Review: Her Mad Hatter by Marie Hall

Title: Her Mad Hatter
Series: Kingdom, Book 1
Author: Marie Hall
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 137 Pages Approx.
Publication Date: December 2, 2013
Available Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Alice is all grown up. Running the Mad Hatter's Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe is a delicious job, until fate--and a fairy godmother with a weakness for bad boys--throws her a curveball. Now, Alice is the newest resident of Wonderland, where the Mad Hatter fuels her fantasies and thrills her body with his dark touch.

The Mad Hatter may have a voice and a body made for sex, but he takes no lovers. Ever. But a determined fairy godmother has forced Alice into Wonderland--and his arms. Now, as desire and madness converge, the Hatter must decide if he will fight the fairy godmother's mating--or fight for Alice.

Two nights ago I was lying on my bed, at the wee hours of the morning, browsing through Amazon on my cellphone, because sleeping seemed impossible at the time. That's how I stumbled into Her Mad Hatter, I was looking for a quick read and both the title and the description drew me in. Little did I know that I would end up enjoying the story so much.

Danika, a fairy godmother for the "bad boys" must find Hatter's true love before a year passes or the madness will fully consume and destroy him. Finally she finds the right Alice, a 24-year-old, cupcake shop owner and lover of all things Wonderland (and Hatter). Unfortunately, there has been quite a parade of "Alices" before including our leading lady's own great-grandmother. So much so that Hatter is not interested in going through with the whole thing all over again. Our Alice has just three days to convince Hatter that not only she is the real deal, but that she loves him with all her heart.

Her Mad Hatter is a re-imagining of, yup, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The story is very reminiscent to the Lewis Carroll's masterpiece in its whimsical and nonsensical quality that at the same time speaks volumes. It is also a beautiful, if short, love story.

It really surprised me because I was expecting a quick read, not to fall in love with the characters. I will be definitively continue on with the series, I'm curious about what else can the author do with our favorite villains. Regardless that is a re-telling of a children story, this book is for adult audiences.

The story, the first in a series, is currently free on Amazon. If you like Paranormal Romance you will enjoy this book.

Review: Steel and Lace by Adriane Leigh

Title: Steel and Lace
Series: Lace, Book 1
Author: Adriane Leigh
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 40 Pages Approx.
Publication Date: December 16, 2012
Available Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Free Download [ETA: no longer for free; currently at 0.99¢ (checked on Feb 8, 2013)]
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Enigmatic and sexy, Carter Morgan is a wealthy CEO and playboy who keeps a model on his arm and the walls around his heart high. His dangerous good looks and seductive charm gets him whatever he wants— whenever he wants it. That is until he meets Eva. When Carter locks eyes with smart and spirited fashion editor Eva Austin, sparks fly and worlds collide. He's drawn to her quiet beauty and independent spirit, and she can't deny the overwhelming affect he has on her. Her every instinct tells her to run, but he won't take no for an answer. They embark on a passionately physical affair and discover that learning to love won't be easy. This novella is intended for mature audiences. Approx. 12,000 words.

Downloaded this book for free today at Amazon. Is a very short, erotica novelette that features a young, billionaire business man and a 26-year-old online, fashion magazine editor. They have enough chemistry with one another capable of scorching the entire New York City in one single sweep. I like the actual plot of the story, unfortunately is too short and rushed that there is no time for the characters to develop and in the end I really couldn't care much for them. Also, I don’t look at grammar when I’m reading for pleasure, but sometimes some errors just jump off the page. For example, right at the beginning of the story [the emphasis is mine]:

Review: The Concubine's Gift by K. Ford K.

Title: The Concubine’s Gift
Series: Standalone
Author: K. Ford K.
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 151 Pages
Publication Date: January 29, 2012
Available Format: Kindle Edition
My Rating: ★★★★★

Book Description:

Bernice Babbitt, a sexually inhibited, thirty-nine-year-old woman, leads a peaceful life in the tiny resort town of Valentine, Nevada. Living only two miles from the famed bordello, The Honey Bunny Ranch, she can’t imagine what goes on behind its closed doors.

Inside the makeup case, Bernice discovers a forgotten jar of face powder, the secret to Blissful Night’s success. Thinking the face powder is an herbal concoction that will beautify her skin, Bernice begins to use it, only to find that the powder causes her to see visions of other people’s sex lives.

Bernice is horrified to discover that the only way she can rid herself of the visions is to blurt out sexual advice. Soon the entire town is in an uproar. But it isn’t until Bernice learns more about Blissful Night’s past that she knows what she must do.

The Concubine’s Gift is a delightfully sexy novel in which Bernice Babbitt is drawn into a seductive world she never knew existed. A provocative and entertaining Pandora’s Box of a tale!

Things begin to change when Bernice buys an old, black-lacquer makeup case in an antique shop. The case once belonged to Blissful Night, the most famous and powerful concubine in Hong Kong. According to legend, Blissful Night could give a man more pleasure in one night than he would have experienced in an entire lifetime.

A story about sexual discovery, empowerment and the happiness achieved through self-acceptance and love. A surprisingly beautiful story that blends in everyday aspects with well preconceived taboos giving an almost puritan yet extremely curious woman the ability to see other people’s sexual experiences and the elated feelings that accompany such moments.

The Concubine’s Gift follows Bernice as she struggles to accept her inner most emotions and desires that contrast greatly with her strong, religious upbringing. As daughter of the town’s minister and the only charm school teacher with a rebellious brother, Bernice has spent her entire life avoiding confrontation, swallowing her opinions and making sure that she pleases everyone else at the expense of her own happiness and satisfactions. The only signs of Bernice’s true thoughts and ideals are encased in a very private, much hidden collection of erotica memorabilia.

The story contrasts the sense of decorum versus sexual liberation. I was surprised at how easily I was sucked into it. I enjoyed following Bernice and the other various characters as they made their journey to blissful love making; yes, not just sex –love making. That is ultimately the main theme of this book, love so instinctual that it’s reached its maximum through unrestricted carnal expression.

The story also juxtaposes the current believes and the new openness when it comes to, well, almost everything, versus the ideas and moral values engraved in our subconscious by our family, our community and our culture. This is most evident by the town’s division in opinions when it comes to the bordello.

The bottom line is that I really enjoyed this book, and even though it’s just a fiction story, it makes you reconsider your notions and your stance on sexuality.

Some quotes:

This one: 

“Bernice was fascinated by Trinket because she wore her sexuality as openly as a fragrant perfume. She was also amazed by the fact that Trinket found life so easy and satisfying.” (Kindle Locations 131-133) 

In contrast with: 

“She [Bernice] didn’t like anything that had an adult theme, with only one exception, her collection of erotic female memorabilia. They were all antiques, fragments of other women’s sexuality that was somehow easier to deal with than her own.” (Kindle Locations 143-145) 

There is:

“It’s just as well,” she thought. “If I told them what I really think, they’d shit roses.” (Kindle Locations 159-160) 

In contrast with: 

“But Bernice also did not believe that hiding her true opinions and sexual feelings was dishonest. She thought it was similar to hiding a defect and Bernice felt that her defect was that she had too much sexual interest, too much excitability and far too much empathy for prostitutes. She never once considered that properly channeled, her sexuality might be normal or that her opinion might be right.” (Kindle Locations 245-248) 

And this one simply because it’s pretty awesome:

“The erotic arts have the same goal as religion; to prevent men from acting like beasts.” (Kindle Locations 1430-1431)