Customer Reviews

For Her Pleasure

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First I want to say that I do think Maya Banks is a great writer of sexually romantic scenes. But in this book, specifically the first part where Kit has two lovers and she discovers she likes bondage sex with them, it has a fatal flaw for me. It just might be only me, but I didn't buy the fact that she liked bondage after going through such a horrific rape, and still scared to death because the rapist is unknown and still out there. I just don't buy it. Also why would the two guys who love her and want to care for her put her though bondage knowing what she went through? That is why I rated it a three. That said I do like her writing style and the way she blended three stories into one book. I personally think Maya doesn't need to put bondage in her stories, and she can write some great sexual tension and tricks without it. If you're into a little bondage, I suggest Maya Banks "Sweet Surrender", where the story of a woman exploring bondage is a little more believable. If you're not into submission and bondage, don't read either of them.

Popular e-book author Maya Banks brings her imagination and writing skill to the mass public with her very first NY release, For Her Pleasure! Readers of digital books have long had a place for Banks on their auto-buy lists, and it is very exciting to see a writer whose work you admire so much advance to the next level in their career. I have no doubt that the fans born of this new publication will soon be searching out her previous works while awaiting her next NY release.

In this collection of three connected stories, Banks does what she does oh so well - ménage. The first two stories focus on the same three characters, and their evolving relationship together. The third story sees these three in a supporting role as a character we met in the second story stars as the heroine, introducing a new male lead as her hero.

~What She Wants~

Kit, Mac, and Ryder have been best friends since they were kids, but as they matured into adulthood, they began to want more from each other. Kit knows her two male friends have long indulged in that most erotic of female fantasies - ménage, with both men pleasuring one woman. She dreams of experiencing sensual heights with the only two men in the world she will ever trust. Mac and Ryder are all too willing to give Kit what she wants, but Mac wants much more from Kit than she is prepared for...

The first story in this collection kicks it off with a bang! Not only do we have some pretty explosive love scenes between Kit, Mac and Ryder, but the story is rife with suspense and danger as Kit is stalked by the man who raped her just six months earlier. As policeman Mac and bad boy Ryder work as a team to protect her and uncover the identity of her attacker, the attraction between Kit and the two men ramps up to a fever pitch. In addition to the intense sexuality in this story, Banks infuses a hefty dose of love as two friends finally admit what they've really felt for each other all of these years.

~What She Needs~

Kit and Mac are finally a couple, with their best friend Ryder joining them for the occasional threesome. But having taken a step back to allow Mac and Kit to be together, Ryder now realizes his feelings for Kit lean more towards everlasting romantic love than the simple friendship he thought before. While he doesn't begrudge his friends their happiness, he finds it harder and harder to be near Kit and not be able to claim her for his own...

Just when we think the story of this threesome is finished, Banks returns to it immediately showing the aftermath of what happens when Mac and Kit's relationship turns serious and Ryder begins to realize he feels more for Kit than even he ever suspected. His anguish is very real as he tries to do the right thing and step away from his friends so they can be happy together. But as he backs off, the pain he causes both of his friends is more than they can bear, until they all realize they must find a solution that can make them all happy for the long haul.

~What She Craves~

Long ago, Mia Malone loved Jack Kincaid with everything she had, enjoying one night of perfect passion - right before he disappeared without a trace. Now she's reluctantly working as a stripper and he's back in her life, and not one bit happy about her stripping career. But Mia isn't exactly working as a dancer by choice - she has been blackmailed into it, and things are about to get much worse for her. Unless Jack can save her in time, he'll lose her again just when he has finally found her!

Unlike the first two stories, the last stars a different couple, Jack and Mia, who are connected to the first trio through Mia's friendship with Ryder. Although this story focuses on Jack and Mia, our friends from the other tales make and appearance as they help the couple in their most dire hour.

Jack is a Dominant to top all Dominants, and he is reluctant to consummate his love for Mia out of fear that his needs will be too much for the inexperienced young woman. In the very beginning of the story, she breaks through his defenses easily, but is left out in the cold when his job takes him away without warning.

In his absence, Mia finds herself the victim of a scam that leaves her in a much more precarious position than even she realizes. An affable person, she makes the best of her situation, while retaining as much of her dignity and morals as possible. Having resigned herself to the situation, she doesn't believe even Jack can pull her out of it until things turn far more dangerous than she could ever imagine. The danger they face together rebuilds her trust in Jack faster than might otherwise have been possible, paving the way for a very happy ending to this exciting book!

**NOTE** The book description on the book's page here incorrectly lists the name of the hero in the third story as Logan Kincaid. The character's name is actually Jack Kincaid.

At first I didn't realized that there were 3 stories. The book started out with "What she wants" with Kit in the middle of two awesome guys, Ryder and Mac. I fell in love with Ryder right away because I love those carefree dominate male alpha type of guys. Guys who don't wear his emotions on his sleeves. Those guys who you trust to stand behind you and hold you tight through rough times but yet doesn't overcrowd you. I adore Ryder way more then Mac. Mac would be the type of guy who would suffocate me with his over emotional feelings. When "What She Wants" ended, I was mad, disappointed, sad. I didn't really want to continue but I was already in the zone of reading. Thank goodness I read! "What She Needs" was such an emotional roller coaster for me. I "awwed" and I smiled, then I cried. I understand Kit so much better in this one then in "What she Wants". "What she Needs" was definately the right ending. Ryder is the type of hero I want to keep reading about.

Mia appeared in "What She Needs" as a friend of Ryder. I adored her right away and knew she was a vulnerable girl. I can't say I adore her own story "What she Craves" all that much. It's a good story tho.

All in all, the girls were sweet, the men were hot (even Mac and Jack), and the scenes were even hotter! "What she Needs" is the only reason why this book recieved a 5 stars from me. Without it, I would give it a 3.

Of the two Banks novels (For Her Pleasure and Sweet Surrender) I've read, I found the story line not as compelling in For Her Pleasure. The book is divided into three sections, almost as if there are three different short stories that continue the same story line. I enjoyed it, but not my favorite of the two. However, if you like sexual details involving multiple partners, then this is the book for you.

This book seemed to start out pretty well. It was steamy, well written, basic story line but that's to be expected with these kinds of books. About half way through I became frustrated with the lead female character, she becomes slobbering, weak, needy, clingy, and annoying. Why do they always need to complicate things with marriage and pregnancy? The story would have been better without it, as well as better without her playing these two men. All in all, the sex scenes were pretty good, but the story is kind of lacking towards the end.

I liked Maya Banks's Sweet series a lot. This is not that. This book in three parts puts it's weakest foot forward first and saves the best for last. I would suggest you read the last story "What She Craves" first, (it's pretty separate from other stories). Skip the first two or read them last.

Part 1: What She Wants (1 star)
Kit, Ryder and Mac, who've been friends forever, indulge in the ménage they've just been itching to explore. So part one is basically porn, and I mean that in the worst way. The sex is gratuitous and utterly unrealistic; the plot is thin at best, unbelievable and clichéd; the characters have no depth. At all. Play porn music in the background while you read and it would be laughable except the book takes itself so seriously.

Kit, is in peril, being stalked by her rapist and her boyfriends Mac and Ryder must save her -- in between bjs and sex that would send a normal woman to the hospital. And of course, even though Kit of the steel orifices has suffered trauma, she likes it. Everything. Even the knife and rope turns her on. Please. Ridiculously unrealistic behavior for a rape victim. If you can stomach this -- alcohol helps -- the rest gets progressively better.

Part 2: What She Needs (2.5 stars)
There are consequences from sex? What? That doesn't happen in porn. Now we start getting a real story as Kit, Mac and Ryder must deal with the physical and emotional consequences of their alternative lifestyle. This is much better than part one. Almost makes it worth reading part one. Almost.

Part 3: What She Craves (3.5 stars)
This is Jack and Mia's story with Kit, Mac and Ryder taking supporting roles. Jack must save Mia who is in peril, however her peril is much more interesting and complicated peril than Kit's peril and it made me want to turn the page. Mia is a stripper being coerced into prostitution by her boss and a corrupt police officer. Jack, a Texas Ranger under cover, has known Mia for years and had a brief affair with her before being forced undercover. He finds her two years later working in a dive strip club and must rescue her from a horrible situation. This is a good story and is the Maya Banks I was hoping for when I got this book.

Maya Banks writes erotic fiction and does an okay job of it. I was a bit surprised to find this book in my state library system, especially as it is classified under "group sex" (weirdly there are three such titles in the group sex classification. I'm all for a diverse library, but this surprises me).

This book is divided into two unequal parts. Most of the book focuses on Kit, Ryder and Mac. They all grew up together in the same small town in Texas and years later they become involved in a threesome love affair which is strictly male on female action. The storyline takes some windy pathways around Kit's rape, the complications of loving two men and in the second part, the three of them are involved with an undercover Texas Ranger and his fake stripper girlfriend Mia. Kat is a whiny character and I didn't warm to her at all. Mac was basically all tough, but soft when it came to Kit and pretty much obsessed by her to the point of BORING. Ryder, the Texas Ranger Jack, and Mia are the characters who are developed the best.

Ultimately, the sex scenes were hot (although if Kit had been tied up, beaten and raped, I doubt her favourite fantasy six months after the fact would be to be tied up), the storyline was so-so and the ending utterly predictable. But, if you read erotic fiction for the storyline, that's pretty much the same as reading Playboy for the articles.

What She Wants:

Kit Townsend, Travis `Mac' McKenzie, and Ryder Sinclair have been friends since childhood. What started out as friendship within the triad has turned into more, at least for Ryder and Mac. Kit wants to commit herself to a relationship with the only men she trusts, but is frightened by the intensity of the feelings they arouse in her. When she is once again the victim of a vicious, unknown attacker, Kit has no choice but to allow Ryder and Mac into her private life and into her heart. With these two men beside her during the day and loving her at night, safety and pleasure are hers for the taking.

What She Needs:

Mac and Kit have formed a solid relationship with each other and look forward to the times Ryder is with them solidifying the love they have for each other. Kit, however, is anxious and finds herself reluctant to commit wholeheartedly to Mac. It seems that not only does she want to spend the rest of her life with Mac, she wants to do it with Ryder as the third player in this game of love. Will Mac be able to accept Kit's need to have Ryder as a part of her life? Kit hopes so because she is unable to let Ryder go.

What She Craves:

Two long years ago, Mia Nichols gave herself fully to the only man she has ever loved; Jack Kincaid. Giving him the gift of her body completely, Mia had visions of forever only to find out two days later that the man she thought she knew, the man that had been her protector and savior since she was sixteen years old, left her without a word or thought. When he walks back into the hell that her life has become, Mia wants no part of him. Jack decides then and there that while he might not be the best man for Mia, he will be the last man for her and goes about proving just that fact to Mia.

Break out the fans because this anthology, For Her Pleasure, is hot enough to make even the coolest reader sweat! I don't think I have yet recovered. Maya Banks has woven three interlocking tales into one blazing anthology that I was unable to stop reading, not to mention stop thinking about. What starts out as friendship between these players, becomes so much more in each enticingly beautiful tale. In "What She Wants", Mac and Ryder quickly won my heart with their unconditional love for Kit and I anxiously awaited Kit's decision. Knowing with a heavy heart that I would have been unable to choose between the two men, I applauded her choice and her guts in making the decision she did. Jack Kincaid, on the other hand, was a bit tougher for me to love. His treatment of Mia at her most vulnerable was very heart wrenching to read but alas, I can admit to understanding his reasons. His making up to Mia for hurting her actually made me squirm he was so relentless in his seduction. In fact, visions of naughty Texas rangers fill my head and that is all right with me.

For Her Pleasure is the ultimate in pleasurable reading. Enticing, enchanting, and sinfully sensual, I couldn't have asked for a better anthology. All three stories captivated my attention and made me yearn for more. I am pleased as a punch to watch Maya Banks continue to evolve as a writer and I can't help but read everything she releases. I am officially a fan-girl of this talented writer and can't help but highly recommend For Her Pleasure when it is released in September.

Talia reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This book gets two stars because the sex scenes are long and detailed, better than some other books I've seen. However, the writing is bad (I've read better stuff for free on the internet), and the sex scenes seem unrealistic. I wonder how much sex the author has actually had. It was distracting to read little details that just seemed to be off.

Then there's the issue that beyond the sex scenes there is a whole novel that is really, really bad. I bought this for my wife and we were laughing at it because the two guy characters keep talking about "that night," and all this other stuff that never gets explained. I think this back story is supposed to appeal to women, but how well can it appeal when it's so terrible?

Don't buy it.

All in all...eh. If you're not very adventurous or experienced in your sex life, dirty thoughts, reading choices, or videos, then this book will probably be a good starter for you. If you're more experienced in any of those arenas, skip this book. Instead, I'd recommend "Exit To Eden" by Anne Rice if you're looking for some really detailed kinky fantasy-sex.

"For Her Pleasure" tries so hard to be both a romance novel and an erotic novel that it ultimately fails at both. The sex needed to be sexier or the story more interesting, but unfortunately, both are weak. Kit is a dislikably whiny insecure female. Mac is one dimensional - "I love Kit, I protect Kit, me Man, ugh". Ugh is right. Ryder is actually interesting - a rich "bad boy" with a heart of gold. Actually, scratch that, he's a stereotypical dark hero. Mia is kind of stupid, and Jack is a puffed up arrogant ass.

I chose this book for an erotic escape, a little fantasy living. Bad choice.

The backstory for Kit is doom and gloom - a rape, emotional drama with her guys, and hospital stress. Not so fun to read, and it doesn't really lend to the erotic mood when the girl is crying all the time, fighting off attackers, and stressed out. This could have been a lot of fun to read, if the backstory was happier...and if there was more than a handful of sex scenes.

Mia's story is also gloomy - loosing the man she loves, being forced to work as a stripper, living in a squalid apartment. Again, not too erotic.

My biggest dissapointments, though, are both the quality and the number of sex scenes throughout the book. Mia only gets TWO - that's it! Kit has, oh, roughly 7. This is erotica...they should be having kinky, inventive sex after sex, with only about 3 pages of plot in between. Even the "kinky" stuff is woefully vanilla. The girl is tied up and bent over...and no one spanks her?! The girl is 'forced' to be a stripper and it's NOT used as a plot device to get her to have wild public sex involving a stripper pole and a chair? A dominant is having sex with a submissive in a room FILLED with "paddles, nipple clamps, beads...", and doesn't touch a single one of these items? Not to mention - the actual "dominating" sex is so boringly humdrum you only know it's meant to be kinky becasue of the character's thoughts.

Give this a pass if you're looking for a lot of fun dirty monkey sex and light (or zero) plot. If you're looking for a love story with more explicit sex scenes, this is the book.