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Title: Tempted (Playing the Edge Series)

Author: Susan Arden Genre: Erotica 18+ Extreme Sexual Content

Publish Date: September 16, 2014

Publisher: Swoon Romance Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

~ Book Synopsis ~

One day is all it takes to be tempted into playing the edge.

After escaping an abusive past, Eliza refuses to accept the mind-numbing existence she’s cast into. Living in the shadow of her overprotective sister, leaves Eliza suffocated and stifled, until Graham Gordon takes up residence in her yoga class and in her head. Just like that, her vanilla world is turned upside down. Graham is everything she should avoid and everything she’s ever desired. Graham Gordon is wealthy, privileged, and harbors a secret vice no one would ever suspect. In Eliza, he has found the perfect acquisition: an innocent teacher he can’t seem to forget. During a private yoga session, Graham makes Eliza an offer she can't refuse and teaches her what it means to submit to his every desire. Within Graham’s powerful presence, the veils under which Eliza hides are stripped away, unlocking her inner hunger to be dominated. But will Graham’s possessive nature save her from the demons of her past, or be another experience she must survive?

My Review:

Tempted by Susan Arden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eliza's life is a bit chaotic. After escaping from an abusive step-father she has been under the care of her sister since she was a teenager. She is teaching a class in her sister's yoga studio when she locks eyes with a drop-in client and has a pretty intense experience. Graham Gordon is a powerful CEO who has an equally intense experience when he locks eyes with his yoga instructor. Graham is someone who goes after and gets what he wants, and he knows that he wants Eliza. During a private yoga session, Graham shows Eliza how much he wants her and makes her an offer that is both scary and tempting.

There are lots of FSOG parallels going on here. There is quick chemistry between the main characters followed by an offer for financial security and much pleasure if Eliza will offer her submission to Graham for six months. He gives her a sample of just how much pleasure he can give her. Their physical chemistry is just as intense as they both knew it would be. Eliza is at a point in her life where she knows that she doesn't have much direction, and the idea of this sexy powerful man giving her not only focus and pleasure, but also a reference that could help her sister's business. Even though it seems like a lot of time passes in this story, it is actually only a couple days. Eliza is fairly inexperienced sexually, and Graham is ready to teach her about submission and control. Eliza has a tough decision to make, and we are left wondering what that decision will be. Some of the dialogue is a little disjointed, but it feels like we the reader are sometimes confused along with the characters. As they both struggle with their own feelings, and try to figure their way through the beginnings of an unconventional relationship, the tension between them ebbs and flows.

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

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~TEMPTED TEASER~

Hello, gorgeous creeper. Silently, he extended his hand filled with my things. I had no choice but to sweep my fingers over his palm never expecting a zapping current to pass between us. I shivered, jerking my arm backward as the electrical jolt raced up my arm before discharging. I gasped when it landed deep in my belly. Distracted by my reaction, I made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark eyes in the daylight were bottomless, and his attention had my pulse in a race, but where the heck was the finish line? “Thank you,” I mumbled. “I can manage.” I wished he’d stopped helping me since I was coming undone. “No question. Still I want to make certain you’re all right.” Once more our gazes locked, and the effect was like entering into a timeless chasm. So, there I was kneeling on the ground, unprepared for the cauterizing heat of staring into his eyes at close range. It was all too much. I ground my teeth with the need to get away before I did something incredibly stupid. “Look, that’s nice. But I’m fine and really don’t need any help out here.” “Not a second ago.” He snorted a laugh. “Luckily, this machine basically drives itself and brakes fast and hard. Really, you could’ve been hurt if it’d been another car and driver.” The way he said fast and hard had me sputtering as the words echoed within my mind, sending a swarm of butterflies housed in my stomach into flight. Yep, I remembered, he did that to me. He offered the last few items he’d picked up and I reached for them, brushing my fingers over his. “Well, bully for me.” The words slipped out of my mouth. No way to pull them back, so I finished with, “This isn’t NASCAR, you know.” Without a break, his brow lifted. Game on. “Nor the Boston Marathon, sweetheart.” “Humble much?” I asked, going with the flow. “I’m not here to debate. Eliza, isn’t it? I dropped by to see when you might have a moment to talk.” “Talk?” I mocked. I couldn’t help myself. Talking was not what I imagined he wanted to do with me. It sure as heck wasn’t what I wanted to do with him. “Yes. Talk.” He inhaled in that way people did when they chose their words carefully. I’d seen it, but rarely practiced the art. “Last night in the class and now, I’m convinced we have a connection between us. No sense in running from it.” His eyes bored into mine and I froze. It got worse when he tunneled his fingers through hair, and a blast of heat rippled through me. The way his hair stood up looked like he’d fucked someone senseless. Who was I fooling? I seriously wanted to book passage on that cruise. “Oh,” I replied deep into a brain drain. “Unless, you tell me to go,” he spoke to me in a measured tone. Shit. Wake up, Eliza. Yoga. Studio. Student. Ring a bell?

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Title: Seduced (Playing the Edge Series)

Author: Susan Arden

Genre: Erotica 18+ Extreme Sexual Content

Publish Date: September 16, 2014

Publisher: Swoon Romance

Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

~ Book Synopsis ~

The seduction is only the beginning. After giving Graham's proposal some thought, Eliza signs the erotic service agreement on the dotted line and crosses the threshold into Graham’s bedroom in New York. After all, it's only six months. But Eliza's a world away from the beaches of Miami, ready to learn the secrets behind the man who holds her a willing captive. The man whose insatiable appetite might just break her. It's a point of no return if she agrees to play the edge.

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My Review:

Seduced by Susan Arden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Seduced picks up right where Tempted leaves us. Eliza decides to take Graham's offer and leaves with him for New York. When they get there, the realities of Graham's life are pretty overwhelming. Eliza struggles to acclimate to his lifestyle and Graham struggles to juggle his stressful business and time with Eliza. Both realize that they are falling deeper for one another than the contract intended and are not sure where rings will go from here.

I got more engaged with this book than the first. It was interesting to see Eliza try and figure out her place in Graham's life as well as how to live under this contract. We get to meet Marie, who I liked a lot. She is an interesting character and I hope we get to know her better in the future. Graham seems to be all over the place here. I think we start to get a sense of just how chaotic his work life is and how badly he needs someone to take care of him the way he tries to take care of everything else. The complexities in Eliza and Graham's relationship make it all the more interesting, and I am curious to see where things go from here. It is good to see them opening up a little and making an effort to give in to more than their physical connection. Like with the first, there continue to be similarities with other books in this genre but there is enough unique material to keep the reader engaged. I look forward to the next in the series.

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

~SEDUCED TEASER~

“Miss Hillwood, care to explain what the hell you’re doing here?” The sound of Graham’s seductively deep voice swept over me from behind and exploded in my head. I turned so fast I got whiplash. Our gazes connected, and the grimace he wore melted me, sending a jolt of something like apprehension or anticipation deep in my belly. I gaped up at him with my damp hair partially obstructing my view as he stood over me, appearing powerful and all too much a predator. And like prey, I sat there hypnotized by his closeness and captivated by the thought of what he’d do next. He brushed back some of my bangs. “From your flushed cheeks, I can see you’ve been here awhile.” He glanced around the club as he lightly traced my bottom lip. The feel of fingers on my skin made me hungry for more. “I take it your friends are still out on the dance floor.” “How do you know who I came with?” I asked, unwilling to get up and throw myself at him. Dressed in dark jeans and a black button-down shirt that stretched over his muscular chest and broad shoulders, he was sin, sex, and a click away from losing it. And I drank in the sight of him. Graham’s clothing left nothing to the imagination for someone who’d been pinned under him. That person being me. “I thought I made myself clear when I expressly told you to go home and call me.” He ran his knuckles along my jaw. “Didn’t I?” The slight kicked-up curl to his smile gave me the distinct impression the soreness between my legs would be nothing compared to what he had in store. I wet my lips, his focus trained on my tongue, and I swallowed. Seeing the heat in his eyes build, I struggled to breathe. The pounding music on the dance floor echoed in my heartbeat, thudding way too loud in my chest. I knew he wasn’t here to share a drink. He fully intended on delivering something we both remembered. His eyes glinted brighter, and he gave me a look that promised he’d consume me without mercy. “I forgot. Things got a little weird,” I offered, plastering innocence over my face. “Eliza,” he growled my name in a low rasp filled with hunger and frustration. I twisted my fingers in my lap. “Look, this is my last night out with friends. Besides, I don’t see you sitting at home knitting a scarf. Why should I when that’s what I’ll be doing for the next six months, if you have your over-the-top way?” That had to be the alcohol talking—this played into what we both wanted, and I never made things this easy. For anyone. “Do you remember the last time we had to take a short walk?” His arched brow sent a dart of excitement racing up my spine. “Oh, me and a few places in my body remember more than well.” He leaned in and whispered up against my cheek, “That tone, Ms. Hillwood.”

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About the Author

Susan Arden photo 6949005_zps3b5c53aa.jpg

I'm not into chocolate...I prefer brightly colored candy. Wild flowers over roses. Definitely, I prefer the company of children and animals over politicians and bureaucrats. Was a teacher, now turned into a romance writer, and just got into cover and interior book design which is a whole other fascinating world.

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$25.00 Sephora GC, Playing the Edge swag bag stuffed with goodies (Playing the Edge T-shirt, erotic toy, postcards, PTE mouse pad, ecopy of Tempted). One Winner

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