Essential Erotic Reading

There is a lot of good erotica in the short story genre at the moment and this is one of the best. Red hot stories that are believable and imaginative, the characters are beautiful and are doing things we all do, or would like to do. I also enjoyed the 2007 edition, thats well worth a look. And my own personal favourite, the classic '100 Percent Erotica' by Suzie Van Aartman, you'll need to change your underwear after reading that.

Laugh and cry out loud

This is my second Jill Mansell. The characters were warm and/or engaging, even the flawed ones. the central premise was such a strong one: you could really understand what keeps Kerr and Maddy apart. There is a lot of magic wand-waving at the end, but I still cried several times. Loved it.

Moving portrayal of grief and loss

This book is a wonderful and true portrayal of the separation anxiety felt after losing a great love. I lost my own great love after two years, and identified with Anna on every level. She describes herself as a ''ghost'', she is in this life, but not part of it, and that is where such enormous grief puts you. I cried my heart out when the butterfly appears at the end. In my case it was a dragonfly, on the snow filled day I laid the love of my life to rest. I felt Marian had looked inside my heart. sad, funny, moving and ultimately life -affirming.

good read

Telling the story of a woman who is so in love with her lover that she is willing to endure pain and humiliation,"The Story of O" is not for the faint hearted, or in fact the weak stomached.<br /><br />After reading this book and wanting someone elses opinion on it, i have passed it on to my friends. All 4 of them that a passed it too, have been unable to read it, claiming it too be 'sick' and 'disgusting'. In fact, so many people who read this book, miss the point of it entirely, or don't read far enough to understand the beauty of the story.<br /><br />My only let down about it was that, even written decades ago, it still feels like a book written with a sequal in mind. And don't even get me started on the paragraph containing the"Alternate Ending." My initial feeling about the ending is that Reage intended to make the alternate ending the ACTUAL ending, but was then advised against it as it closed any doors for another book. A great shame.<br /><br />Apart from this, a truely beautiful, but greatly misunderstood story.

A beautiful introduction

Having only really read one"erotic" novel before and not really been that impressed, this was an impulse buy on the grounds I couldn't afford anything else in the shop :)<br /><br />Not really knowing what to expect (and Starbucks is not a good place to have a quick peek!) I was delighted with the book. Elegantly and intelligently written it was a joy to read, and the temptation to gorge on all of the stories was hard to resist. Most tastes are catered for, but in a way that even if you are not that way inclined you'll probably enjoy the story if not in such a personal way. Somehow they have also been written so that reading them out loud is not totally cringe worthy.<br /><br />I thought a particularly nice touch was the design of the books - smart enough to sit on a bookshelf or bedside table without screaming"erotica" at the world. Somehow they have captured the spirit of AP, slightly daring, very sexy, very grown up and very elegant.

Tedious and predictable...

Unfortunately, I really didn't find this book lived up to its reviews. I found the descriptions pedestrian and the scenarios unimaginative.

Another good 'un

Over the last couple of years my"favourite" authors have been disappointing in characters and plot line <br />BUT this is another good plot and characters. Nice to meet characters from previous books, it makes the story more real, there really can't be limitless members of the aristocracy/nobility. It's also set in the Georgian, rather than the ubiquitious Regency period so favoured by most historical writers. It took them a long time to reach England, but what an adventure. Loved the main male character - Robin - and the introduction of other (hopefully future storylines) characters, and what can you say about . . . (sorry, I'll not spoil it)

An Average read

I have read all of Stephanie laurens books and I have to say that her latest books don't hold a candle to her earlier ones. This book was alright, nothing special. If you want to read Stephanie Laurens at her best try her earlier books.

4**** but only for the Angela Knight and Lora Leigh tales

....as the others by authors whose works I never purchase made me wonder why the tales featured in an erotic anthology. Yes they were a little more starkly graphic than most mainstream novels, but erotica - I think not.<br /><br />Overall, not a bad buy for the price, as I would have paid it alone for LL's Jaguar's Kiss, featuring the Creole Breed, Saban Rousseau, and for AK's futuristic cyborg tale.

I couldn't put this book down, I had to keep on reading.

The only thing I can say about this book is, I fell in love with Daniel MacGregor and his wonderfull family.

5 blue ribbon Romance Junkies review

Arabella and her sisters have worked hard to make a life for themselves since their parents' arranged marriage ended in a scandal that left the girls ostracized from society. They run and teach at their finishing school for young ladies. None of them have any desire to enter into a marriage like their parents had and are perfectly content to remain spinsters; unfortunately their new guardian has other plans for them. He intends to fulfill his obligation and find them each a suitable husband - he just hadn't counted on Arabella turning out to be such a worthy opponent - or such an enchanting one.<br /><br />Marcus Pierce, the new Earl of Danvers, is well aware that finding the Loring sisters' spouses isn't going to be an easy task. He hasn't even met them yet and already he's butting heads with the eldest, Arabella. She insists that he release them from his guardianship and allow them to take care of themselves - like they've done for years. He has no intention of honoring her request, after all they are his responsibility and he does not shirk his duties.<br /><br />Marcus isn't sure where he'll find suitable spouses for Arabella, Roslyn and Lillian. It would be very helpful if his friends and fellow escapees from the Marriage Mart, Andrew and Drew would be agreeable to consider marriage. He's having no luck convincing them to change their minds and certainly isn't about to get leg shackled himself. However, an unexpected appearance in his home by none other than the obstinate Arabella has him reconsidering his position. No woman has ever excited him the way Arabella does but she's determined not to marry and no amount of reasoning on Marcus's part is going to convince her otherwise. <br /><br />Marcus is determined to persuade her to his way of thinking and so he issues a challenge. For two weeks he'll court Arabella and try to get her to accept his proposal. If he doesn't succeed then he'll release the sisters from his guardianship. Marcus isn't above using every technique in his sensual arsenal to show Arabella exactly what she'll be missing if she insists on remaining a spinster and he's very skilled in ways TO PLEASURE A LADY.<br /><br />I just spent the whole day immersed in this story and don't regret a single second of the time I spent reading. TO PLEASURE A LADY beautifully showcases Nicole Jordan's talent as a writer. Readers will find themselves craving Marcus's seductive techniques, laughing at Arabella's attempts at evasion, and even gasping at the unladylike audacity of one of the students Arabella teaches. This book has so many enchanting characteristics that I simply didn't want to put it down and leave my `newfound friends.' TO PLEASURE A LADY is a book sure to be treasured by Regency romance lovers and a wonderful first book to what promises to be a delightful series. <br /><br />Be sure to pick up copies of the next two books in the COURTSHIP WARS trilogy - TO BED A BEAUTY and TO SEDUCE A BRIDE which will consecutively available in March and April 2008.<br /><br />Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

I wish there were more MacCarrick Brothers!!

The first reviewer says it all so all I can do is reiterate every word. This book is MAGIC!! I love every one of this series and will read and re-read them. Kresley Cole is a real find. I also think her"Immortals after Dark" series is excellent. She is one of my favourite authors of the moment.

An Epic - One Of Bradford's Best

The Ravenscar Dynasty is an outstanding new novel from one of my favorite authors, Barbara Taylor Bradford. Based loosely on the life of King Edward IV, this fictional story is moved forward to the 1900s. And instead of running a monarchy, Edward is attempting to run a family business empire.<br /><br />Edward is a dashing young hero with boundless energy. His life is filled with young women, family conflict and business ambition. When he is not conquesting lovely widows,"Ned" is plotting revenge against a portion of his extended family who are responsible for the murder of his father and uncle.<br /><br />There are few authors today who write good old fashioned family sagas. Thankfully, Barbara Taylor Bradford is still at it. The Ravenscar Dynasty is the promising new begining to what is being called a trilogy of books in this saga.

It's a novel about adultery

I think one should be very wary of allowing this story to over-romanticize the relationship between Francesca and Robert. This is NOT about meeting the perfect person and feeling whole after you've met him. That's what happened when she met her husband. And she ought not to have let her feelings stale into contempt. I mean it's very hard, and it almost always happens that contempt does grow up when you don't have a strong faith to keep you fighting. This story is touching, I think, in the sense that it shows that even good marriages, where people stay together, are subject to great temptations, and that everybody sins. It is very lucky to escape, maybe impossible. The great thing about Francesca is that she stays with her family - and not just for a while, but for ever. That does not happen because Robert has given her something, but because she realises, having sinned, how she has betrayed them. surely that's the only thing she might credibly feel, all kinds of"in love-ness" would disappear like smoke. What is cruel about it for her is that she could not be like that from the beginning, but deceit had to enter into it. It's a nice story, but I think it is dangerous, if people don't see the actual truth of it. We should NO WAY share in her contempt for her husband.

Amazing reading

Every time Nora Roberts amazes me, she has so much imagination.<br />This book, the first in a trilogy, is once again unputdownable. It start with three kids unleashing some kind of demon and the rollercoaster starts from there on. <br />I can't wait for the next book.

Don't bother with this one

I have never seen such poor writing and am amazed that stuff like this gets published. The story is so incredibly cliched and so are the characters. This 'quick read' has no redeeming features whatsoever and I wonder if the author is ironically giving us a classic example of how not to write!

If I could eat this book, I would- amazing!!!

This is a really great book that is interesting as well as informing. Margeret Mitchell shows Scarlett's character very well, and explains her motives behind her increadible bitchiness. I love the character of Scarlett- she is not one of those perfect main characters like in a lot of books, she is actually very spoilt and full of herself. <br /><br />There is a lot of racism in this book, but I think it just makes it more realistic, as that is how it was in those days. <br /><br />Altogether, it is a really good book, though be prepared for a very long read- it is over 1000 pages long! It is good for all ages of 12 and up.<br /><br />