Monday, March 17, 2014

Manic Monday Reviews - Snatched (A Storm Moon Anthology)




Snatched – A Storm Moon Anthology by Tilly Hunter, Lor Rose, Ann Anderson
Rating: 4 stars (love the cover!)

*warning: Dubious consent/rape



Bios:
Tilly Hunter is a British erotica author and newspaper journalist with a wicked imagination and a fondness for stories of hot submissive guys in dangerous situations. Her work has been published by MLR Press, Xcite Books and House of Erotica as well as the websites Oysters & Chocolate and Every Night Erotica. When she is not writing she can often be found halfway up a mountain or curled up by her imaginary fireside with some knitting and a slice of cake. Find her blog at tillyhuntererotica.blogspot.com or hook up on Twitter @tillyherotica.

Lor Rose lives in Houston, Texas with her six dogs, three snakes, two horses, and two cats. She began writing when she finally figured out how to move the pencil properly in grade school. She started her first diary at age six and never finished. Keeping a diary never interested Lor, but writing fictional stories and poetry has always sparked her imagination.
In fifth grade, a friend's tragic death almost stole away Lor's passion for writing. Middle school pulled a poem or two from her, but nothing like before. High school brought along an English teacher who demanded she write something. So write Lor did. Her teacher soon set a new rule for Lor's class. Everyone else has a minimum. Lor had a maximum. She commented to Lor several times that she doesn't have the time to read a novel.  

Ann Anderson is a dreamer with too many stories and not enough time. Reading since she finally managed to figure out which direction the book was supposed to face, not upside down according to her second grade teacher, Ann has been reading everything that comes across her path. It wasn't until her first year of high school that she found her passion for writing through the wonderful world of fanfiction, and Ann has never looked back since that first story that is s incomplete and waiting for the characters to have their own happy ending. When not writing, Ann can be found working at a cafe or at her computer working on line editing or content editing for various publishers which she discovered was a viable career option in college when switching majors. She enjoys the Chicago winters that blow into her little area of Crystal Lake and watching the cats decide if they really want to go outside in the snow or if they'd rather knock the laptop out of her lap and curl up.


Blurb:
Any hunter will tell you part of the satisfaction is in the chase as well as the triumphant capture of their prey. In Snatched, the focus is on the eroticism of the power play between men and their male captors. Sometimes romance ensues, sometimes just a good amount of steamy sex, but in all cases, the effects of one character being in utter control of the man he has captured takes center stage. The appeal is in the erotic dominance and the way the captive would try to escape if he could, whether he truly wants to deep down or not.






The Manic Monday REVIEW:

The Guerrilla's Plaything by Tilly Hunter
Blurb for story:
Thomas is determined not to let the fights with his boyfriend, John, ruin his vacation in the tropical rainforests of Equador. But when he steps off the trail, he steps into danger as he’s taken captive by guerilla freedom fighters. Held against his will, he nonetheless finds himself developing an attraction to the man who both arouses and repels him. And as his captivity weighs on him, Thomas finds that being "The Guerilla's Plaything" is not the worst fate he can envision...

Okay, so the story takes place in Ecuador. Thomas Jones, an architecture graduate from Birmingham, England, is on holiday. Before Thomas left, he and his boyfriend, John, argue. While on the trip with other tourists, Thomas is kidnapped by the Socialist Movement for the Liberation of Ecuador, in the middle of a rainforest, while taking a leak.
We find that Thomas and John are into BDSM, and Thomas has a thing for cuffs and rope, it seems. He reacts when Alvaro Ramirez, his kidnapper, binds him… which causes all sort of confusing emotions.
I enjoyed the story. I’m not even sure it would fall under dub-con because Thomas did consent. The why of it may be suspect. Was he suffering from Stockholm Syndrome? Maybe. Alvaro blew hot and cold. Hey, he’s a kidnapper. They tend to do that. But things aren’t what they appear, either, with our kidnapper. What do I mean? Read the book, lol. ;)


The Two of Us by Lor Rose
Blurb for story:
Bryce's life changes forever the night that he and his boyfriend are brutally attacked by creatures that seem like they can only be demonic. He's sure, when they carry him off, that he's being packed off for lunch, so it's a shock when he finds that one of his captors is not the horror that he expected. As their attraction grows, it could be "The Two of Us" against the world.


Okay, first off the bat: I didn’t like the story, but that’s because I’m not into horror stories/movies. It’s brutal, bloody, and savage. Absolutely chilling. Seeing/reading someone ripped to shreds doesn’t do it for me. I didn’t realize it was this savage, (my fault; the blurb did SAY they were brutally attacked). The story flows nicely and is well written. It keeps you on edge and has a solid plot. Doing paranormal in the length that’s required for an anthology, and making it good, is damn impressive. This story did that. So, while I didn’t like it, I can appreciate the elements to it. If that’s your thing, this would be right down your alley. 
Xanthos, a horse-like creature that’s as hard as stone, must consume human hearts to survive. Bryce and his fuck buddy are attacked while necking in their car. Bryce watches as the horse creatures maul the other guy… then eat him. While he’s still alive. And Bryce is totally entranced by the slaughter. Bryce is taken by the creatures, but Xanthos comes to realize Bryce is as cold as he is. He finds that Bryce is the perfect one for him.


Feel the Wind by Ann Anderson
Blurb for story:
As a member of the lesser nobility, Micah has never truly been able to "Feel the Wind" of freedom, and he and his family are not exempt from the brutality of the highest of the nobles. When he is imprisoned, hunted for sport, and captured by Ari, one of the realm's Princes, he feels that his life is over. But when an escape attempt leads him to the bed of Dhea, Ari's brother, he finds that there is much more to live for... and at the same time, so much more danger than he knows.

Six years Micha has longed for freedom, and finally, he’s given a chance to earn it.
In this world, the people have gifts. Micha’s gift is wind. Micha is imprisoned, then given the chance to win his freedom. Nobles, who also have various gifts, will hunt him. In order to gain his freedom, Micha must avoid capture by the nobles for a day. He uses his gift of wind to help him, but in the end he sees there’s no escape, so he picks Prince Ari and is enslaved to the lovely prince. As they explore their desires, Dhea, another prince, takes an interest in Micah. Micah engages in a ménage with Ari and his brother, DheaDhea has certain needs that he thinks Micah can help satisfy. 
I enjoyed this very much. It’s a hot dub-con story. The sex sizzles. But be warned, there is a rape scene.