Emma Krist is a dud a person from a powerful line of witches with no magic of her own. Not only that but she’s full figured instead of thin, like her gorgeous, talented cousins, and has dishwater brown hair and muddy hazel eyes to match. So she figures there’s no way she’ll be chosen as the Bloodlust Sacrifice for the new vampire Sovereign. Not that she would want to be what girl in her right mind would volunteer to be a sex slave for a year, giving up the rights to her own body and sexuality to a dominating male who likes to bite? Not Emma, that’s for sure.
So when Aiden James calls her out of the crowd, picking her over every other single female in the supernatural community, Emma doesn’t know what to think. Now she must begin a whole new life of submission to her new master, giving herself body and soul without reservation…or suffer the punishment for her disobedience. Kept naked at his strange, mirrored mansion, Emma is teased and tortured nightly, her master denying her release and whipping her at his leisure. As he pushes her body to the limit, she begins to wonder how much more she can take.
But Aiden has reasons for the erotic punishments he inflicts he knows something Emma does not. Buried deep in her past, is the key which will unlock her hidden potential. Finding it, however, may ruin everything and cost Emma the only chance at happiness she has ever known as…The Sacrifice.
Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.
Don't let the cheesy start and the at-first-annoying heroine make you DNF.
As I read (listened) further into this, my rating went up. The plot started to take hold and the heroine started to become a little bit more likable...
This book was quite good. And I loved the little world/building we got.
Safety Gang note: This contains exhibitionism. And a fairly uncomfortable scene (don't read it if you are very squeamish)
Other than that it had a fair amount of sexy scenes but didn't make overall sense at the end as a cohesive plot. It was more like the author thought that she needed them to have sex in front of others but had to justify it in some way. The reasons were a bit thin to be honest. And the poor heroines inner dialogue at times made me as confused as she was and mostly cringing at the exhibitionist scenes. Though that is a matter of preference as they weren't mean or humiliating in any way. Merely beyond my comfort level.
Reaction #1: I really like this book. The heroine is relatable and the plotline makes sense (a lot of paranormal romance just tries too hard and it doesn't come together).
Reaction #2: Oh, I see what you're doing here. Pseudo Christian Grey. I gotcha. You did it better than EL James, though. I think the whole of EL James' BDSM education came from watching The Secretary a couple of times.
Reaction #3: Did I really just read that scene? She was all no...and he was all "yes, I'm a vampire"...and she's all no...and he's all "stop arguing, woman." and she's all "Ok" and then he does it and I want to throw up and I tried to skip past the pages and they won't. stop. talking. about. it. Haven't they ever heard of, "Let's pretend this never happened"? PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED, PEOPLE.
BRB, shaking and crying.
Reaction #4: Jesus. I finally finished this by sheer force about 11:30 last night. And, yes, of course we had to talk about "it" again. I'm not sure why. I have no clue why these people are oversharing like a bunch of fools on Cheaters, but I am so glad this is over. I love this author. I've adored most of her books, but this one jumped off the diving board and forgot it's swimmies. Pity, because I liked the plotline so much, but it got lost in the details.
So, I didn't finish The Sacrifice. I did however get really close to the end before giving up because of a few scenes I'll mention in a moment. I like the heroine, Emma. She was spunky, smart & strong-willed. The vampire hero, Aiden? Eh. I thought he was a controlling asshole butt-nugget. I didn't get the BDSM. I enjoy books with BDSM elements, but the way it was handled in the book made Aiden come off as creepy and tyrannical. Even then, TS was good enough to where it kept my interest....until the scenes I'm getting ready to go into.
Aiden, our vampire hero, performs oral sex on Emma while she is menstruating. Not only that, but he then proceeds to have vaginal sex with her...while she's menstruating. O_o I've read many many books (according to GR, 1500+) & while I've read a few involving sex during a woman's cycle, I've never read one involving oral sex during a woman's cycle & I hope to never read a book involving it again.
Look, I get it. Vampires lurve da blood. A few vampire heroes in books I've read even mentioned how they could smell when a woman was on her period. Kind of icky, but understandable. But going down on a woman while she's menstruating? DAFUQ? Menstrual blood isn't just old blood but consists of a bunch of other shit I don't even want to get into. It's NASTY (to me). Some readers may be okay with it, but I for one wasn't & this review is my way of giving interested readers a heads-up on what to expect. If they can deal with it, more power to them! Go YOU!
Just FYI....it's Sunday, Bloody Fucking Sunday up in this book.
3.5. It was ok. I read the first few chapters fast but then paused and read it here and there. I was so on board with the premise: vampire is the head of the supernatural community and chooses a “sacrifice” as his blood slave for a year.
Aidan is the new vampire king chooses Emma, a curvy “dud”, a woman born into a witch family but possesses no magic… or so we think!
The vampire hero truly was a tender dominant (the name of a porn film he was watching so he could ensure he watches his strength as a vampire could easily hurt a human). I was hoping for more cruelty but the BDSM story is sweet. The heroine kept going, “Do I have to?” This kind of broke the fourth wall for me. The back story of the heroine was interesting enough to keep me going.
DNF at 20% This was a freebie, and has been in my TBR for years. I’m currently trying to cleanup my vampy shelves, and ironically this sort of overlaps with my last two. Similar to Willow Creek Vampires, this is set up with a town having to “donate” a selected to serve as a blood mate for the vampy sovereign. Also, like Ambrosia, we’re dealing with super horny vamps and menstrual munching. Yep. But where I was able to work through those series, I just couldn’t stick with this one.
The story was pretty interesting. The sex was... I think if you're into exhibitionism (told in a positive light, without degradation) or a few other kinks (breeding) then this would be super hot. For me, I ended up really embarrassed. Seriously, I didn't know I could still blush like that. Very old, powerful vampire has a dirty mouth though, so that's always fun.
I decided to DNF at 57%. I didn't like the public displays. It's non-con for anyone who witnesses it. A restaurant isn't a sex club. I was getting second hand embarrassment for the FMC and the wait staff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Emma Kirst is a dud in the supernatural community, meaning she has zero magic, unlike her beautiful cousins she has never been able to work a spell. So when the yearly sacrifice has to be made, which involves a year of service to the Sovereign, the vampire the rules their area, she knows she will never be picked, it is always the most powerful and the most beautiful woman, things that she is neither of. But Aidan James, the new Sovereign, does chose her, and he is determined that she submit completely to him and has the cane and clamps to get the job done.
I just need to cool down a second before I start writing a review, this was hot! If things like a sexy vampire who knows exactly wield a paddle and some nipple clamps gets you all riled up then you will be feeling exactly the same way once you have finished reading this book.
I love a BBW heroine, as a woman who could do with losing a pound (or ten) I can relate to exactly how Emma felt with Aidan, if a sexy man asked me to strip and parade around naked with only a collar for cover up I would be asking when his last eye test was, so Emma's reluctance was completely understandable. Which, made Aidan's persistence even sexier and he was already pretty damn gorgeous to start with. Together though, they had great chemistry, the sexual tension between them was thick and I enjoyed reading every delicious thing that they did.
This book is heavy on the BDSM though, so if you don't like that this probably won't be for you; Aidan was Master and watching Emma slowly come round to submit to him was incredibly hot. But, I also felt they had a good emotional connection as well, and although this book was obviously heavy on the erotic and romantic aspect and the plot was used as a tool to develop the romance it didn't feel like a bunch of sex scenes glued together to make a haphazard romance.
Another great book from Evanageline Anderson it was sexy, funny, with some really likeable characters and I would recommend to anyone looking for a hot read.
*Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Evangeline Anderson’s “The Sacrifice” is a dark and erotic paranormal romance filled with mystery, adventure, and danger. Anderson includes a variety of extraordinary supernatural characters to sate every para-lover’s appetite including witches, vampires, weres, fairies, and satyrs. Anderson’s hero, Aiden, is the definitive dominant alpha male with aggressive, possessive tendencies and a heavy hand. Her heroine, Emma, is a developing submissive who is barely obedient, hardly yielding, and always in need of discipline. Although the story is primarily a paranormal romance, Anderson interlaces dominate/submissive and domestic discipline themes in a realistic way. Compared with other Anderson novels, “The Sacrifice” is surprisingly light on actual sex, but heavy on foreplay with a heat factor that is off the chart. Anderson also includes a touching storyline filled with plot twists and a surprise ending to keep readers engaged to the bitter sweet finale.
3.5 stars. Okay, Thought this book was going to make me feel good about it. But It surely didn't. I understand that is was based on BDSM, but the characters felt cold. Emma the leading lady was driving me crazy with her own inquisites in her head. I felt I was back in college listening to my professor is socialogy 101. Eww, not a good memory. Aiden, was exquisite with his Gray eyes and scrumptious body. But there were no chemistry. Emma, with the Why, How, When, Where, was torture. I apologize to the Author, this was not my cup of coffee.
SEXY, SEDUCTIVE, & FABULOUSLY ENTERTAINING 111 Title: The Sacrifice Author: Evangeline Anderson Designation: Full-Length, Standalone, NO Cliffhanger, Full-Length, Standalone, NO Cliffhanger (Originally published August 30, 2012) #vampires #witches #occult #BDSM My Rating: Five Sexy Stars*****
Paranormal/supernatural romance has been one of my favorite genres for many years, and I'm always on the lookout for a great new author. Several years ago, I was on a sci-fi romance kick and looking for something to read. A friend recommended the Brides of the Kindred Series by Evangeline Anderson, so I decided to give it a whirl. Best decision ever! I fell in love with Anderson's unique worlds, imaginative storylines, and addictive prose. Well, imagine my delight when I learned Anderson also writes paranormal romance. Yes, in addition to writing great science fiction, Anderson also writes sexy paranormal/supernatural romance. But the best surprise came when I discovered most of Anderson's work is liberally seasoned with elements of BDSM. It was love at first bite! And thus began my love affair with everything Anderson writes! Don't get me wrong, I still do my due diligence before every purchase. As much as I wish I could buy every single book my favorite authors publish, I simply can't afford it, which is why I read the sample of The Sacrifice and several of the reviews. And I'm just gonna put out there - I'm sooo glad I didn't listen to the negative reviews for this book. I LOVED it! If you enjoy well crafted paranormal romance with dark, provocative storylines filled to the brim with danger, drama, angst, suspense, passion, steamy dreamy sex, a cast of intriguing supernatural characters, strong, seductive alpha male heroes, and beautiful damsels in distress who need rescuing and disciplining (think blindfolds, lots of foreplay, and titillating spankings), then this book is definitely for you!
Did I like this story? No, I loved it and I loved the two protagonists, dangerous, dark vampire Sovereign Aidan James and lovely, curvaceous twice-eleven (22 years old) witch-dud Emma Krist! Aidan was just the cat's meow! *swoon* And poor Emma, the witch with no magic and no experience with the opposite sex, was just perfect! Emma may have been a dud with magic, but when she and Aidan cross paths, it was magical! Once I started reading, I could not stop. I was glued to my seat, white-knuckling my ereader with my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as the hours flew as quickly as the pages! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers who enjoy explicit language, dreamy sex, and elements of BDSM. I understand this may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was mine! Will I read this author again? Absolutely! And finally, was I entertained? Completely!
Illogical and reactive BDSM. Disappointingly, most of it was off page, especially the bondage. Contrived and unfair punishments. Illogical exhibitionism training - sex in front of waiter at restaurant - why not go to a sex club instead.
Lame semi reincarnation story. Moody hero who kept secrets. Snarky heroine with low self esteem. Rushed ending with OTT drama and bad guys. Really boring sex.
Oral and vaginal sex while heroine was on her period didn't bother me at all. Kudos for that.
This whole book started off with an interesting concept but ended up being so disappointing. The female CLEARLY does not want to have sex in front of people, but the author gives the reason that she has to because it's "plot-related". The whole thing felt really awkward and cringe (srl who tf screams, "Oh goddess !" In the middle of sex) 🤨. And the mmc seems like he's only interested in her because of her ties with Katherine (her being her descendant). They don't have an ounce of chemistry, and she's so naive it makes me want to slap her (and that says a lot bc i like naive and virgin heroines. She's plain ass stupid). The bdsm scenes are so uncomfortable, AND SHES ALSO SO UNCOMFORTABLE. THE WHOLE POINT IS DOING WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL PLEASURE WTF. Her actions are so predictable it's not even funny. The only thing I liked was the period blood cunnilingus, and even that felt rushed and badly written (I'm sorry but WHY did he have to put himself inside her after he finished licking her???).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don't like to mark low...but it was just OK...so 2 stars it is.
Firstly - even when I'm not enjoying the plot Evangeline Anderson does steaming HOT sex scenes! However, I wasn't enjoying the plot.
I don't like the theme that it turned out to have . I also found the magicky end spell transformation...wasteful and annoying. Sort of like thos irritating books where the fat girl gets thin and then gets the guy (yes, I know she already had him but still). So not a great choice for me.
I think I've figured out what I didn't like about this book.......nothing happened.....yep it was kinda dullsville. Could have totally been awesome since I'm a big fan of books featuring curvy heroines AND vampires but this one spent so much time focusing on the fact Aiden had all these secrets that we don't learn anything until the very end and by then I frankly didn't care.
Incredibly light BDSM and ritual teaching the heroine to love herself...not bad and the main characters were likeable but still boring despite the great premise.
The concept of this book was very interesting. However, it needs an edit done badly. The words without spacing killed me. Once or twice is fine but it happened throughout the whole book. Not to mention I did find Emma to be quite annoying at times. Like I said I liked the concept... it was an okay book.
Absolutely trash. No consent to start a BDSM relationship and you basically hear a lot of r@pe scenes. Also, I am surprised it's a female pen name here because the idea that a woman's "special place" needs to be stretched by constantly wearing a contraption that penetrates her and then slowly making it bigger every day is not only disgusting but also GROSSLY medically inaccurate.
I enjoyed this book. However, Anyone with any BDSM lifestyle experience is going to roll their eyes as much as I did.
The Heroin is a BBW single Virgin at 22 years old. She has literally never done anything except take care of herself sexually. Okay. And of a witch bloodline- but without powers. Okay. Gotcha.
The Hero is (of course) incredibly good looking 100 Year old Vampire who is (of course) filthy wealthy and into playing with D/s. Because we all know he is not actually into BDSM.
The D/s relationship in this case really is a vanilla version of what can actually be achieved by 2 people who commit to this type of relationship- I know- she didnt choose this, but hear me out.
Communication is seriously lacking here (the Dominant should know better) and actually for no good reason. Since this is one of the foundations of this type of relationship I had to roll my eyes every time he told her there was a reason- but he couldnt tell her. Dude. Seriously? Oh, Okay- fiction- lets go on.
There is an obvious bad guy- he could be worse, he was actually boring and his death... doesn't matter. Her Cousin is a ditz and really doesn't add anything to the story- beyond being the friend who pokes and prods for information- Meh.
I would not call this book a BDSM book- it's actually a D/s book and that changes the whole expectation here. However- my lack of stars really is because of the end of the book. (trying not to spoiler alert) The discussion over the actions needed to mend this awesome spell was too drawn out, boring-anti climatic and frankly needless. It goes back and forth with "I'm gonna give it to you!" and shes all like "Give it to me!" with an audience no doubt. Had I been sitting watching I would have been screaming "JUST DO IT ALREADY- Ah! Never mind!!!!!!" and then, it's kinda a let down anyways. Of course in the end she gets everything she ever wanted... and the guy through what could have been a beautiful moment of submission, but as written comes off as we expected.
Of course this is all my personal opinion. However- I shared this book with a totally vanilla woman in my life and she was all thrilled with all of it but the end. So, there. 2 sides of the coin with the same result. And Ladies- the period play didn't bother me (it's in every vampire dark romance) but you should look at this relationship from another viewpoint- the dominant was pushing the envelopes of his submissive in many positive ways- to be more comfortable with herself (Body and mind), to like herself, to open her mind to pleasures she had shut herself off of and to trust him. Are these really such bad things? Being forced from your comfort zone- while totally safe- and out of control- feeling completely desired- is this not what you are looking for?
Having thought I’ve read all of Evangeline Anderson’s books and stories as she is one of my favorite authors, I was surprised I had missed The Sacrifice. As readers can tell from the author’s summary this is a paranormal love story that mixes erotic love scenes (including some dominate/submissive and mild discipline scenes). Besides the dark erotic romance there is a good amount of suspense,danger, excitement, humor, and emotionally touching scenarios. The world where the story takes place is one where Witches, vampires, fairies, shifters all now live together “peacefully”after the vampires set up some rituals and rules. Emma was a witch who never came into her powers, a “dud” but has learned to live with her lot in life. She works at the family store that sells ingredients for potions and other witchy things. She is also on the verge of completing her degree in botany. Surprised she is picked to be “The Sacrifice”, Emma so,show resolves to get them this challenge. (A bit of the ugly duckling/swan theme with some erotic bdsm and tons of foreplay). Aiden has become The Sovereign, a gorgeous powerful alpha vampire with a painful past and some major dominant tendencies. It is not by accident he chooses the sassy witch as his Sacrifice. A good page turner, an enjoyable story that transports readers into a very addictive hot paranormal supernatural world. Enjoy the ride!
2.75 Stars. (WW/WM). Audible audiobook with narration by Mackenzie Cartwright. I am a fan of this author's Kindred Series and decided to try this story. Paranormal. An elusive plot about an unromantic couple existing in faltering storyline sown by a BDSM thread. Because of a millennia's old agreement, all paranormal species coexist and interact peacefully and under the radar of humans with the understanding that vampires rule and that annually the vampire Sovereign is to select the Bloodlust Sacrifice from the ranks of the female paranormals. It seems that witches derive their ability to wield their powers via their sexual prowess; thus, the heroine, Emma Krist, is a voluptuous dud or a powerless witch due to her being a modest virtuous virgin. The hero, Aiden James, is a powerful hundreds-year- New Sovereign Vampire who has spent eons grieving his deceased beloved, who knew Emma's mother and who rescued and delivered toddler Emma to the safety of her extended family-he now picks Emma as his Blood Sacrifice in order to unlock her witchy powers by training her to submit to him via BDSM and to have her become a sexually active and wonton woman and because she reminds him 0f his ex. All the characters are likable especially Emma's cousin; there's no romantic chemistry between Aiden and Emma plus the plot and the ending are in flux .
To be real with you guys, this was my least favorite Evangeline Anderson book, and I've read a lot of her books, so that's saying a lot. I even thought about DNFing it, but I was curious about the secrets Aiden was hiding from Emma. I started this book at the gym and read most of it while I was on the elliptical.
The book started with so much erotic content and not enough doing things or talking about their past, which always keeps me interested. Emma was living in Aiden's house while he worked a 9-5, so they'd do sexual things when he was home, but she was acting like a housewife without the chores. If someone's staying in a house all day, unless the house is ridiculously interesting, that doesn't typically make an entertaining story.
I also wondered about the villain's motivation. Maybe because I put this book down for a while and resolved to finish it today, I missed something.
Wow! This book is steamy from the word go! The author did such a great job of showcasing the art of domination and submission in this book while creating a story line that made it impossible to put down until the very end. I love that Aiden wants no other female by his side other than the short, curvy witch who doesn’t know she holds his heart. Emma is not sure what to make of her new situation, but she slowly trusts Aiden to guide her along. They might have to work through some trust and communication issues, but eventually these two get into sync and find their HEA. I wish there were more books, I would love to learn more about Lexy’s story.
DNF I just can't get behind the portrayal of BDSM. A sub doesn't ask why? What about submission being earned? What about safe, sane, consensual? Even CNC has consent entailed in it. I get that she's a sacrifice, but he explicitly says that he doesn't do d/s unless his partner wants it. She's a complete virgin and he's riding rough shod over the basic tenants he should have had plenty of time to learn about.
There rest of the book is decent. It feels a lot like 50 Shades of Grey, but better done in everything except BDSM. It was all going so well until d/s comes up, then it's just a slow decline from there until I just couldn't get past it.
This story has extremely bad BDSM etiquette. No safe words. No established boundaries. Boundaries ignored.
because Emma needs to give up all control to be able to submit. No no no. Aiden ignores or flat out tells her her boundaries aren't important because he likes her body and wants to show her off. He grows cold and distant when she tries to tell him no. And he manipulates her into doing it anyways in order to fully submit to him.
I got 54% of the way through the book and couldn't finish simply because of ick I got everytime Aiden blatantly shows her through actions that her wishes on boundaries don't matter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoyed it overall. The story is in the point of view of Emma who is a “dud” witch, dud meaning she is a person from a magical family with no magic of their own. She and her cousin, Lexy, go to attend the annual Sacrifice Ceremony which is a ceremony where the vampire sovereign chooses a member of the magical community to be his sacrifice for one year. I’ll not get into details but suffice it to say that Emma becomes the new sacrifice. I felt that the book was well written and the pace of the story was good. If you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable read, I would recommend this book.