Review: Wicked Firsts by: Elisabeth Naughton, Alexandra Ivy, Cybthia Eden, Laura Wright, Katie Reus, Joan Swan

Title: Wicked Firsts
Authors: Elisabeth Naughton, Alexandra Ivy, Cynthia Eden, Laura Wright, Katie Reus, Joan Swan
Source: Purchased
Genre: Erotic Romance
Reviewed by: Emi

Six New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors bring you six all-new contemporary and super sexy suspense stories of first loves, first attractions, first temptations, first times and first obsessions. 

FIRST EXPOSURE by Elisabeth Naughton

A film that could make her career. A weekend that will change her life…

When actress Avery Scott’s assistant goes missing researching a role for Avery at an exclusive adults-only resort, Avery finds herself with only one choice: travel to the resort herself and look for clues. She hires an elite operative from Aegis Security to accompany her. She just doesn't expect to get former undercover FBI agent Cade Blackwell—the man who ripped out her teenage heart twelve years before. One weekend at the sexiest resort in the world with the only man she’s ever loved will expose her to more than just a kinky new lifestyle. It’ll expose her to numerous wicked firsts that will test every ounce of her self-control. And if she’s not careful, she could lose her heart—and her life—in the process.

FIRST RAPTURE by Alexandra Ivy

Madison Philips has only one reason to return to Las Vegas: Luc Angeli. The tall, dark bad boy took her virginity on her eighteenth birthday and then walked away, now she’s back, and ready for revenge. Luc Angeli spent his youth trying to earn the approval of his philandering father. Now he’s his own man, but there’s still something missing from his life. He doesn't know what it is until he catches sight of Madison across a balcony. Suddenly he knows this woman is what he’s been searching for, and this time he’s not walking away.

FIRST TASTE OF DARKNESS by Cynthia Eden

Hot sex. No regrets. Jess Delaney has spent her life playing the role of the good-girl. On a trip to Vegas, she decides to walk on the wild side when she meets mysterious Blake Landon. Rich, powerful, and carrying plenty of secrets, Blake is unlike any man she has ever met before. But as the passion burns between them, danger waits in the darkness…a danger that may just claim Jess’s life…

FIRST INK by Laura Wright

Rush... Women in his bed, celebs and rockers in his chair, life is pretty freaking swell. Then she walks back into it again. Not for pleasure, but for pain. For Ink. A bleeding heart to match the one she left him with five years ago.

Addison... She can’t forget him or the pain she caused him. All she has is a hope for redemption. But it’ll only work if he lets her inside his exclusive world, under his famous artist’s needle and into his bed—once again.

FIRST SURRENDER by Katie Reus

He’s dangerous, sexy, and everything she wants. And he’s about to make his claim…

Hayden, the dangerously sexy, tattooed ex-SEAL is one of the best friends Sierra has ever had—and the main star in her wildest fantasies. But he doesn't see her that way. And she’d die of embarrassment if he found out she was still a virgin.

Hayden’s struggled to keep his attraction to the beautiful, dark haired casino chef a secret. But when an attacker targets Sierra, Hayden’s protective instincts go into overdrive. With the attraction between them burning out of control, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her and make her his.

FIRST TEMPTATION by Joan Swan

Counter terrorist agent Taft Walker is up for the challenge of posing as an adult store owner with a new female undercover partner who is also a sex-toy virgin. At least until he sees the real woman beneath her tough façade.

Border Patrol Agent Zoe Brooks is ready to get off the front lines. She’s willing to tolerate a swaggering partner like Taft for a new opportunity. But she’s not prepared for the way he understands her deepest, sexiest desires.

Overall Rating 

Awesome!! All of the stories in this series were great. A few of them full of action and hot sex and a couple with just hot a** sex. I swear I think my Kindle may have short circuited a few times. Some of the scenes where just O.M.G. just sooooooooooooo hot! My favorites were the club scene with Cade & Avery and the  scene with Taft & Zoe after she does her dance demo. I'll admit that First Temptation was my favorite, but I did love them all. Taft was just too delicious and hot. I'll also admit that i'll have to research some of the items mentioned in First Temptation, lol. 

I HIGHLY recommend this collection!!  

Review of ENSLAVED by Elisabeth Naughton

ENSLAVED (Eternal Guardians #5)
Author:  Elisabeth Naughton
Source:  Uncorrected Advance Copy won from SOS Aloha
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Length:  Novel 
Reviewed by:  Artemis     

         

GRYPHON—Honorable, loyal, dependable…tainted. He was the ultimate warrior before imprisonment in the Underworld changed him in ways he can’t ignore.

She calls to him. Come to me. You can’t resist. But Gryphon will not allow himself to be ruled by the insidious whispers in his head. And there’s only one way to stop them: kill Atalanta, the goddess who enslaved him. But with so much darkness inside, he can’t be sure what’s real anymore. Even the Eternal Guardians, those who protect the human realm from threats of the Underworld, want to exile him. They’re not sure he can be trusted.

Finding Malea is like a miracle. Somehow he doesn’t feel the pull of the dark when she’s near. And he’s determined to keep her as near as possible, whether she wants him close or not. But proximity spurs temptation. A temptation that will test every last bit of control he has left. One that may ultimately have the power to send him back to the Underworld or free him from his chains for good.

Review of Wait For Me - 5 Star FREE kindle Book on Amazon

Title: Wait For Me
Author: Elisabeth Naughton
Source: Free on Amazon/Kindle Version
Genre: Romantic Thriller/Mystery (Hint of SCI-FI)
Length: Novel - 267 pgs
Reviewed by Douglas C. Meeks

A 2013 Bookie Award Nominee – Best eBook Novel of the year!
A 2012 Readers' Choice Awards finalist!

Summary:

A woman without a past…

After a tragic accident left her with no memory, Kate Alexander struggled to fit in with a husband and world that didn’t feel right. She’s had no reason to question what friends and family have told her, not until her husband is suddenly killed and she finds a photo of a young girl in his office. A girl who can’t be anyone but a daughter Kate didn’t know she had.
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A man desperate for a reason to live…

Ryan Harrison lost his wife in a plane crash five years ago. To cope with the pain of her loss, he dedicated himself to his job and to raising their daughter. Now a successful pharmaceutical executive, Ryan has everything a man could want—money, fame and power—but he’d give it all up in a heartbeat for just one more day with the woman he still loves.
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Two lives about to converge.

As Kate begins to dig into a past she doesn’t remember, evidence leads her to San Francisco and puts her on the path toward Ryan, a man who sees in her the woman he loved and lost. Kate feels a draw to Ryan, one she can’t explain, but is that feeling enough to convince her this is where she’s supposed to be?

As Ryan and Kate search for answers, they uncover lies long buried, a passion hotter than either expected and a danger that threatens…even now…when the second chance they've both been searching for is finally within reach.

Guest author Elisabeth Naughton + giveaway

Please welcome author 

Elisabeth Naughton

Thanks so much to Laurie for inviting me to stop by during my TEMPTED blog tour! TEMPTED, the third book in the Eternal Guardians Series, released last week and I’m thrilled readers are enjoying it so much. Readers first met the heroine, Isadora, in books one and two in the series – MARKED & ENTWINED. Over the past year I’ve had several emails from fans telling me they didn’t know what to think of Isadora at first. She’s nearly 300 years old, yet she acts like a child in many ways. She’s timid, she’s mousy, she’s afraid of the Eternal Guardians, and everyone in the kingdom knows she’ll make a horrible queen when her father (the king) eventually dies. How on earth could she make a good heroine?

Enter the job of the author—to make you fall in love with a character you are sure you’ll never “get”. Isadora’s transformation makes her unique in this series. In MARKED she has no backbone. She lets everyone walk all over her. In ENTWINED she grows a little bolder, but that boldness comes off as abrasive as she attempts to flex her muscles. It isn’t until TEMPTED that she comes into her own and realizes what she’s capable of. And watching her finally live up to her potential…well, that’s one of my favorite parts of the book.

Not all heroines are “kick-ass” in the traditional sense of the words. Sometimes, they can’t be. Isadora was raised in a patriarchal society, by a father who only ever wanted a son and ended up with her. She’s been taught that women are inferior, that men hold the power and that her opinion doesn’t count. She’s been cloistered her whole life, and her father’s been trying to marry her off to a Guardian for as long as she can remember, to ensure that she won’t rule when he dies. It makes sense she’d be mousy and shy. But she doesn’t stay that way. And even though her character arc doesn’t turn her into a “kick-ass” heroine with blades swinging and guns blazing who decapitates daemons like the Eternal Guardians, that doesn’t mean she isn’t as strong—maybe even stronger—than they are.  There’s a saying that behind every great man there’s an even greater woman. That’s never been truer than it is in TEMPTED with Isadora.

I believe in staying true to a character and letting their growth happen organically. I knew from page one of MARKED that Isadora was never going to be a “kick-ass” heroine like so many readers expect. It wouldn’t have made sense to her character arc and readers wouldn’t have believed that sort of change in her. That doesn’t mean I’m opposed to kick-ass heroines (on the contrary…the heroine in ENRAPTURED, book 4, is, by definition, a serious kick-ass heroine in every sense of the word). I love a good tough girl as much as the rest. But sometimes toughness comes in unexpected ways. Sometimes it comes in leadership and standing up for what’s right. And sometimes it comes in not being afraid of your destiny and finally living up to who you were meant to be. In that way, Isadora’s as kick-ass as the rest.

To celebrate the release of TEMPTED, Sourcebooks is giving away two copies of the book! (US/Canada shipping only). To be entered, leave me a note telling me what your favorite type of heroine is.

Review of TEMPTED, Eternal Guardians #3 by Elisabeth Naughton

TEMPTED (Eternal Guardians #3)
Author: Elisabeth Naughton
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Date: September 6, 2011
ISBN: 9780505528735
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Novel; available in digital and paperback
Provided by Publisher for review

DEMETRIUS—He’s the hulking, brooding warrior his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it’s best to keep everyone at arm’s length.

Isadora is missing. The words pounded through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection, Demetrius had done all he could to avoid the fragile princess, his soul mate. And now she was gone—kidnapped. To get her back, he’ll have to go to the black place in his soul he’s always shunned. As daemons ravage the human realm and his loyalty to the Guardians is put to the ultimate test, Demetrius realizes that Isadora is stronger than anyone thought. And finally letting her into his heart may be the only way to save them both.

My Ratings
Review

Sexual

Ms. Naughton has taken the Greek Argonaut myth, turned it on its head, and OWNED it! In TEMPTED, she includes all the elements of an extraordinary mythological tale: gods, goddesses, monsters, witches, and heroes saving the heroines! Just to name a few.

From the very beginning, I was hooked by the tough and cocky attitude of Demetrius. An act he has played for so long to distance himself from Isadora. He does everything he possibly can to keep that distance because of the ‘darkness’ inside of him would ruin Isadora. But that coldness is sorely tested when they are stranded together and he has to save Isadora’s life a few times.

Isadora doesn’t remain a spoiled Princess for long. As she becomes a strong, independent woman, Isadora eventually sees through Demetrius’ false pretenses and realizes he’s hiding something. Each time Demetrius turns away from her, it just steels Isadora’s spine even more. Although Isadora may not know Demetrius’ dark secrets, I like the fact that Ms. Naughton doesn’t keep the reader in suspense. It makes Demetrius all the more heroic as he battles his love for Isadora and doesn’t want to see her ruined.

Now, don’t be fooled, there is so much more going on in this book! Yes, the sex is hot and, at times, you may get as frustrated as Isadora. All the Argonauts are present along with Callia and Casey. Hades makes an appearance just to aggravate Isadora. Orpheus plays a major/big/humungous part this time around and he has some of the best lines. Where would we be without the big evil herself, Atalanta? Yeah, she’s really causing havoc this time around. And this one last surprise, I did not see this coming! Poor Nick! Although, I knew something was up way back in MARKED Book #1. You’ll have to read to find out.

While it isn’t necessary to read the first two books in the Eternal Guardian series, they will provide back story and make it a bit easier to catch on. Be sure to refer to glossary in the back of the book before you start to read. The definitions listed there are a great help.

TEMPTED is a rip-roaring good time - the best one of the series by far! Although it has left me with more questions. But that is a good thing. More books about these luscious Argonauts!

Review Marked by Elisabeth Naughton

Marked (Eternal Guardians Book 1)
Author: Elisabeth Naughton
Paranormal Romance
Dorchester: April 27, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780505528223
Elisabeth Naughton



THERON – Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendant of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.



My Review -
Rating



Sexual




Yep, knew I would like this one bunches! Quite a bit of world-building went into this first book of the Eternal Guardians series. It could be a little confusing with the references to the Greek mythology of gods, goddesses, fates, heroes, daemons, etc. Ms. Naughton does a very good job of explaining how the pieces all fit together.

Within this world is Theron, leader of the Argonauts, guardians that protect the immortal world from certain threats. Throw in your half-breed human heroine, Casey, into the mix. It's a story sure to please!

Stay tuned for ENTWINED, Eternal Guardians Book 2.