Into His Dark by Angel Payne

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.

I love Angel Payne and I wish that the same can be said for Into His Dark. The first chapter made me feel as if I walked in on the middle of a conversation, as if I was missing something. The writing style took me some time to get used too.

 I am glad that I pressed on as the second half made up for a rocky start.

Camilla "Cam" has a real adult job that pays the bills but a phone call from an ex-boyfriend/college friend has Cam packing her bags and flying off to the private world of "Arcadia" where Cam's fantasy man is the king.

Evrest is the ruler of his own world but he could not be more trapped. A vow to not "share his seed" until he finds a wife, 12 women have been hand selected to compete for the job of wife. One small problem, years ago while visiting America Evrest caught a glimpse of Cam on a college campus and she has filled his mind and fantasies for years.

Lightning only strikes once, right? Wrong, after years of fantasizing about the alluring American girl there she stands in the ballroom. King Evrest is ruler, expected to marry one of the 12 distinct selected to rule beside him but it is Cam that captivates him mind and heart.

Their attraction to each other can only end in disaster but no matter the consequences they cannot keep away from each other and their desires for one and other.

What happens when lightning strikes the same place twice? Sparks will fly but will everyone survive?

 

I just got dumped brownies and the perfect book

If these brownies do not have you drooling check yourself for a pulse, you might be dead. Seriously,these brownies are so decadent you will wonder where they have been all your life. With a brownie this good the only thing missing is a copy of Secrets of the Heart by Willow Sanders.





recipe by

 

 

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Layer

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Oreo Layer

• 15 Golden Oreos

Brownie Layer

• 10 tablespoons (1 and ¼ stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Chocolate Ganache

• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• caramel sauce, garnish on top

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 baking dish with aluminum foil. Lightly grease with shortening. Set aside
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Layer - In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, light brown sugar, and white granulated sugar.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add in the all-purpose flour ½ cup at a time and mix thoroughly.
4. Add in the salt and baking powder. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Spread the cookie dough layer on the baking dish and spread all over. Make sure the layer is even.
6. Add the Oreos on top of the cookie dough layer.
7. Brownie Layer - Wash and dry the large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and cocoa powder. Mix together.
8. Add in the vanilla extract, flour, and salt.
9. Spread the brownie layer on top of the Oreo layer and make sure it is even.
10. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean it is done.
11. Allow the brownies to completely cool.
12. Prepare the chocolate ganache layer by melted the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time until the chocolate chips are melted. Stir in the heavy cream. Spread on top of the cooled brownie bars. Drizzle caramel sauce on top.
13. Slice and enjoy! 

Secrets of the Heart by Willow Sanders

Now that we have the perfect indulgent treat I would like to introduce you to a wonderful, emotionally indulgent treat-Secrets of the heart by Willow Sanders. This is a continuation of Dirty Little Secret but can be read as a stand alone. I would encourage you to read Dirty little secret first as it will introduce you to many of the characters in Secrets of the heart.

Dirty little secret introduced us to Ivy, she is Hillary's best friend. In Secrets of the heart we get to know Ivy and by the end we find there are so many more amazing layers to who Ivy is and what makes her so special.


Genevieve "Ivy" Hursch seems to have her life all together, great job, sexy boyfriend, a wardrobe to die for. Underneath her valentino and Louboutin's life is not so perfect-Ivy's relationship with her father and new step mother are strained at best and an old secret could make or break what little ties they have. As Ivy tries to come to terms with family skeletons her career and relationship take a hit.

Ivy is a fighter but what can a girl do when hit from all sides? Read Ivy's story to find out. Have the tissues and chocolate  ready because Ivy's story is a wild ride.



Venomous By Penelope Fletcher

Venomous is a tricky one to classify as there are so many genres that it can fit into: Science Fiction, Romance, Erotica, and Menage just to name a few.

Lumen Young is a twenty three year old woman formarly from Earth, that was until she was kidnapped by aliens and sold into intergalactic slavery. Considered weak and useless by the L'Odo, a lizard like alien race they toss Lumen to the slaves as a prize in a fight to the death.

Venomous One was once a fierce warrior of his people the Ra until his ship was attacked by space pirates known as the Dei San. Venomous One has spent many years held captive as a slave forced to fight in gladiator type events when not working in the mines.

The second Lumen is tossed to the slaves Venomous knows that she is meant to be his.

From the start there are challenges to over come, some as simple as a language barrier on through a space pirate attack, other males and a home world closed to strangers.

The Ra are born gender neutral and do not mature into a specific sex until they meet their soul mate, it is their other half that awakens their gender and sexuality. Lumen soon finds her self with more than one Ra awakened and fighting for her favor.

Lumen starts as an average earth woman who is soon shaped by a variety of events that could break anyone's ability to survive. Rather than crumble under the weight of said events Lumen soon blossoms into so much more than just a survivor and become a warrior in her own right.

Ms. Fletcher weaves a wonderfully detailed world with a variety of different species and cultures. Even at 600+ pages you will wish for more and be sad to come to the end. One can only hope that Ms. Fletcher is currently working on a second book.

Wine Wednesday

What can I say I love wine. Really any adult beverage that tastes good is a win with me. If I am going to waste calories filling up on booze it has best be worth it! So in honor of summer I bring you summer time punch, this yummy cocktail is great with a fun and flirty romance novel or something a little hotter as it is sure to cool you down. The fun of this drink is that you can mix up what fruits you use to make it all yours.

 Grab a bottle of your favorite moscato wine, don't worry the cheap stuff works just fine. Now pour that beauty into a punch bowl or a large pitcher and add in one bottle of simply lemonade raspberry and half a liter of sprite. Give it a little mix and then toss in some frozen berries. Super easy and super tasty! If you are not making drinks for a crowd or you are trying to control yourself you can mix this up by the glass. For individual servings just mix half wine half lemonade with half a can of sprite and fruit to taste.
Personally I like to mix up a whole big batch, why waste time mixing it up one glass at a time. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days ( I think it never lasts that long around here).

Happy Drinking! A couple of books that go well with this are Secrets of the heart by Willow Sanders and Karma.

Dirty Little Secret by Willow Sanders

Let me start this by saying how much I loved this book. After a string of let downs I was in desperate need of a good book that pulled me in, Dirty Little Secret did not disappoint. I laughed, cringed and cried all while remembering my own 20 something mistakes and triumphs.

Do you remember what life was like right after college? The thrill of being free of school, officially an adult who is working their first "professional" job, this is it your time to make your mark on the world...your job sucks, you are broke, living on ramen noodles, trying to find love and feeling on top of the world. Yeah, ok so the world topping is not quite there yet.

This is Hillary's life, like any other twenty something she is still in the process of finding herself and along the way some bad choices are made. Hillary ends up in more than one 'sticky' situation that could have easily been avoided, but then again who has not made a few bad choices? Learning more about herself and those around her through these mistakes change how Hillary see's herself and her future.

I don't want to give away any of the fun and surprises that Hillary will face, just give Dirty Little Secret a chance. You will not be sorry you did, Willow Sanders gives you characters to love who are real enough to feel for.

Pour a glass of wine, sit back in your comfy chair and remember what it was like to be in your early twenties, when mistakes are expected and just a part of finding yourself. Enjoy Hillary's choices and maybe remember one or two of your own. 

 

Cheers to life, love, and adventure!

Safeword Arabesque(Safeword #9) By Candace Blevins

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is book 9 in the safeword series but each book can be read as a stand alone.

There are some authors that struggle to give me a story with two well developed main characters the thought of trying to make 4 work while giving each one their own voice had me nervous. Yet Candace Blevins manages to give me a detailed and well rounded relationship between 4 people, 2 Doms, one female submissive and one male slave.

Each character has a clear voice and personality that stands out from the rest. She hits every combo of how the 4 would interact within this relationship, while doing this she does not leave out the difficulties that a relationship like this would face, there are some bumps in the road, mistakes are made and addressed, leaving me feeling like a naughty voyeur peeking in the window.

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond the sexy fun true love and compassion are shown when the four must trust each other and work towards healing.

I don't want to give any spoilers this book is worth your time, grab a glass of wine and get comfortable because you will be up all night. As always Ms. Blevins brings some wonderfully naughty ideas to what can be done between kinky consenting adults while also giving us a story worth reading.

Sold (Keeping her in the dark #1)

The first few pages of this book had me worried I mean a 22 year old virgin?

As the story progresses Norah's reasons for remaining untouched are brought to light, making her v-card status understandable. Don't worry Norah will grow on you or you will want to slap her, possibly both.

Moving on it gets even better-Liam has been a Dom for 8 years, his wants and desires have become increasingly darker(i think as we do not get any details on the matter). Wanting to take things a step further he goes to an auction to find a slave. Hold on to your hats folks, Liam does not realize his friend Will has taken him to a real life slave auction. You know where the girls have been kidnapped. At one point he wonders to himself if the money goes to charity.


So after paying 1.5 million for a slave he starts to ask questions like "Why does her file say can be difficult at times?" and "taken from..." hmm might not be the brightest crayon in the box there Liam.
Fast-forward a bit Liam is now concerned with saving his own ass, he did buy a woman illegally. He decides to keep her while he figures things out.

Around page 42 things start to get good, I love this part "Please, I can't see anything. I hate not knowing where I am. I feel like I'm not in control." He leaned in close to her. "You're not," he breathed in her ear."
Liam decides that while Sarah is with him and he is working out what to do with her that she might as well be treated  like his slave. From there he quickly realizes that he has feelings for her and does not like to hurt her.

Ok here is where the book really frustrates me, Liam is supposed to be this Dom who is all into the "Dark side of BDSM" then this girl comes into his life and "poof" no more need for BDSM other than needing respect from her. He does not want her to kneel, no kinky sex, no flogger, whips or chains. Other than being a controlling asshat Liam shows no interest or need in being a Dom or BDSM in general.


Even with all the stuff that made me crazy and fear for my kindles life(the urge to throw was strong) there was still an underlying something that kept me reading. I just wish I could figure out what that was.
Liam's friend Will also purchased a slave at the auction, Jane. I want to read more about their story as Jane makes the comment "He takes what he wants, when he wants" Now that sounds more like my kind of dark non-con kinda read.

This book could use a good editor there are multiple errors that are slightly distracting from the story. Overall if you can get past spotty editing, a wishy-washy main man and a virginal 'slave' with a temper not a bad read.
I wanted to like this book, I wanted to love this book, but it left me luke warm and desperate to smack some sense into Liam.
Reading this book is like taking a hot shower and having someone repeatedly flush the toilet on you.
Its hot and steamy then *bam* you are slapped in the face with ice cold water...the heat starts to come back, the pressure is returning and the next thing you know there is a trickle of ice water running down your back. Without warning that icy trickle turns to a screaming jet of boiling hot water only to cool mid-stream seconds later.
Having said all that as I finished the final page of the book my curiosity is peaked on what will happen in the second book. I am still unsure if on if I liked this book or not...

Welcome to the Asylum book lovers

Hello and welcome friends,

This is my safe place, my asylum to indulge my love of all things print. There is no shame here in book hoarding, daydreaming about book boyfriends, and blowing off house work to finish just one more chapter.

I am an avid reader who enjoys all genre's, but if I am being completely honest dark erotica and mystery thrillers are my favorite. Please bare with me as I get things up and running over the next week or so. My goal is to get all my book reviews for the year posted. Thank you for stopping by and I hope to see you back again :)

Until next time,
Mrs. McReader