Book Review - Seven Day Loan by Tiffany Reisz

Seven Day Loan by Tiffany Reisz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




"So you, are a librarian. What does that make me then? A seven-day loan?"


What a great short read!

I am glad I read this after reading The Siren. It holds so much more to know where Nora is now and where Eleanor was during this time. I loved that she would not give him a name as she was so mad at him he did not deserve one.

I absolutely loved Daniel and his being a hermit. The poor sweet Dom that he is was so lost without his wife. The fact that now Eleanor is there for seven days with Daniel, seven days that could change everything if they let it.


"I've grieved in this jailhouse every day for three years and he thinks I'll be in love with you in a week?"


To see Nora/Eleanor this way was insightful. She was still, sassy, snakry
"He warned me you were smart. He neglected to mention you were a smart-ass as well."
and just plain herself but there was a softer side we got to see with Daniel. The want of the days, the mornings and the time.


"She forgot her name, forgot where she was...and most dangerously forgot momentarily who she belonged to."


I recommend this to read after reading The Siren. It nicely falls in place with the prequels on the authors website.

*I received this via Netgalley and Harlequin UK.



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Book Review - Guilty Pleaures by Kitty Thomas

Guilty Pleasures by Kitty Thomas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Disclaimer: I am a fan girl when it comes to Kitty Thomas.

Guilty Pleasures is aptly named; it was a pure pleasure to read and my guilt comes from not reading it sooner.

Vivian is a bored wife, unable to have a satisfying relationship inside or outside of the bedroom with her husband Michael.


"She wasn’t even sure it was this fault anymore. She wasn’t sure it was anyone’s fault."


Vivian is sent on a journey of discovery not one of self discovery from the start because it was not her choice but ultimately the choice is made.

From the first meeting with Dr. Smith you realize that Vivian is missing something, a something she isn’t aware of or even knows she wants. It’s a good thing she goes to therapy then right?


“Mrs. Delany?”
“Yes?”
"You’re going to lose all your inhibitions.”


When Vivian walks in to Dome she gets introduced to her deepest desires and her deepest fears mixed together in the form of one man, Anton. The world that he shows her is one she doesn’t want but one she cannot stay away from.

Guilty Pleasures is not a book I can review without giving away its secrets and they must stay a secret for the reader’s enjoyment. Being inside Vivian's head you are with her every step of the way, every submission and every fear or want conquered though it may seem unreal.


"The more she explored, the more she felt like Alice down the rabbit hole. A stoned caterpillar wouldn’t have shocked her at this point, and she would have gladly requested some of whatever he was smoking."


The end of this book was absolutely perfect and one I was hoping for. The epilogue ties up everything nicely and gives you the closure you need. Kitty Thomas has a way with words and I just love how she uses them to end a story. The evoke the emotion from all that you just read and echo in your head after you are through.


"The moment the blindfold came off, things got complicated, as he’d known they would. But either way, he would always have that moment. Where it was real. It made the entire fucked-up thing doing all over again."






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Book Review - Slave by Sherri Hayes

Slave by Sherri Hayes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book to review from Netgalley and Smith Publicity --
The Writer's Coffee Shop. Thank you for the opportunity.

Going into this I had a preconceived idea of what the book would be about and I was completely wrong.

Slave is not a book filed with sex and BDSM playrooms. Slave is a story about a girl who has been forced into something she doesn't completely understand and someone who has the capability to save her.

I was pleasantly surprised that there would be two POV's in this book; both Brianna's and Stephan's. It helped tremendously with the story telling to really know what was going on between the two.

This book had me glued to the page and I couldn't stop turning. I felt for Brianna and her confusion on who she now was, what she could now do and how to navigate the day to day life that has changed so much in her young 18 years. At first I was thrown by her age, but I put that aside realizing that it fit the story, actually most girls forced into sexual slavery are much younger. How broken this young girl had become was heart wrenching for me. She questioned everything around her, everything being done to her but these questions weren't allowed a voice for so long, she lived in a prison in her head.

I connected with Brianna and her love of books; living inside your own head you need a little company from words on a page. I cried when she received her first punishment, I felt it right along with her.

Stephan is something else. He reluctance to buy a human being is understandable as well as is his decision to go through with the sell. He sees that Brianna is not in a good position and that he can help her. The methods he uses may not be traditional but what kind of help could he get for her that would not damage her more. I think he did what was best being in that lifestyle. Stephan has the patience of a saint and I fell in love with him for that. He just wanted to take care of her and protect her; show her that not everyone is evil, not every man wants the same thing from her and show her that she is in control even when she doubts that. She only knows who/what she has been the last 10 months, is it possible for him to change that?

I keep hearing the Lily's words that are repeated in Brianna's head
"No I was never his salve. And neither are you."


The time that Stephan devotes to Brianna is amazing. The people that he brings into her life to help her was perfect. Lily and Logan understand the lifestyle and can be there for support for Stephan and Brianna even though she doesn't realize it yet.

The end was not what I expected and I cannot wait to read Need to find out what happens next.






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Book Review - Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Monsters aren't supposed to be beautiful. It's the rule."

Yeah, I am giving this 5 stars, I don't think I could give it any less. I am still in a state of shock and awe having just finished this book. I think the world that Kitty Thomas has dragged me in was dark, twisted, ultimately fucked up (no better way to say it) but at the same dare I say "magical" and beautiful for lack of a better word. I think I may have a tinge of Stockholm Syndrome for the story.

Comfort Food comes with a disclaimer, I suggest you read it and take it seriously.

I don't know if saying I liked this book makes me just as twisted as the story itself. It wasn't an easy read at all for the subject matter but it wasn't a book I could put down either. Once again my intellect, morals and ethics are challenged and I am made to question just what is normal and acceptable.

”Today I found something beautiful and decided to break it. I wanted to see it shatter in my hand and crumble at my feet. Her name is Emily Vargas. She’s bright and educated and stunning. Articulate. She’ll want someone to talk to her.”

Emily let her guard down, forgot what she was supposed to do and what not to do and gets kidnapped. She wakes up in darkness, blindfolded, bound to a chair and meets her captor who will not speak to her though she craves the connection. I unintentionally went method reading with this book and read it in silence. Her captor does not speak but Emily learns the language of communication she needs for survival. Is this what most of us would do? How would you know?

"Could this weak, helpless creature really be me? I'd spent the past five years giving speeches on empowerment and self-improvement and here I was, reduced to this and so quickly."

"To distract myself, to move myself out of this plane of existence and into another, one where I was free. The cell was a perfect stage, plenty of room to piroutte and tour jete across it."

The ballet dancing was almost the most disturbing part of this book for me. It had the feel of a Twilight Zone episode and made me feel as if Emily was in a music box; a figurine on a post twirling around and around as long as it was wound and the music played.

The transition from the first person to the third during anything physical was interesting. It is as if weren't happening to her and later the therapist echoes the same thoughts. I had the feeling that we were in fact reading Emily's journal that she kept mixed with the censored one for the therapist as the actual story. There were times where I had to put the book down and remind myself this was not an actual reenactment but a work of fiction. I must give kudos to the author for delivering that mind trip.

There was so much to this book that it is hard to verbalize or review without giving it all away. I walked on the dark side and thank goodness the light was there when I was done.

While the story was twisted from the beginning, the end had my jaw on the floor.

"I know you'll never be able to understand me making this choice. I know you'll all believe it was a sick mind that led me to it, that no person in their right mind would do what I've done. Maybe that's the truth of it. Or maybe I'm just stronger than you."

Comfort Food is not an easy read, nor is it a romance. The disclaimer is a true warning. If you read it and feel a sense of dread and uneasiness, do not read it. If you like the challenge and the depth of the psyche that can make a person do what Master and Emily both do, read it.



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Book Review: Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts

Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Each story wanted, no-needed-to reveal a human fragility, a human bondage which tied people to the things they did and to be the person they held in their heads. Those stories were something true and sometimes horrific but people were people and the parts didn't just tell the whole story."

I added Captive in the Dark to be TBR list but was worried about reading it; thinking it might take me too deep into the darkness and I would need a support group to make it through. I decided to peek at it and skim a few pages but after reading the first few lines this book had me hooked and lost. Falling in to the story chills crawled up my spine and goose bumps covered my skin as I got deeper and darker into this twisted tale.

Caleb is not what I was expecting at all. He frightened me for what he was capable of doing, what he had done and what he will do but I was so conflicted by his behavior. I am not sure if I wanted to see the softer side even thought it added an extra layer to him. He was easier to categorize without it. I wanted a monster in this story and I got one but there were more monsters hidden where we couldn’t see them.

Olivia is a strong willed yet naive girl. Her stubborn actions earn her punishment along with admiration from her Master; the one who wants to break her but the one she wants comfort from. Her being captive in the dark, not knowing what was going to happen, yet as the reader you know, reminded me of classic Hitchcock films. The viewer always knew the score while they players were unaware.

I will not give a repeat synopsis of this book, if you are willing to take a chance and open your mind I suggest you read it. If you are looking for a fairy tale or a light BDSM book I suggest you look elsewhere.

Captive in the Dark is a mind trip; an intense and gripping read that will challenge you and have you question what is right and wrong. What is acceptable behavior and what can be tolerated? It will have you asking yourself if there is such a thing as redemption for the truly wicked regardless of what led them to evil.

Captive in the Dark does not shock or disturb you for the sheer value of doing so because it can. The author weaves and intelligent story that will make you think while you are reading and long after. I am more than anxious to read the sequel, Seduced in the Dark, to continue on this dark adventure and finally know the conclusion of this twisted story.


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