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36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
When the bad-boy hero is so bad you root for the villain, September 19, 2010
Angelina moves to Houston to flee a stalker and to woo her true love Micah, who sees Angelina like a kid sister. Angelina is a submissive who will do anything to convince Dom Micah that she is the woman for him. Maya Banks is a talented writer whose story telling gets better and better. She has a smooth style and I've enjoyed several of her books, especially the Sweet series. I liked the characters and was pulling for our hero Micah and our heroine Angelina to come together up until the football game at about p. 200. At this point I think Banks alienated her readers - at least me - as I took myself out of the story and shook my head. Our former nice guy from the other books Micah treated Angelina so badly that I started rooting for the stalker (at least he sent chocolates and flowers). I wanted the stalker to rescue Angelina from her horrid boyfriend Micah who "gave" her to his buddies, at one point leaving the room, while they held her down and used her. But apparently she likes this, which is why I felt sorry for Angelina and wanted her to get some therapy for her low self-esteem. At this point I ceased to care whether Micah worked out his issues or discovered he really loved Angelina since I wanted him to choke on a gag ball. Football stats: It almost takes a spread sheet to keep track of the football game gang-bang that went on for 40 pages. This really was a complicated and skillfully executed piece of writing but it did push the limits of my suspended disbelief. First, you have to believe a Texan would choose sex over football. Then in a 4-hour game (adding an hour for over time and the postgame show) 4 guys in their mid-thirties jizzed 12 times. (I don't think this is possible after about age 18.) During 8 mostly ménage sex acts, including 3 BDSM acts with wax, whips, a beam etc., Angelina endured 9 front-door penetrations, 3 back-door penetrations, 6 oral penetrations and apparently had 5 orgasms -- even though the guys used her hair as a bridal and stuffed her mouth so she couldn't breathe -- or say "stop", not that she would -- but it's fiction, so ok. In my opinion Angelina was treated worse than a whore so I think Micah and pals owe her some cash. Even at the bargain rate of 50 bucks an entry, I think she should bill a good 900 for this football game -- and reimbursement for the medical expenses any woman without steel orifices would incur. I know, I know this is erotic fiction, so she's ok. Reality is tissue tearing, blood, fecal incontinence, abrasions and infection, but who wants to read about that. Plot wise Banks has got to call a moratorium on the kidnapper scenario. Of the six Banks books I've read four have used the bad guy kidnapping the heroine as the turning point into the dramatic conclusion. She's got to stop it, or buy new plot software or something. This book is good for readers who enjoy reading about total dominance, sharing, pushing a sub's limits and ménage BDSM acts; readers who like Nathan and Julie will enjoy a couple very romantic scenes with them in it; and for writers who want to study how a good orgy scene is written (it was very skillfully done, you have to admit). But if you are looking for a traditional romance, standard Dom/sub scenes, original plot twists, or character arcs this isn't the book.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Wanted to Love, But Had Trouble Finding My Groove", June 13, 2010
This review is from: Sweet Temptation (Heat) (Paperback)
The Plot: The fourth book in Maya Banks's Sweet series tells the story of Micah. Micah's mysterious past comes to full light in this book--the tragic story of how his wife and best friend were killed in a tragic car accident and how he abandoned his best friend's kid sister, Angelina, in Miami when he fled the city trying to escape his past. But, Angelina is now all grown up and has been longing for Micah for years, waiting for him to move past the loss of his wife and to be able to love again. Taking cues that he is finally ready, Angelina moves to Houston to try to seduce Micah and, while she finds his friends more than welcoming, Micah is resistant to her advances at best. On top of this, Angelina's mysterious Miami stalker has followed her to Houston and begun threatening her and her newfound friends. Zelda's Take: In the first three books of the Sweet series, Micah comes off as a true-blue kind of guy. He's good looking, likes to play, a hard worker and extremely loyal to his friends. What we don't see lurking below the surface is that he has run from his old life Miami, from the memories of his wife and lover... his best friends. We find that he has also run from the orphaned kid-sister of his best friend, whom he'd promised his best friend he'd care for in the event anything ever happened to him. He just walked. And forgot about her. It's kind of sad. So Micah is obviously damaged goods--he has baggage and emotional issues that would be hard for anyone to move beyond. That being said, he responds to Angelina in what I felt was a really rude and inappropriate manner. He's downright mean to her when he is obviously attracted to her at the same time. Not only is he downright mean to her, but I feel he also uses her when he tells her that he'll play with her sexually, but won't ever give her anything more. Micah character fail. Boo. Which moves us to the play. And, oh, does Micah play with Angelina. He takes this girl every which way to Sunday and there's no question he likes it rough with some pretty hard-core BDSM. As with some of Banks's previous Sweet books, it is the sex in this one that redeems it in my eyes. Despite this, what bugs me is that Angelina is willing to take any- and everything that Micah throws her way without expecting anything in return from him. She is happy enough to just give herself to him despite the fact that that he is wholly disrespectful of her. I have issues with weak women who won't stand up for themselves, and have a hard time respecting Angelina for forsaking so much of herself here. On top of this, with the stalker/kidnapper Banks has brought in another nefarious plotline that seems a bit too ancillary to be real and relevant to the story. I just found it unecessary and a bit contrived. Not to mention Micah's seemingly miraculous turnaround once he knows Angelina is in danger... all of a sudden he is a changed man! So, unfortunately, as hot as I thought Micah was going into this book and as excited as I was to get some more time with him in the House, his treatment of Angelina in this book really bothered me. Sure, I get that he was struggling through his issues, but I just don't see that as a worthy enough excuse. That being said, the sex was still hot, so I can say that it's still a worthy read for some good BDSM play, but if it had to float on it's plot and character-development alone, we'd have a swiftly sinking ship.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Definite Temptation for Erotic Romance lovers & Maya Banks fans, April 6, 2010
This review is from: Sweet Temptation (Heat) (Paperback)
Micah lost his wife as well as his best friend in a tragic accident that left him unable to cope with the painful memories of his loss, so he moves to a different city and creates a new life for himself in hopes to be able to forget the agony of all that he has lost with their deaths. Each year he makes a pilgrimage to their graves, then secretly visits a club to submit to inflicted pain as a physical manifestation and release from his grief and anguish that he suppresses and hides in his replacement life. Angel is a determined, strong, and resilient woman who knows what she wants...and she wants Micah. She will stop at virtually nothing to prove to Micah that she is the one woman who understands him and can fulfill both of their needs. Running from a stalker she feels the timing is perfect to pursue Micah; to let him know how she feels about him and hopefully gain his love while hiding from the dangerous admirer who is pursuing her. I've loved the Sweet series, and Sweet Temptation is no exception. One of the things that I think Maya Banks does so well is create a world of friends that readers crave to know more about again and again. Readers of this series will not be disappointed as they get a glimpse into the lives of the characters they have grown to love. I think her dialogue between friends whether they be male or female is close to genius. When reading these passages it feels exactly like you could be there taking part in the fun. That being said, I had some serious doubts about Micah as a hero about half way through the book. I questioned whether I liked Micah because of how he treated and reacted to Angel...in more than one scene. But Micah is a very complex Alpha hero. He feels guilt, rage, desire, fear, lust....and finally love. Those are a lot of emotions to have to deal with and all of these emotions translate in their sexual encounters. At first, Angel feels that she needs to prove to Micah that she can handle all of his dark and demanding sexual needs. Their relationship is illustrated through many love scenes, some of which I initially thought were a bit excessive (even for an erotic romance), but the more I reflected on the story the more I realized that the sex scenes were a very carefully orchestrated series of escalating events that progressively intensified with Micah's growing need to prove and test not only himself, but also Angel. The more he pushes her, and the more it seemed like the sex scenes were deliberately unemotional on Micah's part, the more it showed his growing obsession and craving for her acceptance and love. He continuously tries to prove to himself that his feelings for Angel are nothing more than lust. Micah is an overwhelming alpha and Dominant hero. Angel continuously tries to demonstrate to Micah that she can take anything he can dish, and tries to reveal her love for him by being submissive and accepting of his wants, needs, and desires....including accepting that she may never have the kind of love that he had for his deceased wife. At times I wanted to shake Angel and have her realize that she was worthy of his love, not just his acceptance...to not solely focus on Micah's needs, but to discover her own worthiness of love. And in the end she does. She realizes that she is worthy of the kind of love he had for his first wife and is not satisfied to settle for a relationship where her love is not returned in full measure. Maya Banks pulled the story together beautifully. I loved the way the book ended with an intimate scene between Angel and Micah, not of a sex scene as an expression of their love for each other. Instead it was with a heartfelt declaration that honestly showed what he was willing to do to earn the love that Angel gave so freely. It was much more meaningful, and I felt that it really showed the progression of their relationship that began with sex, but ended with words of love. Sweet Temptation is intensely sexual, just like its hero Micah. It is also endearing because of the friendships, emotional and heartrending because of all that Angel and Micah go through, as well as suspenseful with just the right amount of danger to declare that in the end, love is triumphant. It is totally and completely engrossing. I think you will feel a wide range of emotions when reading this story, one which is definitely a sweet temptation for romance lovers. Read and enjoy all of the books in this series. I know I have! I've found that I've developed a "sweet tooth" for Maya Banks and anxiously await each novel. My favorite scene: (a few sentences have been deleted because it gave away too much of the story, however it doesn't diminish it's meaningfulness IMO) He stared back down at her face, her lashes resting delicately against her cheeks, the dark smudges beneath her eyes, like bruises. This....this was what loved looked like. Vulnerable yet strong. Constant, unwavering...He was absolutely, completely unworthy of her loyalty. The magnitude of injustice he'd heaped on her was enough to make him sick. He'd treated her like some sexual conquest, a toy to slake his lust while he kept his heart guarded and safe... He bent and whispered against her soft skin, "I never want you to know another day without my love, Angel girl." P 337-338 Ratings: 4.75 stars (this one is hot, even for an erotic romance...some BDSM, menage with 4 men, and many sex scenes with just the H/h)
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