122. Paradise Awakening by Jaci Burton

listened to Audio via CHIRP
narrated  by Sarah Puckett
Unabridged audio (4?33)
2003 Elora's Cave, 2019 Audible release
180 pgs.
Adult erotica
Finished 12/11/2019
Goodreads rating:  3.64 - 997 ratings
My rating: 1
Setting:  a far-off resort island....

First line/s:  "Michael Donovan finished unpacking and headed straight to the wet bar in the suite's living room."

My comments: A tropical island where people go for all the erotica they ever imagined.  Two stranger meet, two strangers that are instantly attracted and willing to try anything and everything.  A college literature professor and a California erotic mystery writer, lol.  Nonstop hot and steamy.  Steam is definitely four out of four.  unratable otherwise.  The reader has that slow, horrible valley girl lilst at the end of each word.  Blech!  I listened at a rate of 1.2 , and it didn't bother me quite so much...a ridiculous read.

Goodreads synopsis:  Serena Graham is looking forward to the vacation of a lifetime-a week at Paradise Resort, a Caribbean hideaway where she'll be able to indulge her every sexual fantasy with complete abandon and total anonymity. For the next week, she's Sexy Siren Serena and she'll do whatever she wants-with whomever she wants.
          Michael Donovan planned a week at Paradise Resort to research his next erotic crime novel, as well as indulge in some hot sex with his fashion model girlfriend. But when he finds his now ex-girlfriend has other plans, he's resigned to research without recreation. That is, until Serena shows up at his door claiming he's occupying her room.
          After a little negotiating, Michael and Serena become roommates, and Serena boldly asks Michael to be her lover for the week. How can he pass up the opportunity to mix a little pleasure with business? But despite their vow to keep their relationship strictly physical, they find much more than passion in paradise.

Ice Planet Barbarians and Icehome Series by Ruby Dixon

#1 in a huge series called "A Sci Fi Alien Romance" :)
94th read in 2019
Listened to Audio via Chirp
read by Hollie Jackson & Mason Lloyd
Unabridged audio (5:51)
2015 self published?
188 pgs.
Adult Erotica SciFi
Finished 10/3/2019
Goodreads rating:  3.90 - 11,575 ratings
My rating: 4  Steam 4/4
Setting:  An ice planet far, far away....

First line/s: "Up until yesterday, I, Georgie Carruthers, never believed in aliens."

My comments:  How can you NOT read a book with a title like this?  And OMG, I'm totally embarrassed to say how much I loved it.  Science fiction, outer space, aliens, and a whole lot of really steamy x-rated "romance."  I couldn't put it down.  Incredibly superficial, but who cares?  I'm rating it a 4 because it's so embarrassing to rate a book like this a 5!
Goodreads synopsis:  
You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women - including me - on an ice planet.
          And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me...

#2:  Barbarian Alien
:Liz and Raahosh
111th read in 2019
Unabridged audio (6:27) by the same readers as before
211 pgs.
Published in 2015
Goodreads:  3.96 - 7831 ratings

My comments:  I can't really say that I like the protagonist, Liz - she has a really raunchy sense of humor and it's a type of raunchy that I don't really like.  Very steamy for most of the book, and I do enjoy this very weird series.  This is the first one I've read in the Amazon Romance $6.95 a month deal - which I can't believe I'm trying out!  Me, romance!  This is a 3-4-5...3 for characters and 5 for steaminess, lol!
Goodreads Synopsis:
          Twelve humans are left stranded on a wintry alien planet. I’m one of them. Yay, me.
          In order to survive, we have to take on a symbiont that wants to rewire our bodies to live in this brutal place. I like to call it a cootie. And my cootie’s a jerk, because it also thinks I’m the mate to the biggest, surliest alien of the group.
          BARBARIAN ALIEN is a sequel to ICE PLANET BARBARIANS. You do not have to read both in order to understand the plot, but the story will be richer if you do!

#3 Barbarian Lover
Kira and Aehako
116th read in 2019
Unabridged audio (5:47 with the same two original narrators)
191 pgs.
2015
Goodread ratings:  4.02 - 6469 ratings

My comments:  My favorite in the series so far, I like both Kira and Aehako a whole lot, and their adventure together is pretty cool.  Same amount of smut as the first two I've read, but enough interesting substance as well.  I'm really surprised at how much the author is keeping these characters interesting, and that I'm still enjoying them, this setting, this world, and all the descriptive language surround aroused body parts~
Goodreads synopsis:  As one of the few humans stranded on the ice planet, I should be happy that I have a new home. Human women are treasured here, and one alien in particular has made it clear that he wants me. It's hard to push away the sexy, flirtatious Aehako, when all I want to do is grab him by his horns and insist he take me to his furs.
          But I've got a terrible secret - the aliens who abducted me are back, and thanks to the translator in my ear, they can find me. My presence here endangers everyone... but can I give up my new life and the man I want more than anything?

#4 Barbarian Mine
Harlow & Rukh
#117th read in 2019
Unabridged audio (5:36)
182 pgs.
2015
Goodreads:  4.10 - 6223 ratings

My comments:  Harlow and Rukh live by themselves many miles away from the rest of the tribe, by the sea.  Rukh has never lived with the rest of the tribe and thinks of them as "the bad people."  This is the book where the babies start being born, and it is Harlow's baby that is born first, tiny and sickly.  she is  constantly concerned that Rukh will want to return to their solitary lifestyle.  Good story, the series is so incredibly addicting.  And I'm not even sure why!
Goodreads Synopsis:  The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there's no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe.
          What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens... I resonate to him.
          Resonance means mating, and children... but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, right down to clubbing me over the head and claiming me as his own.
          So why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more?

#5 Barbarian's Prize
Tiffany & Salukh
#126 in 2019
Unabridged audio (6:05)
238 pgs.
2016
GR:  4.02 - 4998 ratings
Finished 12/14/2019
My Comments:  Not as good as the rest, perhaps I'm getting tired of them?  Or is it that I'm not crazy about the female protagonist?  The book does end with the final female finally resonating - that should be the next one, and I bet it will be a good one, because they hate each other at the onset....
Goodreads Synopsis: It’s hard being the most popular girl on the ice planet. The alien men are falling all over themselves to impress me in the hopes that I’ll take them to my furs. But they don’t know my secrets – none of them do. And they don’t realize that behind my smile, I just wish they’d go away.
          I don’t want any of them. I want someone else – someone with a gorgeous blue body, big horns, and the most intense gaze ever. He’s the only one that knows the truth. Maybe with him, I can work through my fears of the past…. but I’m pretty sure he wants more than just friendship.
          He wants forever, and I’m not sure I can give it

#6 Barbarian's Mate
Josie & Haeden
#87 in 2020
Unabridged audio
207 pgs.
2016
GR:  4.06 - 5848 ratings
Finished 5/31/2020
My Comments:  It was nice to return to the land of the ice planet.  Josie, the female protagonist in this one, was so irritating for the first half of the book...  As soon as she finally resonated, she couldn't wait to find her mate, then went hunting high and low to each and every male resident no matter their age or appearance.  However, the one she resonated with she absolutely hated.  Not sure why.  And with all the words and rehashing it was still difficult to understand why.  So frustrating.  Oh well.  Ruby Dixon seems to be an incredibly prolific writer.
Goodreads Synopsis: 'Resonance' is supposed to be a dream - that's when your soulmate is chosen for you. And everyone on the ice planet has hooked up with a big, hunky soulmate of their own... except me. So do I want a mate? Heck yeah. More than anything, all I've ever wanted is to be loved by someone.
          Except that the soulmate chosen for me? My least favorite person on the darn ice planet. Haeden's the most cranky, disapproving, unpleasant, overbearing male alien... so why is it that my body sings when he gets close? Why is he working so hard to prove to me that he's not as awful as I think he is?
          I hate him... don't I?

READING ORDER:  

Note:  There seem to be different orders.  I'm changing this to align with Goodreads.  Those read are in italics.

1. Ice Planet Barbarians (Georgie/Vektal)
2. Barbarian Alien (Liz/Raahosh)
3. Barbarian Lover (Kira/Aehako)
4. Barbarian Mine (Harlow/Rukh)
5. Barbarian's Prize (Tiffany/Salukh)
6. Barbarian's Mate (Josie/Haeden)
7. Barbarian's Touch (Lila/Rokan)
8. Barbarian's Taming (Maddie/Hassen)
9. Barbarian's Heart (Stacy/Pashov)
10. Barbarian's Hope (Asha/Hemalo)
11. Barbarian's Choice (Farli/Mardok)
12. Barbarian's Redemption (Elly/Bek)
13. Barbarian's Lady (Kate/Harrec)
14. Barbarian's Rescue (Summer/Warrek)
15. Barbarian's Tease (Brooke/Taushen)
16. Barbarian's Beloved (Ariana/Zolaya)
17. Barbarian's Seduction (Marlene/Zennek)
18. Barbarian's Treasure

Icehome Series by Ruby Dixon

1.  Lauren's Barbarian, 2017

2.  Veronica's Dragon, 2018

3.  Willa's Beast

4.  Gail's Family

5.  Angie's Gladiator

6.  Hannah's Hero

7.  Devi's Distraction

8.  Nadine's Champion

9.  Callie's Catastrophe

10.  Penny's Protector

Twas the Night Before No-Poison Day   

11.  Mari's Mistake

12.  Raven's Return

13.  Bridget's Bane

71. Reasonable Doubt by Whitney G.

Volumes 1 - 3.25
Listened on Audible (purchased)
read by Sebastian York and Erin Mallon
Unabridged audio (8:46)
2014 for book, 2015 for audible
313 pgs.
Very Adult Romance
Finished 8/3/2019
Goodreads rating:  4.22 - 7013 ratings (Vol. 1, 2, 3 each have over 26,000 ratings well over 3.10 - amazing!
Steaminess rating:  4/4
Setting:  contemporary Durham, NC and NYC

From the first page:  "My rules are simple.  One dinner.  One night.  No repeats.  This is casual sex, nothing more, nothing less.  At least it was until Alyssa....  She was supposed to be a 27-year old lawyer, , a book hoarder, and completely unattractive.  She was supposed to be someone I shared law advice with late at night, someone I could trust with details of my weekly escapades."

My comments:  Triple X rated for the most part, though there is some actual story mixed in mostly near the end.  These kinds of stories are incredibly unratable for me and I do wonder why I read/listen to them.  You have to be in just the right mood, I guess  I couldn't get past the fact that he was 32 and she was 22, because he acted older and she acted younger, so it seemed like the age difference was even more than 10 years, which was really quite disconcerting...

Goodreads synopsis:  The complete New York Times Bestselling serial, now available in one book! 
          My cock has an appetite. 
          A huge and very particular appetite: Blonde, curvy, and preferably not a fucking liar...(Although, that's a story for another day.) As a high profile lawyer, I don't have time to waste on relationships, so I fulfill my needs by anonymously chatting and sleeping with women I meet online. 
          My rules are simple: One dinner. One night. No repeats. 
          This is only casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing less. 
          At least it was, until "Alyssa"...She was supposed to be a 27 year old lawyer, a book hoarder, and completely unattractive. She was supposed to be someone I shared law advice with late at night, someone I could trust with details of my weekly escapades. 
          But then she came into my firm for an interview--a college-intern interview, and everything fucking changed...

Book - Pleasure Extraordinaire 1 - 4 by Liv Bennett

read on my Kindle
2014 Amazon Digital Services; Red Pearl Publishing
#1 - 198 pgs.
#2 - 170 pgs.
XXX Erotica/CRF
Goodreads ratings:
     Bk 1 - 3.51, 2813 ratings
     Bk 2 - 4.06, 613 ratings
My rating: There's no way I can rate these.  No way.
Setting: Contemporary LA

My comments:  I'm not going to post these on Goodreads, since, I must admit, it's a little embarrassing to be reading them, or at least, I don't want to admit it to my friends (and my friends don't read this blog).  These have more story than most "erotica" has, but still...

1 - Introducing the protagonist and finding out a bit about what makes her tick...with a little about Michael, the father, and his two sons.
2 - More about the growing relationship between Ace and

Goodreads synopses:
Book 1: Michael Hawkins is mature, rich, and drop-dead sexy. He is also gay. And, for some strange reason, he wants me to be his pretend girlfriend in exchange for a big sum of money.
     He has one condition, though: I cannot get close to a man, or be seen with one during the one year I'm contracted with him. I thought it'd be a piece of cake, until I meet his two grown-up, gloriously handsome sons, who won't take no for an answer, including from me.
     I'll not fall for their cheap tricks even if it means I have to close my eyes each time I see them. And each time I close my eyes, I imagine their naked bodies doing sinful acts on mine. God help me before my physical urges get the best of me, and the contract blows up in my face.

Book 2:  I’m pursued by two brothers. Two beautiful, powerful men with dreadful secrets and gloomy pasts. 

     One sets me free, the other tries to trap me. One is the light in the darkness; the other is the darkness itself. Yet they have one common wish in their hearts. Seeing Michael destroyed. But, I might be the one getting burned in the end.

15. Wicked Ties - Shayla Black

1st in a series (Wicked Lovers #1) - a series I won't be continuing
read on my iPhone...
2007 Berkeley Heat
341 pgs.
Adult
Finished 2/28/16
Goodreads rating: 3.99 (That's an awful lot of people who like this stuff!)
My rating: I'll give it a 2....
Setting: contemporary Louisiana

First line/s:  "Have you ever wanted to put yourself in the hands of a man whose sole purpose is to give you plesaure?  The words flashed across Morgan O'Malley's laptop screen.  She sucked in a sharp, shocked breath.  She'd met this man in an online chat room less than three minutes ago.  How could he know that?"

My comments:  I knew this would be crap, but I read it anyways.  Didn't take long.  Probably this is what's considered erotica?  I suppose it has it's place, but such lousy characterization!

Goodreads synopsis:  Morgan O’Malley has seen a lot of kinky things as the hostess of a cable sex talk show. But she’s never met a man like Jack Cole before. A self-proclaimed dominant, he’s as alpha as a male can get–and good for Morgan to have around when an obsessed stalker ratchets up his attempts to get to her.
          Though Jack is a bodyguard, Morgan feels anything but safe in his presence. Because slowly and seductively, Jack is bringing her deepest fantasies to the surface. And when he bends her to his will, what’s more shocking than her surrender is how much she enjoys it–and starts to crave his masterful touch. A willing player in Jack’s games, Morgan knows that his motives aren’t pure, but she has no idea how personal they are… 

8. Fifty Shades Darker - E. L. James

#2 Fifty Shades

2011 First Vintage Books

532 pgs.

X-Rated Adult 

Finished 1/18/15

Goodreads rating: 3.93

My rating:   2

2nd hand book through Amazon

Contemporary Seattle

1st sentence/s:  "I have survived Day Three Post-Christian, and my first day at work."

My comments:  Well, I discovered what Christian's major hangups were.  There was a bit of a plot in this second in the series, and ended with the possibility of more plot to come.  A good half of the book was Ana and Christians repeated sexual escapades, which were...pretty much....very, very similar to each other.  They say the same things to each other over and over and over.  Okay, so now I've read two of them.  I'm fully prepared for the movie next month.  (Oh, yes - this book was misnamed.  It should have been Fifty Shades Lighter.....)

Goodreads book summary:  Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. 
           But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
           While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
          This book is intended for mature audiences.

2. - Fifty Shades of Grey - E. L. James

Fifty Shades #1

2011, Vintage Books

510 pgs.

X-rated Adult Erotica

Finished 1/6/2015

Goodreads rating: 3.70

My rating:   (3) Liked it  

Setting:  contemporary Washington State (including Seattle)

1st sentence/s:  "I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror.  Damn my hair -- it just won't behave, and damn Katherine Kavanaugh for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal."

My comments:  There have been many negative reviews by people that consider this book horrible because of all the erotica and sexual content.  Well....the genre is erotica, so if you don't like erotica and read it anyway, of course you're not going to like it.  Me?  I liked it.  The characters were interesting, thought-provoking (I might even read the second in the series to see if more is revealed about Christian's hangups) and ..... fun.  Neither were entirely believable, but that's okay in this story, for me.  Ana's innocence and inexperience, at 21--- not believable.  Oh well.  The humor that appears in the many emails that go back and forth between them is clesver.  My biggest complaint?  Ms. James used the word "clamber" dozens and dozens of times. THAT'S what drove ME crazy! (The movie is coming out next month, the trailer enticed me to read the book before seeing the movie - and yes, I'm going to see it!)

Goodreads book summary:  When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
           Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
          Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
          This book is intended for mature audiences.