Customer Reviews

Sins Of The Flesh (Aphrodisia)

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

 

 

Sins of the Flesh by Devyn Quinn

Rachel Marks had no choice but to close up her dream, the bookstore she always wanted to own, The Book Nook. Now that the new bookstore in the mall with the fancy café was taking all of her customers, there was just not enough money left to keep the shop open. She was flat broke, with bills coming out of her ears and no longer had a job.

Luckily she landed a job that was far less than her dream career, but it was at least something to help pay the bills. She was a waitress at the hot Goth nightclub Mystique. That is where she met the sexy, powerful owner Devon Carnavorn; he could make her hot just by walking into a room.

Devon was not your regular night club owner, he was a Kynn, a vampire that craved sex. He had a bad reputation for having so many female lovers, once one was out the door another one would come in. He was in love once with his bloodmate Ariel, but she was murdered early on in their relationship. When he first caught sight of Rachel's birthmark he knew she was a gift from Ariel. And no matter what, he would possess this woman and bring her into his world.

Rachel is introduced or shall we say thrown into the Kynn lifestyle. A night of orgies and sex, bloodletting and wine could change Rachel's safe world all in a matter of hours. The symptoms were already starting. No matter how much she cared for Devon, could she accept his world willingly? A battle of self against love, which do you think will win the war?

Devyn Quinn's books are erotic and enticing, like a fine wine they get better as they progress. The characters were extremely well detailed, and the sex scenes, OH MY!! I loved that there was a touch of romance to this vampiric tale, he actually did peruse her with roses and nice words before jumping in bed with her. Devyn Quinn writes novels that are hot enough to melt ice, this one will make you sweat! 5 Hearts

Devon Carnavorn is bored with his immortal existence. He's also lonely having lost his creator and love of his life Ariel, a hundred years before. The orgies and endless string of nameless, faceless partners are wearing him out. However being a `Sexual Vampire or Kynn' Devon needs the energy and connection obtained from the sexual act to survive. So what's a gorgeous, undead nightclub owner to do? He's considered suicide, walking into the sun would be quick and easy but he's never quite had the courage for his final act. Instead Devon coasts through decades of multiple partners both male and female in a vain hope that one day he will find his other half, his she-shaey.

Just when it seems like he can't face another night the lovely but down on her luck Rachel walks into his Goth nightclub and applies for a waitressing job. Devon is immediately entranced and Bonus she bares the birthmark denoting her to be his other half. He wants her like no other, he wants her for eternity but he's going to have to play it cool; he can't scare her away and will defiantly have to ease her into his alternative lifestyle. Unable to keep his eyes off her as she works Devon stares down from his office windows and visits her as she sleeps, having ghostly dream sex with her willing body. He even swears off woman, now having sex only with his protégé Julian. Devon then tries to woo Rachel with roses and gifts but she's not having it. Rachel's had a hard time of late; she's just lost her business and is flat broke and this Goth scene isn't really her style. The uniforms are too revealing and the patrons too wild. She's only taken this job to get out of debt. Rachel has also been burned one too many times in love and even though she immediately desires Devon wanting him, fantasising about him while in the bathtub. She also has a rule she won't date the boss.

I enjoyed this book. It has an interesting story line and the characters and situations are detailed and well written. It's also quite romantic for erotica and contains a touching love story. The initial sexual encounter between our heroes doesn't take place until well into the book which I appreciated, reader foreplay if you will. The sex scenes are explicit though and for the most part dark with just about anything your into being done including massages and spongebaths, masturbation, bloodletting, multiple partners and male on male. So it's sure to please all...or some.

However SINS OF THE FLESH wasn't without its faults. Devon as the hero is very inconsistent in his behaviours. At times he's nervous and bumbling and in the next event becomes a masterful alpha male. Rachel has also been written as shy and nervous then turns into a bit of a gutter mouthed tramp. She's also way too trusting. For instance after waiting well over a hundred years for Rachel, courting her and now unable to live without her Devon surprises Rachel by inviting her to an orgy then tells her she must choose; if she loves him she will have sex with a lot of strangers and if she leaves she can never come back, its over. There's also a really strange scene in a public park involving a knife which would have had me screaming and putting up a fight instead of saying okay cut my throat, I trust you even though I don't really know you.

If you're looking for unique erotica involving vampires where just about anything goes then you will enjoy this dark love story.

I gave this book 4 stars as I liked it but didn't love it to bits. Its a good erotic read with lots of sex and an interesting story line. I feel it could have been fleshed (giggle no pun intended) out more in the character development parts and the ending felt rushed. All that aside if your looking for erotica with multiple partners and vampires this is the novel for you.

There is no building up with this book. It comes out screaming erotic. I had loved Embracing Midnight and I was not disappointed in Sins of the Flesh. Devon represented the very sexual male and I loved him. The storyline was very erotic and one had little hard time in visualization into what was going on in the sex scenes! The only problem I have with Quinn's theory of the Vampire's survival is that they must have a sexual frenzy in this book andx Rachel has to accept that her lover will be having sex with others, besides her. It is bad enough that Devon has sex with a male but I also did not care for the fact that lifemates gets turned on while watching their "love of their life" having sex with someone else. I guess I am not into Bob, Carol, Ted and Alice! I do not wish to share my lover with anyone. Will I stop reading Quinn's Vampire books.......on my no! I still give the book five stars because if one is looking for a sensual vampire book, she certainly provides it.

`Rachel Marks', is a woman down on her luck, at 33 years old, her little book store, "The Book Nook", that she sunk her last dollar into has gone under. As a reader, I felt sad for Rachel immediately. She has no family, few friends, she rents her apartment and is in debt. Rachel doesn't know how she is going make the rent, let alone feed herself. She is very intelligent however, having earned an Associate Degree in Business Administration in college and she has significant work experience. Rachel pulls up her bootstraps and sets out to find job only to discover, there are few to be had. She sees an advertisement for a job as a hostess at the "Mystique", a goth nightclub on the edge of town which is known to attract a wilder crowd and there is also plenty of gossip concerning the nightclub's womanizing owner `Devon Carnavorn'.

Unknown to anyone, outside of Devon's close coterie of servants and those of his ilk called the `Kynn', he is a hedonistic, sexual vampire that thrives not just through taking blood from a human but also from simultaneous sex. Carnavorn was reborn as a vampire in 1895, sired by his beautiful lover Ariel. The story fast forwards to present day and we learn that he has long since lost Ariel at the hand of a goup of fanatical religious vampire slayers. Kynn vampires have an innate need to find their mate and bond. Having lost Ariel, his mate and great love, Devon is drifting. Despite having monetary wealth and a harem of willing donors, he is lonely, depressed and questioning his endless existence.

Rachel walks into Devon's office for job interview at the Mystique, and there is a magnetic sexual attraction like an electric current that jumps between them. Ms. Quinn crafted Devon's character to be of course extremely handsome, but he also has an extraordinary sensual aura and a psychic ability to arouse a woman without touching her. This is one HOT vamp. He pretty much thinks about sex all the time, because it is his nature, it along with blood revives and energizes him.

Rachel is a ringer for Ariel in appearance and inner aura that Devon senses quite swiftly. He wants Rachel and sets about to entice her into his world. She is inexorably drawn to him but is opposed to becoming involved with "the boss", after he hires her as a waitress.

Here is an example of Ms. Quinn's fabulous prose:

"Watching her work, an edge of keen anticipation stole away his breath. Spellbound, he couldn't seem to pull his gaze away from her. In her revealing uniform nothing was left to the imagination. The silky material glittered with sequins that sparkled as she moved, drawing attention to her full breasts, slender hips, and long, sleekly muscled legs. She looked enticing and tempting, a woman with a sexier-than-sin body and a mouth made for sucking."

Devon gradually seduces Rachel and succeeds in luring her into his life. However, the deeper she is drawn, the more her moral fiber is strained. This was another story crafted in such a way that as a reader, I didn't know if these unusual lovers would have their HEA or even survive until the last chapter.

There isn't an antagonist as such in this story and I thought about Devon Carnavon's character for days after finishing the book. I had a great deal of difficulty liking him at times and then I realized Devyn Quinn wrote him to be a protagonist/antagonist character. He is charismatic, handsome and exudes sensuality, however he is also manipulative, he uses people for sex; he is a hedonist in every sense of the word. There is a graphic m/m sex scene in this novel but given the nature of these vampires, it wasn't out of place.

I later discovered that Devon Carnavon and Rachel's story is continued in "Sins of the Night", which is waiting to be read in my TBR. If you enjoy erotic paranormal romance very much on the dark side, I highly recommend "Sins of the Flesh".

This is a well written, but definitely unusual vampire book. And to be honest, it just wasn't my cuppa. I never fully understood Rachel (the heroine) or Devon (the hero), or what actually motivated either one of them. There were several scenes that I felt were unnecessary (i.e. the orgy scenes), and didn't add anything to the book. And the overall tone of the whole book was a bit dark for my liking.

In Warren, California, Mystique Goth nightclub owner Devon Carnavorn is bored with life as an undead; when he accepted immortality back in 1895 England he never anticipated the ennui even with a century plus of beauties to warm his soul (that is if he had one). He even considered suicide, which is easy when the ruthless sunlight can destroy you, but that feels as wasted as each evening.

Once they opened up the mall, the small Main Street shops like Rachel Marks' bookstore went bankrupt. Twelve years of hard work for nothing. However, as much as she would like to drown in self-pity, she needs to pay her bills. Desperate she sees the ad for a waitress at Mystique, applies and his hired. When Devon sees his new employee, he finds an awakening enthusiasm for the first time in decades. Rachel reciprocates, but as they share heated sex and fall in love, his swearing that he is nocturnal because he is a vampire makes her doubt his sincerity. Devon wants to spend eternity with Rachel, but should he turn her without her acquiescing?

SINS OF THE FLESH lives up to its title as a torrid erotic vampire romance. Devon is a fascinating individual whose confidence has waned as immortality denotes monotony to him until he meets his new employee who is a jolt of caffeine to his heart. Rachel is not quite as despondent as her new boss, but is depressed until his lovemaking shakes her booty. The explicit sex scenes are well written as they as they run the gamut to orgy, homosexuality, anal and of course the lead pairing.

Harriet Klausner

I liked the basic premise of this tale, and it had its brilliant moments of characterization. The main character, Rachel, is someone we can all relate to. A woman whose had it rough but worked hard all her life to pull herself up by her bootstraps. She loses her bookstore downtown and is left pounding the pavement for a second-rate job at age 34.
I truly enjoyed the early interaction between Rachel and Devon, the vamp/Kyne club owner, once "lord of the Manor" back in England. Witty, and with a ring of truth as she tried to keep oh-so-sexy Devon, her new boss, at arm's length, in spite of his powers of mind seduction, etc. The description of the first night of waitressing, in high heels, is really done well, as are some the characters' ponderings about the meaning of life, etc. This gave depth to the story, but without going on and on.
The plot - while not complicated - is well done, but typical of the women's erotica genre. The writing style overall is very readable, and I can say this is a fairly new author I'd truly like to see more from.
With all the good things said about the book, I have to issue a warning here to the uninitiated. This book is not for everyone. It contains male-on-male action featuring the main character, orgies, blood-drinking from cuts with a knife, etc. Devon is a sexy, well-drawn character, but I personally am too much of a jealous b*&^^% to accept a main male character who not only shares you on the second (or so) date - if you can call it that, but does two females while you're watching. The male-on-male scene jolted me from the story and the fantasy of the relationship building between the Rachel and Devon, and seemed a little gratuitous. Now, once again - this is just a warning for those of you for whom m/m action is not your cup of tea. I usually don't mind it myself, but not from the main male character, whom I want to be focused on the main female character. I have such a romantic heart!
I also had to ask myself - if Devon's so desperately unhappy and dissatisfied with his jaded lifestyle, as portrayed in the beginning of the book - why did we not see more of a change for him through Rachel, rather than him turning Rachel and bringing her into an "eternity" of the same lifestyle that had him actually contemplating suicide in the beginning? I know finding "true love" is supposed to complete him, and for survival his kind must "feed" from sexual energy, but it made it hard for me to believe in a happy-ever-after for the couple, even though the twist in the end of the possibility of their children was very sweet and moving.
Overall, I liked this book. Please don't shy away if you enjoy this type of book. It is well-written and has a lot of high points. Just be aware, there are plot and character elements you may find not your thing. Otherwise, happy reading!

I love urban fantasy, and like paranormal romance, especially if it is well-written and has the bonus of hot sex scenes. If you are looking for a book with excellent sex scenes this is the book for you. If you are looking for a well written story outside of the sex scenes, then I would skip it.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Rachel has just lost everything, forced into bankruptcy after her ex-boyfriend stole all her money and she had to close down her little book store. Desperate to find a job, any job, that will pay the bills she ends up at Mystique, the hot Goth Club that is the place to hang out. Not exactly thrilled with the idea of pushing drinks with her body, she knows it will make her plenty of money to get out of debt. She never counted on Devon...

Devon is the owner of the club who knows Rachel is meant for him the moment he sees her. He also hides a dark and sexy secret. Devon is one of the Kynn, vampires that feed on the sexual energies of humans, drinking small amounts of blood to forge the sexual bond necessary for full satisfaction. He has long been alone, and desires above all else to bring Rachel over into his world. But will the eroticism of their relationship be enough to convince her to join him in eternity?

I've been a fan of Devyn Quinn's for several years and a few pseudonyms now, and I always know I can expect a great story spiced up with some very sexy love scenes. I have read several of her books that are being republished soon or have been recently, but I've not read the books in this series before now. She has a way with words that guarantees a beautiful and sexually charged story that gets me every time.

Wow! Sins of the Flesh is one hot hot HOT book! Pull out the ice and fans my friends, you're going to need them to cool off after reading this book! I admit, I did have to skip a couple chapters that were a bit out of my comfort zone, but the majority of the scenes, those which I did read, are incredibly well done.

Rachel and Devon are perfectly matched, each strong where the other may be weak, perfectly balancing them out as a couple. Rachel is a very practical young woman, concerned more with making ends meet and keeping the bills paid and a roof over head than she is in engaging in wild and crazy nights out. Devon owns a night club where excitement and adventure are the names of the game. He helps Rachel to loosen up and remember what it means to have fun and Rachel brings Devon down to earth more than he has been in a very long time.

I am eager to see what Devyn Quinn has planned for us in her next book in the series, Sins of the Night, due out in the next month or so.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2008. All rights reserved.