Women’s Erotica: In Flight By R.K. Lilley

Monday, 14 January, 2013

In Flight by R.K. Lilley is one of the best recent works in women’s erotica. Yes, there is another dominant billionaire playing a lead role, sort of like 50 Shades of Grey, but Lilley takes it to a whole new level. I mean that literally. This novel starts out on a jet plane.

Bianca is a beautiful 23 year old virgin with a troubled childhood behind her. In her job as a flight attendant in the first class cabin, she’s used to rebuffing the rich and famous when they try to get too close. But now she’s met a force she can’t resist. She’s a goner as soon as hotel owner James Cavendish boards the plane and heads into her section. Never mind eyes of grey. This guy hypnotizes her with his intense turquoise gaze.

Their dating life starts out a little rocky. Bianca is gun shy about getting close to anybody, but she can’t help but fall in love with James. James is relentless in pursuing what he wants when he wants it and that means he’s hot on Bianca’s trail. Their relationship does follow the dom/sub path but there are a number of twists and side stories here that make it all the more engaging and suspenseful. Of course, there are also plenty of steamy sex scenes to make it exciting.

Ready to read In Flight? Get your copy here!

Erotic Romance That Gives Equal Time To The Bonds Of Friendship

In addition to James, Bianca has another man in her life in this erotic romance. Her best friend, Stephan, works alongside her as a flight attendant too. They’ve been best friend all the way back to their teen years. They also share similar upbringings in abusive and loveless homes. They depend on each other and have a difficult time relating to anyone else.

The novel ends on a real cliffhanger as Bianca and James get into a painful misunderstanding. Even worse, a dark force from Bianca’s past may end their relationship for good and even cost Bianca her life.

Stay tuned for the next two installments in the Up In The Air series to read how it all turns out. The second book, Mile High, is already available on Amazon. According to R.K. Lilley, the third and final episode is called Grounded, and it will be out on February 12, 2013.

Lilley has given some interesting advance notice of what to expect in future. She’s going to write spinoff books for some of the supporting characters. The author says she’ll announce more details as they develop but at least one novella is already in the works.

While she’s been a writer for much of her life, Lilley has also taken some other jobs including a stint as a first class flight attendant. Between that and her love for romance and fiction, no wonder her books sound so authentic. She also writes urban fantasy with romantic themes under the name of Rebecca K. Lilley.

Download your copy of the In Flight now!

Erotic Books With A Bit Of Mystery: If I Were You By Lisa Renee Jones

Monday, 14 January, 2013

If you like erotic books then you may love this one, with the ultra steamy story plus some mystery and intrigue thrown in. If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones is a love story that will teach you just how dangerous it can be to read other people’s diaries.

Sara McMillan teaches tenth grade English by day. By night, she’s gotten hooked on reading the mysterious diaries of a woman named Rebecca. Sara comes across the journals after her friend Ella buys up abandoned storage units at auction, including one that used to belong to Rebecca. When Ella elopes and leaves on an Italian honeymoon with her doctor boyfriend, Sara is left alone with what Rebecca left behind.

Even though she feels guilty reading the private thoughts of a stranger, Sara can’t resist being drawn in by Rebecca’s story of her passionate affair with a controlling man who is never named. The sex scenes are so hot she feels herself burning just thinking about them. But nothing prepares her for the shocking ending and the sinister suspicion that something bad happened to Rebecca.

Before long Sara goes undercover to get a job at the same art gallery where Rebecca was last seen working. There she meets not one but two handsome and dominant men, the owner Mark and a famous artist named Chris. As Sara and Chris get romantically involved, it becomes ever more urgent to find out who the unnamed man is and what made Rebecca disappear before Sara suffers the same fate.

Ready to read If I Were You? Get it now!

Women’s Erotica With Extra Intrigue

This trilogy is great for anyone who loves women’s erotica and having their curiosity aroused. The relationships between Mark, Chris and Sara carry you forward to the cliffhanger ending. I was left hungrily waiting for what happens next! This is the first installment in the Inside Out erotic romance trilogy so stay tuned for more.

Author Lisa Renee Jones is a relative newcomer to erotic romance but she’s making up ground quickly. She previously owned LRJ, a major multi staffing agency in Austin, Texas that was listed as the #7 fastest growing women owned businesses in Entrepreneur Magazine. Since selling LRJ in 2003, she’s become an award winning writer and has published more than 30 books across several genres.

Download a copy of If I Were You now!

Erotic Books: Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye

Saturday, 12 January, 2013

For this erotic book, maybe it’s time for a complete blackout so Hearts in Darkness shows us what happens when two strangers get trapped alone together in an elevator. It’s a short read that packs in an intensely sensual story with a lot of human drama.

Makenna James is a corporate woman who’s got her hands full. She’s so busy talking on her cell phone that she barely notices the man inside as she gets into an elevator on a day when everything has been going wrong. About all she catches is the dragon tattoo on his hand before the power goes out. That man, Caden Grayson, had taken a better look at her and was instantly attracted to her long red hair.

Alone in the dark, they start to open up to each other. It’s like not being able to see each other frees them up to talk about themselves. Makenna is nervous but it turns out that Caden is the one who really needs comforting. He’s got something tragic in his past that makes him especially afraid of small, dark places.

And it’s not all talk. As Makenna tries to soothe Caden, her touch makes them both want much more. By the time they get rescued, they’ve already unleashed their passions.

 

Ready to read Hearts in Darkness? Get it now! 

Erotic Books That Prove Love Is Blind

Setting matters so much in erotic books and the darkened elevator in this novella makes it believable that two such different people could put aside their appearances to find out what they have in common. You’re left wondering if pin striped Makenna and Caden with his tattoos and body piercings have a future together when the doors finally open.

The critics love this book too. It’s won the EPIC eBook Award for Best Novella of 2012 and the VRW HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Winner for Best Romance Novella of 2012. The author Laura Kaye says she grew up on storytelling. Her big family used to gather around telling tales about the supernatural and she started writing at a young age. In addition to writing erotica, she’s a published non-fiction author with training as a historian and archaeologist. Kayes lives on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland with her husband, two daughters and a bad dog.

Download a copy of Hearts in Darkness now!

More Than 12,000 Readers Have Already Reviewed The Erotic Romance Novel Fifty Shades of Grey Book One on Amazon

Saturday, 8 September, 2012

Fifty Shades of Grey is the erotic romance novel that inspired me to create this blog. And no, it has nothing to do with the book’s literary merits. It’s all about the phenomenon this book represents and what it says about women today.

This book is a catalyst – a big opening for women to be able to talk about SEX! I find that women everywhere have a hard time talking about sex even with other women.

Why is that…are we all repressed? I think our culture has made it a taboo subject. But the reaction to this book makes it obvious that women want to talk about sex. We need to talk about sex.

Since the start of this blog I have had numerous conversations with women about Fifty Shades and they all sound so relieved to finally have a venue to talk!

For That Reason Alone I LOVE This Erotic Book!

Many people say you will either love this erotic book or hate it. I have friends that put the book down after reading only a couple of chapters and others who read the whole series three times and cannot get enough. They are all wondering what to read next – that is where ShadesofMomma.com comes in!

Ready to read 50 Shades of Grey? Get it here!

I really enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. After I started the first I quickly went out and purchased the other two. I was not put off by the writing or the repeated phrases. After all, I wasn’t looking for a literary masterpiece. I wanted an engaging story that was hot and juicy and it certainly did meet those expectations.

“The only man I’ve ever been attracted to, and he comes with a bloody contract, a flogger and a whole world of issues,” says the heroine Anastasia Steel. She is a very likable 21-year-old virgin about to graduate college when she meets the handsome and charismatic millionaire Christian Grey. He is immediately enthralled with Ana and begins to purse her while at the same time insisting that he is all wrong for her.

As these two spiral into a very intense relationship there are many layers to be learned about both of them. Without giving the whole story away there is lots of very steamy sex with BDSM overtones. Some say it is too light while others are saying it is way too dark. Truly a case of different strokes for different folks! I felt drawn into the story and had a lot of fun with their sensual relationship.

Over the course of their relationship, Ana begins to chip away at Christian’s complicated exterior forcing him to admit things he’s never told anyone. Even with their resistance these two start to have strong feelings for each other and of course it gets complicated!

Throughout the book Ana and Christian exchange many emails. These witty and interesting notes were one of the best parts. They use email to open up to one another, something both have trouble doing. The written messages let them reveal themselves to one another more honestly.

The end of this story left me feeling anxious. Of course I had on hand the second book, Fifty Shades Darker, so I started it right away.

Many sex experts have also endorsed the book including the famous Dr. Ruth Westheimer. On her video blog, she says “I do believe every woman should read it. You don’t have to read the three volumes; you read a little bit of each and then you put the book away and have some very good sex.”

And just because sex is important, doesn’t mean it can’t be funny. Fifty Shades has spawned a whole industry of parodies. You can watch Ellen DeGeneres or some favorite mom bloggers and actresses read excerpts on YouTube. The best spoof may be the hilarious SNL skit starring Kristen Wiig. Dad and the kids try to surprise Mom with breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day, but she’s already entertaining herself while reading Fifty Shades. In an emergency, you may be able to disguise your vibrator as a microphone.

For me, it was a very fun read and I was not able to put this book down once I started. I have found many books better written than this that did not interest me nearly half as much. Let’s bring fun back especially for us women! And I hope the conversation Fifty Shades started about SEX keeps on going! Let the games begin…

Get your own copy of 50 Shades of Grey!

Erotic Books: Bared To You By Sylvia Day

Friday, 7 September, 2012

Erotic books are often most interesting when their characters face tough challenges. Bared To You by Sylvia Day presents two survivors of childhood abuse who struggle with their pasts while forging a connection that may transform their futures.

Eva Tramell recently moved from San Diego to Manhattan. She’s got an expensive pad on the upper West Side that she shares with a handsome male roommate. She’s so new to the city that she doesn’t even know how to hail a cab yet, but she’s landed an entry-level job at a swanky ad agency. You can tell she’s the independent type because she wouldn’t let her stepfather the tycoon give her a short cut to the top floor offices.

Her first day at work she’s knocked flat on the ground by a delicious stranger dressed in black. Yes, she literally takes a dive under the powerful stare of Gideon. Things get interesting when Gideon helps her to her feet and eventually lures her to his nightclub. Their magnetic attraction exposes their private wounds and may lead to more injury or to true healing.

It’s Great When Erotic Romance Novels Bring Together Two Abuse Survivors Open To The Possibility Of True Love

What I love about erotic romance novels like this one is how I root for the characters to work things out. Eva and Gideon are both smart and witty. Eva is especially insightful about her own baggage and it’s interesting to see how she applies what she has learned in years of therapy.

Ready to read Bared to You? Get it here!

Of course, there’s also plenty of scorching sex scenes. Many critics and readers compare this erotic romance to the blockbuster Fifty Shades Of Grey. They’re both very hot. The sex here may be a bit more mainstream but it is every bit as gratifying. In all, Bared To You manages to be intense without getting melodramatic and provides plenty of excitement while being sensitive to the character’s experiences. The subject matter is thought provoking without ever becoming too dark.

Sylvia Day has written more than a dozen novels including New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. She’s a wife and mother of two. Before she became a writer, she used to be a Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. Her stories have been translated into thirty languages. She’s been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. She also writes under the pseudonyms S. J. Day and Livia Dare.

Get your copy of Bared to You here.

The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy – A Series of 3 Erotic Romance Novels

Thursday, 6 September, 2012

Once upon a time, The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy was one of the best kept secrets of Anne Rice’s work, but then these three erotic romance novels outearned Interview with the Vampire. They’re among the most enthralling and captivating women’s erotica I’ve ever read. If you liked 50 Shades of Grey than you will certainly enjoy this landmark trilogy.

The series was written under Rice’s pseudonym, A.N. Roquelaure. Whatever name she uses, the writing is characteristic of her gothic style. When you open that cover, you are bound to enter a world so deeply conceived, so sumptuously described, that it takes on a life and plausibility all its own.

The tale begins with Sleeping Beauty awakening to being ravished by the Prince. Indebted to him for breaking the spell of sleep on their kingdom, Beauty’s parents allow the Prince to take Beauty as tribute to the castle of his mother, Queen Eleanor, who rules the surrounding kingdoms. Eleanor makes Beauty serve the erotic pleasures of the court, male and female, who try to instill empathy and humility in her, and prepare her to be a wise ruler. This subtext is a clever and satisfying justification for the trials that Beauty endures.

Unfortunately, Beauty and her fellow slaves, Princes Alexi and Laurent, rebel. This results in deeper punishment and painfully pleasurable sexual torments. Their continued resistance leads to exile in a village of common people. Here, their royal rank is meaningless and invites deeper resentment and persecution. When this also proves inadequate, they are shipped off to a foreign land where they face the greatest trials of all.

Ready to read The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy? Get it here!

A Picasso Is More Than Just A Painting And This Series Is More Than Just Erotic Books

These erotic books are explicit but never dark. The trials are heady, playful at times, but avoid stereotypes of self-loathing submissives or egomaniacal dominants. The spanking, bondage and sex are a spice that seasons the characters rather than destroying them. There are characters and erotic scenes for every reader – straight, gay or bisexual.

The ambient bisexuality devoid of faux moralizing is another great accomplishment. Both Beauty and her male companions must serve the pleasure of men and women. Rice’s medieval world doesn’t judge orientations, but focuses on the universal pleasure of sexuality and mentoring. This gives the novels depth and an unexpected and lingering uplifting effect.

I watched an interview with Anne Rice explaining why she wrote these erotic books. She said they were something inside her she had to get out on paper. Since these books awoke something that has always been within me since I became aware of my own sexuality, I can understand this explanation. Not only is this series sensual and exciting, it is literary, well-written, and a true exploration of sexuality. Most of the discoveries sound like something real people fear or would never admit. You owe it to yourself to read the entire series of these three erotic romance novels.

Get your copy of The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy here!

The Story of O – The First Erotic Romance Novel of Our Time

Wednesday, 5 September, 2012

The Story of OThe Story of O is the first erotic romance novel of our time and one of the most controversial works of all time. Published in 1954, its authorship was long cloaked in mystery, but it’s clearly a landmark in women’s erotica.

The woman who wrote it concealed her identity until 1998 shortly prior to her passing. French journalist Anne Desclos, who also used the pseudonym Dominique Aury, wrote The Story of O under the pen name Pauline Réage. What she created and brought into the open we cannot easily repay. Before her, the genre was pretty much limited to the puerile, repetitive musings of de Sade like Justine and 101 Days.

Desclos re-invented erotica. She bestowed a feminine wisdom on her characters, seeing actions and intent – bereft of specifics – through O’s eyes as only a woman could. Note not only the symbolism of O’s name but how she is any woman. O has no physical characteristics save those shared by all women.

For those readers who find this tale shocking and disturbing, it is important to understand the purpose. Desclos presented it as a series of love letters to her boyfriend who admired de Sade and claimed women couldn’t write erotica.

Ready to read The Story of O? Get your copy here!

Desclos took that as a challenge. In the tradition of de Sade, she described a young woman’s descent into sexual degradation. O falls deeper and deeper until she reaches bottom with nowhere left to go, nothing left to do. Her feminine twist is totally distinct from de Sade and other male authors. O is not driven by lust but by love. First it’s her love for Rene and later for Sir Stephen. The whips and chains symbolize the strength of her devotion. The ending of this erotic book represents her fear of being abandoned for a younger woman.

This Erotic Book Triggered Many Discussions

When I first read this erotic book, I had strong mixed feelings. Yes, I was entranced by it. It was hot and elegant. This was not pornography you read once and throw away. The cultured prose told unabashedly of a love so deep death was preferable to its loss, while teasing us with taboo elements `good’ people did not speak of.

But I hated the ending. O’s masters didn’t deserve her. I wanted to rewrite it so O dumped those jerks and ran off with her girlfriend. And it disturbed me because I know women who go that far to keep a man and they end up betrayed and abandoned too. The Story of O illustrates a terrible truth of womanhood, and it’s easy to forget that the author was telling a story, not advocating abuse or codependency.

I cannot do full justice to the work here, but it is truly literature. For more insights, read Desclos’ own interviews or the many scholarly essays online. The Story of O is something special and this erotic romance novel will always be treasured despite, or maybe because of, the controversy surrounding it. Be warned, this book is not for the faint of heart. It has many graphic scenes that are hard to read. Even with that, I would still highly recommend it!

Download The Story of O here!

Erotic Book Reviews: Scandalous Lovers By Robin Schone

Tuesday, 4 September, 2012

I love writing erotic book reviews, but it’s even better when I get a chance to share a work by one of the most famous authors of historical erotic romance novels. Scandalous Lovers by Robin Schone is one of the most truly amazing books I have read in a long time. I felt deeply moved by the main character Frances and her story. You get such a real sense of the Victorian era and insights into the similarities of how we view women even today. Frances it turns out is 49, which is my age. She has already raised her family and is recently widowed and has gone through menopause. Thinking her sensual life is over she goes to London and finds the most amazing journey ahead.

Frances has spent her whole life in the countryside as a mother and grandmother. Three months after her husband’s death, she ventures to London, buys a new wardrobe, dyes her hair red and sets out to find if there is something more to life. On an outing at the Crystal Palace she looks for a bathroom, demurely called a water closet in those times. What she stumbles upon is the meeting room of The Men’s and Women’s Club, a gathering of people from suffragettes to bankers who discuss the controversial subject of equality between the sexes.

Ready to read Scandalous Lovers? Get your copy here!

Even in this daring group, sex gets discussed in a technical way as biology, history or sociology. One member, a barrister and widower named James Whitcox, yearns to address the relations between men and women on the basis of human need. He instantly sees something in Frances that emboldens him to ask a question he never posed to his own wife. “What does a woman desire? Does a woman desire the touch of a man?”

From there, Frances and James draw closer together. They discover the passions and emotions that social restrictions had placed out of bounds. They explore their desires and fears.

Courtroom Drama Adds An Extra Dimension To Erotic Books

The relationship between Frances and James is enough to carry the novel, but courtroom drama adds extra suspense and meaning to erotic books like this. Frances’ oldest son David tries to have her committed to a lunatic asylum when he discovers her affair and her new-fangled beliefs. James comes to her defense when Frances responds by suing David for her own emancipation. It’s a legal battle that entangles us in Victorian conventions and modern day issues about the economic pressures and social oppression that women still suffer in many parts of the world.

USA Today Bestselling Author Robin Schone is the recipient of the Romantic Times 2008 Career Lifetime Achievement Award for Most Innovative Historical Romances. Her characters are frequently everyday people. As Schone puts it, “Technology may change, but we do not. We all want. We all need. Beauty. Passion. Love.”

Download your copy of Scandalous Lovers now!

Erotic Book Reviews: Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Monday, 3 September, 2012

When I write erotic book reviews, I don’t like to draw similarities between one work and another but there are definitely some echoes of Fifty Shades of Grey in Gabriel’s Inferno. Once again, you’ve got a young virgin who tends to tug on her lower lip and a dominant Alpha male.

But Inferno is totally different in many good ways. It’s a well written story that appeals to thinking women. You’ll find very little explicit sex but lots of eroticism, sensuality and longing.

I was initially intrigued by the main characters in much the same way that I got hooked on Ana and Christian in Fifty Shades. Professor Gabriel Emerson is another dark and troubled Alpha male while Julia Mitchell is victimized, insecure and innocent. Gabriel is a lost, dark, twisted soul looking for redemption but that’s where the parallels with Christian Grey end.

Let me say it again. THIS IS NOT Fifty Shades of Grey!! Instead of graphic sex scenes going on for page after page, there is a detailed story of how two people meet, lose touch, meet again and try to overcome all obstacles to fall in love.

Ready to read Gabriel’s Inferno? Get your copy here!

This IS a dark romance about two people trying to overcome their past tragedies and demons in order to find acceptance and redemption in each other. Gabriel and Julia have a few past connections that ensure that fate will bring them back together. They’re linked by family, friends and, of course, Dante and Beatrice. The professor is a renowned Dante specialist and Julia is a graduate student enrolled in his class. They both suffer in their personal lives during the years they spend apart, and now those are the demons they have to fight in order to be together.

I agree with the readers who suggest that Gabriel’s Inferno serves as an antidote to Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s writing that doesn’t insult your intelligence or make you feel embarrassed about liking it. I especially applaud such an astounding accomplishment for the author’s first venture into fiction. The eroticism is beyond amatory. I could feel my body burn with the rigors of Gabriel’s control. His withholding of sexual gratification was more alluring and provocative then if he indulged heedlessly.

Erotic Romance Novels That Go All Dante On You

Having read Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem the Divine Comedy, including portions of the Purgatorio and Paradiso canticas, I appreciated working the juxtaposition of Middle Age themes into modern erotic romance novels. Still, you don’t have to be a Dante scholar to enjoy the effect. Sylvain Reynard does an astonishing job of illuminating Dante’s journey throughout this story.

Simply put, this book is sensual and romantic. The erotic element is present without being boorish. My only complaint is that the first volume could be a little shorter. But that’s no big deal. I loved reading it and I’m already eagerly awaiting the sequel, Gabriel’s Rapture. If you want dark, rich romantic stories to enjoy, get these books!

Download your copy of Gabriel’s Inferno here.

Erotic Books: Everything Forbidden By Jess Michaels

Sunday, 2 September, 2012

Erotic books are often filled with surprises, and Everything Forbidden by Jess Michaels is packed to the brim with one curveball after another. The heroine, Miranda Albright, is hiding a deep dark secret that may open the door to finding love and solving her family’s money troubles. Sometimes it pays to be a voyeur when you’ve got neighbors as randy as the notorious Earl of Rothschild next door.

The year is 1817. Miranda’s father has been dead for six months. It turns out this third son of a Marquis has left his family with little but fond memories of his loveable personality. His gambling, bad investments and reckless spending have squandered a fortune that was never too generous to begin with. His widow is still buying up evening dresses and rose bushes like there is no tomorrow. She refuses to listen to Miranda’s warnings but expects her oldest daughter to figure out some way to find husbands for her three sisters. That includes the spoiled Beatrice, the good-natured Penelope and little Winifred.

Miranda’s got problems of her own. She’s turned down a succession of marriage proposals because she didn’t know how dire the family finances were and she had her heart set on passion. What does a nineteenth century virgin know about passion? Well, that’s where her secret comes in. She’s been spying on Ethan Hamon, that bad old Earl who lives next door. Ever since she once saw him making love to a woman outdoors she has been sneaking around for years to watch as he entertains his many lovers on the grounds of his estate.

Ready to read Everything Forbidden? Get your copy here!

Desperate and curious, Miranda approaches Ethan with an offer she hopes he won’t refuse. She’ll give herself to him in exchange for financial and social support to give her sisters the social seasons they need to find eligible suitors. Ethan agrees if Miranda will submit to his every demand for three months.

Erotic Romance Novels With a Twist

Ninety days is a long time in erotic romance novels, and soon the student turns things around on the teacher. Miranda shows Ethan a thing or two about forbidden pleasure. Even better, Miranda may help Ethan come to terms with his childhood scars from watching his father’s many affairs with women and his mother’s death from alcoholism.

Jess Michaels also writes historical romance under the name of Jenna Petersen and runs the popular website The Passionate Pen. In addition to erotic romance, she loves alpha males, the color purple, cats and Cadbury Cream Eggs.

Download your copy of Everything Forbidden now!