Dominic (Lords of Satyr) [Paperback]

Dominic by Elizabeth Amber
Paranormal Erotic Romance- February 24, 2009
4 ½ stars

Elizabeth Amber continues her daring Lord of the Satyr series in the latest installment of Dominic, a 2 story anthology that smolders with scenes that will shock and delight your senses!

In the first story, Dominic is a Satyr hardened by duty. He is a special hunter and killer of demons, called upon to perform tasks no other Satyr can. Dominic is spurned by his fellow Satyrs even as his skills protect their way of life. But his next mission is the most important of all, to mate with a human female named Emma and create a child of destiny. While Dominic is sent to seduce her, he cannot help but be seduced by her. The trouble is Emma is already married to another Satyr!

Elizabeth Amber's inspired introduction of new storylines and characters was particularly fascinating. She adds plot twists that add tension as well as revealing tantalizing glimpses of the mysterious Facilitator and Acolytes of ElseWorld where the Satyrs originate. For those who loved her previous books, familiar characters also return! (Yes!) Dominic's story was a thoroughly enjoyable and immersing story. However, I felt it could be difficult to follow if you haven't read at least one of the earlier Satyr books in the series.

This next story is set many years later. It features Nicholas's sons. All of which are pure masculinity! Vincent is Nicholas's oldest son and obsessed with a Shimmerskin. Shimmerskins are magical females conjured for the enjoyment of the insatiable sexual appetites of the Satyr men, that then disappear the next day. One night Vincent impulsively asks `his' Shimmerskin to stay, knowing it is impossible. To his surprise, he finds her in his bed the next morning! Can she be real?

Cara suddenly finds herself in bed with an attractive man. She is terrified. She knows nothing of her past and struggles to make sense of her situation. Why has she so conveniently come to life and why does she `disappear' for short periods?

This story reads like a mystery, it has a lot of suspense as you wonder about Cara. The end was very surprising. The only thing I felt missing were details about the Shimmerskins I found them intriguing and would have loved to have Cara and her history more fully developed. This author excels at leaving glimpses of captivating characters that leave you wanting more!

Dominic was an exciting read. For those who love the paranormal and steamy scenes this will be a delicious treat. Elizabeth Amber really heats up the pages and shapes her Satyr World in this next defining installment. A word of caution, this author really pushes the boundaries not only in her amazing creative imagination but also in her sex scenes! (There are short M/M scenes as well M/F/M scenes.)

I am particularly interested in finding out more about ElseWorld and can't wait for the next installment which I hope includes Vincent's brothers!!

Reviewed by Steph from Bookaholics Romance Book Club

DOMINIC

It has been 15 years since Emma came to the Satyr estate to live with Jane and Nicholas. At 27, she is now married to Carlo and pregnant with their first child. What should be a joyous occasion is marred by dread and uncertainty. In her attempt to make herself less of a burden to her family, Emma had accepted the first marriage proposal presented to her. The decision would turn out to be a poor one, and one that she soon came to regret.

Dominic, a Satyr of royal lineage only knows a life of demons, death, and destruction. As a warrior of ElseWorld, Dominic is the sole destroyer of the demons that plague the lands. Now the birth of a new Chosen One draws near and Dominic must join with its mother to facilitate the transfer of his unique ability. Neither the mother nor the father has knowledge of the child's Chosen destiny...though it matters not. Dominic would not fail in his mission. On the next Moonful, he would mate with the woman and bring forth his successor. The woman's name is Emma.

Emma can barely hide her confusion when Carlo returns from ElseWorld with an unexpected guest. It is a Calling night and the last thing she desires is an in-house witness to the hours of carnality that lie ahead. The dark stranger who accompanies her husband stirs something within her; a longing that is both dangerous and disconcerting. Emma's reaction to Dominic is the first of many frightening events as the moon rises and Carlo makes a shocking declaration. It is a wife's duty to obey her husband and Emma submits to Carlo's unspeakable demand - A demand that shames her to her core...and one that would bind her and their child to Dominic forever.

VINCENT

A war has raged in ElseWorld for 27 years. It started the year Vincent was born - The firstborn son to Lord Nicholas and Jane Satyr. As an accomplished attorney, Vincent would soon be off to ElseWorld to broker a peace treaty amongst the warring factions. The future of his family relies heavily on these delicate negotiations and any distractions could prove costly.

On the eve of his journey to ElseWorld, Vincent conjures up his favorite Shimmerskin for a night of pleasure. Fully aware of her insentient existence, Vincent can't help but wish that the vacant eyes that stare back at him were those of a real woman. One that desires him heart and soul, and not one who simply exists solely at his WILL. He had taken special care in creating her and at night's end she would fade back into the ether though he wishes she would stay....and on that night, she does.

When Vincent awakes the next morning to find a woman in his bed, a slight panic sets in. How did his Shimmerskin remain without fading back into the mist from which she came? The woman appears to be just as baffled as he is and the possible implications are alarming. Could Vincent have willed her into existence or are other outside forces at work? Without answers, the woman is a potential threat though Vincent is reluctant to consider her as such. Nevertheless, the timing is suspicious as Vincent has an enemy who seeks to harm him - One who would use the one he loves to inflict the deepest of wounds.

Elizabeth Amber has yet again brought the Satyr world to life with her sensual prose and wonderful imagination. In DOMINIC, suspense and sexual tension are dialed up to a feverish pitch as propriety forces Emma to deny her deepest desires and Dominic glimpses life beyond the interworld gate. In a slight departure from the previous stories, VINCENT is an unconventional love story that is surprisingly humorous in spite of an awful betrayal. Amber writes such unique tales with some of the most despicable villains this reader has ever encountered, thus making the "Happily Ever After" that much more satisfying. This fourth installment of the Lords of Satyr series is no exception and readers who enjoyed the first 3 books will not be disappointed.

~*Courtesy of ParaNormal Romance Reviews*~

I have not read the others in this series. I bought this one because it kept showing up on my recommendations. From an outside perspective of someone who does not follow this series I can say two things. One, the author is a good writer, who certainly has the chops to develop and tell a great story. Second, the erotica is not for the faint of heart. I usualy read paranormal romances like JR Ward, Kresley Cole, and Laura Adrian. So seeing how my usual is pretty spicy I had no idea that there were books out there that took JR Ward and made her look tame in comparison...this is such a book.

The story line as far as I can see from reading only this one is about a species of men that live in another realm and can travel through planes to ours (the earth realm). These men have a sexual appetite that is unmatched and during the full moon they grow a second appendage, shall we call it, that they use along with the usual. They do best to breed with their own kind or a female that has fairy blood.

The Hero in the first story is named Dominic and he has a mirrored palm that eats demons - literally. He has lived a brutal 25 years working as a demon hunter in his realm when he is asked to help assist the birth of a human women whose baby should be the next in his line to carry the mirrored palm and do his job. When he arrives on the earth realm he has already befriended the husband of the women mentioned above.

The husband who is named Carlos is also a 3rd of what the warrior Dominic is and can travel between the plains as well. Now here is where things get odd. Carlos is not in love with his wife, whose name is Emma. Carlos is in fact in love with another man who lives in Dominic's realm. It's not really known why Carlos saw fit to marry Emma considering the fact that he prefers males but he has. He gets Emma pregnant by force because his lover asked him to and that when the baby is born he is suppose to bring the child to his lover. Problem is Carlos gets wounded in battle and is unable to perform sexually. So Dominic proposes that he help Emma give birth.

If you have not read the other books you may ask yourself why would he need to help her and what does it matter. Yet, it seems that their breed only carries for a month and then on the following full moon they give birth after a night of sex. Hmmm alrighty???

Carlos agrees to this. When Dominic and Carlos arrive the night of the full moon of which Emma should give birth she is of course confused until her husband's plans become clear. I won't get into the rest because I don't think I can write it all down here and have the review published. But to put it mildly, Carlos throws Emma around and man handles her in front of Dominic of which he does nothing. He even actually helps. They pretty much begin to rape her, her husband runs off, and she is left to Dominic. Dominic becomes moon struck and grows his other appendage, she tries to fight him off, can't, and then she gives in. Chapters later Carlos dies a tragic death and Dominic decides he wants Emma and her child (his successor) for himself.

Okay, now that's not all there is to this story and that's why I said the author is a good writer, because the subplot is actually quite good. It's just the sexual side of this was frankly -- perverse.

Then there is the second story and if you were not thrown back by the sexually graphic text in the first you should be by the second. It starts out simple and easy enough. Fast forward years from when Dominic and Emma fall in love and one of the children from Emma's fairy sisters is all grown up and well endowed. He is able to conjure up soulless women in order to quench his needs during the full moon and such. One of these fake women he conjures up repeatedly until she becomes real. This story has some comic relief and the characters are pretty likable. Then again the woman that becomes real, "Cara", is brutalized on several occasions. I'm not talking tossed around and talked to badly, I mean degrading things. In the end she settles in with two brothers, one of which conjured her, and marries them both - again their is more to the story.

I guess the sub-plots are good enough to buy this. Its a trip gettting inside this writers mind, but some of the eroctica left me feeling ill rather then content.