Limecello’s review of Laced With Desire by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, Denise Rossetti
Erotic romance anthology released by Berkley Trade 2 Feb 10

I read Unlaced, which is the book before this one, and enjoyed it. I really liked Laced with Desire as well. Admittedly, I thought some of it was a little weird, but overall I thought it was well written. There’s definitely a lot of variety in it, and seems to be a pretty good representation of all the authors. I liked that for this being an erotic romance anthology, there was a heavy focus on the relationship between the characters, and emotions as well.

No Strings Attached by Jaci Burton

I have to admit, I love the story line Jaci Burton used – the “forbidden woman” as well as friends to lovers. Ella has been widowed for five years, and while she’s done amazingly in business, personally, she’s let her live stagnate. She goes off to Hawaii, and her over protective friend Clay is driven to go and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid… and finds he’s more than attracted to her

It’s nice that Ella and Clay had a relationship prior to the impetuous trip to Hawaii. Even more, that Clay had been friends with Ella and her deceased husband. The fact that Ms. Burton addressed the complicated relationship, and the anxieties and misgivings Ella might have, really gave this story depth.

It also makes Clay that much more likable. Yes, both character avoid their emotions, and there’s a bit of run around, but for a novella, I thought it was extremely well written.

The story is hot, the characters fit, and nothing too outrageous happens. The characters were also very natural, believable, and developed. I’m very much looking forward to Ms. Burton’s next book – it seems her writing only gets better.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Jaci Burton breaks the rule of mixing business with pleasure when two professional rivals cross paths at a tropical resort. She figures she can handle a fling with no strings attached. He’s out to show her that she figured wrong.

Read an excerpt here.

La Petite Mort by Jasmine Haynes

For those of you who like such stories, the hero and heroine in this novella are slightly older. (In their 40s or more.) Sophia was a model, but has lived the consummate life. She made a mistake while young, and due to the alienation it caused with her father, has been extremely careful since. The fact that she thinks she may be dying makes for a believable catalyst in making changes.

This story features a threesome, but somehow Ms. Haynes makes it seem very personal still, and that it brings Sophia and Ford closer together, rather than adding complications. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s believable.

In a way, the biggest hang up might be the fact that Ford is Sophia’s boss.
There isn’t a lot of substance to this story, as the word/page constraints limit that, but I thought that Ford and Sophia were well developed. I got a sense of who they were, and understood their characters. And the fact that they liked and admired each other before entering a physical relationship – and that it was natural, if not bound to happen.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Jasmine Haynes explores the lust of a former supermodel who needs to finally fulfill a no-holds-barred sexual fantasy. Finding two men to do it with is easy. But are they up to giving her all the pleasure she’s been denied?

Read an excerpt here.

Honor Bound by Joey W. Hill

I have to say… I was not expecting this story. It features and interesting dynamic with a dominant and submissive. It’s a continuation of the Knights of the Boardroom, and admittedly, this novella is why I was so excited for the entire anthology. I’ve only read the previous story, and I think my selective reading left me confused. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of sexy, kinky stuff going on in this story. And, a lot in general, with layers and emotions and characters.

All the males are dominants, the women submissives. (More so in this story, than the others, which is some of the cause for my surprise.)

Additionally, both Dana and Peter are soldiers. I liked that they had that commonality, and that Ms. Hill treated it so realistically. Dana is actually injured, and blinded, and worse. While tragic, I appreciated the fact that the characters are wounded in battle, rather than superhuman and making war seem like a day at the amusement park.
It also leads to a very complex psychological push and pull between Dana and Peter, because there’s the question of their relationship (or lack thereof), and the reasons why they might get back together.

I liked the love at first sight concept, and the fact that even though Peter is the dominant, he writes to Dana for a year, knowing she won’t respond. There’s give and take to the relationship, that had nice balance, and made me believe in a real romantic relationship between the two. It helped me understand more of BDSM, I suppose. It’s definitely not my thing, but I could see how and why it was for Dana, and that also made me like and appreciate Honor Bound.

Grade: B

Summary:

Joey W. Hill reveals the erotic bond between a master and the beautiful submissive who stole his heart. Recapturing their night of unparalleled passion won’t be easy—until a specific piece of lingerie comes into play.

When not called up by the National Guard, Peter Winston is a successful businessman, part of the K&A management team. Like the other four members, he’s also a sexual Dominant, adept at bringing a woman to pleasurable surrender. The night before he heads out on his second Afghanistan tour, he meets Dana, a sexual submissive who gets into his head and heart the way no woman ever has.

But Dana is also an Army sergeant. It will be over a year before they see one another again, and when they do, she’s suffered injuries that took her sight and will to live. With the creative use of a corset and the talents of the other K&A males, Peter sets the stage for another special night for them, knowing that only a submissive’s willingness to trust her Master will bring her back to love and life again.

Read an excerpt here.

Rhio’s Dancer by Denise Rossetti

There was a lot going on in this story, but I found the ending to be really cute. I did feel that I might be missing something by not having read many of Denise Rossetti’s other books. This is a fantasy romance, and a continuation from Ms. Rossetti’s novella in Unlaced, and I liked that a lot. We get a cameo visit from the previous couple, and a happy ending for Rhio and Amae (Dancer).

The setting makes things a bit difficult, and some time needs to be spent describing the world, social structure, and political system, even, but there’s still a nice connection between Rhio and Amae. Yes, sex brings them together, and there’s this whole sub plot to stop the assassination of the queen (like how I just threw that out there? It’s not the main focus of the story anyway…) it all works to bring Rhio and Amae together.

Amae is damaged – she’s been a slave for fifteen years, and for all that Rhio is a hardened captain, he’s a genuinely nice guy. There’s a scene where he’s cuddling with Amae, and she expresses surprise. The juxtaposition of sex and violence and soft tender moments rounds everything out nicely.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Denise Rossetti goes beyond the limits of desire when she pairs a battle-scarred veteran of love and war with a woman who’s just as fearless and twice as dangerous. What happens between them is positively combustible. But what a way to go.

Rhio’s a battle-scarred veteran of both love and war, a soldier right down to his bootstraps. But he’s never met a woman as fierce, as fascinating – as dangerous – as Dancer. And she’s up to her pretty neck in political intrigue. She just might kill him before they’re through, but what a glorious way to go!

Read an excerpt here.

I have to say, each story was distinct, and yet incorporated a corset on some level. It was nice to get the whole “laced with desire” idea into all four in such different ways. Cute, and well done.

Overall Grade: B

Summary:

Rough hands rounding the curves of a soft warm body—caressing, stroking,
edging her toward exquisite pleasure…

Seduction is a cinch in these four all-new sizzling stories from the hot authors of Unlaced…

Reader Blogger Marg, you can find her at Reading Adventures and Historical Tapestry, was nice enough to agree to share with us her adventure at the Australian Romance Readers Convention this past weekend.

If we get lucky we can talk her into sharing some more photos and stories.

Ever since I have been blogging, each year when everyone started talking about going to either RWA or other major romance conferences, I have sat here in my chair in suburban Melbourne, Australia turning various shades of green. Whether people were posting about meeting their favourite authors, or the goodies rooms, or the signings, I read all the posts thinking about how it was all kinds of awesome that they were getting to do such fun things. The thing was, no matter how envious I became, the simple fact was that at this point in my life there is no way that I would be able to go to the US to attend such an event.

So when I just happened to read something about an Australian Romance Readers Convention back in December 2007, I was over the moon! And then when it was announced that it was in Melbourne, I was again really excited. And then, in what seems like no time at all, the inaugural ARRC is over, all the delegates have gone home and I am sure that the organising committee members are all collapsed in a heap in exhaustion.

It is difficult to give just the highlights so that this guest post isn’t as long as the weekend itself, so instead I will try to just give a taste of the flavour of the weekend. The most obvious place to start is with the keynote speakers – those who were invited to travel half way around the world to come to visit their Aussie fans, and I can tell you those fans were very appreciative! Mary Janice Davidson, Susan Grant, Liz Maverick, Sherrilyn Kenyon (with special guest Dianna Love), and not forgetting Stephanie Laurens (who didn’t come half way around the world, but we still appreciate her nonetheless). We laughed until we cried, we were inspired, we were challenged and above all we were entertained!

One of the things that I often say on my own blog is that I don’t read enough Aussie authors, and I have to say that I learnt something that kind of surprised me this weekend! There are a LOT of Aussie authors out there. They write in various different subgenres, from Mills and Boon (Harlequin), to the big NY publishing houses, to e-books and other publishers like Samhain. I have come home determined that I am definitely going to read more Aussies – Keri Arthur, Denise Rossetti and others, I am talking about your books! An Aussie author that I already read is Anna Campbell and it was great to see her latest book, Tempt the Devil, officially launched in Australia by Stephanie Laurens on Saturday afternoon.

At Saturday night’s dinner, I was lucky enough to be sitting with the gorgeous Kat O from Book Thingo, plus her librarian (yes, librarian and borrower attended together – how great is that!) with some other girls, including two Samhain authors and we had an absolutely fantastic time, so much so that I forgot to take pictures of some of the award winners and of the people sitting at the table. Kat, Vassiliki, Jess Dee and Lexxie Couper, thanks ladies. And don’t worry, what happened at dinner and what we talked about at dinner, stays at dinner. Have to say though – those mini cakes were to die for!

One of the things that the conference coincided with was the National Day of Mourning on Sunday for the bushfire victims from the terrible fires that started in early February with such devastating loss of life and property. As I write this on Monday night, we have been reminded that the fire crisis is not over with existing firest still burning and new fires starting on the outskirt of Melbourne this afternoon with more loss of homes. My point in mentioning this is that one of the initiatives of the organisers was a silent auction with the proceeds being donated to the Red Cross Australian Bushfires Appeal. There were many, many generous authors and organisations that donated great items, and there was over $7000 raised through the auction, plus an impeccably observed minute of silence on Sunday morning at 11am.

There’s so much more that I could mention, but I have to save something for my own blog (*grin*), but I haven’t mentioned the panelists, the books, the signings. So much to talk about!

In closing I want to say to the organizers of ARRC – thank you, thank you, thank you.

You did an amazing job. I don’t think that I can pay any higher compliment to you than to say my friends and I started to make plans on Saturday night to attend the next ARRC – whenever it is and wherever it is held – with at least two more of our friends. I know that I overheard other delegates making their own plans too!

Marg

For those of you following along at home, we’ve been serving up excerpts all week from the Unlaced anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti .  You still have time to win a copy.  Simply leave a comment on one of the excerpt posts and you’ll be entered to win.

Excerpt One: The Ties that Bind by Jaci BurtonExcerpt Two: Undone by Jasmine Haynes

Excerpt Three: Controlled Response by Joey W. Hill

Excerpt Four: Rubies and Black Velvet by Denise Rossetti

If you haven’t already, be sure to swing over to Book Binge and check out the guest post the authors did.

 The Good and Bad About Writing for an Anthology

One lucky winner will be chosen from the comments of that post to win a signed copy of Unlaced.

And now, some winners of our various giveaways.  If you didn’t win, no worries, there are more opportunities coming your way!

Bingeaduckia Excerpt: Unlaced, an anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti–Parts One, Two, Three and Four

• Lori T wins a copy of Unlaced! Email redwyneATgmail.com with your mailing info.  Put “Unlaced Contest Winner” in the subject line.

Bingeaduckia Excerpt: Night After Night by Kathryn Smith

• Pam and Lori Ann win an ARC!  If you haven’t already,  please email katewriterATgmail.com with your addresses.

Bingeaduckia Excerpt: Holiday Seduction, by Jaci Burton and Lauren Dane–Parts One and Two

• KrisJ and KristinM win copies of Holiday Seduction and The Perfect Gift by Annmarie McKenna , Maya Banks , MacKenzie McKade , Kate Davies and Stacia Wolf. Email redwyneATgmail.com with your mailing info. Put “Holiday Seduction Contest Winner” in the subject line.

Congratulations!!!!

Last, but not least, the final excerpt from Unlaced, an anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti, Rubies and Black Velvet. Don’t forget to comment after you read, because I’m giving away a copy of the book!

Excerpt One: The Ties that Bind by Jaci Burton

Excerpt Two: Undone by Jasmine Haynes

Excerpt Three: Controlled Response by Joey W. Hill
Excerpt from Rubies and Black Velvet by Denise Rossetti

Holdercroft on the Cressy Plains, Palimpsest

When the thunder came again and again, rolling around the tall heads of the mountains, the good folk of Holdercroft village shuddered. “They’m at it again,” they said, shaking their heads. But the tavern on the plain was warm and snug, the doors and windows shuttered against the fierce driving rain.

“‘Tis the dragon djinn,” grunted old Griddle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“And the sorceress,” whispered his wife. She made the two-handed sign of the Sibling Moons. “Brother and Sister preserve us.”

“Seen `er once.” Griddle held out his tankard for a refill. “Ridin’ a storm cloud, the night the big tree came down, ye remember?”

“Ye were drunk,” scoffed his wife.

“Naked as a bebbe she were. All pale and long.” Griddle’s rheumy eyes took on a faraway look. “Hair down to `er waist, flyin’ like whips o’ black silk. And when she looked at me, `twas like starin’ hell in the eye. So dark, so deep…” He buried his long nose in his ale.

“Ye stupid old sot.” Griddle’s wife poked his shoulder with a bony finger. “Why would a sorceress look at ye?”

Griddle subsided, grumbling into his ale. “She did,” he muttered, almost too low to hear. “Like she wanted to chew me up and spit me out. Like she hated me for livin’.” Abruptly, he banged his empty jug down on the bar. “Gimme another!”

At evening’s end, his wife had to call for the blacksmith’s boys to carry him home through the rain on a plank.

*****

Out in the barn behind the Mackie place, John knelt at Meg’s feet, grumbling as she toweled his hair. “Give over, Meggie. You’re not my bloody mother.”

But Meg only laughed, that deep delicious chuckle that never failed to make something inside him flutter. She pulled his head down between her generous breasts and rubbed harder. Giving up, John pushed his nose deep into the warm, fragrant depths of her cleavage and inhaled with tremendous satisfaction.

Meg. His Steady Meggie.

Even at nineteen, he had no doubts. The gods had made Margaret May Mackie just for him. His center, his refuge, when the emotional tempests at home got too much. They wore a man down, his family. Between Ma and Da and his ten brawling siblings, there were times John couldn’t think straight unless he held Meggie’s hand in his.

He stroked a broad, callused palm over the luscious curve of her rump. The only girl in the Cressy Plains who could match him. Five foot eleven inches in her sturdy bare feet, Meg’s cushiony body fitted perfectly against his huge frame, her long legs and smoothly muscled thighs a comfortable cradle for his eager weight.

John fumbled a hand down to rearrange his aching cock. He wasn’t embarrassed. With Meg, everything was natural, easy. She knew him, better than he did himself, he thought sometimes. He hadn’t got inside her yet, though it was all he’d been able to think about through the long, golden summer, the pink musky flesh between her pale thighs. They’d done just about everything else though. Grinning, he traced the crescent of freckles on the inner curve of one breast with his tongue. Then he blew on the damp, creamy flesh.

Meg yelped and tweaked his ear.

One day… He leaned forward to rub his cheek against the softness of her belly through the fabric of her sensible nightgown. One day, Steady Meggie would swell with his child. They’d make their own family, one without fists and fury and slamming doors. And if they were fortunate, her frail widowed father would live to see his grandchildren, the farm in good hands, before he passed to the gods.

And John would be hers too. For the rest of their lives.

It gave him such pleasure to think of it. His life in her steady, capable hands.

*****

“What do you think they’re doing down there?” The sorceress stared broodingly across the gulf of night-dark space at the tiny twinkling lights far below. Her dwelling was older than time, built into the shoulder of the peak, carved of living stone. The chilly wind lifted the tendrils of black hair that brushed her snow white hips, but even naked as she was, she didn’t feel the cold.

Huge ebony arms snaked around her waist from behind, the hint of scales under the skin abrading her flesh. “Insects,” rumbled the dragon djinn. “Who cares?”

The sorceress smiled without humor, the merest curve of thin red lips. She pressed back against her dragon lover, enjoying the monstrous size of him, towering over her by more than a foot. His massive pointed phallus burned so hot against her cool buttocks, the sensation was just this side of pain. She didn’t need to turn to know his reptilian eyes would be flaming with passion, ruby-red.

But in the end, she did turn, because she couldn’t help herself. By Shaitan, she hated this strange compulsion, her inability to be done with him, to discard him as she’d done with centuries of lovers. Fifty seasons they’d played together and fifty times she’d tried to extricate herself and failed.

In their hellish dance of lust and blood and pain, she could never be sure who’d triumph in the struggle for dominance. She knew only that she was addicted to the savage beauty of the djinn’s body, swaying under the lash, fascinated by his stubborn draconic endurance. Sometimes he was so fierce, she feared for her very life, and her slow ancient blood would run hot and heavy. Then it would be her turn to plead for mercy, cracked and broken and exalted. The razor’s edge of peril intoxicated her.

And oh, she loved his magnificent body in either form, man or dragon, black as midnight in the pits of hell. But in general, she preferred something in between, as he was now. The best of both worlds.

Stepping back, the sorceress wrapped long slim fingers around his jutting phallus, though she had no hope of closing her fist. The dragon djinn rumbled his pleasure, his forked tongue flickering over a brutal mouth. His organ writhed in her palm, undulating like a cat, the slitted tip curling back to dab a wet kiss on the back of her hand. A mortal would discover his bodily fluids burned like acid, the sorceress felt only a tingle pleasantly reminiscent of pain.

The next excerpt from Unlaced, an anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti is Joey W. Hill’s Controlled Response. Don’t forget, I’m giving a copy to a commenter on any of these excerpt posts!

Four mistresses of erotic romance unleash their most irresistibly dangerous fantasies in this sensational anthology of lust and lingerie…
So many delicious surprises under a corset…Such fine exquisite lace. Such warm soft leather. Such a nice tight fit. Such impressive boning. Here are four all-new stories from four hot authors that erotica fans will find irresistible…

Excerpt from Controlled Response by Joey W. Hill

Forty-five miles. God, the only thing better than this was sex. Sex done exceptionally well. As Lucas crested the hill, pushing the burn in his legs, he snagged his water bottle to take a measured draught. Releasing the bike handlebars to coast hands-free, he shifted his hips to negotiate the inevitable curve. No such thing as a straight line or a flat expanse this deep in the Berkshires. Every downward slope followed by a challenging upward one. Like the curves of a woman’s body. Or her mind.

Ben had given him shit about hopping a charter here for the weekend when they were still figuring out how to make the numbers work for the Mancuso plant operation. But it was all bullshit, because Ben knew Lucas did his best problem solving while cycling. Just as the legal advisor did it by finding the prettiest ass available and immersing himself in it. When they came back to the office Monday, Ben would fix the legal snarls, and Lucas would crunch the numbers into manageable pieces. Hell, Matt should save the money on their corner offices. Though Lucas had to admit he liked his Baton Rouge city view, with the backdrop of the Mississippi River.

It was time for a lunch break and a stretch, if he could find the spot his buddy Marcus had told him was right off the road around here. He was pretty deep in the Berkshire farm area, but tourists did have a way of finding the hot spots. Still, Marcus had stressed “hidden”, even giving him GPS coordinates for the exact location, give or take ten feet.

There it was. As he rolled across the shoulder, he saw the narrow deer trail. A couple broken twigs and some spoor suggested the brown-eyed creatures had passed through recently.

It was a short hike, so it worked as a good cool down. The light racing bike was easy to carry, even with his gear. Marcus had said the glade would have a stream, soft grass for a nap and a frame of trees for the sky that would make Lucas think he’d fallen into a nest made by heaven itself. Marcus was a gallery owner, brushing shoulders with New York art types, so such metaphors were to be expected. Or maybe the description had come from Thomas, his spouse, or life partner, whatever they called it. It sounded like a good place and Lucas wouldn’t dwell on what they might have done there. To each his own, but his preference definitely ran to heart-shaped asses of a different gender. Skin of milk cream, and tender pink lips hidden like treasure between not-too-firm, not-too-soft thighs. Just like Goldilocks, he knew when they were just right.

Lately, it had been just okay. Some lovely ladies, intelligent, beautiful and willing. Business associates on the same time schedules, which discouraged anything deeper on both sides, but ensured dinner dates and sexual release were no further than a cell phone call. He was CFO for Kensington & Associates, after all, so he didn’t have trouble with that.

But maybe it was watching Matt, the head of K&A, with his new wife, Savannah, during the past year. The way they’d taken the leap of faith together, and their love just seemed to grow and grow. Not like a molasses flood, drowning everyone in reach in gooeyness. More like the quiet reassurance of the ocean’s murmur. Timeless, clean, overwhelming. Proof that there was a greater purpose here. Maybe he was ready for something deeper himself. Maybe that was why he was cycling and Ben was likely hip deep in pussy by now.

As he stepped into the clearing, anticipating the tranquility, he came to a dead stop, his thoughts scattering like a game of 52-card pickup.

Marcus hadn’t mentioned the spot came with a half-naked girl on a motorcycle.

Either that, or Lucas had been run over by a mini-van and didn’t realize he was dead, stumbling into everything Heaven should be. If so, he was profoundly thankful to the mini-van driver.

He blinked. Yes, it was definitely a woman, stretched out on the curved seat of a Night Rod series Harley. At one time, she’d apparently been wearing black jeans with riding chaps over them, for they were in a crumpled pile next to the bike, leaving her lower body clad only in a pair of silky ivory panties. Her feet were braced on the handlebars, legs spread, ass snugged down in the driver’s seat while her upper body was arched over the hump to the passenger seat. The toned legs and generous ass were taut, for her fingers were tucked into the panties. Thanks to the blessing of filmy material, he could see the individual movements of her fingers.

Managing to pull his attention away from that, he saw she was wearing a corset. Curiously, it wasn’t the decorative kind women wore on the outside of their clothes, though this was a beautiful sundry. Ivory-colored as well, with one strap falling off her shoulder and elevating her breasts enough they were accentuated by the slightest breath. It hooked in front, so would lay flat under the heavy white T-shirt she’d been wearing, also lying in the grass. Just a touch of lace at the low décolletage that tempted full exposure from the crescent stretch of her torso.

She wore a music player, tiny earphones tucked into ears as delicate as porcelain, half-hidden by her hair, skeins of white gold long enough to fall over the top of the rear tire. A few strands were scattered by the breeze across her face, teasing wet, parted lips. Her bare feet flexed against the chrome bars as she apparently hit a good spot, biting her lip. Since her eyes were closed, golden lashes fanning her cheeks, he imagined she was deep in some fantasy, picturing her fingers as someone else’s.

Or perhaps she was envisioning someone stealing upon her in this glade, watching, getting hungrier for a taste of the pussy she’d teased into a wetness that had soaked the crotch panel. Someone who wanted to slide his hands under her, grip that delectable ass and tongue her first through the saturated silk. Bite her clit through her panties. Women loved that, the buffer to stimulation that provided friction, helped warm them up, so that when he finally pulled the cloth out of the way and tasted creamed flesh, she would be writhing, begging.

God, he loved eating pussy. Second best thing to fucking it.

A gentleman—not to mention a smart man—would have backed away. But he couldn’t make his feet move. This was undeniably a gift from God, and he was a devout Methodist. Okay, at least when he went home to Iowa during Christmas and attended church with his parents. Regardless, there was a higher power, a higher order. Hadn’t he just been thinking that? Maybe this was an answer.

Yes, Lucas. In your search for a deeper relationship, God has sent you to a private photo shoot from Penthouse.

Hey, crazier things had happened. Like his spontaneous decision now, to become part of her fantasy. As he moved forward, he hoped she wasn’t armed.

Excerpt One: The Ties that Bind by Jaci Burton

Excerpt Two: Undone by Jasmine Haynes

The authors of the Unlaced anthology, Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill and Denise Rossetti are guest blogging at Book Binge today about the good and the bad about writing for an anthology. They’re also giving away a signed copy of Unlaced from the commenters on the post.  Don’t miss out on your chance to win!

Bingeaduckia Guest Authors: The Good and The Bad About Writing For An Anthology

For a second chance to win, check out the excerpts being posted today and tomorrow.

Part 1
Part 2 (with Contest)

We continue our excerpts from Unlaced, an anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti. released by Berkley Trade, December 2. Next we have an excerpt from Jasmine Haynes’ story, Undone.  Read the excerpt, then read on for a giveaway.

Excerpt from Undone by Jasmine Haynes

This little scene takes place less than a quarter of the way into the story. Dirk is an amateur photographer preparing to take boudoir photos of Margo in a corset.

“I want to get naked,” she purred.

This was the woman he’d hoped to release once she stepped in front of the camera. Hot. Ready. As if she were anticipating a man between her legs. It hadn’t taken her long to feel the lure of being naughty for an inanimate object.

He was so damn hard he needed a slug of beer to cool off. He positioned his camera back on the tripod.

“I have something I want you to wear.”

She startled as if she’d forgotten there was a man behind the lens. Turning, she held her arms across her abdomen, looked down, realized the defensive posture, and dropped it. She wasn’t quite as assured as she’d like him to think.

Opening a drawer of the vanity, he pulled out his prize.

“What”–she pointed, coming closer–“is that?”

“A corset.”

She laughed. He was beginning to get that she laughed when she was a tad nervous. “You mean like a real corset?” She put out a hand to touch the fabric, then one of the stiff bones.

“I want you to wear it.”

She tipped her head and eyed him, a taste of a smile at the corners of her mouth. “Is this some sort of fetish thing?”

“There’s something sexy about a garment that a woman needs a man to help her get in”–he raised a brow–“and out of.”

She snorted out a little puff of air. “She doesn’t need a man, just a maid.” She said it with the slightest edge and had him wondering about her real life.

“Consider me your servant for the time being.” He unfolded it as far as the bottom laces would allow. “Game?”

“Isn’t it hard to breathe with one of these things on?”

“I won’t lace it that tight.”

She clucked her tongue softly. “It’s kinky.”

He chuckled. “Hell, asking you over here is kinky.” He itched to lace her up. He could do it without touching skin, but she’d be close, so close. Just achieving something different on camera had been his original intention, but now, the idea of her sweet body in the corset had become a need, the ultimate in sexy.

The camera would adore her figure, her waist tiny, her breasts small but plumped by the corset’s stays.

Easing her in front of the vanity mirror, he stood behind her, her body heat a hair’s breadth between them. Then he leaned in to whisper, “Take off your clothes.”

She swallowed, her throat tensing in the reflection. Then she reached down, grabbed the hem of her sweater, pulled it over her head, and tossed it aside. Her hair settled back around her shoulders in a sexy muss. Her scent, sweet shampoo and fruity body lotion, rose up. He almost closed his eyes to breathe her in, then he looked in the mirror.

Holy hell. Her breasts beneath the black lace bra were everything he could have hoped for.

“Perfect,” he whispered.

Her nipples beaded. He knew it was what she needed to hear when her fingers went to the back of her skirt. He held her gaze in the mirror as the light rasp of her zipper filled the air, then she dropped the skirt and kicked it aside.

Her stomach was slightly rounded, there was a dimple or two in her skin that she probably hated. She had a nipped-in waist and a flare to her hips that might not have been the height of fashion in a world that demanded no woman should bear a single extra ounce. She was his ideal.

“The corset’s going to love your curves,” he whispered. Her breath whooshed out as if she’d been waiting for his approval.

Her eyes on his in the mirror, she undid the front clasp of her bra, shrugged, and the lacy confection fell to the carpet. Clad only in her satin thong, thigh-highs, and heels, she stole his breath.

He held the corset in front of her. The flower print on a cream background enhanced her skin. She glowed with vitality.

“Just step into it.” He’d left the bottom laces in the eyeholes so that he wouldn’t have to fiddle once she held the garment to her. Taking the two edges from him, she put one foot through the laces, the round curve of her ass coming perilously close to his cock.

“Hold it at your waist so I can thread the rest of the loops and tighten it.”

She looked at him in the mirror. “Have you ever done this?”

“No. But the salesgirl said to lace it like a tennis shoe.”

“Hah. So now I’m an old shoe.” Her laugh was genuine, but again he recognized that touch of vulnerability.

“Not old and not a shoe.” He stopped to give her body a long, savoring look. “A sexy woman.”

“Darn tooting,” she whispered, then held the corset around her at the waist as he began threading the holes.

He felt almost clumsy as his fingers brushed the skin at the base of her spine, just above her ass. Her body heat almost singed. The scent of her lotion wafted up, and something else, a faint aroma of woman, a touch of arousal.

She shivered.

“Are you cold?” He’d stoked the wood-burning stove earlier, and he was toasty. She, however, was damn near naked.

“No, it’s fine.” Her cheeks deepened their rosy tint.

The shiver had nothing to do with room temperature, and everything to do with bare skin. Looking down to the gape of the undone corset, he found her nipples hard, pearled. “I can put on another log,” he said as he pulled the laces together.

She sucked in a breath, then let it out slowly. “No, really.” Then she laughed softly. “I’m hot enough.”

He allowed himself a smile at her obvious pun.

He laced another couple of loops, and her skin’s warmth began to seep through the material. “The fit will get tight now.”

“I’ve heard that a tight fit is a good thing.”

Oh yeah, she was getting into it with him. He’d imagined touching her like this, soft, accidental caresses. He’d imagined himself with a hard-on as she fell into the heat of arousal. But he’d never considered how badly he’d need to be a part of it, not just an observer, but a participant. Her skin was smooth, soft to the touch. Her scent made his mouth water. He brushed aside her hair, baring her shoulders, though the length wasn’t at all in the way of the laces. He simply craved a touch.

Four eyelets left, he tightened. She gasped.

“Too tight? Can you breathe?”

“I’m okay. It’s just”–she tipped her head to one side–“it feels good in an odd way, makes you stand straighter.”

Another eyehole, and the corset plumped her breasts. Though barely covering her nipples, it effectively hid them from view. Too bad. “A couple more laces, can you handle it?”

“I’ll let you know when you’ve done it all the way up.”

He threaded and pulled, but with none of the strength Mammy had used on Scarlett in Gone with the Wind.

Tying the laces off with a neat bow, he stepped back. In the mirror, the effect was perfect. Her enticing breasts plumped above the lace edging of the corset. Cinching in her waist, the bones gave a luscious flare to her hips. Over her flattened abdomen, the point in the front arrowed down to her black satin thong. The globes of her delectable ass begged for his touch, and the back-seamed thigh-highs were a sexual hedonist’s fantasy. Her blond hair had fallen to frame the upper swell of her breasts. He raised his gaze to her green eyes. The artist in him needed to photograph her like that, while the man in him wanted to bend her over the vanity and bury his cock in her.

“So how’s the fit?”

She drew in a shallow breath, her breasts rising. “Just don’t make me run or try to touch my toes.” She smoothed a hand down her stomach. “But I like it. Though you can certainly see why the women didn’t eat much at their big galas.” Grinning at the mirror, she added, “But it makes me feel sexy.”

But could she make herself come for him? More than anything, Dirk wanted to capture her face aglow with ecstasy.

Turning this way, then that, she cupped her breasts, plumping them higher. Reaching around her, Dirk gave a slight tug on the bottom, and the tops of her nipples peeped out. It was the ideal combination of gentile lady and sexy woman.

How had he gotten so lucky? Margo was more than any woman he could have fantasized.

So yes, we were supposed to be doing a daily giveaway, but between work, brunch with Santa, visiting relatives, the Christmas Pageant at church, karate, so on and so forth, I never got around to it.  I do have a copy of Unlaced to give away to a commenter on any of the four excerpts (two today, two tomorrow Dec. 16).  Happy Reading!

Over the next few days, we will be featuring excerpts from Unlaced, an anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti.  Unlaced was released by Berkley Trade, December 2.  This looks to be a hot one!  First up, an excerpt from The Ties That Bind by Jaci Burton.

Four mistresses of erotic romance unleash their most irresistibly dangerous fantasies in this sensational anthology of lust and lingerie…
So many delicious surprises under a corset…Such fine exquisite lace. Such warm soft leather. Such a nice tight fit. Such impressive boning. Here are four all-new stories from four hot authors that erotica fans will find irresistible…

Excerpt from The Ties That Bind by Jaci Burton

“You and I have been together twenty years, Lisa. We’ve been through hell and back. We’ve married, divorced and raised a daughter together. And even though we’ve lived in separate houses most of that time, we’re still…together. Sort of. You’ve dated some, I’ve dated some, but neither one of us have formed any relationships.”

“I thought that was because of Kay.”

“I don’t think so. Lots of divorced people remarry or at least develop relationships with someone else. Kids adapt and accept. Kayla would have, too.”

He was right. She had never found someone that sparked her interest enough to keep seeing more than a few times. She never really knew about Rick’s love life. Kayla probably knew more about it than she did, but Kay was good about not revealing Rick’s personal life to her. Thankfully.

“I never wanted anyone else, Lisa. I measured every woman against you, and they all fell short.”

She shifted her gaze to her drink. “I’m nothing special.”

He slid his fingers under her chin, forced her gaze back to his. “I disagree. You were barely a teen when you ended up pregnant. You had options to do something about that—your choice to make, but you chose to have Kayla. You finished high school while juggling an infant on your hip. You went to nursing school. You raised a brilliant daughter and you have a successful career. I think you’re pretty damn special.”

It was hard not to weep under praise like that. She blinked back tears, not wanting her mascara to run. “Thank you. But I didn’t do that alone. You’ve done a damn good job, too. As hard as it was on me, it was doubly hard on you. Working two jobs, going to college, living in an apartment and then buying a house for Kayla and me. You were always so generous.”

“It was my job to provide for my daughter.”

“You never missed a child support check. You went above and beyond what the courts required of you.”

“I love…Kayla.”

“I know you do.” Rick’s love for his daughter was evident in everything he did. That’s why every man she dated paled in comparison to Rick. Why there were never sparks hot enough to keep her interested for long.

But was it because he’d been so nice to her and Kayla? Or was it more than that?

“We owe it to ourselves to find out if it’s still there, Lisa.”

“If what’s still there?”

“The magic. The passion. What we once had together.”

She inhaled, let it out. “That’s what this whole vacation-in-the-tropics thing is about, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I wanted to kidnap you from your everyday life, away from our friends and yeah, even away from Kayla. Back to when it was just you and me.”

“We’ve changed since then, Rick. It’s not twenty years ago. We can’t go back.” She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.

He nodded. “I know. But you can’t deny there’s still an attraction there.”

No, she couldn’t. Every time he came over, she longed for him. Every time he accidentally touched her, she felt the spark. But was it because it was Rick, or because it had been so damn long since there’d been a man in her life? She hated being so complacent.

Rick was easy. He was familiar. She’d gotten used to familiar and comfortable. She didn’t want to be familiar and comfortable anymore. Kayla was grown. This was her time to go out and get that life she’d denied herself.

Was that new life with Rick?

No. The absolute last thing she wanted was to destroy what she and Rick had built together. Their friendship. The easy way they talked and could be together and care for Kay. How they depended on one another. Would diving back into the sexual waters ruin that? What if it didn’t work out? Their perfect relationship would be ruined.

She finished her cocktail, used the napkin to swipe across her lips. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea, Rick.”

“You’re scared.”

“Yes.”

“I am, too. You have no idea how long I thought about this. Kayla may be eighteen, but she still has a young girl’s ideals of romance. She thinks it’s easy.”

“So did I…once.”

His lips quirked. “It wasn’t so bad.”

“It was a disaster. For both of us. I don’t want to make it worse by opening up old wounds.” They’d gone through hell together. They’d managed to repair the damage for Kayla’s sake, but they’d left so much unresolved.

“What are you so afraid of, Lisa?”

“You and I have a ton of history. Not all of it was good.” They’d been so young, their notions foolish and filled with fantasy. Reality had been entirely different. Harsh.

“True enough. But we’ve created a new kind of relationship.”

“That’s my point. I don’t want to screw it up.”

He slid his fingers through her hair. Cupped the back of her neck. She shivered at the warmth of his touch. Her nipples tightened and she felt the awakening fires between her legs, the all too familiar wetness there.

Rick leaned in and she was mesmerized by the unique turquoise of his eyes. Had they become even bluer over the years? She hadn’t been this close to him in so long.

“If nothing else,” he said, his breath whispering over her cheek as he drew in closer. “We’ll have a great time. God knows we both work so damn hard, Lisa. We need to have some fun.”

“Yes.” She wrapped her fingers around his forearm, felt muscles that hadn’t been there twenty years ago. He’d been no more than a boy when she’d last seen him naked. Her mind was awash in visuals of how it felt then, what it would feel like now. “Fun would be nice.”

A new anthology from some of Gwen’s (and my) fav authors! YAY! Unlaced (Anthology) by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey Hill, and Denise Rossetti comes to us 2 December 2008.

I am going to say something to shock you. I do not have this book. I know! This makes me sad. Oddly enough I hadn’t even heard of it! I have already taken steps to correct this horrible mistake. I should email Jaci and Joey too… I feel great saddness poor sybils…

But here have a summary…

     Four authors of erotic romance present wild and irresistibly dangerous fantasies in this sensational anthology of lust and lingerie…

     Come undone with Jaci Burton…
     Sixteen years is a long time to carry a torch for your ex. It’s high time they act on long-dormant desires and reignite the flame that still burns inside them both.

     Unwind with Jasmine Haynes…
     A wanting woman arrives at the perfect solution for exploring sensual freedom: open herself up to an amateur photographer with no limits—and an uncensored appreciation for the female body.

     Let loose with Joey Hill…
     What does a hiker do when he comes upon a girl wearing only ivory panties, and stretched out invitingly on the warm leather seat of a Harley? Anything she tells him.

     Submit to Denise Rossetti…
     As the laces of a stunning ruby-trimmed corset tighten, so too does the grip of an inescapable sorceress’s curse—one with the power to transform any woman into a dominating femme fatale.

Free your inhibitions with…

Unlaced

Lawson’s review of A Red Hot New Year by Cynthia Eden, Diana Mercury, Virginia Reede, and Denise Rossetti
Erotic romance anthology released by Avon Red November 27, 2007

New Year’s Bites by Cynthia Eden

Sybil has be wishing for more werewolf stories, and for very good reason. Though not a full werewolf sort of plot, the wolfies play an essential role. Anna is controlled, but has a passion that’s unleashed through her new wild side, which is good to see. And meeting her stroke for stroke (pant, pant) Jon is right for her. Their chemistry works well but the plotting and easy to spot villain could’ve used more organization.

Grade: B

Anna has always been the good girl, until a mysterious and powerful encounter with a wolf brings out her wild side! Now she’s unleashing her long-repressed desires on the sexy stranger who comes to her rescue . . . in Cynthia Eden’s New Year’s Bites.
(excerpt)

Night Resolutions by Diana Mercury

This one started off ok. There was some decent chemistry between Chantal and Jake, who she wanted. But something comes out of left field that just ruins everything. The story seemed slapped together in a quick sort of way and no organized plot or direction showed itself, and I was not a fan of the full of himself, ass of a “host” at the part being so cocky (with a monstrous member no less) and doing everything in his power to seduce and basically rape a obviously unwilling woman.

Grade: D
(excerpt)

Seducing her lover at a lavish party seems like the perfect way for Chantal to rekindle their lost passion. But the tables are turned when she finds herself the target of an even more intoxicating man’s desire . . . in Diana Mercury’s Night Resolutions.

Snow Blind by Virginia Reede

I loved this story for the fact that the two lovers have been best friends for years. There’s a foundation there and when they succumb to their unacknowledged desires in a hot tub in Colorado. . .oh boy. It was steamy (in more ways than one) as well as very sweet. Then there’s a bear skin rug, more time in the hot tub, and even kicking out those people they were with that were wrong for each other and starting a new year with your best friend in a new way. . . Makes for a great chemistry driven (with a great friendship based) romance.

Grade: A-

During a weekend getaway at a cozy mountain cabin, two couples decide the long winter nights lend themselves to exciting sensual exploration. But no one expects their red-hot sessions will turn good friends into lovers for life . . . in Virginia Reede’s Snow Blind.

Coming on Strong by Denise Rosetti
Gina is a dragon, only she doesn’t know it. She’s in one of her yearly “hot” periods and when Sam comes along and handles what she can dish out, Gina is one happy girl. Though they have some good chemistry, when Sam finds out the truth about Gina, he takes it bad, then overly well. If the story was longer it would have worked, but being so short makes it hard to swallow.

Grade: C+
(excerpt)

Gina is your average female who just happens to become a bit of a . . . dragon when she’s turned on! Good thing she’s found the kind of savagely sexy man who can bring out the beast in her . . . in Denise Rossetti’s Coming on Strong.

Overall a fun, quick and steamy read and one I wasn’t expecting. I don’t read a lot of erotica, Syb gave this to me to try and I’m glad I did, especially for Snow Blind.

Overall Grade: B-

This New Year’s Eve, turn up the heat . . .

At the stroke of midnight a new year begins a time for passionate resolutions and brand-new pleasures; a time to let go of past restraints and embrace new sensual boundaries. Four masterful writers offer a quartet of boldly erotic tales guaranteed to heat up those winter nights.