Camellia (Book one) by Cari Z and Caitlin Ricci

Rating:

 

Danny is a model and about to go for an interview. All she knows is that the job involves tea and a kink convention. She thinks this will be an easy job: possibly wearing latex and getting spanked in front of an audience, she’s pretty sure she can handle that. 

That is until she meets Lucy, her interviewer, dressed in riding boots and a corset. At the end of the interview Danny realises this job isn’t going to be as easy as she first imagined.

The book mainly takes place over the two days of Danny’s new job with Lucy. The whole experience is nothing like she expected and she very quickly finds herself enjoying her introduction into the world of BDSM and it leaves her wanting more: more of the riding crop and more of Lucy.

Camellia is extremely well written. The characters of Danny and Lucy were very real and at times I felt like I was them, I could feel what they felt, hear what they heard and see what they saw. I have to admit I don’t know much about the BDSM scene but the way Cari & Caitlin put across the scenes in the story I feel I know a lot more now that I did before I started reading the book.

This is the first in a series of Camellia books and this one definitely left me wanting to read more. Whether you are, or aren’t, interested in BDSM, I would recommend reading Camellia. It is much more than whips & chains, it is a story of two very different women who come together through their work and how a business relationship can very quickly turn into a personal one. 

I didn’t want to, in fact I couldn’t, put this book down and I read it over two nights, I was sad to find I was at the end so quickly but will definitely be looking up the next in the series. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Available from Less Than 3 Press

By Amy

Three new short stories from Less Than Three Press

Safe Passage: Kate Owen

Synopsis: While doing renovation on the old New Orleans home inherited from her great aunt, Jules discovers an old safe filled with letters written in French—and code. Enlisting the aid of a local French teacher, the beautiful Gen, Jules slowly begins to learn the truth of her great grandfather's death ... 

Review: This short story is a lovely little romance set on New Orleans between two teachers. One teacher coaches the rowing team and is renovating the house she inherited from her aunt when she stumbles across some letters written in French code. She enlists the support of the French teacher at the school and they work together to solve the mystery that the letters uncover whilst getting closer. The story of full of charm and character, New Orleans makes its own impression on the reader and becomes an integral part of the story. I found myself interested by the characters and the story and wanting to find out what happened between them and between the people in the letters she uncovers. All together a delightful read.

To purchase: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=558

Modern Serpents Talk Things Through: Jamie Brindle

 

Synopsis: Tina is a modern dragon, or at least she struggles to be. She's (mostly) sticking to her diet, she goes to the gym, doesn't lounge on her hoard for (too) long, and she's steadily working through some issues with her therapist. Like the humans and dwarves that recently invaded her home and shot her with an arrow. She didn't like killing them—mostly humans seemed like sad little creatures—but they did attack her and so she destroyed them. Except for the one she locked in the cupboard. That bit she's still working up to telling her therapist about... 

Review: I really enjoyed this short story. It takes a very clever medium to explore some of the challenges that women face in todays society. By having a dragon fall in love with a human creates an interesting way of looking at body size and shape and how the dragon is shunned by other dragons for falling in love with someone outside of their norm. By using this as a backdrop the author is showing us how silly and painful it is to be critical of how and who people fall in love with. Once again I enjoyed the way the writer tells the story and creates the characters and I especially enjoyed the dragon therapist! Classic storytelling…
  
Available to buy:http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=92&products_id=545


Selume Proferre: EE Ottoman


Synopsis: An-An Li-Johnson lives an easy-going, quiet life. She works part time at her friend's bookstore, is active in the local LGBTQ scene, manages to avoid the occasional crazy ex, and does temp work for the big name spell-craft firm Simon and Davidson.

Then she's hired to work with M.C. Anderson, an up and coming exorcist at Simon and Davidson. M.C. is deeply involved in the world of high stakes spell-craft, determined to carve out a place for herself among the extremely hierarchical and old fashioned world of professional exorcists. As they work together on an intense case of demonic possession, An-An finds herself more and more intrigued by her new boss. But just as the relationship looks like it might be deepening into something more, the case suddenly takes a turn for the worse.

Much, much worse. 

Review: 

This story reads like two separate stories, the first part is a fascinating account of an exorcism and how witchcraft and spells can create safety in the face of such negative energy. Not a world that I’m familiar with but I found this story gripping and would have liked more. Unfortunately, for me the story was cut short, so that the author could switch genres and write a piece of erotica. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy reading erotica when in the mood but to me it jarred and I felt it was tagged onto this story instead of being a natural part and integral to the plot. I think this is also because the author chose to write a short story, had they been braver and written a novel we could have had more about the fascinating supernatural world, whilst also having space to really explore the deepening connection between the two main characters. 

Available to buy: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=94&products_id=526

I enjoyed all three of these stories; they were engaging, easy to follow, with plot and characters that you cared about. 


Reviewed by Claire Estelle