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On The Edge #16.5
Out of the Box - Complete Series
The first time Virginia went to the dance club On The Edge, she only wanted to find out what a night in a vampire’s arms would be like. Anando showed her it could be much, much more than she had imagined.
Over the next few months, every time she returned he continued to stretch her imagination and the boundaries she tried to set on their relationship.
Soon, though, Anando’s limits were tested as much as Virginia’s when their sexual encounters gave way to feelings neither of them had expected.
Over the next few months, every time she returned he continued to stretch her imagination and the boundaries she tried to set on their relationship.
Soon, though, Anando’s limits were tested as much as Virginia’s when their sexual encounters gave way to feelings neither of them had expected.
197 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2011
1 person is currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Kallysten
134 books432 followersKallysten is a writer of romance novels and short stories, most of them with paranormal elements.
Her first eBooks were published by Linden Bay Romance in 2005. The defunct Venus Press subsequently published a few of her short stories. Because so many of her stories are linked as series and part of the same universe, she decided it would make sense to have them all in the same place, which is why she self-published, first with the co-op Alinar Publishing and now on her own. When she sees calls for submissions that speak to her muse, she sometimes tries for them, and was published this way by Samhain and Torquere.
Her first eBooks were published by Linden Bay Romance in 2005. The defunct Venus Press subsequently published a few of her short stories. Because so many of her stories are linked as series and part of the same universe, she decided it would make sense to have them all in the same place, which is why she self-published, first with the co-op Alinar Publishing and now on her own. When she sees calls for submissions that speak to her muse, she sometimes tries for them, and was published this way by Samhain and Torquere.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 20, 2013
Whew. This story... whew. This story is about Virginia. And Anando. And Virginia and Anando. And at first, I felt like it wasn't going to get very deep into them. I was oh-so-very wrong. Tears coming down my face wrong. Heated and excited wrong. All kinds of wrong!!
Virginia is a woman who goes through a metamorphosis through this book. Shy and a bit naive about the lifestyle, to well, what you find by the end of the book. I don't know if it wasn't mentioned, or if I missed it, but I picture her as a bit older; she speaks of the younger girls at the club, whom she believes have more to offer than she does. Turns out she is wrong. Anyhow, this story for the most part is like her diary. She is talking to us, the readers. I really loved that aspect. I felt like it kept me on my toes.
And then Virginia meets Anando, a vampire. A sexy and dark vampire. Let me emphasize SEXY a bit more. This man has got it going on! He is suave and mysterious. And it isn't long before Virginia is going home with him, caution to the wind, as it were. I can't say I blame her. And what they do at his home, over and over... well, let's just say if you are looking for some sensual scenes, you will have to look no further at all!
Much of the first part of the book is their sexual exploration of each other. And ohhhhhh-my-gawd, it was fantastic. You feel like you are just reading about their sex life at first, but it isn't long before you realize how much you are actually learning about the two of them from their experiences with each other. Their connection is strong, sweet, and deep. The eroticism between Virginia, sweet Virginia, and Anando is breathtaking.
"Before the sound had even died on my lips, he was thrusting again, just as hard, just as deep, sending sparks through my body and leaving my mind blank. I closed my eyes, and the entirety of my world became sensations."
I really enjoyed these two together, and it wasn't long before I felt emotionally invested in them. They had a few bumps in the road in the beginning. Some unsaid sentiments brought things silently crashing at one point. But they can't stay away from each other, they're like magnets. And then they do something I hate for people who are obviously falling for each other do: they put boundaries on their emotions, and anything that would lead to emotions. I don't know about you, but I've done this in my real life, and I can speak from experience that it never ends well. This is what I immediately thought, when this all happened with Anando and Virginia. But then, I think he was just letting her adjust to the fact of emotions. It's not like time is an issue for him, and by this point he had already proven himself to be very patient and caring.
Their relationship was a rollercoaster. There were extreme and sensual highs. And when the low came - and my subsequent tears - I wanted to stop reading (but not really, its a figure of speech, people!) I was worried Kallysten was going to break my heart the way Anando's and Virginia's hearts were being broken. It was a rough ride for me, to see these two - especially Virginia - hurting so much.
*sigh*
Of course, I can't give spoilers. But it doesn't take much to figure out that they find their way. Especially when you read the excerpt I have below, because they are in it. But let me tell you, there was a point where I was so mad at Kallysten for making me care for these two so much, before I even realized I had, and then to do what she did... It's a road worth taking, though. It will leave you exhausted and contented, and when I read a book, that is exactly what I want.
Oh! And Leo finds his way into this story, in several ways, several times! I've found myself excitedly awaiting his next appearance. Leo is definitely on my radar. He seems like such a wonderful man, I am eagerly waiting to read more of him. But not just him; I am eagerly waiting for more of all of them.
Virginia is a woman who goes through a metamorphosis through this book. Shy and a bit naive about the lifestyle, to well, what you find by the end of the book. I don't know if it wasn't mentioned, or if I missed it, but I picture her as a bit older; she speaks of the younger girls at the club, whom she believes have more to offer than she does. Turns out she is wrong. Anyhow, this story for the most part is like her diary. She is talking to us, the readers. I really loved that aspect. I felt like it kept me on my toes.
And then Virginia meets Anando, a vampire. A sexy and dark vampire. Let me emphasize SEXY a bit more. This man has got it going on! He is suave and mysterious. And it isn't long before Virginia is going home with him, caution to the wind, as it were. I can't say I blame her. And what they do at his home, over and over... well, let's just say if you are looking for some sensual scenes, you will have to look no further at all!
Much of the first part of the book is their sexual exploration of each other. And ohhhhhh-my-gawd, it was fantastic. You feel like you are just reading about their sex life at first, but it isn't long before you realize how much you are actually learning about the two of them from their experiences with each other. Their connection is strong, sweet, and deep. The eroticism between Virginia, sweet Virginia, and Anando is breathtaking.
"Before the sound had even died on my lips, he was thrusting again, just as hard, just as deep, sending sparks through my body and leaving my mind blank. I closed my eyes, and the entirety of my world became sensations."
I really enjoyed these two together, and it wasn't long before I felt emotionally invested in them. They had a few bumps in the road in the beginning. Some unsaid sentiments brought things silently crashing at one point. But they can't stay away from each other, they're like magnets. And then they do something I hate for people who are obviously falling for each other do: they put boundaries on their emotions, and anything that would lead to emotions. I don't know about you, but I've done this in my real life, and I can speak from experience that it never ends well. This is what I immediately thought, when this all happened with Anando and Virginia. But then, I think he was just letting her adjust to the fact of emotions. It's not like time is an issue for him, and by this point he had already proven himself to be very patient and caring.
Their relationship was a rollercoaster. There were extreme and sensual highs. And when the low came - and my subsequent tears - I wanted to stop reading (but not really, its a figure of speech, people!) I was worried Kallysten was going to break my heart the way Anando's and Virginia's hearts were being broken. It was a rough ride for me, to see these two - especially Virginia - hurting so much.
*sigh*
Of course, I can't give spoilers. But it doesn't take much to figure out that they find their way. Especially when you read the excerpt I have below, because they are in it. But let me tell you, there was a point where I was so mad at Kallysten for making me care for these two so much, before I even realized I had, and then to do what she did... It's a road worth taking, though. It will leave you exhausted and contented, and when I read a book, that is exactly what I want.
Oh! And Leo finds his way into this story, in several ways, several times! I've found myself excitedly awaiting his next appearance. Leo is definitely on my radar. He seems like such a wonderful man, I am eagerly waiting to read more of him. But not just him; I am eagerly waiting for more of all of them.
March 31, 2013
When the opportunity to review this author’s books came up – I jumped at the chance. I’ve read her Demons and Lullibyes series, and loved it. This was no exception. A compilation of the 10 short stories that comprise the Out of the Box Series, we are introduced to Virginia and Anando.
Virginia is living a relatively vanilla life, too afraid to encumber herself with a relationship, she decided to go to On The Edge, a dance club that caters to Vampires and those who are enamored of them. She assumes that she can just have a night of pleasure, scratch an itch and move on with her life, no strings attached.
What Virginia did not plan on was meeting Anando, a super hot and sexy vampire who only has eyes for her. Despite her initial misgivings, she finds herself in lust with him, and accompanies him back to his ‘lair’ for what she thinks will be a night of pleasure without encumbrances.
What follows is a slow initiation of the pleasures that sex, particularly with a vampire and his armoire (box) of sex toys can bring. Virginia is addicted to the pleasure that his company brings, a question and past hurts bring their relationship crashing to a halt.
These shorts are exactly all they need to be, when you build the stories one upon another the characters begin to grow and develop more fully with each encounter. With a liberal application of sexual tension and activity, a single MFM encounter and repeated scenes that involve sex toys and some light BDSM play; this is a good collection that has something for everyone.
I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review for the Jeep Diva. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Virginia is living a relatively vanilla life, too afraid to encumber herself with a relationship, she decided to go to On The Edge, a dance club that caters to Vampires and those who are enamored of them. She assumes that she can just have a night of pleasure, scratch an itch and move on with her life, no strings attached.
What Virginia did not plan on was meeting Anando, a super hot and sexy vampire who only has eyes for her. Despite her initial misgivings, she finds herself in lust with him, and accompanies him back to his ‘lair’ for what she thinks will be a night of pleasure without encumbrances.
What follows is a slow initiation of the pleasures that sex, particularly with a vampire and his armoire (box) of sex toys can bring. Virginia is addicted to the pleasure that his company brings, a question and past hurts bring their relationship crashing to a halt.
These shorts are exactly all they need to be, when you build the stories one upon another the characters begin to grow and develop more fully with each encounter. With a liberal application of sexual tension and activity, a single MFM encounter and repeated scenes that involve sex toys and some light BDSM play; this is a good collection that has something for everyone.
I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review for the Jeep Diva. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
April 8, 2017
Overall Rating: 4/5
Story Rating: 5/5
Heat Rating: 4/5
Narrator Performance: 3/5
I absolutely love this couple!
I've both read and listened to this book and though I enjoyed the audio version I had a better response to written one. I believe that this was due to the narrator. While her voice was pleasant I wasn't overly fond of her pace. There were times when it lagged and there were times when I felt that the pauses that she took where in the wrong place. Another thing that I disliked about the narrator was the lack of definition between Anando's and Virginia's characters. Jackson doesn't really use voices to differentiate between people and I didn't really sense much acting either. All in all I found her to be enjoyable however I consider her to simply be an average narrator. And while I'll not refuse to listen to another performance of hers I'll also not go searching for her work.
Story Rating: 5/5
Heat Rating: 4/5
Narrator Performance: 3/5
I absolutely love this couple!
I've both read and listened to this book and though I enjoyed the audio version I had a better response to written one. I believe that this was due to the narrator. While her voice was pleasant I wasn't overly fond of her pace. There were times when it lagged and there were times when I felt that the pauses that she took where in the wrong place. Another thing that I disliked about the narrator was the lack of definition between Anando's and Virginia's characters. Jackson doesn't really use voices to differentiate between people and I didn't really sense much acting either. All in all I found her to be enjoyable however I consider her to simply be an average narrator. And while I'll not refuse to listen to another performance of hers I'll also not go searching for her work.
December 30, 2018
Could not finish
July 10, 2016
Out of the Box is about Virginia and Anando. Virginia went to the dance club On the Edge to find out what it would be like to be in the arms of a vampire for just one night.
Virginia is naive about sex. Her curiosity brought her to Anando. Through Anando, she learned more about sex than she realized. As Virginia craved for Anando after each sexual encounter, she kept coming back to On the Edge to meet with Anando. Soon she has to set up rules to keep their relationship as impersonal as she can without risking her heart.
Anando, on the other hand, has baggages. Over the centuries since he has became a vampire, he believed that every woman wants to be turned eventually. Virginia is different. As he tried to stay away from her, he is the one that is breaking every rules that Virginia set up.
This complete series of Out of the Box is a wonderful story of Virginia and Anando. Virginia has a lot to learn about life and Anando has to learn to trust again. Both needs each other yet don't realized it until Anando left Virginia without a word and when Virginia left Anando, he knows where to find her. Two strong characters with the only option to find happiness is to risk their hearts.
The narrator, Hollie Jackson has a wonderful voice to listen to. She gave Virginia the perfect personality of being curious and taking a chance to discover her sexuality with Anando and his box of sex toys. The narrator gives the characters emotions which makes this story great to listen to.
I was given this audiobook by the author via Audiobook Blast in exchange of an honest review. I was not compensated or influenced in any way in writing this review.
Virginia is naive about sex. Her curiosity brought her to Anando. Through Anando, she learned more about sex than she realized. As Virginia craved for Anando after each sexual encounter, she kept coming back to On the Edge to meet with Anando. Soon she has to set up rules to keep their relationship as impersonal as she can without risking her heart.
Anando, on the other hand, has baggages. Over the centuries since he has became a vampire, he believed that every woman wants to be turned eventually. Virginia is different. As he tried to stay away from her, he is the one that is breaking every rules that Virginia set up.
This complete series of Out of the Box is a wonderful story of Virginia and Anando. Virginia has a lot to learn about life and Anando has to learn to trust again. Both needs each other yet don't realized it until Anando left Virginia without a word and when Virginia left Anando, he knows where to find her. Two strong characters with the only option to find happiness is to risk their hearts.
The narrator, Hollie Jackson has a wonderful voice to listen to. She gave Virginia the perfect personality of being curious and taking a chance to discover her sexuality with Anando and his box of sex toys. The narrator gives the characters emotions which makes this story great to listen to.
I was given this audiobook by the author via Audiobook Blast in exchange of an honest review. I was not compensated or influenced in any way in writing this review.
July 22, 2019
🎧 Audio Review 🎧
I just finished this book thinking wow I really enjoyed that and can't wait to listen to more. I didn't realize this was a series but I don't think reading order is required because I love it the way it was. I'm very glad I got to hear this complete set in one audiobook, I don't enjoy serials so I probably never would have tried it in pieces.
These characters are fun and a little to serious but super sexy. Anando is a really sexy Vamp who wants Virginia as soon as he sees her and Virginia is out to find a Vamp for a night of experimenting. Both of them aren't planning or looking for more but the more time they spend together the closer they become. He is afraid of love because of the past he really is hoping that she might be the one to show him everyone isn't looking to get something from him! Each sex scene ( and there are a lo of them) is hotter than the one before! This isn't your typical vampire story, more of a contemporary romance/erotic romance with a Vampire. It's a really nice change!!!!
The narrator was good, she has a great sexy voice for erotica.
I just finished this book thinking wow I really enjoyed that and can't wait to listen to more. I didn't realize this was a series but I don't think reading order is required because I love it the way it was. I'm very glad I got to hear this complete set in one audiobook, I don't enjoy serials so I probably never would have tried it in pieces.
These characters are fun and a little to serious but super sexy. Anando is a really sexy Vamp who wants Virginia as soon as he sees her and Virginia is out to find a Vamp for a night of experimenting. Both of them aren't planning or looking for more but the more time they spend together the closer they become. He is afraid of love because of the past he really is hoping that she might be the one to show him everyone isn't looking to get something from him! Each sex scene ( and there are a lo of them) is hotter than the one before! This isn't your typical vampire story, more of a contemporary romance/erotic romance with a Vampire. It's a really nice change!!!!
The narrator was good, she has a great sexy voice for erotica.
August 5, 2016
Out of the Box by Kallysten is an excellent read. It is the story of a woman that does not want romance. She goes to a club that caters to vampires to have a new experience and gets so much more. I really enjoyed seeing her explore different aspects of her sexuality and push the limits. The characters are very well developed and I became very invested in the story. I really liked that while most of the story is from her POV at the end we get his POV as well and really get to understand his perspective. I would love to read more about these characters.
I received a copy in return for a honest review.
I received a copy in return for a honest review.
September 18, 2016
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley (in Bad Boys After Dark set)***
I hate PWP drivel. I hate it. Eight out of ten stories were PWP with the heroine and her vampire banging ever which way with occasional toy, and occasional other man. And then, when there was finally some semblance of plot involved, the heroine and her vampire turned to idiots (the vampire actually turned into an enormous idiot).
This "story" was one eye-roll after another.
I hate PWP drivel. I hate it. Eight out of ten stories were PWP with the heroine and her vampire banging ever which way with occasional toy, and occasional other man. And then, when there was finally some semblance of plot involved, the heroine and her vampire turned to idiots (the vampire actually turned into an enormous idiot).
This "story" was one eye-roll after another.
January 17, 2015
I read dancing before I found the actual book. I had already fallen in love with the characters and wanted to read more. I related to Virginia in a way I didn't with others. In a way I knew what it was like to be her and want more from life and was very happy when she found it.
October 9, 2016
The Out of the Box books are a series of short and steamy novellas. I loved these books, I really warmed to the characters, they had a really good storyline and some excellent characters, loved this look, would really recommend.
August 13, 2016
Amazing read! Can't wait for more from this author. Anando and Virginia are truly made for each other!!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews