Synopsis

CLUB DISHABILLE 

Dishabille – The state of being only partly or scantily clothed. It’s the perfect name for Miranda Marchand’s nightclub. For her brother, Alexander Marchand, it is the perfect place to find women who can fulfill his every desire. While his kinks aren’t uncommon, his affections run too fast and too deep for the cautious and aloof. He has given up on finding the one who can embrace his impulsiveness. 
For Dahlia Warwick, Club Dishabille is the gateway to a sensuous new world. A world she craves. Dahlia meets with Miranda with a seemingly simple task: To help her find a man who would be patient enough to guide her through her submissive fantasies, but not dismiss her fears. Miranda knows that Dahlia is not one for play that doesn’t involve her heart, and she knows only one man who could guide and teach her, to worship and to love her.
It’s a rapid awakening for both Alex and Dahlia, quickly laying trust and intimacy on the table.

Club Dishabille spanks the genre of romance and gives the readers the hearts and flowers they love and only the palest of pink bottoms. It is an erotic tale for those who aren’t looking for Cinderella or Prince Charming. It is a feast for those who want it a little bit…rougher.

“I wonder if I should take you apart slowly, bit by bit…”

MORPHOSES 

Morphoses is a story of transitions. Miranda Marchand, manager and proprietor to Club Dishabille, has a bit of a secret. She’s not ashamed, but she’d rather not have to explain herself to men she might bring to her bed. A chance meeting in a secluded hallway with one Nicholas Jones, ex-husband of Dahlia Warwick, exposes her turgid secret. It transformed her opinion about future possibilities. She wants Nick. She wants to see how far she can push him. She wants him on his knees… 
Nick can’t get enough of her. While he indulges Miranda, he has his own transformation that takes him kicking and screaming into a functioning sexual relationship, and he learns to let go of deeply held guilt from his previous marriage.
Morphoses is an epicurean adventure for those who are ready for a bit more than just a spanking and some erotically hot kink.
“Is this what you want?”
“Yes.” 
“How hard?” 
“Until it hurts.” 

FORCE MAJEURE 

Force Majeure takes us on a lustful journey of near obsession, past the normal niceties of sex and romance. We are treated with a tiny intense glimpse into the mind of Jefferson Rainier. A mind both intricate and simple. He knows the rules, but doesn’t always seek to understand them. He’s a sexual savant, but his day job working in a tech field never earns him a second glance. With a little help from Alex and Dahlia, he’s noticed for the first time by the woman who occupies his mind relentlessly. 
Evan Monroe is looking for more in her life, but is unconvinced there is such a thing. She is bored, and unnecessarily jaded. But, she’ll try anything once; twice if you begged. She is charmed by Jeff’s smile, and entranced by his quirks that most everyone else in his life has refused to accept. Jeff is a force and she is more than happy to be consumed.
Force Majeure tries to define love, but by the end you will learn that it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Review

CLUB DISHABILLE

The first in the Tame Trio is a beautiful tale about a woman seeking out what she has yearned for, for years. She wants to be desired. She wants to love another, truly, love them and be attracted to them sexually. Dahlia decides to just take the plunge so to speak, and talk with the owner of the local sex club, Miranda. She has many questions about how to go about finding a mate, or someone that will fulfill her desires. Miranda instantly likes her, which is a strange reaction for Miranda, and she immediately thinks about her brother Alex. Dahlia is not like most of the women that frequent Club Dishabille, wanting a steamy, one night of lust-filled abandon. She wants a worthy companion. And Alex may just be the right guy.

Alex is a computer nerd, so to speak. He is very intelligent and picky with his conquests. He rarely wanders down to the Club level for entertainment any more. It’s almost as though he has given up. Miranda is bold enough to give Alex’s number to Dahlia, explaining that if he instigates contact, most likely it’ll be through text. And thus begins the love affair that is Alex and Dahlia. They both enjoy similar sexual kinks but the main reason for Dahlia falling head over heels for Alex, is his mind, and vocabulary. She is completely turned on by his words.

I loved how both simple and complicated Alex and Dahlia were. There was nothing abnormal about their desires, and yet they were a little taboo. There are many, highly sexual scenes that will leave you panting, but the communication and relationship building is what got me excited.

MORPHOSES

The second story in the Tame Trio is a little more…complicated. Miranda owns a sex club, but she doesn’t have a partner, or a lot of sex for that matter. Her new friend, her brother’s girlfriend, Dahlia, wants to set her up with her ex-husband, Nick. That’s the first complication. I mean, it’s strange that Dahlia still has such a close relationship with Nick. Their lives are intertwined, what with having a daughter, but it gives Miranda pause. What’s wrong with Nick? Why would he ever let Dahlia go? Miranda tries to get the truth out of Dahlia, but she keenly evades the question. Miranda needs to hear about Nick’s problems from him.

Miranda agrees to see him and their coupling is quite explosive. Nick didn’t even know he had that kind of response to a woman in him. Miranda brings out a side of him that he is equally scared of and intrigued by. He isn’t going to be the slug lounging in font of the TV anymore.

I loved how both Nick and Miranda got so protective and defensive of each other. Miranda is in to some very kinky things in the bedroom. Things that she hasn’t found someone comfortable enough to try them out with her. Until Nick. A lot of patience is needed in this story, for Nick mainly. To put if plainly, he’s not a typical male, but who’s to say what typical is. The beauty about these stories, about these very unique individuals, is just that; they are exploring the intricacies of womanhood, manhood and sexuality.

FORCE MAJEURE

The third tale in the Tame Trio was so stiflingly…sweet! I was bursting. The story of Jeff and Evan makes me think about, if I may be so bold to compare, as Amy and Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. Jeff has many idiosyncrasies and he is a genius. He works in the IT department of the same bank as Alex and he also frequents Club Dishabille. He used the Club before to basically ensure that there wasn’t any touching between him and his partner. He can’t handle the intense stimuli that comes with having sex. But being a ‘Dom’ is not really who he is. He is the type of person that sees in absolutes. In black and white. He is 100% honest about everything, He can’t comprehend why people would lie.

He is infatuated with a girl from work, Evan. He is extremely observant, and pays attention when she visits Club Dishabille. She always seems to try different kinks, with different men, but she doesn’t settle. She’s clearly looking for something. Jeff would never even begin to believe that he could have all his fantasies fulfilled with taking Evan. But that’s exactly it. He does and she becomes completely enamored. Yes, he is ‘weird’, but that’s what she wants. She wants to be the object of someone’s affection. She’s not really a sub, much like Jeff is not really a Dom, but they both find that little bit that satisfies within each other.

The sex between these two is off the charts hot. They are very imaginative and the intensity with which Jeff feels, takes your breath away. He wants to do right by Evan. To be her fantasy come true. He is scared to death of messing up. The genuineness displayed between these two is humbling. They are my favorite couple out of the three.

Tame is a beautiful compilation of some amazing couples. They all have their kinks, their idiosyncrasies. They are all getting to a point in their lives where they know who they are, and what they do and don’t want out of life. They are all both bold and scared. They are certainly relatable. Arden does such an amazing job of creating characters that are so multi-faceted that you are left yearning to have a conversation with them. The dialogue is brilliant, as is the texting and the book references. Everything comes together full circle for these amazing couples; these amazing friends.

5 SMOOCHES

~Nicole

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Don’t let my petite and innocent appearance fool you, because I’m one person you don’t want to cross. I’m Micah, the youngest member of Resurrection…If only they knew how young.

My fake ID says I’m twenty-one. And I will be…in four years.

What can I say? I blossomed early. Home sucked, so I left, determined to do something with my life.
Landing the gig as lead vocalist in the band was a dream come true. I’ve worked hard to make something of myself and nothing is going to ruin that for me.

Then He showed up. Saxon Waite, ex bad boy of rock.

He’s hot as hell and so into me.

But he’s also twenty-five.

I don’t want to lie to him, but if the truth comes out I’ll lose everything. Including him.

Review

Mikayla has had a troubled life, so much so that at the age of 14 she decided to change her identity and run away from it all. New life, new name and new age. Micah was born, a 21 year old with a seemingly boring life.
Then Micah auditions for one of the hottest indie bangs on the scene and everything starts changing. Not only does everyone think she is 21, when she’s really 17 but she’s falling for the band manager, Saxon, a 25 year old.
Will Micah’s secrets come out? What will happen if they do? And who will be affected by the fake life she created for herself?

“I was Micah Lawson, eighteen years old, and about to start my life. Mikayla Hale was gone forever and so were all the bad memories.”

Saxon was not your typical bad boy rocker that you read about. Yes he is broody and has a troubled past but he was also so kind, reserved, sweet and funny. Sax has never forgiven himself for the mistakes he’s made, not really allowing himself to be truly happy; this made me really feel for him and I desperately wanted him to be happy.

“I’ve missed you so much. I can’t fucking breathe without you. You’ve broken me Micah.”

Micah was a character I could really get in to. She had a heartbreaking life to start with and I admired her strength and courage to move on and to try and make something of herself. You would forget her real age sometimes because she was so mature but you could also see her vulnerability and naivety; it was a nice mix of personality.

“Sing because you love what your music does to people. Do this because you can’t imagine doing anything else.”

The plot was great. Such a different story line, something I’ve never read before really and I was hooked from the beginning. The whole way through I was so scared for Micah about everyone finding out her secret. I kept waiting for the big explosion to come from the lies she told to create her fake self. It was funny, sad, engaging, sweet, sexy…everything I could want.

“Watch out, world. Saxon Waite is back.”

The ending has definitely left me hoping for a next book and hopeful that it will follow the same characters and we can get a look into their future. A great book with a very different and interesting plot line.

Bethany

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3.5 Smooches

Synopsis

It has been five years since Ava Kingston left her parent’s home in New Jersey. She ran and never looked back; all because of one night. One night that could’ve changed her life forever. Now living in Chicago, working as a journalist, Ava thinks her life is finally where it should be. She is working towards a promotion, has a great family and a few amazing friends. What more could a girl want? Just when Ava comes to a calming sense of closure in her life, her past reappears in the form of the “Hunks in Uniform” calendar. Will Ava’s feelings for this fearless firefighter resurface, against her better judgment, or will Ava try to forget the one person she ever really loved?
Gavin Sawyer is a Chicago firefighter who is stopping many women’s hearts as a model for the “Hunks in Uniform” calendar. Gavin only tried out for the calendar because of her. The one person who knew he was worthy of such prestige. He knew how much she wanted him to do it, but then she was gone. Without a warning, Ava left Gavin behind with a broken heart and bruised ego. He loved her, but she ran. One fatal accident has separated them forever. Now, five years later, Gavin will stop at nothing to win her back. A chance encounter with Ava sets his heart on fire and proves that old feelings really do die hard.

Review

Hearts of Fire is a short story about Ava and Gavin. The young couple were together for a short while some time ago, but an accident mixed with a rightly nervous and scared Ava, leads them to being separated and Gavin having no real clue as to why.
Years later the two meet again; the question is will they work at it together this time? Or will life and drama once again get in the way of this meant-to-be couple?

“However far away, I will always love you.
Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am free again.”

I have to admit this story frustrated me no end. It had so much potential I think but repetitive use of Ava’s name and a disjointed flow didn’t have it living up to its potential.

The things I liked;
The characters; they were likeable and easy to connect to. There could have been more character development but with it being a shorter story I understand this would be hard.

“When you left me 5 years ago, you took a piece of my with you.”

The plot; it was all there- romance, steam and drama! This was a great mix and the romance especially was good however the drama was just over too quickly for me. I don’t want to mention any particular points as I don’t want to give any spoilers but story lines that should have been shocking, and could have given the reader a lot more entertainment, were over within a a sentence or two.

“You set my heart on fire, five years ago and that flame never went out.”

I really do believe this author has potential and for a debut as well this is a really good start. I honestly believe if the author had given herself more pages to write, this story would have reached it’s potential. I think the plot needed it to be a longer book to really get into the drama and develop the characters a little more. I’ll look out for more from this author as I believe with each new book, she will just get better and better.

Bethany

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