The Devi’s Doorbell Anthology
Released: April 26, 2016
Erotic Romance
Self Published
Reviewed by Mandi
I’m super impressed with this erotic anthology. I’m not a big fan of anthologies, but I couldn’t pass up a collection of dirty stories from these authors. They are done well. Almost all feature a heroine who is coming back from a bad divorce or break-up, and trying to find herself again. And each features mention of the devil’s doorbell *wink* I highly recommend!
In the Garden by Anne Calhoun – What a great way to start off this erotic anthology. Kelsey travels to England to attend her best friend’s wedding. One of the groomsmen looks exactly like an ex who broke up with Kelsey over Facebook. Still hurt over it, she wonders what it would be like to have sex with Julian as a way to mentally get back at her ex. She also finds him utterly gorgeous and sexy – she can’t stop looking at him. He notices her staring and after the wedding, the take a stroll in the garden. Which leads to a stroll to an abandoned church which leads to a very, very hot sex scene.
The sexual tension:
I turn. Meet his gaze. Lose my breath. Dozens of moments of eye contact, the flirty ash-diluted glances like jabs–saucy, seductive jabs– coalesce into the full impact of his direct stare. For a moment i can’t breathe because desire, pure and demanding, swells in my chest, paralyzing my diaphragm.
“Is it helping?” His voice is a low, sandy murmur, rough in all the right ways on my skin. He’s back to the sidelong looks, this fabulous bit of trouble. The delicate hairs on my exposed shoulders and arms lift and settle, like he nipped at my nape.
The kisses:
I want to feel his tongue against mine, so I lean in and lick next to his. He groans and pushes my wrist against the wall by my head and kisses me.
He’d been holding back before. This kiss is the kiss of a pirate, plundering my mouth.
(there is also a blow job and hot sex. I’ll make a smex scene sunday post out of it – it’s Thursday – too early in the week for all of this sex talk!)
Super sexy with great chemistry between Julian and Kelsey. Ends with a promise of something more – but being a short story, there is no solid HEA. (but we can pretend)
Grade: B+
Exact Warm Unholy by Jeffe Kennedy – I looooooved this story. A woman who has suffered through a very bad divorce, now takes on different identities (new wigs, new makeup, new clothes etc) and goes to the same bar and picks up different men to have a one night stand with. Sometimes she is Tiffany, all cool stares and diamonds. Sometimes she is Sydney, a scholar with simple clothes and glasses. She has many identities, only using each one once. The only thing that is the same every time she goes out, is the bar and the bartender. I don’t want to give too much away – so I’ll just say – this DOES have a HEA. And it’s sweet and sexy and made me smile so much – even though the heroine went through so much pain. I really, really enjoyed this story.
Grade: A
Red Leather by Delphine Dryden – Maggie recently found out her boyfriend was cheating on her and decides it’s time to make herself happy. Do things that she enjoys, not what she thinks others want her to do. She gets new boots. She gets clothes that show off her body, even though her ex told her she was too plump. She is learning to love herself, and be happy. And then she sees the office mail clerk, Tim. She has always thought he was super cute, as he blushed anytime she talked with him. When he sees something embarrassing in a box on her desk, he goes to the supply closet to let his boner subside. When she comes in to get something, and sees said boner – let me just say, the boner doesn’t go away anytime soon. This is a sweet, erotic, story of a woman gaining the confidence to be herself and to explore herself, and a guy who is adorably in love with her, and is ready to show her what a real relationship can be like. Adored.
Grade: B+
Drowning on Dry Land by Megan Hart – Bette has learned a lot about herself ever since her heart was broken. She knows now she likes to be in control. Her “boy” (he is in his forties) is hers to command. She is happy and has found some sense of contentment, although the pain from her past relationship still weighs on her. Her boy wears a chastity belt, and the key is around her neck. She tells him when and how he can get off. He is hers, and he likes it this way. But Bette’s ex gets back in touch, and she has to decide what life she wants. Although Bette’s pain over her broken relationship with her ex was portrayed really well, I didn’t love this story as much. I didn’t like the fact that Bette goes back to her ex and has sex with him, just to make sure their relationship is really over. I didn’t care for that personally.
Grade: C+
Devil in the Dark by Christine D’Abo – Shona and a friend have developed a new app called, The Devil’s Doorbell. An app designed for people to put in their sexual desires and it would alert them if there was someone nearby willing to fulfill. Shona wants to do some testing on her new app, so she goes into a popular club to try it out. Soon, she gets a match, as a guy at the club has pinged her on the app. She finds him, he leads her upstairs (he happens to be the club owner) and they have a verra hot sexual encounter together. Shona gets her fantasy fulfilled and Kevin has a fun time too. I don’t recall Shona having a bad breakup in her past, as the other heroines in the stories have. This one also has less of a HEA, more of just a fun sexual fantasy come to life. Enjoyable nonetheless – especially when there is talk like this:
“You’re so big, thick. I bet you’re good in bed. You’re a stud. Aren’t you?”
“I like to fuck.”
Well then.
Grade: B
London Calling by Megan Mulry – Lana is bisexual who recently moved to London. Ready to move on from a bad relationship, she wants to explore all that London has to offer. Feeling silly one day, she reads the personal section in the paper, and sees this ad for Facesitter Wanted:
“Seeking gentlewoman to live in my house in central London (rent-free) in exchange for facesitting when I am in town.”
She impulsively answers it, because why not? She meets who she thinks will be some kinky millionaire guy at a fancy bar, but it turns out to be a woman. A woman, who is married to a man, but would like Lana to come live with them for a year to service her. Lana, extremely turned on by Cybelle, agrees. She experiences all Cybelle has to offer, and then more surprises await her. I’m glad a F/F story was included in this one.
Grade: B
We Are All Found Things by M. O’Keefe – Oh – an awkward hero with a horribly dark past…yes, he is my candy. Rennie needs someone to live in the loft space she rents as a welder – as it’s in a bad neighborhood and she doesn’t want her stuff stolen at night. Luka applies to be her renter. He looks like Thor – so there is that. She recognizes him from a traumatic news story that was all over the place years ago. He shuts her down quick when she brings it up, so she lets it go. Time passes, and they eventually share a kiss, but he freaks out and leaves. More time passes and when he has a little bit too much to drink on New Years eve, he opens up more. Their sex is a bit awkward – which makes it hot. He has dark secrets, which he eventually shares. I loved him.
Grade: B+
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