Review: Reversal by Cara McKenna

Reversal

(Curio #3)

by Cara McKenna

Cara McKenna takes readers back into the sensual world of Caroly and Didier. REVERSAL is written from Didier’s POV and it’s always my favorite place to be. Readers learn firsthand of his struggle with agoraphobia and experience the lingering effects that one terrible trip has caused him. But in the safe harbor of his home, Didier is slowly able to rein in his anxiety and panic to the point where he feels human again.

Caroly returns with more than just a smile and good faith in him. Whenever Didier sees Caroly, it’s as if a blanket of comfort is draped over him. He immediately feels more at peace. But Didier wants more and wishes to completely lose himself, to submerge into the fantasy that Caroly’s presence brings forth. This time Caroly resists, telling him that she doesn’t wish to become the means in which he hides from his problems. So together, they face his fears united and stronger than before.

REVERSAL is another agonizingly sweet love story for Caroly and Didier that delves deeper than before. McKenna first weaves an intricate web that Didier must find the strength within himself to escape from, then slowly unravels that to reveal a vulnerability that is striking and real. A story about unparalleled trust, inner strength and courage, McKenna simply shines with this series of vignettes.

*Review Copy provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Craving by Cara McKenna

Craving

(Curio #3)

by Cara McKenna

Before I unleash my fangirl side, I’d just like to remind readers once again that this series needs to be read in order, starting from the very beginning with CURIO. Otherwise, the scenes you read here probably won’t resonate with you as greatly. Okay, on to review....

It is springtime and Caroly and Didier’s Paris romance continues to bloom at a steadfast pace. In CRAVING, we find Caroly waiting for Didier at a restaurant. This meeting is monumental, not because it’s the first time Caroly is seen with someone known to be a prostitute in tight circles, but because Didier suffers from an extreme case of agoraphobia. The fact that he is even willing to confront his fears to see Caroly in a place so beyond his comfort zone shows just how much he cares about her.

Cara McKenna delivers yet another tightly-written slow-burning romance that boils to a fevering point! CRAVING is written in Caroly’s POV this time and I enjoyed it very much. I loved that readers were able to get inside her head and see the vulnerability that lies there. Even though she has bedded - and been bedded - by Didier many times already, there is still wonder in her eyes whenever she sees him. There’s this constant thought in the back of her mind wondering if one day Didier will finally tire of his job and simply wish to be with her in a long-term sense. Until then, Caroly cherishes each moment she has with him now. McKenna writes so that each word is necessary and infused with such warmth and electricity, bringing these characters to life again and again.

In this vignette, Didier and Caroly explore each other’s more darker desires. A little bit of bondage and anal play is involved, but there is passion is spades! As they explore Didier’s toy chest, they discover far more than just the carnal pleasures that it can bring, but also the trust in which they give to each other.

If you haven’t read Cara McKenna before, then you are surely missing out! She is a definite auto-buy for me and I will be waiting to see what she has in store for one of my favorite couple.

*Review Copy provided by publisher

Purchase Link: Amazon

Review: Coercion by Cara McKenna

Coercion

(Curio #2)

by Cara McKenna

COERCION is the first title in the Curio Vignette series. Note that you should read CURIO first, otherwise you probably won’t understand the context in which these subsequent scenes stem from. COERCION is written in Didier’s POV and I must say, this POV was so much more compelling than Caroly’s. As I was reading CURIO though, I didn’t feel as if it was less engaging. But for some reason, I devoured this book much quicker because it was from Didier’s POV.

 First things first, I have to rave about McKenna’s writing. Oh my god, she is such a talented writer. McKenna paints such a vivid and intimate scene for Caroly and Didier. Set in Paris, McKenna weaves all things romantic into this 53 page short story. Yet, as you read, there is so much character development that I’m quite astounded that the author was able to fit all that into such a tight word count. McKenna is a master of lyrical words. Here’s one of my favorite scenes:

Our bodies have already spoken the words in their carnal language. When I tell her, it will be outside. It’s too easy to love inside this safe place, too easy to feel such things for most any woman who’s invited me to spoil her rotten for an evening. I will tell Caroly someday soon. I’ll tell her as I’m trembling, amid all those buildings and all those people, beneath that crushing sky. I will tell her when I am at my absolute worst, my least beautiful. And if she chooses to say it back, I will know she speaks the truth. 

In addition, the role-playing that Caroly and Didier engage in brings forth sensuality and excitement to their time together. Didier is the master seducer while Caroly plays the resister and sparks fly whenever these two are together. I will warn you though, since Didier is a prostitute, many readers are expecting there to be balls-to-the-wall sex. I don’t really think that’s the case. Yes, the sex is smoking, but there’s also substance to it. Mckenna masterly weaves emotions and details into the act so that you feel the love blooming between the two. The tone of this book is far more subdued than what others would expect, but it works so damn well with McKenna’s writing that I don’t even notice.

McKenna delves deeper into Didier’s head, giving readers a look into his mind. He is beautiful, yet there is something about Didier that torments him. His agoraphobia prisons him. But at the end of the book, Didier shows just how willing he is to face his fears for the one woman he has come to love.

*Review Copy provided by publisher

Review: Curio by Cara McKenna

Curio

(Curio #1)

by Cara McKenna

CURIO is my first read by Cara McKenna and I was pleasantly surprised by this short novella. First of all, I don’t think I can recall reading a book about a male prostitute. Didier Pedra stands out in that regard, but there’s so much more about this book than just the sex.

At almost thirty, Caroly is a virgin and is looking for someone to change that. Her friends tell her about Didier and she takes them up on that offer. CURIO starts off with Caroly outside Didier’s Paris apartment, settling her nerves until she can make that big step.

Fortunately, Didier is a complete sweetheart and manages to keep her at ease. At times, I wondered if Didier’s niceness was really just his personality or if that is how he treats all his clients. I will admit that I was suspicious of him at first. He seemed too good to be true!

 Though he is professional, as their sessions continue, there is a spark of intense heat that Didier seems to notice as well. The fact that he has done this so many times doesn’t make a night with Caroly seems like all the others. He says that every woman is different, but his words cannot be more true when he realizes that maybe Caroly really IS different than the women he’s been with in the past.

Cara McKenna infuses the sexiness of the book with much more than heat and passion. There’s an emotional attachment underlying each sexual act and slowly, but surely a bond is formed between the two. I’m very excited to explore more of this explosive connection between them in the next book!

Purchase Links: Amazon