Secrets: Volume 9 the Best in Women's Romantic Erotica (Secrets (Red Sage)) [Paperback]

I should explain that when I read erotic romance I expect not just erotica but romance, ie. a monogamous loving relationship. From this viewpoint 2 stories here are winners and 2 are sorry losers.

Wild For You
This started as a really fun tale of a Tarzan and the spoiled college student who gets lost and stumbles across him in the jungle. Georgie (of the Jungle?) was a fun heroine and the concept of a wild man who's never seen a woman before was original. I found it easy to suspend disbelief and just enjoy. Tarzan's exploration of the heroine's body was oddly arousing. Their sex scenes were hot and more emotional than you might expect. I particularly felt for him when she decided she had to return to civilization and he got upset (and tied her up and sexed her natch). Eventually he let her go but then followed her because he loved her. I was thinking Awwwww. And here the story totally fell apart. No sooner was Tarzan captured than a stream of young native girls paraded through his tent, giving and receiving oral sex. Tarzan, who a minute ago seemed to love Georgie so much, accepts BJ's from one and all, as Georgie spies on him. Worse, she just reflects that he's a man after all. This is romance? If the author is trying to say that the most innocent virginal male quickly becomes a rat bastid at the first opportunity, she sure convinced me. Toss in a gratuitous scene of one of the native girls being sodomized by her uncle in front of Tarzan (who climaxes from the display) and I about tossed my cookies. This story dropped from 5 stars to 1 star faster than a lead balloon.

Wanted
This was another interesting premise with a relationship developing between our heroine on the run and the FBI man chasing her. It started off as a cyber relationship between 2 people constantly on the road for months, moving from town to town, isolated from friends and family. Danielle talks to Reno because she's lonely and only he understands what she's going through. Reno is hot on her trail, but he's also hot for her tail. It all explodes in a scorching scene when Reno finds her working in a strip club and pays for a lap dance. Things get out of hand, but before anyone gets off, Danielle realizes who he is and escapes. Eventually of course he catches up with her again, slaps on the handcuffs and sexes her thoroughly. Smoking! He offers to help her, but can he clear her name? I liked Danielle, she was a smart and sassy woman, and out-foxed Reno more than once. I liked Reno too, he was sexy and he also genuinely cared for Danielle's well-being, even when he was determined to bring her in. You could see both of them coming to care for each other and it was very romantic as well as hot. 5 stars

Secluded
I am a fan of Lisa Marie Rice and admit I borrowed this book mainly to read her story. I was not disappointed. This is the most romantic of the 4 novellas. Or maybe I'm a sucker for the dark brooding atmosphere and aura of doomed love. Nicholas is a powerful man with determined enemies. He loves Isabelle but cannot expose her to evil men who will kill her to get to him, so he settles for a couple of weeks of sex. He wants so much more but he knows it can never be. I liked Nicholas, I felt for him. He was sexy and so devoted to Isabelle. I liked Isabelle too, she was no cringing twit but a strong lady determined to seize what happiness she could. When the enemy comes to call, both hero and heroine are willing to sacrifice themselves for the other. Soooo romantic. But don't underestimate it - this is an erotic tale with explicit language too. 5 stars

Flights of Fantasy
The premise of a woman on a cruise where the captain has a yen for her, while 2 of the other guests are her ex-lovers didn't work for me. If the captain was clearly the hero, then why is the heroine having sex with ex-lover B one morning? That very evening she then has sex with the hero. What kind of tart has sex with 2 different guys in the same day? The hero is aware of her morning delight but has no problem accepting sloppy seconds. Shouldn't a man in love be somewhat territorial, growl at B to get lost or something? I skimmed ahead, hoping things would somehow pick up, only to find the hero arranging a foursome with heroine, ex-lover A and ex-lover B, because a foursome is her fantasy. WTF? This is the weakest, most limp noodle of a hero ever. Afterwards he claims he doesn't want to share the heroine. Dude, you just did! But his reasoning is ... wait for it ... since he kept himself from coming during the menage, he didn't really share her. WTF again? The heroine accepts B in the menage even though they parted on bad terms just a day or 2 before. But hey, he has a wang and that's all this woman seems to require. She does question the hero afterward why he picked them instead of 2 new guys, and I got the distinct impression any 2 guys off the street would do. I'd advise this captain to get used to sharing, because monogamy and this woman seem to be complete strangers. There is no romance going on here, just sex. I never got any feeling that either was in love with the other, and I rate their chances of a HEA at somewhat less than 0.1%. 1 star but I'd give it 0 if I could.

Secrets Vol. 9 gives you a little something for everyone!

Wanted by Kimberly Dean, has FBI Special Agent Jeff Reno chasing Danielle Carver. This was a FUN, sexy tale. Reno has been chasing Danielle for nearly two years, hot on her trail...well, actually, he is just getting hot and hotter - under the collar and for Danielle. She has been framed for industrial espionage. Reno made his case against her and it was unbreakable. But the sassy Danielle has been playing one smart mousie to his cat, keeping just one-step ahead of him. And it's driving him nuts! He finally catches her, but then the games really begin. This is a delightful spunky tale! So strong on romance!

Wild For You is an engaging tale my Kathryn Anne Dubois, sort of Tarzan goes Chit Lit! Dubois really has fun with this story and so will the readers. Georgie a college intern gets lost in the Congo and is captured by a virginal Wildman. He's never seen a woman, and well, Georgie is valley girl all they way. It's a sexy, whimsical tale, that Dubois plays with and really shines in.

Flights of Fantasy by the very talented Bonnie Harme - just continues to demonstrate she has a fine hold of the mechanics that make romance/erotic stories so brilliant. First, she always starts will such strong characters, then she moves to romance - real romance - and then she layers on the steam. She is a talent to watch! In this tale, Chloe teaches others to see the realities of life, but she has never faced her inner own realities, her yearnings. Harme is pure magic!

Secluded by Lisa Marie Rice is a dark tale. Nicholas Lee is wealthy, he is powerful, but with that wealth and power comes very determined enemies. Enemies determined to will kill anyone he loves. When Isabelle Summerby steals his hear, Nicholas spirits her away to his underground palace to live a lifetime in mere days. A very diverting tale that shows strong imagery. Good grasp of what makes a romance work.

So all in all, Secrets Vol. 9 will have something to please every tasted!

Anthologies are always tough for me to rate because they are usually a mix of quality, and Secrets 9 is no exception.

Dean's & Dubois' stories were both excellent. Interesting plots, well-drawn characters that I actually cared about and scorching love scenes. I only wish they both had been longer, because these authors could have made each story into a compelling novel.

Rice's tale was OK, but I didn't really care for the hero. He was a bit too obsessed with the heroine for my comfort level, but other than that the writing was well done. I would read her again.

Hamre's piece was an unpleasant surprise. Heroine has sex more than once with someone other than the hero, and is also involved in a foursome (yes, you read that right!). I would have skipped this entry had I known, and doubt I will read this author again.