Secret Vol 24 Red Sage

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Authors: Mia Varano, Rae Monet, Natasha Moore and Alexa Ames
Publisher: Red Sage

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A collection of erotic novellas, part of the popular print anthologies from Red Sage Publishing.

‘Hot on her Heels’ by Mia Varano

Former showgirl Viveca Steele runs the Lollipop Lounge, a Las Vegas strip club for women. She’s known as an ice queen, treating men as disposable slaves and never letting them get close to her. But her new stripper, Jack, might just make her change her rules about getting involved with the hired help.

Jack Slater is a PI who’s investigating allegations that many of the strippers become toy boy lovers to rich, elderly women and then rob them of their jewellery. Jack’s looking for a particular dancer named Rock, and the best way for him to investigate is to go undercover as a stripper.

Jack saves Viv from Charlie, the guy who ‘adopted’ her when she first came to Vegas as a teenage runaway. Viv’s tried hard to escape Charlie’s sleazy grasp, but now he wants a piece of both her and the Lollipop Lounge. Then Jack’s identity is revealed and Viv is furious, thinking she’s been tricked. As Jack gets closer to discovering who’s behind the thefts, Viv decides to take her own action against him – and plays right into Charlie’s hands…

This was a great story with which to open the latest Secrets anthology. A thoroughly enjoyable read, I couldn’t put it down as I watched the simmering attraction between Viv and Jack.

Viv is a strong, confident heroine. She’s someone who knows how to cater to women’s fantasies, but doesn’t allow herself to explore or enjoy her own. She fears losing control and making the same mistakes as she did as a teenager, and it takes time for her to learn to trust Jack – only for her to discover he’s not what he says he is.

The apparently superficial PI-undercover-stripper story conceals deeper currents, with a strong plot with numerous twists, as well as very likeable central and supporting characters (I especially liked Chanel, Viv’s best friend and business partner).

The love scenes are sexy but not over the top, but where this story really shines is in the sexual tension between Jack and Viv. Jack’s arrogance and Viv’s coldness are great contrasts that work very well in this fast-paced novella. 4.5 Flutes.

‘Shadow Wolf’ by Rae Monet

27th century bounty hunter Dia is half-Dange, half-Lupine, born without the power to shape-shift. A bloody war has raged between the Lupine and the Dange, who won after they poisoned the water supply to alter Lupine DNA so they couldn’t shift. Dia doesn’t feel like she belongs with either race, but now her skills as a tracker and her ability to scent out a wolf is demanded by the Dange Alliance. They offer her a huge sum of money to capture the Shadow Wolf on Earth.

She travels to Scotland where she meets Roark, a Solarian Wolf Warrior, who’s the prince of a race and secret society that’s been around since the 13th century. He’s bonded with a wolf, Wacipi, who’s the Shadow Wolf.

Dia seduces Roark in order to win over Wacipi, but gets more than she bargained for when she finally understands the connection between a man and a woman. Without realising it, she’s mated to Roark. She thinks she can leave Erath, taking Wacipi with her.

But Roark goes after her to seek revenge and rescue Wacipi. He ends up saving Dia from hostile Lupine fire and forging a wary alliance with her. As their relationship grows, they must learn to trust one another – but then Dia’s boss Zarik turns up to find out why she hasn’t fulfilled her part of the bargain…

This story really wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not a fan of futuristic or sci-fi romance so I struggled to read all of this novella just because it didn’t grab me. Fans of this genre may love it, though.

Dia was an interesting character but Roark didn’t match her. I found their first love scene rushed and unbelievable, and compared with the other three stories in the collection, the sex was quite tame. Later, Roark thinks the sex happened fast because he was under Dia’s mind-control. He’s supposed to be a warrior and yet didn’t suspect anything, so I found him a bit dumb.

The rest of the plot was simplistic, linear and a little contrived, making it an undemanding but forgettable read. 3 Flutes.

‘Bad to the Bone’ by Natasha Moore

Annie, still smarting from her ex-boyfriend’s comments that she’s boring in bed and in life, has decided she’s going to stop being a good little girl and start living it up as a bad girl. Attending a school reunion with her best friend Lacey, she decided that her first victim will be hunky Luke Kendall, who used to be the baddest boy around.

Classic car restorer Luke avoids commitments. His mother abandoned him when he was a child and he’s accustomed to distancing himself emotionally. Added to that is the fact that his ex-lover stole his money, and now Luke has no reason to trust women. Except he’s intrigued by bad girl Annie – and challenged by her attitude.

Together they burn up the sheets during a weekend of passion. Neither of them want it to end, but Annie knows that bad girls don’t cling. She’s ready to walk away – it’s Luke who asks her for more. They attend a car show together, but Luke’s thieving ex interferes. Can a bad boy ever reform, and can Annie go back to her good girl life?

Remember the scene at the end of Grease when Sandy wows Danny with her sexy transformation? That’s what reading this novella is like. Fun, sassy and blisteringly hot, I enjoyed every minute of this story. I loved how Annie finds the confidence to stand up for herself and take what she wants. Yes, she thinks about her actions and what the consequences could be, but that doesn’t stop her from doing as she pleases. She’s a fantastic heroine – and Luke is hot, hot, hot, more than a match for her.

Much of the enjoyment in this story comes from the shattering of expectations and stereotypes. When Luke kisses Annie for the first time, she reacts in her ‘good girl’ persona. He can sense it and is slightly mocking – and then she turns the tables on him.

With strong characterisation, sparkling dialogue and scorching sex, this is a really great read. I loved every minute of it. 5 Flutes.

‘War God’ by Alexa Ames

Estella, a graduate student, finds an invocation to an unknown deity in an old book of mythology. Inadvertently, she summons the god Ares. At first he hides himself, preparing her for him through her dreams. Then they meet in the flesh, Ares disguised first as a cop and then as a bouncer/boxer.

Since his break-up with Aphrodite, Ares has been searching for the woman whose body and soul contain the essence of Aphrodite. He’s certain that he’s found her in Estella, and demands a trade from Athena – the antidote to the poison he gave to her lover Argus in exchange for the power to bring Estella into the realms of the gods.

Athena keeps her side of the bargain and Estella is whisked away to Ares’ home in Elios. But can a mortal woman ever tame the god of war?

Although well written, it was something of a jolt to read a story that was 80% sex after the previous story. Characterisation is sketchy at best and the plot is thin, serving to link one sex scene with the next. I didn’t care for the depiction of Ares and didn’t buy his growing affection for Estella. The D/s aspect of the story didn’t do it for me, mainly because of the non-con ‘but I can read your mind and know what you *really* want’ aspect, and Estella’s passive attitude.

I enjoyed the exchange between the gods more than the relationship between Estella and Ares, even though several basic tenets of Greek mythology were broken without explanation.

If you’re just looking for a hot read, you’ll probably enjoy this one, but to my mind it suffers from being the final novella in the collection, especially after the high of the third story. 3 Flutes.

Summary

These four novellas are very different, offering a range of fantasies and locales. From bad boys to wolf warriors, PIs to Greek gods, the heroes are hunky, driven men who match their women in life and in bed. From a slice of real life to a strip club to Mount Olympus to futuristic sci-fi, this anthology has something for everyone. Rae Monet’s story is the weakest, but Natasha Moore’s superb novella more than makes up for it. Two light, sexy reads from Mia Varano and Alexa Ames complete the collection, which will be available in paperback from July.

Overall score: 3.8, rounded up to 4 Flutes.

Sofia’s Lobo Red Sage

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Author: Lauren Blades
Publisher: eRed Sage

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Sofia returns to Mexico with the crew of the television show she works on. She’s there to investigate the sights and sounds of a female ghost, Maria, who mourns her three children. Each year, on the anniversary of her death, the woman’s screams are reported. Sofia’s show investigates the paranormal.

Sofia meets up with her old lover, Antonio. They had parted ways years ago due to his secrets. For one, he is a werewolf. Antonio’s secrecy drove a wedge between them, and Sofia couldn’t put up with tormenting herself with where he was and what he was doing any longer.

Their desire for one another sparks again and, with many highly sexual scenes, they realise they still have feelings for one another. However, when Sofia visits the site where the screaming woman died, she sees a vision—one that appears to include Antonio… Pushing for answers from Antonio, Sofia finally uncovers the truth about Maria’s death. Will Sofia allow Antonio back into her life permanently now?

If you prefer a sex heavy book, then Sofia’s Lobo should hit the spot.

Blood Game eRedSage

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 and a half!

Author: Rae Monet
Publisher: eRedSage

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Byron Sangerian, a vampire, is captured by Rurik, the enemy of his Coven. For months he’s tortured by Rurik, who keeps calling him ‘brother’; for months he withstands this treatment by creating a safe dream-world inside his head where he can escape when the torture gets too much.

Sara Weston is a cyber-technician assisting Byron’s brothers in an attempt to free him from Rurik. Her expertise leads to a successful escape, but her skills are called on further when she’s asked to connect herself to the unconscious Byron via brain waves. Entering his dream-world, she gets to know the vampire and they begin to fall in love.

When Byron wakes, he’s desperate to find the woman who saved him. But Sara is afraid of meeting him in the real world – because she’s in a wheelchair. But Byron’s not ready to give her up so easily, no matter what his brothers, the Coven and Rurik say or do to stop him…

Blood Game is an erotic futuristic paranormal set in the near future. It’s the second book in a series entitled Blood Squad (the first book is available through Cerridwen Press rather than eRedSage), although it can be read on its own without too much backstory confusion.

I liked the detailed set-up - I particularly enjoyed the various rules governing vampire-human behaviour that headed each chapter - and the world-building, although many of the ‘futuristic’ items mentioned were standard contemporary objects given another name, which seemed a bit pointless.

The dream sequence where lovers meet may be one of the staples of the (erotic) romance genre, but here it’s presented with a medical twist. The growing relationship between Sara and Byron is nicely handled and well paced, managing to be both sweet and sexy.

This is the third book I’ve read from eRedSage and I’ve got to say I’m not particularly impressed with the quality of this publisher. A number of editorial errors were obvious in the other two books; Blood Game is twice the length and unfortunately contains twice the amount of errors.

However, the story is much more memorable than its stable-mates. I liked the universe in which it was set, and there’s a lot of potential here. The characters are interesting and sympathetic; backstory from the previous book is explained coherently and without infodump. I enjoyed the progression of Sara and Byron’s relationship and found their romance believable and satisfying.

What I didn’t like was the lack of resolution to the main story arc. While I can appreciate that this is Book 2 in an on-going series, I felt a bit robbed by the ending. Overall, this is a nice read to pass an hour or so, but it’s not a keeper for me.

A Damsel in Distress eRedSage

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Author: Brenda Williamson
Publisher: eRedSage

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Irisa, the daughter of a nobleman, is running away from an arranged marriage when she’s kidnapped and thrown on the back of a dragon. She manages to escape, only to be rescued by Sir Ware Pembroke, a knight who rides dragons. At first he thinks Irisa is a thief who stole one of his beasts, but by the time he’s accepted who she is and has delivered her safely home to her father, Ware has a more pressing interest – he wants to marry her.

But Irisa’s intended groom, Tulane, doesn’t plan on giving her up. He’s wanted her for years, and plots to seize her father’s lands as soon as possible. Ware is a threat and must be removed – just as soon as he’s bought Irisa to heel…

This erotic historical fantasy novella feels a little rushed as well as contrived. The plot is one well-trodden, and there’s little to single this book out from the others. I didn’t particularly like the writing style, which often bordered on purple prose. Perhaps it was intended to convey a sense of Ye Olden Times, but it really didn’t work for me. However, I liked the interaction between Irisa and Ware – their flirting and taunting at the beginning of the story was enjoyable to read.

Fans of Ms Williamson’s work will probably enjoy A Damsel in Distress, but for me it fell short of the mark.

A Christmas Cara eRedSage

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Author: Bethany Michaels
Publisher: eRedSage

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Workaholic Cara hates Christmas. If she could, she’d ban it entirely. No more stupid carols, no more gift-giving, no more goodwill to all men. Rejecting an invitation to an employee’s wedding and giving her handsome neighbour the brush-off when he asks her on a date for the sixth time, Cara is happy with her ordered, controlled life.

Or is she?

As she’s checking the stock market, the ghost of her dead boss, Marley Jacobs, appears in her laptop screen. After a few wisecracks…

“Why did you hold all those shares of Enron? I’d told you to sell.”“I didn’t have time. I was attending your funeral,” Cara said defensively.

“No excuse. No excuse at all.” She rolled her grayish eyes. “You never could take orders.”

…Marley reveals the purpose of her visit. Three more ghosts will appear to Cara before Christmas Day. Will the ghosts convince Cara to change her ways, or will she continue to be a miserable Scrooge for the rest of her life?

Most people are familiar with the classic A Christmas Carol, and Ms Michael’s sexy updated version of the tale doesn’t deviate from the original plot. The ghosts, of Passion Past, Present and Future, take Cara on a journey of awareness, showing her past lovers, would-be lovers and a grim future that only she has the power to change.

Considerably more light-hearted than the original, A Christmas Cara is a fun, undemanding read with a timeless message.