✍ Nine and a Half Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair - Elizabeth McNeill

Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Published on 24 June 2014 by Harper Perennial (Reissue edition)
First Published in 1978
Number of pages: 160

My rating: ★ ★   It was OK

About the author

"An erotic novel which became a film starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger.  It began as a casual affair and ended nine and a half weeks later in a shattering climax of bondage, humiliation and ecstasy.  By day she was a successful career woman in Manhattan; by night, a trembling, erotic slave.

Elizabeth McNeill was an executive for a large corporation when she began an affair with a man she met casually. From the beginning, their sexual excitement escalates through domination and humiliation.  As the affair progresses, woman and man play out ever more dangerous and more elaborate sado-masochistic variations.  By the end, she has relinquished all control over her body and mind.

With a cool detachment that makes the experiences and sensations she describes all the more frightening in their intensity, Elizabeth McNeill beautifully unfolds her story and invites you to experience the mesmerizing, electrifying, and unforgettablly private world of Nine and a Half Weeks."

✍ The Curse Merchant: The Dark Choir [1] - J.P. Sloan

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Published 14 September 2014 by Curiosity Quills Press
Number of pages: 256 

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ I really liked it

About the author

"Dorian Lake spent years cornering the Baltimore hex-crafting market, using his skills at the hermetic arts to exact karmic justice for those whom the system has failed.

He keeps his magic clean and free of soul-corrupting Netherwork, thus avoiding both the karmic blow-back of his practice and the notice of the Presidium, a powerful cabal of practitioners that polices the esoteric arts in America. However, when an unscrupulous Netherworker interferes with both his business and his personal life, Dorian’s disarming charisma and hermetic savvy may not be enough to keep his soul out of jeopardy.

His rival, a soul monger named Neil Osterhaus, wouldn’t be such a problem were it not for Carmen, Dorian’s captivating ex-lover. After two years’ absence Carmen arrives at Dorian’s doorstep with a problem: she sold her soul to Osterhaus, and has only two weeks to buy it back. Hoping to win back Carmen’s affections, Dorian must find a replacement soul without tainting his own.

✍ Kittens Can Kill: A Pru Marlowe Pet Noir [5] - Clea Simon

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published 3 March 2015 by Poisoned Pen Press
Number of pages: 295 

My rating: ★ ★ ★  I liked it 

About the author | VBT Spotlight | Author Q&A

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"The dead don’t keep pets.  So when animal behaviorist expert Pru Marlowe gets a call about a kitten, she doesn’t expect to find the cuddly creature playing beside the cooling body of prominent Beauville lawyer David Canaday. Heart attack? His three adult daughters angrily blame drug interactions, feline allergies—and each other. And begin to feud over their father, his considerable estate, and that cute ball of fluff.  While the cause of death is pending, each sister has an axe to grind –with arguments that escalate when David’s partner reads out the will.

Pru’s special sensory talents and sensitivity to animals that caused her to flee the cacophony of Manhattan for the quiet Berkshires add further problems.  The local vet is overwhelmed with money running out. There’s that needy Sheltie and some invasive squirrels? But the dead man’s kitten, his former partner, and his troublesome family keep drawing “wild-girl” animal psychic Pru back in. Despite the wry observations of her trusty tabby Wallis, now the wrongfully accused kitten’s guardian, and the grudging compliance of her cop lover, this may be one time when Pru can’t solve the mystery or save the kitten she wants to believe is innocent.

✍ Bad Boy Good Man - Jenny Trout (writing as Abigail Barnette)

Genre: Erotic Romance
Published 16 March 2015 by Jenny Trout
Number of pages: 59

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★  I really liked it

About the author

"Newly independent real-life adult Ellie McCormack loves everything about her first apartment…except her neighbor. His bi-weekly sex fests keep her up at night in more ways than one as she wonders about the man who’s making all the noise—and what he’s doing to make his women so damn loud.

But even her wildest fantasies couldn’t conjure up a man like Antony DeLuca. When she works up the nerve to confront him, she’s expecting a player, but there’s more to Antony than his carefree sexual escapades. One hot night with him helps Ellie see through the man who drives women wild, to the good guy beneath it all. A guy that she just might be able to fall for…"

Bad Boy Good Man is my first taste of Jenny Trout's fiction writing, and I liked it.  A lot.

❏ Bad Boy Good Man - Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette

Today should have seen the release of the box set "Bad Boy Next Door", sadly, due to a big author taking a crusade against  Jenny Trout (Abigail Barnette), the publication of this item has been abandoned.
This unfortunate situation started because of a blog article published by Jenny Trout on 4 March 2015.
You can find out more from Jenny Trout's own blog.

Reading List [15-04] - April 2015

These are the titles that are due for publication in April 2015 which have caught our eye.

☀ Bad Boy Next Door: The Spanking House - Alison Tyler

Available March 16, 2015

UPDATE: the release of this book set has been cancelled.
Find out more from our post "New Release: Bad Boy Good Man - Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette".

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Tomorrow, 16 March 2015, is the release date of the Bad Boy Next Door box set.  Hence we have just one more day for a sneak preview and to have one more look at that fetchy hunk on the cover (you didn't really get tired of him, did you?)

Our last teaser is

The Spanking House by Alison Tyler

"The Spanking House is a fantastical tale of a writer struggling against the beast known as "writer's block." Mia Rogers rents a cozy cottage in a small town in hopes of jumpstarting the novel she can't seem to finish. When she meets Tripp Johnson, she becomes motivated in ways she previously hadn't thought possible."

Excerpt

☀ Bad Boy Next Door: Force of Nature - Kris Norris

Available March 16, 2015

UPDATE: the release of this book set has been cancelled.
Find out more from our post "New Release: Bad Boy Good Man - Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette".

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Today we have the third  sneak preview of Bad Boy Next Door book set.  On this occasion we can whet our appetite with

Force of Nature by Kris Norris

"Love—an unparalleled force of nature.

Conservation Officer, Finley McKay, isn’t a stranger to criticism. Taking risks to protect delicate ecosystems doesn’t impress most people—including the doctor renting the cabin beside hers. The man’s arrogant, opinionated and far too sexy in his faded jeans and tees. She already knows he’s an ass—she just wished it mattered enough to make her keep her distance.

Dr. Coen Brady isn’t looking to fit in. Having recently retired from the military, he’s hoping to spend a few months hiding from the world in a small, out-of-the-way town in northern Washington.  But just his luck, he has the misfortune of running into his next-door neighbor. A girl who seems determined to get herself killed before his time there is up. She’s reckless, stubborn and slowly driving him insane.

When anger morphs into angry sex, Coen knows taking her to bed is a calculated risk—one he might regret when her investigation turns deadly, leaving Finley’s life hanging in the balance. Breaking a few rules to keep her in the game doesn’t seem that dangerous, until it becomes painfully obvious she won’t stop until justice is served—even if the price is her life."

Excerpt

☀ Bad Boy Next Door: Her Wicked Ride - Tilly Greene

Available March 16, 2015

UPDATE: the release of this book set has been cancelled.
Find out more from our post "New Release: Bad Boy Good Man - Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette".

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Here is a another sneaky peek at Bad Boy Next Door book set.

This time we get a taste of 

Her Wicked Ride by Tilly Greene

"Mike Mulligan co-owns a garage and fixes cars. He rides a Harley, is covered in tattoos and has spent time in jail. Since being released he’s tried to live a clean life, but he’s a bad boy with women, very bad and terribly sexy. Bondage, domination, and so much more, are his preferences when playing with the ladies, and there have been a variety until the last one.

For the first time, he had to work for a yes. All summer, they’ve had fabulously wild no-holds-barred sex, but one morning everything changes. With chaos in the garage, a cup of coffee in hand, and a half-naked Sherry Gonzales in his lap, his eyes are opened to wanting more than sex with her. Mike’s solution is to go on a date, their first date.

The night starts out fine. But things get wicked on the back of his bike before taking a turn, but for the good or bad?"

Excerpt

☀: Bad Boy Next Door: Bad Boy, Good Man - Abigail Barnette

Available March 16, 2015

UPDATE: the release of this book set has been cancelled.
Find out more from our post "New Release: Bad Boy Good Man - Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette".

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In this box set, twelve prolific authors, including New York Times Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Selena Kitt, and USA Today Bestseller, Jenny Trout writing as Abigail Barnette, present a sizzling collection of erotic romance sure to bring you to your knees and make you believe in love again – or, at least, lust at first sight!
more...

Here is a sneaky peek...

Bad Boy, Good Man by Abigail Barnette (Jenny Trout)

"Newly independent real-life adult Ellie McCormack loves everything about her first apartment…except her neighbor. His bi-weekly sex fests keep her up at night in more ways than one as she wonders about the man who’s making all the noise—and what he’s doing to make his women so damn loud. 

But even her wildest fantasies couldn’t conjure up a man like Antony DeLuca. When she works up the nerve to confront him, she’s expecting a player, but there’s more to Antony than his carefree sexual escapades. One hot night with him helps Ellie see through the man who drives women wild, to the good guy beneath it all. A guy that she just might be able to fall for…"

Excerpt

✍ Clockwork City: Hinges [Book One] - Meredith McClaren

Genre: Manga & Graphic Novels
Published 10 March 2015 by Diamond Book Distributors - Image Comics
Number of pages: 112

My rating: ★ ★ ★   I liked it

About the author

"HINGES is a fantasy webcomic, turned graphic novel, about a doll named Orio and her troubling companion Bauble.  New to the city of Cobble, Orio must depend on help where ever she can find it, but her assigned familiar Bauble has other interests.  And as the two explore the walls of their city, they find that they are not the only new arrivals. In a place that runs like clockwork, it only takes a little disruption to upend a city."

Hinges Book One: Clockwork City was first serialised on the author's blog, Hinges.  This publication compiles the first book in the series, where some boards have been revised and improved.

This is one of those works that need to be read twice to be fully comprehended and appreciated.  The artwork is beautiful, but as the author builds up the tension in the story, some boards are quite difficult to understand without knowing what you are meant to be seeing, which unfortunately makes this work rather confusing and difficult to understand to begin with.

✍ Cognac Conspiracies: Winemaker Detective [5] - Jean-Pierre Alaux, Noël Balen

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Published 18 Febuary 2015 by Le French Book
Number of pages: 148
Original Title: Le Dernier Coup de Jarnac: Le Sang de la Vigne [6]
Originally Published 6 October 2004
Translated by Sally Pane

My rating: ★ ★ ★  I liked it

About the authors

I would normally just provide the description for the particular item in question, however, on this occasion, I have decided to include three different bits of blurb provided by the publishers, as I think that they do give you a real feel of what the "Cognac Conspiracies" is all about.

Series description:
"Immerse yourself in French countryside and gourmet attitude with two amateur sleuths gumshoeing around French wine country.  The Winemaker Detective series delves into the underworld of a global luxury industry, where there’s money, deceit, death, crime, inheritance, jealousy—all the ingredients needed to distil a fine detective series!  That and a decent dose of Epicurean enjoyment of fine food and beverage.  It follows master winemaker Benjamin Cooker and his sidekick Virgile Lanssien in their adventures solving mysteries in vineyards throughout France and beyond.   Each book is a homage to wine and winemakers."

❏ Bad Boys Next Door Box Set

Bad Boys Next Door Box Set — Available March 16, 2015

✍ Doll Face - Tim Curran

Genre: Horror
Published 3 March 2015 by Dark Fuse
Number of pages: 264

My rating: ★ ★  It was OK

About the author

"Six friends are returning home from a night out when they end up in a town called Stokes. They discover they are trapped there, as Stokes does not really exist. The actual town had burned to the ground more than fifty years ago. The Stokes they are in is a nightmare version of the former town, engineered by a deranged and undead mind, a supernatural machine of wrath that will destroy them one by one....unless they submit to its dominance and become living dolls."

Doll Face was my first taste of Tim Curran's twisted imagination.  Having heard such good feedback about Curran's work and about this latest offering, I had high expectations, which unfortunately were not met.

I immediately found the premise of the book very reminiscent of  A.R. Wise's "314 (Widowsfield Trilogy)", where six characters in a van also end up being trapped in a town that no longer exists dominated
by a mysterious entity, "the Skeleton Man".  The first character to die is virtually the same in both works...  unfortunately I simply could not escape the similarities...
However, whereas "314" has a multi-layered plot, spanning various time frames and well developed characters, Doll Face felt very one dimensional.