The Curse of Albrecht Manor by Christopher C. Newman

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title: The Curse of Albrecht Manor
Author: Christopher C. Newman

Author Site

Buy Link 

Publisher: Dark Roast Press

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Paranormal

Length: 179 pgs.
Other: Forced Seduction/Rape/Voyeurism/M/F/F/F

Pagan & Pagan Elements: Yes

Reviewed by: Violet Harper

About The Book: The women of the Albrecht family are cursed! For nearly three hundred years the hex uttered by a witch being burnt at the stake has stalked them down the centuries. Priests, herbal women, and even Inquisitors have been brought in to stop it from driving the Albrecht daughters to sexual-induced madness on their twentieth birthday. Nothing has worked; not even an uprooting from their native Germany to America has stopped it. Soon it just became an unfortunate fact of life if you are a female Albrecht.

It is present-day and Baron Markus Albrecht nervously awaits his daughter Elsa’s twentieth birthday. For a year he has searched for someone willing and able to halt the hex from driving his daughter as insanely mad as his sister, Franziska. Four days before her birthday he finds Noah Ravenswood, a practicing wizard and learned occultist. Noah, armed with hereditary mystical training by his mother, and Doctor Sarah Bookings his associate, he travels to southern Ohio to do battle with the Albrecht Curse.

But who or what is Noah really fighting? Is it truly a hex or perhaps a power-play by one of the Albrecht sons? Could it be the angry and distrustful Maximilan Albrecht, the eldest son and inheritor of the vast Albrecht Estates? Could it be the playboy Hans Albrecht, trying to dethrone his older brother and wrest control for himself? Can Noah and Sarah unravel the mystery before they become embroiled in the family politics, carnal activities, and deadly games at Albrecht Manor?

The Review: The story started out so promising. It seemed a little like The Dresden Files with the wizard man who dedicated his life to using his paranormal abilities to save people. After establishing some plot elements, the story degenerates in several aspects.

The writing style seems a little off. I kept trying to figure out if the writer was an American trying to sound British or an Englishman trying to sound like an American. I do like both styles, but not when cobbled together and not for characters that are American. I also don’t understand the heavy emphasis on the Albrecht’s German ancestry. If the family has lived in the US since before the Civil War, it is highly unlikely any of them would speak German, especially as a first language, or insist on using archaic aristocratic titles. Adding in the British butler and the French maid to a house in Ohio were either a failed attempt at humor or an overly clichéd casting of characters.

Additionally, all of the sex scenes were disturbing, but each for a different reason. Noah ‘forces’ his lover’s legs apart in a scene that is supposed to be romantic. Sarah’s voyeuristic experience ends with her giving head to the elder Albrecht who has children older than her, all in an effort to stop him from telling Noah, her boss, that she was watching two people have sex. I fail to see why Noah would care that she was watching.  During the scene, she describes trying not to vomit while the rest of the descriptors indicate that she is aroused. The first element necessarily cancels out the second for the reader. 

There is nothing remotely erotic about any of the sex scenes, though that may have been by design since most of them have their roots in evil. Some of them were downright disgusting. It would have been a much better story without the gory details.The best parts of the novel were those told through Noah’s eyes. The point of view shifts several times, which is fine, though it could have been a much stronger story if it hadn't. Noah disappears for so much of the novel that the reader forgets he exists He’s supposed to be the hero, the reader’s window into the story, but he ends up being an impotent and irrelevant tool.  Overall, I was very disappointed by something that could have been a great story.

Pagan Elements: Noah Ravenswood is a Pagan with paranormal powers. He uses protective charms and prayers to the gods/goddesses regularly during his cases where he helps people who are the victims of demons, curses, incubi, etc. Noah is a person modeled after Harry Dresden, and so worthy of respect for his adherence to his Pagan ideals. This added to the disappointment of the story because it had so many good Pagan elements.

Cover (Rated 1-10): 4-There’s nothing about it that would make me pick up the novel, but it does fit the storyline.

_________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & The Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.

Sex On A Stick by Penn Halligan

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title: Sex on a Stick
Author: Penn Halligan

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: Contemporary/Erotica

Length: 49 pgs.
Other: Exhibitionism /Voyeurism /WM/WF

Reviewed by: Brandi

About The Book: Romany Belle and Macnair Palmer work for the same company, but they've been enemies ever since they lost important funding for a new project. The last thing they want to do is go away together on a business trip.  However, what starts out as office warfare soon becomes hot, driving need and out of control passion to touch and taste, and very soon, enemies become lovers.

Romany goes from hating Mac to needing him, but now she has a new problem. How to keep their little affair out of the hands of office gossips? How can she pretend indifference when she really wants to fuck the stuffing out of Mac?

The Review: My only issue with this book is the flow of the story. The text begins with a prologue and the rest of the book is told as a flashback. The prologue is unnecessary, and I felt the book would have flowed much better if it had been told in a linear timeline.

 Sex on a Stick is a quick and entertaining read. On the surface, Romany and Mac can’t stand one another, but their attitudes are fueled by their secret desire to be together. The author did a great job of connecting the reader to her character’s motivations and fantasies. Romany and Mac have a definite chemistry, and their sexual exploits are exciting and to the point. It’s always nice to see a full figured gal as the focus of a romantic/erotic story. I look forward to reading more titles by the author.

Pagan Elements: none

Cover (Rated 1-10): 6–pretty cover, but a bit generic and doesn’t match the story.

________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & The Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.

Far From Innocent by Arlene Knowell

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title:  Far From Innocent
Author:  Arlene Knowell

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher: Carnal Passions

Genre: Erotica

Length: 92 pgs.
Other:  M/F * M/F/M 

Reviewed by: Violet Harper

About The Book: If Green Beret, Dex McKelvy, hadn't ended their relationship, Rachel Kenyon would have never left town. She would have stayed with him, enjoying the hot lustful sex. But with a broken heart she made her way to start a new life and job in Hopkinsville, KY. She never expected to meet Blake Linden, or to wake up with him in her bed. Blake was more than just a lover, he was a sexual God. He was protective, and it was no surprise that he'd sent the private detective hired by Dex packing back to Denver. It was a surprise however, that he and Dex knew each other. In fact, they'd shared a woman a decade ago. But once they'd shared Rachel, it was far too late to realize that they weren't willing to share after all.

The Review:This story left me with mixed feelings. I’m happy that Rachel ended up with the right man, but I have a hard time believing in any of the relationships. They aren’t developed. We’re told she loves Dex. We’re told she loves Blake. She has a lot of tepid sex with both of them.  At one point, she has them at the same time, but both the men were inebriated and she wasn’t really given a vote. It wasn’t quite rape, but it wasn’t preplanned, and there was no clear consent.

Emotionality was completely lacking in the erotic scenes. It was difficult to connect with the characters because so much of the story was peppered with summaries that tell the reader about the character instead of showing us through their words and actions.

Half of the novella details Rachel’s failed relationship with Dex. While he has issues respecting women, she seems to have issues with falling into bed with every big Special Forces man she meets. I also question why she would abandon a job with a salary and benefits for a waitressing position. She had fifteen years’ experience and good references.  Maybe I’m showing my age, but I kept thinking that a woman who sleeps around as much as she does, having unprotected sex with men who sleep around, really needs health insurance. Then again, if she was that responsible, I’m sure she would have insisted her partners use a condom.

Even though it lacked detail, the writing wasn’t bad, the story was entertaining, and it was a fast read. 

Pagan Elements: None

Cover (Rated 1-10): 5-I would rate the cover higher because it’s very sexy, but the freakishly long nails on the hand holding the one breast didn’t appeal to me. Even after I untangled the arms to realize she’s holding her own breast, the nails were still off-putting.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, any book reviewed on this site was sent for free by the author to The Pagan & The Pen. We are not paid to give reviews by Author or Publisher. Once review has been made, said books are deleted.