Customer Reviews

Sinful

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here are four impressive authors that lead romance readers intoa world of laciness and lust. The romantic aspects of this anthologyare intrigue, romance and lace. Each author has a lively, exciting couple ready to fall in love or in bed, whichever the case maybe. I can safely say in gauging the sexuality in SINFUL, that it reaches a fever pitch -- in fact the gauge disintegrated.

Although I enjoyed the relationships each author gave to their romantic characters, I found the love scenes were the strongest ever; some were so detailed that I found myself skipping pages, because they were just too much for me. So, if you like your romances unambiguous, racy and direct you will like SINFUL because these ladies know how to write it.

Unbuttoning Emmalina by Suzanne Forster (Back from Hot Chocolate) Jeff Winston is a good friend of Max and Abigail (Forster's characters from HOT CHOCOLATE). Max lost the trophy to Jeff when he gave up bachelorhood to marry Abigail. Jeff wonders if he can hold on to it when he meets Emmalina. Emmalina is Victorian in every way, her thoughts, attitude, clothes and life style.

Tangled Images by Lori Foster (Back from Hot Chocolate) If you've been keeping up with Lori Foster's short stories, then you are aware of the 4 brothers who run a bar. Cole and Chase have been tangled, so that leaves Mack and Zane. Mack has a feeling Allison and Sophie are out to get him tangled this time when they ask him to model men's underwear in a catalogue for their shop.

Sincerella by Kimberly Randell Frankie has been crazy about Connor for a long time. Since he doesn't notice her in her everyday clothes, she decides to attend a costume party incognito and seduce him, but like Cinderella, when it comes time to leave, Frankie leaves something behind and she has to get it back without giving herself away.

Leather and Lace by Maggie Shayne Martha Jane has always had a crush on her boss, Mr. Gable, but he never noticed her because his taste in women was more in the range of blonde bimbos, like the one he just replaced her with. When her friend makes her an offer she can't refuse, Martha finds herself at Mr. Gable's feet and in his arms.

This was the first time I've read any of the authors and was pleased by All. My favorite was Sinderella! Who out there hasn't suffered from at least one heart wrenching crush in their lifetime. Fairy tales with seemingly believeable girls (A wallflower, jock and straightlaced gibson girl) take a chance and get the guy! Showing us good girls can be sexy too! Funny, sexy and delightful-I hope to see more from these talented authors.

This was a fantastic book from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down. It's not often a novella book has such terrific stories from all the authors. Highly recommended for sexy, satisfing stories.

Four stories, each fun in their own way, make up this anthology where lingerie plays a part in the story. Oddly enough, the headliners, Suzanne Forester and Maggin Shayne, deliver less interesting and sesnual stories than Lori Foster and Kimberly Randell. Though there were a lot of masks in this book and a bit of repetition, it was still highly enjoyable reading I would recommend to others. Still, I wonder why they called it sinful when it read no more sexually than an average book?

This wonderful anthology seems dedicated to those women who believe that it is possible to wear thigh-high hosiery without a wobbly wodge of flesh overhanging the delicate lacy tops, or that an intricately engineered bustier can be removed by a hunk without leaving nasty red welts on tender flesh!! For the rest of us whose chunks and curves can't handle Sears' best, let alone Victoria's Secret, this is a delightful trip down fantasy lane, complete with sexy guys, sensually unawakened heroines and happy endings all around. Suzanne Forster unbuttons a modern day Gibson Girl, Lori Foster continues her tales of the Winston brothers (don't miss Chase Winston's story in "Charmed" - it's a howl!!), Kimberly Randall dresses true love in a sinful costume, and Maggie Shayne shows us that efficient secretaries can be sexy too! All these stories are great fun, with a pleasing dash of eroticism built into their characters. I would be unable to pick a personal favorite, they are all charming tales peopled with fascinating characters. I highly recommend this anthology as a wonderful summer or airline read - the short stories allow you to put the book down for a while if necessary - although you'll probably want to streak through all of them at once as I did.

While "Sinful" contains the two anticipated sequels to "Not Abigail!" and "Tangled Dreams" found in last year's "Hot Chocolate," these stories felt flat in comparision to the other two stories by Kim Randell and Maggie Shayne. It's still a good buy, if you have not checked out "Hot Chocolate," sample it first!

Lori Foster's "Tangled Images," part of Berkley Jove's anthology Sinful featuring Suzanne Forster, Maggie Shane and Kimberly Randell as well, was short but packed a powerful punch. This book was just too delicious to put down and I really would have liked it to be a full-length novel so I could have savored it more. I'm looking forward to seeing the last Winston brother struck down with the curse. Thank you, Lori, for another very entertaining, sexy read.

"Sinful" is a decent anthology, with four stories of generally good quality and great writing.

Unfortunately, the headlining author Suzanne Forster delivers the weakest story in this anthology. "Unbuttoning Emmalina" delivers us two interesting people in the form of Jeff and Emmalina, but then fails to really deal with the realities of their personalities. Em is touted as a "Victorian lady," but we see little of it in her reactions to Jeff and life around Jeff, and the fears resulting from her long-ago problems with her mother aren't resolved at all.

I've been enjoying the saga of the Winston brothers, and "Tangled Images" is no exception. I really enjoyed reading about Mack, maybe even more than the "C" brother stories. Foster manages to deliver well-developed characters and a decently-resolved plot in a short amount of time. This installment isn't as funny as previous installments, but it's still very well-done.

My major criticism of "Sinderella" and "Leather and Lace" is that the stories had premises that were too similar. If I had compiled this anthology, I would have separated these stories to ensure they didn't blur together.

That said, I really enjoyed "Sinderella," probably the most of any story in this anthology. I always appreciate stories where good friends become lovers, and this story was a well-written example of that sub-genre. The characters were appealing, and their relationship well-developed. I understood and appreciated Frankie's reasons for approaching Connor "in costume," and found her predicament with the mask very amusing.

"Leather and Lace" is again one of the weaker installments in this collection. I really didn't particularly like Richard, the "hero," and found his about-face, and sudden "commitment," a bit unbelievable. I liked Martha Jane, and found her introduction to Richard as "Valentine" to be amusing, but found the romance between them difficult to buy into.

However, despite these weaknesses, this is a very good anthology by authors more talented then the pack. The writing flows well, and the characters are, in general, very appealing. The erotic scenes are very erotic indeed, with great writing and no unbelievable dialogue. If you're a fan of any of these authors, or just a fan of novella compilations in general, this book will be a good read for you.

Enjoyed the book.
I did however think I was buying the larger book and not the regular paperback version.

Unbuttoning Emmalina it's definately a hot read. Reminds you why there are all those buttons on wedding dresses. And might I just say - what a great way to use doilies.

Tangled Images was presented before. It's an okay read - I always wonder why Mack (and Mack's family) would endanger his school teacher career by having him be an underwear model. You just know that some people would have a fit about it -- which destracts me from the story.

Sinderella is great. Who hasn't wondered about seducing the man of their dreams? All it takes for Frankie is a mask, great lingerie, and a costume party. I love the opening to this book and the fact that her brother figures out what's going on. LOL

Leather and Lace was weirdly good. While I would never fall off the catwalk while modeling leather, lace and handcuffs it was still a good story. Loved the "uncle" scene - it was good for a chuckle.