Product Reviews

OK, here goes again. Sarah McCartys latest “Promises Reveal” was a bit of a disappointment for me. I’m an ardent fan of the promises series and I couldn’t wait to read her latest, so I was quiet disappointed by this story. If you are like me and you like your erotic romance to have an emphasis on the erotic, you too will be disappointed.

This story like the others is set in the old west at a time when men were strong and silent and women were expected to be seen and not heard. Evie Washington is a woman who feels that she should be able to make her own decisions and live her own life without some man telling her what to do. She is also a talented artist and this is what lands her in trouble. Evie decides to shake up the town and paints a nude portrait of a faceless man. The town immediately draws the conclusion that the portrait is that of the town’s reverend Brad Swanson. With her reputation in ruin Evie and Brad are forced to wed.

Brad Swanson finds himself being forced to the alter to marry Evie although he had always sworn that he would never marry. Even though he has denied that the portrait is of him the town folks do not believe him. Brad finds himself in a position where even though he does not want to get married, he is looking forward to showing Evie that her preconceptions about him are all wrong.

Brad and Evie get married and the marriage starts off on very shaky grounds. This is further complicated when Brad’s past comes calling. Brad now has to protect Evie and his beloved town even though it will mean the revelation of his less than sterling past.

Here are my problems with the book;

• I thought the premise of the story - the shot gun wedding- a little weak. I thought if Brad and Evie really wanted to get out of marrying each other the could have done so.
• The love scenes were a little censored compared to the other “promises”. I suspect that the reason for this is due to the publisher, Berkley in this case, as opposed to the other books which were published by Ellora’s Cave.
• I was not as drawn to the main characters Brad and Evie as I had been in the previous stories and I felt that Ms. McCarty could have spent a little more time developing them
• I found Evie to be a little childish as she flies off the handle at every turn instead of trying to get an explanation.
• Brad on the other hand became quiet annoying with his constant harping on the fact that events of his past made him unworthy.

If you are a fan of Ms. McCarty and the “Promises” series you may still want to read this one. But be warned it’s not one of her best.

If you want to read more reviews before making up your mind, click on the link;

I will say right off, that the weakness of this book is the fact that the villain was rather one dimensional as I do not feel that Ms. Holly spent too much time thinking about him. Having said that, I will say, you don’t read a Stephen King if sleep is your objective so don’t read an Emma Holly if you are looking for a gripping “who done it”. That’s my disclaimer, now on to the review.

Although this book can be classified as “erotic romance” and it was hot, the love scenes were not as explicit (in description and language) as some of her other books. This should appeal to readers who don’t like hard core mixed in with their romance.

The story opens on the world at a time in the future, when humans and Yama (an alien life form), have formed an alliance which calls for “peaceful” co-existence.

The hero, Adrian Philips is an Inspector of police who is reviled and ostracized by his colleagues and superiors alike because he made the decision to participate in an experiment to be implanted surgically by the aliens. When activated, the implant causes the human body to perform beyond it’s normal capabilities. This allows Adrian to be exceptional at his job but the price he pays is high.

Roxanne McAllister is an outcast like Adrian. Her crime, by society’s standards, is being the illegitimate daughter of a famous, now deceased, singer. Roxanne is a woman who lives life on her own terms and she does not care what society thinks of her.

Adrian and Roxanne come together when Roxanne finds him passed out in her garden in the rain after a beating he took from some thugs. Roxanne nurses him back to health and in the process, they engage in an ill fated love affair.

Adrian knows that despite how he feels about Roxanne, he cannot promise her permanence as this would forever ruin his chances of advancement in the force. Roxanne for her part, knows that her reputation will keep them apart and she will not ask him to choose between her and his future.

What ensues is a very tender love story, as these two people come to realize that they need each other more that they need the approval of society.

There is the requisite bad guy and heroine in danger but this novel is really about the love story between Adrian and Roxanne.

This is the latest installment in Lora Leigh’s Breed series. If you are a fan of this series like myself, you will realize that it was worth the wait. If it’s your first experience with this series, then you will not be familiar with the other characters and their stories. However, as their stories do not greatly affect Mercury and Rias story, this book can be read as a stand alone.

This is the story of Mercury and Ria. Mercury is one of the strongest enforcer for the Breeds. He is a mixture of human and lion. Unlike most other Breeds his animal has been forced into hiding inside him as a result of drugs that were forcefully administered to him in the labs after he went berserk and killed some handlers and scientists on learning that the woman who was potentially his mate was dead. Since then he has kept a tight reign on himself inadvertently causing the animal to retreat even further. Mercury is a breed lost, without any form of anchor and without hope of ever finding his place as he believes that his intended mate died years ago. As breeds mate only once there is no hope for him.

Ria is a clerk who works for the Vanderale Industries. She has been sent to Sanctuary to verify (or so she says) their book keeping and to ensure that Vanderales’ money is being well spent. Despite her brilliance and obvious competence at her job, Ria is a woman who has spent her entire life hiding from the world and herself. Despite the strange attraction that she felt toward Mercury even before meeting him, she believes that she will be able to go to Sanctuary, do her job and leave untouched.

When Ria and Mercury meet they are both aware that something extraordinary is about to take place. As events unfold, in vintage Lora Leigh style, both these very strong people will have to learn that they need each other in order to be complete.

I personally liked this story, as Mercury, although a typical alpha male, was also portrayed as very vulnerable due to the weakening of the animal side of his nature and his grief over the loss of his chance at love due to the death of his mate. Ria on the other hand has had her own issues of belonging as she grew up an orphan who depended on the largess of the first Leo and his family.

This book is not for the squeamish as the contents are highly sexual and graphic. I thought this was a great love story between two people who found a place to belong in each other