Very "A Serbian Film". I thought I was prepared, but I wasn't. This was almost a DNF, but I did some skimming, and here is the thing. No payoff. Open ending. Not cool. I could have done without the scenes towards the end. Just like "A Serbian Film" remember that scene where the director was telling Milos about the new film genre he was into? Something to do with "newborns"?
Yeah. That's here in full details. This was the first time I literally had to avert my eyes and scan past because it was just wrong. Not gross, but it hit me viscerally how wrong certain statements, and descriptions were.

Of course, reading this might just send you to Amazon and grabbing the book to check it out yourself.

I saw this book on a Youtube "Most Scary or Disturbing Books", and figured that it would be interesting to check out. It's not as bad as I thought, and actually quite interesting in a twisted way.

The premise is simple. What would happen if we as as humans decided that humans were now considered fit to eat? How would society look if the "new meat" was humans? What rules for raising and selling and processing would this look like? How would society adapt and adjust their thinking to rationalize such things? How would the government step in to allow this to happen?

Well we get a pretty in depth look at what a possible life on earth would look like if a "virus" broke out and infected every animal and was deadly to humans. Of course vegetarianism would be the new way to go, but now "scientists" have determined that we NEED certain protiens and amino acids or something that we cannot get from vegetarian diets alone. So what do we do? Well the governements all got together and decided that humans would become the new "special meat", and very quickly all those in the government and scientific fields got behind it.

Marcos is a man dealing with deep depression. His wife left him, his father's dimentia is getting worse and he is dealing with the devestating loss of a child that was very much wanted and very hard to concieve. On top of this Marcos is trying very hard to not think about his job. He is a second-in-command at a "meat processing plant". His job is to hire and fire and show more promote and manage the daily operations of a processing plant that has been changed from beef to humans. We get to see the exact process from delivery from the "farm" to the packaging of eyes and heads.

You know those meat packing videos you've most likely seen that show the animals going through that process? This book does the same, but it's with humans. It also goes to the farms where they are "raised" it goes to the butcher shops where the meat is sold. It goes to the various homes of people who have special closets where they keep thier own human to be saved and portioned out a bit at a time because this is the new way to show off your money.

The story is more of a prop to basically run you through all the different aspects of life where humans have become the new and ONLY meat to eat.

The story is sad and bleak, but if you ever watched "Faces of Death" or wanted to "see" what it would be like if the humans were treated like we treat cows, sheep, etc. This is the book to do it. show less

I didn't realize that I had read the first two books in this series and dnf'ed this one a long time ago. Since Goodreads somehow hid my review from my list because of their new policy to basically hide all older books, I didn't know it was reviewed until I looked in my library and saw it. I noted that I skimmed the first two books and DNF'ed this one because I was up late and basically decided that I didn't feel like finishing it. So, reading it now, I can offer a decent review.

I generally enjoy the "humans as pets" trope in sci-fi alien romances. I like it when the humans are treated as actual pets or animals to study, not like dogs you sometimes have sex with. I also appreciate storylines where the humans band together or have a romance with each other—maybe something like "taken and dumped together in the same cage" or a scientific study on humans, where the aliens look at them as actual pets. Sort of a "Toy Story" scenario, where when the aliens aren't looking, the humans act like humans, think like humans, and behave accordingly. This is not that kind of book.

The humans in this book display all the outward behaviors of dogs, while the aliens act completely like people. And yet, these aliens have sex with the humans, who then just go back to being pets. The whole "dog-like" behavior just doesn’t work when mixed with a sexual relationship. The main character (FMC) sleeps in a dog bed, wears a collar, and can’t leave the house without a leash. She behaves like a show more dog—looking out windows, being affectionate after her owners are gone for a while, and showing guilt when caught doing something wrong. The aliens treat her like a pet by ruffling her hair, but also have sex with her. It’s like the author made a dog-human hybrid, and it felt uncomfortable.

Beyond that, the humans aren't even native to the alien planet. They've been there for decades, but the aliens never recognize them as sentient beings because they can't speak the alien language. It felt odd that something like sign language is what eventually "proves" that the humans have agency. The idea of language being the barrier to recognizing sentience wasn’t explored in a satisfying way.

Overall, this book didn’t work for me as a good example of the "humans as pets" trope. If you're looking for a better take, Amanda Milo's The Pet Project series does this much better. The humans are treated as pets or guards, but there’s no weird sexual element with their owners. Plus, Milo’s aliens are more distinct and alien-like, and the romance stays between the humans. show less

I was recommended this book by r/urbanfantasy when I was wondering which series to read next. This was really good; it was quick and had a lot of humor as well as action.

It is on par with K.F. Breene, Diana Rowland, and some other authors. It was good. I put it at 5 stars because I don't know if I will re-read it, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Our POV is a male necromancer who basically is a badass who ends up coming back home after a 15 year absence to find that his sister has been murdered and the goal of the book is to locate her murderer, and stay alive and out of the hands of those who wish him harm. The only clue he has comes from a source that Alex wants nothing to do with, but might just have to "sell his sould" in order to get some answers.

I will keep reading this series. If you like Urban Fantasy, no sex, no romance, a first person Male POV who has no problem cursing a storm, and has a morally grey compass. Ghosts, and other supernatural and magical things, then give this a read.

I got mine from the library in eBook and also in Graphic Audio.

The last in this series was pretty good. The series as a whole ranks last in the "Q" stories. The first trilogy "Monsters in the Dark" introduces "Q" and he makes appearances in at least two more series by this author. I know that the "Goddess Isles" and "Indebted" series has him in cameo but I never finished "Indebted". However, this is a good read if you enjoyed the others.

Since you don't start this series by this book, you will have to go back to the first book "The Mercer Curse" and go from there. They are all on Kindle Unlimited if you have it.

This was the final book of the series, so if you were holding out until it was done (because it sucks to have cliffhangers), then you can start!

An easy read where Mercy and Adam go to Montana and end up saving the world. None of the Montana pack are shown. They are in a completely different area. The story is told in multiple POV's from Adam to Mercy, to even Warren and Sherwood and a tiny bit from Mercy's Father Coyote. BUT only Mercy gets the first person POV. The other POV's are more of a "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..." for an incident, or "Going on elsewhere...".

It was fun, and pretty much all the worries were handled by the end of the book, but the big-bad is still out there waiting.

I loved reading about how much Adam's wolf loves the snow. He spent a lot of time showing a wolfy grin or laughing face.

If you enjoyed the series "New Camelot" you will definitely enjoy this as it takes place in the same D.C. Universe as New Camelot and you get references to the characters from it.

Also, if you haven't read "Salt in the Wound," you need to. It's the prequel to this series, setting up one of the dominant relationships. The more I think about it, I would honestly say to read it after reading this book. If you don’t read it first, you will have the same views as Tristan in this book. However, after reading this and because you are eager for more of the story, you can go to the free prequel “Salt in the Wound” to learn what you didn’t know and gain a better perspective on Mark and Isolde.

I was under the impression that this book would be all about the Tristan/Isolde part of the relationship because like anyone who hasn't read that story, I googled it and just read that bit about the journey to the wedding where Tristan and Isolde fall in love. So, I went into this book thinking that it would be about that journey. Well, color me shocked when it was really about the relationship between Mark and Tristan and Isolde is not even mentioned in the story until she is brought out as the fiancée to be escorted from Ireland to D.C. when Mark was unable to do it himself. This part the Tristan/Isolde part of the story takes up the last 15% of the book.

The story in a nutshell:

Mark Trevena - Very kinky, rich and goodlooking owner of D.C.'s premier and ultra elite kink club show more "Lyonesse" has need of a very personal body guard. He is also engaged to Isolde Laurence, the only daughter of a major bank owner. She isn't brought up until much later in the book.

Tristan Thomas - Recently honorably discharged war hero who just happens to be the son of the man who just married Mark Trevena's sister. A younger man who still is a virgin and has the uncomfortable "curse" of "becoming too attached" to someone who kisses him with any real emotion. He is battling his own demons having to do with what he had to do while in war. He misses the regimented life of the military and agrees to become the bodyguard to Mark.

Tristan quickly becomes infatuated with Mark, and the feelings end up being reciprocated and a D/s relationship blooms. That is this story. It fleshes out the relationship between Tristan and Mark so that we have a reason to want Mark and Tristan to be together. In fact there is no mention of an engagement or Isolde at all except in allusions that go over Tristan's head. Out of 35 chapters in this book Isolde isn't even brought in until chapter 24. HOWEVER, despite Tristan's initial determination to hate Isolde, as soon as he meets her eyes, they fall away and he ends up as lost in her as he was with Mark.

If you read the "New Camelot" or otherwise known as "American Queen" series and enjoyed it here are some character matchings to help

Mark Trevena = Maxen Ash Colchester
Tristan Thomas = Embry Moore
Isolde Laurence = Greer Galloway

The D/s dynamics are the same as well as a lot of the surface personality traits. However, that is only the beginning. It was almost like the author knew that people really enjoyed the previous series and the chemistry and dynamics of that thrupple and decided to offer a bit of the same here so that people will gravitate to it as well. While they are NOT a rehashing of the same characters the familiarity of the general relationship and characteristics will put people immediately into the story.

I waited a while to read this and honestly only did because I am in a book slump and anything that Seirra Simone writes is without a doubt going to break that slump. I had hoped to wait until more of the trilogy was out because the books take a long time between them, and only because "Honey Cut" is coming out in less than a month, I figured I could chance it.

Definitely this is a great beginning, and like I said if you enjoyed the authors previous books, you will enjoy this one. show less

I love this series! I was waiting for this one to come out because I love Baron "Vicious" and wanted to see how his son was. As it turns out, he is more complicated than we thought. Incidents from his past have caused him to behave the way he is today.

Like all of the books in this series you have a dark "secret" that is pretty heavy. Of course we don't know what it is until near the end.

Other than that you have a lot of the same "bully" type of romance/hatemance, the formula isn't broke so L.J. isn't going to fix it. I will say however, that her characters have a very colorful vocabulary.

I remember asking in an email to Ms. Reisz if she would be putting out a book done by "Nora Sutherlin" wanting to read the book she wrote while in the nunnery. I don't remember the response but am happy to see this coming out. If "Inception" was in literary form, this would be it.



There is no possible way to review this book. I am pretty sure that Tiffany Reisz never expected The Red to be anything more that what it truly is, an addition to The Original Sinners series. The fact that it wasn't her voice and had so many allusions to the series confirmed that although The Red was published as an erotic fantasy standalone, it is more apt to say that it was a major piece of character insight to other series.

Enjoy The Red on the surface if you don't know what I am saying. However, don't hold it up as an example of Tiffany Resz's work. This is not her work. Its hard to write this with the full understanding that the "author" of The Red is also a fictional character. However, there is no mistaking the intent of the book. I can only imagine how difficult it was on a technical level to write this book. I got it. I won't list all the ways I got it, but I did.

I have absolutely no memory of this book, the only reason I know I read it is because it's in Goodreads. The fact that there are no shelves beyond the basic listed indicates that it wasn't really good enough to go down the list of different shelves. I may have liked it at the time, but it was totally forgettable.

Finally, a blend of UF, PNR, with bdsm, sex, and a strong plot. I am tired of young (read 22 and under) heroines and no real sex scenes. I'm not looking for erotic romance, but rated R or NC-17 with heroines that are older, not angsty, and are sexually experienced.

A sexual masochist but otherwise normal single mom of an adopted daughter, has a day job as a marriage counselor and moonlights as part of an elite private security firm filled with supernaturals.

The only problem I had was the heroines use of the term "came to my rescue" when talking about her team members having her back in a tight spot during a fight scene. She wasn't "rescued" like some helpless victim, she was helped by her team mates, as she would do for them. She used that term a lot, so it started to bug.

Other than that there was very realistic bdsm elements that pretty much only those in the know would recognize and appreciate for their realism.

Im happy to find a new author that puts out what I like.

I truly went into these books blind. I didn't realize that the previous three Kindle Unlimited I got were "Inferno World" novellas that tied into this series. So, I figured I might as well read the origins.
Normally, if I am going into a book blind (not knowing the story or the author), it takes me a bit to get around to reading it. Well, last night I realized that my Kindle Unlimited limit had been reached and if I wanted to get something new, I would have to return one. So, I looked for the quickest read, and this was it.

Whoo boy! I was not expecting what I got. I should have known by the authors who are writing the novellas, and the fact that they are also into deep, dark, taboo things. I was not expecting the level of taboo here, and the level of helplessness the characters went through. I do have to say one thing. If you go into this book blind, DO NOT read the synopsis. It gave away a big thing that if I hadn't read, I would never had figured out, and the "twist" would have been a bit better.

Now, what you need to know is this. If you read this book you must be comfortable with the taboo of incest, and not the "loving" kind, the kind of generational abuse perpetuated upon the daughters of men (in this case one man) that begins young, and ends when the daughter they created is old enough to be "trained" up to be next, and the mother is thrown down a hole and left to die.

There is psychological, and emotional blackmail, when loving siblings are used as hostages to show more ensure behavior, there is violence when the father finds fault (in everything) and enforces his rule.

Now, that being said, I loved this book. Don't know why, but it sucked me in and had me through to the end. I really loved not having a clue what was going to happen. Sick and twisted doesn't even begin to explain this book. However, there was more nuanced emotions, motivations and complex relationship dynamics. It was taboo for the sake of taboo, but it was a story about how far down the tree evil drips.

I returned the Kindle Unlimited omnibus and am about to read the novellas that are based on these stories. show less

Ok, so you know I like me some dark romance, I love dubcon and girls who like it rough and the MEN who give it to them that way. This book has tags that intrigued me. Not going to list them here because I don't want to hunt around to find them, but the tags drew me in. It's not often that RACK (Risk Aware Consensual Kink) rules are in New Adult so I thought I would give this a try.

However, let me start this review with the following: I am an older adult woman, so most likely not in the demographic of the intended audience. Although, I have read and do enjoy many New Adult and Dark Romances. Look over my shelves and you will see. I still think like I'm in my mid-twenties (as any older person would attest to). However, I have the experience in reading and life to be unable to put aside my logic and suspend belief when pushed too far.

Spoiler It sat on my Kindle for ages. I started it and got a couple of pages in when I realized that I didn't really get a feel for it. I'm going to save the blurb because the blurb in the book details is correct. However, when it say's "A lot can change after high school" what it didn't say was that these people are still with the "high school mentality". The book doesn't specify their ages but it does say "it's been a couple of years since high school", so 21? Anyhow this made a big difference in how I perceived the main characters.

That was the first thing that threw me. I felt like these characters felt like they were playing "dress up" and show more nothing about the actions and activities portrayed felt like they could actually happen.

Sure, 21 year olds can be able to do kink, but the type of kink and the level depicted here just didn't match up. Plus it felt “messy”, not structured. I don’t know if this sounds right, but it really felt wrong. It just came off as kids trying to imitate adults. Like when kids smoke their parents cigarettes and think they look cool.

Another aspect that I didn’t get was how our "heroine" who is well-known for being particularly image concious, does this about face at a huge Halloween party among all the kids she knows and decides to just say "fuck it" and let her horny vagina lead the way into doing degredating activities (she is learning she has a humiliation fetish) with the guy she spent her high school years calling a loser. All this because he had some kind of post-graduation popularity, bad-boy glow-up, and she has some memories about a kiss she had with him back in the day because of a dare.

Also, she is learning as she’s playing beer pong/dare that she has a humiliation fetish. A brand new discovery – at the age of 21 (I’m guessing) she is learning that she’s getting wet because she is being dared to kiss a boot. This is something she is JUST NOW at that moment learning. She spends a lot of time worrying about how people are going to see how wet she is because of this. Actually, this was another aspect of the book that bugged me.

Jessica spends way too much time thinking about how wet she is because of these humiliating activities. She is worried she will be dripping down her leg, how she is embarassed to sit on the carpet for fear she will get it wet (like anyone is going to see this), she worries people are going to see a wet spot on her panties (that everyone can see because she’s wearing a thong under a barely there skirt and she’s being forced to her hands and knees). She worries that people will see her being wet after she has to take her panties off, she worries that they will see her being wet as she is crawling to the kitchen to get her “Master” a beer. She worries that she will get the leg of her “Master’s” pants wet when he has her sit on his lap….yeah. Someone is going a bit overboard with the wet pu$$y descriptions.

Manson is our “hero” and he spends the book saying “Oh Jess, poor little girl, poor Angel, you need to be punished”, “I’m going to punish you, don’t worry”. “Oh Jess, you can’t help being naughty can’t you.” Again, he comes off as someone playing “dress up”. I don’t know why, when other books I have read that actually HAVE high school kids feels more realistic than this. Maybe it’s the whole “instasubmissive/instadom feel”

Nothing about Mason seemed like he was a "Dom", nothing about what he did felt right. Nothing about Jess was sexy, nothing about how she reacted or how she behaved felt right. And when I say “felt right” I don’t mean crossing the lines, but they didn’t come off as believable characters.

I am thinking that this author just wanted to push boundaries and show BDSM in a much darker light than many readers are used to, so she could put the “warnings” and tags that would get more readers just for shock value, but it didn't work because her actors didn't sell their parts. They were too young, they were too inexperienced. I don't care if Manson had skills or knew how to handle a knife or how to spank Jess, he just wasn't experienced he just felt wrong. No one at this age is going to understand the nuances of kink that they were trying to achieve. Jess is NOT going to just now discover she has a humiliation fetish and go with being forced into very uncomfortable situations.

Then when I have to read her begging to be effed by this guy, begging multiple times if he would just eff her, it was too much. I was so turned off. All throughout this book she's begging to be effed by the guy who is treating her like crap and she is so turned on she's worried about leaving wet stains on the carpet shes sitting on.

Between worrying about how wet she is, wanting to be effed, and always fighting against being told what to do all the while her mind is saying “I don’t like this, I don’t have to be doing this…Or DO I?, “This is humiliating, I would hate people to see me doing this…OR wouldn’t I?” It’s all about her initially rejecting the commands, but internally learning how much she actually wants to do them.

Again, tonight is the first time she learns she is into this, and tonight is the night she shucks off her entire life of being one way and just going with the guy she called a loser throughout high school all at a Halloween party at the wealthiest house in the neighborhood among all the people she spent her life trying to maintain a perfect appearance.

I skimmed through all the sex which says a lot about how I was feeling towards these characters. I wasn’t interested in seeing them do the deed. I skimmed through so much that I can’t even say how many different people were in the room. Although, I do know that the guys who came to the party dressed as psycho clowns who scared the crap out of Jess because she has a clown phobia ended up tagging her with Manson. Whether or not they did the full deed or just oral I don't know because I totally skimmed it. I do believe that these are the guys who will make up her "harem" in the future books. I couldn't be bothered by it.

It was funny that I would read a line of dialogue, skim a page or two and realize that the next line I focused on what the next line of dialogue. Not only did I skim, I straight up didn't even look at anything, I was just fast forwarding to a line that let me know they weren't screwing. I might have stopped for a few sentences but really, I missed it. Which tells you something.

The majority of the readers of this book are not going to be into humiliation kink and because it’s such an emotionally charged kink, it isn’t going to be easy to write in a way that comes off as sexy to them. Because it is a prequel and an "introduction" to our future characters, it isn't meant to be long or involved. But, it IS supposed to make the reader want to follow up on these characters in the future books. In that it failed for me. I'm bummed. I don't know why this didn't work when I really liked the "HAVOC Boy" series by C.M. Stunich (although there were a lot of eyerolls in that). That series featured high schoolers doing very adult things. It could all be an "It's not you, it's me" thing.

Books I would recommend if this is your thing:

"Dirty Bad Wrong" by Jade West - her first book and a great jumping off point for her other books which all deal with a different kink mixed with complicated relationships. A great combination of a New Adult Romance with all angsty feels and snarky fun, but with the addition of some hardcore kink.

"Six" by James Crow or Mr. James Crow – I believe he is a friend to Jade West or was brought into writing by her. He is into more degradation and less “sexy” kink. Six was his first book. He’s not for everyone but he’s got talent and is able to force your perception into that of the characters. "Dare" (By James Crow) was one of the most twisted and disorienting reads I have come across.

"Wicked Ways" by Carrie Silverwood – First in a three or four book series about a woman who was caught up by men who have the ability to “mesmerize” women into doing shocking and degredating things, and he desperate need for help to escape them.

TL;DR - I didn't like this book because I felt that the characters were too young to get humiliation kink right, and that they weren't realistic in their actions. I felt it was not written authentically. I didn't find them sexy. Also the heroine got on my nerves with her abrupt 180 degree change in character and her unrealistic timing, plus the list of annoying traits and behaviors she exhibited. I felt that it was more shock than substance. Read the above authors instead. show less

This was a part of the "Shifting Shadows" anthology that I read on the same date I listed as reading this book

Garret is 36 and learns his 21 year old stepsister is a Camgirl while one lonely night he gives into boredom and scrolls the sites and comes across her. He was 21 when his mother married her father and she was 10 when this happened. His and her realtionship was filled with him treating her like she's a brat and her living up to the treatment. We learn that she's secretly in love with Garret and after a spending $450 to pose as another guy on her Cam site Garret decides to see if there is any chemistry in person.

Turns out his sister is a virgin. Turns out Garrett hasn't had sex in 10 years because he's waiting for the "one" he can connect with. Garret and Mia (his stepsister) do "everything but" for a while.

Following the same pattern of the girl wanting to progress forward while the guy in fear of this or that decides to "keep it casual" while doing everything but keeping it casual. Followed by obligatory"unforgivable mistake", followed by "let's make him jelous" followed by HEA.

Skimmed the hell out of this one. I liked it less than the previous book, which means that this will be the last in this series. I only read them in the first place because someone on Reddit Spicy Romance Books reccomended the author and series. I've read better, but it wasn't nearly as bad as some others. Very tropey, very formulaic. Interchangeable with so many other books. Not bad, but entirely forgettable. Only read it if you read the previous book "Praise" and enjoyed it enough to want more. show more Don't read it before reading "Praise" only because it isn't as good, and the characters in praise are featured in this book. If you enjoyed "Praise" enough, then this is a good one to continue. If you were "meh" about it, then skip this. show less

Charlie is a 21 year old girl who goes to her a$$hole ex-boyfriends father to get her half of the security deposit on the apartment she shared with said ex-bf. Ex-bf isn't speaking to his father and knows that the security deposit was mailed to him, tells her to go get it herself. She goes to the address her ex gave her. Charlies ex cheated on her, and put her down a lot, which will play into the praise kink that she discovers later that she has.

Emmerson works from home, is about to open up the Salacious Players Club, an exclusive sex club with a few best friends who will be featured in their own books upcoming. His kink is having a sub to praise. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but basically, he likes to talk dirty, do dirty things, and tell his sub that she's a "good girl". He seems to be going through them pretty quickly like Goldie Locks. His friend and co-owner of the about to be opened sex club, Garrett is charged with finding new girls and sending them over to Emmerson. Emmerson has been estranged from his son by an ex-wife for two years and is trying very hard to get him to return or answer his calls/texts.

Charlie walks into Emmerson's office not knowing that she will be mistaken for yet another submissive that Emmerson hired. After mix ups and instant submissive tendencies show up Emmerson tells Charlie that he needs a Secretary and would she like the job. She says yes. Emmerson thinks that by doing this Charlie will be a bridge to bring back his son into show more his life. Emmerson tells everyone that Charlie is REALLY his secretary and NOT another sub-playing-secretary. Charlie is intrigued by the BDSM nature and asks Emmerson if he will teach her the ways, without it being sexual “of course”. She wants the sex, he wants the sex but is afraid of it causing problems with his son. She thinks he’s out of her league but doesn’t care.

Of course lines are crossed multiple times to varying degrees. Until all bets are off and Charlie and Emmerson “fall in love”. Obligatory “unforgivable act (not cheating)” by hero followed by breakup scene followed by obligatory "hands off her" scene when Charlie does the obligatory "make him jealous at his sex club" scene. Followed by obligatory "rescue from bad father" scene, followed by HEA.

I liked the dirty talk, the sex scenes were spicy. The overall story was generic and done to death, but it was a quick read to break me from the slump. This is similar to a K Webster or Madison Faye longer book, but less drama and darkness (K Webster), and more story/plot (Madison Faye). What little conflicts exist were easily handled. Low stress. I started it and read about a page before picking it up again, and read it all the way through in one sitting after doing it.

Perfect for people who need a fairly quick and easy read without a lot of drama, but still has a decent amount of spice and romance. show less

Skim, Skim, Skim, Skim, Done.

I wasn't getting dragged down into the depths of rehash hell with every other page, so I skimmed until I got to something interesting. Dialogue, action, something other than what I already knew.

Plotholes, but some good. Not the worst, not the best, but it was good.

I love this book! I don't care how many times I read it, and the fact that it was published in the 80's and takes place in the 70's, or that it isn't intellectual. It's a great story. I recommend it to any woman who is looking for a book to break her slump without thinking too hard. Judith Krantz is a great author for books that read easily and require little to no really depth of thinking. Sounds kind of mean to say that, but it's true. Kind of like the Sydney Sheldon of Chick Lit.

Anyhow, I have always read this in paperback form. I would get the book from the local used bookshop. However, this time I read the Kindle version from Amazon. I have to say that I was really disappointed in the editing of it. There were many typos that I suspect were made because the person translating the book from print to e-book misread the words. I know that the paperback font can sometimes cause words like "club" to look like "dub" so this might account for some of the weird words that made no sense. Also, there were many times where a page break should have been made but wasn't. A major cut-scene wasn't made and I found myself wondering what was going on for a second. Also, some words were italicized for emphasis (not that the word was foreign) that made no sense. A sentence would have some random word in italics. If you can get past those editing problems which were littered throughout the book, the story outshines the book.

Now, a bit of a warning. This book was written in the very show more early 80's and its main story takes place in the mid to late 70's. So, if you aren't familiar with the times you will find yourself not quite understanding why the characters act the way they do. Why they allow certain events to happen.
The ideas of workplace harassment, sexual harassment, PC language and ethnic stereotypes being unacceptable haven’t made their appearance in American culture yet. So, be prepared for Asians to be labeled as Orientals, and workplace harassment, mansplaining, the treatment of women in general to be kind of behind the times. Hell, even I was kind of shocked to read about a 28 year old woman seducing a 14 year old boy. It wasn't at all considered wrong or shocking. She was just being the young cougar teaching a the son of a friend how to please a woman. This woman who knew the son and conversed with him since he was a young boy. Whom she watched grow into the adolescent knowing all the time she planned to have him.

Also, the pop culture of the time heavily plays into the story. It is full of refereces to celebrities of the day, famous events and places. Advertising and marketing of the times is a major part of the story. If you are under 30 and haven't watched any commercials or tv shows from that time (70s') you might not quite get the overall tone of the book.

Also, keep an app to calculate the dollars from the time period into the current dollars or else you won't understand the money. Many times monetary amounts are given in relation to living expenses, salary, or prices and since it's low you might not understand how a woman could live on $175 a week in New York while also supporting someone else.

I am not going to get into the plot of the story except to say that it is about Daisy Valensky who is the daughter of Stash and Veronica Valensky. Stash Valenski is the direct descendant to some Russian royalty and Veronica is a major movie star of the 50's when they meet.

About the story, it follows the standard Judith Krantz pattern of a quick bite of "current" and then delves into the character's past. In this case it delves into the main character Daisy's parents and grandparents past and brings the story up to the "present". It sounds like it would be overly long and boring, but it isn't. That's the secret about Judith Krantz books, they take a long time to get to the present, but the story getting there speeds by and is totally engrossing. This book shows us the best of love, loyalty, family, and life-long friendships with other women who only need to grab a shovel to help you hide a body.

The story goes into Stash's past from childhood. It might seem like that is kind of overkill, but it is important to understand current events in the book. Anyhow, Stash and Veronica have Daisy who is the heroine and main protagonist of the book. We follow her life. She is a great heroine, not TSTL, manages to have a brain and behaves in the way most women would.

Along with Daisy, there are other characters who are both major and minor in the book. They all have a place in her life and some, more than others are given time. Daisy basically pulls herself up by her bootstraps and manages to make a life for herself when she is forced to take on burdens that she never had in the past. The book isn't a romance, but it has a few romances in it. We don't have a "hero" per se until later, and the sex scenes are pretty tame, but don't let that keep you from reading it. It's one of those books that really don't need explicit sex to be enjoyable. show less

Review for Original Dalton

Read once

Not my favorite in the series, but still a great read. Since this is the original version I won't review it further since it's not available any longer. I only have this review to keep track of read dates.

However, Read the series:-)

Short story summed up, a married woman is arriving to an Air B&B to meet up with her married lover. She gets there before him and as she is setting up the landline rings. She answers it thinking it's the guy she's supposed to be meeting. They have been hooking up for a couple of years, with no intentions of leaving their other spouces. Just some fun.

The person who is on the line is not her lover, but someone else who has been watching and judging her for her actions. This book is a "one shot" in a single Air B&B and is a cat & mouse over the phone.

Quick in-between books read. If you have an hour to kill or want to read something quick, this is a good one. Be warned, this is Matt Shaw, so you can expect all manner of fuckeduppery.

In the end, it's just a book.

This is a two part novella which actually contains two distinctly different stories set in the same universe with one or two of the same characters.
The Suicide Club:
People who decided to commit suicide discover (and I can't remember how) a "club" that offers them the ability to kill themselves in such a way that their loved ones don't feel bad about them dying. The only catch is that they must wait a year before the suicide happens, and they must attend a weekly "support group". When they decided to join this "club" they are tattooed with a dead-head moth and proceed to live their life for the next year knowing that they have a day to look forward to as being their last day on earth.

The first story is about one of the members of the club and his personal experiences with it as well as his discovery of what it all means. The character who is the face of the club, the one who facilitates the joining, and the one who runs the group is the character who we follow into the next novella which is directly after this one.
Skeletons ΓÇ£The Sequel to the Suicide ClubΓÇ¥
A group of arrivals to London find out they must go directly to a Covid quarantine hotel, this story is about those people. Each person is given a bit of backstory and screentime so that we learn enough about them to know what they are about. If you have read the book "How Much To" you know what kind of character descriptions Matt uses in this style. Basically we get the God's view of a group of people.

I liked show more this one because Matt broke the 4th wall enough that I learned about the fact that he has a website that allows people to purchased various book related items, and the ability to occasionally purchase a part in one of his novellas. You can also purchase a personally written short story or novella just for you. Also, I discovered Matt's views on the Johnny Depp/Amber Herd situation (which I agree with)
We learn this when we "read" what the characters are reading while on that bus going to the Covid Hotel.

The two stories are intertwined by the character who is the facilitator of the "Suicide Club", as he is present in both stories as the same character.

Matt give a bit of an explanation on why he put both books into this one and just marketed it as one book at the end. show less

I really liked the first three books in this series, but it seems that Matt has kind of run out of ideas. I really don't think he needs to make each book a whole different show, but maybe he could go back and create new questions/challenges with new characters. Keep the original "How Much To" framework but add new characters, new backstories. He is a brilliant writer, he should have no problems coming up with new "Jigsaw" type challenges. The framework of the first three books was great, but once he moved away from the true "game show" elements and went to haunted houses with criminals and whatever this is, he lost me.

I really loved the whole "Cabin in the Woods" feel of the first three stories that put this series above any other plain old "extreme horror" or "torture porn". Matt has gone from a fresh, dark humor with stomach turning scenes to straight up torture porn with no real depth. I didn't finish this book because it wasn't really feeling it.

If the "Hunger Games" and "Saw" got together and had a book baby, then this would be it.

One woman, wakes up in an unknown setting, only to learn that she needs to complete seemingly impossible tasks in order to move through each door, leading to each room, eventually leading to her freedom. Meanwhile she is secretly being recorded and broadcasted globally on the dark web pay-per-view show "The Game", shown in front of a live studio audience and hosted by a smarmy, pandering, host who truly reminds me of that guy from the Hunger Games.

This book was good, but it didn't really hit that note that had me squirming and feeling for the characters. Perhaps it's because I just read "How much too" which was more recent. A recommended read and great part of the "The Game" series which includes "The Game", "The Game's Season Break" , "How much to...?"and "How much 2?"

So, in the vein of "How Much To..." the company that puts out the pay-per-view shows that everyone loves to watch has come up with a new idea.

The "host" goes to a local prison and selects a group of "contestants" who agree to leave the prison for the "opportunity" to "win" their freedom. The group in this case is from a woman's prison. There is the usual bit of backstory along with the POV of the women as they are brought into the story, no one is really likeable. They agree to get on a bus and be driven to a "haunted house" where the ones who manage to make it "all night" are given automatic pardons and are free to leave.

Well, if you are a fan of this series you know that isn't what happens.

After a bit of back and forth between the "host" and the crew who film, the women, and various & sundry we get all the women into a sad house off the beaten path. The women are brought into a room with chairs and a video ready to play. The "host" says that all their questions will be answered and then pushes play, and leaves - locking the door behind him. This is where the film crew and the host wait outside, just picking their noses while time is ticking along.

The women in the room, these prisoners who think they are there for some "game show" to spend the night in some "haunted house" are actually being set up for a "hunger games" last-one-standing murder frenzy. Until everyone but the "winner" is killed, the doors won't open. There are various weapons hidden throughout the house, show more enough so that each "lady" has a weapon. Meanwhile there are hidden cameras everyone set up to beam the carnage to the waiting viewers who paid for the show.

This story kind of goes in a non-linear fashion where between one paragraph and the next you are either in the past (a previous episode of this show) seeing what happened to contestants, in the past of the women prisoners, or the past of the host. It is told in a "god" pov where everyone is in third person, but the narrative can change in a sentence.

The ending is a kind of wtf, in that the reader isn't quite sure of what they read, since the ending includes some back and forth about the show with the producer and the lighting man, that may or may not have lead the book to read as it did. I can't get into it without spoiling it, but if you read it and it's done, you know what I mean.

There are no real graphic or gross things, it's much tamer than the other books in this series. In fact, it was the tamest I have read by Matt Shaw in whole. It can be read alone, or as a part of the series. I think that the first three books are by far the best in the series.

It took me forever to finish it because I started it when it came up on my Kindle as a pre-order (don't pre-order if you have Kindle Unlimited because these books all end up being available that way), and I pretty much lost interest within the first 30 pages. I only finished it because I paid for the book, I read and loved the series, and I was hoping it would get better.

There is another book in this series that is poised for release in March, I will read it, but I won't pay for it. I have already deleted this book from Amazon so I don't have to "trip" over it every time I check out my Amazon library. show less

A woman's campfire tale is interrupted by her annoying ex, but she is later asked to finish it.

An 80's camping slasher mixed with twists.

Enjoyable, short, but good.

Told in three parts, following the character “Dean” from the previous book “How much too…?”

Overall tone and feel is very ΓÇ£A Serbian FilmΓÇ¥ in that it starts out relatively tame and just ramps up from there in oppressing darkness, hopelessness and desperation, to the point where the only available thing to do is to shoot yourself, minus the sex. Also, you actually have a care for what happens to the characters. The setting itself isnΓÇÖt dark, everything is done with the lights on and cameras rolling.

While the previous book stuck more to characters and plot, interspersing with more gross out than violence, this book is the oposite. It has less dark humor, more violence/violent acts/painful acts, and a couple of emotial hostage scenes. Seasoned readers of the genre will no doubt see the twist coming that the main character didn't


Again, a critique on how the world has changed into more-gore, more-ratings, and how the lone man who tries to break the wheel often will get crushed beneath it.

Also, I discoverd that this duet (How much to...?) is either a spinoff/sequel/prequel to "The Game" and "The Game 2: Season Break" written in 2017. I read them after this book thinking they were sequels, but I guess they came first. You can read them after this one as well, just keep the duets in order.

I read this the night it dropped on the website!

If HOSTEL took place in an out of the way Mansion in Texas, that would be this book.

I know I put this book on my "themes-cheating" shelf, but the cheating was with the ex-husband of the heroine in this book. She has been divorced for over 3 months and is dealing with the emotional fallout of the cheating when she meets our hero - who is as safe as could be.

Her Shirtless Gentleman is a sweet, hot read that is just another example of what good romance should be. Yes, there is a bit of insta-love, but it comes in the form of love at first sight, not the alpha-male instalove we have come to associate with the term.

If there were ever a "safe" book to read in terms of your heart and soul, then this one would be it. It has scenes that are simply scorching hot, but there are all the feels that go with pretty much anything that M.Q. writes. I wish she had more books because I have read her catalogue and am still wanting more.

This book is about the meeting and forming of a relationship between Robin, a handsome, fit and trim 36-year old, marriage minded man who longs to fill his farmhouse with a wife and a passel of kids, and Eleanora, a 31-year old recently divorced loan officer, still dealing with the emotional fallout of her failed marriage.

After a meet-cute in a bar involving Robin's drunk 21-year-old little brother throwing up on Eleanora's shirt, Robin starts making plans to get to know the brunette beauty he had his eyes on from the moment he saw her across the bar that Friday night.

Eleanora is skittish, and understandably so, with her ex-husband still show more trying to control her from afar, always concerned more for his image that his wife (he keeps forgetting that they are divorced), but Robin is up for the challenge. He set his hat on Eleanora, and is very careful to make the right moves showing Elenora that she can trust him with her heart, body, and soul. While Eleanora is shy, and nervous about her ability to please a man, Robin has no doubts in her abilities, and just needs to be shown that not every man is like her ex. Either way, Eleanora's body has finally woken up, and she is ready to move on in life, and is looking at Robin as her new guide.

This isn't a very long book, but it was long enough to contain all the parts of a good romance that has been lacking in most books written today. Like all of M.Q.'s books the exasperating tropes in contemporary erotic romance are missing.

Our hero isn't an overly aggressive, possessive alpha male who pursues a virginal, barely legal heroine and declares love after two dates. Yes, he believes in "love at first sight" but it isn't written unrealistically. Robin has his eyes open, he isn't just seeing part of Eleanora, it's just she fit the image he had been holding in his mind about his future wife and mother of his kids. He has the job, the home, and the desire to get his life going and it just happened that Eleanora sent an instant spark in him that he had to peruse. Robin spends the book gently courting Eleanora, moving from coffee dates to lying in the bed of his pick-up truck at the local drive in, all while showing Eleanora how a man's touch should feel, and those scenes are hot.

M.Q. does sweet romance with one-handed read sex. I don't know how she manages it, but she does.

So, if you are looking for something to read that is both romance, real, and sexy, leaving you looking at the authors catalog for new books that you instantly one-click, you can't do wrong with Her Shirtless Gentleman, or any other of M.Q.'s books. They all follow the safe-romance, hot sex and no annoying tropes.

Yes, I am shameless promoting the author, but I do it so more people read her books thereby giving her reason to write new ones.

Check out her "Neighborly Affection"series for a Safe, feel-good BDSM MMF Romance that will change you "best series" shelf. show less

I love how things I wanted to know more about in previous books in this series are shown in future books. The Halloween party where Soren and King dress up as each other and where Nora and Sheridan dress as Slash and Axl and Sheridan does the snake hips dance. I wanted to see that party. Now I have and I am happy.

I loved Brad Wolfe and always wondered what happened to him. I am so happy to see him get his HEA. I love Sheridan and am happy she finally got her HEA.

Also, I was very happy that we got an original story this Christmas and not just the repackaged previous stories.

Thank you Mistress!