FAOM: Heat Things Up with Beneath the Vine

I read a lot. There’s really no other, simpler, cleaner way to say it: I read a lot. My library houses books that are (or would be) for the most part classed under romance but these days saying “oh, I read romance” is sometimes not enough. Sometimes it takes a little bit more, and I think sometimes that little bit more is important. After all, the genre on a whole has had a bad rep for years – I still get laughing remarks from friends and family about reading my “porn stories” – and yet romance novels are one of (if not the) most read genres world wide. And I think that fact is because there are so many possibilities and so many sub-genre’s that are all technically classed (or could be) as romance.

For instance: erotica. Those books that lean on and rely most heavily on the sexual interactions of their characters. There is still a romantic storyline in erotica, most of the time, but it uses (or revolves around) the sex. Every once in a while a good erotica novel is just what a person needs. But depending on how heavily dosed with sex it is, too many on a regular basis is too much for me.

But in that every once in a while….

If you read last week’s interview with A.M. Johnson (this month’s Featured Author of the Month) you would have seen us talking about the erotica pen name – Lillian Bryant – she used to release Pressure (no longer available for purchase) and Beneath the Vine. She also talked about how she would, someday, like to go back to the BTV world and give other characters stories of their own. Today I want to spotlight that book for all of you that love erotica, whether you’re full time fans of the genre or, like me, love the stories occasionally.

Beneath the Vine

a stand-alone novel

Selene Cavalier spent the majority of her time behind her cello. Her dull life was made up of dark notes, hard work and sheet music. 

Bennett Monterosso did what he had to do to get his family’s winery up and running. He didn’t have time for his old ways. His quiet dominance had been silenced. His need was just waiting below the surface, until now. 

Having her—it was all he could think about as he watched the young woman behind the cello.

Gage Calibri left his best friend, his home and his tarnished past five years ago. He suppressed his darker tastes, his physical appetites, and his secrets until he no longer had a choice. 

It only took one night for these three lives to collide and to be altered forever. 

This wasn’t what they were expecting. This wasn’t who she was. Each moment they sank deeper, each minute they felt more, each second they took her further.

Unhinged… restrained… this obsession… this love… it was all consuming.

*For Mature Audiences Only... Strong Sexual Content*

If you’re intrigued, you can 

get your copy of Beneath the Vine here. 

I’ve already downloaded mine for that rainy day when I could use something hot to warm up!

 And don't forget to

enter to win a signed paperback of your choice 

by A.M. Johnson!!!

Here's What We've Been Featuring

Everybody hits a reading slump every once in a while. Whether you can't find a book that really interests you, or you're simply looking for something different than what you've been reading - maybe we've got something here to wet your (reading) appetites... 

As always the Featured Books of the Day are added to our Facebook and other social media pages daily throughout the week and then on the weekend we post the complied list of titles and book info here on the blog. All the books we've featured are also added to the Ups & Downs Shop each week and the store is now up-to-date. 

I hope you'll find something to read from our lists. And as always - enjoy!

This Reader Recommends...

I don't know about anyone else but I am always looking for the next book to read. Whether it's something new, new-to-me, or an old favorite, I am constantly scrolling through reading lists, recommended new releases and looking through my own digital and hard-copy libraries…  So this week, to get myself back into a book blogging mindset after a couple months of hard times (wondering WTF? See here.) I’m sharing with you some of my reading recommendations. Some will be books that I’ve read and loved for years – my all-time favorites. Others will be ones that I’ve read, loved, and/or reviewed in more recent times. And finally some will be new and (possibly) up-coming releases that I’ve heard wonderful things about.

Here we go…

REVIEW: The Vacation by Ivy Smoak

Synopsis

Find out what really happens when you have a free pass...in the new sexy story THE VACATION by Ivy Smoak.

Lydia and Scott's relationship had been on the fritz for months. When Lydia's friend, Julia, tells her that there's a sexy, secretive resort, that completely reinvented her and her husband's sex life, Lydia is skeptical. She's even more skeptical when Julia advises her that she should go with Scott and give him a free pass for the duration of the vacation.

A free pass to flirt with other people? Could that really save their relationship? But Lydia doesn't have much of a choice when Julia books the vacation without her permission. What's the worst that could happen? It seemed to help Julia's marriage.

But when the couple arrives at The Blue Parrot Resort, things don't go quite how either of them planned...

This book is intended for mature audiences.
 

Ivy Smoak is an entrepreneur with very fickle tendencies. After much encouragement from her fiancé, she finally decided to dive into her true passion and began writing erotic novels. She lives with her fiancé in Philly. 

Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook

REVIEW

A trip taken to try and bring back the spark to a relationship takes a decidedly wicked turn when both partners have their own agendas. But when one is working to try and solidify their relationship, and the other is working to try and make the other pay for the surprise trip, nothing is quite what it seems. 

I love a good quick erotic tale. Every once in a while I enjoy reading something down and dirty. I like plot twists and surprise endings. 

And for all that The Vacation is only 55 pages, it delivers on all of the above. 

For the most part I enjoyed the story. There were a few things that I shook my head at, a few that even now have me scrunching my brow and thinking "huh?" I'm a sucker for a HEA so I am a little disappointed with the way this story ended, but at the same time (without actually giving anything away) in its own way, it was a happy ending. 

As for a recommendation? Give it a try. Erotica is not for everyone but if, like me, you enjoy the occasional recounting of dirty deeds... Well, Ivy Smoak's The Vacation is quite possibly something you'll really enjoy.

RELEASE DAY for Irrevocably Claimed

Genre: Erotic Romance/Erotica

Release Date: November 6, 2015

ONE FORBIDDEN NIGHT by Sherri Hayes

Justin has had a crush on his best friend’s little sister, Kim, since high school. When she shows up on his doorstep, offering herself to him for one night, will he be able to say no? Or will he give in to one forbidden night with the woman who has haunted his dreams for years?

www.SherriHayesAuthor.com

***

THREEPEAT by A.M. Shrum

Madison’s best friend, Lillian, is constantly sharing the details of her perfect life with husband, Adam, including her off the charts sex life. It’s great, except that Madison has been harboring a secret fantasy: she doesn’t just want to hear about the great sex that Lillian and Adam are having, she wants to experience it for herself…with them.

One night after drinks, the three friends agree to a deal: One night. The three of them. Together. And anything goes.

Will a night of heated passion be exactly what they all need? Or will it go too far and destroy everything they have?

www.AngelaShrumWrites.com

***

LOVER’S SWEET DISCOVERY by KD Jones

Claire Vanderling has reached middle age but doesn’t feel like she has anything to show for it. As the manager of a prosperous art gallery, she works hard, but her personal life is practically nonexistent. Her son, Thomas, has graduated college and is about to start a new IT company in Japan with his best friend. She might not see him for six months, so she arranges for them to have one more trip to a family beach home in the Hamptons. When her son’s best friend shows up, she finds much more than just a simple vacation—she discovers a passion long buried inside her.

Jacob Tanner is excited to be starting a new company with his best friend. He wants to go directly to Japan to get settled, but Tom insists that they spend time this summer with Tom’s mother. He met Claire once before while he and Tom were still in school together. When he sees her again, he is surprised to find that he cannot take his eyes off her. How had he not realized how sexy Claire was?

As desire flares up and passion is unleashed, will they give in to their bodies’ demands or will they be able to resist lovers’ sweet discovery?

www.KDJonesAuthor.net 

***

THE ENCOUNTER by Susan Ward

Jena was Holly’s best friend when they started high school. By graduation, Holly avoided Jena at all cost. Their friendship had become confusing, the emotions so complex, and at times unnerving, that Holly couldn’t even risk being near Jena.

Seven years later, unhappily married Holly is thrown together with Jena at a bachelorette party. Was forbidden desire beneath their unsettling friendship all along? And will Holly surrender at last to Jena’s pursuit?

www.SusanWardBooks.com

***

ZEKE’S EDEN by K. Webster

Following Daddy’s rules has always been easy.

Smile. Nod. Repeat.

Until I met Zeke.

Dark. Dirty. Sinner.

A hungry beast, released from his cage.

And I’m on the menu.

Tonight, I’m Zeke’s Eden.

His sugar.

His whore.

Daddy’s little girl is all grown up…

www.AuthorKWebster.com

***

COUNTRY METAL by Michael Schneider

Sweet as iced tea, her life was the very anthem of a country song. Blue skies, cornfields and cotton fed her soul.

Tattooed and pierced, he’s the lead singer for Violent Standard. His idea of country is a trek through Central Park.

His band is in town to film their newest music video. Can heavy metal and a country twang blend into a perfect harmony? Will he claim the southern belle before the last note fades?

www.Facebook.com/AuthorMichaelSchneider

***

HER SECRET SERVICE by Demi Duke

Presidential candidate’s daughter, Cammie Douglas, needs her wild ways tamed and kept out of the news. So Jude Warner, a tall, dark, and handsome Secret Service agent, is called up for duty. His orders: Control Cammie no matter what it takes… Even if she’s drawing him into her sexual thrall. Will he risk it all for her? Or have to tame his own desires?

https://www.facebook.com/DemiDukeAuthor/

***

DREAM WEAVER by Cherry Shephard

When Charlotte is caught by one of her college students in a moment of pleasure, she awakens the Dream Weaver . . . the Master . . . her Dom. Can he revive her confidence and prove to her just how desirable she is?

www.AuthorCherrys.wordpress.com

***

TEMPTING TANNER by Lori King

Ashley Gahl lost her virginity in a whirlwind of passion after a night of celebration, and Tanner Lake has haunted her dreams ever since. One-night flings aren’t suitable for relationships, so she’s determined to pretend it never happened, only he reappears in her life, and throws her carefully laid out plans into disarray. When he becomes a permanent fixture in her world as her new stepbrother, she knows she should put their passionate past behind her, but she finds herself craving him more and more. Is she really ready for the whirlwind that Tempting Tanner with bring?

www.LoriKingBooks.com

PURCHASE LINKS

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/irrevocably-claimed

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MoCLc0

COVER REVEAL - Irrevocably Claimed

 

Release Date: November 6, 2015

Genre: Erotic/Erotic Romance

One Forbidden Night:  Justin has had a crush on his best friend’s little sister, Kim, since high school. When she shows up on his doorstep, offering herself to him for one night, will he be able to say no? Or will he give in to one forbidden night with the woman who has haunted his dreams for years?

Country Metal:  Sweet as iced tea, her life was the very anthem of a country song. Blue skies, cornfields and cotton feed her soul.

Tattooed and pierced, he’s the lead singer for Violent Standard. His idea of country is a trek through Central Park.

His band is in town to film their newest music video. Can heavy metal and a country twang blend into a perfect harmony? Will he claim the southern belle before the last note fades?

The Encounter:  Jena was Holly’s best friend when they started high school. By graduation, Holly avoided Jena at all cost. Their friendship had become confusing, the emotions so complex, and at times unnerving, that Holly couldn’t even risk being near Jena.

Seven years later, unhappily married Holly is thrown together with Jena at a bachelorette party. Was forbidden desire beneath their unsettling friendship all along? And will Holly surrender at last to Jena’s pursuit?

Lovers’ Sweet Discovery:  Claire Vanderling has reached middle age but doesn't feel like she has anything to show for it. As the manager of a prosperous art gallery, she works hard, but her personal life is practically non-existent. Her son Thomas has graduated college and is about to start a new IT company in Japan with his best friend. She might not see him for six months. So she arranges for them to have one more trip to a family beach home on the Hamptons. When her son's best friend shows up, she finds much more than just a simple vacation—she discovers a passion long buried inside of her. Jacob Tanner is excited to be starting a new company with his best friend. He wanted to go directly to Japan to get settled, but Tom insisted that they spend time this summer with Tom's mother. He had met Claire once before while he and Tom were still in school together. When he sees her again, he is surprised to find that he cannot take his eyes off of her. How had he not realized how sexy Claire was? As desire flares up and passion is unleashed, will they give in to their bodies' demands or will they be able to resist lovers’ sweet discovery?

Zeke’s Eden: Following Daddy’s rules has always been easy.

Smile. Nod. Repeat.

Until I met Zeke.

Dark. Dirty. Sinner.

A hungry beast, released from his cage.

And I’m on the menu.

Tonight, I’m Zeke’s Eden.

His sugar.

His whore.

Daddy’s little girl is all grown up…

Threepeat: Madison’s best friend, Lillian, is constantly sharing the details of her perfectly life with husband, Adam, including her off the charts sex life. It’s great, except that Madison has been harboring a secret fantasy: she doesn’t just want to hear about the great sex that Lillian and Adam are having, she wants to experience it for herself…with them.

One night after drinks, the three friends agree to a deal: One night. The three of them. Together. And anything goes.

Will a night of heated passion be exactly what they all need? Or will it go too far and destroy everything they have?

And more...

It Gets Hot in BODY LOCK - RELEASE TOUR

 

A New RELEASE for The Emerald Virgin

50 Shades of.... Hmmm

First things first, I have to preface everything I’m about to say with this statement: I have not, yet, read the ’50 Shades’ trilogy.  Nothing.  Not a word, not an excerpt.  Nothing but the blurbs on the back of the books.  To a certain degree I’ve even avoided reading too many reviews about the books (and the movie), though I will admit that I have read a few – some good, some bad, and even some that made me cringe.  I have my reasons for this but primarily, it’s that I didn’t really hear much of anything about the books until sometime after they were published and by then rumors had begun flying that a movie was going to be made. 
See, I’ve got this issue about books that are made into movies – especially if they’re books that I particularly like.  To me, the movies can be outstandingly well done but they just can’t rate as good as the book(s).  When I read a book the settings and scenes are built in my imagination, the characters are painted in all their glory in my fantasies, and the pages of the story flip through my mind like the frames on a reel.  I don’t need a movie to see the story, all I have to do is read it.  Yet at the same time, I do love a good movie.

So let’s get to the point...

Dakota Johnson.  Jamie Dornan.  And Fifty Shades of Grey. 

It’s been one of the most talked about movies of the year so far – for reasons both good and bad.  It’s been the topic of countless talk show segments, blogs, human and women's’ rights debates, and God knows what else.  Even I have written about it here on Ups, Downs, Ins and Outs.  It opened in theatres just before Valentine’s Day and has been leading in box office sales since, despite, or maybe because of the controversial nature of the movies content.

Still living under that rock? Here we go: The movie is about recent university graduate and incredibly innocent and naïve Anastasia Steele (played by Johnson), who meets Christian Grey (obviously played by Dornan) when she’s helping a friend out by doing an interview about him for their school newspaper.  Grey is a young, successful (to the billions) businessman, who Anastasia jokingly refers to as a “control freak” after listening to him describe himself.  Unknowingly, she’s exactly and entirely right.  Grey’s controlling tendencies in the business world follow him into his personal life, where he’s a Dominant, of the BDSM variety.  Anastasia’s innocence draws Christian like a moth to a flame and she quickly finds herself the focus of his rather intense interest.  This movie, based on the first book (of the same name) in the ’50 Shades’ trilogy, basically follows them in the beginning stages of their arrangement and relationship - as Anastasia learns about the BDSM lifestyle, especially the dominant/submissive parts of it, and Christian is forced to realize that Anastasia isn’t the only one with something to learn. 

That’s my, ha, $0.50 synopsis, and here are my feelings about it after seeing the movie.

The movie’s good.  It was decent.  For me, it was neither really great, nor completely horrible.  There are really great bits and there are some parts that appeared very awkwardly done – and surprisingly they weren’t the sexual scenes.  (I’ve read interviews done with both lead characters and both described filming the sex scenes as uncomfortable and difficult. No real surprise there.)  To be perfectly honest, the thing that sorta killed parts of the movie for me, was the lack of solid on-screen chemistry between Dornan and Johnson. The baffling part is that their connection wasn’t lacking in every scene, but ironically was missing in the scenes that should have been the simplest for them to perform. (Granted, this could be explained by the actors’ apparent dislike of each other, something I’ve also seen reported in recent weeks.) The cinematography and music were extremely well done, and the casting of the actors in their particular roles was, I believe, also well done – it’s just that somehow these things just didn’t all mesh together to make the movie that I think many of us were expecting. 

And what about those sex scenes, you’re probably wondering? After all, it was the erotic nature of the sex, the BDSM lifestyle, and the supposed “pornographic” extremes of the film that were causing the loud outcry and vast extent of debate and criticism for the movie.  In the 2 hour movie there was roughly 20 minutes of sex – and this includes everything from the most vanilla, to the most harshly erotic of the scenes.  And of the scenes depicting BDSM behaviors, these really weren’t all that extreme.  Not if you really know anything about BDSM, anyways.  Also, as the first (at least to my knowledge) movie in mainstream cinema to really broach the BDSM topic, I just don’t think they did a very good job of really depicting the way a BDSM relationship works or would work.  They tried, sure, but, to me anyways, I feel they missed more than a few key tenants of the relationship, and since a good part of the movie is supposed to be explaining a BDSM relationship/arrangement to Anastasia, I see no reason and no excuse why they should have.  My only conclusion as far as this is concerned is that the writers were either lazy or ignorant.  Or both.  There’s really no other plausible excuse.

So when all is said and done, I did like Fifty Shades of Grey – the movie, and yes, I would probably recommend it to interested and/or like-minded friends.  I may even buy it when it comes out on DVD.  But it’s not a movie I’ll pay to go see in theatres again. 

Do with this what you will.  It’s just my opinion.

... And now I’m off to read the book.