Book Review - King of Hearts by Carolyn Faulkner

Look at that smoulder.

Four Stars

Carolyn Faulkner’s ‘King of Hearts’ is a delightfully old-fashioned love story set in the 1970s. Lettie is a journalist who snags a highly sought-after interview with Alek, King of the country of Kyenn.

Almost as soon as she gets there, Lettie is caught up in a violent attempted insurrection. Happily, this doesn’t seem to put her off either the country or its ruler. The two become closer the more time they spend together. Alek admires Lettie’s professionalism and independent spirit and Lettie – who is unimpressed by Alek’s title and lineage – is able to truly see the man beneath the crown.

Oh, and Alek gives Lettie a spanking the first day they meet. That certainly helped their romance blossom even if Lettie was understandably outraged at the time. The sex and spanking in this book are great. Alek exudes a lot of sexy man-not-to-be-argued-with charm.

It would be nice if this book had made more of its 1970s period setting. I enjoyed this aspect of the book in the first few pages – typewriters in male-dominated newsrooms, the burgeoning Women’s Lib movement, Lettie’s friendship with Elvis Presley and references to Prince Charles being one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. Unfortunately, this tails off fairly early on in the book and for most of the story, apart from the absence of mobile phones, there’s not a lot to indicate that it isn’t taking place in the present day.

The 1970s. Different times.

It is certainly a great story though. There are some wonderful secondary characters, most notably Kyenn’s charismatic Queen Mother, Margaret, Alek’s American-born mum, who is wonderfully forthright in her approval of Lettie.

The romance between the two characters is believable and builds nicely throughout the story. The scene in the hospital with Lettie’s first declaration of love to Alek is utterly adorable.

King of Hearts is a sweet story of a woman discovering that she has what it takes to win the heart of a King and the subjects of his country. It’s basically a grown-up ‘ThePrincess Diaries’ with sex and spanking. And what’s not to love about that?

Want to know more about the book review star rating system? Or find out what other books I've reviewed? Check out this page here.

Book Review - Awakening by Zoe Asher

Want to know more about the book review star rating system? Or find out what other books I've reviewed? Check out this page here.

Dude! Stop ignoring the half-naked lady behind you.

Awakening is the story of Liz Ashton, a New York art gallery owner, who embarks on a relationship with the extraordinarily wealthy Damon St Claire. He introduces her to a hitherto unfamiliar world of BDSM which Liz slowly opens herself up to. She discovers a way of life that gives her something that she has never experienced before.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that Awakening is extraordinarily similar to Fifty Shades of Grey. I read a lot of BDSM romances so I don’t say that lightly.

The parallels between the two books are constant: Rich businessman Dom, Innocent book smart BDSM newbie, a Housekeeper and a Driver as significant supporting characters, Non-Disclosure Agreements and Contracts (Anal Play is in. Canes are out. Much like Ana and Christian’s contract), rules about the going to the gym three times a week with a personal trainer, Damon insisting on Liz attending a private doctor to sort out contraception, a sub spare room that Liz can decorate any way she chooses, a Dom who tracks his sub’s every move and messages her to let her know that he’s keeping tabs on her … Honestly, this list could go on.

Liz and Damon. Honest.

In fact there are so many striking similarities that I’m inclined to believe that Zoe Asher’s hasn’t actually read Fifty Shades of Grey herself. If she had, surely she would have avoided writing a book that was almost identical.

Maybe if you start with the premise of a BDSM-themed love story set in the present day between a Billionaire and a BDSM virgin, you could find yourself accidentally rewriting Fifty Shades of Grey without realising it.

If you had done it by accident though, you probably wouldn’t have given your hero the name Damon (with its obvious Demon/Omen connotations) because that’s just begging to be contrasted with the name Christian, isn’t it?

That said, I think The Awakening is actually better written than its bestselling counterpart. There’s none of that tedious Inner Goddess gumph for a start. Liz is less annoying than Ana. You get both sides of the story from the get go.

Although, oddly, given that this is a story about a woman taking a leap of faith and diving into a new lifestyle, most of the time Liz’s new life seems rather boring.

The BDSM stuff is all well and good but for the most part the new lifestyle that Damon imposes on her is stifling. You’d think that wealth and privilege would open up the world but his world is so small that it rarely leaves his excellently appointed apartment. Liz is taken away from the vibrancy and fun of life on the New York streets and is immediately ferried around by her drivers, followed by a bodyguard and holed up in Damon’s home expected to account for her every move outside of it. Damon doesn’t even acknowledge her half the time.

The story finishes on a cliff-hanger with Liz arriving at Damon’s private island for what promises to be a BDSM-intensive getaway. The details of which will be presumably be covered in the subsequent book in what is already being billed as a trilogy.

It’s a well-crafted book with plenty of attention to detail. Zoe Asher is clearly a very good writer. I just found the relentless similarities to Fifty Shades of Grey and the stuffiness of the main characters’ arrangement a bit off-putting.

I would happily read more of Zoe Asher’s work but will probably steer clear of the rest of this series. Hopefully  next time it will be something a bit more fun which doesn’t read like a re-tread of somebody else’s book.

Super Daddies!

I'm all about promoting a new anthology series, "Super Daddies" today. A collection of novellas which includes a story from Rayanna Jamison and Allysa Hart whose new book series, "Daddy of the Month Club", I was excitedly reviewing a couple of days ago.

There are also stories by a whole bunch of other great authors including site favourite Maren Smith.

The anthology is subtitled "A Naughty Nerdy Romantic Comedy Anthology" which ticks all my boxes. Naughtiness, nerdiness, romance and comedy are literally my four favourite things. After cats. And tea.

I have just purchased my copy and it is sitting on my ever-increasing virtual e-book pile. I'll review it when I'm finished and let you know what I think. Of course, you will have all read it by then so we'll be able to compare notes on Super Daddies.

Super Daddies

Seven HOT new novellas by some of the best-known authors in the genre. Get ready for love, laughs, and all the comic action that any anthology filled with Daddy Doms who know where to draw the line and Littles who can’t wait to cross them can hold. Have you been super naughty? Don’t worry… have we got a Daddy for that!

Available on Amazon and FREE in KU

Amazon US → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V8K946B/

Amazon UK → https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07V8K946B/

Amazon CA → https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07V8K946B/

Amazon AU → https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07V8K946B/

Included in this anthology are:

Weathering Lainey by Stella Moore
Lainey Goldberg has spent her entire life believing she's completely normal. Until an evil corporation tries to kidnap her, a man she only knows as "Daddy" rescues her, and she's forced to come to terms with the fact that she has powers she never dreamed of. Can she learn to live under Daddy's rules and come to terms with her new reality? Or will she risk both their lives by doing things her own way?

Little Villain by Golden Angel
Chaotica is the right hand lady of the city's biggest villain… until she's captured by the vigilante Pluto. Things haven't been going well with her Daddy for a long time, so when Pluto suddenly starts making all the right moves she can't help but wonder… is he just playing a part to get her to talk? Or would she be better off switching sides and taking a chance on a Daddy who seems too good to be true?

Super Daddy by Allysa Hart and Rayanna Jamison
I wasn’t the damsel in distress type. And yet here I was, wrapped up in a shit-show of epic proportions, with a gang of bad guys after me and a leak somewhere in the ranks of the police department charged with keeping me safe. The next thing I know, I’m holed up in a talking house with Brian, the butter-voiced superhero who ‘rescued’ me against my will. He has a hard-as-steel body and even harder hands, but there’s something about him I just can’t resist. I’ve never needed anyone, and I don’t want to start now, but when he tells me to call him Daddy, I almost believe it when he says he can keep me safe… Almost…

Daddy’s Sassy Little Superhero by Adaline Raine
I should have paid more attention to the night things changed, but I didn’t. No one ever paid me any attention, but now I’m super strong. I hurt the baddest man in the city and now he’s coming after me.

Daddy Shark by Maren Smith
Ommin Jones had always been alone. He had a job, his own place, and no friends (just the way he liked it). Sadly, all that changed the night he saved another man’s life. Now, despite all his best efforts, everyone wanted his autograph and the media wouldn’t leave him alone. He hated it… right up until he met Britney, a late-night radio personality and Little as lonely as he was. No, Ommin never meant to be a super hero. But for one very special Little, he wasn’t just Ommin the Sharkman. He was… Daddy Shark!

Daddy’s Justice by R.J. Gray
When Loki and his dark forces ascend on Midgard, my team is dispatched. The mission: Track down the valkyrie demi-god, Morrigan, and protect her, no matter the cost. The problem: Morrigan has no idea what she is, she doesn’t cooperate, and I, the God of Justice, am not accustomed to disobedience. Also, falling in love wasn’t part of the assignment. Loki is unstoppable; he’ll kill her if he can, but from the moment she calls me Daddy, everything changes. Now, to get to her, he’ll have to go through me… Fat chance.

Ultragirl Powers Up by Emily Tilton
Midwestern college girl Susan Corday has just discovered she's actually the last survivor of a race of alien warriors, whose almost unlimited powers come directly from her sexual arousal. Can the extremely dominant Nightprince teach the newly minted Ultragirl to keep her powers in check with his considerable skills as a loving daddy? Earth's newest superhero is about to find out that she's really a naughty little at heart, and badly in need of a sound spanking.

Book Review - Good Luck Daddy by Rayanna Jamison and Allysa Hart

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Wait a minute, I'm sure the book said he was a ginger!

 

Five Stars!

I always seem to be slow up on the uptake when it comes to stuff. Never there at the beginning when it comes to books and television. I didn’t start reading the Harry Potter series until the release of The Goblet of Fire, didn’t get into Breaking Bad until the whole thing had been already wrapped and finished. I still haven’t seen a single episode of Game of Thrones.

And clearly it’s the same thing all over again with the Daddy of the Month Club. The series began in March this year but I’ve only just found out about it. Four months late to the party. There is a new story in the series published every month so I have a lot of catching up to do.

The first story in the series, Good Luck Daddy, is absolutely wonderful. It’s a tricky subject for what has been styled as a Rom Com series as it deals extensively with bereavement.  Austin Whittle was Jasper’s best friend and Keely’s big brother. After he is killed in combat, Jasper and Keely find themselves the remaining two survivors of the little ersatz family that the three of them had maintained since the death of Keely and Austin’s parents.

Keely has always been like a little sister to Jasper. Except that now Keely is all grown-up and Jasper’s feeling towards her have become rather more romantic – and, well, sexual. Which is all perfectly hunky dory because Keely feels exactly the same way about Jasper.

So we have two attractive, sexually frustrated individuals in love with one another currently sleeping under the same roof. What possible obstacle could be getting in their way and stopping the inevitable Happy Ever After happening round about page 6?

Jasper’s bloody stupid Code of Honour, that’s what. The damn fool is too bloody busy mithering over the ethics of fucking his dead friend’s sister that he comes very close to mucking the whole thing up. Repeatedly.

Jasper's favourite reading material, probably.

I mean, it doesn’t stop him breaking this self-imposed ‘Bro Code’ and enjoying some delightfully Dommy sex ‘n’ spanks with Keely. But then he gets all funny about it afterwards. It’s a wonder Keely put up with his nonsense, really.

Despite the sadness that runs through the book, this is a very funny story. The chapter titles are hilarious, the "Pants-Off-Off" scenes are a delight to read and the verbal sparring between the two heroes is both witty and authentic-sounding.

There is also the wonderful Book Club that Keely belongs to. Everybody needs a book club like this! Well, me at least. I need a book club like this. A place for women to get together, eat food and talk about smutty fiction. Sounds like exactly my cup of tea.

Not sure which Daddy this is. I think this is Fantasy Book Daddy.

There is also a Prequel , Daddy of the Month Club. (Currently free on Amazon!) I would recommend that you read this before you read Good Luck Daddy rather than afterwards like I did.

There are twelve women in the book club so it’s a little hard to keep track of them all on this the first introduction but as each story in this series concentrates on a different member of the group, I expect to get to know them better soon enough. The second book, Fool Me Daddy is already purchased and on my kindle. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the funny, sexy world of the Daddy Doms.

Word of the Day: Irrumatio

The first in an occasional series of interesting words that I have encountered while researching and reading spanky sexy matters.

Irrumatio: n. /ɪɹʊˈmeiʃəo/  Fellatio by actively thrusting the penis into the mouth of a partner.

I had hitherto been unaware of the word irrumatio which is a great pity because it is basically a much nicer word for face-fucking. It sounds so much pleasanter, don’t you think? I’m surprised people don’t use it more often.

I love a bit of irrumatio myself. It’s such a very submissive act. You’re basically saying “Here, Master. Take any part of my body and use it as you will.” You’re not saying that during the act itself of course. What with having your mouth full and everything. Best one could manage under these circumstances would be something “Hmmf Mmmfh hh mm Hmumf”.

It sometimes occurs to me that my primary motivation for being submissive is that I’m fundamentally lazy. Being on the bottom side of things seems to involve a lot less heavy lifting (so to speak) and manual activity compared to being a Dom. I’m pretty certain that this isn't the case and even if it were I don't just participate in face-fucking because it’s less work than a blow job. It's quite the strenuous workout in its way.

I’m also jolly keen on a spot of fellatio but of course, we already all know the word for that.

Irrumatio / Irrumation / Irrumate

Etymology: From the Latin irrumare , suck or fellate 

Examples of this word in a sentence:

“Darling, would you irrumate me this evening?”

“We had a lovely holiday with plenty of sightseeing, bird-watching and irrumation.”

Book Review - His Little Spy by Finley Brown

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Fine figure of  a man

Five Stars!

A sense of time and place is wonderfully evoked in Finley Brown’s “His Little Spy” as the reader is transported to eighteenth century Scotland and immersed in the Jacobite Rebellion.

Lady Kellina Crawford is an eighteen year old widow and a spy on the side of the King James and the plans to reinstate the Catholic king to the British throne. To be fair she’s a terrible spy what with haring off unthinkingly into dangerous situations and flashing papist symbols at all and sundry.

But what she lacks in common sense and subterfuge she more than makes up for in spirit, independence, good intentions and copious amounts of luck. Her biggest bit of good luck was having Lord Hamish MacDonald assigned as her Protector. Hamish is a strong, noble kilt-wearing hunk of deliciousness. Sadly for Kellina, she is betrothed to someone else who is none of those things. Because, of course, a woman of nobility in 1736 is not allowed to marry for love and is instead expected to be used as a pawn in financial and political machinations.

Well, at least she can enjoy the scenery.

Inevitably love happens away for Kellina and Hamish. The chemistry between the two heroes sizzles and crackles on the page. Hamish swiftly recognises Kellina’s need for guardianship, protection and discipline and becomes the ‘Papa’ figure that she craves. The disciplinary spankings meted out by Hamish are exactly what Kellina needs and are wonderful to read.

Hamish, too, becomes enmeshed in the Jacobite cause as secrets and plots are unveiled deep in the Scottish Highlands. This is a fast-moving story with plenty of drama and a higher body count than is usual for a spanky romance novel. The death of one particular supporting character towards the end of the book is particularly upsetting.

That said, this is an uplifting book which ends in a happy place but with the promise of more intrigue to come. “His Little Spy” is the second book in Finley Brown’s Scottish Submission series. I hadn’t read the first book “His Sweet Curse” before reading this. It doesn’t seem to be necessary although the previous book’s protagonists, Sorcha and Edward, are part of this story. I have added “His Sweet Curse” to my virtual reading pile now. I want to be fully up to date by the time Finley Brown releases the next book in the series.

Because I hope we haven’t reached the end of her gripping retelling of the Jacobite Risings just yet.

Book Review - Making the Rules by Ashe Barker

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Do your shirt up, Mister. You'll catch a chill.

Ashe Barker’s Making the Rules would be just perfect as a BBC television drama. Something classy like Broadchurch or Happy Valley. It has all the right ingredients for good telly: Death, intrigue, family secrets, a grey rain-soaked Yorkshire village as two people – both, in their own way, visitors to the village - team up to understand a tragedy which happened there 20 years before.

This sort of thing.

I think the BBC should get on this as soon as possible. Not sure what their policy is on devoting significant amounts of air time to sexy spanky BDSMness, mind. Are they cool with that these days? Let’s hope so because those are the really good bits of Making the Rules.

The story begins in the small village of Mytholm Bridge in 1998. Ben is thirteen years old when a school friend’s family picnic turns to heartbreak with the loss of his friend’s little toddler sister.

Years later, history gets dredged up when Lily, a visitor to the village starts asking questions about the toddler’s disappearance. Apparently, nothing in Mytholm Bridge is quite how it appears on the surface.

Ashe Barker balances beautifully the advancing plot and its unravelling mystery with the wonderful kinky love story of its two heroes. Ben is a practised Dom who persuades Lily to accept a nerve-calming spanking. She doesn’t need much persuasion. Hitherto vanilla Lily is a natural submissive who finds the whole BDSM business very much to her liking.

The sex and spanking scenes are a joy to read. Ashe Barker delivers full kinky satisfaction in the bedroom department. As does Ben, come to think of it.

Not that their relationship is purely physical. Ben provides much needed emotional support and practical assistance to Lily as she attempts to uncover exactly what did happen on that fateful August day in 1998.

It is lovely to see Ben and Lily’s relationship develop from a spur-of-the-moment bit of fun to something much more meaningful.

The book wraps up with a neat and very satisfying ending which obviously I am not going to spoil for you. I thoroughly recommend you read it. Not least, because it might be a while before the BBC adaption hits our screens.

Perfect for BBC prime time