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Let me start out by saying that sci-fi isn’t one of my favorite genres’ especially when it comes to erotic storys.  But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised how this book turned out.  I couldn’t put it down.  The story is about a couple of young women who by way of the Bermuda Triangle are transported to a land not unlike Earth but at a different time.  Here they must fend for them selves in a remote area from wierd and wild creatures.  They are soon taken in by a family that is more than willing to help them aquire the skills to survive in this new land.  But the best part is how they are accepted into this new family through some of the best sex scenes I have seen or read.  The sex is hot and raw from multiple partners to partners unlike any you have seen.  If only I had the chance to meet this family.   This was one hot read. 

In a multilayered plot that pushed and pulled from beginning to end, Jean Holloway drifts in and out of the consciousness of Detective Shevaughn Robinson, an African American woman new to the homicide division, reporter and love interest Tony O’Brien, a Caucasian reporter sniffing for the big story to make his career, sexually depraved killer Eric Becker and a host of other characters used to increase the victim count and assist in capturing the sadist. While Eric’s taunting of both the police and his victims as the Ace of Hearts killer seemed comical at times and his actions seemed designed to get the most shock value as opposed to satisfying a true diabolical need, I found myself continuing to read just to see how he would come to his demise.

Truthfully, I became less and less interested in the love story between O’Brien and Robinson since one of Eric’s victims was O’Brien’s girlfriend. I found the relationship a little awkward and an intrusion when it began to heat up as the murders began to cool down. Although Shevaughn’s first encounter with Eric was carefully planted in the novel’s beginning, Eric’s fixation on her later seems artificial because it’s nearly forgotten not only by the reader but by Eric himself as he develops his murdering persona. I didn’t relate to any of the characters and the fact that the Holloway clearly sets up Shevaughn as a target for revenge by Eric’s wife at the end of the novel, I feel the book left little to the imagination for the sequel. Holloway did a great job of keeping my attention for nearly 270 pages. Ace of Hearts earns 3 out of 5 Sable Seals.

All the blinders are removed from the world of BDSM in Bridget Midway’s Woman in Chains. Dakota “Dak” Ricci is many things; A military veteran of the US war in Kuwait, a husky wood craftsman and a former Dom turned burly Paul Bunion savior-type who falls in love with his most recent save he names Rebekah. Now Rebekah is a luscious African American submissive who Dakota has rescued from an abusive Dom. Through the course of Rebekah’s retraining, there’s a constant push and pull between Rebekah and her trainer wears a little on the nerves, but Midway details the very nature of the BDSM lifestyle. Not all about power and sex, Dakota and Rebekah learn about trust and respect as they work to define the lifestyle on their own terms. The sexual encounters were hot and sensual. Midway did an excellent job of showing how BDSM explores the variety of sensations­—not just the joining of the usual puzzle pieces.

It was the first BDSM story I have ever read that spanned more than the length of a short story in an anthology. It was a perfect introduction, however, I would have liked to have perceived a greater sense of Rebekah’s abuse earlier in the story because Dak’s rescue seemed really exaggerated and unnecessary at first—almost playing to the stereotypes surrounding BDSM. Much later, I still didn’t get a sense that Rebekah’s former Dom was real abuse, he just wasn’t right for her. The majority of the abuse was explored later in triggered recalls Rebekah would experience. For those curious about BDSM can get that curiosity fully satisfied in Bridget Midway’s Woman in Chains, which earns 4 out of 5 Sable Seals.

Publisher: Loose ID

Format: Ebook

Price: 7.99

Here we have Kate O’Neil, a successful software engineer from Boston, whom decides to pick up and leave. After answering an ad she finds herself half way around the world in Bangkok, Thailand. Far removed from her family, a good job and least of all her lover David, she embarks on a trail of corporate espionage, but more important, her sexual awakening. it begins with the man who hires her, whom she finds out isn’t all he says he is. Here she also meets Khun Somtow, part owner of the firm she came to work for, and Gregory Marshall, a very important customer. They each take Kate on a sexual tour of the city, where she goes from being an innocent little irish girl from Boston into a full blown sex maven who enjoys it all.

I bet very few peeping toms have stumbled on a show like the one Veronica Blaque concocts in Somebody’s Watching, an African-American same-sex erotic short. Whether you’d rather watch or be watched, this short speaks to your sensual senses as Tiana, a dancer in search of her true professional calling, tries to satisfy her desire for Bella who is currently attached to Danielle among several others. After witnessing in secret a routine fight and the steamy show that usually follows between Bella and her lover, Tiana decides to take Bella up on the open dinner invitation after her boyfriend ends their sluggish relationship. Not realizing she’d become the main course, Tiana quickly forgets the rumble in her tummy for the yearning that’s overpowering her from further south. When she wakes up the next morning with a sustaining hunger for her new partner only to find out that her live-in lover has bowed out of the arrangement completely, the women feel free to pursue each other with abandon for all who might be to watching.

Blaque portrays these beautiful women loving each other and respecting the others involved in a manner that is pure electricity. In Blaque’s words you can feel the suppleness of skin and the heat of desire regardless of your own persuasion. Somebody’s Watching earns 4.0/5.0 Sable Seals.

Publisher: Wicked Women of Color Press

Format: ebook

Price: 1.99

Rhonda Jackson Joseph takes something as simple as seizing the moment and weaves a sweet contemporary romantic short in The Act. The short story is about Melanie, a widow, single mother and cafe owner who is tired of the matchmaking antics of her daughters as a wedding is near for one of them. Their worry about her being alone as they pursue their own families yields a flurry of unsuitable matches not realizing Melanie’s content with singlehood. Melanie decides to adjust the girls’ focus when she brings a handsome Tyson Brown, a cafe regular, to her daughter’s house for dinner. Ty who’s been in love with Melanie for sometime takes the opportunity to not only declare his love but capture her heart in the short but warm tale.

The Act is a quick and enjoyable read. Joseph’s writing style leads you to embrace the Melanie and Tyson right away. You want to see them together before you’ve really had a chance to get to know them. The Act earns 4/5 Sable Seals.

Publisher: Amazon.com Short

With a fourteen year old pastor’s son, Adam Barnet as their guide, a group of multicultural middle schoolers and high school kids seek truth and resolution regarding the social and spiritual hurdles that impact their lives. The group, as modern disciples, heeds Adam’s messages and witnesses his performing of miracles. Showing that these societal ills such as witchcraft, revenge, indifference, and lust are a temptation regardless of age, and that the beacon of truth doesn’t have an age requirement, Parker paints an interesting story around the examination of these issues through the use of the world’s fascination with the Harry Potter literary enterprise.

The transformation of the characters created the most impact and the reader comes to appreciate young Pedro Morales as he emerges stronger in his faith. Adam’s character was a little hard to take, as unlike Jesus, he never appears to be tempted, making him someone to aspire to but not someone very relatable. Another issue I had was when members of the God Squad decide to break into a suspicious neighbor’s house because of Adam’s spiritual intuition about the house and its inhabitants. At first, Adam steps away from the conversation knowing it’s wrong despite the good intentions, but later encourages the plan. Racial profiling is suggested though unfounded once the break-in occurs. Because he is a preacher’s son, his family is new in town and he wants to protect his father from the consequences if his son is caught in illegal activity, Adam resolves to participate only through the offering of prayer and later when he senses trouble has reached a fever-pitch. When the situation resolves after turning dangerous and the police intervene, the God Squad’s trespassing or breaking and entering seems to be overshadowed by the casting out of a demon, thereby trivializing it to suggest some illegal activity done in the name of a good cause can be overlooked or treated lightly.

As those might suspect from a book that includes full prayers and Bible verses, witchcraft and Harry Potter are deemed unacceptable. Besides the growth of Pedro Morales, most of my enjoyment of the novel came interspersed through the last 70 pages where the Morales family comes to have intelligent conversations with the followers of witchcraft. Even though members of the witchcraft group come to Christ by the book’s end, I came to appreciate Parker’s attempt to suggest throughout the novel the importance of first seeking to understand and then seeking to be understood.  The Reforming of the Potter’s Clay earns 3 out of 5 Sable Seals.

Publisher: Sword of the Spirit Publishing

Format: Print

Price: $12.95

As soon as you begin reading Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s book of poetry dedicated to her life in Mississippi, you immediately know you can’t do her lyrical rhymes the injustice of reading them silently.

Her words are meant to be read aloud, each syllable savored as they roll along your tongue. If you are not southern you will long to be in short order as you read about the Southern men, the fine Southern ladies, the Southern foods, the Southern skies and the Mississippi heat on your back. You can almost feel it as you drink in every verse.

Thank you Lord for I am only two generation removed from this Southern charm of which Neely-Dorsey speaks. My grandparents hail from the Georgia Peach. While it’s not the fragrant land of the Mississippi Magnolia, I still recall some of the memories Neely-Dorsey offers her readers as a treat.

Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s poetry reminds me of a chap book I stumbled upon in a public reading room. It was not a bestseller and its cover wasn’t glossy, as a matter of fact the clerk said I could have it. I was nine and I read that poetry book from cover to cover. I laughed and I cried. I cherished that book for years. Now that book has a companion in Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poems. A volume, I’m glad she shares with us. The volume of audible candy earns 5/5 Sable Seals of approval.

Publisher: Grant House Publishers

Price: $15.00

Format: Print

As a special treat, I will be posting some of my favorite Neely-Dorsey poems all week long, but today is truly special as you will get to hear the Poet read her signature poem Southern Life… Please click below:

No source of fear goes unexamined in J. Richard Jacobs’ Twisted Tails III: Pure Fear anthology. Combining 18 stories from nearly a dozen talented authors that resemble Stephen King’s Creep Show, anything Alfred Hitchcock and the Twilight Zone is no easy task but Jacobs does an excellent job of showcasing each author’s ability to bring into the light what scares us most.

There’s a story for every scary thrill seeker whether it’s the eerie heart-racing kind as in J. Richard Jacobs’ The Beast in the Basement or the psychological and existential terror that haunts all of us as in KL Nappier’s Backslide, Twisted Tails III won’t disappoint. Some of my favorites include:

· The Ghost of Korrim McKarthy by Brandon Berntson - I loved the idea of scared kids in the woods and the bully who gets his due in this story. To me this one was the scariest of the bunch!

· Day of the Dead by Marilyn Peake - I liked the idea of masks and what happens when we wear them in this story. I also liked the fact that this story made me laugh in places where I probably shouldn’t have but it was enjoyable all the same. I loved the dark vs light irony and there’s nothing scarier than creepy kids who seem normal at first.

· The Raft by Kim McDougall - The description in this story can’t be beat. I was on that raft with them and I could feel the sun scorching while we waited to be rescued.

· Divine Messenger by K.L. Nappier - While not particularly scary, I loved the wisdom and sarcasm that flowed from the old woman. Nappier makes your heart nearly explode when she plays against that ticking clock.

· Three on a Match by John Klawitter - I enjoyed this one. It made me think of Twilight Zone and those fun British humor novels rolled into one. The Mr. Know-it-All Psychiatrist’s panic was most enjoyable.

· Arachnotail by Biff Mitchell - Last on my list of favs, this one shows how our psychological fears can overtake even our most obvious mental abilities. I loved how the obvious solution couldn’t be implemented or the danger averted because of a combo of liquid courage and irrational uncontrollable fears. In the end you wonder if you’d be hanging beneath the cliff in piss-stained pants in fear of something you could normally squish with your shoe on level ground.

For finding all the ways to scare us, Twisted Tails III: Pure Fear earns 4 out of 5 Sable Seals.

Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing Inc

Format: Print or Ebook

Price: 15.99 or 5.99

In Melissa Blue’s interracial sensual romance, How Much You Want to Be?, construction maven and a professionally lost pseudo-playboy find love among pool cues, hammers, drill bits, paint tubes and chalk dust. Neil Sullivan is a construction manager-hopeful who has moved to a small town in hopes that she can build a new life and keep her old one completely buried with her parents. Not wanting to live off of her legacy and not feeling free to live up to it, her co-workers never really get to know who she is. Her strong persona not to mention her honey-brown skin, narrowing hazel eyes and ringlet hair have rich newsboy Gibland Winfred the third deeply intrigued. When lost pool bet leads to a date, a searing kiss and housing contract that is sure to secure Neil the construction manager’s title, Neil finds out more about herself and this debonair newsman. He’s not all he appears to be and neither is she.

He wins her respect but will he win her heart as they come into constant contract to finish the housing contract? Will Neil realize that old secrets and old promises that have done her more harm than good should relinquished in order for her to pursue her life’s passions both in bed and out of it?

Blue has crafted a highly interesting plot that keeps you wondering who has the biggest secret. Trust me, you’ll be surprised at what comes tumbling out in a way you will not expect.

Neil is a delight, strong and sarcastic and yet realistically flawed. I enjoyed witnessing her make the connections needed truly create the life she wanted instead of the one she thought she wanted.

Most sensational are the one liners Blue interjects and the love scenes, they are of the most sensuous kind, full-bodied, emotional and all enveloping.

Here’s a taste:

“The scent smelled good enough to bottle and drink.”

OR

“The paper-pusher wear had hidden the body of a god, with skin hot and smooth under her shaky fingers.

And unless I give it all away…

“The candlelight flickered over their sweat-slicked bodies, causing shadows against the walls.”

Whew, How Much You Want to Bet? is a very satisfying read. It earns 5 out of 5 Sable Seals.

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Format: Ebook, Print

Price: 4.50, $9.99