Helpful Score: 6
This book is erotica, m/f, with a couple of m/m scenes (not with the hero, but with a pair of ongoing secondary characters). This book is 2nd in the ACRO series (first is "Riding the Storm"
Plot Summary: There are two secondary storylines that are continued from the first book, however the main plot centers around an "animal whisperer" Kira, who can speak with animals, and goes into a yearly "heat" causing her to need sex every 4 hours or she will die. The hero of this story, Tom Knight aka Ender, is sent by ACRO to recruit OR kill her (to keep her from the enemy agency Itor, who plans to use her as a weapon of mass destruction).
Main Characters: Kira- the heroine is generally sympathetic and likable. Tom (Ender)is VERY alpha and occasionally crosses the line into "caveman" (a lot of grunting and growling rather than speaking). The two are hot together, but neither stood out as great or terrible leads.
Best About This Book: This is an erotica book and the sex is scorching! WOW. Hot. Even better than the first book. And the secondary character development continues, providing more background, more drama, more sex, and an almost soap opera feel, but way sexier.
Worst About This Book: The absurdity level hits new heights in this book. The reader is not just expected to suspend disbelief, no, the reader must be expected to turn off their brain for short periods. The authors (Sydney Croft is the pen name of Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler writing together) put in "conversations" that Kira has with animals. And these conversations were so DREADFUL that they really made me laugh and totally broke the mood for me. Some examples: a horse that BRAGS about competing in horse competitions in Europe (why would a horse brag about going to Europe??), another horse that comments on the hero's penis size (that one can cause laughing seizures in the unprepared!), a dog who commiserates with the heroine about men being unbearable/ foolish, etc... (dogs are engaged in the "battle of the sexes"???)
This book also hits one of my pet peeve triggers in romance. This may be an upside for some readers, but for me, it is NOT: there is, for me, WAY too much talk (towards the last 1/3 of the book) about pregnancy and kids. I love kids, have three. I like my romance/erotica child-free, so I can have a BREAK from kids. And, again in the last roughly, 1/3 of the book it isn't just mentioned it is a focus. Yuck for me.
My Summary: Worth a credit for the hot sex scenes and the ongoing plot line (if you are reading the series). However, I paid full price for this book (bought it new) and it wasn't worth full price. It was mostly enjoyable, but nowhere near a keeper for me. Passing it along.
Plot Summary: There are two secondary storylines that are continued from the first book, however the main plot centers around an "animal whisperer" Kira, who can speak with animals, and goes into a yearly "heat" causing her to need sex every 4 hours or she will die. The hero of this story, Tom Knight aka Ender, is sent by ACRO to recruit OR kill her (to keep her from the enemy agency Itor, who plans to use her as a weapon of mass destruction).
Main Characters: Kira- the heroine is generally sympathetic and likable. Tom (Ender)is VERY alpha and occasionally crosses the line into "caveman" (a lot of grunting and growling rather than speaking). The two are hot together, but neither stood out as great or terrible leads.
Best About This Book: This is an erotica book and the sex is scorching! WOW. Hot. Even better than the first book. And the secondary character development continues, providing more background, more drama, more sex, and an almost soap opera feel, but way sexier.
Worst About This Book: The absurdity level hits new heights in this book. The reader is not just expected to suspend disbelief, no, the reader must be expected to turn off their brain for short periods. The authors (Sydney Croft is the pen name of Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler writing together) put in "conversations" that Kira has with animals. And these conversations were so DREADFUL that they really made me laugh and totally broke the mood for me. Some examples: a horse that BRAGS about competing in horse competitions in Europe (why would a horse brag about going to Europe??), another horse that comments on the hero's penis size (that one can cause laughing seizures in the unprepared!), a dog who commiserates with the heroine about men being unbearable/ foolish, etc... (dogs are engaged in the "battle of the sexes"???)
This book also hits one of my pet peeve triggers in romance. This may be an upside for some readers, but for me, it is NOT: there is, for me, WAY too much talk (towards the last 1/3 of the book) about pregnancy and kids. I love kids, have three. I like my romance/erotica child-free, so I can have a BREAK from kids. And, again in the last roughly, 1/3 of the book it isn't just mentioned it is a focus. Yuck for me.
My Summary: Worth a credit for the hot sex scenes and the ongoing plot line (if you are reading the series). However, I paid full price for this book (bought it new) and it wasn't worth full price. It was mostly enjoyable, but nowhere near a keeper for me. Passing it along.
Helpful Score: 3
Good read - but not quite as good for me as Riding the Storm. Several reasons apply: the hero was the poster boy for Jerks Anonymous [sure he had issues but ...], and the heroine had to have sex every four hours or she'd die [sounds like a nonsurvival trait to me] which chops up the flow of the story. It's hard to stage the Great Escape when you have to stop to have wild sex every four hours. That said, it was still a good read with lots of page-turning action of both types. Make it 4.5
One of the things I admire about this series is the way there is a primary plot [in this case Ender and Kira] which completes within the covers of the book while other stories are started that will complete in later books. In many series, previous characters are abandoned or only have small walk-ons. Not so with these books, although new characters are introduced regularly, the old ones continue to have significant roles. You learn to care deeply about all of them, and wait with a notable lack of patience for the next book to see how 'it all works out' for characters that have become friends.
Read these in order!
ACRO
Riding the Storm (2007)
Unleashing the Storm (2008)
Seduced by the Storm (2008)
Taming the Fire (2009)
and another called Tempting The Fire is scheduled for 2010
One of the things I admire about this series is the way there is a primary plot [in this case Ender and Kira] which completes within the covers of the book while other stories are started that will complete in later books. In many series, previous characters are abandoned or only have small walk-ons. Not so with these books, although new characters are introduced regularly, the old ones continue to have significant roles. You learn to care deeply about all of them, and wait with a notable lack of patience for the next book to see how 'it all works out' for characters that have become friends.
Read these in order!
ACRO
Riding the Storm (2007)
Unleashing the Storm (2008)
Seduced by the Storm (2008)
Taming the Fire (2009)
and another called Tempting The Fire is scheduled for 2010
Helpful Score: 3
So I ordered all three books at the same time (I know, I know, you don't do that unless you know the author but I'm an optomist.) The first book shocked my puritan morals because there was SO MUCH sex. But after I read the second (Because it was just sitting there!) I started to see that even though there is a lot of sex, there is still a well thought out story.
Kira and Ender are you atypical heroes. Both standoffish and unfriendly. But they somehow manage to fall in love with each other. Like when two people who no one likes find each other and make it work. But what intrigued me about this series are all the other characters that are mentioned thoughout the story. Two other storylines are carried through all three books so far and I found myself more interested in Dev and Oz (carefull all you fuddy-duddies, guy on guy action here) and Ani and Creed. Plots are thought out well in advance and you can see many future stories all in just one book.
While I still think all the sex is a little excessive and having to control your X-Men powers through frequent orgasms as just plain silly, (I couldn't help laughing when I understood that during her spring fever, Kira would go insane and then die if she didn't have a man ejaculate in her every four hours, FOR FOUR WEEKS!) I still believe that the rest of the book is quite good.
Kira and Ender are you atypical heroes. Both standoffish and unfriendly. But they somehow manage to fall in love with each other. Like when two people who no one likes find each other and make it work. But what intrigued me about this series are all the other characters that are mentioned thoughout the story. Two other storylines are carried through all three books so far and I found myself more interested in Dev and Oz (carefull all you fuddy-duddies, guy on guy action here) and Ani and Creed. Plots are thought out well in advance and you can see many future stories all in just one book.
While I still think all the sex is a little excessive and having to control your X-Men powers through frequent orgasms as just plain silly, (I couldn't help laughing when I understood that during her spring fever, Kira would go insane and then die if she didn't have a man ejaculate in her every four hours, FOR FOUR WEEKS!) I still believe that the rest of the book is quite good.
