The Unnecessary Bodyguard by Evie Balos

THE PAGAN & THE PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title: The Unnecessary Bodyguard
Author: Evie Balos   

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher: Cobblestone Press

Genre: Erotic/Romance/M-F

Length: 45 pgs.
Reviewed by: Strega

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 3

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 4

Overall Card Rating: 

                                               

About The Book: Nina Bradley doesn't pay attention to her friend's premonition that she'll be attacked by a vampire. She discovers Daphne's assigned a dhampir bodyguard to her and clearly objects. Worse, she finds him terribly attractive, but he’s half vampire. They don’t suit. A good reason to stop fantasizing about him. 

Jovan Markovic wants to keep things professional between him and his beautiful client, but his desire for her is spiralling out of control. He ought to assign someone else to the case, but he won’t. He ought to use his lover to erase Nina from his mind, but he can’t…  

The Review: I enjoyed this story and found the beginning paragraphs very interesting and original. However, when the switch was made to the heroine's POV, I found the story turning a bit more generic. I also felt the story could have benefited from being longer as it seemed a bit rushed in some parts. I felt as if the characters were jumping ahead too fast and I was left behind. The Dhampir history is new to me and I think perhaps more emphasis should have been put on that part rather than on the heroine. I think perhaps female authors tend to think the heroine in a story is more appealing to female readers, perhaps they are able to relate more to the female lead or something. Perhaps they are. As for me, I much prefer the male lead's story, and that is especially true in The Unnecessary Bodyguard.

This is a short story, only about fifty pages but it's a quickie worth your money for a hot little snack with your lunch!

Pagan Elements: None

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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.

Heated by Sabrina Foreman

THE PAGAN & THE PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title: Heated
Author: Sabrina Foreman 

Author Site

Buy Link 
Publisher: Breathless Press

Genre: Erotic/Romance/M-F

Length: 27 pgs.
Reviewed by: Strega

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 4.5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                               

About The Book: Mercy Dawson is stranded in a snowstorm—now add sexy photographer Jacob Harris. Hot thoughts and close quarters: a recipe to warm body and soul.

The Review: Heated says it all! One snowbound chick with a dildo and a hot hunk walks in on her…what else is going to happen? This is a humorous short story about two people who get thrown together during a blizzard that winds up being a lifetime together. At under twenty-seven pages, you'll be able to read this one while on a bathroom break, but you may want to take a little longer just in case you need a little more than a break when you're finished reading!

Pagan Elements: None

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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.

Between Brothers by Lauren Gallagher

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title:  Between Brothers
Author:  Lauren Gallagher

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher: Carnal Passions

Genre: Contemporary/Erotica

Length: 252
Other:  Light BDSM, M/F, Menage, M/F/M 

Pagan & Pagan Elements: No

Reviewed by: Violet Harper

About The Book:

There is no way people would go to the lengths they do to get sex if it was really this bad. That’s what Marisa is thinking after yet another frustrating night.  She doesn’t want a relationship.  She doesn’t want love, at least not right now. What she does want is some of the hot sex that everyone else raves about…and she doesn’t know where to start.  Enter Darren Knight, Marisa’s best friend and longtime crush.  Offering a casual sexual apprenticeship, he helps Marisa gain the confidence to ask for and get what she wants.  A sizzling new world opens up for her, including BDSM, stripteases – and Darren’s sexy brother, Eric. 

But can she take her newfound confidence to the next level and live out her ultimate fantasy?

The Review:  

This novel makes no apologies for not being a romance while still managing to be incredibly hot.  Lauren Gallagher manages to hit every bad sexual experience a woman’s ever had in a way that makes the reader laugh instead of cry.  I appreciated the honesty of Marisa’s experience.  She wasn’t looking for love, and Ms. Gallagher didn’t try to force the reader to buy into the idea of instant true love.  In the back of my mind, I kept thinking this would turn into a love story.  Marisa has been friends with both Darren and Eric for years.  They are friends, and they become lovers.  There is a basis for a real relationship.  But Ms. Gallagher doesn’t rush them to that conclusion.  The reader is left with the impression that it could happen sometime down the road, but that’s not what this story is about. 

This is the story of a woman’s journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening.  It’s sensual and erotic.  Ms. Gallagher’s characters are witty and real.  She writes with a wicked sense of humor.  Marisa doesn’t have stars in her eyes.  She wants a decent lover.  As she takes control of herself and her sexuality, she finds a few good lovers along the way.  The sex scenes, which make up the majority of the narrative, are hot without being repetitive.  They effectively narrate Marisa’s personal and emotional growth. 

It’s a stripped-down, honest account of a woman finding, embracing, and celebrating who she is, something any Pagan can respect. I highly recommend this novel.  It’s something I would gladly read again.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

Pagan Elements: None

Cover (Rated 1-10): 3—The cover looks the same as dozens of other erotica novels.  The woman is a little too skinny, the men have some weird lines/color effects, and everyone is essentially faceless.  I like faces, all shapes and colors.  Ignore the cover; buy the book.

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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.

Hearler's Garden by Nina Pierce

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title:  Healer's Garden

Author:  Nina Pierce 

Author Site

Buy Link

Publisher:  Ellora's Cave

Genre: Futuristic Erotic Suspense

Length - 193 pgs.

Other:  M/F *M/F/F *F/F   

Pagan & Pagan Elements: No/No 

Reviewed by: Kim Earley
Card Rating:

About The Book:  In the female-dominated society of the twenty-third century, mating with a male, even if it is to save the human race, is a distasteful task, and one Healer Jahara Hriznek has successfully avoided―until now.

       Brenimyn is a gifted breeding instructor at the Garden of Serenity. Forced to copulate with all females requesting his services, he yearns to find the one woman who responds to his touch. When Jahara arrives with the new class of breeders, Brenimyn’s body immediately aches for her, but convincing the stubborn healer that sex between a man and a woman is more than just an act for procreation, proves to be a challenge he refuses to fail.

Jahara doesn’t want to enjoy the sinful rapture only Brenimyn brings to her body. Brenimyn has no intention of dousing the flames of desire licking at them until Jahara is completely his―body, mind and heart. But when the government finds their loving relationship a threat to the natural order, there may be more than their stubborn wills at stake.

The Review:  Healer's Garden was an easy, enjoyable read.  Nina Pierce puts you immediately into the world that she has devised, and immerses you in life as Jahara and Brenimyn know it, in the year of 2267.  Society in this future is female-centered as a plague has wiped out a large part of the male population.  Men in this society are either selected to be breeders, providing sexual services to women until they have the two children required by government to repopulate, or they become laborers.  Brenimyn is a breeding instructor. 

All in all, the sex is steamy, the romance touching, and the story entertaining.  I found myself rooting for Brenimyn to find his heart's desire, and change Jahara's mind about a man and a woman having a loving relationship. 

As with many futuristic tales, some of the character's names may be a slight stumbling block for a reader, but most are easy to pronounce and don't disrupt the flow of the story.

Pagan Elements: The use of healing magick and other gifts are used throughout the book.  The book refers to a Creator, but nothing specifically religious or spiritual otherwise. 

Cover (Rated 1-10): 8.  The cover is created to depict life in the Garden of Serenity, which it does very well. 

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.

Winter Kisses (anthology)

PAGAN & PEN REVIEW

Title:  Winter Kisses (Anthology)
Author:  G. R. Bretz, Angela Nichelle, Dena Celeste, Barbara Sheridan, Kelley Heckart

Author's Sites: Click on names above

Buy Link
Publisher:  Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: romance, fantasy

Length: 116 pgs.
Other: Sweet- some kissing

Pagan & Pagan Elements: No/yes & yes for Winter Solstice Kiss

Reviewed by: Violet Harper

About The Book:

Winter Solstice Kiss by Kelley Heckart:

When Brianna decides to attend the Winter solstice masquerade ball, she never thought she would end up kissing a handsome knight beneath the mistletoe, but they part without exchanging names and phone numbers. How will they find each other again?

A Christmas for Carol by Angela Nichelle:

Imagine losing the love of your life right before Christmas. It's a nightmare Carol Christine Moore had to face two years ago. Unable to cope with the pain of losing her fiancé so unexpectedly, Carol closes off her heart entirely. She puts all of her time and energy into making the coffee shop she owns with her best friend a success. Consumed with customers and the daily grind, Carol has convinced herself that she doesn't need anything or anyone else in her life.  But all that changes the day Grant walks into the Cafe Bean.

Love in the Lights by Dena Celeste:

Abigail Bloch has been away at school for the last few years. Returning to her mother’s home renews her interest and need for the Jewish traditions. Unfortunately, the man who had been her best friend growing up, Joshua Cohen, gives her a chilly reception. Over the course of Chanukah, a time filled with food and family and friendship, the growing number of flames must melt away the hostility and illuminate the love that can grow between them.

A Schrödinger Christmas – Holly by G. R. Bretz:

She’s the girl who lives in his dreams, but she’s so much more than that. She’s the girl he was supposed to meet, twice. She’s the path he didn’t take, twice. That was forty years ago and you just can’t go back, except in dreams. But it’s Christmas day. Miracles have been known to happen. Who knows? The third time just might be the charm.

Christmas Rush by Barbara Sheridan:

Ellie Bouchard died just after formulating a plan to see that her only child Remy would be reunited with the one person he was too stubborn to acknowledge as “The One”. Determined to see her plan through, Ellie will do whatever it takes—including

heavenly blackmail and a few sneaky tricks—to see her son reunited with his childhood companion, Michael Carson. The stubborn young men don’t make Ellie’s job easy and she puts on one hell of a Christmas Rush to cement their bond before her time between this world and the next runs out.

The Review:

This is a sweet anthology of uplifting stories about hope and new beginnings.  Each was heartwarming, the kind of story that makes you say “Aww” when you’re finished.  The backgrounds of the stories vary greatly- Pagan, Christian, Jewish, gay and straight.  Each author brought their characters alive, inviting me into traditions and lifestyles both familiar and foreign without once making me feel like I didn’t belong. 

Though I loved each story, Winter Solstice Kiss touched my heart the most, probably because it was the only wholly-Pagan story.  The sweetness and tragedy had me reading the entire thing when I just meant to preview it.   I felt Brianna’s pain and I understood her reticence to move on after the tragic death of her husband.  I cheered for her when she finally allowed herself to heal and accept love into her life again.

Pagan Elements:  Winter Solstice Kiss has pagan elements—the symbolism of Yule being a new beginning and a return to light.

Cover (Rated 1-10): 7—The cover was romantic and warm.  It features an attractive couple on the cover done in shades of blue with a cozy winter cabin set below.

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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.