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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
ijoy13's review against another edition
3.0
super smutty but not so much a real story line. Interesting relationship though
jmossreads's review against another edition
2.0
The book opens with Lindsay stumbling into an elevator and ends with her falling in love. Little does she know that her less than graceful entry into the elevator would lead to an invitation to experience a smoking hot weekend with three incredibly handsome men whose sole focus is her pleasure. Lindsay accepts the invitation because she believes it is a joke from her best friend and will simply be a relaxing girl’s weekend in a swanky penthouse.
Erik, Connor, and Travis share an unconventional living arrangement in that they are in a relationship; all three of them together. Occasionally, they will invite a woman into their relationship but only for a weekend. However, the weekend with Lindsay leads to unexpected feelings.
While the chemistry between the four of them is palpable, Lindsay and Erik share a deeper connection. Erik fears a relationship with Lindsay will change the dynamic between him, Connor and Travis.
Illicit is a very quick (I read it in one day), steamy read so don't expect a deep connection or a sophisticated relationship to develop between the characters. Each of the main characters has issues that are touched on but not discussed in depth or resolved.
Note: There are m/m, m/m/f, m/f/m, and m/f scenes throughout the book.
Erik, Connor, and Travis share an unconventional living arrangement in that they are in a relationship; all three of them together. Occasionally, they will invite a woman into their relationship but only for a weekend. However, the weekend with Lindsay leads to unexpected feelings.
While the chemistry between the four of them is palpable, Lindsay and Erik share a deeper connection. Erik fears a relationship with Lindsay will change the dynamic between him, Connor and Travis.
Illicit is a very quick (I read it in one day), steamy read so don't expect a deep connection or a sophisticated relationship to develop between the characters. Each of the main characters has issues that are touched on but not discussed in depth or resolved.
Note: There are m/m, m/m/f, m/f/m, and m/f scenes throughout the book.
maggie_sotos's review against another edition
3.0
LOL what a fun and bizarre read! I was looking for a palette-cleanser and I got it!
I am 100% here for normalizing polyamorous relationships and male bisexuality, so we give massive points there!
We might have to take away some points for, um, supernatural sex abilities? I genuinely am at a loss for why this plot twist is in the book at all; you could remove that element from the plot with an exacto knife and it would be just as good, if not better. The best I can come up with is that it started as a Twilight spinoff?
Also, forgive my ignorance, but would it physically feel good to have two dicks in your vagina at the same time? I genuinely don't know the answer to that.
I am 100% here for normalizing polyamorous relationships and male bisexuality, so we give massive points there!
We might have to take away some points for, um, supernatural sex abilities? I genuinely am at a loss for why this plot twist is in the book at all; you could remove that element from the plot with an exacto knife and it would be just as good, if not better. The best I can come up with is that it started as a Twilight spinoff?
Also, forgive my ignorance, but would it physically feel good to have two dicks in your vagina at the same time? I genuinely don't know the answer to that.
caraddishreads's review against another edition
I DNF at 34% sorry I need a story not constant orgies
saltqueen98's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
3.0
Good book to listen to without having to focus too much. Sex scenes are hot. Characters and plot are a bit lacking, with the timeline being within a couple days everything is very fast paced. Has an…interesting twist.
carladay83's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book for what it was. It's smut for women who can enjoy some M/M/M/F sex, as well as some M/M sex. Don't read it if you aren't okay with that. Also, don't read it if you are looking for a complex plot and characters. The author tries to give the characters a little backstory but only just enough to make them motivated. The plot is really just an excuse to string sex scenes together. More so than a lot of other erotic romance novels I've read that have been accused of this. I'm not faulting it for this though. Simetimes you need some sexual fantasy fulfilment that's not overly complicated but still aimed towards the female gaze. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed it for the most part.
kckburns's review against another edition
2.0
Had a hard time deciding how many stars to give this. I landed on 2 because I read it faster than that awful maya banks book... Anyways. I really loved how quick the story was. I appreciated that I wasn't dragged though a lengthy back story that ultimately wouldn't matter by the end. My only complaint really was the lack of warning that this book involved male on male action. The summary of the book is super mild compared to the sexual imagery Opal Carew threw at me. Other than the surprise of what the story was really about, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. (See Maya banks for that one.) Pieces were super cheesy and I did roll my eyes at least 5 times but it was definitely different.
charms1976's review against another edition
1.0
Usually author Opal Carew is a must read for me. I love her writing and the fantasy worlds she can create within the covers of a book (and between the sheets for her characters). With Illicit though, I was less than pleased with the story unfortunately.
The summary of this book sounded really good. I was excited to start another book by this author and dying to see what she would bring for Lindsay and Erik. The first few pages I was interested. The few pages after that were okay. Then it went downhill and I just couldn't finish it. So needless to say, this review is a DNF but I will explain why I couldn't read the rest.
Lindsay literally falls into Erik when entering the elevator. She notices right off the bat how sexy Erik and his two friends are. She has an entire fantasy about all three of them on this short elevator ride. Okay, I will go with that. Who doesn't have little fantasies in their heads when they are attracted to someone? They don't interact and she quickly exits the elevator when she arrives to her floor. She catches up with her friend Jill and she tells her all about the three sexy men she met in the elevator. Jill states that she know who Conner and Travis are, but she doesn't know who Erik is based on the descriptions Lindsay gives her. Jill tells Lindsay how she would love to set her up with them and she could have a quickie with them and fulfill a sexual fantasy. Fine, I can handle this situation of girl gossip and bonding.
This is where the book started going downhill for me. Days later, Lindsay receives an anonymous letter in the mail with just her name written on it. It is an invitation for her to meet at a certain place so she can live out her sexual fantasies. She assumes it is a joke from Jill wanting a girls night out and decides to go to this place without even asking if it came from her. That right there didn't make sense to me. We later find out that Erik is the one who sent her the invitation. Moving on though.
Remember that they didn't have much interaction in the elevator, but I also want to point out that Erik is already assuming things about Lindsay. This is what Erik thinks just as Lindsay stepped out of the elevator:
"Damn, she was sexy as hell," Conner said.
"True that, " said Travis.
Erik nodded absently. She was also sweet and a little shy. Had low self-esteem. And had a burning inferno of passion hidden deep inside. And he would love to be the one to let it loose. Along with Conner and Travis. --Erik, page 5
When she arrives at the hotel -- and so do Conner and Travis shortly after -- instead of hightailing it out of there when two strangers she doesn't remember arrive, she decides to watch the two men go at it on the patio near the pool area. If I had two strangers come into the suite, I would have hid until the coast was clear and ran like hell right away. When she does come to her senses, she runs out of the room straight to the elevator. When the elevator doors open, she runs right into Erik -- again! Oh and he is still in his work uniform for work as a police officer. This is where Erik really gave me the impression of being stuck up and "cocky". (no pun intended)
Why would she come all the way here, then leave?
Then again, women weren't always rational. He'd learned that the hard way. In the half dozen or so serious relationships he'd had, they'd all ended with the woman walking out. Why? Because he knew them too well. He satisfied them too well. --Erik, page 21
This is where I stopped and decided I wasn't going to be able to finish the story. I just wasn't feeling the characters and any chemistry. Granted, this was only 25 pages in, but by this time I already know if I am going to be able to get into a book and the characters.
The summary of this book sounded really good. I was excited to start another book by this author and dying to see what she would bring for Lindsay and Erik. The first few pages I was interested. The few pages after that were okay. Then it went downhill and I just couldn't finish it. So needless to say, this review is a DNF but I will explain why I couldn't read the rest.
Lindsay literally falls into Erik when entering the elevator. She notices right off the bat how sexy Erik and his two friends are. She has an entire fantasy about all three of them on this short elevator ride. Okay, I will go with that. Who doesn't have little fantasies in their heads when they are attracted to someone? They don't interact and she quickly exits the elevator when she arrives to her floor. She catches up with her friend Jill and she tells her all about the three sexy men she met in the elevator. Jill states that she know who Conner and Travis are, but she doesn't know who Erik is based on the descriptions Lindsay gives her. Jill tells Lindsay how she would love to set her up with them and she could have a quickie with them and fulfill a sexual fantasy. Fine, I can handle this situation of girl gossip and bonding.
This is where the book started going downhill for me. Days later, Lindsay receives an anonymous letter in the mail with just her name written on it. It is an invitation for her to meet at a certain place so she can live out her sexual fantasies. She assumes it is a joke from Jill wanting a girls night out and decides to go to this place without even asking if it came from her. That right there didn't make sense to me. We later find out that Erik is the one who sent her the invitation. Moving on though.
Remember that they didn't have much interaction in the elevator, but I also want to point out that Erik is already assuming things about Lindsay. This is what Erik thinks just as Lindsay stepped out of the elevator:
"Damn, she was sexy as hell," Conner said.
"True that, " said Travis.
Erik nodded absently. She was also sweet and a little shy. Had low self-esteem. And had a burning inferno of passion hidden deep inside. And he would love to be the one to let it loose. Along with Conner and Travis. --Erik, page 5
When she arrives at the hotel -- and so do Conner and Travis shortly after -- instead of hightailing it out of there when two strangers she doesn't remember arrive, she decides to watch the two men go at it on the patio near the pool area. If I had two strangers come into the suite, I would have hid until the coast was clear and ran like hell right away. When she does come to her senses, she runs out of the room straight to the elevator. When the elevator doors open, she runs right into Erik -- again! Oh and he is still in his work uniform for work as a police officer. This is where Erik really gave me the impression of being stuck up and "cocky". (no pun intended)
Why would she come all the way here, then leave?
Then again, women weren't always rational. He'd learned that the hard way. In the half dozen or so serious relationships he'd had, they'd all ended with the woman walking out. Why? Because he knew them too well. He satisfied them too well. --Erik, page 21
This is where I stopped and decided I wasn't going to be able to finish the story. I just wasn't feeling the characters and any chemistry. Granted, this was only 25 pages in, but by this time I already know if I am going to be able to get into a book and the characters.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Lindsay is on her way to visit a friend. She rushes to the elevator only to run face first into a solid male chest of muscle. Once she removes herself from the chest she realizes that she is surrounded by three nice males.
Erik can sense that Lindsay is into him. Erik takes a chance and mysteriously invites Lindsay to a fun weekend. At first Lindsay thinks the invite is from her girlfriend and they are going to have a ladies weekend but once she realizes who the invite is from and that it is not a ladies weekend but more of a sexual one, will Lindsay accept?
In regards to erotic authors, Opal Carew is one of the best. She really knows how to spice things up and make me need a cool glass of water. There was no shortage of hot male flesh and foursomes in this book. Which sometimes I am not for foursomes or even threesomes for the fact that when you get these many people involved it just does not work well together. This can be a big problem. However I did not have to worry about this in this book.
The chemistry involving Lindsay, Erik, Travis, and Connor was good. However it was really obvious that the true sexual chemistry fell between Lindsay and Erik. This is where then I was fully invested in just Lindsay and Erik that it felt like then that Travis and Connor were the extra wheels in the group. For a woman like me who would never have the courage to voice out loud any type of sexual fantasies I might have, Erik’s secret would be perfect for me. To have a guy like him. My only other criticism is that Erik got to be a downer worrying about how Lindsay was going to react to his secret. Otherwise this was a good book.
Erik can sense that Lindsay is into him. Erik takes a chance and mysteriously invites Lindsay to a fun weekend. At first Lindsay thinks the invite is from her girlfriend and they are going to have a ladies weekend but once she realizes who the invite is from and that it is not a ladies weekend but more of a sexual one, will Lindsay accept?
In regards to erotic authors, Opal Carew is one of the best. She really knows how to spice things up and make me need a cool glass of water. There was no shortage of hot male flesh and foursomes in this book. Which sometimes I am not for foursomes or even threesomes for the fact that when you get these many people involved it just does not work well together. This can be a big problem. However I did not have to worry about this in this book.
The chemistry involving Lindsay, Erik, Travis, and Connor was good. However it was really obvious that the true sexual chemistry fell between Lindsay and Erik. This is where then I was fully invested in just Lindsay and Erik that it felt like then that Travis and Connor were the extra wheels in the group. For a woman like me who would never have the courage to voice out loud any type of sexual fantasies I might have, Erik’s secret would be perfect for me. To have a guy like him. My only other criticism is that Erik got to be a downer worrying about how Lindsay was going to react to his secret. Otherwise this was a good book.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I read the premise for this book and knew I wanted to read it. It's not a traditional male/female romance. It's hot, hot, hot, and did I say hot!!
Lindsay is reeling from the experience of walking in on her boyfriend in bed with 2 other women. He defends his infidelity by telling her that she is boring in bed and her mother reinforces his opinion. Needless to say Lindsay is short on self-esteem and confidence. She literally bumps into 3 hot guys on an elevator and begins to imagine sex with them. A mysterious invitation arrives and her wildest dreams are fulfilled.
The storyline here was weak. One of the males, Erik, had a supernatural ability to read minds and sets up the fantasy weekend. Lindsay arrives at their home thinking she will meet her friend, but she never even calls the friend to confirm or get more information. Shortly after she arrives two of the men , Conner and Travis) have sex by the pool. It dawns on her that this isn't the work of her friend and she realizes that she is there to have sex with the men (Erik, Conner, and Travis) she tries to leave and they have to coax her to stay. They do this by allowing her to have sex with Erik first. Conner and Travis leave. But why? She didn't want to be boring in bed, liked watching the guys having sex, had a connection with Erik and they still had to coddle her to get her to stay? I don't like storylines where the girl knows what she wants but you have to persuade her before she feels entitled to pursue her desires. She also fled at the first sign of conflict. They had to seek her out twice to get her to come back. I kept wanting her to be sexually liberated enough by her fantasy weekend that she would know Erik wanted her and have the chutzpah to fight for him. The other two guys obviously wanted her. I wanted to see her breeze past Erik and tell him it was his problem if he didn't want her. I attribute that to my feminist leanings.
I was a little afraid that this wouldn't really be a romance but a long versions of hardcore porn, but I was pleasantly surprised that I did connect with each character. Travis carried some scars from the rejection of his family because of his bisexuality. It was so touching when he allowed Lindsay to actually hug him and help heal the hurt. I teared up because so many people have been hurt and ostracized because of their sexuality. I could feel in that moment Travis becoming liberated from his past. So even though you have 3 men and one woman you see the power of love in each of their lives through the bonds they have forged begin to set them free to fully love and be loved. It was a true romance. I loved that the author had male/male sexual action. Many authors have multiple partners but only write about the women being sexually active with each other. The men are depicted as watching, enjoying, and participating at will. Again more of my feminist rhetoric but this was really a bright spot, and I wasn't at all uncomfortable with the sexual interactions. There was genuine, love, care, and respect among all parties. The author gave very detailed descriptions of the sexual scenes in a very tasteful manner.
If you like romance don't be afraid to dive right in I promise you will enjoy it. If you want to take a step up from the erotic novellas and short stories to something written more tastefully and with more length give this book a try.
Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books
Lindsay is reeling from the experience of walking in on her boyfriend in bed with 2 other women. He defends his infidelity by telling her that she is boring in bed and her mother reinforces his opinion. Needless to say Lindsay is short on self-esteem and confidence. She literally bumps into 3 hot guys on an elevator and begins to imagine sex with them. A mysterious invitation arrives and her wildest dreams are fulfilled.
The storyline here was weak. One of the males, Erik, had a supernatural ability to read minds and sets up the fantasy weekend. Lindsay arrives at their home thinking she will meet her friend, but she never even calls the friend to confirm or get more information. Shortly after she arrives two of the men , Conner and Travis) have sex by the pool. It dawns on her that this isn't the work of her friend and she realizes that she is there to have sex with the men (Erik, Conner, and Travis) she tries to leave and they have to coax her to stay. They do this by allowing her to have sex with Erik first. Conner and Travis leave. But why? She didn't want to be boring in bed, liked watching the guys having sex, had a connection with Erik and they still had to coddle her to get her to stay? I don't like storylines where the girl knows what she wants but you have to persuade her before she feels entitled to pursue her desires. She also fled at the first sign of conflict. They had to seek her out twice to get her to come back. I kept wanting her to be sexually liberated enough by her fantasy weekend that she would know Erik wanted her and have the chutzpah to fight for him. The other two guys obviously wanted her. I wanted to see her breeze past Erik and tell him it was his problem if he didn't want her. I attribute that to my feminist leanings.
I was a little afraid that this wouldn't really be a romance but a long versions of hardcore porn, but I was pleasantly surprised that I did connect with each character. Travis carried some scars from the rejection of his family because of his bisexuality. It was so touching when he allowed Lindsay to actually hug him and help heal the hurt. I teared up because so many people have been hurt and ostracized because of their sexuality. I could feel in that moment Travis becoming liberated from his past. So even though you have 3 men and one woman you see the power of love in each of their lives through the bonds they have forged begin to set them free to fully love and be loved. It was a true romance. I loved that the author had male/male sexual action. Many authors have multiple partners but only write about the women being sexually active with each other. The men are depicted as watching, enjoying, and participating at will. Again more of my feminist rhetoric but this was really a bright spot, and I wasn't at all uncomfortable with the sexual interactions. There was genuine, love, care, and respect among all parties. The author gave very detailed descriptions of the sexual scenes in a very tasteful manner.
If you like romance don't be afraid to dive right in I promise you will enjoy it. If you want to take a step up from the erotic novellas and short stories to something written more tastefully and with more length give this book a try.
Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books