Welcome to four sexy and imaginative tales written by present day master authors of the romance genre. These stories range from some sweet loving to out-of-this-world fireworks between men and women with outstanding abilities and a thirst for passion and love that cannot be denied!

Dragon Dance - Angela Knight
James County, North Carolina- Present Day

Arial Dean is a sergeant for the sheriff’s office and a hostage negotiator. As she tries to talk down a man from killing his family, she has no clue how dangerous he really is. This crazed man has come in contact with a person called a Hyper, who is very dangerous with abilities only known from what has been written in comic books, and in doing so, he became one himself. Any person who comes in contact with a Hyper will be isolated for the protection of others.

Their only hope is a tracker who can take this newest Hyper down. Josiah Ridge is a tracker and a Hyper who has been called to handle this situation. But before Josiah can take control, the crazed man attacks Josiah, and Arial gets caught in the crossfire. She is now a Hyper herself, and Josiah takes it upon himself to help her become situated into her new life. He also doesn’t mind that he is very attracted to Arial, which she seems to reciprocate. As soon as they become lovers, both their lives are in danger. Another Hyper by the name of Kali wants Josiah for her own and doesn’t mind killing Arial to get what she wants. Arial must figure out how to use her new powers in order to stop this crazy woman from destroying her life and Josiah’s.

Angela Knight has written an action packed story with ghosts, spirits, and people who become superheroes, even though they wish things were different. Dragon Dance has a nice romance, well, one that has a lot of sex at first that is fast and furious, but grows into love. Dragon Dance will keep you on your toes, and fans of Angela Knight will not be disappointed in the least.

Caught by the Tides – Diane Whiteside
Northern Coast of France - April 1803

Owen Bentham washes up on the shore after hiding from Bonaparte’s men. A former sergeant in the English dragoons, he now has another mission. Owen can also use magick, but is too exhausted to do anything and hopes the enemy doesn’t find him. Instead, a widow by the name of Emma Sinclair finds him unconscious. She brings him back to her home to nurse him back to health. As she tends to this handsome but mysterious stranger, a magical being called a gryphon comes out of his ring as if to protect him. As it disappears, Emma’s grandfather explains that this man is the King’s Mage because of the ring Owen is wearing and that he may be on a mission for the British Crown. When Owen awakens, he comes to the realization that Emma has some magick within herself. She is a chalice that can collect and hold magick for mages to use.

If Owen can convince her to help him regain his strength, he will regain his magick and be able to finish his mission. Every time Owen and Emma touch, they can’t deny the lust that grows between them. But even though a love affair is bound to happen, there is an enemy out there waiting for Owen, who also wants Emma for the power she can give him. In addition to being quite possibly the only one who can save his country from being overrun by the French, Owen must now protect Emma as well.

Caught by the Tides is a nice swashbuckling tale by Diana Whiteside. Emma is the sweet but passionate heroine, and Owen is the knight in shining armor who comes to her rescue. Owen is also an incredible hero who declares his love for Emma and doesn’t mind showing it in other ways. Because of all the touching between them, this leads quickly to the bedroom. For an intriguing and magical historical romance, Diana Whiteside has written a very pleasing tale.

Queen of All She Surveys - Emma Holly
Upper Southland in an Alternate Universe

King Ravana's son, Prince Memnon, has sacrificed himself to keep the peace between his father and Queen Tou. Memnon is a warrior and quite the lover, as sex is as much a need for him as eating and drinking are. He has heard horrible tales about this queen, including how she must have sex daily to keep her youthful appearance. Memnon will become her consort and, regardless of what she looks like or how old she is, he will keep her happy in bed so she will forget about taking over his father's kingdom.

Queen Tou does have an unquenchable need for sex and uses many men to bring forth her release. She originally wants Memnon for revenge against Ravana for what he did to her many years ago when she was an innocent girl. When Memnon meets his queen, he is quite taken aback, for Queen Tou looks as young as he does, and her appetite for the flesh rivals his own.

These two embark on a dark and overwhelming affair to take pleasure whenever they can. Tou decides she no longer needs her harem of hungry men to keep her satisfied as long as she has Memnon to put out her fire. Their physical relationship becomes so much more, and Tou has to decide if she will let the past lie so she and Memnon can continue to enjoy each other, and perhaps even find love.

Queen of all She Surveys is one scorching story. This short story is definitely the most passionate and erotic out of all the ones in this anthology. Emma Holly has an incredible imagination and is a master at writing over-the-top love scenes. Queen Tou is not what she seems, and when you read about her past, it is very heartbreaking. For the best that erotic romance has to offer, Emma Holly is the one author to read, and it shows here.

In a Wolf's Embrace - Lora Leigh
New York City and the Catskill Mountains, New York - 2023

Matthias Slaughter is a Breed, a half-man, half-wolf who was created to kill and destroy. But his species rebelled against their makers and now his goal is to eliminate the scientists who want to take back their experiments. Matthias works with an elite group of Breeds but has no family or even a mate to love. That is, until he meets Grace, who works at the hotel where one of the scientists is staying. He has orders to assassinate him, but Grace gets in the middle. He now must take her with him into hiding, because if she reveals him and his mission, he will have new orders to eliminate her. But Matthias can’t do that because Grace ends up being his mate.

Grace was all ready to start her vacation but that is not going to happen now because this Breed has kidnapped her and taken her to some remote cabin in the woods to protect her, or so he says. And when Matthias starts talking about Grace being his mate, Grace can hardly keep it together. She is very attracted to this Breed, and if she kisses him, she will be a goner. But it has been so long since she has been with a man, and every time Matthias looks at her with those heated eyes, she can barely tell him no. Grace throws caution to the wind and once she is intimate with Matthias, she knows there is no going back. They both have to try to stay alive because Matthias’s enemies will find them and won’t stop until they either kill them or lock them away for experimentation.

In a Wolf's Embrace is a steamy sci-fi romance. Matthias and Grace are perfect for each other even though Grace is a bit angered by Matthias’s manhandling to get her to safety. I also loved the fact that Matthias readily admits that Grace is his woman and mate and tries his hardest not to force her into a relationship with him, even though his body is craving release. Grace is also very believable because she feels betrayed by her feelings and for falling for a man who could kill her. But Grace comes to terms, and when she accepts Matthias for who he is, the love between them is very powerful. If you are a fan of Lora Leigh’s on-going Breed series, In a Wolf's Embrace should not be missed.

Kate Garrabrant