"Fun anthology"
Three tales, three talented writers add up to great fun.
BRAVA is Kensington's current Romantica/Erotica line.
While
this book is great reading - I really enjoyed it - fans of
pure Brava style might find this a little light in the
erotica "heat". The writers are solid. I especially like
Jen Nicholas' story. It has GREAT premise for a series,
and
I hope to see it done down the road. However, by Brava's
hot hot hot standards, the story is slower developing.
About 80-page novella and the Hero and Heroine don't meet
until chapter four. I am not saying this is a fault, just
a "meter" for those trying to gauge the level of their
romances. If you go in wanting Red Sage level, you might
be
disappointed. For those of use just looking for a great
sexy Romance Anthology then this is dead on target. Jen Nicholas shows bright promise as a Romance writer. THE
CUPID CURSE is engaging, breezy. She is very strong with
quirky characters and an original premise that lends
itself
more to a sexy romance series than erotica. I hope she
follows through on this premise and does some CUPID tales.
We learn there is not one Cupid, but thousands. There is
Cupid Central where they handle details of romances. Like
a
Romance Publisher who receives a flood of manuscripts from
hopefuls, Cupid Central is flooded with letters that are
along the lines of `Dear Santa' letters, only these are
`Dear Cupid, please find me the perfect man (or
woman...lol). When Valentine Lewis sends in her request,
they naturally sit up and take notice. Gideon is a cupid
in
training (along the lines of a nun - how they have novices
and you get an idea of Gideon's standing in Cupid
Central).
This is THE case to put him over at CC and get him
promoted
to full Cupid. Only when he shoots his arrow meant for
Valentine's chosen, he ends up accidentally shooting
himself
in the bum!!! Love has to ensue. The story is bright,
witty, engaging, but it's not until chapter four that the
Heroine and Hero meet. Fine by me, but other erotica
readers might get antsy. As I said, the premise is perfect
for a series of stand alone titles and I hope to hear more
from this talented writer. MESMERIZED is another funny tale. Amanda Dillon has men
dropping at her feet, but she discounts that as they are
hypnotized at the time. The one man she wants on his knees
is Derek Armstrong. Derek is a reporter and he is on the
trail of the elusive Amanda and wants the scoop, even if
he
has to permit her to hypnotize him to get the down and
dirty to prove Amanda is a scam artist. This one sizzles,
as Amanda doesn't quite know what to make of the sexy
reporter. A delightful tale. FUZZY LOGIC is by Erin McCarthy and is another enjoyable
tale. A bit more Brava style, this story has Ashley
Andrew,
confession shopaholic, shocked when her credit cards are
maxed to the limit and beyond. She is forced to take on a
second job to make payments on the massive debt. She to
accept a job as a Pleasure Party consultant. She
accidentally leaves her case of "party favors" on the
doorstep of sexy next-door neighbor, Lucas Manning. This
story is a riot. Ashley and Lucas are a sexy couple, but
it's the witty laugh out loud humor as Lucas feels the
need
to make sure Ashley is prepared to peddle the pleasure
toys. McCathy's style of humor is what captivated me,
leaving me looking forward to more from this writer. So this is a SUPER anthology, thought the "heat" is light.
Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted September 30, 2005
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