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Theodora Taylor

SEDUCED BY THE WOLF by Zena Wynn

July 24, 2012 in A Reviews, alpha male, black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, paranormal, Phaze Books, shifter(s), werewolf

Description: Von Washington has a secret: she has never stopped being pen pals with Master Sergeant Sean Jacobson, the former army buddy of her controlling fiancé. But when Sean comes to town several secrets will be revealed, including that he’s a werewolf!

The Good: This is great read with exceptional storytelling, gasp-out-loud twists and turns, and hot, hot, HOT sex. I loved how the author dealt with Sean’s ongoing struggles to control his wolf. And Von’s cousin is awesome. She made me want to call up my favorite cousin for a long overdue chat.

The Bad: The epilogue feels tacked on and rushed.

The Naughty: Erotic. Women struggling with sexuality. Sexual situations depicted with two different men.

Editing issues: 7 typos found. “Misfortunate” is barely a word and not recognized by most dictionaries. I wish IR authors would stop using it.”Unfortunate” is always the better choice.

Publisher: Phaze Books

Length: 128 pages

Final Grade: A-

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Theodora Taylor writes and reviews in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

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Theodora Taylor

HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART by Asha King

June 11, 2012 in black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm romance, C Reviews, friends, Novella, Phaze Books, sensual, steamy

Description: After getting dumped by his girlfriend, former playboy, Joshua Merrill, begins looking at his friend, Derica, in a whole new light. But can she forget about his past and give him a green light to her heart?

The Good: It was nice to read a novel populated by people in their early twenties, and I love the “circle of friends” concept. Super-cute cover!

The Bad: Unfortunately, this read like an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 during the post-college years — which I actually loved — but in this case, way too much time was given to other characters, and since we haven’t seen the episodes that came before this one, there was a lot of telling us about main characters and their back stories as opposed to actual character development.
For example, we’re told Joshua was a big horn dog before the girl that dumped him came along, but all we’re shown is him coming out of a committed relationship, which he only felt s0-so about. This makes the heroine seem paranoid for resisting him, even though she ostensibly has a huge crush on him.

That sounds like a somewhat dramatic situation, but because of the execution, the story is almost boring in its straightforwardness. There’s barely any conflict, and the little that there is is easily overcome. The characters don’t earn anything, which makes the HEA feel rather hollow.

The Naughty: Sensual>Steamy. Friends become lovers. Explicit language.

Editing issues: None noted.

Publisher: Phaze Books

Length: 51 pages

Final Grade: C

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Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART , HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, and HER VIKING WOLF, the first three books in my 50 Loving States series!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

THE RANCHER’S ULTIMATUM by Nia K. Foxx

June 5, 2012 in alpha male, B Reviews, black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, erotic, Phaze Books, rancher, self-published, steamy

Description: Lynn James is willing to do anything to save her beloved stepfather’s ranch, but does “anything” include agreeing to rancher, Jake Ragnall’s erotic ultimatum?

The Good: This is a very sexy story with great stakes. Added to that, Ms. Foxx sets up a fantastic back story for the H/H’s parents, with a terrific nod to the older generation of loving couples who paved the way. I also loved that Lynn was full-figured and that this significantly added to her attraction for Jake.

The Bad: There’s a big reveal at the end, which is not set up well. The story could have functioned just as well without it. Also, there’s a rival element between Jake and Lynn’s stepbrother that doesn’t add up to much in the end.

The Naughty: Steamy verging on erotic. Light BDSM. Masturbation. Sex in hot tub.

Editing issues: 10 typos counted. Clunky grammar in places.

Publisher: *It looks like this is an indie re-release of an earlier story originally with Phaze Books.

Length: 145 pages

Final Grade: B+

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Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART , HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, and HER VIKING WOLF, the first three books in my 50 Loving States series!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

THE CONTRACT by Zena Wynn

April 9, 2012 in B Reviews, erotic, married couple, Novella, Phaze Books, scifi, white woman latin man, wwlm

Description: Cecily marries Billy, but is forced by his company to also take Billy’s brother Renardo as a husband and lover after Renardo’s wife dies. Drama.

The Good: Ms. Wynn takes a complex situation and makes it surprisingly simple and extremely hot. The reader feels for her main character, who really put in a tug-of-war situation. Though the drama is plentiful it also feels organic and earned. Also, I loved that the main characters are working class. And Ms. Wynn’s world building is so seamless, I kept forgetting that this was technically a sci-fi romance. She never let the world building overshadow the story.

The Bad: The emotional arc is well-plotted and earned, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like the sexual arc is fully resolved. Also, the cover is somewhat baffling. Not sure what, if anything, it has to do with the actual story.

The Naughty: Erotic. Multiple partners.

Editing issues: 3 typos. Dialogue weirdly formatted on Kindle app.

Publisher: Phaze Books

Length: 47 pages

Final Grade: B+

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Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up the first two Amazon bestselling books in my 50 Loving States series, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, as eBooks or in paperback!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

WE ALL SCREAM by Nona Wesley

February 2, 2012 in black woman asian man, Book Reviews, bwam, D Reviews, Novella, Phaze Books, steamy

Description: The economy has been rough on Diahann Marshall’s family-owned ice cream shop and her love life has gone even colder than the product she sells. Can local business owner Sun Li, who she thinks is a Chinese food delivery guy, be the perfect solve for both?

The Good: Compelling premise. I’m a big fan of mistaken identity plots and kept on reading just to see how it would all turn out.

The Bad:  The H/H relationship is so under-developed that the great set-up is effectively ruined. Both characters (but especially Sun Li) lack strong/clear motivation, which makes suspension of disbelief particularly hard when certain romantic plot points play out. At the end of the day, this romance just isn’t very romantic. Also, the heroine’s sister, who is set up here for a book of her own, is meant to be funny, but often comes off as racist. (ex. she refers to the hero as Jackie Chan)

The Naughty: Steamy.

Editing issues: Several typos (counted 11). Missing chapter breaks in places.

Publisher: Phaze Books

Length: Novella

Final Grade: D+

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Wanna see my softer fictional side? Pick up my book, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART, at Amazon for $4.16.

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Theodora Taylor

THE QUESTION by Zena Wynn

January 31, 2012 in A Reviews, alpha male, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, co-workers, erotic, Phaze Books, pregnant, white woman middle eastern man

Description: When Crystal asks her widowed best friend, Gail to be a surrogate for her and her husband, Rashid, using one of Gail’s eggs, Gail reluctantly agrees. But when Gail starts dating a handsome divorce lawyer named Greg after her successful insemination, what starts off as a favor soon turns into a complicated love story filled with passion and drama.

The Good: Oh, I am mad as Ms. Wynn. I had important things to do the weekend I read this book, but I couldn’t it put it down. This story is such a page-turner, and I was deeply engaged until the end, which is quite a feat for a book that’s quite a bit longer than your usual IR romance. This was a highly, highly romantic read with unique situations that had me on the edge of my seat. I can’t tell you how many times I yelled out loud because of something that had happened in this book. Ms. Wynn gets her characters on a deeply psychological level that you don’t see often. And I just wish that Americans were about the telenovelas, because this would make a fantastic one.

The Bad: Rashid’s background is never fully explained. We’re told briefly that he is American-born and of Middle-Eastern descent, but we never get to meet his parents. I would have loved a few more cultural notes for this character. Also, the character of Greg, though loveable, came off as a bit convenient at a few points in the story.

The Naughty: Erotic. Toys. Spanking. Breast milk.

Editing issues: Typos (I counted 11). A few instances of clunky grammar. Interior dialogue not italicized in places.

Publisher: Phaze Books

Length: 284 pages

Final Grade: A-

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