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Men of August #1
Marly's Choice
She’s loved him since she was a girl and now, as a woman, Marly Macall aches for Cade, and she’s determined to seduce the big tough rancher. She’s heard about his desires, and no matter the cost, she’s willing to pay the price to hold his heart. Cade August has always known of Marly’s affection for him. He loves her, but the brutal truth of his and his brother’s pasts can do nothing but destroy her. But the past isn’t finished with the Men of August or with Marly. And when the dark specter of those secrets and the brutality of vengeance raise their ugly heads, Cade learns there’s no escaping� not just his dark desires, but the secrets he would have kept hidden from her forever.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2003
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About the author
Lora Leigh
193books10.1kfollowersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Lora Leigh is a New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance novels. Leigh started publishing with electronic publisher Ellora's Cave in 2003. Leigh's longest-running series is The Breeds. She won the 2009 RT Award for erotica. Leigh was born in Ohio and raised in Martin County, Kentucky, US.
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Lora Leigh is a New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance novels. Leigh started publishing with electronic publisher Ellora's Cave in 2003. Leigh's longest-running series is The Breeds. She won the 2009 RT Award for erotica. Leigh was born in Ohio and raised in Martin County, Kentucky, US.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
April 7, 2009
You know that nursery rhyme that starts out « I’m a little tea pot » blah blah blah ? Yeah, well here we have three little tea pots who are itching to do a heck of lot of tipping into their “beloved� Marly. Don’t know why they love her so much, but that’s inconsequential. And here we have the essence of the story. Three guys want Marly, Marly really wants one of them, ping pong this idea 'til you're blue in the face, stick in some endlessly repetitive sexual tension, add some menage and voila, 300+ pages of a poorly put together story.
I didn’t feel the romance in this book but the sex part came across “real well� :-o Very high on the ick/ew factor here. Leigh has a way of making raw sex come out as just plain gross. She describes vaginal noises as “the slurp of suction� –ew. For me that’s just so not sexy, very visual but not sexy. When Marly takes on the brothers all together I just got that container being filled up to bursting image and she had to take it because otherwise the hero would leave her (that was priceless!). She was never given the time that you’d think a virgin would need to get used to this lifestyle. All these ultimatums left a bad taste for me. I can understand the dominant male seducing the female who’s a sub at heart but there was no seduction. It was a crude do-it-and-shut-up-about-it affair. So hard to come across a good menage story without the yuck and mean being included it seems. Never mind that, what about the story??? Where is the story??? If the story is about sex then don’t disguise it as a love story or some piddly attempy at romantic suspense, it’s disappointing and aggravating for the reader.
I didn’t like the writing style overall. Everything is too extreme: everyone burns, is on fire, it’s an inferno, white hot orgasms left right and centre. When an author overuses these descriptions everything starts to feel the same after a while and nothing is special. It’s just weak writing I think.
A big problem I couldn’t manage to get an answer for was why do they love Marly? Well who knows! And who cares was what the author was implying. By the end I figured out that that just wasn’t important. They want to f** her senseless and they do too to the point that she goes into a state of unconsciousness. Now if that isn’t the stupidest thing I’ve ever read I don’t know what is. I’m all for the mad bad sex that sends the character reeling, but so far that they pass out, well someone is in need of medical attention. It’s dumb. Here’s Cade trying to revive her too and then shortly after he wants to do it to her again (no concern at all that she’s passed out) but she’s scared and he says “Don’t deny me Marly� –HAHAHAHA! What the %*$*!?! .Why would any sane woman (and she did appear to be) want to spend even 5 minutes with this cretin??? There were other “gems� like “Don’t deny me� but for those of you still wanting to read this piece I’ll let you discover them for yourself because Cade, well he is a charmer that one (!) What is there to love about this guy? Really? Nothing!
Now this begs the question of why Marly loves Cade. Same answer. Don’t know, meaningless info for the author to take the time to show that. He’s a tyrant, he’s horribly selfish, he’s a pig, and he’s the kind of jerk that could use a brick upside the head more than once, so, you see, he’s your basic ass really. Then there’s his proposal which has to be the worst I’ve come across yet. He screws her in front of everyone after a horribly shocking thing happens and then proposes with an “I love you Marly baby�. Why?! Why does he love her?! Why does he want to marry her?! They don’t talk, they don’t do anything apart from going at it like jack rabbits in mating season --where is this “love� coming from????
The story is painfully repetitive up until page 240 where finally something goes on. There is just not enough to move the story along before. It’s a non-stop circle of “I want you so much baby I’m burning�, to “I can’t have you baby but I’m burning� and round and round we go on the merry-go-round of lust. It didn’t bother me that she grew up with these guys because they weren’t her blood relatives but it does have a creepy feel to it if you think about it for too long –not that this book provokes any deep thought or anything (!) There are some sex toys used that were pretty much forced on her but she ended up liking it. Marly’s a virgin and she’s taking it up everywhere just like that, no adjustment time just a “this is us, this is how we are Marly. You have to accept it”—and don’t forget, “we love you� (**gag -gag -gag**).
Why doesn’t this make the cootie shelf ? Well the heroine wasn’t TSTL. She did hold her own on occasion against Mr Stalin in the Bedroom. Truth be told I was expecting either a complete blow-up doll idiot like whatsherface from Maya Banks� Colters� Woman or that petulant no-mind broad Morganna from Leigh’s so-called mainstream novel Dangerous Games (both being fine examples of cootie shelf material).
So why Marly chose these winners (especially Cade the Creep), god only knows –thrives on aggravation perhaps, insanity, warped sense of self-worth? A myriad of possibilities it seems none of which I could understand. There are so many emotional holes in this story it’s the Swiss cheese of romance :-o How can an author not show that apart from the sex, there is a reason why the h/h love one another?? Baffling. Essentially the story has no substance . It’s one big f*** fest with kink and a pseudo sub-story� ‘cause I guess you gotta fill up those pages sometimes with something other than "the call of the wild". Now if that’s what you’re looking for, then hey enjoy the read, you’re in for some first rate erotica (!)
I didn’t feel the romance in this book but the sex part came across “real well� :-o Very high on the ick/ew factor here. Leigh has a way of making raw sex come out as just plain gross. She describes vaginal noises as “the slurp of suction� –ew. For me that’s just so not sexy, very visual but not sexy. When Marly takes on the brothers all together I just got that container being filled up to bursting image and she had to take it because otherwise the hero would leave her (that was priceless!). She was never given the time that you’d think a virgin would need to get used to this lifestyle. All these ultimatums left a bad taste for me. I can understand the dominant male seducing the female who’s a sub at heart but there was no seduction. It was a crude do-it-and-shut-up-about-it affair. So hard to come across a good menage story without the yuck and mean being included it seems. Never mind that, what about the story??? Where is the story??? If the story is about sex then don’t disguise it as a love story or some piddly attempy at romantic suspense, it’s disappointing and aggravating for the reader.
I didn’t like the writing style overall. Everything is too extreme: everyone burns, is on fire, it’s an inferno, white hot orgasms left right and centre. When an author overuses these descriptions everything starts to feel the same after a while and nothing is special. It’s just weak writing I think.
A big problem I couldn’t manage to get an answer for was why do they love Marly? Well who knows! And who cares was what the author was implying. By the end I figured out that that just wasn’t important. They want to f** her senseless and they do too to the point that she goes into a state of unconsciousness. Now if that isn’t the stupidest thing I’ve ever read I don’t know what is. I’m all for the mad bad sex that sends the character reeling, but so far that they pass out, well someone is in need of medical attention. It’s dumb. Here’s Cade trying to revive her too and then shortly after he wants to do it to her again (no concern at all that she’s passed out) but she’s scared and he says “Don’t deny me Marly� –HAHAHAHA! What the %*$*!?! .Why would any sane woman (and she did appear to be) want to spend even 5 minutes with this cretin??? There were other “gems� like “Don’t deny me� but for those of you still wanting to read this piece I’ll let you discover them for yourself because Cade, well he is a charmer that one (!) What is there to love about this guy? Really? Nothing!
Now this begs the question of why Marly loves Cade. Same answer. Don’t know, meaningless info for the author to take the time to show that. He’s a tyrant, he’s horribly selfish, he’s a pig, and he’s the kind of jerk that could use a brick upside the head more than once, so, you see, he’s your basic ass really. Then there’s his proposal which has to be the worst I’ve come across yet. He screws her in front of everyone after a horribly shocking thing happens and then proposes with an “I love you Marly baby�. Why?! Why does he love her?! Why does he want to marry her?! They don’t talk, they don’t do anything apart from going at it like jack rabbits in mating season --where is this “love� coming from????
The story is painfully repetitive up until page 240 where finally something goes on. There is just not enough to move the story along before. It’s a non-stop circle of “I want you so much baby I’m burning�, to “I can’t have you baby but I’m burning� and round and round we go on the merry-go-round of lust. It didn’t bother me that she grew up with these guys because they weren’t her blood relatives but it does have a creepy feel to it if you think about it for too long –not that this book provokes any deep thought or anything (!) There are some sex toys used that were pretty much forced on her but she ended up liking it. Marly’s a virgin and she’s taking it up everywhere just like that, no adjustment time just a “this is us, this is how we are Marly. You have to accept it”—and don’t forget, “we love you� (**gag -gag -gag**).
Why doesn’t this make the cootie shelf ? Well the heroine wasn’t TSTL. She did hold her own on occasion against Mr Stalin in the Bedroom. Truth be told I was expecting either a complete blow-up doll idiot like whatsherface from Maya Banks� Colters� Woman or that petulant no-mind broad Morganna from Leigh’s so-called mainstream novel Dangerous Games (both being fine examples of cootie shelf material).
So why Marly chose these winners (especially Cade the Creep), god only knows –thrives on aggravation perhaps, insanity, warped sense of self-worth? A myriad of possibilities it seems none of which I could understand. There are so many emotional holes in this story it’s the Swiss cheese of romance :-o How can an author not show that apart from the sex, there is a reason why the h/h love one another?? Baffling. Essentially the story has no substance . It’s one big f*** fest with kink and a pseudo sub-story� ‘cause I guess you gotta fill up those pages sometimes with something other than "the call of the wild". Now if that’s what you’re looking for, then hey enjoy the read, you’re in for some first rate erotica (!)
September 1, 2009
4 stars � Romantic Suspense/Erotica/BDSM/Ménage
This is a bit tough to review because I had sort of a love/hate thing going on with this book...hated the characters but loved the smokin� hot sex. I think I tend to judge Lora Leigh’s books differently than those by other romance authors though because I know going in that her male leads are usually angst-laden, dominating, uber alpha a**holes (whether they’re military, cowboys, or cops) with troubled pasts and tortured souls, but she writes such engrossing stories and scorch-the-pages-hot sex scenes that I still enjoy and love her books regardless of whether or not I even like the characters.
That being said, Marly’s Choice really pushed my ick-factor limit and both Cade and Marly’s characters severely tried my patience.
Marly’s lusted (and supposedly loved...rolling my eyes) Cade August since she came to live with him and his brothers on their ranch when she was twelve. Now that’s she’s 20 and finally a woman (rolling my eyes again), she decides that she’s tired of him treating her like his niece (which she is) and an immature girl (which she is) and sets out to seduce him and make him hers in every way, once and for all. Cade lusts and “burns� for Marly like no other woman ever before, but he’s got some deep, dark secret in his past that makes it impossible for him to be caring, gentle, or to love anyone. Since he can’t be what an innocent, virgin like her needs emotionally, he makes himself deny and resist her attempts at a physical relationship, yet he refuses to allow her to be with anyone else either. Eventually he realizes that resistance is futile, but unless she can completely submit to his rough, dominating, demanding ways in the bedroom and take everything he has to give her without question, then he’ll have to let her go. One of his requirements is that she accept a ménage relationship with his brothers (oh, and maybe some other women at some point too), but of course, it’s her “choice�.
Talk about dysfunction junction, what’s your dysfunction? I mean, if people want to freely engage in a ménage, then have a damn ménage, but the whole ‘I have to because I’m emotionally scarred� and the demanding ‘my woman better accept my need to share her with my brothers or else because otherwise it means she really doesn’t love me� thing is just silly and lame. Ahhh...counseling anybody? I think every one of the main characters in this book (Cade, Marly, Brock, and Sam) were in need of some major therapy instead of hiding from their traumatic pasts and masking their emotional pain with intense sex. But hey, what do I know? Besides, it’s still really hot!
Why does Marly “love� Cade anyway? Because he did a humanly decent thing and gave her shelter when her mother abandoned Marly, in the care of Cade and his brothers Sam and Brock, in order to protect her from her molesting step-father? Because he waited until she was 16 to start lusting after her in full and then waited until she was 20 to take and claim her innocence? I mean, I usually don’t mind age differences between the H/H in romance and enjoy the whole “you’re like a kid sister� theme (I even have a shelf for it), but Cade was practically her step-uncle and raised her since she was a 12-year-old girl, so it’s a little bit icky. And honestly, I don’t know why anyone would love, or even like, either one of them because Cade is a cold, mean, arrogant, selfish, demanding, and controlling brute and Marly is naïve, childish, moody, and whiny.
So, why did I still rate it 4 stars? Because even though the characters are super annoying, the story (although eye-roll inducing at times) completely sucked me in, the sex scenes are burn your fingertips hot, and it’s a smutastic treat. I would sort of equate this to a bad Skinamax flick that you stay up into the wee hours of the night watching, even though it’s so awful that you can’t help but wonder how the heck it got made in the first place, yet you can’t seem to change the channel. And since this ended without complete resolution for the characters, I definitely have to read the other two books in the Men of August series to get Brock and Sam’s stories and to find out what happens with the crazy, horny, dysfunctional August clan.
This is a bit tough to review because I had sort of a love/hate thing going on with this book...hated the characters but loved the smokin� hot sex. I think I tend to judge Lora Leigh’s books differently than those by other romance authors though because I know going in that her male leads are usually angst-laden, dominating, uber alpha a**holes (whether they’re military, cowboys, or cops) with troubled pasts and tortured souls, but she writes such engrossing stories and scorch-the-pages-hot sex scenes that I still enjoy and love her books regardless of whether or not I even like the characters.
That being said, Marly’s Choice really pushed my ick-factor limit and both Cade and Marly’s characters severely tried my patience.
Marly’s lusted (and supposedly loved...rolling my eyes) Cade August since she came to live with him and his brothers on their ranch when she was twelve. Now that’s she’s 20 and finally a woman (rolling my eyes again), she decides that she’s tired of him treating her like his niece (which she is) and an immature girl (which she is) and sets out to seduce him and make him hers in every way, once and for all. Cade lusts and “burns� for Marly like no other woman ever before, but he’s got some deep, dark secret in his past that makes it impossible for him to be caring, gentle, or to love anyone. Since he can’t be what an innocent, virgin like her needs emotionally, he makes himself deny and resist her attempts at a physical relationship, yet he refuses to allow her to be with anyone else either. Eventually he realizes that resistance is futile, but unless she can completely submit to his rough, dominating, demanding ways in the bedroom and take everything he has to give her without question, then he’ll have to let her go. One of his requirements is that she accept a ménage relationship with his brothers (oh, and maybe some other women at some point too), but of course, it’s her “choice�.
Talk about dysfunction junction, what’s your dysfunction? I mean, if people want to freely engage in a ménage, then have a damn ménage, but the whole ‘I have to because I’m emotionally scarred� and the demanding ‘my woman better accept my need to share her with my brothers or else because otherwise it means she really doesn’t love me� thing is just silly and lame. Ahhh...counseling anybody? I think every one of the main characters in this book (Cade, Marly, Brock, and Sam) were in need of some major therapy instead of hiding from their traumatic pasts and masking their emotional pain with intense sex. But hey, what do I know? Besides, it’s still really hot!
Why does Marly “love� Cade anyway? Because he did a humanly decent thing and gave her shelter when her mother abandoned Marly, in the care of Cade and his brothers Sam and Brock, in order to protect her from her molesting step-father? Because he waited until she was 16 to start lusting after her in full and then waited until she was 20 to take and claim her innocence? I mean, I usually don’t mind age differences between the H/H in romance and enjoy the whole “you’re like a kid sister� theme (I even have a shelf for it), but Cade was practically her step-uncle and raised her since she was a 12-year-old girl, so it’s a little bit icky. And honestly, I don’t know why anyone would love, or even like, either one of them because Cade is a cold, mean, arrogant, selfish, demanding, and controlling brute and Marly is naïve, childish, moody, and whiny.
So, why did I still rate it 4 stars? Because even though the characters are super annoying, the story (although eye-roll inducing at times) completely sucked me in, the sex scenes are burn your fingertips hot, and it’s a smutastic treat. I would sort of equate this to a bad Skinamax flick that you stay up into the wee hours of the night watching, even though it’s so awful that you can’t help but wonder how the heck it got made in the first place, yet you can’t seem to change the channel. And since this ended without complete resolution for the characters, I definitely have to read the other two books in the Men of August series to get Brock and Sam’s stories and to find out what happens with the crazy, horny, dysfunctional August clan.
February 13, 2016
This book was o'kay. I will give a full review at a later date.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
October 7, 2012
Let me begin by stating this fact: The WTFery is strong with this one. This is not the kind of book where you think to yourself, “What a finely drawn depiction of life and love.� No…this is the kind of book where the characters are crazy, the situations are crazy, and yet you suspend your disbelief and continue reading because the sexy times are so awesome. And there are sexy times on pretty much every other page. YAY!
Honestly, I love WTFery in erotic romance, and I love emotionally unstable and crazy characters so I was ready for an awesome read. About 55% in I was like, “this is five stars all the way. HELL YEAH!� Sadly, the second half of the book let me down. It was like having really really really ultra hot foreplay, but then the guy whips it out and it’s pencil sized. Oh, man.
Let me explain. The basic premise is that you have an extremely mentally damaged hero, Cade, and an extremely damaged, child-abused heroine named Marly. They desperately want each other! YAY! Cade is obsessed with taking women anally, and pounding them for hours with his big c**k because he’s so animalistically insatiable. OMG, YESSS. ALSO, because of his psychological damage, he has to share these women he’s tearing up with his two brothers. OMG, I’M GOING TO ORGASM! According to Cade, none of this is negotiable. [Annabel passes out from arousal].
Around 55% on my kindle file, Cade warns Marly: “I’ll f*ck you there. [ass] Is that what you want, Marly? And it won’t stop there. There will be no going back to school, no girlish nights out, no flirting with other men, nothing but me f*cking you day after day, night after night.� And a little further along: “I don’t accept no for an answer when I want something sexually, baby. I told you I was rough, and I meant it.� And a little later, some gossip Marly overheard about him. “She says he goes crazy if she resists something he wants. Makes her take him and makes her love it. He loves it when she fights him. She says it makes him harder, makes him ride her forever. Like an animal.�
Okay, by that point I had to literally change my panties. I cannot imagine a sexier, more f'ed up premise than this hero going batdong crazy on her in bed, tearing her anus up night after night after night, making her do stuff she doesn’t want to do until she likes it, making her take all his brothers--and then tenderly holding her and soothing her to sleep each night because, of course, he loves her so much. I was like, this is gonna be the best, sexiest, most f*cked up book EVAH!!
The problem is, after we’re made hot by these idea, after the author seems to promise us crazy pounding anal f*ckfests and forced night-long sextravaganzas, and an August brother crammed in every Marly-hole, all we really get is a lot of cunnilingus and one very short, tame ménage scene at the end with the brothers where, sadly, all three holes are not utilized at once in a brutal f*ckfest but in more of a we-don’t-wanna-hurt-you, oh-hey-lay-back-and-lemme-just-lick-yer-pussy-some-more kind of interlude.
Cade also lets Marly walk all over him which completely negates all the stuff he keeps spouting about his command and his insatiability. Worse, he threatens to punish her a few times, and I think, “ooh, that will be hot and sexy� but we never get a chance to see him punish her for anything. Yeah, thanks for the tease. Why bring it up if there’s not going to be any punishment action? To me, Cade started to ring false, almost like an editor made her soften him up after the fact so he would have more universal appeal. It was just a let down. It made me sad.
It was kind of the same let down with the villain plot. There’s all this build up to a huge showdown and possible violence and craziness, but then the villain is actually confronted and taken down in a very short, kind of cutesy couple paragraphs. I almost missed the whole thing, it happened so quickly and casually. Not that you read this kind of book for the plot, but it felt like a missed opportunity for a powerful and dramatic scene. I felt like the author started with a vision for this book, but due to some outside pressure, perhaps, she decided to tone it down, so the book went out with a whimper rather than a scream. The finale sex scene was a whimper, the plot climax was a whimper. My reader climax: unachieved.
With that said, the author is great at writing sex. She is dirty, dirty, dirty. YAY! The sex scenes were copious and full of fluids, heaving, thrusting, and other such explicit pleasures. There was a lot of insertion of butt plugs and dildos which was very hot. There was very fucked up family dynamics and even some moments of extreme squickiness. Yes, these are good things when you have consensually signed on for a WTF read. That’s why I gave this book four stars. I agreed to this craziness, and Ms. Leigh delivered--to a point.
But honestly, I wish she had followed through on Cade’s announcements that he was crazy and anal obsessed and that he’d ride her forever, rather than just having him going down on her half the time. I wish the author had those three brothers piling on Marly through scene after scene the way I wanted, rather than the very tentative ménage scene at the end. I wish the author had just GONE THERE after she set it up in such an exciting way.
So my four stars are more or less for the POTENTIAL she set up in this book, and my excitement early on at where this book might go. Just because the book didn’t get there doesn’t mean I didn’t get a thrill thinking about the possibilities. I will always remember the Cade-Marly-brothers ménage of MY fantasies, even if I didn’t get to experience them in this book.
Honestly, I love WTFery in erotic romance, and I love emotionally unstable and crazy characters so I was ready for an awesome read. About 55% in I was like, “this is five stars all the way. HELL YEAH!� Sadly, the second half of the book let me down. It was like having really really really ultra hot foreplay, but then the guy whips it out and it’s pencil sized. Oh, man.
Let me explain. The basic premise is that you have an extremely mentally damaged hero, Cade, and an extremely damaged, child-abused heroine named Marly. They desperately want each other! YAY! Cade is obsessed with taking women anally, and pounding them for hours with his big c**k because he’s so animalistically insatiable. OMG, YESSS. ALSO, because of his psychological damage, he has to share these women he’s tearing up with his two brothers. OMG, I’M GOING TO ORGASM! According to Cade, none of this is negotiable. [Annabel passes out from arousal].
Around 55% on my kindle file, Cade warns Marly: “I’ll f*ck you there. [ass] Is that what you want, Marly? And it won’t stop there. There will be no going back to school, no girlish nights out, no flirting with other men, nothing but me f*cking you day after day, night after night.� And a little further along: “I don’t accept no for an answer when I want something sexually, baby. I told you I was rough, and I meant it.� And a little later, some gossip Marly overheard about him. “She says he goes crazy if she resists something he wants. Makes her take him and makes her love it. He loves it when she fights him. She says it makes him harder, makes him ride her forever. Like an animal.�
Okay, by that point I had to literally change my panties. I cannot imagine a sexier, more f'ed up premise than this hero going batdong crazy on her in bed, tearing her anus up night after night after night, making her do stuff she doesn’t want to do until she likes it, making her take all his brothers--and then tenderly holding her and soothing her to sleep each night because, of course, he loves her so much. I was like, this is gonna be the best, sexiest, most f*cked up book EVAH!!
The problem is, after we’re made hot by these idea, after the author seems to promise us crazy pounding anal f*ckfests and forced night-long sextravaganzas, and an August brother crammed in every Marly-hole, all we really get is a lot of cunnilingus and one very short, tame ménage scene at the end with the brothers where, sadly, all three holes are not utilized at once in a brutal f*ckfest but in more of a we-don’t-wanna-hurt-you, oh-hey-lay-back-and-lemme-just-lick-yer-pussy-some-more kind of interlude.
Cade also lets Marly walk all over him which completely negates all the stuff he keeps spouting about his command and his insatiability. Worse, he threatens to punish her a few times, and I think, “ooh, that will be hot and sexy� but we never get a chance to see him punish her for anything. Yeah, thanks for the tease. Why bring it up if there’s not going to be any punishment action? To me, Cade started to ring false, almost like an editor made her soften him up after the fact so he would have more universal appeal. It was just a let down. It made me sad.
It was kind of the same let down with the villain plot. There’s all this build up to a huge showdown and possible violence and craziness, but then the villain is actually confronted and taken down in a very short, kind of cutesy couple paragraphs. I almost missed the whole thing, it happened so quickly and casually. Not that you read this kind of book for the plot, but it felt like a missed opportunity for a powerful and dramatic scene. I felt like the author started with a vision for this book, but due to some outside pressure, perhaps, she decided to tone it down, so the book went out with a whimper rather than a scream. The finale sex scene was a whimper, the plot climax was a whimper. My reader climax: unachieved.
With that said, the author is great at writing sex. She is dirty, dirty, dirty. YAY! The sex scenes were copious and full of fluids, heaving, thrusting, and other such explicit pleasures. There was a lot of insertion of butt plugs and dildos which was very hot. There was very fucked up family dynamics and even some moments of extreme squickiness. Yes, these are good things when you have consensually signed on for a WTF read. That’s why I gave this book four stars. I agreed to this craziness, and Ms. Leigh delivered--to a point.
But honestly, I wish she had followed through on Cade’s announcements that he was crazy and anal obsessed and that he’d ride her forever, rather than just having him going down on her half the time. I wish the author had those three brothers piling on Marly through scene after scene the way I wanted, rather than the very tentative ménage scene at the end. I wish the author had just GONE THERE after she set it up in such an exciting way.
So my four stars are more or less for the POTENTIAL she set up in this book, and my excitement early on at where this book might go. Just because the book didn’t get there doesn’t mean I didn’t get a thrill thinking about the possibilities. I will always remember the Cade-Marly-brothers ménage of MY fantasies, even if I didn’t get to experience them in this book.
November 2, 2008
I thought this book was abuse. The boys were her stepbrothers and they felt they were protecting her from her father who wanted to abuse her. Having said that, how could they justify their actions?
I thought Cade was a jerk and he never came around enough for me. The whole "share" to make us all feel connected because we had an abusive father riled me up.
The sex was hot, but too abusive for my taste. Cade ran hot and cold: knowing he was going to share her, but chastising her when she was comforting one of the brothers in the hospital bed. Having her give him oral sex in the barn stall then calling her a whore.
Just left me cold.
I thought Cade was a jerk and he never came around enough for me. The whole "share" to make us all feel connected because we had an abusive father riled me up.
The sex was hot, but too abusive for my taste. Cade ran hot and cold: knowing he was going to share her, but chastising her when she was comforting one of the brothers in the hospital bed. Having her give him oral sex in the barn stall then calling her a whore.
Just left me cold.
March 27, 2008
Lora Leigh's readers are accustomed to intense characters and plots filled with nuance and psychological depth. The Men of August series doesn't disappoint. In fact, this series is psychologically darker than most of Leigh's stories. There are many erotic scenes, but this series is much deeper.
Marly's Choice could have been penned a la Diana Palmer - the classic theme of guardian and virginal ward - but Cade August is not like Palmer's brooding but honorable heroes. Cade August has two younger brothers. And like men who've been together through the worst imaginable combat, these three men have bonded. Not because they are brothers, but because of their shared memories.
They do share their women and more than anything, they want to share the young woman that the three of them raised through her adolescence because they all love Marly.
Marly's Choice hints at the causes for their sexuality, but doesn't tell the whole story. It reveals the character of the August brothers and Marly, which I think is important when you see how she responds to the addition of Sarah in .
There is an element of suspense throughout as Marly is being stalked. That problem is quickly resolved near the end... or so it seems.
The title for this book should probably be "Marly's Choice (Men of August, Part 1). Never before have I seen a series that a) must be read in order and b) must be read in its entirety to truly be appreciated and understood (with an exception for "August Heat" in the "Twelve Quickies of Christmas" anthology - that book just gives us an HEA epilogue).
I recommend getting all three books (Marly's Choice, , and ) and reading them back-to-back because once you've read Marly's Choice, you'll want to know the rest of the story.
Marly's Choice could have been penned a la Diana Palmer - the classic theme of guardian and virginal ward - but Cade August is not like Palmer's brooding but honorable heroes. Cade August has two younger brothers. And like men who've been together through the worst imaginable combat, these three men have bonded. Not because they are brothers, but because of their shared memories.
They do share their women and more than anything, they want to share the young woman that the three of them raised through her adolescence because they all love Marly.
Marly's Choice hints at the causes for their sexuality, but doesn't tell the whole story. It reveals the character of the August brothers and Marly, which I think is important when you see how she responds to the addition of Sarah in .
There is an element of suspense throughout as Marly is being stalked. That problem is quickly resolved near the end... or so it seems.
The title for this book should probably be "Marly's Choice (Men of August, Part 1). Never before have I seen a series that a) must be read in order and b) must be read in its entirety to truly be appreciated and understood (with an exception for "August Heat" in the "Twelve Quickies of Christmas" anthology - that book just gives us an HEA epilogue).
I recommend getting all three books (Marly's Choice, , and ) and reading them back-to-back because once you've read Marly's Choice, you'll want to know the rest of the story.
July 29, 2008
This book was hot. I think that Cade is my least favorite brother. He was so obnoxious and arrogant he was getting on my last nerve. I did like Marly. She knew what she wanted and went after it. I also liked that she stood her ground when she did not agree with Cade.
January 18, 2010
I love M/F/M books but this one just didn't do it for me.. I never got a real feel for the characters in this book as in most erotic books. One of the borthers Brock he is like a ghost in this book he is there but you never hear form him just a few lines even in the sex..
What I disliked most is when a woman says no even though she still feels like having sex no is no, so I felt like this book really borderlines she keep saying no and he keep telling her she wants it and she end up doing it.. I know these are fiction but I do like for them to be more like the real stuff..
I never got the feel for romance in this book. I know this is a sex book but most I have read I have felt it not this one...
I also have heathers gift sams book .I looked through it. I will say these boys share all the women so If your one for that this set if totaly for you..
What I disliked most is when a woman says no even though she still feels like having sex no is no, so I felt like this book really borderlines she keep saying no and he keep telling her she wants it and she end up doing it.. I know these are fiction but I do like for them to be more like the real stuff..
I never got the feel for romance in this book. I know this is a sex book but most I have read I have felt it not this one...
I also have heathers gift sams book .I looked through it. I will say these boys share all the women so If your one for that this set if totaly for you..
February 19, 2019
What a disappointment. With all of that erotic promising a very steamy and BDSM culture, this book turns out to be disappointment.
The pull and push between Carly and Cade is so annoying that I feel I was watching a very very bad soap opera. Marly obsessed with Cade. He is her first crush and first love. When Marly gets older she throws herself to Cade and Cade keep refusing her. Quoting that he is Dom and he likes rough sex. And yet Marly still wanting him.
When finally Cade giving in and agree to claim Marly, Marly is the one push Cade away. Why? *shrug* I dont know either. So thats when I stop reading. Its so bad. The dialog is also very frustrating.
DNF
The pull and push between Carly and Cade is so annoying that I feel I was watching a very very bad soap opera. Marly obsessed with Cade. He is her first crush and first love. When Marly gets older she throws herself to Cade and Cade keep refusing her. Quoting that he is Dom and he likes rough sex. And yet Marly still wanting him.
When finally Cade giving in and agree to claim Marly, Marly is the one push Cade away. Why? *shrug* I dont know either. So thats when I stop reading. Its so bad. The dialog is also very frustrating.
DNF
November 12, 2010
This is book about an alternative lifestyle that some readers will find offensive. I am not one of those readers. Parts of the book are pure fantasy. But if you can stretch your imagination to believe men are vampires, shape shifters who can fly, then stretch your imagination to believe that men can connect through a threesome. You can also imagine that there is a 21 year old virgin who anally preps herself in anticipation of her first time. You don’t have always have to understand. Just take a ride on the fantasy.
This story is about a girl named Marly. Marly pines for a man that has basically raised her. She is now a grown up and ready to consummate the relationship. But she has to convince her object of desire, Cade, that she is a grown woman who is deeply in love with him.
Cade is a character with many dimensions. Some aspects of his personality you may not like. He and his brothers spirits are broken after having suffered severe abuses while growing up. Cade is conflicted with the feelings that he has for Marly, as he considers her his baby sister. Cade’s broken soul is healed with certain “connections� made between his brothers during a ménage a trios. Throw in a couple of evil characters and a cowboy ranch and there you have the start of a great angsty story.
There is much more to the story that I will not reveal. Don’t get it twisted � this is erotica and a lot of juicy and strange erotic stuff going on. But it is passionate and intensely entertaining on a level that I happen to like.
The lifestyle mentioned in this story stirred many intense emotions for me. Lots of warm squishies! It also makes me examine myself against the characters circumstances. I asked myself could I participate in this type of relationship. I’m not so sure.
When I read, I read to visit other worlds; learn other points of views; and, to get into the psyche of the characters in the story. I asked myself was this a well written novel. Yes. It was. Ms. Leigh writes awesome sex scenes. Her books usually have interesting characters nestled amongst a great erotic story. This book was no different.
I respect other reviewers right to hate this book based on the lifestyle choices. Before I started this book, I knew that it touched on threesomes, BDSM, and incest. I am not clear why some reviews are bashing this book calling it disgusting and sick if you are reading a story about an alternate lifestyle.
I don’t like horror or murder novels because I am too haunted by the depravity that is described in the books. I would not read a story about a subject I don’t like. I would not review a book based on a subject I do not like. To me, Marly’s Choice has the right amount of mystery, intrigue, tension, erotic encounters, and evil intentions
This story is about a girl named Marly. Marly pines for a man that has basically raised her. She is now a grown up and ready to consummate the relationship. But she has to convince her object of desire, Cade, that she is a grown woman who is deeply in love with him.
Cade is a character with many dimensions. Some aspects of his personality you may not like. He and his brothers spirits are broken after having suffered severe abuses while growing up. Cade is conflicted with the feelings that he has for Marly, as he considers her his baby sister. Cade’s broken soul is healed with certain “connections� made between his brothers during a ménage a trios. Throw in a couple of evil characters and a cowboy ranch and there you have the start of a great angsty story.
There is much more to the story that I will not reveal. Don’t get it twisted � this is erotica and a lot of juicy and strange erotic stuff going on. But it is passionate and intensely entertaining on a level that I happen to like.
The lifestyle mentioned in this story stirred many intense emotions for me. Lots of warm squishies! It also makes me examine myself against the characters circumstances. I asked myself could I participate in this type of relationship. I’m not so sure.
When I read, I read to visit other worlds; learn other points of views; and, to get into the psyche of the characters in the story. I asked myself was this a well written novel. Yes. It was. Ms. Leigh writes awesome sex scenes. Her books usually have interesting characters nestled amongst a great erotic story. This book was no different.
I respect other reviewers right to hate this book based on the lifestyle choices. Before I started this book, I knew that it touched on threesomes, BDSM, and incest. I am not clear why some reviews are bashing this book calling it disgusting and sick if you are reading a story about an alternate lifestyle.
I don’t like horror or murder novels because I am too haunted by the depravity that is described in the books. I would not read a story about a subject I don’t like. I would not review a book based on a subject I do not like. To me, Marly’s Choice has the right amount of mystery, intrigue, tension, erotic encounters, and evil intentions
July 21, 2014
Reread this and enjoyed it the second time around.Classic LL.
August 20, 2012
I am a Lora Leigh fan and always look forward to reading any of her books. She writes intense stories with strong, emotional and flawed characters that somehow remain with you for a long time.
Marly’s Choice is Book 1 in the Men of August Series and even though ménage is a favorite genre of mine, I did feel I a bit hesitant about the characters being three brothers sharing one woman. However, the story is very well-written and bearing in mind that this is after all fiction and just a fantasy made it easier for me to engage with the characters.
The first few pages had me thinking I was reading not an erotic story but a Mills & Boon, with the older alpha hero wanting to dominate in every way, the young, sweet, innocent virgin. But wow�.it’s that and so much hotter!!!!
I was a bit put off by Cade, the eldest brother who has always been in love with Marly but afraid to take the relationship to where he wants and needs to do, if he’s ever going to keep from going insane!!! And when it finally does happen between him and Marly, I felt it was more of a forced and dominating action rather than a loving one. Okay, the guy has a huge problem, something that happened to the three brothers when they were younger, but still, it’s no excuse to force yourself on a woman who is so obviously afraid and uncertain of her feelings in that moment.
But, I thought, hey what a second…here’s this person constantly denying, defying and stating that she does not want to make love to him and at the same time informing him she has been using “anal buttons� to get ready for him as she’s heard from the local gossip that he likes doing “that� with all the women he’s screwed!!! Innocent…really!!!! The “I don’t want to make love to you� to “Make love to me Cade”…�.hey make up your mind, no if you really MEAN IT or yes and just do it without all the shivering and shaking and teeth chattering�..Marly was so not my favorite person here!!!!
And then, Cade goes on irritating me with all his “Come for me baby�, to “Don’t fight me baby�, to “I have to share you with my brothers so show them I love them� thing, and where does Marly having to do it, not only with the 3 but with a woman…where does this woman fit into the story of their abuse???? And surprise me Marly � loved the scene where she tells Tara to get lost and finally makes decisions for herself and not for others!!! Hey by this time, I saw someone I could like, someone who was not the whimpering and painful woman I had thought in the beginning.
I would have liked a bit more romance but this is of course an erotic story, so as many sex scenes as possible I guess. Some of the love scenes were pretty hot and steamy and when the brothers and Marly get it together…�..sizzling, burning HOT!!! What woman doesn’t have a fantasy like that???
Plot had a bit of suspense with a real manic stalking Marly which built a bit of tension into the story. Plus I am curious to discover the whole story about the brother’s abuse and how it came to affect them in this way.
Don’t get me wrong�.I liked this book even though it’s not my favorite of this author’s. Interesting plot, some good dialogue (yes forgetting Cade and Marly’s constant repetitions!!), secondary characters like Brock & Sam, the other brothers that I want to know more about, the hot and erotic ménage scene and loved the attitude shown by Marly’s Choice!!!!!!!!
Synopsis: Marly's love for Cade has spanned her teenage years, and survived strong and intact into womanhood. Her fantasies and daydreams have sustained her, but she's no longer content with merely imagining the touch of his hands, the taste of his kiss. It's time to seduce the tough, sexy cowboy.
She's heard the rumors for years, the tales of his sexual preferences. She's prepared herself to accept his desires. Prepared her body for his touch. But she wasn't prepared for the choice...
Marly’s Choice is Book 1 in the Men of August Series and even though ménage is a favorite genre of mine, I did feel I a bit hesitant about the characters being three brothers sharing one woman. However, the story is very well-written and bearing in mind that this is after all fiction and just a fantasy made it easier for me to engage with the characters.
The first few pages had me thinking I was reading not an erotic story but a Mills & Boon, with the older alpha hero wanting to dominate in every way, the young, sweet, innocent virgin. But wow�.it’s that and so much hotter!!!!
I was a bit put off by Cade, the eldest brother who has always been in love with Marly but afraid to take the relationship to where he wants and needs to do, if he’s ever going to keep from going insane!!! And when it finally does happen between him and Marly, I felt it was more of a forced and dominating action rather than a loving one. Okay, the guy has a huge problem, something that happened to the three brothers when they were younger, but still, it’s no excuse to force yourself on a woman who is so obviously afraid and uncertain of her feelings in that moment.
But, I thought, hey what a second…here’s this person constantly denying, defying and stating that she does not want to make love to him and at the same time informing him she has been using “anal buttons� to get ready for him as she’s heard from the local gossip that he likes doing “that� with all the women he’s screwed!!! Innocent…really!!!! The “I don’t want to make love to you� to “Make love to me Cade”…�.hey make up your mind, no if you really MEAN IT or yes and just do it without all the shivering and shaking and teeth chattering�..Marly was so not my favorite person here!!!!
And then, Cade goes on irritating me with all his “Come for me baby�, to “Don’t fight me baby�, to “I have to share you with my brothers so show them I love them� thing, and where does Marly having to do it, not only with the 3 but with a woman…where does this woman fit into the story of their abuse???? And surprise me Marly � loved the scene where she tells Tara to get lost and finally makes decisions for herself and not for others!!! Hey by this time, I saw someone I could like, someone who was not the whimpering and painful woman I had thought in the beginning.
I would have liked a bit more romance but this is of course an erotic story, so as many sex scenes as possible I guess. Some of the love scenes were pretty hot and steamy and when the brothers and Marly get it together…�..sizzling, burning HOT!!! What woman doesn’t have a fantasy like that???
Plot had a bit of suspense with a real manic stalking Marly which built a bit of tension into the story. Plus I am curious to discover the whole story about the brother’s abuse and how it came to affect them in this way.
Don’t get me wrong�.I liked this book even though it’s not my favorite of this author’s. Interesting plot, some good dialogue (yes forgetting Cade and Marly’s constant repetitions!!), secondary characters like Brock & Sam, the other brothers that I want to know more about, the hot and erotic ménage scene and loved the attitude shown by Marly’s Choice!!!!!!!!
Synopsis: Marly's love for Cade has spanned her teenage years, and survived strong and intact into womanhood. Her fantasies and daydreams have sustained her, but she's no longer content with merely imagining the touch of his hands, the taste of his kiss. It's time to seduce the tough, sexy cowboy.
She's heard the rumors for years, the tales of his sexual preferences. She's prepared herself to accept his desires. Prepared her body for his touch. But she wasn't prepared for the choice...
October 27, 2014
Wish I could do minus stars!
Though as well written as her other works, this depraved tale left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Full of selfish, cruel, sick, twisted, perverted psychotic men who should be in very intensive counselling instead of being free to indulge in glorified rape/sexual enslavement, trapping formerly intelligent, independent women into a very 'mindless cult' like lifestyle.
The women are relegated to nothing but blow up dolls who can talk in this series, not even allowed to dress their own way! There are trained (even to the point were all their own clothes are taken away and the THREE brothers - who are ALL allowed to have sex with each of the OTHERS women - keep their lovers without underwear, in accessible dresses and skirts only) to be submissive and sexually available AT ALL TIMES regardless of their own feelings, which supposedly the men know better than they do! I've only read this first entry in the series but loathe to try any others since looking up reader reviews tells me the rest are just more of the same!
INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED in one of my very favourite authors :-(
I absolutely LOVE pretty much everything else I've read of Lora Leigh, but I absolutely HATE the 'Men of August' series!
I'd like to point that, when written well, I quite enjoy erotica involving kinky sex/anal sex/sex toys, even group sex and/or BDSM under the right circumstances and indeed have many titles on my shelf that feature all of these.
My revulsion is entirely based on exactly what I've started above - these disturbed sex addicts treatment of the women they claim to actually LOVE.
I can't even bring myself go into any more detail with this review coz I'm just so revolted!
It's not even fit to give to someone else and I actually had to read a soppy, idealistic regular Romance novel, something I've not read since my teens when I moved on to 'Paranormals' and 'Romantica', just to shake off the sleazy feeling reading this book left me with :-(
Though as well written as her other works, this depraved tale left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Full of selfish, cruel, sick, twisted, perverted psychotic men who should be in very intensive counselling instead of being free to indulge in glorified rape/sexual enslavement, trapping formerly intelligent, independent women into a very 'mindless cult' like lifestyle.
The women are relegated to nothing but blow up dolls who can talk in this series, not even allowed to dress their own way! There are trained (even to the point were all their own clothes are taken away and the THREE brothers - who are ALL allowed to have sex with each of the OTHERS women - keep their lovers without underwear, in accessible dresses and skirts only) to be submissive and sexually available AT ALL TIMES regardless of their own feelings, which supposedly the men know better than they do! I've only read this first entry in the series but loathe to try any others since looking up reader reviews tells me the rest are just more of the same!
INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED in one of my very favourite authors :-(
I absolutely LOVE pretty much everything else I've read of Lora Leigh, but I absolutely HATE the 'Men of August' series!
I'd like to point that, when written well, I quite enjoy erotica involving kinky sex/anal sex/sex toys, even group sex and/or BDSM under the right circumstances and indeed have many titles on my shelf that feature all of these.
My revulsion is entirely based on exactly what I've started above - these disturbed sex addicts treatment of the women they claim to actually LOVE.
I can't even bring myself go into any more detail with this review coz I'm just so revolted!
It's not even fit to give to someone else and I actually had to read a soppy, idealistic regular Romance novel, something I've not read since my teens when I moved on to 'Paranormals' and 'Romantica', just to shake off the sleazy feeling reading this book left me with :-(
February 13, 2016
I found the brothers a little overwhelming. This was the first book read by L L so maybe I am not accustomed to her heroes. I will give her a new try later.
March 3, 2012
okay so this book was all types of bad... I thought at first that at least the sex was good but I changed my mind that was just as bad too. Marly is a doormat the August Brothers are a something to say the least and I can't believe that any woman with an once of self esteem would stick around for that... and come on most of the time he was basically raping her and come on she just wanted him to stop fucking her unconscious really that's not good sex it was all just too much. The dialoge was bad it was all very repetive Cade please I want you please make love to me.....Marly you don't know what your asking for I'm a Dom I'm a Dom.....Don't run now you got what you wanted.....No Cade wait I can't take it your raping my senses in other words YUCK!
February 13, 2017
I read this book and promptly decided to forget about it. Why? Because I have realized I do not like cowboy books. There is just something about how they are written that burns my chaps. (Like my reference?) Marly is a foolish girl here and it is embarrassing to watch her stalk chase after a guy. This is a quick read and whilst some of the other books in this series are better, it is not necessary to read this one to get caught up.
October 21, 2012
You can read hundreds of other story synopses here, so I won't re-summarize when it is not needed.
I generally enjoy a Lora Leigh book. I know I can expect an entertaining story populated with over the top Über Alpha heroes, some hard-driving headboard banging... banging, and more. You can always count on Leigh to add a little kink to the explicit guilty-pleasure reading.
But as I read this book, the sage wisdom of Elvis Presley came to mind, several times:
“A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me�
� Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation
OK Elvis, if you insist. I hear you.
But NOOO... apparently Cade, our sulky hot out-of-control, f**k til the sun comes up alpha never heard these words. Cade likes the conversation. Cade just has to drone on and on and on... what he's going to do to Marly, how he's going to do it, again and again, ad nauseum. But follow-thru, not so much. Damn, Cade! I didn't read this book for the literary element! I was reading it for the action! You said you'd go all night! When's that happening, in the sequel?
Oh, and another thing: I don't know of ANYONE who discusses butt-plugs as much as Cade August. The ass-obsession in this book got a little tiresome.
And Marly was a little young. Sorry, but 20 isn't "all growed up".
The whole pseudo-incest angst is kinda icky.
And WTF is with the end of the book? Ridiculous!
So why did I give this book 3 stars? Here are a couple reasons:
-Leigh writes great sex. I think i mentioned that earlier. And that alone gets her 2 stars, no matter what.
-This is an earlier Lora Leigh book, copyright 2003. Her writing has evolved.
And yes, I'll likely read books 2 and 3. I hope I don't hate myself for it later.
I generally enjoy a Lora Leigh book. I know I can expect an entertaining story populated with over the top Über Alpha heroes, some hard-driving headboard banging... banging, and more. You can always count on Leigh to add a little kink to the explicit guilty-pleasure reading.
But as I read this book, the sage wisdom of Elvis Presley came to mind, several times:
“A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me�
� Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation
OK Elvis, if you insist. I hear you.
But NOOO... apparently Cade, our sulky hot out-of-control, f**k til the sun comes up alpha never heard these words. Cade likes the conversation. Cade just has to drone on and on and on... what he's going to do to Marly, how he's going to do it, again and again, ad nauseum. But follow-thru, not so much. Damn, Cade! I didn't read this book for the literary element! I was reading it for the action! You said you'd go all night! When's that happening, in the sequel?
Oh, and another thing: I don't know of ANYONE who discusses butt-plugs as much as Cade August. The ass-obsession in this book got a little tiresome.
And Marly was a little young. Sorry, but 20 isn't "all growed up".
The whole pseudo-incest angst is kinda icky.
And WTF is with the end of the book? Ridiculous!
So why did I give this book 3 stars? Here are a couple reasons:
-Leigh writes great sex. I think i mentioned that earlier. And that alone gets her 2 stars, no matter what.
-This is an earlier Lora Leigh book, copyright 2003. Her writing has evolved.
And yes, I'll likely read books 2 and 3. I hope I don't hate myself for it later.
Read
March 29, 2013What happens in this book happens between people that are family and each one of them was abused when they were children and that makes this book all kinds of wrong. Is this supposed to be sexy? Hell, no.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked this book. At that moment I didn't know ŷ existed so I started reading this and in the beginning what is about to happen is not very obvious. I kept reading hoping I was imagining things and when it happenned, because I am that stupid, I have to be because I thought Marly would not accept to be a part of that. I was sure she would convince them to go to therapy or something...so yes, I am stupid. That didn't happen.
This book literally made me throw up and I couldn't sleep that night. I felt dirty for reading this book and not because of the sex group but because of the use of child abuse and sex between family members. I would hAve been ok if those issues were adressed and dealt with to send some kind of message that what was happenning wasn't ok.
Thank God for ŷ because now I have enough information to pick my books and thank God because I am learning to stop reading a book when I don't like it ( I tend to read books until the end because I am no quitter but sometimes quitting is OK, that is a life lesson)
May 15, 2011
Wow! This book is something else! Know what you're getting into when reading this book. It's wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and really just an excuse for lots of orgies. But it's still a rather intriguing read that I rather enjoyed. It's meant to be a book about people that are all broken and doing things they know are wrong but that makes them feel better. That alone made me like it. I was pleased to find that Marly stands up for herself and demands and bosses just as much as she is commanded and bossed. She's also not written as this naive little thing. She knows what she's getting herself into for the most part. I couldn't put this book down and definitely want to read the next one. However this book is only getting three stars from me because I was disappointed we never get to really hear from the men exactly what happened to them. I'd have liked to have heard the male POV. I'd have liked a bit more details about the back stories. And the main plot was wrapped up crazily easily, which was also a disappointment. But if you are looking for a smut book with really out there sex beyond the norms of what is acceptable, this is a fantastic read.
July 24, 2011
This was an ok read. The sex scenes were (as always with Lora Leigh) sizzlin' hot but I have to admit I hated the main characters, Cade and Marly. And the way their relationship evolves was just not convincing. Lusting after someone (even for years and years) is one thing and loving someone is a different thing entirely.
But the thing that irritated me the most was that even though Marly was an inexperienced virgin, Cade made her do things even some very experienced mature women probably wouldn't be comfortable doing without giving her any time to adjust. Plus, he kept telling her "Don't say no to me, Marly". I mean, come on! Is that love? For me it isn't.
Also, the whole menage thing felt forced and unnatural and the reason why Cade wanted to share his woman with his brothers (and another woman) even though he was a super alpha male being jealous of even the air that touched Marly's skin wasn't adequately explained. There was a line about having been forcefully trained in dominance by some family friend and that was it. Not. Convincing.
All in all, I don't think I will be reading the next two installments if I have a choice.
But the thing that irritated me the most was that even though Marly was an inexperienced virgin, Cade made her do things even some very experienced mature women probably wouldn't be comfortable doing without giving her any time to adjust. Plus, he kept telling her "Don't say no to me, Marly". I mean, come on! Is that love? For me it isn't.
Also, the whole menage thing felt forced and unnatural and the reason why Cade wanted to share his woman with his brothers (and another woman) even though he was a super alpha male being jealous of even the air that touched Marly's skin wasn't adequately explained. There was a line about having been forcefully trained in dominance by some family friend and that was it. Not. Convincing.
All in all, I don't think I will be reading the next two installments if I have a choice.
October 26, 2010
I want to know why everyone was so angry all the time and why all of the reactions were like caricatures of normal reactions? So extreme! And I think because of all the anger (mostly Cade at himself and any other male, lol), the sex just wasn't as fun to read as some stuff I've read. It was just angry sex. There was only a small part where it was nice, caressing, comfy sex. I'm not saying it always has to be soft... I don't mind an alpha, but the whole thing was him dominating her. I remember reading a while back about her drawing the line with Tara, but forgot about it until I read it. How dare they? How presumptive is that? "You took me and my brother so now you MUST want to be with a girl." Uh, what? Where is the logic in that? I didn't hate the book, but it was far from one of my favorites. And I'll keep reading the series since I invested the time in the first one. :-) And I want to find out ultimately who is behind Jack going to the ranch and is going to cause trouble for Brock and what happened. I'm thinking it's probably their trainer, but that's just a SWAG.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2011
Holy crap! I had NO idea what I was getting into with this book. So sure the initial story line seemed a little skeezy. Ward falls for her gaurdian. But hey - they weren't blood relations and this has been known to happen. What I was not expecting was the hard core BDSM and group sex that involved the 20 y.o. ward. So - I'm not usually a prude about erotica, BDSM, etc. but frankly this book scared the daylights out of me and gave me nightmares that night. Just seemed really violent. Made me wonder what kind of wrong ideas this could give an impressionable reader.
PS - There are two story lines dealing with child sex abuse/molestation. I think the author did not give those story lines the appropriate attention especially in light of the BDSM/group sex involving those characters who had been abused.
PS - There are two story lines dealing with child sex abuse/molestation. I think the author did not give those story lines the appropriate attention especially in light of the BDSM/group sex involving those characters who had been abused.
August 16, 2010
Read this book as part of a "Survey of Commercial Lit" so to speak. I have to say, this book is pretty gross and I don't mean the erotic element. The leading man is an abusive, humiliating bully and the "heroine" is a weakling. Ick. I don't identify with Leigh's female characters at all and her characterizations in general are cardboard. Leigh seems hesitant to commit to her plot twists and the conflict always feels contrived and forced. It was a struggle to finish it and I'll admit I did a LOT of skimming.
October 16, 2009
Absolutely ridiculous, but there's no denying that LL writes insanely hot sex scenes. That fact alone gets this up to 3 stars.
There were MANY aspects of this story that made me feel...well, skeeved out, to be quite honest. Which seems to be another running theme with LL's books. She seems to enjoy making the reader squirm, and not just because of the sex scenes.
This is one incredibly messed up, bat-s*** crazy family, and I hear that it only gets crazier as the series goes on. *eeeep*
There were MANY aspects of this story that made me feel...well, skeeved out, to be quite honest. Which seems to be another running theme with LL's books. She seems to enjoy making the reader squirm, and not just because of the sex scenes.
This is one incredibly messed up, bat-s*** crazy family, and I hear that it only gets crazier as the series goes on. *eeeep*
November 21, 2012
Maybe I am a bit of a prude at heart - but thought it was a bit much. My Catholic upbringing coming to the fore maybe ... I did like it but found that the end was very rushed - it was all over just like that! Not sure if I will read the next in the series - want to read a NICE book now to settle down. Saying all that I have read plenty other Menage books - might have been that he was the guardian and she was only 12 when they took her in. Would not be one of my favourites.
August 27, 2023
this wont be everyone's cuppa tea as the choice Marly has to make is a bit of an eye opener but this is Lora Leigh and when she comes up with this kinda story well you know you are in for a erotic read.
August 15, 2012
Holy Jesus. I need an ice bath, STAT! Best erotica I've read in a while. Great story to go along with it too.
May 28, 2017
I have nothing against threesomes, or BDSM, or dominant men. But you can't take a virgin, send her into a sudden rollercoaster of emotion and just make her take everything without time for adjustment. And what was that ultimatum at the end? She just accepted that her lover needs to share her and said lover comes out bright and joyful telling her that he wants her to sleep with a woman as well? Someone she doesn't even know??? Or she can go back to school and just forget about being his woman?
What the hell.
The highlight of this book? When Marly speaks her mind to those three brothers. At least she's not going down without a fight.
Maybe this wanted to be a BDSM book, but it came out as abusive: Cade can't be rejected, he will just do as he please, when he please, where he please. And Marly saying no, isn't really bothering him because hey, her body wants him. Who cares if she's scared out of her mind.
But he loves her. Sure he does. He loves being her Dominant, taking away her will, her clothes, and her dignity by basically assaulting her (at the end of the book), in front of a woman Marly doesn't really care for. But since it's his way or the highway...
I don't know, I really wasn't expecting to read something like this. And I usually like Lora Leigh's style.
What the hell.
The highlight of this book? When Marly speaks her mind to those three brothers. At least she's not going down without a fight.
Maybe this wanted to be a BDSM book, but it came out as abusive: Cade can't be rejected, he will just do as he please, when he please, where he please. And Marly saying no, isn't really bothering him because hey, her body wants him. Who cares if she's scared out of her mind.
But he loves her. Sure he does. He loves being her Dominant, taking away her will, her clothes, and her dignity by basically assaulting her (at the end of the book), in front of a woman Marly doesn't really care for. But since it's his way or the highway...
I don't know, I really wasn't expecting to read something like this. And I usually like Lora Leigh's style.
February 15, 2011
This is book about an alternative lifestyle that some readers will find offensive. I am not one of those readers. Parts of the book are pure fantasy. But if you can stretch your imagination to believe men are vampires, shape shifters who can fly, then stretch your imagination to believe that men can connect through a threesome. You can also imagine that there is a 21 year old virgin who anally preps herself in anticipation of her first time. You don’t have always have to understand. Just take a ride on the fantasy.
This story is about a girl who pines for a man that has basically raised her. She is now a grown up and ready to consummate the relationship. But she has to convince her object of desire, Cade, that she is a grown woman who is deeply in love with him. Cade is a character with many dimensions. Some aspects of his personality you may not like. He and his brothers are broken after having suffered severe abuses while growing up. Cade is conflicted with the feelings that he has for Marly, as he considers her his baby sister. Cade’s broken soul is healed with certain “connections� made between his brothers during a ménage a trios. Throw in a couple of evil characters and a cowboy ranch and there you have the start of a great angsty story. There is much more to the story that I will not reveal. Don’t get it twisted � this is erotica and a lot of strange erotic stuff going on. But it is passionate and intensely entertaining on a level that I happen to like.
The lifestyle mentioned in this story stirred many intense emotions for me. Lots of warm squishies! It also makes me examine myself against the characters circumstances. I asked myself could I participate in this type of relationship. I’m not so sure.
When I read, I read to visit other worlds; learn other points of views; and, to get into the psyche of the characters in the story. I asked myself was this a well written novel. Yes. It was. Ms. Leigh writes awesome sex scenes. Her books usually have interesting characters nestled amongst a great erotic story. This book was no different.
I respect other reviewers right to hate this book based on the lifestyle choices. Before I started this book, I knew that it touched on threesomes, BDSM, and incest. I am not clear why some reviews are bashing this book calling it disgusting and sick if you are reading a story about an alternate lifestyle.
I don’t like horror or murder novels because I am too haunted by the depravity that is described in the books. I would not read a story about a subject I don’t like. I would not review a book based on a subject I do not like. To me, Marly’s Choice has the right amount of mystery, intrigue, tension, erotic encounters, and evil intentions.
This story is about a girl who pines for a man that has basically raised her. She is now a grown up and ready to consummate the relationship. But she has to convince her object of desire, Cade, that she is a grown woman who is deeply in love with him. Cade is a character with many dimensions. Some aspects of his personality you may not like. He and his brothers are broken after having suffered severe abuses while growing up. Cade is conflicted with the feelings that he has for Marly, as he considers her his baby sister. Cade’s broken soul is healed with certain “connections� made between his brothers during a ménage a trios. Throw in a couple of evil characters and a cowboy ranch and there you have the start of a great angsty story. There is much more to the story that I will not reveal. Don’t get it twisted � this is erotica and a lot of strange erotic stuff going on. But it is passionate and intensely entertaining on a level that I happen to like.
The lifestyle mentioned in this story stirred many intense emotions for me. Lots of warm squishies! It also makes me examine myself against the characters circumstances. I asked myself could I participate in this type of relationship. I’m not so sure.
When I read, I read to visit other worlds; learn other points of views; and, to get into the psyche of the characters in the story. I asked myself was this a well written novel. Yes. It was. Ms. Leigh writes awesome sex scenes. Her books usually have interesting characters nestled amongst a great erotic story. This book was no different.
I respect other reviewers right to hate this book based on the lifestyle choices. Before I started this book, I knew that it touched on threesomes, BDSM, and incest. I am not clear why some reviews are bashing this book calling it disgusting and sick if you are reading a story about an alternate lifestyle.
I don’t like horror or murder novels because I am too haunted by the depravity that is described in the books. I would not read a story about a subject I don’t like. I would not review a book based on a subject I do not like. To me, Marly’s Choice has the right amount of mystery, intrigue, tension, erotic encounters, and evil intentions.
January 25, 2011
Rating: 2.0
Just not a good book. Too many errors in what happened in one scene and the description of it later. Not well written... 1/2 of it was the angst from the hero, which got soooo boring. And his 'proclivities' didn't seem so bizarre if you read many of these books, except for the sharing with his brothers. Just another angst-ridden Dom. I also don't find a 10 year gap in age to be such a big deal given how immature men are compared to women.
I have a lot of Lora Leigh books, but this was a real let-down.
Unlikeable (sicko) 'hero' and weak,'heroine'. At least she resisted the gratuitous f/f sex and the voyeur, as she wanted to (sorry if that offends some, but it's not my thing at all and I don't want to read about it), so I am not sure books 2 and 3 will be something I can stomach without skipping a lot of stuff. The only reason I will read book 2 is that I like the twins, and want to see who this mysterious Sarah is, and who the next villain is, plus I stupidly already bought the book.
And, BTW, although it wasn't clear what part of Texas this book is supposed to be at, there are no widespread wolf populations in the state... maybe a few, well-watched recent repatriates in the Davis Mountains park lands, a former natural habitat. Wolves are pack animals, and would be hunted down on any ranch that has livestock (no matter what preservation laws are in effect). Same goes for bears. Coyotes are the biggest problem. It isn't unheard of to see Coyotes (varmints) that have been shot and hung on fences all in a row. This is something authors need to be careful about... know what you are talking about, or just leave it out.
Just not a good book. Too many errors in what happened in one scene and the description of it later. Not well written... 1/2 of it was the angst from the hero, which got soooo boring. And his 'proclivities' didn't seem so bizarre if you read many of these books, except for the sharing with his brothers. Just another angst-ridden Dom. I also don't find a 10 year gap in age to be such a big deal given how immature men are compared to women.
I have a lot of Lora Leigh books, but this was a real let-down.
Unlikeable (sicko) 'hero' and weak,'heroine'. At least she resisted the gratuitous f/f sex and the voyeur, as she wanted to (sorry if that offends some, but it's not my thing at all and I don't want to read about it), so I am not sure books 2 and 3 will be something I can stomach without skipping a lot of stuff. The only reason I will read book 2 is that I like the twins, and want to see who this mysterious Sarah is, and who the next villain is, plus I stupidly already bought the book.
And, BTW, although it wasn't clear what part of Texas this book is supposed to be at, there are no widespread wolf populations in the state... maybe a few, well-watched recent repatriates in the Davis Mountains park lands, a former natural habitat. Wolves are pack animals, and would be hunted down on any ranch that has livestock (no matter what preservation laws are in effect). Same goes for bears. Coyotes are the biggest problem. It isn't unheard of to see Coyotes (varmints) that have been shot and hung on fences all in a row. This is something authors need to be careful about... know what you are talking about, or just leave it out.
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