C791 by Eve Langlais

Title: C791

Author: Eve Langlais

Source: Amazon, AllRomance and others

Price:  around $2.99

Heat: Out of this world HOT

Rating: Cyber-freaky

Genre: Paranormal/Machines

 

When I started this blog, my purpose was to support other indie-authors. So usually I tend to review unknowns, especially first time authors like myself. But every now and then, a famous name grabs my attention. Eve Langlais was just such an author.

I first learned about Eve from one of my American homeschool friends. She buys and reads everything the woman puts out. I explained my commitment to purchase and read only indie (self) published romance this year. She told me that she thought Eve had a few of those. Then I received one of my twice weekly bulletins from AllRomance. It featured Ms. Langlais’ most recent indie release C791 (Cyborgs: More than Machines). I could not resist the chance to see for myself what my friend was talking about. And I have to be honest; I was not disappointed.

These futuristic erotic romances are the story of a war between man and machine, except the cyborgs are themselves half man. Created to be the ultimate fighting machines, all cyborgs are slated for destruction when a flaw is discovered in their programming. Except the cyborgs have already discovered the flaw which allows them to regain a portion of their humanity. Rather than be swept into the cold nothingness of outer space and death, Joe and Solus lead a revolt that marks them and their kind forever.

When Joe is captured the humans send an unusual woman to examine and interrogate him. From the moment, he sees Chloe’s generous curves Joe felt distinctly human, especially in certain groin regions. He decides that when he escapes he will take her with him. And that’s where the surprises begin.

I was impressed by Ms. Langlais’ skill at world building. In this first book of her Cyborg series, she has crafted a complex set of circumstances, settings and tensions to form a realistic future where man is pitted against his own creation…and man is the bad guy. That may not seem completely right somehow until you consider the basic core of greed and arrogance that is human nature. Is it too far a leap to believe that we could create something semi-human and then destroyed it when it no longer suited our needs?

And of course, the sex scenes lived up to everything my girl friend had told me about Ms. Langlais.  As I have admitted before, I long ago abandoned sweet and innocent for racy and raunchy. This book and the amazing mechanical sex in it are definitely that…and more.

I suppose if I have to have a complaint (and you know I do) it would be that the story could have used more development. You know me as the mother and full-time carer of a special needs child, I adore my novellas; books that I can read in a couple of hours. This is one of those, but then you are left wanting for more. The good news is…there is more. Ms. Langlais has recently released F841, the next in the series. Now I wait impatiently as that larger story unfolds book by book.

While I love supporting new authors on the road to indie publishing, one of the ways that we will all benefit more from this Brave New World is when established authors begin to explore their indie freedoms. So I hope you will join me in supporting this erotic romance author in her indie efforts. You go girl!

And next week…back to a new author…Nancy Lee Badger’s Southern Fried Dragon which is set in one of my favorite childhood haunts Charleston, South Carolina.

Hidden Depths by Emma Holly

Title: Hidden Depths

Author: Emma Holly

Source: Amazon, AllRomance and others

Price: $3.99

Heat: Flaming hot…even under water

Rating: Wow

Genre: Paranormal/Multiple Partners/Gay-Bi Male

I read just about anything in the romance genre, but I have to admit a unique love for really hot paranormal/sci-fi men. Forget hunky humans…nothing beats an alien or a vampire or a shape-shifter. These guys can play by different rules. Things that would never go with a human lover can be amazingly erotic if one of these guys does it.

Emma Holly’s Hidden Depths takes that to a whole new level. Image a second honeymoon with your husband of over twenty years. You are laying on the beach thinking about how wonderful it is that after all these years you still love one another and the spark has never gone out.

Then out of the waves stalks hulking naked men. One of them grabs you while the others subdue your husband. Walking you out into the waves, your kidnapper tells you that you are his destined bride. He follows this with a breath stealing kiss before plunging you both beneath the waves.

Now add to this, an undeniable attraction to the guy. The fact that the dude is a king…of his own underwater kingdom. Court intrigue that would have done even the Tudors proud. And the king’s gay lover, best friend and chief of security. Oh and did I mention that your hubby has the hots for the king’s lover.

Does it boggle your mind? Stretch your imagination? Perhaps even ignite some curious fires in your libido?

It is an unusual combination of seemingly impossible circumstances that Emma Holly crafts and weaves into the most captivating and titillating story I have read in some time. She delves deep into the human psyche to explore taboos then turns them on their ears. She creates complex but likable characters with flaws and complementary strengths. And it works. She pulls off this seemingly impossible combination of characters and storylines creating a universe in which it all seems perfectly normal. In the end, readers are challenged to examine their own morals (and hidden desires), to consider new depths of relationships and alternative lifestyles. Kudos to Ms. Holly.

Again my only quibble with the story was some formatting problems with the Kindle edition that I read. But what the heck, not gonna let some paragraph spacing keep me from a spell-binding read. And neither should you.

So if this weekend, you want to push your boundaries…explore your kinky side…and fall in love…with not one hot hero, but three…then rush out to your local neighborhood cyber bookseller for this awesome story. Hidden Depths delivers all that its title promises…and more. (Oh and if like me you can’t get enough of this unusual combination, there is a novella called Date Night that is a sequel.)

I want to say special thanks this week to all my friends at IndieRomanceInk for the support and patient answers that they have provided the past couple of weeks as I took my own dive into this brave new world of indie publishing. It has been a steep learning curve and without their advice, encouragement and downloading/Tweeting I don’t know what I would have done. In the coming weeks, I will be featuring some of their works on this blog…reviews of other amazing stories brought to you not by the big business of publishing but by the creative (and in some cases kinky) minds and hard work of talented authors. Hope you will join me for their stories.

Next week, I am back to another of my Savvy Author friends and another unusual combination as I review Nancy Lee Badger’s Southern Fried Dragon. Don’t that name just say it all?

Savage Cinderella by PJ Sharon

Title: Savage Cinderella

Author: PJ Sharon

Source: Amazon

Price: Around $3.50

Heat: Sweet and simple

Rating: Not to be missed

Genre: Young Adult

When I began this blog to support indie (self) published authors, I knew that I had to put some limits to it. I did not want to be reading technical manuals or how-to-get rich yarns. So I decided to stick with my other great love…Romance. But within that genre I knew that there were dozens of sub-genres. Being the liberal and adventurous person that I am, I decided not to put any limits beyond that. Historical, para-normal/sci-fi, contemporary, gay (I am still open to suggestions in this one folks)…you name it; I’ll read and review it.  Of course, I am more familiar with some genres than others.

But when I got a request from one of my Savvy Author friends to review her Young Adult novel I was not certain what to expect. I honestly can’t remember reading more than a couple of Judy Blume books in junior high I seemed to skip straight from Little House on the Prairie to Bertrice Small and Johanna Lindsey. So I was not sure exactly what to expect.

What I got when I opened PJ Sharon’s Savage Cinderella was the delightful story of pain, love and the triumph of the human spirit. It was an amazing journey and if this story is any indication of that genre then I cannot wait for my six year old to graduate to these tales.

Brinn has lived alone in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains since she escaped from the man who kidnapped, raped, tortured and left her for dead. In her eight years of living off the land, she has grown from a child to a beautiful young woman. She has learned which plants are edible, how to catch a fish with her bare hands, that her monthly bleeding does not mean she will die…and oh yeah, she raised an abandoned bear cub.

Until the day that Justin Spencer discovers her. He is a reporter, hiking the trails and taking pictures of nature. When he sees the feral woman-child, he is intrigued. But following her gets them both into big trouble. When he falls, he bumps his head, twists his ankle and ends up as Brinn’s uninvited houseguest for a few days.

Justin ignites feelings in Brinn that she does not understand. His stories of life in the city capture her imagination. While her strength and beauty capture Justin’s heart. Can he help her to re-discover the world that was stolen from her? Can she find the strength to leave the safety of her mountain home? Can he keep her safe from a past that nearly destroyed her once? To find out the answers to those questions, you’ll have to read Savage Cinderella for yourself.

It is well worth the time and money. PJ Sharon is that most elusive of creatures…an amazing storyteller. She uses words to paint pictures of people and places that captivate the reader, drawing them into complex storylines that hold you enthralled until the very end.

Of course, you know me…nothing is ever perfect. For this story, my only quibble was formatting. The story moved so fast and the copy that I had at least did not make clear paragraph breaks. It was difficult going at first…until I got so caught up in the story that nothing mattered. Of course, considering my own journey with self-publishing, I have new respect for how difficult formatting can be. And like I said, this story demands reading.

So if you are looking for a birthday present for a son/daughter/niece/nephew…or if you just want an amazing story of the triumph of the spirit against all odds, then rush out (into cyber space that is) and purchase Savage Cinderella. It is another example of the talent of self-published authors…and this brave new world.

Next week, join me as I taste male-male love…and more than ménage with Emma Holly’s Hidden Depths. Imagine it girls…three husbands…and one of them is a king of an undersea wonder land.