Review: Temptation's Edge by Eve Berlin (Pleasure Dome #3)

Publisher - Black Lace
Publication Date - 23rd May 2013
Paperback - 336 pages
Genre - Erotic Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - What happens when you let yourself fall…
Mischa Kennon isn’t one to take it lying down, at least not until she meets sexy Connor Galloway , a green-eyed Irishman with an air of authority she finds hard to resist. While performing duties as maid of honor to her best friend, Mischa indulges in a casual relationship with Connor. She’s surprised by the thrill of his dominance, and lusts for more feisty battles before surrender.

…over the edge
It’s all fun and games in the BDSM Pleasure Dome Club, until Mischa realizes Connor could master her heart.

…and into temptation?
If she gives in to desire, will it be too much to handle, or will it open her to a kind of love she never thought possible?

My Thoughts - I have read the first two books in this series already and I really enjoyed the first one, liked the second one a little less and, if I'm honest, liked the third one the least in the trilogy. I think the problem is that they all feel a little bit the same to me so by the time I got to the third book I was already bored of the regular format.

I like how the characters in the book are strong. Mischa and Conner have both had a tough time of it through their lives but they have managed to pull themselves up and become successful people in life and in their chosen careers. And I like that it shows that the submissive partner can also be strong with a personality of their own, as well as just the dominant partner. What did irritate me a little bit, and this has been becoming more of an issue as the series has progressed, is how all of the characters seem to believe that love is a weakness and something to be avoided at all costs. I understand that there has to be some kind of conflict in a romance novel otherwise the Happy Ever After will happen too soon and there will be no story. But I just wish there could be more variety with what that conflict is. It just made all the books feel much the same and even now they are all starting to blur into one another a little bit.

I did enjoy the steamy scenes, as I always do with any of Eve Berlin's work. They are always well written and in this one I found that she pushed things a little further in terms of the kink aspect and didn't just stick to spankings, which has been a complaint of mine of the previous books in the series. So because of that, the power play between Mischa and Conner felt a little more real than it had in the first two books. I also really enjoyed the ending, but I can't say a whole lot about that as I don't want to include any spoilers.

Summary - Overall, Temptation's Edge was an enjoyable read with likeable characters and a more believable sense of the power play than the previous books in the series. However, some elements of the books were all very similar so by book three I was starting to get a little bored. But still well worth a read for fans of the erotic romance genre.

Other books in the series:
1. Pleasure's Edge
2. Desire's Edge
3. Temptation's Edge

Waiting on Wednesday: Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week Chrissie has a "can't-wait-to-read" selection for you:

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (9th December 2013)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey that gives us all a chance to list the books that we read last week and what we hope to read this week.

Books We Read Last Week:

Temptation's Edge by Eve Berlin (Pleasure Dome #3)

All She Wants 4 Christmas by Jessica Lee

Books We Reviewed Last Week:

A Dark Kiss of Rapture by Sylvia Day (Renegade Angels #0.5)

Books We're Currently Reading:

An Unintended Journey by Catherine Gayle (Cavendish Brothers #1)

The Proposal by Tasmina Perry

Books Up Next:

No idea.... but something festive!

Stacking the Shelves (7th December 2013)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

For Review:

Atlantis: Revelation by Marcus Blake

Following in the tradition of Clive Cussler and Dan Brown comes Atlantis: Revelation, a rip-roaring adventure thriller by Marcus Blake, which takes us on a hunt for the legendary lost city.

1945, a German submarine makes an astonishing discovery. Within hours the crew are dead, the final entry of the captain's log the only evidence of their find. It seems they have stumbled upon a remarkable and ancient secret.

2012, a young man is found, washed up on the shore of Cuba. He has no idea who he is, or where he is from. But soon he will find himself at the centre of a deadly game between two civilizations.

Meanwhile, a classified governmental agency launches a top-secret manhunt. Their target: the young man. And so begins a clash of worlds.

This is Atlantis Rising.

Vampire Seeker by Tim O'Rourke (Samantha Carter #1)

Samantha Carter believes that a vampire is responsible for the brutal deaths of four women in Whitechapel, London, England. Each murder is identical to those committed a hundred years before by a very different serial killer.

Desperate to prove the killer’s identity, Samantha follows him onto a late night tube train. But Samantha doesn’t reach the next station and finds herself on a very different journey, where she discovers vampires are very real and far more dangerous than she had ever imagined. To stay alive, Samantha needs to figure out why things have gone so terribly wrong for her – and more importantly, why she is out of time?

Knight's Mistress by CC Gibbs (All or Nothing #1)

Katherine Hart is thrilled to be recruited by Knight Enterprises, the most prestigious venture-capital company in the world. That is, until she makes the acquaintance of the company’s infamous CEO, Dominic Knight.

At thirty-two, Dominic is a self-made billionaire with a fearsome ambition and a temper to match. He is also impossibly attractive and dangerously charming when he wants to be.

To Kate, Dominic seems like the perfect predator, and she resolves to be cautious despite the obvious chemistry between them, telling herself she can always leave if Dominic grows too demanding. What she doesn’t know is that the decision isn’t hers to make…

Dominic Knight has found a new plaything, and Mr. Knight always gets what he wants.

Knight's Game by CC Gibbs (All or Nothing #2)

When her tryst with handsome billionaire Dominic Knight gets out of hand, Katherine Hart resolves to cut all contact for good. But Dominic won't let his object of fascination escape so easily: when they cross paths in a plush hotel in Singapore, their steamy affair is reignited.

But can such exquisite pleasure last?

Kate knows her lover is a man who lives entirely for the chase. Is this reunion a rushing climax before an inevitable fall, or could Kate possess the keys to finally taming the untamable Dominic Knight?

Knight Takes Queen (All or Nothing #3)

Katherine Hart has come a long way from the day she accepted a position as codebreaker for Knight Enterprises, glittering domain of playboy CEO Dominic Knight.

With his wicked reputation, nobody could have imagined Dominic Knight sated by just one woman . . . until green-eyed Katherine captured his sole fascination, and stirred his fiercest desire.

Now, newly pregnant with his child, Kate has never been so pampered, nor so very, very satisfied. But when tragedy strikes and Dominic and Kate are forced to reassess, the lovers must ask themselves if such pleasure is ultimately worth the pain.

Series Spotlight: Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Series Spotlight is a new weekly feature here on Once Upon a Series, where I will be highlighting a series that I would either like to read if I get a chance to, or would like to finish reading at some point. Hopefully it will give you all some ideas for other series to read... or if you've read something similar that you think other fans of the series featured would like, then please do mention it in the comments.

I read the first two books of the Gabriel's Inferno series last year and absolutely loved them, although it was during a break from blogging so I didn't get around to writing reviews for them. And the third book is due for release any day now and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy. This is definitely a series that I highly recommend.

1. Gabriel's Inferno

Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.

When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide. An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, "Gabriel's Inferno" is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible...forgiveness and love.

2. Gabriel's Rapture

Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever.

3. Gabriel's Redemption

Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he’s confident that they can face any challenge. And he’s eager to become a father.

But Julianne’s graduate program threatens Gabriel’s plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront her about the subject of her presentation – research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel’s darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.