Customer Reviews

The Empress' New Clothes (Trade Paperback Erotic Romance)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Kyra Summers and her best friend Geris Jackson are vacationing at The Smiling Faces And Peaceful Hearts Meditation Retreat to relieve stress from their lives as independent, Alpha-career women. Kyra is a busy tax accountant whose career is extremely important to her. Unfortunately the retreat turns out to be soooo not their thing - BORING! Eating rabbit food everyday, no pizza, and doing breathing exercises with a motley group of dorks, (not to sound snobby, but these people are real nerds, trust me!), the two friends can't wait to leave. So they are astonished into speechlessness when on the day of departure, Kyra is kidnapped by a 7-foot tall warrior, built like Arnold Schwartzeneggar when he was still pumping iron. Zor Q'an Tal, the warrior, is also the High King of Tryston, Emperor of Trek Mi Q'an galaxy, Guardian of the Sacred Sands, and the "most feared man in six hundred galaxies and seven dimensions." Well, Kyra wanted some excitement after all that stress relief!

The Chief Priestess of Tryston had informed her king that he would find his Sacred Mate, the only woman who could be his Empress, on the primitive, first dimension world of Earth. And her name is, (you guessed it!), Kyra Summers! So Zor jumps into his trusty gastrolight cruiser with his best friend Dak and makes a quick trip to Earth, where he absconds with His Sacred Mate. He manages to frighten her into shock, when, without touching her, he rips off all her clothes. From now on she will remain nude when with her new husband, and when in the presence of others, she will wear the traditional dress for Trystonian woman, two pieces of sheer fabric that resemble a skimpy bra and sarong. Kyra is immediately put to sleep, to avoid trouble on the return trip, and when she awakens, Zor begins to discuss the features and culture of her new, male dominated world. Oh, there is much to accustom herself to on Zor's hedonistic planet, where few (Earthly) inhibitions exist.

Jaid Black has filled her novel with wonderful humor and romance, as well as super steamy erotic scenes. Kyra, the new Empress, does eventually become accustomed to her new clothes and to her husband, who turns out to be lovable as well as sexy!. As a matter of fact, she would never choose to return to her old life on Earth. Her adventures, as she moves along an emotional roller coaster from outrage, to curiosity, to acceptance to outright uninhibited enjoyment and love, are filled with laughter, satire and sizzling heat. Ms. Black knows how to tell a terrific story. Her world building, original and endearing characters, and alien landscapes are creative, unusual and very imaginative. A very enjoyable fantasy read!

Potential readers be advised, this is erotica and the writing is explicit.
JANA

A lot of romantica walks the narrow line between too much sex and not enough story, not enough sex and too much story, or really lame story and poorly written sex.

Jaid Black, thankfully, is a writer who can do both a great, interesting and fresh storyline with really well written sex and relationship between the characters.

You've got your Alpha Male and your female lead in a science fiction storyline. How refreshing is that? Even better? The sci fi is well written, funny and isn't eclipsed by the sex.

Zor, the High King seeks out his mate, who just so happens to be a human from earth, Kyra Sommers. He comes to get her, finds she's not a typical wilting willow and it goes from there.

Nice backstory, thank god the female lead isn't some whining, 18 year old virgin.

To those who complain about the sex being graphic - when you read "erotic romance" you're going to get a book with lots of sex in it. If you don't like lots of sex in your books, especially graphic sex, it's pretty much general common sense to avoid the words "Erotic" in the title or description. As to what does or doesn't ring your bell sex wise, that's all relative. I found the sex to be pretty hot and very well written, different things work for different people, this happened to work for me.

This was my first Jaid Black book and my first Romantica ebook.

What a hot, funny, sizzling, adventurous read! I recommend this book to anyone who loves sexy paranormal adventure.

The characters are fully developed, three-dimensional people. Zor is the High King and Emperor of his world. A world where women are scarce and have to be... "imported". Kyra turns out to be his sacred mate and when Zor comes to claim her, the adventure begins!

The world Ms. Black creates is as full and richly developed as her characters. Reading how Kyra adapts to the customs of her new world, and how Zor adapts to having a sacred mate was a ride I did not want to end. It was sweet, romantic and hot hot hot hot! Whew!

Sexually, this book is not for the timid. It is honest and direct with out all the purple prose that can get so silly you laugh out loud during "the" crucial scene. Sometimes it is down right inspirational! You and your significant other will reap the benefits.

The second book in the series was just as sexy. I cannot wait for the third installment! Thank the Goddess Zor has brothers!

In the mean time Tia Isabella and Treva Harte are filling in *very* nicely ;) in the romantica time travel department.

I have read all of Ms. Black's efforts to date and haven't been dissapointed. Keep up the excellent work

'Empress' was my first Jaid Black book; I read it through in one sitting. The next day I went back and read it again (and ordered the rest of her books that were available at the time). Plainly put, Jaid's books are sheer erotic fantasy. The settings are vivid, the characters are literally "larger than life," and the dialog is snappy and keeps me smiling throughout the stories. (Zor's reaction to a cheese doodle is priceless!) Jaid gives her imagination free rein, and the result is a fascinating new world where sensual pleasure is the norm rather than the exception and sex isn't a dirty secret hidden behind closed doors.

Not for the faint of heart or easily offended, Jaid's books draw a firm line: men are definitely dominant creatures and women are there for their pleasure. Having read the entire Trek Mi Q'an series, I can't see how that would be a hardship. Trystonni males definitely have an edge over mere Earth men, and I, for one, am ready to sign up as a Sacred Mate to a Trystonni warrior. Beam me up, Zor.

This is not a traditional romance, where only the main couple make out with each other. This is more erotica, with some unusual sexual twists, futuristic connotations, a very different sexual culture, etc. So don't expect this to be politically correct or realistic. It's fantasy with sex and romance and adventure. If you're concerned that people will think this reflects what women want, or how men should act in real life, then this is not the book for you. This book is for those who are more sexually adventurous in their readings, know when how to keep reality and pure flights of fantasy separate, and don't expect earth-bound customs/behaviour/cultural norms/sexual practises from a futuristic, fantastic, space adventure. Enjoying the unreal escapism of this book, I loved it. If you're all for the fantastical, not-worried-about-this-being-dangerous-to-your-sense-of-morality-in-real-life, then I highly recommend it to you. If you're expecting a traditional romance like some of the other reviewers, and are easily shocked/offended by non-politically correct behaviour, maybe you should skip this, it's not for you. Very mature readers only.

Ahhhheemmm. Cough, cough (fanning blushing face as we read). Let's see, how to start. Well, first of all, everyone should keep in mind that this is a one hundred percent complete fantasy. It's about a totally new culture and race of people. I think Jaid Black did a superb job of creating another world. Even with all the sex in this book (and I mean A LOT of sex), the author still manages to develop her characters sufficiently enough to make a reader happy. At least, happy enough with this type of genre, which is, of course, erotica.

That said, I absolutely hated the High King, Zor! Before I get too ahead of myself, I'll summarize. Kyra, our main gal, is on a retreat on good 'ole present day earth with her best pal, Geris. She's trying to find inner peace after her sister has been missing for a year. At the end of their retreat, the woman are more than up for a little letting loose, but as they prepare to leave, they spy two too-good-to-be-true gorgeous men ogling them. Without further ado, Kyra's clothes are literally ripped (yes, as ridiculous as it sounds, ripped) from her body as the dark haired man roars towards her. That dark haired man is our main guy, the High King of the Trek Mi Q'an Galaxy (try saying that six times fast), a.k.a Zor. This guy, Zor, is a totallly domineering larger than life, at times Neanderthal-like hunk of a speciman. In fact, all the men from his seventh dimension are. He has claimed, and kidnapped, Kyra to be his High Queen and Empress. Not only is she only allowed to wear these ridiculous sheer outfits in public, but she has to be completely naked whenever in her unasked-for husband's presence. Did I mention all the sex before too? Yes? Okay. Keep in mind it's a manditory part of the culture in the book(My, my, aren't we lucky little readers). This book is dedicated to exploring their relationship as it develops from one of difficulty to one of... well, read it for yourself. I'm not spoiling anything for you here! Yes, I hated Zor in the beginning, but I grew to love him by the end.

So, you might be asking me, why, oh, why, did I give this five stars? Because, it made me laugh my pants off! After I got past the whole Kyra will never have her old life again thing and the constant, the neverending sex (which can only begin to frustrate a reader because real life is never like this) and Zor's pompous attitude (which does get better!) I found myself really enjoying this book. The amount of sex the characters have, the unbelievable attitudes of the men, the way the women give birth, it's all hilarious! There are so many characters in it your head may spin though. Ms. Black is definitely setting up for many more books in this series. And as many as there are, characters that is, I was surprised at how well I came to know them. Black is definitely talented at writing emotion into her characters with limited wording. Readers may be offended by some goings on in this book, but keep in mind that it is a fantasy and take it for what it is. You'll enjoy it a whole lot more if you do. And for those that like a good wrapped up ending, you'll get it here. Remember all those many, many characters I mentioned? Black wraps up (or opens up depending on who it is) all of them for you.

So prepare to be slightly offended, mildly intrigued by the same stuff that offended you, temptingly titillated and, hopefully, very pleased with this book. Wonderful, Ms. Black. Simply wonderful. This one's a keeper.

This has got to be the funniest book I've ever read. I was laughing out loud every other second. This is about a woman named Kyra from earth who gets kidnapped by her Sacred Mate Zor, who is a warrior and emperor in another galaxy. The book is told mainly through the heroine's perspective so you learn the rules of the world as she does. I think this is what makes the book so funny because you never know what's going to happen and Kyra's reactions to everything are hilarious!

A couple of reviewers have likened this book to porn. I'm glad I decided to judge for myself because I would have missed out on the best book I've read in years. I would never say this book is porn. I would say it's racy, sexually interesting, and campy, but I would not call it porn. Plus hello I think it says right on here it is an erotic romance so I wouldn't buy it if you have anything against that.

Also, I am black but I do not get why people on here said Geris' character was like a spoof on black women. I am wondering if we read the same book. Kyra the white lady is funny. When her best friend Geris is funny it is a spoof? I think people need to lighten up a little bit. I do agree with whoever here said the point of this whole book is to lighten up and have a good time. This book isn't some boring dried up thing you are forced to read in high school or college that begs to be taken seriously. it's a book that begs for you to have a good time and lose yourself in a funny and sexually interesting world.

This is my first Jaid Black book. I started it at 10pm last night and finished it at 1:30am this morning. The plot began looking like the old "GOR" novels but quickly moved way past them. The central female characters are absolutely wonderful, fiesty, and above all Halarious! The erotic parts are hot, hot, hot!. It's nice to read a writer who isn't afraid to explore all relms of sexuality. But don't just read it for the erotica, it's a [darn] good story and flows incredibly well.

Krya, the heroine is a tax accountant (and therefore deemed boring), is vacationing with her best friend Geris Jackson. She is kidnapped by a 7-foot tall warrior from another dimension whose name is Zor Q'an Tal (referred to hereafter as Zor). This is the hero. He kidnaps her as the chief priestess of Tryston has told him that Kyra is his sacred mate. In other words, his other half, and of whom he cannot survive without. He is about 400 years old, and he has waited a lot of years for her.

Being from another dimension, Zor and all members of his race, on his planet are not humans. They tend to think humans are inferior, and he does have that view of Kyra at first. According to custom, Zor placed a "beaded necklace" on Kyra's neck. This necklace is worn by both the male and female sacred mate, unique to each couple. It conveys the emotions of the male sacred mate to their female scared mate via colors. The beads glow a certain color....

After kidnapping her, and bringing her to his planet, he incessantly "teases" Kyra. She is surprised at her reaction - yielding to her passion. However, he does not lie with her completely, telling her that it would have to wait till the "joining" process. When she demands to be taken back on earth, he lies to her, telling her that unless she lies with him frequently (within a 3 day period), due to the necklace that he has placed on her and that can never come off, she will die.

The joining process consists of "joining" within the presence of the high priestess. Zor, like the other males of his race, are very well endowed, and may get over excited during the mating process, and as a result the high priestess is there to ensure that he does not by acting as a receptacle for his anxiety. Kyra becomes an enthusiastic voyeur during this process, and eventually accepts Zor as her lifetime mate, even confessing after the ritual that she is now in love with him.

The joining seems to act as a medium that leads to the mates falling in love with each other.

This can also be seen when her best friend Geris, gets kidnapped at a later stage in the book by another male of this strange species called Dar. She of course gives Dar trouble, and Kyra asks Zor - "Have they joined yet?" She is confident that once Geris joins with Dar, she would be calm and more submissive...and in love with Dar.

Jaid Black has been able to provide us the readers with a complete vision of another world and society, complete with traditions and customs. I bought into the existence of this other place, but I was not a big fan of this book. I shall explain why using different sub categories.

~ The characters

I felt as though all the characters were interchangeable, with the exact same personalities. The only attribute that distinguished them were their roles. For example, Zor, is the Emperor of this galaxy called: Trek Mi Q'an. I did not see any difference in character behavior between him and his brother, Kil, aside from the fact that Kil was "the younger brother".

There were also too many characters. This is typical of authors who are interested in introducing to the new readers characters that are going to star in other novels....as you can guess this is a series, this being the first one. I do believe that there is a smart way in doing it, something that an author such as Lisa Kleypas has mastered.

~ The Passion

This book is full of hedonistic attributes. It is borderline a pornographic script rather than a romantic book.
I believe that some would buy this book believing that it would have some BDSM qualities... However there is nothing such as bondage, domination, submission....
In this different galaxy, the women are kept naked or wearing a see through outfit. Intimate encounters play a very essential role, taking place during feasts and bathing. During bathing, holograms perform the intimate activities and during the feasts - it is one big orgy between members of the race both male and female (and the humans that have been kidnapped of course).
The women seem to be slaves to their desires, acting as vessels for male lust.

However, I did not buy into the character of Kyra loosing all her inhibitions so quickly. She became a willing partner in these orgies even before the joining. I never understood why...

Also, if you are a big fan of monogamy, which I am, this book is not for you. Although no other man is allowed to lie with Kyra completely, they are all allowed to perform intense foreplay with her.

Moreover, there is a process called "Gentling", where the eldest brother (Zor in this case) gives his bride (Kyra) to his younger brother (Kil) so that in the effect Zor dies in battle, Kyra will be use to his brothers touch, and will thus be in his care. Kyra refuses at first, but succumbs to her desire.... This part of the book, I could have done without - I am not a big fan of "sibling sharing" in romance novels. It is off putting in my opinion.

There were too many orgy scenes in this book, and very little one on one between the hero and the heroine.

In terms of passion type: I mentioned that I could not categorize this under BDSM. The only category I could categorize it is "Swinging" - Nevertheless this is a big stretch as it was not even about couples ...<<sigh>> I have no idea what to tell you...this book is in a class of its own. There is exhibitionism and voyeurism.

~ The plot

There was none really. The first 30 pages of this book sums up the whole plot. It was interesting reading about this new imaginary galaxy, but other than that - nothing really happens in this book. Jaid Black should have paced herself more. I think it would have been interesting to take Kyra and Zor on a journey of discovery about each other.

Even within this mythical setting, some logic has to occur, and I found this plot completely irrational. For example, Kyra is told that she would never see her family and Earth again - and although she gets sad at times, it appears that she just accepts it nonchalantly and moves on.
I have no idea why the "joining" process leads to them falling in love. I wish there was some sort of molding of the hearts or strong emotion which illustrated that Zor and Kyra were sacred mates.
I had no idea other than the fact that he was well endowed, and Kyra did not mind running around in the nude this two people loved each other.

~ The audience

I had a hard time figuring out who this book was for. What kind of audience or genre will this book fit in? I could not place it in Erotic romance because the romance was non-existing. I would hesitate calling it erotic, because this was not my idea of erotica. Erotica to me is not necessarily porn, which is what I would call this book. The book is neither sensual nor seductive. It is just illicit. And like I said, I am not a big fan of heroes and heroines sleeping with other parties in the book - bare in mind that is not just once - but consistently. I believe that here is only 1 scene where the hero and the heroine are completely alone.


~ Should I buy this book?

This book is the first of the series, and I would not recommend buying it if you can help it. Even though I found the characters interchangeable, I am one of those that have to finish the series and read about the other characters. So if you are like me, do not buy it, as you would have to buy others. I am disappointed that I started to read it in the first place. This book is expensive, and I am 100% confident when I say that the money invested in this series is more than they are worth.

I gave this book 3 stars because like I said before, Jade Black as done a great job in introducing us to a whole new world. I also believe that there might be an audience for it? However, I believe that this will be a very very very very small audience. Either way, I definitely cannot recommend this book as a "shelf keeper".

There are other great erotic ROMANCE authors out there. I would recommend Lisa Marie Rice. With her you get an intricate plot, good character development, the strong alpha-male type and great passion. With Jaid Black you get great setting, mediocre and incomplete plot, no character development and explicit intimate encounters that lack "romantic flair" and good old fashioned seduction!

I don't usually get into futuristic novels but this one intrigued me and I sure wasn't disappointed. I love erotica but I don't like when its just boring sex. I like characters I can relate to and a story that entertains. The Empress' New Clothes was a story that was unique and interesting and well told (very funny). But the best part was that it did not let me down in the fantasy department (that is, after all, the most important ingredient in erotica). The sex was very graphic and hot, without taking anything away from the story. I recommend this book, along with another one I really enjoyed called "Bedtime Stories for Women" which has fairy tales for adults, with a different sexual fantasy for each fairy tale. This book reminded me of it because one of the stories is actually called "The Empress' New Clothes" and it also features the exhibitionist fantasy that is featured in this book.