Review: Dark Erotica And Even A Monster Mash
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2014
I was given this bundle in exchange for an honest review. Dark Passions is fairly large (762 pages) box set featuring erotica with a darker edge. Some were just BDSM themed but others were on the extreme side, so be aware that triggers abound.  Some of them I enjoyed, others weren't exactly to my taste.  Here is my breakdown on my thoughts of each book included, and how I landed on this rating.1. Terry Towers writing as Elixa Everett - I Conjure Thee: This was a very cool new dark paranormal erotica tale.  Sometimes you get sick of vampires and shifters, so a dominating genie is a novel idea.  Very sexy, but not overly dark.  I give this 4 stars.2. Skye Eagleday - Sex Research: This one I didn't like at all really. It features two storylines.  The first one revolves around a Professor and the kinky tasks he assigns to his pretty assistant all in the name of helping their sex research project.  Though not mind blowing, this portion of the story at least kept me reading. The other story arc, centered on a almost carbon copy of Native American version of Christian and Anna from the Fifty Shades series.  This one did me in. I was able to finish it, so I rating this 2 stars.3. Aya Fukunishi - Her Submission: This is some crazy kink that begins in sex club and ends with an untutored waitress, engaging in bondage games in order to make tuition.  I liked this, though the kink went out my comfort zone at times. It's getting 3  stars.4. Emilie Criss - A Stranger's Hand: This is some sci-fi mind trip kept me on the edge of my seat, just trying to figure out what was going on. I found it very different because it's not genre I normally explore.  There is kink, but nothing over the top.  This one gets 3  stars5. Abby Weeks - Tangled Rose: This is a prequel to a book, I previously really enjoyed. This is very dark, and scary. I really liked the other book, but this went way outside me comfort zone. I am open to dark themes, but do need things prettied up a bit. There wasn't anything wrong with the storytelling. We just weren't kink compatible. I was physically revolted by a guy that played a prominent role in the plot. He was in the previous book I enjoyed, but the sex was a quick flashback. I didn't get far enough in to feel comfortable rating it honestly.6. Cheri Verset - Savage Bikers Lust: This biker erotica cautionary tale about the dangers of silly girl, taking more than candy from hot biker strangers started off with a bang. I really got into chemistry between these two. Unfortunately the ending went somewhere weird and unnecessarily unrealistic even for a sexy read. This would have gotten 4, but the ending knocked it down to 3 stars.7. Savannah Reardon - The Queen Slave: This space ship erotic tale about a defeated queen forced into sexual slavery was a harder edged storyline I expected, unlike a few of the other stories. Dark, and uncomfortable just how I like it. Once again I'm a little thrown off by the ending. This gets a solid 3 stars.8. Adele Allaire - One Night, Three Hearts: In all honesty, I am not a fan of BBW or ménage storylines. The fact this featured both is greatly contributing to my `meh" response. I'm giving it 2 stars with extreme prejudice. Someone into one or both of those themes might enjoy this.9. J.E. & M. Keep - Outcast: This one is twisted dark tale about a half-demoness bandit, being turned on by her partners in crime is horribly awesome. If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right. My only complaint was the abrupt ending, which continues in the next book. Giving this 4 stars.10. Alara Branwen & Christie Sims - Ravaged by the Ogre's Tribe: If you've ever been curious about monster porn/horror erotica, this might be a good introduction to the genre. What happens when a female soldier gets captured by the enemy Goblin horde? Well this isn't [bookcover:Goosebumps|19439031], that's for sure. I've obviously got issues because this gets 3 stars.My overall rating averaged to 4 stars on Amazon, because the rating scale meaning is different than on Goodreads. I did like it, but didn't love it overall. Though not perfect, the price makes it good deal. Some of my lower ratings were taste based, and it is very possible some might be more your speed.