. Now, the ex-Secret Service agent is back—hired to protect Madeline by her billionaire boss, Tony. Madeline is determined to make him pay for denying her desires—and she’s not above bringing Tony in to sweeten the deal in Beth Kery’s ON THE JOB.

Susi's review:
When I got the chance to review this anthology I actually jumped up and down like a madwoman. I love Ms Dane's and Ms Hart's writing and both in one book was just too good to be true. In retrospect I'm even more happy I read it because I discovered another great author.

Dirty/Bad/Wrong by Lauren Dane - 5 stars

This story has all the reason why I love Lauren's writing. It's sexy as hell- we have some serious dirty talking and the general sexual openness I admire in her work. She isn't afraid to take the unconventional route even in a genre that already is exactly that. We get a menage where the guys are also in love. *swoon* I love that. Why? Because I always doubt these scenarios where the guys just love the woman and still live together happily forever after. I like when the love is more balanced out and for me it's just what I want to read about in a book like this.

Second fact why I love her books- she has a way to create these family bonds- even when the "family" isn't the real blood related one. She threads all the emotions together and you won't be able to stay detached. She just grabs your heart and you will fall in love with her characters. Just wonderful.Her characters are wonderful fleshed out and each one of them has a special feel- it makes them special in their own and give the story itself more vibrancy. One of my favorite stories by Ms Dane.

Just One Night by Megan Hart - 4 stars

Again Ms Hart chose one of the harder ways to approach the threesome topic. I love the way she always does that- she catches your interest with raising one of those "moral" questions (okay that sounds weird but it kind of is like this) and then pushes you through the story on your way to discover how she will solve it

Jeremy is the mysterious boyfriend that likes the idea of letting his girlfriend fuck her teenage crush. At first he really seemed fun and yes some people have kinks like that but a bit into the story I started thinking about what kind of boyfriend that is? Does he actually love her? These are also some questions Kerry asks herself. She is concerned about what her actions will actually mean to the working relationship she lives in. Will she ruin this? Does she care if she does? Because when she really is honest she wants it too. Brian isn't only her teenage crush- he still is one of her fantasies and don't we love it when those are even better in real life?
Brian is a nice guy in contrast to our first 2 protagonists- the guy you would fall in love with in high school and always dream about later in your life. He's not as "dirty" as these two are and he's a bit thrown headfirst into the mix without any real warning. But he learns fast and with the passion he and Kerry have going between each other it's no real surprise.
In the middle of the story the tension rose so much I just couldn't stop reading..- a heart-wrenching sitution that will make you ache. Again a very emotionally intense story I love through and through.

Flipping for Chelsea by Emma Holly - 5 stars

Okay i admit my first thought was WTF seriously? But luckily my misinterpretation of the beginning solved itself really fast and nearly immediately changed into OMFG hawt. Shay and Liam are very different characters. The young Shay we meet in the first chapter really broke my heart. He is a nice guy with a tragic past that was just so cute. He's a teenage boy with a huge crush not only on his best friend, Chelsea, but also on his "brother" (who isn't really his brother *whew*) Liam. He can't help it but he wants them both and he knows that if he ever shows his attraction in front of Liam he will lose the precious friendship they share. This made me so sad- love should never be something you have to hide but unfortunately sometimes it's the only way to keep something you treasure more than anything save. Liam on the other side is more mature and let's say it as it is more built. *swoon* I loved him- the young and the older one. He's demanding but not overbearing. Caring but not to mushy- just the right mix for my taste. When the story progressed into the present time the tension between our characters was even stronger. I loved how everything in this story fit together- the characterization, the story and the sex scenes just fit and made it a whole thing that was wonderfully balanced.
The sex scene in the first chapter really caught me off guard and made me sit around with an open mouth- now I'm not even sure why. It wasn't something I never read about before but Ms Holly wrote it in a way that blew me away- in a really burning hot way. I don't know why I never read her books before but I already order 3 other books- so you can see it was awesome. 

On The Joby by Bethany Kane - 3 stars

This one was sadly my least favorite in this anthology. It seems Ms Kery's writing is a hit or miss for me. For my taste the characterisation was too shallow and the sex to intense in comparism. I couldn't really follow why the attraction between them was burning so hot and even more I didn't get why Madeline submitted so easily to Walker. My connection to the characters didn't grow enough- so I actually felt pretty detached while reading it. I also thought that Walker got away with too much but perhaps that resolutes in my non-understanding of their relationship. The story was still really hot even though it pushed some of my buttons. The plot was nice at first but it resolved too easily. It really took the second row and the sex was too much the focus. Don't get me wrong I like my smut like any girl but I actually would have more depth around it.

Three to Tango is one of the best anthologies I ever read. It kept me glued to the pages and actually prevented me from doing the important stuff for one whole day. A great collection of erotic romance which also delivers the emotional depth I love in my books. Highly recommended read!

and the HEAs are devilishly good. *g*

Author Links:

Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly, Bethany Kane

Book Links:

Goodreads, Amazon, The Book Depository

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Mini Review: Moonlight Madness by Megan Hart

Description:
"One Night Only!" When Rhea's offered the bargain of a lifetime on a unique fur coat, she doesn't know it will change her life forever. Short erotic fiction by the author of best-selling novels Dirty, Broken, No Greater Pleasure and more!

Review:
When you need something entertaining for your break at work this is the story for you. Moonlight Madness is an intiguing story with many aspects that caught my attention. First we have the mystery of the the fur coat store with an unbelievable Moonlight-Sale no woman could resist- spooky salesman included. We have an amazing hot dancefloor scene and yes we visit a bedroom too. This story mixes an fascinating story, wonderful characters, smex and horror. Yep I would have never thought that this would work, even less in such a sexy short read but at the end I was really looking like this O_O and one or two ewwwws escaped my mouth.
The characters are fascinating and I could relate to the heroine. Her struggles are something every woman knows from time to time and it makes you highly sympatic to her. When we meet the hero Ted my heart melted into a puddle of goo. I love when men appreciate a woman like this. Very nice.
The story has a great pace and the plot is appropriate for the length.

Moonlight Madness was perfect as a Halloween read but it's also a nice thrill for your short reading break. And I'm not sure I mentioned enough that it's hot.

To learn more about Megan and her books please visit her website here.

Read other reviews @goodreads. Buy the book @smashwords only $0.99

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ARC Review: Selfish is the Heart by Megan Hart

Description:

The national bestselling author of No Greater Pleasure delivers a new novel featuring a reluctant student of seduction.

To escape an arranged marriage, Annalise Marony decides to become a Handmaiden of the Order of Solace. But she is thwarted at every turn by Cassian, a teacher of the faith, who must test her dedication. Older than most of the girls, Annalise knows that she will be expected to please a patron in pleasures of the flesh-and she is not shy about teasing Cassian. And as they both play out the game of master and student, the secrets in their souls will either tear them apart-or bind them together forever.

Review:
Before I start this review I have to give a shout out to pattepoilue. She is one of the nicest and loveliest persons I ever met and without her I wouldn't have had the opportunity to read this book. Thank you! And thanks to Megan Hart too, for being such a wonderful writer and person.

Megan Hart did it again- she wrote a romance novel different from anything I ever read before. Sure we have the romance and the usual struggle till we get to our Happily Ever After but the way we get there is again something so unique, it will catch you flat-footed.

I enjoyed the first 2 books in The Order of Solace Series and I was always curious how these Handmaiden studied their profession before their first patron. I think I had many things in common with Annalise there, we both were full of prejudices and false ideas about how naughty this education would be.

Annalise went to the Motherhouse for the wrong reasons. She wanted to escape an arranged marriage. She is bethroted to her gay best friend but she knows with all her heart that they both will be unhappy in an union like this. She had to find a way out of this without making their lives even harder as they already are. So she
feigned a vision and ventured to the Order to become a Handmaiden. She is a strong heroine with a will of steel. She never backs down or is not once afraid to say what she thinks. She's not one of those cold hearted woman though, she is full of compassion and understanding for others. She stands up for what she believes and seems to be fearless in her actions. On her her journey to the motherhouse she meets the dark and broooding Cassian and he leads her astray. Later she discovers that he's her teacher and not only this first meeting makes them clash together more than ones. They don't often agree about anything and their attraction to each other isn't helping them either.

Cassian has his own struggles to live through. He worked hard to become the hard looking and untouchable teacher he is now. He likes to be on his own, unbothered by the rest of the world. He likes to bath in his guilt without interruptions. And Annalise just won't let him hide behind his cold mask- she always picks at him without mercy but still he just can't bring himself to not care for her even though she's a nuisance.

It was totally refreshing to read about those two. It's really not your typical romance. Most of the time they are fighting and you always think now they will make up. *wink* I loved how Annalise was never afraid to tell Cassian and everyone else what she thinks but never was too much. I loved that she knew how to push his buttons and it was wonderful to watch them grow closer with every single fight. I think this is one of the facts why I love Megan Hart's books so much. She never goes the traditional way and so it never gets boring for us as the reader. I think Ms. Hart describes it wonderfully in this book:

In her dreams, in the fae stories, such a declaration was always met with a kiss and an embrace, with mingled laughter and tears and followed by a wedding.

This was not a fae story.

Selfish is the Heart is by far my favorite Order of Solace novel. The heroine is wonderful independent and strong- I could completely relate to her. The hero is just wonderful broody and dark and both together made my heart ache. This series is so different to every thing else I read in this genre so far. As always  I adore Ms. Hart's writing and her words just enthrall me from the first page.
Wonderful exotic fantasy romance- you won't be able to put it down and it won't leave your thoughts long after you closed it.

To learn more about Megan Hart and her books please visit her website here.

Read other reviews @Goodreads, buy @Book Depository

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Review: Exit Light by Megan Hart

Description:
Tovah Connelly would rather be asleep than awake. Since her accident, she’s become a shaper in the dream world, the Ephemeros, where she can manipulate places and people with just a thought. Tovah’s friends there, Ben and Spider, encourage Tovah to develop her skills, but the one ability she doesn’t want is to control the dreams of others— it’s a power she’s wary of, and a responsibility she’s not ready for.

Nobody can sleep all the time, though— not if they want a waking life that bears a semblance of normalcy. And Tovah’s waking life is vastly different from her dream life: she’s rebuilding and regaining her sanity after nearly losing it in the accident’s aftermath.

But when nightmares begin rocking the Ephemeros, Tovah’s two worlds begin to collide. As those she cares about are threatened, Tovah may discover that the one responsibility she doesn’t want is the only defense she has.

I received this book from netgalley.

Review:
Megan Hart did it again- she wrote a book I just can't stop thinking about. I finished it a few days ago and still my thoughts about it are all consuming and never seem to stop. Be happy that you aren't my BF cuz he has to live with the fact that every few hours I mention this book in some way. That makes reviewing this book even harder because each time I think I know what to write something else pops up in my head. I will start to sort my thoughts for you and I hope I will be able to show you why I adore this book.

Exit Light is a Paranormal Fiction Novel. Most of the last Megan Hart books I read were contemporary and I like this genre because of her. BUT my first big love is the Paranormal world, so that made this book even more special to me. The world we are thrown into is not so much different from the one we live in. To be exact the waking world is exactly like ours but we have the Ephemeros, the world of dreams, too. In this world we meet Tovah, a young woman in her prime walking and shaping this world of dreams. And yes with shaping I mean she can do what she wants in that world, if she would just practice enough. She can change her apperance and her surroundings with her own will and she isn't shy to use this gift. She enjoys herself here and does what she likes most- nothing holds her back, so she lives her life 100%. This part of her life is her anchor for the real world. It gives her hope and something to look forward to. She needs this badly cuz a few years ago she had a car accident which changed her life drastically. She nearly lost her life and mind, has to live with the physical consequences on her own now too because she lost the love of her ex-husband on her way of finding a sense for life again, too.. My heart bled for Tovah.She really has her own cross to carry in this world. She is strong and knows what she wants. She won't back down but that makes the whole situation not less hard to live with.

This book had a extraordinary charm in my eyes. I loved that we learned everything about the world and the characters bit by bit. I am usually annoyed by this but Mrs. Hart has a way of doing this which just enthralled me more. I needed to know more and it just made me lose all urges to put the book down. Her sidecharacters are mysterious at first and with each chapter we get more information and the huge puzzle begins to take shape. I loved Spider. He is a friend in the Ephemeros and the real world. His chosen appearance in the dream world is a spider and I found it highly fascinating how the other characters interacted with that "animal form". He was still able to speak and interact and that gave the story a nice fantasy twist.

I also love the mystery of discovering who everyone from the Ephemeros is in the real world. The ability to change your appearance there made me suspect everyone and I was wrong more than ones. The pacing of the story was perfect and the world building was cleverly done. It reminded me a bit of Sergei Lukyanenko's novels not because of a similar story but more of the writing style, pace and character development general. Oh I should mention that  love Lukyanenko.

And nearly forget the romance. Special twist here too. We are confronted with the big question: is love in the Ephemeros real or not? And if you have someone in the dream world is it betraying someone you have in the real world. How would you handle these 2 different worlds? It is after all the normal dream world we all visit every night only that Tovah knows how to form it with her will and can connect to other "dreamers" there. She was a bit torn with this question and I was too. She has some potential "lovers" in this book and I couldn't decide which one I like most for a long time.

I would recommend this book to every one who likes a good paranormal with an emotional twist and not only a focus on the action. Exit Light is heartbreakingly good like all of Mrs. Hart's novels.
  
To learn more about Megan Hart and her books please visit her website here.


You can read other review of Exit Light @goodreads and purchase the book @CarinaPress.

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Review: Switch by Megan Hart

Description:

Don't think.
Don't question.
Just do.
The anonymous note wasn't for me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the habit of reading other people's mail, but it was just a piece of paper with a few lines scrawled on it, clearly meant for the apartment upstairs. It looked so innocent, but decidedly— deliciously—it was not.

Before replacing the note—and the ones that followed— in its rightful slot, I devoured its contents: suggestions, instructions, commands. Each was more daring, more intricate and more arousing than the last… and I followed them all to the letter.

Before the notes, if a man had told me what to do, I'd have told him where to go. But submission is an art, and there's something oddly freeing about doing someone's bidding…especially when it feels so very, very good. But I find that the more I surrender, the more powerful I feel—so it's time to switch up roles.
We play by my rules now.

Review:

I received this book as a review copy from netgalley and then...uh...kind of bought the book out of my OCD to have the really good books as a print copy.

At first I really loved this cover. It represents the book really well and it is just nice to look at. Then I remembered the discussion about "Is he sniffing his armpit?" (BF thought that too by the way) and now I always have to smile when I look at it.

Just to warn you in advance: I'm such a sucker for Ms. Hart's writing and I can hardly leave out all the adoration and awe I feel while thinking about her books.

Like always while reading a book by this author I was highly surprised to get something different from what I expected. After reading the blurb I thought about a highly erotic game in a D/s relationship. But again this book is so much more.

Paige is a very complex character although her life is nothing exceptional- she is the illegitimate daughter of a businessman and his secretary. She is in her twenties now and already divorced once. She has a strange love for paper and ink and quite quirky boss but otherwise her life is completely ordinary. Until she finds the first note in her mailbox. The note is not for her but who would put a unsealed note down before reading it (not me- I would be reading it ASAP too). And OMG what a message this note is:

Shall we begin?
This is your first list.
You will follow each instruction perfectly. There is no margin for error. The penalty for failure is dismissal.
Your reward will be my attention and command.
You will write a list of ten. Five flaws. Five strength. Deliver them promptly to the address below.

So huh? Now you all feel nosy? I so did. The journey Paige goes with these notes is eye-opening not only for her but for the reader too. Or so it was for me. I really adored the way Ms. Hart developed Paige's view of relationships, men and sexuality through these little notes. I won't tell which direction this takes but it was a surprising one.

On the other hand we have Austin. He is Paige's high school love and ex-husband. Austin has his good and bad sides. I couldn't decide at the start if I liked him or not. But with time he really grew on me and sometimes I was more on his side and would have loved to tell Paige what I think of her decisions.

We also have her sexy neighbor Eric. He's a real eye catcher and a very nice person but was way too nice for me. I was praying the whole time that he would make a move on Paige but you have to read that for yourself. *wicked grin*

This book, as all books by Megan Hart, was a wild ride for me. It's not a great tearjerker as the former books I read but perhaps I got glassy eyes ones or twice. *wink* I always love that her books are so full of emotion and they have such an intense and real feeling that I can only say: you all should read one of her books. Her novels are always so much more for me than just an erotica. Don't get me wrong, I like my erotica smutty and all but hers are always so emotional intense and thought inspiring. It could be that this is only my impression but I just can't stop buying her books (only 2 this week *guilty face*). Megan Hart's writing is a new addiction of mine and I can't wait to get new fix!

To learn more about Megan Hart and her books please visit her website here.

You can read other reviews @goodreads and buy the book @amazon.

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