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Crimson Sky (Dark Sky, #1)
Amy Braun | 2016
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first novel I have read from Amy Braun, but it is certainly not the last. While I appreciate other genres beyond romance and erotica, it has to really be something to grab my attention. Crimson Sky had me from page one. Not only did it blow me away, I became obsessed, having to know what happened next and not being satisfied until I finished the novel.

Crimson Sky is an action packed novel that is hard to describe. Braun is such a talented writer, she easily incorporates multiple genres into one. It can be classified as steampunk, horror, action, romance, and dystopian all in one. I appreciate that Braun could easily show so many themes without having to shove it down our throats. She does such a good job of showing, there is no need for telling.

This novel is an intense roller coaster ride that begins from the very first page. Filled with complex realistic characters in a terrifying world, Braun weaves a story filled with twists and personal growth that keeps you hooked until the very end. It’s been a long time since I have been this obsessed with a novel that didn’t qualify as erotic. Even now, I am stuck in literary limbo because nothing seems to match up to the intense emotions this novel pulled from me. I can’t wait to read more.
  
The Perfect Whore
The Perfect Whore
Josephine Myles | 2018 | Erotica, LGBTQ+
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fanfiction is usually free. You can find better stuff there
Once upon a time, I read Star Wars slash fanfiction. That was a lot better than this. I don't quite know what the author was going for here, as the story leans too far into plot and exposition to be a "romance" novel (not a bad thing, if the plot wasn't just a vehicle for the romance), and the erotica was less than erotic. I've read female authors who could write believable gay characters, but this isn't one of them. These characters interact more like men in Japanese yaoi, which is to say, you could sub one of the men with a woman and have the same story. I would be more generous (considering one character is a shapeshifting alien with no true gender) but her author's bio specifically states she writes gay erotica. So let's be clear: this is gay erotica for women. So if you're a lady who fetishizes gay men, this is in your wheelhouse. If you're a gay man, probably avoid this one, unless you really have a thing for sci-fi and lizardmen.

Circling back around, of course the title is attention grabbing. And the story is short enough to be fun. Both characters are obnoxious, but not so much that you can't sit two or three hours with them. The story employs standard tropes, including using rape as a dramatic crutch. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this and also what's wrong with you?
  
Honestly, I can't believe I read the whole thing. Here's the premise of the first story: Girl gets turned into vamp. Has sex. Has some more sex. A tiny bit of plot. Even kinkier sex. Sex, sex, sex. And more sex than plot throughout the remainder of the story. Honestly the redundancy got really boring. Now, I knew this was erotica (or Erotic Romance as it says on the spine) going into this, but I had read that there was a good plot in there too. I would think even erotica would have at least equal plot with the sex, if not slightly more. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know, this is the only book in this genre I've read. And seeing as it does say it's also a romance, I would expect some feelings and emotions behind all the rutting sex in almost every possible sexual situation known to man (and wolf), but no, there's nothing there. The second story is slightly better in the love territory, but the plot is a complete disaster. While I didn't care for Tori in the first story, I hated her here. What a *bleep*! And if there's nothing I despise more, it's a Mary Sue; every guy wants her, she's this perfect creature, et cetera, et cetera, excuse me while I throw up. And it's carrying it too far that everyone hates Sarel and she has to suffer that much because she made a big mistake, but geez, deal with it! She knows she was stupid and wrong, and Eli forgave her. Bunch of hypocrites.

So it sounds like I totally hated the book, not so. The ideas are solid and in between sex scenes in the first story, it was well-written. So overall, not the worst thing I've read, but far, far from the best. I do have another in the series sitting here that I'll give a try, although I think it might be my last one by this author, unless she goes strictly romance.
  
A delicious dirty erotic romance about two people discovering themselves again and healing.

I am going to be honest, by the time I made it to this book on my NetGalley list, I was about 1000% done with people who had something happen in their past that broke them and they put themselves back together as best they could. However, I have a thing for MMA fighters (maybe because my fiancé was one?) so I still requested this novel.

I am glad I did because Fighting for Control is a helluva intense novel with a heroine I could definitely get behind. I actually admired her a lot. She was such a strong and passionate woman, it was hard not to like her. And, despite his issues, I genuinely enjoyed Nikko too. I definitely could see why she fell for him.

While the whole “woman trying to heal PTSD Alpha male” is not even close to be a new or fresh trope, Price told it in a way that it was still enjoyable. If this type of story is your thing, then you will love this novel.