PRIVATE PLACES

Author: Robin Schone, Claudia Dain, Allyson James & Shiloh Walker ISBN: 9780425221723 8/2008 ANTHOLOGY Publisher: BERKLEY

....Robin Schone shares a tale of a man and a woman in a notorious club, who learn how very dangerous desires of the flesh can be. Claudia Dain heats up this collection with the story of two voyeuristic young courtesans who might just take part in a very public seduction at the theatre. Allyson James has a card-playing, cunning widower and a desperate young widow learn that passion is the ultimate wild card. And finally, Shiloh Walker introduces a short story of a woman saved by a shapeshifter. Now, if only she could think of a way to repay him... Rarely does such blush-worthy, heated erotica exist-and almost never all in one book.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I really enjoyed reading this book! I love the way anthologies flow; being able to read three or four stories quickly because they are shorter stories, but each packs a punch!

In The Decidedly Devilish Duke, Amelia and Michael shared a love, once upon a time. Now, ten years later, they have both been married and lost their significant others when Amelia wins a card game against Michael, and then ends up his wife. Michael is gorgeous, sensual, arrogant—a bad boy through and through. Amelia is virginal despite having been married, and Michael is thoroughly planning on enjoying teaching this prim little miss how to pleasure her husband.

In A Night At The Theatre, actress Zoe Auvray and her friend, Sophie Grey, have decided that the best way to get revenge on the people who have wronged them is to humiliate them. They have devised a plan to not only humiliate the people who have wronged them, but also get themselves a couple of eligible gentlemen in the process. While this book had a lot of potential, there were just too many characters and not enough development for me to really enjoy it. I found myself playing catch up and re-reading parts to try and figure out who said and did what.

Shiloh Walker is always top notch, and Hunter's Mercy is no exception. In this story of love and loss, Mercy has lost her husband to horrible demons. She has decided to devote her life to stopping these demons; and when her husband's best friend Jack shows up with his promise to protect her, she has no idea that he is one of the very men she is hunting. This story is heart wrenching and beautiful, and once again, Shiloh Walker's writing leaves me breathless.

In Robin Schone's The Men And Woman's Club, Ardelle and Joseph own a sex club where people come to talk about their deepest sexual desires. But this is 1887, and these discussions are absolutely not allowed, which leads to a lawsuit. When Ardelle and Joseph are locked in a club together, they start to hash out issues they have with each other and situations they had endured in their childhood and early on in their association.

PRIVATE PLACES was everything that its cover promised it would be—HOT! HOT! HOT! With the exception of the Claudia Dain story, this anthology was exceptional writing from some great writers, flowing smoothly and seductively along from start to finish!

Kristal Gorman