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The Rosabelles #1
Take Me
Out Of This World After years as a slave to the pleasures of the powerful, Talia knows how to make a man mad with lust. But her pleasure counts for nothing--until a handsome, ruthless stranger appears. Ryder dares to look at her... to touch her... to awake in her a desire she's never imagined. When he kidnaps her to learn her secrets, Talia vows not to let her passion take control. But soon she discovers that her captor's intense gaze and searching hands can perform their own kind of interrogation, a sweet torture she finds impossible to resist. . .
"Tense, edgy, highly erotic. . ." Kate Pearce
"This is a scorcher." Bonnie Edwards
"Sizzling and emotional. . . Couldn't put it down!" Susan Lyons
""Take Me" will leave you breathless." Jaid Black
WARNING! THIS IS A REALLY HOT BOOK (Sexually Explicit)
"
"Tense, edgy, highly erotic. . ." Kate Pearce
"This is a scorcher." Bonnie Edwards
"Sizzling and emotional. . . Couldn't put it down!" Susan Lyons
""Take Me" will leave you breathless." Jaid Black
WARNING! THIS IS A REALLY HOT BOOK (Sexually Explicit)
"
ebook
First published January 1, 2009
5 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Shelli Stevens
71 books738 followersShelli is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of eleven. She is a true pluviophile (lover of rain) who currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. She loves Disney, taking sunset pics (follow her on Instagram), baking, nature walking, and spontaneously bursting into song. She’s written various genres of romance, but is most known for her contemporary series such as The McLaughlins, The Bro Code, Marshall Ranch, and A is for Alpha.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 19, 2009
I'm not much of a fan of futuristic romance, but this was mostly a fun, easy, sexy read. Nothing very brain-challenging or deep here--just pure entertainment.
Talia of the planet Zortou has been raised from birth to be a Rosabelle, a highly educated, pampered, and well-used plaything for her planet's Governing Council. Women are in scarce supply on her planet, and every woman alive is groomed for her destiny as a slave who is auctioned off to the highest bidder when she reaches the ripe old age of eighteen. The voluptuous, red headed Talia is envied by the other Rosabelles, because most don't have the luxuries that she does, even if she does have to endure the attentions of the three lecherous men of the Council. The men 'take her' whenever it suits them, using her as a commodity with no regards to her pleasure or her feelings. She is there to serve--period.
Handsome and daring Ryder Jacobs, a colonel in the planetary army of Belton, suspects that the Governing Council of Zortou plans to make an attack on his planet. Masquerading as a loudmouth oil man from the planet Earth, he pretends to financially back the Zortouns in their war with the Beltons, but that's just a ruse to lend him access to the fair Talia. After a sexually explosive meeting with Talia, he kidnaps her and heads back to his planet, with the idea of holding her prisoner until she tells him what she knows about her planet's attack plans.
Of course, lust overtakes him--he can't seem to keep his hands (or mouth) off of her--and he awakens a desire in Talia that she's never felt with the horny Governing Council, who don't care about her pleasure, only theirs. Some pretty hot times ensue while Ryder demonstrates how he pleasures a lady! While Ryder tries to convince Talia to tell all, he also comes to understand that she is not the 'whore' that he originally thought she was. He realizes that she's known no other life, and is really a victim. He decides to show her what life is like on his beautiful planet (he takes her outside!), showing her the freedoms that his people have, and convinces her that the people of Belton are not the barbarians she was led to believe. Talia starts to have real feelings for someone for the first time in her life, and tells Ryder all the Councils secrets. But will that be enough to make Ryder care for her too, or is he just using her to help his planet? And will someone who doesn't approve of Ryder's and Talia's relationship come between them and cause them to distrust each other?
Okay, there's nothing too serious or difficult to understand in this book. It's a straight up romance between a H/H from two different worlds (planets), which could easily be a modern day romance between a H/H from warring countries. There is the futuristic setting that reminded me a bit of Star Trek or even the Jetsons(!), but it's not that elemental to the story. And yes, there were a few things that were a bit unbelievable--the fact that Talia fell in love with Ryder so fast was one, but I was looking to be entertained so I went with it. There's a secondary romance in the book between Ryder's young sister and his best friend, that produced some hot moments in the 'historical' wood honeymoon cottage (the only wood structure left on the planet), and of course Talia and Ryder have some scorching moments of their own, including one where Ryder watches her pleasure herself in the bathtub, and one particularly hot scene that took place outdoors...So no complaints here on the erotic content of the book--in that respect it really delivers. But readers looking for a deep, complex story will not find that here. This was pure mind candy, and if you're in the mood for that, it should definitely be enough to satisfy. 4 stars
Warning: This book contains explicit language and sex, including oral; some light spanking, and a menage scene involving a woman and three men (not the H/H), and an off the pages m/m romance. Not for the faint of heart.
Talia of the planet Zortou has been raised from birth to be a Rosabelle, a highly educated, pampered, and well-used plaything for her planet's Governing Council. Women are in scarce supply on her planet, and every woman alive is groomed for her destiny as a slave who is auctioned off to the highest bidder when she reaches the ripe old age of eighteen. The voluptuous, red headed Talia is envied by the other Rosabelles, because most don't have the luxuries that she does, even if she does have to endure the attentions of the three lecherous men of the Council. The men 'take her' whenever it suits them, using her as a commodity with no regards to her pleasure or her feelings. She is there to serve--period.
Handsome and daring Ryder Jacobs, a colonel in the planetary army of Belton, suspects that the Governing Council of Zortou plans to make an attack on his planet. Masquerading as a loudmouth oil man from the planet Earth, he pretends to financially back the Zortouns in their war with the Beltons, but that's just a ruse to lend him access to the fair Talia. After a sexually explosive meeting with Talia, he kidnaps her and heads back to his planet, with the idea of holding her prisoner until she tells him what she knows about her planet's attack plans.
Of course, lust overtakes him--he can't seem to keep his hands (or mouth) off of her--and he awakens a desire in Talia that she's never felt with the horny Governing Council, who don't care about her pleasure, only theirs. Some pretty hot times ensue while Ryder demonstrates how he pleasures a lady! While Ryder tries to convince Talia to tell all, he also comes to understand that she is not the 'whore' that he originally thought she was. He realizes that she's known no other life, and is really a victim. He decides to show her what life is like on his beautiful planet (he takes her outside!), showing her the freedoms that his people have, and convinces her that the people of Belton are not the barbarians she was led to believe. Talia starts to have real feelings for someone for the first time in her life, and tells Ryder all the Councils secrets. But will that be enough to make Ryder care for her too, or is he just using her to help his planet? And will someone who doesn't approve of Ryder's and Talia's relationship come between them and cause them to distrust each other?
Okay, there's nothing too serious or difficult to understand in this book. It's a straight up romance between a H/H from two different worlds (planets), which could easily be a modern day romance between a H/H from warring countries. There is the futuristic setting that reminded me a bit of Star Trek or even the Jetsons(!), but it's not that elemental to the story. And yes, there were a few things that were a bit unbelievable--the fact that Talia fell in love with Ryder so fast was one, but I was looking to be entertained so I went with it. There's a secondary romance in the book between Ryder's young sister and his best friend, that produced some hot moments in the 'historical' wood honeymoon cottage (the only wood structure left on the planet), and of course Talia and Ryder have some scorching moments of their own, including one where Ryder watches her pleasure herself in the bathtub, and one particularly hot scene that took place outdoors...So no complaints here on the erotic content of the book--in that respect it really delivers. But readers looking for a deep, complex story will not find that here. This was pure mind candy, and if you're in the mood for that, it should definitely be enough to satisfy. 4 stars
Warning: This book contains explicit language and sex, including oral; some light spanking, and a menage scene involving a woman and three men (not the H/H), and an off the pages m/m romance. Not for the faint of heart.
March 30, 2021
From KISS online, plot was weird
February 22, 2010
Futuristic romances are few and far between. Add in the erotic elements and we have a unique story about a man who does what he must for his world and a woman who's only known a world ruled by men. The planet of Zortou has suffered a shortage of women for a long time. The remaining women are trained and then sold as Rosebelles. Rosebelles are sex slaves and Talia belongs to the most powerful trio of men. Her owners are the Governing Council members. They rule the planet.
Talia was sold as a Rosebelle when she turned 18. She has been servicing the three council members for four years and hates her life. She longs for something more than days spent in sexual submission to the councilors. She doesn't have any choice, her day is scheduled and she is monitored with little to no privacy. She wishes for something better but sees no way out. Then her world is suddenly changed when she is kidnapped and taken to a planet were women are not treated as sex slaves and her kidnapper is not like any man she has ever known.
Colonel Ryder Jacobs is playing a dangerous game when he goes to Zortou to kidnap the beautiful Talia. He needs information and he needs it quickly. He is hoping Talia can give him critical information on the councils' plans for his home planet of Belton. He knows the treaty between the two planets is a sham and the council is up to something. He just needs to find out what and Talia, he feels, is the one with the inside information on the council. The fact that she's beautiful and he finds her very desirable doesn't hurt either. Ryder isn't adverse to enjoying Talia's company in bed. He thinks she will enjoy his bed more than the councils' and he makes that clear to her. This is erotica and the author wastes no time getting these two into bed. Ryder's problem was that he sees Talia as basically the councils' whore. When he kidnapped her he didn't try to see beyond her looks and her position as a Rosebelle. It wasn't until he spent more time with her on his planet that he began to see there was more to Talia than sex and beauty.
I liked these two together. The disparity between Talia and Ryder's lifestyles is evident in their outlook on women. Talia views women as Rosebelles, the property of men. It's how she was raised and all she knew until she is exposed to Ryder's world and it's views of women. Ryder may have grown up with a more advanced outlook on women but he's a male and still thinks with his dick at times. The way Stevens had Talia change her outlook on women and what they are capable of came about in a couple of different ways.
First there was Ryder's sister Krystal. She befriends Talia and shows her that women, even young beautiful women, have choices. Krystal gives Talia a unique perspective of Ryder and how he treats the women he loves. The other woman that Talia encounters is Ryder's assistant, Ines. Ines is also a soldier and had a brief affair with Ryder. She still wants Ryder even after he ended the affair. She's not happy about Talia being there and sees her as a rival for Ryder. The claws come out and Talia gets a taste of what it's like to feel jealous of another woman. Ines was a real bitch. Ryder was right to end it with her. Too bad Talia had to deal with the aftermath.
Ryder and Talia are both young, very attractive, highly sexual people. Good thing since they enjoyed getting hot and heavy just about anywhere. Stevens writes steamy, erotic sex scenes that can at times push things past the comfortable and touch into the realm of bdsm. I did think it was appropriate for the characters involved and the situations they found themselves in.
On the whole, I enjoyed Take Me. I liked the futuristic aspects and Talia and Ryder's relationship was believable in addition to the hot sex scenes. I do wish the story had maintain more of a futuristic feel to it. There were times when the language and atmosphere created that feel but other times it lost it. I was left feeling it was taking place in the here and now. But it didn't stop me from enjoying the overall story.
Talia was sold as a Rosebelle when she turned 18. She has been servicing the three council members for four years and hates her life. She longs for something more than days spent in sexual submission to the councilors. She doesn't have any choice, her day is scheduled and she is monitored with little to no privacy. She wishes for something better but sees no way out. Then her world is suddenly changed when she is kidnapped and taken to a planet were women are not treated as sex slaves and her kidnapper is not like any man she has ever known.
Colonel Ryder Jacobs is playing a dangerous game when he goes to Zortou to kidnap the beautiful Talia. He needs information and he needs it quickly. He is hoping Talia can give him critical information on the councils' plans for his home planet of Belton. He knows the treaty between the two planets is a sham and the council is up to something. He just needs to find out what and Talia, he feels, is the one with the inside information on the council. The fact that she's beautiful and he finds her very desirable doesn't hurt either. Ryder isn't adverse to enjoying Talia's company in bed. He thinks she will enjoy his bed more than the councils' and he makes that clear to her. This is erotica and the author wastes no time getting these two into bed. Ryder's problem was that he sees Talia as basically the councils' whore. When he kidnapped her he didn't try to see beyond her looks and her position as a Rosebelle. It wasn't until he spent more time with her on his planet that he began to see there was more to Talia than sex and beauty.
I liked these two together. The disparity between Talia and Ryder's lifestyles is evident in their outlook on women. Talia views women as Rosebelles, the property of men. It's how she was raised and all she knew until she is exposed to Ryder's world and it's views of women. Ryder may have grown up with a more advanced outlook on women but he's a male and still thinks with his dick at times. The way Stevens had Talia change her outlook on women and what they are capable of came about in a couple of different ways.
First there was Ryder's sister Krystal. She befriends Talia and shows her that women, even young beautiful women, have choices. Krystal gives Talia a unique perspective of Ryder and how he treats the women he loves. The other woman that Talia encounters is Ryder's assistant, Ines. Ines is also a soldier and had a brief affair with Ryder. She still wants Ryder even after he ended the affair. She's not happy about Talia being there and sees her as a rival for Ryder. The claws come out and Talia gets a taste of what it's like to feel jealous of another woman. Ines was a real bitch. Ryder was right to end it with her. Too bad Talia had to deal with the aftermath.
Ryder and Talia are both young, very attractive, highly sexual people. Good thing since they enjoyed getting hot and heavy just about anywhere. Stevens writes steamy, erotic sex scenes that can at times push things past the comfortable and touch into the realm of bdsm. I did think it was appropriate for the characters involved and the situations they found themselves in.
On the whole, I enjoyed Take Me. I liked the futuristic aspects and Talia and Ryder's relationship was believable in addition to the hot sex scenes. I do wish the story had maintain more of a futuristic feel to it. There were times when the language and atmosphere created that feel but other times it lost it. I was left feeling it was taking place in the here and now. But it didn't stop me from enjoying the overall story.
September 11, 2010
Talia is a Rosabelle, a woman used only for pleasure by any man capable, but she's different from the others. Talia is strictly the property of her planet's council members. No other man may touch her.
Ryder is a colonel in the Belton army and a man way to accustomed to taking liberties. The fool even bedded one of his subordinates. So not a good first impression did he make as he took Talia prisoner for the information she might be holding about a future attack on his home planet. The guy's a bastard.
Unfortunately, he's *very* good at it and I couldn't get enough!
As a side story, there's Ryder's sister Krystal who's ready to relinquish her virginity to her boyfriend, Trevon. Now there's a guy you can easily loathe. Then there's Dillon, Ryder's second, who's been in love with her for years. When he finally gets the courage to ask for Ryder's blessing to woo Krystal, by the means he sees fit no less, I was salivating in anticipation. Dillon was yummy.
I received this book from a Bradford Bunch giveaway.
Ryder is a colonel in the Belton army and a man way to accustomed to taking liberties. The fool even bedded one of his subordinates. So not a good first impression did he make as he took Talia prisoner for the information she might be holding about a future attack on his home planet. The guy's a bastard.
Unfortunately, he's *very* good at it and I couldn't get enough!
As a side story, there's Ryder's sister Krystal who's ready to relinquish her virginity to her boyfriend, Trevon. Now there's a guy you can easily loathe. Then there's Dillon, Ryder's second, who's been in love with her for years. When he finally gets the courage to ask for Ryder's blessing to woo Krystal, by the means he sees fit no less, I was salivating in anticipation. Dillon was yummy.
I received this book from a Bradford Bunch giveaway.
March 7, 2013
The summary of the book did not sum of what the book is about. So I'll tell you. The setting is in the future. They have several planets occupied, including Earth still. Talia planet hates Ryder's planet and he knows this. So he goes to her planet and plans to take her b/c she is a Rosabelles (fancy word for concubine). He knows she has been in the Councils meeting and can tell him the information he needs. But they have instant chemistry and he can’t keep his hands off of her. It’s all kind of weird. They kept says “oh gods” instead of “oh God” that just annoyed me and such proper English, I don’t know why that annoyed me it just did. Overall I did like it, it just wasn’t my favorite.
May 5, 2010
Ay chihuahua! This was my first time reading erotica--too late to say "be gentle"--and I don't think describing it as steamy quite covers it. The sex scenes got downright raunchy more often than not. As for the story, I was pleasantly surprised to find there actually was one, as my preconceptions of what an erotic novel should look like had me expecting very little in the way of character development or plot. Though it read like a literary version of a racy B-movie on latenight cable, I didn't feel like I'd been cheated of my time. I leave final judgment to the fans of the genre.
June 25, 2010
Average read by an author who I think has potential. One of the negatives was the painful, unrealistic dialogue, which is always a turn-off for me. But positives are really good love scenes and a secondary relationship with the hero's best friend and younger sister, one of my very top favorite themes of all. I'll still be reading the next in the series and look forward to watching this author grow.
June 28, 2010
Liked the erotism, and the style of writing. Its different this one than the other erotica that I've read. The story takes place on two different technically advanced planets, but thank there weren't furry, slimey aliens or I would have quit it right there.
August 26, 2009
Light, quick story set in the future on other worlds. Nothing very complex in plot, characters or world building but easy to read. Lots of erotic action.
March 7, 2010
I read the first few pages of this book on Amazon and loved it.
Read
January 8, 2011may i say hoooooooooot
March 16, 2011
It probably says something not to my credit that the sex scene I found hottest (though they were all excellent) was the one with the evil other woman and the villains of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2013
She does it again! =)
August 4, 2013
interesting concept
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews