Emma Holly - Cathing Midnight

Deep in a cave in the Scottish forest live the children of midnight, shapeshifting immortals who can run as both wolves and men. Young Gillian has been rescued by their leader from certain death and transformed into one of them. She would be happy if her heart did not yearn for the world beyond.
Aimery Fitz Clare is human, second son to a noble house, and a master falconer. To him Gillian flees in the guise of a falcon, hoping to escape her immortal keepers. To her surprise, Aimery's kindness is a powerful seduction, and never mind his beauty and warmth! But does she dare embrace this forbidden love, and can it survive her jealous brethren baring their fangs?

Comment: I've had this book for a while, long since I've discovered this author's books around 6 or 7 years ago. Unlike her most known erotic works, this title belongs to one of her more paranormal worlds. Sure there's some erotic hints but the book is PNR.

This is the story of Gillian. She escapes probable death during the plague years in the 14th century by accepting to be changed by Upyrs, a sort of paranormal mix between vampire and shape shifter beings. She ends up living with upyrs who shape shift into a pack of wolves.

But Gillian never really felt part of them so when she finally has control and age she goes away to look for her destiny. She changes shape into a hawk or falcon and lets herself be caught by Aimery, a well respected knight but also the target of envy and fear.

When they all arrive at Aimery's brother ruling house, Gillian starts to find out more about humans and falls for Aimery...

I confess I didn't have much expectations about this to begin with. I just wanted a story that could offer an interesting paranormal world and a good romance.

I got to see what the book would be like from the first pages actually: something boring for the most part and with elements that I didn't thin were well fit together.

The story has a good idea but the way the story evolved was too whimsical for my taste. The setting is an historical world, not some alien world, but I think that aspect of the story wasn't maximized in the best way. The characters, mostly the upyrs didn't seem to care about the time they were in, the society rules didn't seem to matter much and the other character's reaction to that was indifferent. I mean this was how it looked like to me.

It almost felt like everything was happening on another plane of existence or something, a very weird feeling it gave me.

I was bored a lot time. I skipped the sex scenes as all the involved seemed to be bastions of perfection in that area. I skimmed some parts where the apparent enemy of the "good"? upyrs was plotting her schemes, because honestly that didn't really moved the plot forward, it just annoyed me like those bad guys who like to minutely share their plans.

As for the upyrs that we are supposed to like...well, I get that they live long lives and have different interests than humans and so on, but I felt in them a sort of lazy uncaring for anything other than sex and self benefits so I can't really say I was captivated by them.

It seems further books are about two characters we've known here and maybe one day I'll read them, but right now those stories don't seem appealing at all to me.

The romance can be described as sweet. Gillian and Aimery start their relationship with Gillian deceiving Aimery for self protection but they fall in love. Why, apart from their love for birds and freedom and caring I don't know, but it happened. Still, their relationship, despite the factual but unnecessary sex scenes - in my opinion - didn't seem to reach that level of true sharing and commitment and sharing of values and love I kind of hoped for. It felt very bland for me.

Sincerely, what interested me the most was actually the enemy's feelings for Aimery's older brother Edmund. She only wanted to use him but I kind of glimpsed interest in her part...none of the upcoming books is about them though, so I can't know if I was right in hoping for something there.

Also interesting was Claris, Edmund's indifferent and disillusioned wife who had a evil side and she was obsessed with Aimery. It seemed weird how everyone was ok with this, but the attachment between all characters seemed inexistent so... still the most interesting thing in the book was this flawed character alright.

In the end I wasn't convinced nor captivated enough to keep reading. I never felt really invested in any character and by the way the story ends, I was actually even less worried about it. Sure some interesting points exist but aren't enough to support the rest, I think.

The next two books in the series focus on known characters and then there are more whose setting is the 20th century. Right now I don't feel like reading any. 

This story wasn't the entertaining journey I thought would happen, and it feels a bit sad, but we can't help what we feel, right?

Grade: 4/10

Emma Holly / Selah March

To avoid marriage, Merry Vance has concocted a sinfully scandalous scheme: to pose for Nicolas Craven, London's most sought-after artist. No man in his right mind would marry a woman who posed nude for this notorious rogue.
But Nicolas has his own plans for the fiesty young woman. And Merry has no idea how hot it can get in an artist's studio.

 

Comment: This is the sort of sequel to Beyond Innocence, a book I've read last month. This one features a known character from that book, Merry Vance. I thought Merry was very bold in trying to get her way out of marriage and she thought a plan that wouldn't make any man want to marry her, but she didn't think things through and her family had to deal with her actions. However, Merry falls in love with Nic, the painter she "uses" to help her without his knowledge of everything. Of course many situations come from Merry's bold but reckless actions in particular related to her own feelings. I liked this story, it had all the elements to work out just like the previous story, but it didn't captivated me as much and I thought it was more centered in the sexual side of things before they fell in love for real. It was good, especially the surrounding things but overall, weaker for me then the first.
Grade: 7/10

*  *  *  *  *

Sweet-natured Etienne LeFevre must give up his birthright and flee into the snow-covered forest to

save himself from the murderous greed of his brutish elder brothers. When Etienne ends up alone and hungry, with a ramshackle cottage his only shelter and a feral cat his only friend, he believes himself doomed to a sad, cold death.
But out of the shadows of the night arrives a visitor who brings comfort. He presents himself as a servant, but the man called “Jacques” spends the long hours instructing Etienne in the cruel delights of a disciplined passion.
Jacques is gone with the morning light, but Etienne thinks he knows the stranger’s secret. Will Etienne tame the beast that lurks within his lover? Or will he find himself a victim of the bitter rage that rules Jacques’ heart?
Based on the classic French fairy tale, “Puss In Boots,” this story explores what happens when the servant becomes the master, and the master lives to serve...

Comment: This is a sort of version of the Puss in Boots tale. It's obviously very sexual and not very romantic in my opinion. I thought it would be interesting to see how the author would play the story with two gay men but this was more like a exaggerated story on some D/S relationship. I wasn't very fond of the story neither did I think the plot had much to it. The major elements were there but I didn't feel any affinity towards the main characters. Their relationship was weird and lacking important things. Very weak this story, for me.
Grade:3/10

Emma Holly - Beyond Innocence

When her beloved father passes away, Florence Fairleigh finds herself alone in the world. All she wants is a man who will treat her kindly and support her financially—and she's come to London to find him.
Edward Burbrooke thinks marriage is the only way to save his brother, Freddie—and their family—from scandalous ruin. As head of the family, Edward has vowed to find Freddie a bride—and fast.
Thrown together by Edward, Florence and Freddie make a perfect pair—until Edward realizes he has feelings for his brother's betrothed. The sight of her nubile young body makes his blood burn with lust. The sound of her voice makes his heart warm with love. And the sweet taste of her kiss makes him wonder if he isn't making a terrible mistake.

Comment: When looking for the book for the TBR Challenge of July's theme I went for this author. While trying to pick a title from the ones I had, this one was also a choice but I let it go because it didn't seem as much erotica as some of her other novels. I'm glad I didn't because this one is historical and much more modest than her other work. Nevertheless I was curious to see something by her without such a strong erotic content.

This is the story of Edward and Florence. She is a young woman who knows she doesn't have much money left so she leaves for London to find employment or a good marriage asking for help in a friend of her father's. This is how she ends up meeting Edward, his brother Freddie and a cast of people who'll be an important part of her new life.
Edward feels attracted as soon as he sees Florence but he is looking for a bride for his younger brother, who might face a scandal. But love and attraction don't pick their players and both Florence and Edward have a tricky path in front of them.

I was quite satisfied with this book. In fact, after finishing it, I was quite surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it.
The story has a certain seductive air but it's not erotica and I think for an author so well known by her erotic books, this was quite the confirmation of her talent because with this novel she proves she can do different and well at that.
This story has a classic historical storyline, the older brother finds a bride for his sibling but ends up falling in love with her himself. I didn't find this premise boring. I was eager to turn the pages, to see what else they would be doing. And not only the main couple made me curious, even the brother was curious and had a story to tell. I thought this was quite the entertaining story and well presented.

Edward wants to stop the family from social ruin because his brother was caught in a compromising position. He is the head of family, sometimes serious but quite passionate. He starts falling for Florence almost immediately but only realizes it later on. His character is responsible and trustworthy. He acts believing he has to put his family's desires and well being above his own but it comes to a point he can't ignore his feelings anymore. I was thrilled when this happened and it such a passionate scene when they first kissed...
Florence only wanted a man to provide for her, someone caring at least. She became friends with Freddie and at some point entertains the idea of marrying him indeed but after finding out why he wasn't as eager for that as her, she seeks help somewhere else because of a misunderstanding. She is quite lovable but I wish she could have shown some more spirit at times. Still, I can't really blame her, after all she finds out her intended is gay, that Edward's family tricked her and that she is in love with Edward...too much to take at the time the action takes place, I suppose.
Things work out in the end and I liked how things went until the happy ending. It wasn't easy but it wasn't either as melodramatic as that. In my opinion the romance was quite well done.

There are several secondary characters portraying their role and although some are to be expected, the jealous mistress, the angry older woman, the helping aunt...and the gay brother, all of them helped enhance this story and making it pleasant for me. I was quite positively surprised to see a f«gay relationship mentioned and shown and part of the main plot. It was interesting and not as badly done as one would expect. It was sweet and special. So, I guess in the end, this is what matters, it did work for me, so I have to think good of it.

In the end, I finished the book with a smile, it took me one day to read it, how eager I was to see what would happen next. I know there's a sort of sequel with different main characters, I can't wait to read it and see if these show up and if it's as addictive as this book.
Grade: 9/10

TBR Challenge: Emma Holly - Cooking Up a Storm

The Coates Inn restaurant in Cape Cod is about to go out of business, when its striking owner, Abby, jumps at a stranger's offer of help—both in her kitchen and her bedroom. Storm, a handsome chef, claims to have a secret weapon—an aphrodisiac menu that her patrons won't be able to resist. It certainly works on Abby, who gives in to the passions she has denied herself for years. But can this playboy chef really be Abby's hero if her body means more to him than her heart, and his initial plan was to steal the restaurant from under her nose? Storm soon turns the restaurant around, but Abby's insatiable desires have taken over her life. She's never known a guy into crazy sex like him before, and she wants to spend every spare moment getting as much intense erotic pleasure as she can. Meanwhile, her best friend Marissa becomes suspicious of the new wonder-boy in the kitchen. Before things get really out of control, someone has to assume responsibility. But can Abby tear herself away from the object of her lustful attention long enough to see what's really going on?

Comment: It's time for another challenge read. This month the theme is steamy reads and I went through my books to see which erotic books I might have and despite having read quite a few some years ago, I see that nowadays it's not what I look for to read. So I didn't have that much to choose from...I mean many books have enough sex to count as erotic but I wanted something more in the genre and I had to stick with Emma Holly. The author isn't new to me, as I've read several of her books in the past and enjoyed them, but taste changes and I picked this book with some suspicion and wondered if I would like it.

Anyway, this story is about Abby Coates. She has a business with her sisters but she's the one who works the most towards maintaining the restaurant their father left them. She's in trouble and needs clients fast. So she puts an ad in the paper wanting a chef.
Storm Dupré is in California, unhappy with his life and seeing the ad he decides it's the best thing that could happen to him. There he goes and by meeting Abby, something tells him she's would be special even though his aim is to buy her restaurant from her. However, while seducing Abby, he also learns to see in her someone he develops feelings for.

I wasn't very curious over this book. I'm not in an erotic stage right now and I don't usually look for these kind of books, although I have read them in the past with will.
I new this story would have enough sex to overcome the plot so in a way I can't say I'm disappointed, plus I knew what type of writing the author offers. But, there was still a part of me, the side that prefers romances, that looked at this and sighed over wasted possibilities.
It's not the contents of the story, or the fact there were several different sexual partners in there that made me wrinkle my nose..it was more the fact the main couple could have taken this opportunity to develop a better relationship and that didn't seemed to happen. Right at the end, for instance, even though it was obvious they had feelings for each other, although not spoken out loud yet, still Abby gave in to her impulses and had sex with another man. I thought she was done exploring. Well, Storm thought himself in love with her well before that and he had sex with someone else too,so...but I mean, if things were meant to be like this, I would be fine with it, this could be a free choice menage or whatever, but it's said at some point, they're jealous of each other, so why pushing the issue like this? I must be very naive....

Abby and Storm had personal things to solve. They had issues fro their pasts and I cared for that. But of course the way they went about to deal with them could have been done differently, specially in respect to both of their behaviors.
Storm had a bad experience in his life with his mother, so in a way, his treatment of women was justified enough I guess. 
Abby started as someone innocent and not very daring but ended up discovering her inner sex goddess which she explored quite well by having sex with almost all the characters n the story. But she did it with class so I can't say it was that bad...well, she did distributed the love often I'd say.
There are also secondary characters that provide amazingly deep characterization, considering the air time and the fact most of that time is spend having sex. But it's still a proof of the author's talent to bring such interest to the secondary characters.

In the end I liked some of the settings, some of the issues dealt in the book, but despite recognizing this as a good erotic story, I'm in a point where it doesn't step over interesting. Still, I intend to read the other books by the author I have.