Boss With Benefits by Lelani Black

Story: 8.5
Presentation: 8.5
Total: 17
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Erotic
To Purchase

Blurb: Hot Honolulu bachelor Jack Sloane has finally fallen in love. Problem is, he can’t find his woman–a mysterious beauty who showed up after-hours at his Waikiki office and spent one erotic night with him he'll never forget. How such a sexy beauty could be his frumpy secretary's sister is a mystery. He has to see her again and convince her he's worth more than a one night stand.
Keely St. John has no intention of helping her gorgeous boss locate his fantasy girl. How can she without exposing her secret? It’s bad enough she’s spent the last three months fantasizing about him while carefully maintaining her drab image. Now her one lusty night with the island tycoon could cost more than just her job and a Boss with Benefits.

Review: Now, I had already read this story in e-book but when I saw it come across my email in audio form I knew I had to check it out. The story was still cute and the sex was still smokin'. I thought that the narrorator did a good gob expressing emotion and characters.

No doubt that Ms Black has written a steamy tale but I must give props to Audio Lark for their quality of audio book. I find that I really enjoy the vast majority of the product that they put out and have to say that when I am in the market for an audio of my favorite titles you can bet that I will be going to them :)

The Cougar Meets Her Master by KyAnn Waters

Story: 8.5
Presentation: 7.5
Total: 16
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Erotic
To Purchase

Blurb: Taylor Davis is turning 40. Her high powered job leaves little room for romance outside of her high powered vibrator that sleeps under her pillow. No pillow talk allowed. And no complaints from her. The rabbit never quits before she's done, doesn't complicate her calendar, and Taylor doesn't have to concoct excuses to make it go home when she's through.


Enter Colt Foster. Has the bitch of the Beau Monde Hotel and Casino met her match? The hot, young detective has his own rules...and expects Taylor to play by them. Can she say no when Colt slaps on the cuffs? Does she want to?
Review: The story was sexy, witty and hot! Yet another sample of Ms Waters ability to sexify a rocking story and create a totally knockout tale. Aside from the fact that I think this audio book would have been better with a “younger” sounding reader, I think it was done well. There is just something not so sexy about listening to a grandmotherly sounding woman talking about screwing a hot younger man that just…..well….eh. I kept having to remind myself that the heroine was only 40 and not in her 60’s.

Overall I really loved the story. Another sexy tale by Ms Waters. I can’t wait to read another from this author.

Pure Sin by Rynne Raines

Story: 9.5
Presentation: 7
Total: 16.5
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Erotic BDSM
To Purchase

Blurb: Whips. Blindfolds. Restraints. And a man rumored to be the most skilled Dom in the city... As the BDSM instructor at the hottest fetish club in Los Angeles, Bianca Alexander prides herself on being open, honest, and informative with her clientele when it comes to kink. The fact that she hasn't knelt before a master of her own in four long years doesn't affect her ability to teach, though a part of her longs to be back in her Dom's arms. But when her boss hires Cade Sinclair--her primary rival from a competing club--to assist teaching her classes, Bianca's comfortable solo act becomes a sinful duet drenched in Pure Sin.


Review: I read this story when it first came out in e-book with The Wild Rose Press. When I realized it was now available in audio I knew I had to hear it. I still really like the story. Nothing has changed in that. There are still great characters, a great plot and emotions that damn near choked me with intensity.

The only difference between this review and the original review I wrote is the presentation of the story. While I felt the reader did a pretty good job reading and filled the story with both emotion and brought the characters to life, I found several editing issues with the audio book. Most belonged in a single chapter where I found several instances when the reading was all spliced together a couple times it was repeated. Almost like the splice just went into the wrong…… just went into the wrong place before the story carried on.

Aside from these issues overall the product was as good as I expected. A really good story put into an audio form. This is one that I could listen to a bunch :)

Chinatown Buffet by Shannon Leigh

Story: 9
Presentation: 8
Total: 17
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Erotic
To Purchase

Blurb: After a hard day at the office, corporate executive Mei Ling Zhao wants nothing more than some Chinese take-out and a stiff drink.


She's about to get so much more. Her delivery boy turns out to be a tall, hot cowboys who is ready to deliver any fantasy she wants.

Who is she to argue? A night of passion might just relieve some of her stress. But does Mei Ling's delivery boy have an ulterior motive...?


Review: Wow. I am not sure I will ever be able to order Chinese food again without thinking of this story :) I know I will never look at my delivery man the same ;)

SMOKIN' HOT!!!!! I loved this one. Between the story and characters and the narrator, Chinatown Buffet kicked ass and took names all the way. A super hot listen that was well worth it :)

Borrowed Stilettos by Rebecca J. Clark

Story: 9.5
Presentation: 8.5
Total: 18
Publisher: Audio Minx
Contemporary Erotic
To Purchase

Blurb: It’s a classic case of mistaken identity. But this time, it’s no mistake.


Plans go hilariously and seductively awry when mild-mannered Audrey Thompson dresses as Ava, her flamboyant but cowardly twin. It is Audrey’s task, as Ava, to break up with Ava’s fiancé, Zach Banister. However, as Audrey is stuffing her bra and tottering around in her sister’s stilettos, she falls for Zach instead. Little does she know Zach has an agenda all his own.

Review: Are you doing a double take at this review? Have you figured out why? It's not the first time SR has reviewed this book :) I first did a review back in March when this title was released from The Wild Rose Press. When I saw that it was in audio book with Audio Lark I got so excited!!!!

The story? Oh yeah, it still rocks!!!  The only difference in this review is the fact that this is an audio. The presentation score this time is a bit lower than it was the first time around but that is simply based on my opinion of the reader of this book. It in no way reflects on the story....because it still kicks ass!! :)  Can you tell that i really liked this one? Enough that I have read it in 2 different formats? Yeah...sigh...it's a keeper :) Still :)

Shadow of the Hawk by Judith Rochelle

Story 8
Presentation 9
Total: 17
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Western
To Purchase

Blurb: Hawk Riley’s life was in a downward spiral until his truck fell on him and he met Maggie Devereaux.

Maggie had problems. Lots of them. A stranger was out to destroy her. She was on the verge of losing her famous cutting horse ranch, Mercy Creek. And she needed help to prepare for the Wayback Grand Rodeo, her make-it-or-break-it moment.

Can Hawk help Maggie save Mercy Creek… and save himself, as well?

Review: Maggie has a quarter horse breeding ranch and she also has lessons and practice supervision for riders on their own horses. Her ex-husband wiped out all of her bank accounts and left her in dire circumstances. She also has a neighbor who wants her land because he is involved in a secret billion dollar development .He causes a lot of trouble; cutting fences to let the horses out, and calling the feed store and changing her delivery orders for example.

Hawk is a former rodeo cowboy who is down on his luck, a drinker, a brawler, and has a poor reputation for everything except his training ability with horses. He has very few possessions except his beat-up pickup, his horse trailer, and his quarter horse Jocko.

On his way to her ranch to ask for a job, he has a flat tire. When he is changing the tire, the truck slips and falls on him. He wakes up in a hospital with a broken leg, a broken arm and other injuries. Hawk has no insurance and no money to pay the bill.

Maggie offers him a job, to act as her fiancee and give her support in running her ranch. He reluctantly agrees and the romance is on. They are attracted to each other from the star.

This is the first audio book I have listened to and I found it to be much more enjoyable than I expected. The reader put a lot of feeling into her reading and presentation of the story. The varying inflection she put to each character's talking added a lot of interest. It was not just a dry monotone reading that I expected.

A Thick Black Line by Judah Raine

Story: 7
Presentation: 9
Total: 16
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Suspense
To Purchase

Blurb: Bo Carmichael has drawn a thick black line around her heart, and with good reason. She has worked hard to overcome the anguish of betrayal and the devastation it wreaked in her family’s lives, and she’s now close to realizing her dreams. There simply isn’t a place in this equation for emotional entanglements, especially not with Nic Sinclaire, the only man who has the ability to breach her defenses.




From their first encounter, an impossible chemistry rages between them a crackling heat that threatens to melt the ice surrounding her. A bizarre twist makes Nic a constant companion and self-appointed protector. As Bo’s barriers shift and crumble, she can no longer ignore the powerful emotions his proximity evokes.

Review: Do you like suspense? Construction? Romance? This one has all three :)

While at times the construction/ developer aspect of the story seemed to drag, once the suspense was unleashed it got good. Not a story you will be able to sit and listen to in one sitting due to the length but a story worth the time, non the less :)

I really liked the plot, the characters and the suspense aspects. It was rolled into a neat package that worked :)

Redeeming Stanley by Bodie Parkhurst

Story: 8
Presentation: 9
Total: 17
Publisher: Audio Lark
Contemporary Romance with a dash of Paranormal
To Purchase

Blurb: Not your average romance novel!

Annie’s sick of settling for cleaning up after the messes of her hapless boyfriend, Weldon, so when she gets an inheritance she sets off for greener pastures. Now she’s confronted with her grandmother’s ghost, a manor full of dependents, a pack of hell-hounds and a gardener who might just be the man of her dreams.

Meanwhile, Angela’s convinced her brand of love could turn life around for the seedy man living down the street, if only she could get him away from the floozy living next door. But the old gods are waking up again and she might just get the surprise of her life.

Warning: this book requires a wicked sense of humor!

Review: What ever you do DO NOT ignore the warning :) If you are not pretty open minded, if you don't have a slightly twisted sense of humor then I have to say this story might not be for you.
 
For Me though, OMG, what a trippy, interesting, wickedly wild story :) Somehow I missed the WARNING when I snagged this one so when I first started it, My Mouth Dropped! But oh how I kept going :) And I am so glad I did.
 
Weldon? He sucks. Total grade A butt munch of the highest order, no doubt. I got sucked into his and Annie's story. Then you have Stan and Angela. Oh yeah, that is a story all on it's own, but the way Bodie twined them together....SWEET!
 
Now, if you are a bit faint of heart I must tell you that there is reference to....a woman making it with a dog. Reference hell, Grandma admits it. However, I have to say that the dog...well he used to be a human but is now trapped in his doggie body. Ehh, I could roll with it because of the tone of the entire story and the fact that there was no depiction. :)
 
The Independent Entity? Oh I laughed so hard. Wanna know what I am talking about? Now you know I can't spoil it :)

Nana's Little Black Book by Shannon Leigh

Story: 8.5
Presentation: 9
Total: 17.5
Publisher: Audio Lark
Erotic Paranormal
To Purchase

Blurb: A firm believer in alternative medicine, Catrina’s recently deceased grandmother had a tincture or tea to cure everything from sore throats to insomnia.


But when Catrina discovers a secret vault beneath the braided carpet in Nana’s room, one filled with various artifacts of magic, to say she was befuddled would be an understatement. What secrets had died with her mysterious Nana? And what ones would she discover within this strange treasure trove?

One item in particular draws her attention, a little black book that seems widely out of place. As she investigates this strange tome, Catrina discovers that it’s a phone book for summoning a male demon who will carry out whatever duty the bookkeeper requires of him.

Inadvertently, her fingers brush the calling pad within, bringing forth Malthus, the Earl of Hell. While his previous tasks for her Nana mainly included general carpentry, Malthus plans on fulfilling some of Catrina’s more carnal needs as well…

Review: Audio books rock. The ease and convenience of listening while you do something, anything else makes them cool. Wanna listen to a super sexy, hot and spicy one? Make sure the kids aren't around :)

Naughty Nana!  WOW This one was a total turn on and then some. Dominant demons, Hot sex and just one woman who controls them with a book. YEAH BABY!!!!!  Nana's Little Black Books wasn't a boring listen to be sure. I am not sure how many times I became so focused on the story that I totally spaced and the words where the only thing resonating in my mind. NICE!!!

The narrator did a good job telling the story in a way that flowed and worked well. All in all a good story and product :)

Another Chance, Another Time by Catherine Snodgrass

Story: 8.5

Presentation: 8

Total: 16.5

Publisher: Audio Lark

Paranormal

To Purchase

Blurb: He has spent an eternity trying to protect and provide for the love of his life. Each time he has failed…miserably. Now fate has given them another chance. Will Alec Edwards and Dani Morgan learn from the mistakes of their past or repeat them all over again?

Review: I have to say that this tale really grabbed me. The characters were written well and I found them easy to relate to. The situations they found themselves in were easy to believe and the ride along the way was one that I found emotional.

This is a story that I would definitely read... okay listen to :), again and probably enjoy more the second time around. My only complaint about the formatting was the length and the fact that this 7 hour audio book was in one large file instead of several smaller ones. Aside from that everything was superb.

Spaceport Security by Shelby Morgen

Story: 7

Presentation: 8.5

Total: 15.5

Publisher: Audio Lark

Erotic Futuristic

To Purchase

Blurb: A dark corner of a seedy bar on the edge of nowhere. A woman who’s seen too much. A man who moves through the shadows with the grace of a cat.

She’s on his tail, and he’s determined to find out why. Once he might have been flattered to have her checking out his ass. Now he knows women are dangerous. And far, far too expensive.

But Commander Kala Decoltéir always gets her man, and she wants the space pirate they call Dancer — no matter who — or what — he is. This time, Dancer has no escape.

Review: I love a good hot erotic. Always have. Reviewing an audio book is a bit different than reading one.

First let me start with the story. I enjoyed both characters. Shifters are hot! Both characters were well developed and the sex was hot...at least until one scene when he is in full cat form, paws and all. Other than that one scene I enjoyed most of the story. It was full of action and lots of cool futuristic stuff that makes Sci-fi cool to read.

Now for presentation. The narrator had a very strong accent. I really had to focus on the reading to make sure my brain was catching all the story. other than that, her ability to capture what I felt was the correct emotion the author wanted portrayed was wonderful.

All in all I dug it!

Lost in Paradise by Allie Boniface

Story: 9

Presentation: 8

Total: 17

Publisher: Audio Lark

Contemporary audio book

To Purchase

Blurb: Ashton Kirk, youngest daughter of a prestigious senator, fiancée of a hotshot attorney, and fresh Harvard graduate, is headed for a promising law career when scandal breaks apart her family. Suddenly, she finds herself newly single and ashamed of her name. To escape, she rents an apartment in the sleepy town of Paradise, New Hampshire, where no one knows who she is.

Ashton hopes for solitude, but all bets are off when Eddie West, the town’s most eligible bachelor, moves in downstairs. The brawny auto mechanic loves his women and his cars shiny, sleek, and fast, and when he meets his new housemate, he wastes no time getting friendly. While Eddie is looking for a no-strings romance, though, he gets more than he bargained for in Ash, who sees through his bravado to the pain of a loss too fresh to mention.

Can two people from different worlds find common ground, a place to fall in love and build a future together? Or will Ashton’s past and Eddie’s scars keep them apart just as the summer heat brings them together? Is it possible to find your soul mate in the place you least expect to?

Review: I really enjoyed this story! Filled to the brim with family issues, a woman trying to sort out her problems, a man working past guilt and a romance that won't be denied.

There were times when I felt that the narrator didn't grasp the tone the author intended for the characters to have which made it a little odd for me to hear but other than that, it was worth the listen. A very entertaining story to hear. I loved every second, minute and hour.

Well, done, Ms Boniface and Audio Lark for crafting and putting together a story and presentation that kept me coming back until I heard every last word :)