Dangerous Ties by Devlyn Quinn, Jodi Lynn Copeland and Anya Howard

Three stories of eroticism taken to the edge, where desire hurts, and pleasure and pain commingle to produce an even greater heat of passion and lust.

Personal Possessions by Devyn Quinn concerns Nikki Quinn, a bad girl on the run after an attempted drug heist gone wrong. Her boyfriend is dead, and her only chance is a small town in the middle of the desert named Helle. But when Nikki passes out from wounds taken in the heist, she winds up in Hell for real, and under the control of a dark, dangerous man named Jackson Sullivan, who boldly states his intent to plunder every single one of her orifices over and over and over again.

Nikki doesn't really believe she's in Hell, but then how can Jackson do the magical things he does? Items appear out of nowhere, including sex toys and clothing. But Nikki is determined to come out on top, even here in Hell. But when Jackson threatens to steal her soul so he can be the top demon in Hell, is there any way for Nikki to fight back? Is it really better to be in Hell than in heaven? Only Nikki can decide, and use her body to get what she wants.

Captive Heat by Jodi Lynn Copeland, involves Leia, a woman celebrating the death of her abusive husband by torching the cabin they once dreamed of sharing in the woods together, building a new life with their children. Unfortunately, her ex's hidden store of liquor sends the house hurtling into a fireball, and sets the woods on fire. This irks the protector of the woods, a man named Sebastian, who once knew and loved Leia.

He was once her lover, but when he abandoned her to her husband, her husband abused her both emotionally and physically. Now, she's damaged inside and no longer enjoys the sexual freedom of expression she once did. It's up to Sebastian to bring back the old Leia through a game of sexual dominance, to burst through the chains the abuse put around her sexual expression and let it bring her joy once again. And though Sebastian is caught between life and death, bring back joy to Leia's life might just set him free to move on as well...

Liason by Anya Howard sets up a romance between a learned Schoolteacher Marcel Rolant, brought in to teach the wives and women of a town, he falls for one of his students, the daughter of the town tailor, Carina. But when his own propriety makes him turn down the offer of her body before they can be married, Carina takes it amiss, and runs off, badly hurt. Before Marcel can go to her father to offer her marriage, Carina is dead, killed by a supposed illness that sometimes afflicts the town.

But in truth, she has been killed by a vampire, and she isn't really dead. Carina's grandmother comes to Marcel with a plan to save her granddaughter. But does he love her enough to carry it out, and can he keep from falling to Carina's lovely wiles as he prepares the ritual to save her? And what can be done about the vampires inhabiting the monastery on the hill, whom the villagers have locked up for the safety of the world? Is there any way Marcel can keep the vampires from ever threatening Carina, or the village, again?

This was an interesting book. The first two stories fit the theme of the book nicely, but the last story had only some mild spanking and discipline as opposed to the S&M, B&D fests that the first two were. But the most interesting thing of all is that the third story inside the book is not the third story promised on the back of the cover, which is a story called "Rapture Bound". When I reached the third story, I was confused, wondering if there was a story not summarized on the back, but I realized, same author- different story. So the publishing company looked a little sloppy in my eyes for that sort of goof.

And the stories themselves, while definitely falling into the sphere of erotica rather than romance, just... didn't float my boat. I'm all for erotica, but spanking, S&M and Bondage and Domination just aren't my thing. It's not heavy, full-on S&M, with safe words and whipping, and stuff like that (although the second story comes close), I just found myself not turned on, and not into it at all. I'd have found it mildly titilating if the women got some back, but no, it was all women being submissive, all the time- again, not my thing.

So while these stories were good and solid erotica, they didn't do a thing for me at all. Maybe the last one was better than the rest in this regard, but I'm really not into Dom and Sub play. If you are, more power to you. This set of stories may really turn your crank and get you going. But it did nothing for me at all. I won't say not to buy this book, because if this sort of thing turns you on, you may really enjoy it. But I can't recommend it. So in the end YMMV.