Geared for Pleasure (An Elemental Steam Romance), by Rachel Grace, is an erotic Steampunk-fantasy for those looking for something outside the box. This was in fact my first erotica book, and while some parts took the steam a little too far I overall enjoyed this tale of action and steampunk fantasy. It's actually two stories combined into one novel, but both run together smoothly and keep the reader engaged in the drama.
Plot:
Earthly Desires
Demeter "Dare" Senedal is the Queen's Chalice-her protector and closest companion. So when the queen goes missing, Dare rushes to locate her, even though the search leads her straight into trouble.A gentleman who trades in secrets and sin, Bodhan revels in carnal delights, but when a naked and bound woman appears on his shore, he finds his hunger to possess at odds with his need to protect. As Bodhan shares his knowledge of pleasure, Dare must decide if she can trust him, both with her mission and her heart.
Demeter "Dare" Senedal is the Queen's Chalice-her protector and closest companion. So when the queen goes missing, Dare rushes to locate her, even though the search leads her straight into trouble.A gentleman who trades in secrets and sin, Bodhan revels in carnal delights, but when a naked and bound woman appears on his shore, he finds his hunger to possess at odds with his need to protect. As Bodhan shares his knowledge of pleasure, Dare must decide if she can trust him, both with her mission and her heart.
Fiery Temptations
Seraphina always lands on her feet. After all, she is a Felidae-at times more feline than human-and an excellent thief. There has never been a job Phina wouldn't take or a man who could tame her...until she meets Cyrus Arendal.As the Queen's Sword, Cyrus should have known better than to fall victim to a beautiful bandit. Now, to find and retrieve the moonfire dagger, he'll need to convince Phina not to judge a man by his station, but rather by how completely he can satisfy her desires.
Seraphina always lands on her feet. After all, she is a Felidae-at times more feline than human-and an excellent thief. There has never been a job Phina wouldn't take or a man who could tame her...until she meets Cyrus Arendal.As the Queen's Sword, Cyrus should have known better than to fall victim to a beautiful bandit. Now, to find and retrieve the moonfire dagger, he'll need to convince Phina not to judge a man by his station, but rather by how completely he can satisfy her desires.
The story picks up with Dare, a young lady who's been sheltered away in the Queen's castle, but thankfully she's been trained in the arts of killing because too soon this young gal finds herself set off on a mission that could get her killed. Kidnapped and drugged, she wakes up aboard a submarine of sorts but in true Steampunk fashion things are not always what they seem. Mechanics galore and robotic inventions make up this world of metals and while I personally think a story like this would do far better in the world of film I was happy for what I got.
Dare catches the eye of the ship's hunky captain and all heck's about to break loose as this dominant male tries to get a hold of her heart. It's passion and danger mixed into one with outrageous sex parties. Betrayal and danger lurking about leaving the reader guessing how things might turn out.
As we get into the second story of this saga, Fiery Temptations, we join Seraphina, a thief and hired thug out to steal men's hearts and their wallets, along with anything else she can pilfer along the way. Her character was a little harder for me to get into, so many back-stabbing incidents and over-the-top sexual escapades created a disconnect with this woman. I truly didn't buy into the lead male Cyrus and pretty much disliked much of what she was doing. But the side characters kept me in the plot and the building of the overall world held it all together.
A well-written world with attention to detail and a compelling plot that could end up going a long way left me enjoying everything for the most part. Steampunk for those that love it, action and adventure plus smexy wildness for those that crave it, not sure if I'd personally continue with this series but I certainly enjoyed this story.
Getting 3 and 1/2 Mechanical Sheep
KD
congrats to you for stepping outside of your box and trying something new :) sounds like a fun read for those who enjoy erotica and steampunk. A well built world is critical and it is obvious this author managed to do this.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I did step out the box for this one, found a lot i liked and made me even braver for things to come!
DeleteGreat review - it really piqued my interest. I don't read either of these genres, but I'm open to having my mind changed. (which conjures up a pic of someone removing my brain and putting in a spare....)
ReplyDeleteI hope you do check it out Dani! If you like the steampunk and fantasy plus some whore house sex then it's a win! Well and regular sex too. :)
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