A Family Chosen (Volumes 1-4)

A Family Chosen by Sloane Kennedy

Age: Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+ / Erotica
Rating: 3.5 stars

Helen Thinks: This is a Sloane Kennedy’s entire story arc. It consists of twenty novels from four of her individual series but all the characters intermingle so Kennedy has bundled them into these volumes. I was going to individually review every novel but I really didn’t think you would want me writing twenty long reviews about how amazing these novels are - because seriously that’s all the reviews would be! For two weeks straight (would have been a lot shorter time if life didn’t get in the way!), I read these novels one after the other and I couldn’t put them down.

Three out of twenty novels are M/F pairings but the remaining seventeen are M/M or M/M/M. Kennedy does explain for those that prefer only to read M/M then you can skip the M/F ones if you really want to but as much as I love my M/M novels, I couldn’t skip the M/F ones and I wouldn’t advise that any of my M/M fans do either. Those of you that aren’t massively into the M/M I beg of you not to skip these books over. Lauren; my sister; has always stated that she wouldn’t read the M/M books on my kindle but then started reading the first novel - Gabriel’s Rules - which is M/F and I explained to her that the third one of the trilogy was M/M and she decided to give it a go anyway because she couldn’t not read the third book in a trilogy. Safe to say, she’s now halfway through the books and is just as addicted as I am. So praises to Kennedy for getting my sister to try something new and for it to be that well written she can’t put them down.

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Billion Dollar Bad Boy

Billion Dollar Bad Boy by Nora Flite

Age: Adult
Category: Romance, erotica
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Five years ago, Alexis was held hostage in a bank robbery which she made out alive but ever since has just been existing in her day-to-day life. Nothing exciting ever happened to her until one day she finds an anonymous package in her post office box. It’s addressed to ‘Pet’ and simply signed from ‘S’. She knows it’s an error, the expensive gifts definitely can’t be for her, but she finds herself envious of this confident, sexy ‘Pet’ and as the messages start to get more personal, Alexis finds herself falling for this enigmatic stranger. So when he asks to meet her she decides to throw caution to the wind and meets up with him. While Alexis may be meeting a stranger, ‘S’ is meeting up with the woman that has haunted him for more years than he can count because he’s not so much of a stranger as she believes...

I’m a not-so-secret fan of the new generation of erotica writing genre that has swept over the masses since the release of both e-readers and Fifty Shades of Grey. They’re quick, entertaining and joyful reads that fill up most of my hours sat at work and make me feel happy when I’ve reached the last page - who isn’t a sucker for a HEA, right? However, Billion Dollar Bad Boy stood out from the masses of other novels I’ve read in this genre due to the back story of Alexis’ hostage situation in the bank robbery. Throughout the novel, a detective is trying to get Alexis to remember what happened on that day so that he can solve the case but she can’t help having blacked it out. The twist revolving around this storyline isn’t as surprising as I think Flite would have liked but it still added a good element to the novel, as well as the love story formula.

Billion Dollar Bad Boy might not be one of the next great love stories but it definitely worked its magic on me and I loved every second of it. I can’t wait to read some more of Nora Flite’s work after this delightful introduction. So if you’ve got an hour or two free, I’d say give it a go because you definitely won’t regret it.

Want It Bad

Want It Bad by Melinda DuChamp

Age: Adult
Category: Romance, erotica
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Carla is a 41-year-old lawyer who has worked hard to get where she is but to do so she’s sacrificed everything else - including her sex life. Best friend Janet is a air hostess which has gained her enough sexual escapades to last a lifetime and is why she tries to encourage Carla to let go and have fun. Carla does not think she has too until she meets her new neighbour is both cute and young - and it eventually turns out he’s an escort that prefers his clientele to be elderly ladies. Usually he has a no neighbour clause after a previous experience but Carla is persistent and will not take no for an answer. However, along her sexual discovery, forty one year old Carla learns things about herself that she can’t quite wrap her head around - especially her feelings for said twenty five year old escort, Jake.

After the release of Fifty Shades of Grey, erotic fiction has become as mainstream as your crime and romance fiction. It’s on your top bestseller list and not hidden away in the back anymore and it’s no longer something women whisper about. Many authors have embraced this and DuChamp’s erotica are some of my favourites. Yes, they’re a little vulgar and not for a sensitive audience but they’re well written. The friendship moments between Janet and Carla are witty, fresh and I do actually think DuChamp writes them the appropriate ages which is harder with a heroine over 35 - seriously, how many do you see? It was refreshing to be in the mind of an older character and the cougar aspect of twenty five year old Jake was a perfect touch. The moments between Jake and Carla were hot as well as moving when they had their brief sentimental moments.

There’s not much more I can say about “Want it Bad” without splashing the world spoiler all over. It’s not a fanfiction favourite “porn without plot” but it’s a smutty love story that I read all in one sitting because it was just too good to put down. What’s a real fun fact is that DuChamp is a pseudonym for two authors (J.A. Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson) and if this is what their brains can come up with then I’m in for the ride. DuChamp, you have a massive fan in the reader and I can’t wait to read some more of your works.

Staff Picks: Best of Erotica

Real (Real #1) by Katy Evans

This book is firmly in my guilty pleasures category! I knew it got to be pretty trashy at times, but I still enjoyed it. It follows Brooke and Remy. Remy is a champion fighter with hordes of women lusting after him, yet picks Brooke to come to his hotel room. The last thing Brooke expects is to be offered a job traveling with Remy as his physical therapist.
Recommended by Rosie




Bared to You (Crossfire #1) by Sylvia Day

If you liked Fifty Shades, this book'll be right up your alley! Although it does feature some similarities, it is distinctive enough to stand on its own and I found it a much better read than 50SoG. From the instant Eva and Gideon meet, sparks fly. But both have their own issues and troubled pasts, which might prove insurmountable for the pair.
Recommended by Rosie




Willing Victim by Cara McKenna
Laurel meets Finn, though it’s anything but a typical rom-com meeting. Rather, the first night she goes up to his apartment, she watches him have a BDSM scene with another girl and is then offered the opportunity to try it out for herself. It makes for a captivating book, with a likeable heroine, interesting love interest and clever writing. With it being barely longer than a novella, it’s a quick and fun read. Warning: it contains a consensual rape-play scene.
Recommended by Marta

The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed

A classical erotica book, if you’d like to put it like that, with a classical plot: that of a male escort and the woman who will revolutionise his life. Regardless, it’s an engaging read. It flows easily and smoothly, as the romance is backed up with a plot that manages to add depth to both characters. The sex scenes are, perhaps, mild in comparison to current books, but they make up for it by being exquisitely sensual.

Recommended by Marta

Rough Riders series by Lorelai James

This is a series that follows the younger generation of McKay’s; a ranching family from Wyoming. Each novel is filled with beautiful romantic moments, sweet family moments as well as scenes of hot, knee buckling sex scenes (that should really come with a NSFW warning!). James allows us to fall in love with the entire family as we watch them fall in love and battle with themselves as the days of the bad boy, bed hopping McKays slip away and they become parts of their own families. With it being a series, your favourites from previous novels pop up and James entices this with novellas that allow us future glimpses. James’ writing makes me forget about the days where I wanted Prince Charming and find myself wanting a silver-tongued cowboy.
Recommended by Helen