Wish List\I Need You for Christmas\Breath on Embers
K.A. Mitchell, Leah Braemel, Anne Calhoun
December 3, 2012
Carina Press (e-formats only)
E-Galley loaned by Publisher via NetGalley.com. No Remuneration was exchanged and all opinions are my own unless otherwise noted.
Description
I'll be home for Christmas…to fulfill all your dreams.
This holiday, a Mountie is determined to get her man. A widow finds a fireman who ignites her passions again. And two men unsure of their commitment discover a happily ever after—and a blindfold—under their tree. No matter your desires, this collection of three shorts is bound to treat you to all the joys of the season.
Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:
I Need You for Christmas by Leah Braemel
Breath on Embers by Anne Calhoun
Wish List by K.A. Mitchell
Stories also available for purchase separately.
99,000 words
BDSM is the flavor of the day. So much so that I can't think of any erotica I have read in six months where it is not in evidence somewhere in the story. Sometimes it feels entirely forced and artificial. In these stories for the most part it is a justifiable part of the story. Each of these stories is well written, and exhibits excellent editing. I found each story to be longer than I expected. This isn't what you would expect to read to the kiddies around the fire on Christmas Eve. In fact, the stories are so sexy that if you blush easily you might want to read it in private.
This is probably the best holiday erotica anthology I've ever read. I really enjoyed it and can highly recommend it to any one who likes to read something naughty for the holidays. But more than that these are also good, heartfelt stories. There's more to these stories than a ride on a sleigh.
Wish List by K.A. MitchellThis story proves it's not whether a character-couple in a sexual relationship is gay or straight that makes a story hot, it's conflict and relationship that make it interesting and viable and the physical stuff is hot when it's well written and there is something between the characters. This story has internal conflict, relationship and the sex is steamy as all get out. Well worth my time.
Blindfolds. Handcuffs. Submission.
There's so much Jonah Kendrick hasn't tried, and so much he wants to explore. But just before Christmas he finds a ring box in his boyfriend's desk. Jonah panics. He loves Evan and their sex is hot, but how can Jonah be ready for forever, when there are so many items on his Naughty Bucket List? Desires that might drive Evan away.
Evan's noticed Jonah has been distant. His usually talkative and cheerful boyfriend is preoccupied. The seemingly straitlaced Evan stumbles across Jonah's wish list of sexual kinks, and Evan realizes he may not have to hide his true nature from Jonah after all. The Dom in him wants to see Jonah on his knees, begging, submitting, but Evan isn't sure Jonah's ready to accept what being Evan's sub would mean.
The two lovers must figure out how to share their hidden desires with each other before their secrets permanently damage their love.
I Need You for Christmas by Leah Braemel
Ryan Porter is a sculptor, and beneath his callused hands, even the most rigid metals bend to his will. So, too, does his girlfriend Megan—a confident, strong woman who delights in submitting to Ryan’s dominance in the bedroom.
Megan is a Mountie, and she’s spent the past few years in the arctic following her career dreams. Family obligations kept Ryan at home, but their love survived the distance thanks to several hot visits. A Mountie always gets her man, and Megan is bound and determined to keep Ryan.
Now Megan’s with Ryan for the holidays…but how long will this visit last? She’s always been willing to do anything Ryan desires, but will he finally tell her that all he needs for Christmas is her?
This story was really interesting and seems based on O. Henry's classic Christmas story "Gift of the Magi" where each member of a poor, young couple gives up their most treasured possession to afford a present for the the other.
There's a lot of love between Megan and Ryan and they are each interesting and unusual characters. She's tough in her role as a cop, and submissive in the bedroom, but it isn't a 24/7 thing. He's dominant but so sweet and in love. Their mutual sacrifices are bigger than those in the O. Henry story, irretrievable things. But while the surprise is nice there's a communication problem when one member of a couple makes important life changes without talking to the other.
Breath on Embers by Anne Calhoun
Christmas is the perfect time for Firefighter Ronan O’Rourke to take things to the next level with his sexually adventurous girlfriend. He knows she has feelings for him—and he’s sure of his feelings for her—but when Thea refuses his invitation to sample Christmas in New York City because what they share is nothing more than sheet-burning sex, Ronan sets out to change her mind.
Deep down Thea Moretti knows she cares for Ronan, but she can’t move past her grief over her late husband. Loud music and sex with Ronan are the only things she’s got that her feel alive, so she takes as much of both as she can get. She knows Ronan wants more, but during the darkest time of the year finding her way won’t be easy.
Ronan gambles everything and challenges Thea: one night of passion with him and another man. Can he prove to her that what they share isn’t just great sex but an emotional connection strong enough to last forever?
I thought this story contained the most emotive content, the most complex personalities and the hottest erotica in the anthology, as this couple struggles to get past her grief. I thought this was beautifully written, sweetly sad and at times heartbreaking. Thea is a young widow who has decided to merely exist, not live, after her husband's death. I loved this story and, Anne, if you're reading this, does that lingerie store exist?
It took me a while to figure out what the point of Ronan's agreeing to the menage was. There is a moment in that incident where the emotion is so raw and real that it tore right through me. This was intense!
Out on December 3!
To Buy
RED HOT HOLIDAY at Powell's Books
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