J. C. Cliff

Okay so I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. I'm doing that because the first half was 3 stars for me, and the last 30-40% picked up to the 4 star range.

I'm a huge fan of dark romance, so I'm not sure why I'm having such a hard time connecting with these characters. I don't understand Team Nick. I have seen nothing redeemable about him. I think I wrote him off for the last time when he said something to the effect of that he would not rape Jules, because he wouldn't have to with the drug in her show more system, she would be begging for it. Um, no. What are you girls seeing in him? Comment please - I honestly want to know b/c I feel like I'm missing something.

Travis does start to redeem himself in this book... but I want to know why he got involved in the slave trade in the first place. I was really hoping he was some kind of undercover agent... because I would hate to think that someone with his military background would get involved in human trafficking. Hopefully his reasons are good and will be revealed in the next book. Jules was better in this book. I understand some of her unappealing behavior in Blyss was due to the drug in her system. I can't reveal too much about her here because it would give away spoilers.

So far my favorite character of the series is Stryker. I think he would make a good alpha male hero... so it would be nice to see him get a spinoff series (maybe in the romantic suspense genre). Blyssful Lies has another cliffhanger, but I think we knew that was going to be the case. Luckily we don't have to wait long for the next book. I'm invested now so I will keep reading.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

This book is everything I do not like:

- Purple prose, first person POV, Present Tense.
- A shifty character, who is too full of himself, revolting sex-talk. Show me a person who talks like that in RL. Anyone? ANYONE? No? If you still insist on this ridiculousness, call the MC "Yoda" and mark the book "sci-fi/alt.reality".
- Everything is too predictable, yet the author's thoughts are hard to follow.
- Too many words. The logic is taking a stroll through the traffic. Characters follow cliches, show more rather than reason.
- Should I go into the PC spiel? The not-so-bright heroine, who thinks with her... vibrator, the way our "hero" treats other women.... it's all there.

Half a star for me. show less

5 "Erotic Blyss" Stars. Wow, this is one hot read! Great suspense too. J.C. Cliff's ability to translate and describe sexual desire is off the charts. Moreover, the plot is fresh, will no doubt leave you guessing as to each individual's true motivations, and will have you clamoring for more! I rarely read one book in a series right after the other, but Blyss has me so captivated, I'm moving on to book 2 now! I can't wait to see how this story continues to evolve. My mind is churning with the show more endless possibilities!

Before I provide a background description, I think it is first worth noting that this is a "grey romance". In other words, it could be classified as a "dark romance", as it deals with difficult subjects like the sex slave trade, but it definitely falls on the much more lighter side of that sub-genre given that it is somewhat less taboo and gritty than other dark romance books (for example, there is no rape in this book).

Julianna Oakley, a college junior and the daughter of a rich entrepreneur, has never seen the need for her father's overprotective streak. Although she can have anything that money can buy, she is actually very much down to earth and is looking forward to paving her own way by having her own career. This is just one, in the many ways, that she demonstrates her independent streak.

At her father's request, however, she decides to indulge him with his latest request that she spend the summer before her senior year at home with him. Given that she has met the man that she plans to spend the rest of her life with, her fiance Adam, and will soon be married, she decides to grant her father this last opportunity to spend dedicated time with her.

Little does Julianna know that there is another man, Nick, who has also been planning to make her his own for a very long time. Nick, being a powerful and rich man, is used to getting what he wants, but he is leaving nothing to chance. Instead, he has been biding his time waiting for Julianna to turn 21, and has spared no expense at laying the groundwork for her capture to ensure that she becomes his and only his. The fact that he is uniquely suited for this endeavor, given he is the mastermind behind Blyss, the ultimate aphrodisiac, is just the piece de resistance, literally.

In his endeavor to own her and mold her into his very own blend of submissive, however, Nick not only utilizes Blyss, but also his best handler, Travis. Travis, is Nick's second in command, and is an exceptionally gifted manipulator. As he sets off to train Julianna, however, he begins to feel feelings he has never experienced before and sparks begin to fly.

Meanwhile, Julianna ever the determined one, remains resolute in her mission to obtain her freedom, even as she starts to question whether the intense feelings she is feeling for Travis are real or just a side effect of Blyss.

Sharing, however, was never part of Nick's plan; and as the battle between Nick and Travis escalate to new heights, Julianna gets caught in the middle. Soon everything she was beginning to accept as her new reality is shattered, and she is left with no choice but to plan her own strategy to obtain her definition of blyss. You get the sense, however, that this is only the beginning of the earth shattering secrets that lay in wait and that will need to be revealed before true blyss can be found.

This story blew my mind. J.C. Cliff is a master erotica wordsmith and has weaved quite a twisted world to round out her tale! I really enjoyed this lighter blend of dark romance, or "grey romance". I think I may have just found a new favorite romance sub-genre and a favorite trilogy to boot!

Source: Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. show less

Okay so I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. I'm doing that because the first half was 3 stars for me, and the last 30-40% picked up to the 4 star range.

I'm a huge fan of dark romance, so I'm not sure why I'm having such a hard time connecting with these characters. I don't understand Team Nick. I have seen nothing redeemable about him. I think I wrote him off for the last time when he said something to the effect of that he would not rape Jules, because he wouldn't have to with the drug in her show more system, she would be begging for it. Um, no. What are you girls seeing in him? Comment please - I honestly want to know b/c I feel like I'm missing something.

Travis does start to redeem himself in this book... but I want to know why he got involved in the slave trade in the first place. I was really hoping he was some kind of undercover agent... because I would hate to think that someone with his military background would get involved in human trafficking. Hopefully his reasons are good and will be revealed in the next book. Jules was better in this book. I understand some of her unappealing behavior in Blyss was due to the drug in her system. I can't reveal too much about her here because it would give away spoilers.

So far my favorite character of the series is Stryker. I think he would make a good alpha male hero... so it would be nice to see him get a spinoff series (maybe in the romantic suspense genre). Blyssful Lies has another cliffhanger, but I think we knew that was going to be the case. Luckily we don't have to wait long for the next book. I'm invested now so I will keep reading.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less