Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: The Husband Hunters, #2 Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Gianluca Fabrizio Raffacani Heroine: Darcy Fielding Sensuality: 3 Published On: December 25, 1998 Started On: June 02, 2022 Finished On: June 03, 2022
“Country woman seeks quiet, well-behaved and domesticated single male without close ties, 25-50, for short-term live-in employment. Absolute confidentiality guaranteed. No time-wasters, please.”
The Vengeful Husband is the second installment in The Husband Hunters series by Lynne Graham. It is rather obvious that having finished reading Married to the Mistress, the first book in the series, I just had to indulge myself in the rest.
First published in December of 1998, told in the third person from the point of view of both lead protagonists, this is the story of Darcy Fielding, one of the three goddaughters of Nancy Leeward for whom she leaves her estate behind on the condition that her goddaughters get married within the year and maintain the marriage at least for a period of six months.
Darcy, a single mother by then, responsible for her crumbling family estate which had been with the family for over four hundred years is in dire financial straits. Little does she know that the man she spent one passionate night with in Venice, 31 years old Gianluca Fabrizio Raffacani (Luca) has been trying to find her since, believing that she stole from him a very important family heirloom.
As luck would have it, Darcy who views herself as too plain to attract a potential husband, and who simply does not have time to find someone in the conventional manner plans to fulfill the condition of her godmother’s by advertising for one, something that plays along nicely with Luca’s plans.
Luca does not hold a very favorable opinion of Darcy when he finds her. However that does not make a hypocrite out of him to lie to himself about how much Darcy affects him unlike any other woman he has met before or since. Once the knot is tied, all bets are off, and thus starts the crazy journey these two embark on to their ultimate happily ever after.
This was just as fun and angsty in the good way kind of read as the first book was, with Darcy acting in the belief that someone like Luca would not find a plain woman like herself appealing on any level. Darcy suffers from low self esteem, owing mostly to her childhood, with a father who wanted a son that he never got to have, with a step mother who had been vicious to no end. The final nail in the coffin had been when Darcy’s fiance jilted her, which led to the encounter with Luca years back.
Luca is at first determined to get his family heirloom back, but he is not immune to Darcy’s appeal that had spellbound him the very first time they met. Needless to say there is drama of the variety that keeps the pages turning, sexual tension of the kind that is sharp and tangible and makes you sigh and moon over the perfection of their union, and love of the kind that neither wants to admit to, for fear that the other would not feel the same.
I had a slight problem with Daisy for keeping a certain “secret” to herself for the better part of the novel which lowered the rating from what it could have been otherwise. I guess I should not judge unless I have walked in her shoes, but I always find it a bit uncomfortable when female protagonists tend to lie or tell half truths about having conceived a child with the hero (unless they are abusive men who do not deserve to traumatize their child) – they have a right to know and what they choose to do with that knowledge is up to them.
Recommended for fans of the series, fans of combustible category romances, and fans of Lynne Graham.
Final Verdict: The Vengeful Husband delivers a myriad of emotions of the kind that leaves the reader satisfied on all counts. Lynne Graham is a master storyteller for that very reason!
Favorite Quotes
‘You burned me alive,’ Luca whispered mesmerically. ‘And you’re going to do that for me again…and again…and again until I don’t want you any more…is that understood?’
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: The Husband Hunters, #1 Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Angelos Petronides Heroine: Maxie Kendall Sensuality: 3 Published On: June 05, 1998 Started On: June 01, 2022 Finished On: June 02, 2022
Married to a Mistress by Lynne Graham, is the first book in The Husband Hunters series, originally published in June of 1998. The premise of the series lies in Nancy Leeward, godmother to Maxie Kendall, Polly, and Darcy leaving her substantial estate equally split between the three, on the condition that each of them is married within the year and maintains that marriage for at least a period of six months.
22 year old Maxie, dubbed as the Ice Queen by the press, finds herself deep in debt when this event occurs, needing a way out. Maxie’s hope that inheritance from her godmother would help alleviate all of that is cut short by the conditions set in her will, which means that Maxie is ripe for the plan by which Angelos Petronides, 33 year old Greek tycoon, sets to make her his.
Angelos does not have the most favorable impression of Maxie, the only woman who has ever given him a sleepless night over wanting something that he could not have. Angelos rejoices in the fact that he now owns Maxie rightfully through the debt that she owes, as he has been biding his time until the day he would be able to make her his. Even as jaded as he is, Angelos had been taken aback by the beauty that is Maxine the very first time he laid his eyes on her.
For Maxine, her beauty has more or less been a form of curse for her. Though it had opened up the opportunity for her to work as a model to earn money, the loan which she had taken at the age of nineteen owing to familial circumstances, had left her deep in debt with no way out. It had also painted the image of her as a homewrecker, with the press and gossip rags having a field day with her story.
When Angelos makes his intentions known, Maxie rejects him outright, on the basis that the next man she would choose to live with, would be her husband. Thus starts the battle of wills between the two, with Angelos trying to outdo Maxie and win her over on his terms, and Maxie trying her darnedest to convince him otherwise at every turn.
Through all of that, the incendiary spark that has always existed between them grows in strength, leaving both hostage to the magnitude of the desire that is between them. Ultimately, Angelos convinces Maxie to be his through marriage, setting conditions so that neither of them would have to lose face over the arrangement.
This was such a fun read in many ways. I loved the strength at which Maxie and Angelos fight and love, and the lengths each go to show the other that things were otherwise. The way Maxie tried to best Angelos, both of them trying to counter the fact that they had fallen deep in love with each other was such a delight in many ways, and made me laugh out loud at times.
I loved how Maxie had the gumption to stand up for herself, and how she did not let how Angelos saw her or thought of her or his misconceptions about her define who she was, and the fact that she continuously managed to surprise and jolt him out of the pigeonhole that Angelos tried to put her in was invigorating to read.
This delivered angst of the good kind which I adored, and I loved Angelos too, for being the kind of hero who knew when to push back and when to give in. He proved to be just the right measure of stubborn that Maxine could not resist, which made this the stellar read it turned out to be!
Recommended for fans of combustible category romances and fans of Lynne Graham.
Final Verdict: There is nothing like a good Lynne Graham novel to shake me out of my romance reader doldrums and Married to a Mistress proved to be such a delight in every sense!
Favorite Quotes
‘Naturally I would choose a wife with my brain, not my libido,’ Angelos returned drily, but he had ducked the question and a dark, angry rise of blood had scoured his blunt cheekbones. Maxie gave an exaggerated little shiver of revulsion. The atmosphere was explosive. She could feel his struggle to maintain control over that volatile temperament so much at war with that essentially cool intellect of his. It was etched in every restive, powerfully physical movement he made with his expressive hands and she rejoiced at the awareness, ramming down the stark bitterness and sense of pained inadequacy he had filled her with. ‘You belong in the Natural History Museum alongside the dinosaur bones.’
She dined out with Patrick Devenson. No woman had ever tried harder to be attracted to a man He was good-looking and easy company. Desperate to feel a spark, she let him kiss her at the end of the evening, but it wasn’t like failing on an electric fence, it was like putting on a pair of slippers. Seriously depressed, Maxie made an excuse when he asked when he could see her again. She didn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep. She dreamt of fighting with Angelos. She dreamt of making wild, passionate love for the first time in her life. And, most grotesque of all, she dreamt of drifting down a church aisle towards a scowling, struggling Greek in handcuffs. She felt like an alien inside her own head and body.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novella Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Love at Last, #3 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Micah Graham Heroine: Christa Evans Sensuality: 3 Published On: December 01, 2018 Started On: May 28, 2022 Finished On: June 01, 2022
Our dirty weekend had officially begun.
Loving the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders is a novella that left me wanting more. However, Ms. Anders is an author who does justice to the characters and story that she wants to tell, and Loving the Mountain Man delivered on most fronts. The fact that the story left me begging for more in some aspects is a testament to how talented Ms. Anders is.
Told in the first person from dual perspectives, this is the story of how Christa Evans, running from her handsy boss, gets into an accident on a snowy night and is rescued by Micah Graham, who lives in isolation up on a mountain.
Micah is an arborist (tree surgeon), who prefers isolation even when it comes to his own family. When Christa comes crashing into his life, there is no stopping the tide of desire and other emotions that rises to the surface, forcing Micah to confront his need for the woman who turns his life upside down within the short span of time they spend together.
I loved what Ms. Anders delivered in this short story, given the limitations that comes with a novella. While I felt that the story was too short to really delve into the nuances of relationships such as the one that blooms to life between Micah and Christa, nevertheless it was a tale well told. The connection between Micah and Christa is swift and all consuming, just as the sexual attraction that roars to life which accelerates the binding effect on both.
I just wished for things that would have been possible in a lengthier novel, such as the build-up of the tension between the two, the angst of the emotional kind that comes from “shock” factor of letting someone in for a recluse as Micah, and also an epilogue that would have given us a glimpse of how their individual and collective lives change over the course of time.
Recommended for fans of novellas that deliver a tale worth sinking your teeth into.
Final Verdict: Ms. Anders does a fine job out of how Christa tames the mountain man into loving her, forever more!
Favorite Quotes
Who was this man who looked like he’d as soon tear a person apart as talk to them, and then rocked me like a baby? Like I was something precious.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Bellinger Sisters, #2 Publisher: Avon Hero: Fox Thornton Heroine: Hannah Bellinger Sensuality: 3.5 Published On: March 01, 2022 Started On: May 21, 2022 Finished On: May 28, 2022
“Waiting for you is the best I’ve ever had.”
Tessa Bailey is an author who stormed into the romance genre with her penchant for well crafted emotional reads, delivering the zing factor as it should be. She is well known in the reader community as the Queen of Dirty Talk, a badge well deserved. Her writing has evolved over time as it should, and her stories of recent times are very well nuanced, highlighting on issues and changing norms of society today. Such is the underlying topic of the second installment in the two-book Bellinger Sisters series, first published in March of last year.
31 year old Fox Thornton and Hannah Bellinger meet one another in the previous book, when Hannah tags along with her sister to Westport, hometown of their biological father. It has been over six months since Hannah left and her sister Piper stayed on, Hannah back to her job working as an assistant at a production company, while crushing on her boss.
When Hannah returns to Westport for filming purposes, circumstances would have it that she lodges at Fox’s place bringing to the surface, the simmering emotions underneath for both of them. Fox considers Hannah to be his friend, something he never entertained could be possible for someone like him; a girl being his friend, and that girl liking him for something other than what he could deliver in bed. Through the months that they have proceed to get to know each other via text and otherwise, Hannah has gotten under his skin and Fox, even though he does not know how to deal with that particular aspect, knows that Hannah’s presence is something he wants and needs in his life.
Hannah is the sister who was always comfortable waiting in the wings, with Piper taking up the spotlight. Hannah has always been the friend, the confidante, the comforter in times of need. And even though Hannah considers Fox to be her friend, she too is not immune to the whole vibe that surrounds Fox – the one that lets a woman instinctively know what a man would be capable of in the throes of passion.
It made for absorbing reading experience to see both Hannah and Fox navigate through the waters that were choppy at times and exhilarating in many aspects, their journey towards seeing each other, understanding each other, and giving into what they could be together in every sense.
I loved Hannah for being such an intuitive heroine – being the quieter child always has its perks because you are constantly cast into the role of the observer which helps you understand the nuances of human emotions better and take cues from the subtle and not so subtle shifts in mannerisms, tone of voice, and body language. That is what helps Hannah identify that beneath the beauty that is Fox to every sense imaginable to the heterosexual female, he is a man hurting over the fact that he would never be good enough.
Fox is a man who is a victim of toxic masculinity in a very real sense. From childhood through his most formative years and adulthood, Fox has borne the brunt of the promiscuous nature of his father, Fox’s own good looks, and the sexualization of his childhood by those who should have known better. Fox too had lived up to that reputation he felt that he had to keep up with, but it had left its scars that run deep.
Fox is a man who has been burnt badly, making him believe that for any woman, he is only good for the very short term, and beyond that, even in a professional capacity, he is only deserving of the sloppy seconds. Reverse judgement is a huge theme throughout the story, where Fox has always been continued to be judged by his looks, and that plays a huge role in Fox’s psychology and sense of self-worth.
It takes a special kind of woman, someone like Hannah, to be able to peel back those layers to the man underneath and get to the heart of the man that beats only for her. It takes patience of the kind that not many women might be able to exert around a man like Fox, especially when he does everything in his power to make Hannah believe otherwise. I found Hannah to be amazing in every sense, especially in the way she stands up for Fox, the first person to do that for him.
This is a story that stays with you long after you turn that last page, with Ms. Bailey having done a number on your emotions. If I were to choose a favorite between the two books in the series, it would have to be this one, as the story explores emotions that run far deeper than the average. The series has managed to explore both sides of the coin when it comes to toxicity of the sexes, and has done it extremely well.
Don’t be thinking that this is all about the emotional punch; Ms. Bailey never lets down her fans of singeing sex scenes that she is able to write with such flair, and this one is no exception. It just requires a little patience to geth there and it is well worth the wait!
Absolutely recommend this gem of a read!
Final Verdict: It is not the romance alone that tugs at the heartstrings with this number, it is how Ms. Bailey explores the topic of toxic masculinity with such heart that keeps the pages turning!
Favorite Quotes
Hannah was approximately five feet from Fox when his expression changed, and he read her intention. His creeping insecurity vanished, and he rocketed to inferno status on a dime. Those blue eyes darkened, and that square, bristled jaw flexed. Ready. A man well used to being wanted and knowing what to do about it.
During a particularly long-winded story from Deke, Hannah felt Fox watching her and looked back, the alcohol thrumming along in her veins, sending goose bumps riding in a slow wave up her arms and neck. Right, it’s the alcohol. In a daze, she watched as he wet his lower lip, rubbing the moisture together with the top one, leaving his mouth looking fresh and male. His heavy-lidded blue eyes never leaving her. Seductive blends. Seductive aromas. Sharon Stone. Go home, you’re drunk.
“You’re a surprise, Hannah. How could I hate them?” He cleared his throat hard. “Even familiar . . . you’re a constant surprise.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Doctor, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Finn Burke Heroine: Pepper Sensuality: 3 Published On: April 16, 2019 Started On: May 15, 2022 Finished On: May 18, 2022
“People are such assholes behind their computers.”
The Doctor by E. L. Todd is the debut story in the four book series, Doctor. First published in April of 2019, The Doctor brings to readers the story of 30 year old Finn Burke and 26 year old Pepper, the latter being six months divorced from Finn’s younger brother, and Finn himself having left the military in which he had served for the past decade as a trauma physician.
Fate definitely seems to have crossed over its wires when it comes to Finn and Pepper, even when their fascination with each other, and the way they gravitate towards one another tells a story of its own. Even though Pepper’s marriage had ended with Colton after five years of being together, when Colton had come out as gay, they continue to live in close proximity to each other, and in each other’s lives, because for some reason, both Colton and Pepper believe that a divorce does not negate what they are to each other or have been to each other for a good part of both their lives.
Pepper who has a thriving lingerie business that she is proud of, helping women find the right fit and overcoming their self esteem issues through the beautiful pieces she selects and sells, finds herself in a bind when Colton’s coming out and the subsequent divorce does e a number on her own self esteem.
Even with Pepper making the moves pick up the pieces of her life and meets someone to some effect, Finn’s arrival changes all that. While Finn tries to regain his footing in civilian life, there is no turning the tide when it comes to the tightly wound string that pulls him towards Pepper, one destructive step at a time.
Being a four book series, this one of course just sets the groundwork for the rest of the books to follow. I found the story to be quite repetitive in most places, perhaps that is how the author manages to drag the story on for four books, to milk this story for whatever it is worth. Sometimes the story reads like a gay rights pamphlet which I particularly did not like, rejoicing in how open and progressive a person’s thinking is judged to be, all because they take things in stride when they find out someone close to them is gay.
I did not care much for Pepper’s ex husband Colton either, who seemed to hold onto Pepper and takes advantage of her presence to keep the truth at bay from the “lesser” progressives. Ultimately, the truth is, Colton and Pepper’s relationship post-divorce, seems like a recipe for disaster, which certainly did not win any points for me. While I understood in some aspects, the whole set-up was just too weird in my opinion.
I believe that the novel should have just focused on Finn and Pepper’s story, the forbidden nature of the feelings that blossoms to life between them, the heartache and the angst that they go through,and the ultimate happily ever after (I am assuming there is one at the end of the long draggy tunnel of four books), rather than focus on a bunch of secondary characters that I did not have any interest in. In my view, they did not really add any value to the story as it unfolded and just wasted the reader’s time from getting to the good bits.
I don’t think I will continue to read this series. It has been a year since I read this, and I am yet to muster up enough interest to hunt down the rest of the books in the series. If the first book is indicative of the amount of skimming I would have to do to just focus on Finn and Pepper’s story, I would rather not waste my time.
Recommended for fans of E. L. Todd, and those who love book series featuring the longer road to the happily ever after.
Final Verdict: The Doctor had interesting elements going for it, which ultimately did not end up being enough to make me stick to the series!
Favorite Quotes
“Am I the only one who feels something here?” It was a bold thing to say, to blurt that out right to his face. But I felt comfortable with him, like I could say anything at all with no repercussions. I’d just asked my former brother-in-law if he felt the chemistry between us, and if he said no, it would be humiliating. But if he said yes, that might be even worse. He set his beer down without watching his movements. Then he slowly shifted on the couch closer to me, his eyes unblinking throughout the entire exchange. He stopped right beside me, and the only time he pulled his eyes away from mine was when he glanced down to look at my lips. I stopped breathing.
His fingers dug into my hair and pinned it back from my cheeks, just so he could get a better look at me. He hadn’t even kissed me yet, and it was the best I’d ever had. He directed my head against his and rested his forehead against mine. He was dead silent, his warm breaths falling over my cheek. Pine needles were even more fragrant in my nose. It was the closest I’d ever been to him. I hadn’t even hugged him before. Now I was cradled against him like he owned me.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: Standalone Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Scott Tyler Heroine: Anya Adams Sensuality: 3 Published On: August 01, 2001 Started On: April 21, 2022 Finished On: May 06, 2022
A Passionate Proposition by Susan Napier, first published in August of 2001, is a story that had me spellbound from start to finish. 26 year old Anya Adams is back at Eastbrook Academy for Girls where she was formerly a teacher, since then having moved to teach history at a local stat high school, filling in for a former colleague who has taken ill when the most life changing event in her life occurs.
32 year old Scott Tyler walks in on a situation that does not paint Anya in the most favorable light, the man she has labeled inside her head as her personal demon. Scott is in charge of his nephew who is staying with him while the parents are traveling for work, and Scott’s imagination runs on overdrive when he walks in on a scantily clad Anya with his nephew.
Scott, one of South Auckland’s leading barristers, with a solid reputation for winning difficult cases owing to his ruthless style is cross-examining witnesses had been on the interview panel when Anya had tried for her new position at a co-ed school, with Scott having deliberately set out to intimidate her through his probing questions.
In short, Anya would have lived happily if she had never come across Scott again, but when their paths cross the second time around, and then a third and fourth time, thus begins a battle of wills, lust of the kind that sets both of them afire, and kindling softer emotions that neither were prepared for.
As Anya gets to know Scott better, she is shocked by the things Scott has gone through, and in awe of the man he has become, when he had been taken advantage of by those he had placed his trust in. For Anya, it is a journey of self-discovery just as much, where she learns that she, the staid and average looking teacher who has ruled out passion in her life, is able to love so ardently and earnestly with the right man.
However, trouble comes calling from a source that Anya finds hard to say no to, and it will take trust of the kind that Scott may find difficult to muster, if the fragile love that blooms between the two is to be given any chance to grow and take root.
I loved this story to pieces. Scott was oh so sexy, quite different in every sense, managing to surprise the reader at every turn. When you think you have him figured out, he goes and proves you wrong. Scott could have turned out embittered given his most formative years, but instead, he turned into the kind of man who was twice bitten and extremely wary. But when true love calls upon you, there is no turning back, and in Anya, he finds his true mate, a woman who entices and arouses his baser emotions as much as she does his protective instincts.
I loved how raw some of the scenes were as they unfolded, how alive the characters felt, how intuitive as a heroine, Anya was. How sexy and playful the physical side of their relationship was when it happened. The witty banter between the two just sealed the deal from the start and Ms. Napier delivered on every aspect which just left me begging for more!
Recommended for fans of unusual category romances with heart and zeal!
Final Verdict: Ms. Napier is a sheer genius in delivering category romances with such emotion, grit, and heart, not to mention the heat of the toe curling variety.
Favorite Quotes
‘Five years ago I might have mistaken glister for gold but my tastes have matured since then. Maybe I’m discovering that I prefer to lose my head over the simple pleasures of life—sunlight and laughter, apples and grass, and a pair of eyes as clear and refreshing as a cool drink of water…’ His hand had somehow insinuated itself under the filmy fabric of her little cropped top, his fingertips resting on her silky bare skin above the low-cut back of her dress. Not caressing, or doing anything indecent, just there…as seductively enticing as his words.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: Standalone Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Duncan Royal Heroine: Sunshine Kalera Donovan Sensuality: 3 Published On: December 25, 1998 Started On: April 16, 2022 Finished On: April 21, 2022
Kalera shivered as she pulled into the hotel car park, her nerves spiking at the vivid mental image of Duncan, his moon-burnished torso arched into a shuddering bow, his fists digging into the mattress, head flung back, sweat glistening on his straining throat, his mouth open on a hoarse cry of violent ecstasy as he spilled himself into her hand. Heat prickled over her breasts as she remembered how quickly his body had veered out of his control, his intellect completely submerged in a rapturous celebration of the senses.
In Bed with the Boss by Susan Napier might sound like a story based on a cliched and tested and tried trope. The story that unfolds however, is nothing that fits into any form of the reader’s preconceived notions. Ms. Napier is famous for writing characters that stands out and delivers stories that were way ahead of the times in which she wrote the books. And this story is no exception to that rule.
The story begins when 27 year old Sunshine Kalera Donovan, who has been working for a period of three years at Labyrinth Technology as 34 year old Duncan Royal’s secretary, submits her resignation. While Duncan refuses to accept her resignation and is shocked within an inch of his life to find out that Kalera was resigning because of her imminent marriage to none other than his bitterest rival, needless to say, Duncan hits the roof.
Kalera’s previous marriage had ended on a tragic note when her husband had died in his prime, leaving her a widow. Duncan had seen it all, comforted her through some of the darkest moments of her life the two years since, and even though Kalera is loath to admit the fact, her awareness of Duncan as a man makes her all too eager to give up her job and rejoin the safety that marriage had offered her once. With Duncan working at every turn to convince Kalera that she is making a mistake and that it is to him that she belongs, Kalera is just as determined to do what she set out to do, until the devastating truth to what she had never known before comes to light.
Duncan and Kalera are two opposites in many ways – Duncan is flashy, driven, ambitious, and hot-blooded. Kalera, having grown up with a set of parents who were all about unconventional and open relationships, abhors frivolity and had found solace in her staid husband who had provided her with stability and also taught her that being sensual in bed can be coupled with faithfulness as well. Kalera lives with her head up in the clouds, unable to see what is right in front of her, and that means that Duncan has his work cut out for him when it comes to convincing her that they indeed belong together.
Duncan was such a wonderful hero. Ms. Napier has done such a splendid job in bringing out the sensuality that oozes out of his very pores, his brash style and energy that he brings to every scene something that the reader is helplessly drawn to. Kalera might wish Duncan to be less everything, just so that she can be spared the sensory overload when it comes to Duncan, but in reality, he is a delight to her every sense, intellectual and physical. The way Duncan takes care of Kalera in all aspects, be it emotionally or physically, and drives her to come out of the cocoon that she basks in and face the ultimate truth – that was the best aspect of this novel.
The most shocking revelations come towards the end and giving that away would mean giving Duncan’s character away – and how he had watched from afar a woman who had owned his heart from the minute she walked through his office door to be interviewed for the position as his assistant.
Loved this to bits and recommend this to anyone who loves romances; the sheer experience of Duncan alone is reason enough to indulge!
Final Verdict: In Bed with the Boss is a testament to Susan Napier’s remarkable talent when it comes to weaving romances with heart and depth that is chock-full of sensuality and goodness of the kind that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
Favorite Quotes
‘Kalera? What’s wrong?’ Unutterable relief throttled her speech. Nothing was wrong. Not now. In the dim light she could see that Duncan was bare-chested, his broad shoulders gleaming like polished wood, the muscles of his supporting arm bulging in a manner that proclaimed him strong and vigorous and pumping with life. She had never looked at Duncan as a man before and now suddenly there he was—blatantly, inescapably, irrefutably male, a potent symbol of the passion that had been wiped out of her life by a bitter stroke of fate.
‘Oh, yes…that feels so good, so hot…’ she murmured eagerly, pushing her smooth thigh between his legs, twisting her upper body so that her stiff nipples scraped against his chest and her hip angled across the thickening shaft of flesh stirring against his belly. He uttered another tormented groan. ‘No, we can’t do this—’ But even as he spoke his hands were shifting to cage her ribs, his thumbs angling into the crease under her soft breasts, pushing them up into pouting prominence, his thighs clenching around hers, a sheen of perspiration slicking across his skin.
‘Yes, oh, yes…’ Her voice throbbed with relief as he stroked her there too, insinuating his hand between her silky thighs and dipping his fingers into the damp, creamy heat, parting the moist petals and finding the most sensitive spot on her body with a tantalising skill that made her almost burst with unbearable delight. ‘Do you like that, darling?’ he murmured against her dewy breast, moving his invading fingers deeper into her receptive body. ‘Tell me…tell me everything you want and I’ll give it to you…’
‘What have you done? Let me see.’ Duncan wove himself sinuously around the end of his desk and divested her of the weapon. He tossed the papers back down on his desk and turned her hand over and they both looked down at the bead of blood rapidly forming on the pad of her thumb. ‘Here. Let me.’ Expecting him to offer up his handkerchief to dab at the tiny wound, Kalera was stunned speechless when he lifted her hand and put her entire thumb in his mouth, his tongue swirling over the tip as he suckled strongly. She froze, her thoughts turning to chaos. His cheeks hollowed and as she stared into his deep, dark gaze the hot, wet, rhythmic contractions suddenly became shockingly erotic.
‘We were just having a meal,’ she denied. ‘A man and a woman innocently enjoying each other’s company,’ he agreed softly. He had a gift for making a chaste phrase sound ineffably wicked. His thumb pressed into the tiny indentation in the middle of her chin, tugging minutely on her lower lip. ‘Only it wasn’t entirely innocent, was it, Kalera?’ ‘We weren’t doing anything,’ she blurted feverishly. His eyes grew slumberous. ‘But we wanted to,’ he murmured, his hand moving to cup her smooth cheek, encompassing it from jaw to temple, the heel of his palm curving under the angle of her jaw.
But as his denim-clad thigh thrust between hers and his hands raked open the buttons of her blouse she couldn’t remember why she should care. The mingled scent of their heated bodies was a heady bouquet in her nostrils and went like wine to her head, so that when Duncan broke the endless kiss to curse over a lone snagged button a bubble of husky laughter escaped her throat. Goaded by the sexy sound, he lost patience and ripped her blouse open, thrusting his hands into the stretch lace cups of her bra and dragging them down to expose her swollen, brown-tipped breasts.
‘I’m glad you wore my sexy little dress,’ he told her softly, propping one hand on the pillar above her golden head. ‘I was afraid you might resist the temptation and swaddle yourself from head to toe in something pretty, but sadly unadventurous.’ A perfect description of her blue dress! ‘I wore this for Stephen,’ she said quickly. ‘Not for you.’ ‘You wore it for the man who gave it to you, whoever you might have thought it was—and that’s me,’ he said with satisfaction, hooking a glass of champagne for himself from a passing waiter. ‘I spent ages hunting for exactly the right one…one that would warm your skin and furl your body like a half-opened rose…perfumed, velvety-soft, sensual, and alluring…’
He lifted her right hand and dragged off the glittering diamond ring and threw it onto the floor. Then he placed her bare hand on his thrusting body and crushed her mouth with his and suddenly her dammed emotions were bursting their swollen banks and she was fighting with him for the pleasure, helping him tear off her nightie, arching her breasts to his mouth and lifting her legs to encompass the rock-hard strength of his thighs, guiding him into the silky heat for the physical union that would complete them as two halves of a whole. The intense pleasure spiked at his first thrust, then again, and again, as his hips drove him deep into her central core, and Kalera shuddered, her gasping cry mingling with his answering groan of completion.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Single Series: Wildflower Duet Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Thayer Holmes Heroine: Salem Grace Sensuality: 3 Published On: March 23, 2022 Started On: April 10, 2022 Finished On: April 13, 2022
He cuts off my question, pressing me into the corner of the maze, the dried corn stalks rough against my back, and then he kisses me. It’s a rough, searing, soul-stealing sort of kiss. Thayer Holmes has branded himself on me. And I know, without a doubt, that whatever this is, whatever we become, if we grow and flourish like the wildflowers behind our houses, or crash and burn, it won’t matter because when I’m old and gray, lying in bed thinking about my life, he’ll be the best part.
The Wildflower Duet by Micalea Smeltzer was released early last year. Ms. Smeltzer is an evocative writer, whose elegant prose and characterization left me spellbound when it came to the story Sweet Dandelion. Being a sucker for May-December tropes, I was quick to grab this as it was released and I was not disappointed – at least with the first installment of the duet.
Salem Grace is 18 years old when the story begins, having just finished high school and dating the quintessential popular guy you come across in small towns. 31 year old Thayer Holmes moves in as Salem’s next door neighbor, and an unlikely friendship is forged with the single father whose gruff and silent manner should have been off-putting but draws Salem to him like a moth to a flame.
As Salem starts to babysit for Thayer’s son, the relationship between the two deepens to something much more, and a love forges to life, unlike any Salem has known. With Thayer, Salem feels safe from the nightmares that plagues her, and she feels cherished in a way that she has never known. However, tragedy is not too far from their lives when the unthinkable happens, driving the kind of wedge between Thayer and Salem that only time alone would heal. As the story moves to its second installment, Salem returns to her hometown six years henceforth, forced to come home and face the music at long last. This time around, she is older and wiser, and has a secret that she left with all those years ago.
As mentioned earlier in the review, I did enjoy the first installment in the series. Salem and Thayer invoked so many emotions in me that at times I felt chock full of it. Salem’s tragic past had me wanting to hurt someone, a very specific someone, and Thayer was all kinds of appealing. He has his own demons to fight with, but the connection between Salem and Thayer is one that all too real for him to ignore, even with the huge age gap between them.
I could understand why Thayer acted the way he did towards the end of the first installment, because some losses, you never ever fully recover from. The fact that Salem loved Thayer enough to know that and understand that was one reason I loved both of them to bits. But as the story moved to six years later, I found that there was not much essence nor conflict to the story to keep the reader hooked and the pages turning. I would have been happier had the first installment being extended a bit, and this was just a single book story. I believe it would have been more fitting.
Towards the end, I skipped huge parts of the latter half of the second book, just so I could get to the ending. I don’t like reiteration in my novels to the point where I have to force myself to keep my eyes open. That is what happened with the second installment in the series, with mundane details of everyday life thrown into make the pages count. I just sorely wish that had not been the case because if not, this would have been a stellar 5-star read!
Recommended for fans of the author and fans of May-December themed romances.
Final Verdict: The Wildflower duet is a story of tragedy and heartache. It is also one of deep abiding love and hope that gets you through the darkest moments of life!
Favorite Quotes
“I’ll get our drinks.” I head back to the kitchen for them. I grab another Diet Coke from the fridge and turn to get his, but nearly smack into his chest. “Jesus Christ!” My hand flies to my chest. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” He makes no move to back up. “Thayer?” His brown eyes stare at me intently. “W-What are you doing?” His tongue wets his lips and I realize he’s staring at my mouth. “Are you going to kiss me?” I blurt my thoughts out loud. He towers above me, lowering his head so I’m cocooned with the mini-fridge behind my legs and his body blocking everything else. I know if I wanted to move, he’d let me pass, that’s the kind of man he is. But the fact is, I don’t want to. His voice is deeper than normal when he asks, “Do you want me to?” I swallow. Do I? “Yes.”
“Salem,” he murmurs my name between kisses. I wind my legs around his waist, gasping when I feel the hardness of his erection. We are chaos. Unrestrained passion igniting with a single spark.
“Need to be in you.” He sounds like he’s aching with the same need I am. He shoves his jeans down and his boxer-briefs with them. Thayer Holmes is naked in front of me. I don’t look away. I take in every inch of him. Every. Long. Perfect. Inch.
He doesn’t hesitate. Grabbing the base of his cock, he plunges into me. I cry out, my back arching. He’s so big and I’m so full. “Fucking hell, Salem,” he curses, exhaling heavily. “Am I too tight?” I squeak, because my God, he’s stretching me. He shakes his head, brown hair falling over his forehead. I reach up, brushing it away so I can see his eyes. I need to see them. He can’t hide from me that way. “No,” he rocks slowly out and back in, “it’s just…” His fingers tighten around my hips, angling me up to meet his thrusts. “You feel like mine.”
His hips push into mine and I gasp at the feel of him hard and ready. “Thayer,” I pant. He wraps a hand around my neck. I moan, surprised at how much I like his hand there. “Do you want me to fuck you against the wall, Salem?” God, yes. “Yes.” “Good.”
“Thayer,” I pant, breathless, “right there. Don’t stop.” I fall over the edge, my orgasm rattling me to the bone. His lips press open-mouthed kisses to my neck. He pumps his hips harder, faster into me, and impossibly I feel my body building toward another high. “Thayer!” I scream his name, my orgasm rippling through me.
“If you wouldn’t have chosen a peony, what did you think my favorite would be?” “Sunflowers,” he answers without hesitation. “I guess that’s because you remind me of them. You’re so bright and happy most of the time.” “I didn’t used to be,” I admit mournfully. His finger is warm beneath my chin, lifting my head to look at him. “Who we used to be doesn’t matter, it’s who we are now, what’s in our hearts that matters most. You’re sunshine, Salem, but even the sun doesn’t always shine.” His hand moves to cup my cheek. A sigh passes through my lips as I lean into his touch. “I’m not bright like you, but I promise, when your days are dark, I’ll be your light.”
“You feel so good,” he murmurs into the skin of my neck. “Fucking made for me, Salem.” “God, yes.” I squeeze my legs around him. He rests his forehead against mine, our noses brushing, breath to breath. He makes love to me and I soak in every bit of that, letting it fill me up. This is what it means to be cared for. Cherished. Anything less is second best.
One of his arm winds around my back and he lifts me effortlessly, pressing my back to the shower wall. His erection presses into my core, my hips grinding against him on their own accord. “Yes,” he encourages, guiding my hips with his hands, “get yourself off on me.” He kisses me again, and it’s rough, aching, so desperately needy. My fingers grapple against his slick back. I rock my hips harder, faster. It feels so good. He feels so right. My orgasm shatters through me so fast with so much force that I scream.
I bite my lip, holding back tears. My voice is barely above a whisper when I say, “I never stopped caring about you. I moved on, but my heart didn’t.” He pulls the truck abruptly off to the side of the road. Gravel and dirt kick up behind us as he slams the vehicle into park. He turns slowly in his seat to look at me. “Thayer—” I start to question, but he doesn’t give me a chance to finish my thought. He cups my cheek in one hand, his mouth descending on mine in less than a heartbeat.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: The Stefanos Legacy, #1 Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Aristaeus Stefanos Heroine: Cleopatra Sensuality: 3 Published On: January 25, 2022 Started On: February 15, 2022 Finished On: February 18, 2022
[…] Ari left his office just as an eruption of giggles sounded from the reception area. His hard, dark gaze arrowed in that direction, and exasperation flooded him at the sight of a security guard flirting with the receptionist, who irritated the hell out of him. What was her name again? Cleo, he recalled, and even the name was inappropriate for a female with a mop of blonde curls and blue eyes. Cleo, short for Cleopatra, was, in Ari’s highly experienced opinion, the name for a tall, dark beauty, not an undersized one with the curves of a pocket Venus and the dress sense of an eighties swagged and ruffled floral curtain.
Promoted to the Greek’s Wife by Lynne Graham is a more “modern” version of Ms. Graham’s novels that I absolutely adore. 28 year old Aristaeus Stefanos (Ari) and 22 year old Cleopatra (Cleo) cross each other’s paths when Cleo starts to work as a temp at Ari’s company. Ari finds Cleo irritating because of the major differences between them, and it had not helped matters when Cleo had been responsible for letting his stalker-type ex into his office unchallenged, on the very first day of her job.
Cleo for her part knows where she belongs, but the attraction she feels towards Ari is something she is willing to let herself indulge in as long as it does not escalate out of control. Cleo does not want to obsess over a man to the point where she ends up becoming like her mother. But when circumstances bring these two into each other’s orbits, there is no stopping what happens next, and thus brings forth the fragile beginnings of a relationship, even if Cleo might be wary to believe it so.
Ari also has a need for Cleo that goes beyond the physical – the devastating truths that had come to light upon the death of his father forces him to act in pursuit of his orphaned niece, and he needs Cleo’s help to achieve what he wants. For the most part this book offers a tamer hero to what Ms. Graham’s books usually brings to the table. While there were echos of her more alpha heroes to be found in Ari, I wanted more from him than what materialized.
I also found my enjoyment factor reduced by the fact that the heroine was extremely annoying and always at flight risk owing to her childhood abandonment issues, which I understood to a point. For two protagonists who actually had more conversations take place between them than any other Harlequin romance I have read from Ms. Graham, Cleo and Ari certainly seemed to have more trust issues than most, minus the angst factor. The most hypocritical aspect was that Cleo was all about preaching to Ari to look at situations from all angles, but when it comes to her, there is no putting that into practice.
I missed the angst that is usually present in Ms. Graham’s novels, and I also found myself hankering for the high octane sexual tension between the leads which seemed to be missing from the story, which also reduced by pleasure in reading this novel.
Recommended for those who prefer to read romances that suits the “modern” reader. I should have known when I picked up a book published in 2022 that it would be so.
Final Verdict: Promoted to the Greek’s Wife is the watered down version of Ms. Graham’s older and more addictive novels, which failed to give me the joy I mostly expect from her novels!
Favorite Quotes
He sank down on the bed beside her and curved his hands to the full firm globes, his heavily lashed dark golden eyes colliding with hers. It was as if a shower of sparks went flying through her and suddenly she was leaning forward and finding his gorgeous mouth again for herself. It had not even occurred to her that she could ever feel anything as powerful as the instincts driving her now with him. He tasted so good and the scent of him was even better, ensuring that one kiss led to another and that his hands were all over her just as hers were equally all over him.
He came down on the bed with her, reaching behind himself to haul off the sweater he wore in a very masculine movement. Muscles flexing, he cast it aside and studied her, tawny eyes ablaze with hunger, and her tummy flipped as if she were on a big dipper. ‘I wanted to eat you alive again the instant I saw you standing behind that bar, koukla mou,’ he growled. ‘I don’t know what it is about you—’ ‘Or I you,’ Cleo cut in, slender fingers stroking down over his bronzed torso and the cut lines of his muscles with a tactile delight that she could not help savouring.
He tugged her hips back to him and plunged boldly into her tingling damp channel in almost the same movement, and a charge of indescribable excitement roared through her as her body stretched to accommodate him. She felt possessed, dominated, and it was a huge turn-on that added to an already intense experience. His hands firm on her hips, he quickened his pace. Claiming her with fierce thrusts, he made her body hum and pulse with raw hunger and impatience for the satisfaction that only he could deliver.
Mere seconds later, Ari lifted her and sank into her hard and deep, and her spine arched and she moaned, because her swollen flesh was already so exquisitely sensitive. The pleasure was intense, and excitement roared through her afresh as Ari ensured that she did not have time to begin worrying. As another exhilarating surge of pleasure rocked her, she gave herself up to the moment, suddenly rejoicing in the freedom to do exactly as she liked.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Brides of the Kindred, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Baird Heroine: Olivia Lauren Waterhouse Sensuality: 3.5 Published On: February 09, 2011 Started On: February 04, 2022 Finished On: February 09, 2022
“You can think whatever you want, Olivia, but you should know one thing.” He leaned even closer, his hot breath stirring her hair as he murmured in her ear. “When I take you—because I will take you—make no mistake about that,” he said, cutting off her protest. “When I do, I promise you’ll want it every bit as bad as I do. You’ll beg for it, Linlenta. Beg to have my shaft inside you, filling you up as I bond you to me forever.”
Having had a taste of Evangeline Anderson’s writing through her novel Planet X, I found myself wanting to experience more of her world-building, exciting adventures, and the cool science that she explores in her stories. I was not disappointed in my venture, as I dipped my toes into the series of The Brides of Kindred through the debut book in the series, Claimed.
The title of the story is quite fitting, as Claimed explores the very concept of the male claiming his female. The year is beyond 2030, and the life on Earth has changed significantly. 2025 was the year that saw Earth being attacked by a mysterious force known as the Scourge, until an alien-warrior species known as the Kindred had come to the Earth’s rescue. Their only condition for the assistance being genetic trading, sourcing wives for their mostly male dominant species. As a consequence, an all female draft had been set up on Earth in which every unmarried woman between 19 and 35 years of age were required to enter.
Conditions of the mating are guided through rules which have to be adhered to, and if not the contract entered would be null and void. During a four week period the male has to convince the female to accept him as hers, the fourth being the mating week and if the female refuses to mate with the male at the time, they are free to leave and return to Earth, and if not, they would be mated for life to live with their Kindred mates.
Against this backdrop comes Baird, seeking his mate Olivia Lauren Waterhouse. Baird has just escaped from captivity aboard the mother-ship steered by the Scourge, six long months of hell that he had survived purely because of Olivia. At the moment of his capture, his mind had aligned with that of his mate’s and it had been only through her that he had found the will to survive and escape.
A nursing graduate who is taking some time off before starting her position as a pediatric nurse at a major hospital, Olivia is left feeling restless in the wake of the dreams and nightmares that has plagued her for the past half of an year about a man she has labeled as “the dark man”. She has seen him look defeated, exhausted, hooked to a machine, and undergoing pain and torture of both the physical and emotional variety. For some reason she cannot fathom, she had experienced every bit of agony he had undergone, and then the authorities come to take her to the Kindreds as a bride that has been claimed by none other than “the dark man”.
Olivia resists the very thought of being bound to a man she never known except through the vividness of her dreams. Having broken up from her cheating boyfriend just six months back, Olivia is not amused by the idea of Baird claiming her as his, the kind of Kindred known as Rager aka the Beast Kindred who are said to have the most unpredictable tempers, and would kill to protect their mates no matter what. Olivia has only one game plan; get Baird to do something that would render the contract null and void, so that she can return to her safe and staid life back on Earth.
What Olivia does not factor in is how the six months of dream-sharing has affected her, how her body wants Baird’s touch, and how helpless she is when the wanton desire that courses through her body takes over whenever Baird is around within touching distance. It hurts Baird that his beloved resists him so, but he is equally determined to show her what it means to be mated to him – even if it kills him every time Olivia rejects his overtures.
When the ultimate act of “betrayal” happens, it is only then Olivia realizes the gravity of the depth of her feelings towards Baird, how he owns her soul just as he does hers. But the battle with the Scourge comes in between, making their journey towards a happily ever after that much more perilous.
I enjoyed the story that Claimed offered for the most part. As expected, I got plenty in terms of the world building, cool as heck gadgets used by the Kindred, and got a kick out of understanding the differences in body physiology when it comes to the species. I also fell like a ton of bricks for Baird, who was quite the opposite of what I expected of him. His kind is known to be the fiercest, but I saw him as a gentle giant of sorts, who truly was besotted with his mate and would not have hesitated to go through any means possible to have her. His gallant nature and courtship of Olivia who defied it at every turn made me fall even harder, and the only thing that was savage about Baird was his gentleness when it came to seducing Olivia, which completely undid me.
Olivia was tougher in every sense; I understood her resistance to Baird at first and through most of the antics she practiced to get away from what was inevitable. Even when she saw for herself that Baird was not what she had expected him to be, that he was in fact interested in what she wanted and needed beyond the physical, that he was into her in every sense, she still resisted, even when she knows that the Earth offers slim pickings given her experience with the male species back home. It got tiresome after a certain point, because I felt like she was resisting with no real reasoning behind it, just to keep up her pride, until eventually she learns her lesson.
The one thing that I am discovering about books by Ms. Evangeline is that, she builds up the sexual tension to a fevered pitch in a way that leaves the readers on tenterhooks and the delivery somehow falls short of expectations because you have been left to build your own castles in the air of explosive fireworks all abound. Planet X posed a similar problem with the vivid dream sex and this one with all the crazy build-up. I hope the books down the line fare better.
I will be revisiting other books in the series as time allows, when I am in need of a good sci-fi erotica to pick me up. I was also quite enamored by a character who stood out from the Scourge, the son of their leader who left a lasting impression on me. Looking forward to reading his story which has already been published.
Recommended for fans of sci-fi romance with emotional depth and fantastic world building!
Final Verdict: The debut book in The Brides of Kindred series lays down exciting possibilities for the stories to follow!Baird is the very definition of savage tenderness; a hero who would make any female yearn to be his.
Favorite Quotes
“The reason I know how you’ll react is because I’m going to spend hours getting you ready, driving you crazy with my mouth and hands.” His eyes were blazing and half lidded with lust as he spoke. “Get…getting me ready?” Liv faltered. Slowly, he nodded. “I can’t wait to touch you. Can’t wait to taste you—to spread your sweet, creamy thighs and put my tongue in your hot little pussy until you beg for more. Beg to have me inside you, filling you all night.”
Baird broke the kiss long enough to whisper something low and urgent in her ear—something that sounded like her name. “So beautiful. So fuckin’ perfect,” he groaned into her hair as she rubbed herself wantonly against him. Then he reached between them and Liv heard the low ripping noise of fabric parting. A cool breeze caressed her heated sex and she understood that the big warrior had actually torn off her panties, baring her pussy completely.
“Want you to imagine something for me, Lilenta,” he murmured, stroking a little more firmly. “Imagine my mouth on you here with no panties in the way. Imagine how good it’s going to feel when I spread your pussy open and taste you. You think you’d like that? Think you’d like being open on the bed for me, feeling my tongue deep inside your cunt?” “I…I don’t know,” Liv gasped, squirming under his fingers as he stroked the side of her clit with a slightly faster rhythm. Damn him, how did he know exactly the right way to touch her, even in a dream?
Baird still didn’t kiss her back but he parted his lips invitingly and, to her surprise, Liv found herself taking him up on the invitation. His mouth was hot and wet and luscious and she found she was exploring him delicately with her tongue, tasting and testing, learning him, kissing him as though she never wanted to stop. And then, at last, Baird kissed back. He pulled her close, positioning her so that she straddled his hips, and ran his big, warm hands up and down her back. Sucking her tongue gently, he pressed up against her until Liv felt like she was floating on a cloud of pure lust.
“You like the feel of my hands on you? My fingers inside you?” He matched actions to words, sliding two long digits deep into her slippery pussy as the broad pad of his thumb continued to slip over her clit. The new sensation was too much. Liv felt like she’d been on edge all night, the build up of sexual tension inside her was like a nuclear reactor set to blow. When she felt him enter her she cried out, her spine bowing and her fists clenching at the bedspread on either side of her. “That’s right, Lilenta,” she heard Baird murmur. “That’s right, just let it go. Let yourself come for me.”
They were on their sides facing each other with her breasts pressed against the hard wall of his chest and her head resting on his bicep. Her face was just at the level of his throat and that same spicy masculine musk she supposed must be his natural smell was invading all her senses at once. God, he smells good…feels good…Without knowing what she was doing, Liv nuzzled against him, pressing her nose closer to his throat and breathing him in, just as he had said. She felt rather than heard the low rumble of laughter coming up from his chest. “You scent marking me, Lilenta?”
“Please, Baird, please.” “Can’t, I told you.” He kissed her hard and then more softly before looking into her eyes. “Just let yourself come again and you’ll feel better. Look at me, Lilenta. Let me feel you coming under me.” The intense eye contact and the low, commanding tone of his voice as much as the delicious friction between them finally sent her over the edge again. As a second, even stronger orgasm crashed down on her, Liv arched her back and cried out her pleasure shamelessly. At the same time she felt Baird getting even harder against her and then, with a low roar, he released in hot, hard spurts against her belly.
Liv cried out as he released her first nipple and began on the second one, sucking it into his hot, wet mouth. She expected to feel him pinching the other but instead his hand slipped down her abdomen and into her jeans and panties. “God, Baird!” she protested, vaguely aware that they were still in public but there was no stopping him. Before she could say another word two long, thick fingers slipped deep into her pussy, fucking up into her and making her arch her back and moan. “That’s good, Olivia,” he said in her ear. “Ride my fingers and let me fuck you. Gods your pussy is so hot and wet. Can’t wait to feel you coming.”
Baird redoubled his efforts, his tongue lashing her mercilessly while his fingers drove into her, pumping hard and deep, showing her exactly how he was going to take her when it was his cock filling her instead. The thought of that—the forbidden mental image of his huge shaft stretching her open and bottoming out inside her was too much. Liv didn’t quite know how it happened but suddenly she was crying and moaning as the pleasure inside her peaked and rushed over her in a warm wave.
“Look at me,” he whispered roughly when Liv’s eyes closed with the overwhelming pleasure. “Look at me while I touch you, Olivia. Look at me while I fuck you. While I bond you.” Liv’s eyes fluttered open and she met his intense golden gaze. “Baird,” she whispered, unable to say more. “Now,” he growled. “Come for me, Lilenta. Come for me so I can fill you up, so I can flood your pussy with my cum and make you mine for always.”
She didn’t know how long it lasted or how many times she came. There were periods of hot, wild fucking where Baird pounded up into her as though he was determined to mark her as his own. But there were also long stretches where he barely moved at all. Instead, he filled her with a slow, rocking movement while he looked in her eyes and told her how much he loved her. He came in her over and over, just as he had promised he would and each time she felt it as she never had with a human man, felt his hot seed filling her and making the connection between them even deeper. And each time he did, it released something in Liv’s body, making her come too.
A Maldivian's Passion for Romance 