Hotter Blood by Jeff Gelb (Various Authors)

Series: Hot Blood
Author: Jeff Gelb and Various Authors
Page Count: 352
Published: September 1st, 2004
Publisher: Pinnacle
  4 Stars ★★★★

So I can't say too much about the individual stories and plots featured in this anthology, as this would result in a review made of spoilers. So, I am just giving my general thoughts!


This erotic horror anthology features a range of short stories from contemporary horror to supernatural terrors. All stories have some erotic component to them, but don't worry, this doesn't undermine the scare or creep factor! In most cases, it actually makes the story more creepy.


This was a great anthology that introduced me to so many new authors. I loved the mix of erotic and horror themes, as I'm interested in genre-bending stories and all the strange and bizarre places our imaginations can go. I really enjoy both erotica and horror on their own, and while I was a bit skeptical about if they would mix well, this anthology showed me that these two genres/themes mix incredibly well under the right circumstances.


The stories ranged from very scary and shocking to not scary at all. I found a few of the stories were good overall, but I don't think they were suited for a horror anthology. On the other hand, some stories introduced me to concepts and ideas I'd never ever thought of! Many of the authors were very creative and original, and this resulted in me adding even more books to my to-read list.


I definitely want to read the other erotic horror collections in this anthology series. I recommend this to fans of erotica and horror fiction who want to see an interesting blend of the two. If you want to discover new authors in these genres, this would be a great pick for you.



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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Series: N/A
Author: Ruth Ware
Page Count: 340
Published: July 19th, 2016
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
  5 Stars ★★★★★

Lo Blacklock's had a rough few days. She's still shaken up from someone breaking and entering into her house when she is assigned to report on a new luxury cruise ship. Packing up her things, she heads over to board the Aurora, meeting with the small group of people she will be travelling with. All seems well.


That is, until she hears commotion coming from the cabin next to her one night. Alarmed, she reports to the Aurora's staff, who claim that the cabin next to her is empty. But this can't be true....Lo had previously borrowed mascara from the woman in cabin 10. It becomes clear that somebody is trying to hide a secret, and this secret may prove deadly for Lo.


So I've recently found myself drawn to mystery books, and this one seemed intriguing and frankly, frightening. Imagine being stuck on a cruise ship with a possible murderer! This book unsettled me quite a bit, and the character of Lo Blacklock was a perfect narrator for this story.


I pretty much liked Lo immediately, and the connection with her started when she experienced the break and enter. The author doesn't hesitate to commence the tension and stress, which made me want to keep reading because, despite the main plot not really starting until a short while after the beginning of the book, her experiences demanded my empathy and attention. This was a great set-up for the terrifying mystery to come! This was great because as the story progressed, I have to admit that I second-guessed Lo's sanity and wondered if maybe she had imagined the commotion from cabin 10. Even if I thought she could possibly be overreacting, I still really rooted for her.


There were some great twists and turns in this mystery. I honestly did not see them coming! This tends to be an issue for me because the genres that I usually read, mainly young adult books, have become somewhat predictable for me, so it's nice to take a break from that and truly be baffled and consumed by a mystery! For this reason I'd recommend this book to those looking for novels that offer something different than they're used to reading, especially if you're looking for something unpredictable.


Overall I really loved this book and I will be reading more of this author's work in the future!


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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

 Series: N/A
Author: Mark Z. Danielewski
Page Count: 709
Published: March 7th, 2000
Publisher: Pantheon Books
  4 Stars ★★★★

House of Leaves follows the story of Zampano, Johnny Truant, and Will Navidson. Told through footnotes, a text-book style narrative, and editor's notes, the tale of a house that is a bit larger on the inside than on the outside unfolds. With exhibits and appendixes to enrich the story, the fear, confusion, and mystery behind Navidson's home is explored.


Zampano, the mysterious author of the Navidson Record manuscript, passes away, leaving the manuscript behind. Johnny Truant acquires it, and finds that it changes his life. The tale of the impossible house is more than just a story, and the eeriness of the account seems to bleed into the real world. Add the fact that Zampano was blind and that The Navidson Record, the supposed documentary film that Zampano's story details, doesn't exist, and you get a world of intrigue.


I bought this book because I'm looking to get into more horror-style stories. I was surprised by the book, however I can't really say I was truly scared. There were a few moments in the book that were genuinely eerie, but the almost academic-style narrative of the Navidson Record killed any fear that I might have surrounding the whole house situation. Characters did face scary situations, but I was never simply scared overall but rather scared for them. That's really why this book lost a star.....something was missing in the scare-factor.


This book definitely gets points for uniqueness. I've never read anything like it before. There are multiple stories being told in this book, and while I worried that it could be hard to keep track of them all, it honestly wasn't tough at all. There is a lot of flipping back and forth, what with referring to the exhibits, appendixes, etc.., but everything seemed really organized.


There are points when you have to flip this book to the side, upside down, or look in a mirror (or really focus to read the backwards letters). At times I was a bit annoyed, to be perfectly honest, especially concerning some of the pages that had just a few words, but the novelty aspect of this book overshadowed any annoyance I had.


The characters were all quite interesting, with Zampano being a mystery, Johnny being a complex character with problems of his own, and of course the characters of the Navidson Record providing an intriguing narrative. I admired Will Navidson's curiosity and determination. Honestly, if my house were as freaky as his had been, I'd just get out of there! But instead he wanted to explore and to understand what was going on. I have to admit I often empathized with his partner, Karen. She was worried about him and wanted him to stop exploring, and I really understood her worries. Seeing both sides of the conflict like this really added to my experience reading this, because I couldn't decide what I wanted! So of course I kept reading, to see the outcome.


I can't say too much more, because this seems to be the kind of book that you have to really experience yourself. I could go on about the story, but this book is more than just the story. The format really affects the reader's perception of the story, which I obviously can't detail online! If you're curious about this book, I'd suggest picking it up. Just be prepared for a long read, some slower parts, flipping your book upside-down, and reading backwards.


I recommend this book to those looking for a unique mystery. If you like unusual books, this book is definitely for you.


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Era of Undying by Emilie Knight

Series: N/A
Author: Emilie Knight
Page Count: 202
Published: January 19th, 2018
Publisher: Createspace
  4 Stars ★★★★

 I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Pen is a Blood Warrior. She can, with a small cut, draw her blood out of her body, and use it as a weapon. Nobody knows that she is the Blood Warrior, so she's worried when she is caught after slaying a group of people, using her blood as a weapon. 

There are more important things going on in her world, though. People aren't dying. The horribly sick remain alive and suffering,  and the gravely injured somehow hold on to their consciousness. With the help of Tellus, captain of the city watch, she ventures out to find Nyx, a goddess she hopes can fix this problem. However, the journey won't be easy. 

This was an interesting fantasy, with lots of action. I was excited to accept the author's review request because I've been getting more and more into fantasy. I was not disappointed with this book!

I thought the characters were all very interesting. Pen had gone through so many trials, dealing with being the Blood Warrior, the loss of her family, and her rough journey to find Nyx. I found her a strong and likeable character, despite her violent side. I became surprisingly attached to Tellus throughout the book, and by the end, I wanted to read more about him! I was sad when the book was over. 

I found the idea of a Blood Warrior very, very interesting. The idea of creating weapons with one's blood greatly appealed to me! Furthermore, the idea of people suffering, yet not dying, was both fascinating and morbid. I love that the author explored some of the consequences of this issue, and sometimes I cringed at the idea of what people may be feeling in such a world. 

I also loved the violence and fighting. I find sometimes that action or fight scenes in books seem like nothing but filler, but the violent and fighting scenes in this book all served a purpose and never felt like just a filler or fluff. 

I do think that this book could have been a bit longer. I wanted to know more about Pen and Tellus. I wanted to spend more time in this world. I wanted more things to happen, more adventures and fights! I also think that this book could use another editing session, as there were many typos throughout. 

Overall this was a very enjoyable fantasy read. With great fighting scenes, interesting characters, and an intriguing premise, I was not disappointed! I recommend this book to those looking for a short fantasy novel with themes of death and family.



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His To Possess by Opal Carew

 Series: His to Possess
Author: Opal Carew
Page Count: 256
Published: March 18th, 2014
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
  3 Stars ★★★

Jessica is out job searching when she runs into a man who looks a lot like her ex-boyfriend. After a slightly embarrassing encounter, they happen to stumble into each other's path yet again when the man, Dane, offers to drive Jessica to her destination in his limo. They find themselves attracted to each other and end up sharing Jessica's hotel room for the night.

Jessica scores a job and is shocked to find that Dane is her boss. As they work to balance their physical relationship with their boss/employee relationship, things only become more complicated. When Jessica's ex-boyfriend unexpectedly shows up, she might end up losing both of them.

So this is essentially a six-part series that was combined into one book. The book is divided up into these six parts, almost like chapters, with cliff-hanger endings and all.

There were some things that I really liked, and some that I didn't.

I liked Dane, and I liked Storm (the ex-boyfriend). They were both interesting characters with fleshed out backgrounds, very distinct, unique personalities and truly seemed reminiscent of a real person you could find walking down the street right now. Ideally, most characters should be this way, but unfortunately this wasn't the case. I'll come back to this issue later.

I also liked the pacing of the plot. Little twists and turns were placed at perfect intervals, with the cliff-hangers keeping me reading until my eyes hurt.

The sexy scenes were generally quite, well, sexy, as expected. It was obvious that the characters had some sort of chemistry in both their physical and romantic relationships with each other.

Now to the things I didn't like.

Jessica. Yep, I didn't like Jessica. Why? She seemed boring. I didn't get to know her as a person. She seemed like a blank slate almost. She didn't seem to have any quirks, beliefs, etc that distinguished her from any other random person. She was bland.

I really think the author needs to work on her usage of adjectives and adverbs. She used some words and descriptors waaaaaayyyyy too much. I swear I read the word "masculine" in this book more times than I've read it in six full-length novels combined. She also kept referring to these men being like "super male" or something.... like not in those exact words, but everything was like "his musky maleness" or whatever. It's like, we get it, they are men, they happen to also be quite masculine men. Move on already! It got to the point where I was rolling my eyes a lot.

Anyways, it wasn't the best book ever, but not the worst by any means. Will I read the sequel? Probably not. Do I regret reading this? Nope.

If you're a fan of erotic fiction, you might want to try this. However, if the issues that I had with the book would bug you, I don't recommend it at all.

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The Dangers of Fairy Compacts by Katey Hawthorne

Series: Fairy Compacts

Author: Katey Hawthorne
Page Count: 46
Published: June 25th, 2012

Publisher: M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads

  5 Stars ★★★★★

Aeron is a faery who always hears a voice in his head. One day, the voice becomes louder than he can bear and he follows it all the way into the mortal realm.

He meets Tammas, a priest, who has unknowingly bound both of them together. Tammas is frightened and Aeron has nowhere to go, and finds himself angry and residing in a tree until he is finally invited into Tammas's home. 

Aeron is stubborn and rather confident while Tammas is shy and unsure, but soon enough, despite their quarrels, an attraction forms. Will they ever break the binding spell? And what will happen when Aeron is sent back home? Will he and Tammas ever see each other again? 

This is a short, sweet novella, and it was free when I downloaded it, which is a great bonus. It surpassed my expectations and despite its short length, I was pulled into the story and I learned so much about both Aeron and Tammas.

I love faeries and I love romance. Give me a shy, adorable human and a confident, stubborn faery and I am satisfied! This story did just that.

The romance took enough time to develop, but I wasn't kept waiting for too long. The erotic scenes were perfect and sweet, and in my opinion adorble, and the ending made me want to read more about Tammas and Aeron! I will definetly be reading more of this author's work in the future.

Overall, very cute and romantic. I appreciated this good quality, gay romance novella, and I recommend this to fans of gay romance, faeries, and short and sweet novellas.

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Monster by Julia Sykes

Series: Impossible
Author: Julia Sykes
Page Count: 122
Published: March 29th, 2013
Publisher: Amazon
  3 Stars ★★★

Claudia is kidnapped by Bradley when leaving work one day, needed for her medical skills. When he takes her to his home, she meets Sean, his best friend, who is suffering from a bullet wound. After treating him, she finds herself handcuffed to the bed, unable to escape, and incredibly afraid.

Sean is different from Bradley, he's charming and much more laid back. Often defending Claudia from Bradley's anger and frustration, she begins to feel attracted to him. As her feelings grow she learns more and more about the two boys...and is torn apart by her emotions. Will she escape, or will she choose to stay with Sean?

I'm a big fan of kidnapping books, I find them very exciting and suspenseful. This book had its fair share of suspense and excitement, however I found it somewhat cliché at times.

The emotional turmoil Claudia was going through seemed a bit unrealistic, and badly paced. For example, if you have been kidnapped, you're generally not going to find yourself constantly admiring one of your kidnappers' bodies and appearance, within the first few days of captivity. Sure you can find them attractive, but I felt like the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing happened a bit too quickly.

The author also included 'misunderstood bad boy' elements. Sean is revealed to have had his own share of hardships within his life, and Claudia feels a connection to him through them. While this wasn't stressed too dramatically, I feel like it could've been executed better and could've had a larger, more significant impact had it been addressed in a more original manner.

I did appreciate that the author didn't jump into the erotic scenes right away; they occured closer to the end of the book. I'm glad because by doing this, she was able to develop the relationships between the characters and make their decisions all the more realistic.

Trigger warnings include kidnapping, gang/mafia activity, attempted rape, and mentions of an unpleasant experience in the foster care system.

Overall, an enjoyable story. Suspenseful with erotic elements, it wasn't perfect, but it was far from bad.

I recommend this to those who enjoy kidnapping-themed stories, and who are looking for a shorter book with suspenseful and erotic elements.


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Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters

Series: Monsters in the Dark

Author: Pepper Winters
Page Count: 376
Published: August 30th, 2013

Publisher: Pepper Winters

  5 Stars ★★★★★

Tess goes on vacation with her boyfriend, Brax. He is sweet and gentle, but isn't really open to her kinky fantasies. Tess feels horrible when Brax reacts negatively to her suggestions, and decides that she will no longer bring up the subject.

While visiting a sketchy restaurant, Tess finds herself kidnapped and thrown into a room with several other women. She doesn't know if Brax is still alive, she doesn't know why she has been taken, and she is terrified of the men who stole her from the restaurant. She soon learns that she is a victim of human trafficking; she is a 'gift' to a wealthy man in France.

Q, her new master, is rich and intimidating. He isn't cruel to her, but Tess can sense something dark, and not entirely unpleasant, beneath the surface. She knows she should feel angry, afraid, and disgusted, but she finds herself intrigued by Q. She wonders if this is the universe's way of punishing her for bothering sweet, gentle Brax about her dark fantasies.

As the tension between Tess and Q increases, she finds herself torn between giving in to her feelings for Q, or fighting them on Brax's behalf. When she is given the opportunity to escape, will she take it? Or has Q mesmerized her so much that she'd give up Brax, her family and friends, and her old life to stay with him?

I absolutely love reading books about kidnapping. I find them exciting and riveting. They keep me on the edge of my seat, unable to take my eyes off of the page. I also love erotic novels, especially when the steamy scenes are balanced enough with the story that I remain invested in the characters themselves. This book was a perfect combination of the two.

This book wasn't absolutely packed full of sex. No, the author took the time to build the tension, to get the reader hooked. There certainly was quite a bit of sexual tension, but the actual lengthy and descriptive erotic scenes were a little while into the book. I really appreciated this because it gave me time to get to know the characters as people, as individuals. The author focused on every aspect of who they were, past and present, and even what they wanted for the future. It gave me time to get emotionally involved in their stories.

The characters were so complex! Nobody was one hundred percent good or bad. Even Tess, the victim, had flaws and issues and dark ideas that complemented Q, the 'villain'. As for Q himself, his 'villain' status was constantly challenged by his mysterious actions, his desires, and the plot twists throughout the novel.

This book really played with my head. There were moments when I was absolutely shocked at what was going on, the next I was relieved after understanding the outcome of the situations. I understood Tess and her confusion around her feelings for Q; I kind of wanted her to escape and be with sweet, gentle Brax again, yet I could tell that Q had an intense hold on her, and that she desired him despite her situation. The plot twists throughout absolutely messed with me, and my perceptions of the characters.

As for the writing style, I have to admit that at the beginning of the book, I found the writing to be a little dry. But as I read, it got better and better. I hope that the rest of the series follows with this pattern; that it gets better and better as it goes.

I think it's important to discuss some of the rather dark themes explored in this book, so that readers are sure they won't get into something that might upset them. As I have mentioned, this book contains themes of kidnapping and human trafficking. There is also some rough BDSM, non-consensual sexual acts, along with consensual sexual acts. If you dislike erotica, this book isn't for you. If you get upset over fictional accounts of BDSM, rough sex, and manipulation (especially mental and psychological manipulation), this book will only serve to make you uncomfortable. There is also talk of dysfunctional families and abuse. Personally, none of these things bothered me but if you find books with these themes upsetting, you should probably avoid this one.

Over all, an exciting, intriguing, sexy read. I recommend this to fans of erotica, and to those who enjoy books containing kidnapping, BDSM, and complex characters. If you like plot twists and emotional novels, this book is for you.

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Book Haul

I love to show off my book collection. These are the ones I bought in my last two shopping sprees. Admittedly, it was challenging finding space to store them, but that won't stop me from buying books like I'm stocking up for the apocalypse!

Fool Me Thrice by Carley Esprit-Philip

Series: N/A

Author: Carley Esprit-Philip

Page Count: 192
Published: January 28th, 2015

 Publisher: Createspace

  4 Stars ★★★★

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for a review. 

In this book, the author gives a raw and deeply personal account detailing the events that unfolded during an interval of her life. Emotional and honest, the reader learns of all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the gifts and losses that she endures.

This memoir was refreshing to read. It was sincere and offered me new perspectives on things I hadn't known much about before.

The author made me care about her story from the beginning. I had to continue reading because I wanted to know about what she had been through, how she had handled conflicts and the lessons she'd learned.

I like how the author was brutally honest about her relationships. She gave me insight on open relationships and the pros and cons of pursuing one. She did not censor her experiences; she often wrote about her partners and their time together with erotic language. 

It was interesting that she chose to include texts, emails, and other messages as part of her story. Through these messages I learned more about her and the people around her.

This book did get very emotional at times, especially when dealing with tough subjects such as mental illness. It pulled at my heart, to say the least. The personal language and brutal honesty made me feel like I was experiencing her struggles with her.

Sometimes I was confused as to what was going on, however later on in the memoir I would gain a better understanding of the previous events and their significance to the author's life. There were some typing errors, and sometimes words were without spaces between them so two would be together. While this got annoying at times, it did not diminish the memoir's over all appeal.

In summary, this book was very much worth my time as I gained insight and perspective from the author's experiences. I feel that the author is very brave to put all this out in the open for anyone to read. I appreciate this because very few people are truly honest as she was in this memoir: unafraid and unashamed.

I recommend this memoir to readers of non-fiction, and to those who would like to learn more about open relationships, especially ones including both opposite and same sex partners.

Ugly Young Thing by Jennifer Jaynes

Series: Stranger Series

Author: Jennifer Jaynes
Page Count: 270
Published: March 3rd, 2015

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

  5 Stars ★★★★★

I received a free copy of this ebook through Netgalley. 

Allie's father walked out on her when she was young, her mother was a prostitute and a murderer when she had been alive, and her serial killer brother just committed suicide in front of her.

Alone and afraid, she runs away and sells her body, her only asset, for money. After returning to her abandoned childhood home, she is discovered by authorities and sent to live with a generous foster mother. 

Soon after she moves in, a woman is murdered near their town. Could this be the start of something awful? And who is behind the murder?

When I started this book, I had no idea what to expect. I downloaded it off of the "read now" section at Netgalley because I was intrigued by the cover, synopsis and title, and it seemed like something unique. A change from the YA romances I usually read.

I was SO right.

First of all, the level of emotion and tension in this book is INTENSE. From the first chapter, I was pulled into Allie's complicated life, and I felt what she was feeling as if I were there experiencing the events of the story with her. This only increased as the book progressed. I felt everything from empathy to anger towards her, and as a character she was very dynamic and believable. 

Secondly, the author made the right choice when she decided to tell the story from different points of view. I witnessed the events of the story through the eyes and minds of Allie, the murderer, and the foster mother. I gained insight on their views and pasts, but I was also kept wondering how exactly they were connected.

This leads to my third point: the mystery surrounding the killer. The author did an amazing job of dropping subtle clues about his identity, and she kept me guessing until the very end. 

One moment, I'm thinking that the killer must be this man.... No! This happened, so it must be the other one. Wait, it can't be!

That was my internal dialogue for the entire duration of the novel. 

I absolutely recommend this novel! If you enjoy mystery, this book is for you. If you enjoy suspense, this book was MADE for you! Those who are interested in novels that take on tough subjects may also enjoy "Ugly Young Thing." 

For those who read mostly YA books but wish to branch out a little, this book is a great start. It's fast paced with a teenage main character, but it also deals with mature subjects and contains no romance besides the mention of Allie's crush.

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