SECRETS, Volume 22 -  E. Marvel, R. Carrington, C. Fox, E. Adams
Red Sage Publishing - www.redsagepub.com
ISBN: 978-1-60310-002-1
December 2007
Erotic Romance Anthology

Heat - Ellie Marvel
Diggette Colony

As a psi technician, Sarai has the rare ability to temper the metal kitrium and is, thus, stuck on this outbound colony in a galaxy far from home on Terran.  She is outspoken, has few cultured mannerisms, and isn't particularly neat.  Her friend Tarkin, however, is refined, orderly, and precise.  The Gitternian has taken Sarai out every night for the past nine days, and tonight he is very intense.  Gitters are not known to have deep emotions and Sarai is confused by his behavior.  She has long had secret fantasies about the peddler of luxury goods, but everyone knows that Gitters don't have sex.  Still, he is a good friend; she has only one other friend on the colony, and she desperately wants to know what is going on with Tarkin.

Tarkin has spent the past nights courting Sarai in an effort to conform to Terran mating customs.  He is entering his mating cycle and has received permission to mate Sarai from his council on Gitternis.  It is rare to mate with another species, and sometimes dangerous.  Tarkin needs Sarai to be comfortable and accept his advances, because when his cycle hits him, he isn't sure that anything will keep him away from her.

Heat is a steamy sci-fi story set in the far reaches of the universe.  Sarai, with her Irish heritage, is the perfect foil to the usually calm and collected Tarkin.  When his passion is unleashed, the desolate and dreary colony they inhabit is subjected to an intense, emotional heat they never expected.  Heat shows that opposites attract across the universe.

Breathless - Rachel Carrington
Las Vegas, Nevada - Present Day

The evil wizard Diaz is intent on taking over the world, and a victim in his latest attack was Lark Hogan’s sister Shanae.  Lark has vowed to seek vengeance on the monster whose murderous rampages are growing.  But she is not fully trained and not nearly powerful enough to fight Diaz herself, so she sets out to find the one wizard who may have enough power to help her win.

Zac Wolfe is not a hero.  He is embittered and cynical after a devastating loss fifty years ago.  When Lark walks into the casino and asks for him, Zac knows why she has come.  He politely declines to participate in taking down Diaz, but his unheard of attraction to Lark gives her an upper hand in negotiations.  They agree to each getting what they want -- Lark gets an ally and Zac gets Lark for the duration of the fight.  Sparks are going to fly.

Breathless features two very strong characters in Lark and Zac.  Their arguments and fights set the backdrop for their white-hot passion.  A very strong adventure and a nasty villain round out this exciting paranormal tale.  The action and steam will leave the reader Breathless.

Midnight Rendezvous - Calista Fox
New York City - Present Day

Missing yet another date from her matchmaking service, Cat Hewitt is about ready to give up on having any social life at all.  As a fundraising event organizer, she spends the majority of her time working.  As Cat is getting ready to leave the restaurant alone, she notices a man sitting at the bar who seems familiar.  When she recognizes David Essex, a friend of her father’s whom she met at an event several years ago, she is as attracted to him as she was the first time she met him...and dropped food and drink all over him.  Yikes!

When David notices Cat at the table, he remembers the excitement she stirred in him, right before she accidentally destroyed his tux and shoes.  She disappeared that night but tonight he is going to make sure they see each other again.  No woman in years has caught his interest the way she has.  Though he lives in San Francisco, David believes that they can work out a schedule to get together.  When he offers to fly her to Cabo for the weekend, Cat accepts.  How hard can a bicoastal romance be when you are sharing weekends all over the world?

Midnight Rendezvous is set in the most romantic cities in the world.  They are the highlight to the steamy tale of David and Cat.  Acting out her fantasies, appropriate to each setting, fuels their passion, but taking their relationship to a permanent level causes problems.  Midnight Rendezvous is a terrific tale of long distance romance.

Birthday Wish - Elisa Adams
New England - Present Day

Anna Kelly is taking a break from her birthday party on the balcony when Dean Harrison joins her there.  The object of her fantasies for a long time, when he asks her what she would like for her birthday, Anna is shocked to hear herself tell Dean what her secret birthday wish is.  Did she really just proposition him with a long passion filled weekend?  Yep, and he readily accepts.

Dean is extremely pleased that Anna has extended her invitation.  He has long been attracted to her, but unavailable until now.  Dean is going to give Anna a weekend she won’t forget.  He is hoping to help her get over the insecurity and shyness she has when she is around him.  If Dean can get this weekend absolutely perfect for her, maybe he can have Anna in his life for a very long time.

Birthday Wish is a sizzling tale of pushing boundaries.  Anna and Dean have been damaged by bad relationships, and both are ready to live out their wildest sides.  A tug-of-war for control ensues, but Anna has no idea what staid businessman Dean has in store for her.  Birthday Wish is a steamy and emotional treat.

This SECRETS anthology once again combines excellent stories from varied genres.  They are all well-written and passionate.  Each story is filled with nicely drawn characters and settings.  All four tales are winners, so highlights will be particular to each reader’s taste.  For a sampling of erotic fiction, these are first rate.  Fulfill your fantasies and steam up your evenings with SECRETS, Volume 22.

Jennell