Dark Diva Reviews

Internal Affairs Detective Luke Gamble has been known to take risks in both his personal and professional lives, but none more dangerous than bedding a colleague and subject of an ongoing investigation who carries a gun and handcuffs and is all too willing to use the latter on him.

Detective Tally Cavaleri is into bondage and domination and finds the perfect subject to work out her demons in the willing Luke Gamble. But will the detective be so willing to accommodate Tally’s fetishes when he discovers their past link or exactly how long Tally has had her eye on him?

Review:

Gray Badge of Trust is a short but satisfying read. The pairing of petite Detective Tally Cavaleri with a big guy like Luke Gamble wasn’t the surprising part. The surprising part was that a woman, barely taller than five feet, could command a big, tough guy like Gamble. Miss McKeever manages to pull off the dominant and submissive roles in a flawless and believable manner, while still revealing the underbelly of Tally and Luke’s connected histories. I liked the fact that McKeever wrote the story in the point of view of the male, allowing us to see the battle of wills raging within him. The dynamics were great, the sex was sizzling, and the writing was crisp and refreshing. What’s not to like? My only complaint was that it wasn’t longer, but then that’s what the scroll bar is for: going back to the beginning.

Once for knowledge, twice for surprise, thrice for pleasure.

Review:

If Anthony Stevens could resist head hopping as much as he does, I think I would like his books a great deal more. In the Lyrical Press offering ‘Time For Clocks and Demons’, he has a perfectly understandable reason to head hop in the last story, Three Demon Night, as Mike and Micki the main characters have separate experiences. However, in the second story, The Weekend, he displays the changing point-of view he used so confusingly in New Ickford Manor. In my opinion, he should have gone with the wife’s point of view for all of The Weekend. There is even one point when the wife is referred to as Julie when putting on her makeup, and then just pages later they arrive at Paul and Julie’s home, and the English girl Julie is in a maid’s outfit. I was left wondering if both women were named Julie, which would be fairly confusing.

      The first story, Clockmaker, seems to struggle to stay on track, attaching too much significance to area other than the plot. The Clockmaker also ends up with an overabundance of female characters who, much like New Ickford Manor, do not make strong impacts on the plot.

      The Weekend is a strong story, in my opinion the flagship to this book, but would be much stronger with a consistent point-of-view. This story of a wife being dominated by her husband and learning to love it has the element of basic D/s play.

      Three Demon Night outstripped The Weekend, simply because it had an excuse for multiple points of view, but I felt most of the way through the story that it would have been better shown, than told like it was. More dialog from the demon characters would have been better, after all if it’s a magical dimension, why couldn’t they speak English?

      All in all I give Time for Clocks and Demons three and one half Delightful Divas, but the potential for four and a half or even five was there.

Fantasies begin at the threshold of Le Club d'Esclavage

Review: 

At the Dungeon Master’s Hand is part of the BDSM erotica line at Lyrical Press, Inc. This book has a stunning cover- kudos to the cover artist.  

Natalie Buchanan decides that a night on the town is just what she needs. Her two best friends throw her in a car and take her to Le Club d’Esclavage, a BDSM club. It’s a place she’d never go herself but thoughts of submitting to a certain someone have crossed her mind.

Her so-called friends leave her alone at the bar and a friend from work shows up. She can’t believe her bad luck and as soon as he excuses himself she chooses to leave. A hooded figure stops her quick exit and a night of fantasy ensues. 

Readers who are at all familiar with the dominant/submissive lifestyle will find this book disappointing. The fundamental rules of BDSM include trust, honesty, and usually a safeword- none of which were present in this depiction of a fantasy scene. The heroine was taken, against her will, and told repeatedly that it was what she wanted by the Dungeon Master. One has to wonder if this author knows that a true dungeon master is one who supervises the play of others and keeps everyone safe. He/she does not participate.  

The heroine was violated while she was passed out. Some call that rape. The repetitive curse words throughout the book deterred from the plot. Add these things to the fact that tenses weren’t consistent throughout and the only visual details were within the dialogs and you’ve got yourself a dismal read. This one goes to the un-recommended read pile. 

One Diva.
 

WARNING: this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence, hot naked man-love, alien-man sex, D/s, and human pets.
“Annoyingly obedient” is what David called me. He’d dumped me because he wanted a less submissive bottom. And now my attempt to recover from him has led me to where those same traits may mean my survival. An alien holding cell turned out to be a pound, and my new owner is a seven-foot tower of jet-black muscle with raptor legs and shark teeth.

At last I’m getting the training and discipline I longed for from my Earth lovers at the claws of my alien owner. If only I can make him want me…

Review:
Strange, bizarre and weird are some of the words that come to mind when I think about this book. It reminded me of some Henti I watched in high school. Now that’s not a bad thing. I guess this also says a lot about me huh. Any hoo, If you like alien male dom action this is defiantly your book.

I give this 41/2 Delightful Divas

Is Christy in for a weekend of hot fantasies or just another boring night?

Christy arrives home on a Friday afternoon to different plans for the weekend than she had.  She finds herself held captive in her own home, blindfolded, cuffed, and being forced to endure what her captors have planned. 

As she gets more excited she is trying to figure out who her captives are, will she be in for more than she bargained for or will it be an erotic walk on the wild side?

Review:
Mechele Wade’s Fantasies Unveiled is a wonderful little story, with some excellently described BDSM aspects in a novice-friendly setting. Handcuffs, blindfolds, and surprisingly knife play are all explored in this book. Being more experienced in the lifestyle, this reviewer had only a few minor problems with the story which she felt kept it from reaching its full potential.
First, the author needs to contain the use of personal pronouns to start sentences, as there are places in the book where it gets repetitive, and annoying for this reviewer, but perhaps not the general reader.
Second, something is lost, at least to this reviewer, when the author reveals the identities of Christy’s captors far too early, in Chapter two. In thinking it over, I wondered if this was done purposefully to tame the story for novice-friendly levels. Certainly I would have kept the identities of Christy’s captors a secret until much nearer the end, as revealing them let too much suspense out of the story. Now please understand readers, Christy doesn’t know till the end, but you do. My advice to the author is, don’t tell them what they don’t truly need to know, as you will let the air out of your story.
Third, Christy has a true and wonderfully submissive inner voice (italicized) through the first two chapters, and then it seems to go away, until very late in the book. As a submissive myself, I live for inner sub voices that tell of pulsing feelings inside, so I was sadly disappointed when Christy’s took a vacation.
Taken all in all, Fantasies Unveiled is a good story, especially for those not deeply into BDSM, or D/s play. The target reader would be those of you who are fascinated, but afraid to play. So this reviewer gives Fantasies Unveiled four Delightful Divas.

          

Note: Sapphire Blue our reviewer has even each story a review and rating, she also gave the book a rating of 4 Divas. 

         ON BENDED KNEE by Candice Brown-Porter                4 Divas
    
Evan was not really looking for a sub, but Morgan was looking for a Master. Seeing something in her, Evan decided to train her, and that’s all he intended to do. Morgan wanted to learn and ended up falling in love. Unfortunately, gaining the right to wear Evan’s collar wouldn’t come as easily as Morgan’s feelings for him had flourished. Now she had to prove herself to the man she would call Master.

    This story was an intriguing look into the initiation of a Submissive. The lesson of how to relinquish control in a safe way was clearly executed and very well written. Love scenes were indicative of the lifestyle and portrayed a connection deeper than just the physical. On Bended Knee was a very enjoyable read.

LITTLE BOOK OF FANTASIES by Miranda Heart                3 Divas
        
    Kaitlyn has always fantasized about a man dominating her. Believing that it was safe, she wrote her fantasies down in her diary and left her diary beside her bed. Until her new boyfriend Steven, a secret Dom, discovers the diary and the fact that Kaitlyn is just the type of woman he’s been looking for.

Great premise, although a little confusing in the beginning. Heart has set the perfect stage for Kaitlyn’s initiation into the lifestyle. While I enjoyed the set up, the characters’ emotions just didn’t ring true to me. Steven wasn’t a very assertive Dom, which made him unbelievable. The sex scenes were hot but lacking in true emotion.

A SCANDALOUS ARRANGEMENT by Kayleigh Jamison        4 Divas

    Anna has befallen a fate numerous women in her time period faced. Because of her brother’s debts Anna has been given to a Madame to become the next show piece in a brothel. With the lure of her virginity Anna is purchased her first night on the floor by the Earl of Westmorland, Vere Fane. Unbeknownst to Anna, Vere has a plan for her. Anna is first angry, then astonished by the way in which Vere has chosen to use her. Her reaction is quickly overshadowed by pleasure and a deep desire to please Vere.

    A Scandalous Arrangement is a vivid look into the BDSM lifestyle, and not for the faint of heart. Still, the emotional thread between Vere and Anna is clear, their connection true and enticing.

UNWRAPPING AMY by Emily Ryan-Davis                5 Divas

    Amy wants to be dominated, or so she believes. However, because of his parents’ abusive marriage, her husband, Mac refuses to do anything that might hurt her. When she gets an assignment modeling sex toys, Amy sees this as a chance to show Mac what she really wants in their sex life, as opposed to saying the actual works. Mac is tired of his estrangement from Amy, tired of the fact that there’s no way he can please her. But once he sees her modeling the sex toys he’s terribly aroused and knows that she’s trying to tell him something.

    Unwrapping Amy was my favorite story in this anthology. This was a stunningly romantic story that I didn’t want to end. Mac’s love for Amy was apparent as he studied the BDSM lifestyle in an effort to give her what she wanted. With that in mind, Amy’s continued resistance and indecisiveness did wear on me after a while. And the ending of the story was a bit abrupt so that I wasn’t sure what the couple’s final decision was.

EFFLORESCENCE by Katrina Strauss                    4 Divas

    This travel back in time through Hannah’s eyes was a glorious flow of youth and exploration. The author’s voice is gentle and alluring as Hannah relives the best time of her life. Pavel, the artist had given Hannah much more than a boost in her modeling career but a taste of sexual freedom that Hannah would never find again in her living years. Although there wasn’t really a Dom/Submissive element to this story, the attraction between an artist and his model was genuine and evoked tender emotions that would apparently last the span of time.

    The bittersweet ending is what remains on my mind, along with the romantic symbolism of the blue rose. I especially enjoyed the ending. A job very well done by Ms. Strauss.

TOUCHING DOWN by Joe Wilson                        3 Divas

    Joe is a Dom. Pita is now his Submissive.
    
    This story is written in a recap sort of manner, flashing back to different times in Joe and Pita’s relationship. The author did a great job showing the connection between a Dom and his Submissive from the early stages to the later, committed and dedicated relationship. Even with Pita’s original fears and reservations, Touching Down is a clear depiction of the depth of the relationship between a Dom and Submissive.

The love between the couple is apparent and this would have been a really romantic love story, however, I found the flashbacks a little jarring, interrupting the flow too much for a short story.

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