Anthology Reviews

Page Two

Added April 15, 2003

Captured

Authors: Ann Jacobs and Carroll Mavis-Raine
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Available At: www.ellorascave.com
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Romance: Erotic/Contemporary
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT/Mobipocket
Price: $6.99
ISBN: 1-84360-371-3
Author Email/Website: www.annjosephson.com
Reviewer: Robin Taylor

Captured consists of two tender stories tied together by finding love under the unusual circumstances of imprisonment.

Entrapped by Ann Jacobs

Jamil al Hassan has suffered a brutal imprisonment for eleven years. Readers may remember Jamil's name from Firestorm, by Ann Jacobs. Jamil is the cousin to Sheikh Dahoud al Rashid (Bear), whose story we read in Love Slave, also by Ms. Jacobs. Jamil's plane went down in Iraq during the gulf war, and his family never knew if he were dead or alive. Jamil has been captured, chained and tortured. The only reason he is still alive is that his captors have been using his skills to repair their oilfields.

Leila al Sinan is alone. In her desperation to fill her womb as a means to stave of a lifetime of loneliness, she devises a plan to use forced seduction on one of the prisoners her brother-by-marriage is holding. She realizes her choices are limited as there are only two prisoners left alive. Leila is only there, residing with her sister and brother-by-marriage, because as a widow during this difficult time in her country, her choices for finding a new husband are slim. But Leila has been there over a year, and is feeling quite hopeless. Leila's life was destroyed when her husband was killed, and she was badly scarred during a bombing attack.

One night Leila, for all intents and purposes, rapes Jamil. He quickly realizes that he can use her to aid in his escape. Right away Leila begins to feel her loneliness being filled, and has her own ideas on helping her prisoner Jamil escape. They both find incredible passion in each other. She may have planned to entrap Jamil by getting pregnant, but it is her heart that becomes entrapped. I enjoyed Entrapped because as they worked together to escape Jamil's imprisonment, Leila was able to escape the imprisonment of a lifetime of desolation.

Entangled by Carroll Mavis-Raine

Declan Fegan, IRA prisoner, becomes entangled with Laura Danville, a novelist who first found out about him in a magazine article, for ten months, they've been corresponding and finally meet. Laura moved to Ireland, in part for research for her next novel, but primarily to be near Declan.

Laura fell so deeply in love with Declan that she was willing to be with him forever, despite the fact that he was a member of the IRA and, then an escaped convict. Laura took Declan in, and they got entangled in some very sticky situations, yet her love remained strong.

At some point Declan realizes that the secrets he's been keeping from Laura might cause her to leave him forever, but he is bound by secrecy. After a mission is complete, the question remains: will Laura and Declan be able to make a life for themselves?

Entangled was a tender love story. Readers will be surprised at Declan's secrets, while being strongly affected by Laura's loyalty to Declan. Declan truly touched me. He knew he was a very lucky man when Laura gave her heart, soul and body to him. The feelings displayed by the love of these two were an incredible onslaught to my emotions. I've not read an alpha hero who was so wonderfully sensitive in a long time.

Captured will keep you riveted. Both stories will attract you to each of the couples. This is one you'll not want to miss. The above-mentioned books Firestorm and Love Slave by Ms. Jacobs are wonderful reads with characters that we have grown to love, and enjoy seeing in Entrapped.

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Added February 23, 2003

Tied with a Bow

Authors: Dominique Adair, Madeleine Oh and Jennifer Dunne
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Available At: www.ellorascave.com
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Romance: Contemporary/BDSM
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT/Mobipocket
Price: $7.99
ISBN: 1-84360-327-6
Author Email/Website: www.romancewithabite.com
Author Email/Website: www.jenniferdunne.com
Author Email/Website: madeleineoh@yahoo.com
Reviewer: Lisa Lambrecht

Two Days, Three Nights - By Dominique Adair

Victoria Brittain, just before she was to get ready for her companies party, received a box tied with a red ribbon special delivery. Inside the box was a bodice of a camisole made of black silk and covered in pearls, beads and lace and a matching thong to go with it. She read the unsigned note that was attached asking her to wear it to the party that night so that he could envision his gift lying against her skin. Victoria was amazed and excited that someone would buy her such an expensive intimate gift. Victoria spent the next few hours trying to guess which of her clients that were attending her party was her mysterious gift giver. Then in walks the handsome William Hunter, Shipping magnet.

Victoria has had a taste of being taken by a dominant man from her ex-boyfriend. And found that the small taste was something she would like to know more about. Is William Hunter the man to teach her the joys in being a submissive? She will find out when she accepts his invitation for a weekend of hot dominant sex.

Two Days, Three Nights is a hot sizzling story of a woman learning her true submissive self by a dominant yet caring man.

Anne's Birthday Bachelor - By Jennifer Dunne

While at lunch with her girlfriend Sarah, one day, Anne tells of her frustration of having to be in charge all the time. She owns her own company and all decisions must be made by her. For once she would like for someone else to be in charge and make the decisions for her. Not at her work but in her personal life that is. Sarah told her that it sounded like she needed to get laid.

It was Anne's birthday soon and Sarah wanted to do something special for her. She thought about the conversation they had at lunch and by the time Anne's birthday arrived, she thought of the perfect gift for her...a man she purchased for the night for Anne from a charity bachelor auction. A man willing to take charge of Anne and make all the decisions for her. Garrett was a man willing to play being dominant over Anne. And gave her one of the hottest nights she has ever had. Will they be able to make it last though?

In Anne's Birthday Bachelor the author shows us that true love can be found...with the correct partner who knows how to play the game...and play it very well.

Power Play - By Madeleine Oh

Anne is asked by her dominant lover, Mark, what she wanted for her birthday. Thinking she would be getting a rise out of him, she tells him that she wanted a night of great sex with a fellow submissive in their close circle. Tom, a popular star, is owned by dominatrix Claudine. To Anne's surprise Mark agrees and makes plans with dominatrix Claudine to have Tom give her a night she will not forget.

Anne goes with Tom to his cottage and with the help of the script written by Mark and Claudine; Tom (being the top) gives her one of the best birthday presents ever. A night of role-playing and a night of hot unforgettable sex. Will this night diminish the feelings of intense love Anne has for Mark?

Power Play is a story that shows us the trust a woman has for her love and potential lover. It also shows us the intense feelings that pleasure mixed with a little pain brings about.

Tied with a Bow is a book with three stories of bondage and the pleasure a woman gets being submissive to the right dominant man. While all the men in these stories are dominant...it also shows us that these dominant men are very caring individuals and only have the pleasure of their partners in mind. These are all three very good stories that will get you hot and keep you entertained throughout the whole book. If you like stories that involve BDSM... I highly recommend you read Tied with a Bow written by three very well known and talented authors.

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Added March 10, 2003

Luck of the Irish

Authors: Kate Douglas, Jennifer Dunne and Chris Tanglen
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Available At: www.ellorascave.com
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Romance: Erotic/Paranormal
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT/Mobipocket
Price: $7.99
ISBN: 1-84360-375-6
Author Email/Website: www.katedouglas.com
Author Email/Website: www.jenniferdunne.com
Author Email/Website: www.christanglen.com
Reviewer: Lisa Lambrecht

Luck of the Irish anthology consists of three stories written by three of the top new authors from Ellora's Cave Publishing.

Three men are over in Ireland for the wedding of an ex-girlfriend. The food and drinks are flowing heavily and the guys find themselves all sitting at the same table. The talk moves to how they each know the bride and one man lets it slip that she had been his nanny. To divert the guys' attention away from this slip, he suggests they all go outside to hunt down their own leprechaun and get his pot-of-gold. But what happens when a business tycoon, a drunk computer nerd and a staid lawyer find and catch the legendary little green man and are granted their hearts' desire?

Sticks and Stones by Jennifer Dunne

Dermot Stone has always believed in the unknown. When he suggests he and his two male companions go outside and hunt for a leprechaun, his first thought was to only divert their attention from his embarrassing announcement of the bride being his nanny. Until they find a leprechaun and catch it. The leprechaun makes a deal with the three men to grant each gentleman his heart's desire instead of giving over his pot-of-gold.

Dermot, being a big business icon, knows what his heart's desire was: to find the land of fairy. He follows the directions the leprechaun gave him to find his heart's desire. After a lengthy walk through the dark woods, he comes upon a enticing Dryad who enchants him with her body, that is until she entraps him and starts to whip him to death. Thankfully, he is saved by the mysterious Eileen.

Can Dermot trust Eileen with his deepest, darkest sexual secret? Will he be able to trust her with his heart?

Sticks and Stones is a wonderful story filled with the mysteries of the fey world and a wonderful romance. The hero is very sexy and the heroine is a woman who is comfortable with herself and her beliefs and strong enough to be a great match to the strong willed hero. Ms Dunne created a wonderful story with Sticks and Stones. A story every romance reader would love to read.

A Wolf by Any Other Name by Kate Douglas

Zev thought he was having a very wild and kinky dream when he felt two sets of hands rubbing his body. Then he heard the two beautiful women talk and realized this was just not another kinky dream brought upon by his heavy drinking the night before. He slowly and reluctantly opened his eyes and realized he was strapped to a table in a room that reminded him of a dungeon.

Moaning his fate, he suddenly remembers the walk in the woods with the other two guys the night before and catching the leprechaun who was to grant them their hearts' desire. He can't believe that his heart's desire was to be tied up and taken advantage of by two beautiful women. Or was it?

Zev found he was held prisoner along with a beautiful woodsprite, and was the science project of two young witches in training. They believed he was the shapeshifter they had summoned and wanted to note for their class experiment what it would take for him to shapeshift. Shapeshift? Shapeshift into what, Zev thought. He was just a regular guy or computer specialist from Ohio. Not a shapeshifter of any kind.

Over the week's time Zev and Fern are held prisoner by the young witches, they grow very close. But what could a guy from Ohio and a woodsprite have in common? Especially a hot guy, who likes his sex, and an asexual woodsprite, at that? Will they get free of the two witches? Will love be able to conquer all?

A Wolf by Any Other Name is a great story where the hero and heroine, amongst all the trials and tribulations, find their true selves and possibly a love everlasting...showing us that sometimes love can conquer all, if you believe in it above all else. Ms. Douglas created a great story in A Wolf by Any Other Name that will having you turning the pages quickly and keep you enticed until the very end.

The Public Eye by Chris Tanglen

Greg was a respected prosecuting Attorney with high hopes in the political field. A well respected man who never got into trouble or caused any scandal, until he woke up one morning to his ideal "perfect woman". Then everything started to go downhill.

Vivian told Greg she was sent there because he asked for his heart's greatest desire from a leprechaun he and his friends had caught in Ireland. Greg thought this was the greatest thing: his ideal woman was willing to have sex all he wanted, whenever he wanted. The one stipulation being, she would give him all the sex he wanted as long as it was in public.

Greg couldn't believe this was happening to him. How could his heart's greatest desire be to have sex in public places? Him, a well-respected attorney? He tried to turn down the wish he made with the leprechaun, but sexy Vivian would have none of it. She was there to make sure he got his heart's greatest desire and that was all there was to it. How could Greg refuse such determination?

In The Public Eye, Chris Tanglen takes us on a hilarious ride throughout the whole story. Libraries, Movies theaters, hotel broom closets, you name it, they did it there. This story had me laughing and rooting for the hero when I least expected it. You couldn't help BUT love the handsome Greg, who even despite his best intentions and great arguments with himself, couldn't say no to the enticing Vivian. Even when his great future was at stake.

While I was reading The Public Eye though, I was thinking "Just how is this author going to input the great romance that all of us look for in a story?". Chris Tanglen did it so well that I could have never have seen it coming from the start. You were guessing throughout the whole story. This was a great story that I highly recommend. And bubble wrap?? Thanks to Chris, I will never be able to look at it so innocently again. Thanks Chris. *BG*

Luck of the Irish is an anthology filled with great stories and written by wonderful authors. Jennifer Dunne, Kate Douglas and Chris Tanglen are three authors who will now be an automatic buy for me.

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