Genres: BDSM Romance, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, Menage Romance
Format: eBook
Cherished Anthology by Maya Banks and Lauren Dane
Cherished is a two book anthology, which will be separately reviewed.
Exiled by Maya Banks
I so wanted to like this story, but it fell flat for me. Prince Xander falls instantly in love with a young Talia, but knows he must wait for her to mature and grow up. Sweeping her away to university and her mother off to the medical care she desperately needs, Xander awaits the time he can call for her to come to him. Unfortunately, a civil war breaks out in his country and he is exiled along with his three trusted friends. Once Talia has graduated, Xander summons her to his island, afraid he will lose her to another.
Virginal Talia knows she owes everything to Prince Xander for her education and the care of her mother. She basically gives herself, body and soul to Xander for six months. Not really knowing what exactly is to be expected or how she will hold herself together, she naively goes along with everything.
She thinks to herself as a whore for doing this, but never once regrets the care of her mother. Xander has deep feeling for her, but he never really expresses them. Then there is the fact that he shares her with his best friends, Sebastian, Garon and Nico.
So here is a naive, virgin, thrust into a situation of roaming around naked for their use, taking on four guys at any given time and being pampered. The story was confusing at first and then just plain made me mad later. To me they used her without telling her about her future, but tell her they are never giving her up. Only to dump her back home when things in their country come to a head, thinking they are protecting her. I don’t want to give away the ending, so I won’t, but the entire story just didn’t sit well with me. No matter if they told her they loved her, I felt they used her even as they pampered her. To me she just seemed like a warm body ready for them to use any time they wanted.
Then Nico pulled out. She found herself pitching forward, her knees digging into a pillow on the floor. Xander mounted her from behind, slid deep into her ass and began fucking her in earnest as cum slid down the insides of her thighs. Semen from three different men.
This scene seemed more brutal and derogatory than ownership or passionate. I normally adore anything Maya Banks writes, but this was just too much for me to handle.
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Author Links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Author’s Amazon Page
[hr color=”light-blue” width=”100″ border_width=”1px” ]Sway by Lauren Dane
Levi Warner is an established older man (only 40 something) who is kind of set in his ways. Having been married once, he has been burned. When his future sister-in-law sends him to take wedding dance lessons, he meets Daisy, a younger Latina woman enjoying life. The two dance beautifully together, but part ways only to keep accidentally bumping into each other quite a few more times. Finally Daisy invites him to her house for a date, where things get sexy, but don’t go to far.
Daisy is an easy going, loving life woman. She is young, but knows what she wants. Carrying several jobs, she is saving everything she can. Levi is the man she knows is her soul mate, but convincing him is another matter. She never once pressures him, because she doesn’t want to ever let him feel like she is grasping at him. Independent, she can take care of herself without a man, she just wants Levi.
Levi is confused by all he feels. He loves how Daisy allows him to dominate her in bed, but he knows she is young and her Latina background might cause problems with his socialite parents. Is he giving his parents enough credit? No. So when Daisy wants more, to go out on dates and not be treated like a poor, young woman, he bulks until he realizes he is miserable without her.
I am going to devour this new Delicious Series, which is a spin off from the Brown Siblings series. We get to see Gillian and Adrian again, along with Jules, Mary and Cal. A great start to this new series! I adored Levi and Daisy along with all of Levi’s relatives…minus the sister-in-law bitch from Hell.
Lauren Dane weaves love stories that aren’t just love stories…they are stories of family, friends and those that make life worth living. The interweaving of the characters make you feel like you are home with all the love family and friends bring. I can’t say enough about how much I loved this introduction to the Delicious Series!
Rating:
Author Links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon Author Page
About Lauren Dane
Lauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!
The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
About Maya Banks
Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today and bestselling author of the Surrender Trilogy. Her other chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and Scottish historical romance. She lives in the South with her husband, three children and a variety of pets.
Shari
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That first one does seem like the guys got the better half of the deal. I don’t think I would call that love either.
The second one has one of the ingredients I love in romances- good family scenes.
Thanks for sharing!