Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down

Anthology

(Re-posted from my old blogger)

Captivated By You - Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Rhea Stevenson is pretty hot, but she's also a by the book girl, and a little uptight. She's secretly crazy about Ace, one of her fellow Bureau of American Defense (B.A.D.) agents. Since he's a womanizer and she's set on following the "no office romance" rule, she acts as if she hates him and gives him the cold shoulder/evil eye every chance she gets. Unfortunately she's been assigned to work a case with him that has her posing as a dominatrix at an exclusive club to catch a terrorist.

Ace Krux has got it bad for Rhea, but she hates him and he doesn't know why. Fortunately he's maneuvered her into working a case with him that will involve her in skimpy outfits practicing her dominatrix skills on him. He's hoping that his charm and their near nudity will result in a little action. His prayers are answered and things heat up pretty quickly between them after she ties him down. Only now Ace isn't so sure he likes the idea of sending her into a room alone with a terrorist.


The characters weren't terribly well developed, but we did catch small glimpses into what made them who they are, and that made the romance more believable. I like the lengths that Ace was willing to go to in order to keep Rhea safe.


Promise Me Forever - Author: Melanie George

Ten years ago Savannah Harper and Donovan Jerricho were crazy in love, but with his pro-football career taking off there was a lot of strain on their relationship and when a misunderstanding causes Donovan to believe that Savannah has slept with one of his friend, they break up and Donovan leaves town without looking back. Savannah is pregnant, a fact that Donovan knows nothing about, and never will if she has anything to say about it. Now Savannah, a single mom to a precocious little girl, has finally agreed to marry Jake, her boyfriend of two years. Only, a few days before her wedding, Donovan Jerricho blows back into town stirring up feelings she thought were dead. They are both angry and bitter about the past, but can't help feeling that pull towards each other. Donovan learns the truth about that old misunderstanding and realizes that he made a big mistake and threw away the only woman he ever loved, but can he convince her of that before she ties the knot? He just might if she gave him had the chance, but since she won't he resorts to drastic measures and kidnaps her and plans to hold her hostage in their old love nest until she hears him out. And when will she tell him that Reese is his daughter?


I'm not sure how I felt about this story. He resorted to kidnapping, which was just plain creepy, but he couldn't find it in him to actually hold her against her will. It bothered me that Savannah was willing to marry Jake after she realized that she still loved Donovan and that she loved him more than Jake. It bothers me that such a sweet stand up sort of guy would marry someone who didn't love him wholeheartedly and slept with her ex shortly before the wedding. Seriously, doc, have a little self-respect! Nice is one thing, doormat is something else all together! I hated that Savannah didn't have the guts to let Donovan know that he had a child and that she didn't tell her kid who her father was.


Hunter's Right - Author: Jaid Black

Corporal Ronda Tipton, U.S Army, is excited about her new assignment. She's going to be stationed at a research base in the Arctic. Unfortunately, her helicopter crashes somewhere in the Arctic Circle and she is the only survivor. Hoping that she was somewhere near the base when the chopper crashed, she heads out on foot. When she finds what appears to be a door in the side of a mountain, she thinks her prayers have been answered. She soon finds that she was mistaken as she stumbles upon the hidden Viking civilization of New Sweden that has thrived underground for hundreds of years. She is discovered and chased by giant Viking men. She nearly escapes, but is caught by Lord Nikolas Ericsson, a cousin to the King and a revolutionary. He believes she is a military spy and questions her about how she came to New Sweden. When he learns she is telling the truth about the accident, she is sent off the the bride auctions. The auctions were once a respected tradition, but the Kings corruption has turned it into something of a sex slave auction where the men fondle the women who are brought before them naked and shackled. When it's Ronda's turn up on the block she takes serious offense to being manhandled and uses her martial skills to smack down the offenders and get free. Just as all hell is breaking loose Nikolas claims Hunter's Right, the law that says a man may keep a woman he has captured. Nikolas did not intend to marry until after the revolution, but not only did Ronda make him hot, she was a fighter and he hated to see her punished or handed over to one of the Kings vile friends. Ronda believes she must escape and find the base so that she can inform the military of what is going in this secret world, but she soon finds herself drawn to Nikolas. Will she choose freedom or love?

The sexual stuff is hot ... sizzling hot, thought the whole chains and aphrodisiacs stuff kind of weirded me out. I really enjoyed the characters and though the whole women as property thing doesn't appeal to me overly much, I found myself very intrigued by their world and most especially that prophecy of theirs. I've read the novellas and Deep, Dark & Dangerous which were set in New Sweden and I have to say, I'm looking forward to more.
(Author's website lists a book titled Big, Bad & Brutal that was supposed to be out 2008, but I don't know what's happened with that. )

Winter Moon

Anthology

(Re-posted from my old blogger)

Moontide - Author: Mercedes Lackey

I tried to read a Mercedes Lackey book several years ago and for some reason I just couldn't get into it. The writing just didn't hold me. So I put the book down unfinished and put her in the Authors I Can't Read category. Then a while back I saw The Fairy Godmother and decided to go ahead and give it a read. I really enjoyed it and One Good Knight. This novella, Moontide, is set in the same world of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, but does not involve Tradition.

Moira na Ferson, was sent away at a young age to foster with the King's sister, Countess Vrenable by her father, Lord Ferson of Highclere. The intent was that she be taught to be a proper lady and learn the running of a keep, but Countess Vrenable teaches a select few of her charges so much more. The countess is in charge of the Grey Ladies, a group of young ladies who are trained to be everything a lady should be, but are also trained spies and assassins. Moira has been invited to become a Grey Lady, but before she can complete her training, her father calls her back home, where Moira suspects he intends to marry her off. Before Moira leaves Viridian Manor the countess informs her that her father is suspected of treason. Moira, having had no real love for her father, readily agrees to be Countess Vrenable's eyes and ears. Once she returns to Highclere, she begins to see how right the countess' suspicions are. Her father seems to be planning to marry her off to an enemy prince and they make many sly comments about ships sinking in the storms that frequent Highclere. Here father's new Fool seems very interested in all the goings on, but is he a spy for the King or is he working for her father and the prince? Could trusting him see her married to the prince and imprisoned in his harem or will it lead to salvation?

For some reason, of all the characters in this story, the Fool was my favorite. I would have liked to have seen some of the story from his point of view. We were told about his wit, but never got a chance to see it. I liked how Moira handles the whole confrontation with the prince ... well, the aftermath ... and the spying really. It's a lot more realistic than having her be blase about it, as if it's something she does all the time. And really, no matter how much you train or prepare for a situation, you aren't really ready for the reality until it's there in your face.

I'm thinking I might try to branch out ... maybe check out the Obsidian Trilogy?


The Heart of The Moon - Author: Tanith Lee

Clirando is a warrior woman, strong and honorable, who's happy with her life. And why not? She's the leader of her band of warriors, of which her best friend from childhood, Araitha, is a part of and she's got an attractive lover, Thestus. Things couldn't be better, that is, until the night lighting strikes the Temple of the Maiden and, in the scramble to save the roof, she discovers that Araitha and Thestus are having an affair. She challenges them both in battle and wins. They are both shamed and must leave the town of Amnos, but before her ship sails Araitha visits Clirando for a parting shot. She curses Clirando to be filled with emptiness, to find joy in nothing and to sleeplessness, that she may find no rest. Clirando shrugs off the curse and goes on with her life. Until she hears that the ship Araitha was on has sunk. Suddenly she can not sleep, she finds joy in nothing, and there is a burning emptiness inside of her. Clirando and her band are called to go to Moon Isle for the Seven Nights, a festival to honor the moon being full for seven full days. Strange things happen on this island, and sometimes people don't return. The first night there her band sets up camp and Clirando takes the watch, but the impossible happens, she falls asleep. When she wakes up, her band is gone and there is no sign of where they could be. Clirando sets off to find a village or some sign of her girls, but she finds odd creatures who follow her and haunt her with their strange cries. In her trek through the forest she meets Zemetrios, a fellow traveler also looking for a village who wants to share her fire and travel with her. Is he who he says he is? He has a past more painful than hers, which he shares with her. Is he telling the truth or is this some trick. Can she trust him in this place full of ghosts and illusions when those closest to her have betrayed her?

I can't think of a thing that I've read of Tanith Lee's that I did not like. This novella was no exception. I liked that his was about a journey of self-discovery and forgiveness. Both Clirando and Zemetrios had to go a long way to deal with their ghosts and to accept themselves as they were. And I liked that Zemetrios' issues weren't easily settled.


Banshee Cries - Author: C.E. Murphy

This story was described as 1.5 in "The Walker Papers" series. I didn't read Urban Shaman, though it is on my TBR list, so I felt that I was always a bit behind on the story. It wasn't that I couldn't follow the story, but I did feel that a lot of the interpersonal stuff was really lost on me.

I won't give a summary bit about the story because there's so much back story that I'm just missing. I don't feel comfortable doing it.