What do you think?
Rate this book
Linger: Songbird / Stay With Me
Love can help broken spirits soar again…
Songbird
Years ago, Greer and Taggert meant everything to Emily. Their cavalier rejection sent her into the arms of their youngest brother. Her angelic voice launches her to stardom—until tragedy shocks her into silence.
Grieving for their brother, Taggert and Greer take Emily back to Montana, determined to help her heal and find her voice again. Under the protective shield of their love, she begins to blossom. Then an old threat resurfaces. Now the men who love her face a fight for what they once threw away.
Stay With Me
Catherine hopes her announcement to the two men in her life—she’s pregnant—will be the perfect start to the vacation they promised two weeks on a Jamaican beach. No cell phones, no emails, no business. But when they blow her off for yet another “business emergency”, she packs her bags for her long-awaited vacation—alone.
When Logan and Rhys come home to an empty house, they realize two One, it was a mistake to take Catherine for granted. Two, they’re not willing to just let her walk out of their lives. Getting her back will be the toughest deal they’ve ever negotiated.
Linger contains lots of knot-in-the-throat emotional scenes, hot loving, ménage a trois, multiple partners, adult language and situations and committed polyamorous relationships.
Songbird
Years ago, Greer and Taggert meant everything to Emily. Their cavalier rejection sent her into the arms of their youngest brother. Her angelic voice launches her to stardom—until tragedy shocks her into silence.
Grieving for their brother, Taggert and Greer take Emily back to Montana, determined to help her heal and find her voice again. Under the protective shield of their love, she begins to blossom. Then an old threat resurfaces. Now the men who love her face a fight for what they once threw away.
Stay With Me
Catherine hopes her announcement to the two men in her life—she’s pregnant—will be the perfect start to the vacation they promised two weeks on a Jamaican beach. No cell phones, no emails, no business. But when they blow her off for yet another “business emergency”, she packs her bags for her long-awaited vacation—alone.
When Logan and Rhys come home to an empty house, they realize two One, it was a mistake to take Catherine for granted. Two, they’re not willing to just let her walk out of their lives. Getting her back will be the toughest deal they’ve ever negotiated.
Linger contains lots of knot-in-the-throat emotional scenes, hot loving, ménage a trois, multiple partners, adult language and situations and committed polyamorous relationships.
272 pages, Paperback
Published May 4, 2010
192 people are currently reading
1268 people want to read
About the author
Maya Banks
247 books21.6k followersMaya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 8, 2010
Two ménage short stories from Maya Banks. Easy to read, though not all that challenging. Entertaining enough, with some predictable steamy interludes.
Stay With Me
Ménage on the rocks.
Three former college roommates and best friends (Catherine, Logan, and Rhys) take the next step in their loving relationship and marry. Although at first they don't have two nickels to rub together they're happy. All is well until a few years later when Rhys and Logan's fledgling business starts to take off and they spend more and more time away from their increasingly lonely wife Catherine. Rhys and Logan are determined to make something of themselves because they remember the financial struggles they went through early in the marriage and they want nothing more than to provide for Cat, not realizing that in doing so they are seriously neglecting her and taking their relationship for granted. When they miss the dinner date for their 5 year anniversary and postpone their long awaited Jamaican vacation that Cat has set up in order to attend an important business meeting, that's the straw that breaks the camel's back. A devastated Cat walks out, heading to Jamaica alone. Is this what's become of their formerly happy marriage? Cat and her husbands haven't been intimate for the past three months, but she had some miraculous news to tell them. Now she's not so sure she can continue in a relationship where she's second place behind her husbands' drive for success. Logan and Rhys have some serious scrambling to do if they hope to save their unconventional marriage...
Not a bad story, yet somehow I got the feeling that I read this one before, or something similar... Anyway, I did feel that Rhys and Logan were seriously neglectful husbands, but I also thought Catherine waited far too long to put her foot down with these two. At first Cat came off as kind of needy and whiny (didn't she understand how important her husbands' work was?) but after they kept blowing her off time and time again (after promising her they wouldn't) I was on her side. She really needed to let these two guys have it and stop being a doormat! A little communication on both sides would have gone a long way towards solving the relationship problems.
There were the typical ménage scenes to help spice up the story--these three certainly had no problems communicating in the bedroom! Now they just needed to get their act together outside of those bedroom doors. 4 stars
Warning: This book contains explicit sex, including oral and anal; graphic language, and m/f/m ménage. Not for the faint of heart.
Songbird
This was a short story about a Montana girl (Emily) and her three best friends and brothers (Sean, Greer, and Taggert). Emily has an abusive, restrictive father who doesn't approve of her singing outside of church. Emily longs to sing, and after her father hurts her for the last time, she turns to Sean and his brothers. She loves them all, and makes a proposition that scares Greer and Taggert. When they reject her proposition, she takes off with Sean, marries him, and embarks on a successful singing career. When tragedy strikes years later, Greer and Taggert come for her and take an emotionally broken Emily back where she belongs--their Montana ranch. They should never have let her go. Can they convince her that their rejection of her was a mistake that they've long regretted? Can they help heal their songbird with their love and devotion? Or will an old threat come between them again?
Pretty good story, even though I thought this whole family's problems could have been solved with just a good therapist. My, the guilt and angst...There were times when I got frustrated with Emily and just wanted to shake her and say "get some help girl, you need it". But I guess just having Taggert and Greer in her bed was all the therapy this girl needed. They did have some pretty hot scenes together...4 stars
Warning: This story contains explicit sex; including oral and anal; and a m/f/m ménage, and some minor violence. Not for the faint of heart.
For fans of Maya Banks looking for a couple of quick, easy reads with some spicy passages, you might want to check this one out. For an even better anthology by the author, check out Unbroken.
Stay With Me
Ménage on the rocks.
Three former college roommates and best friends (Catherine, Logan, and Rhys) take the next step in their loving relationship and marry. Although at first they don't have two nickels to rub together they're happy. All is well until a few years later when Rhys and Logan's fledgling business starts to take off and they spend more and more time away from their increasingly lonely wife Catherine. Rhys and Logan are determined to make something of themselves because they remember the financial struggles they went through early in the marriage and they want nothing more than to provide for Cat, not realizing that in doing so they are seriously neglecting her and taking their relationship for granted. When they miss the dinner date for their 5 year anniversary and postpone their long awaited Jamaican vacation that Cat has set up in order to attend an important business meeting, that's the straw that breaks the camel's back. A devastated Cat walks out, heading to Jamaica alone. Is this what's become of their formerly happy marriage? Cat and her husbands haven't been intimate for the past three months, but she had some miraculous news to tell them. Now she's not so sure she can continue in a relationship where she's second place behind her husbands' drive for success. Logan and Rhys have some serious scrambling to do if they hope to save their unconventional marriage...
Not a bad story, yet somehow I got the feeling that I read this one before, or something similar... Anyway, I did feel that Rhys and Logan were seriously neglectful husbands, but I also thought Catherine waited far too long to put her foot down with these two. At first Cat came off as kind of needy and whiny (didn't she understand how important her husbands' work was?) but after they kept blowing her off time and time again (after promising her they wouldn't) I was on her side. She really needed to let these two guys have it and stop being a doormat! A little communication on both sides would have gone a long way towards solving the relationship problems.
There were the typical ménage scenes to help spice up the story--these three certainly had no problems communicating in the bedroom! Now they just needed to get their act together outside of those bedroom doors. 4 stars
Warning: This book contains explicit sex, including oral and anal; graphic language, and m/f/m ménage. Not for the faint of heart.
Songbird
This was a short story about a Montana girl (Emily) and her three best friends and brothers (Sean, Greer, and Taggert). Emily has an abusive, restrictive father who doesn't approve of her singing outside of church. Emily longs to sing, and after her father hurts her for the last time, she turns to Sean and his brothers. She loves them all, and makes a proposition that scares Greer and Taggert. When they reject her proposition, she takes off with Sean, marries him, and embarks on a successful singing career. When tragedy strikes years later, Greer and Taggert come for her and take an emotionally broken Emily back where she belongs--their Montana ranch. They should never have let her go. Can they convince her that their rejection of her was a mistake that they've long regretted? Can they help heal their songbird with their love and devotion? Or will an old threat come between them again?
Pretty good story, even though I thought this whole family's problems could have been solved with just a good therapist. My, the guilt and angst...There were times when I got frustrated with Emily and just wanted to shake her and say "get some help girl, you need it". But I guess just having Taggert and Greer in her bed was all the therapy this girl needed. They did have some pretty hot scenes together...4 stars
Warning: This story contains explicit sex; including oral and anal; and a m/f/m ménage, and some minor violence. Not for the faint of heart.
For fans of Maya Banks looking for a couple of quick, easy reads with some spicy passages, you might want to check this one out. For an even better anthology by the author, check out Unbroken.
August 21, 2019
Book 1- 2.5 stars, book 2- 3 stars
I've come to realise that I don't really enjoy m-f-m books where the men are just "friends" with each other and not in a romantic relationship. It just doesn't seem to work for me.
I've come to realise that I don't really enjoy m-f-m books where the men are just "friends" with each other and not in a romantic relationship. It just doesn't seem to work for me.
May 8, 2012
I love the way Maya Banks can tell an erotic romance story.
Series Note:
No series connections that I know of.
Summary:
In "Stay With Me" Catherine, Logan, and Rhys are living in a committed menage relationship and have been for many years. But things are not well in the relationship because Logan and Rhys have let work take over their lives, to the point of completely neglecting their wife. Catherine is hoping a special dinner with a big announcement followed by a 2 week vacation will help put things back on track. But once again business intrudes and Cat begins to wonder if it's time to walk away from the two men she loves.
And in "Songbird" Emily once pledged her love to the three Donovan brothers Sean, Greer and Taggert, but Greer and Taggert shot her down. Sean whisks her away form a terrible home life, marries her and helps her start her career as a singer. Then tragedy strikes, leaving Emily a widow and Greer and Taggert realize it's time to step up and face their feelings for Emily. But they will first have to help her grieve for the brother they all lost.
Review:
Some erotic romance authors give you a hot story but little else. Maya Banks isn't one of those. In more of her erotic romance stories she gives you not just some hot sex, but also a lot of emotion. It makes the books so much more interesting to read and keeps them from being repetitive sex fests.
I really enjoyed both these stories. They were heartwrenching. Especially "Songbird." That story had me teary-eyed more than a few times. It just broke you heart what Emily was going through. And "Stay With Me," though it wasn't nearly at gutwrenching, still broke your heart just a bit because you have three people who love each other so much but were having a difficult time trying to fix the problems in their lives. Maya Banks just did a really great job putting emotion into these stories.
Both stories managed to frustrate me a bit at times...I thought Rhys and Logan were dickheads more than a couple times in their story. And Cat was a bit of a pushover. I wanted her to stand up for herself more. And in "Songbird" I got slightly annoyed that Greet and Taggert seemed to think sex would fix everything instead of getting Emily the therapy she so obviously needed. But hey, we can't all be perfect, right?
And of course, there's some really hot sex. Nothing too over the top so anyone with a low kink tolerance shouldn't have any problems...though if you don't like menage stories then steer clear.
The only real criticism I had for these two novellas was that I thought the character development could have been a bit better. More so with "Stay With Me" where I felt like I didn't know the characters quite as well as I could, mostly from the perspective of their pasts and families. I just wanted to know a little bit more of who these people were so I could understand them better.
Otherwise, I enjoyed both stories a lot. Very hot, very emotional and just all around satisfying reads for me.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex, explicit language, anal sex, committed menage relationships of the m/f/m sort, slight bondage, and lots and lots of emotional angst.
Series Note:
No series connections that I know of.
Summary:
In "Stay With Me" Catherine, Logan, and Rhys are living in a committed menage relationship and have been for many years. But things are not well in the relationship because Logan and Rhys have let work take over their lives, to the point of completely neglecting their wife. Catherine is hoping a special dinner with a big announcement followed by a 2 week vacation will help put things back on track. But once again business intrudes and Cat begins to wonder if it's time to walk away from the two men she loves.
And in "Songbird" Emily once pledged her love to the three Donovan brothers Sean, Greer and Taggert, but Greer and Taggert shot her down. Sean whisks her away form a terrible home life, marries her and helps her start her career as a singer. Then tragedy strikes, leaving Emily a widow and Greer and Taggert realize it's time to step up and face their feelings for Emily. But they will first have to help her grieve for the brother they all lost.
Review:
Some erotic romance authors give you a hot story but little else. Maya Banks isn't one of those. In more of her erotic romance stories she gives you not just some hot sex, but also a lot of emotion. It makes the books so much more interesting to read and keeps them from being repetitive sex fests.
I really enjoyed both these stories. They were heartwrenching. Especially "Songbird." That story had me teary-eyed more than a few times. It just broke you heart what Emily was going through. And "Stay With Me," though it wasn't nearly at gutwrenching, still broke your heart just a bit because you have three people who love each other so much but were having a difficult time trying to fix the problems in their lives. Maya Banks just did a really great job putting emotion into these stories.
Both stories managed to frustrate me a bit at times...I thought Rhys and Logan were dickheads more than a couple times in their story. And Cat was a bit of a pushover. I wanted her to stand up for herself more. And in "Songbird" I got slightly annoyed that Greet and Taggert seemed to think sex would fix everything instead of getting Emily the therapy she so obviously needed. But hey, we can't all be perfect, right?
And of course, there's some really hot sex. Nothing too over the top so anyone with a low kink tolerance shouldn't have any problems...though if you don't like menage stories then steer clear.
The only real criticism I had for these two novellas was that I thought the character development could have been a bit better. More so with "Stay With Me" where I felt like I didn't know the characters quite as well as I could, mostly from the perspective of their pasts and families. I just wanted to know a little bit more of who these people were so I could understand them better.
Otherwise, I enjoyed both stories a lot. Very hot, very emotional and just all around satisfying reads for me.
WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex, explicit language, anal sex, committed menage relationships of the m/f/m sort, slight bondage, and lots and lots of emotional angst.
May 17, 2010
4 stars – Contemporary Erotic Romance/Ménage Anthology
Stay With Me - 5 stars
Songbird - 3 stars
Stay With Me - 5 stars
Songbird - 3 stars
July 6, 2011
I both loved and hated this book, my feelings easily divided.
With the first story, Stay With Me, I thought the 2 guys reaped what they sowed and at some point hated all of the characters. Both of the guys were boorish, seemed to only do things that were in their benefit and not take in account their whole relationship. I can't believe that Cat put up with their crap for as long as she did. I loved that Cat left them and they didn't have a clue where she was, served them right. I thought that when they found her she slide into sex too easy, sex would not fix their problem. While they tired for a while their actions to cut the trip short their old ways, and what I thought their true behavior, came right back. What happened next was pretty predictable. In the end I had a hard time getting over my dislike of all the characters to believe their ending.
Now as much as I disliked the first story, I loved the second story, Songbird. I don't think it is possible to not read this one and not tear up or even cry. Yes, Emmy is/was naive with what she wanted from the brothers, but I get why she did. I loved that Sean was able to step up and accept her and they were happy for the time they had. I loved that Taggert and Greer finally acknowledge their feelings and were going to get their girl. Even though love was there, all of them felt the guilt of Sean's death and what their perceived part in it was. When they all were forced to talk and share it was heartbreaking, all around. I could have done without the threat to Emmy, but it sort of made sense within the storyline. I loved the ending for this one, it was hard not to be happy!
With the first story, Stay With Me, I thought the 2 guys reaped what they sowed and at some point hated all of the characters. Both of the guys were boorish, seemed to only do things that were in their benefit and not take in account their whole relationship. I can't believe that Cat put up with their crap for as long as she did. I loved that Cat left them and they didn't have a clue where she was, served them right. I thought that when they found her she slide into sex too easy, sex would not fix their problem. While they tired for a while their actions to cut the trip short their old ways, and what I thought their true behavior, came right back. What happened next was pretty predictable. In the end I had a hard time getting over my dislike of all the characters to believe their ending.
Now as much as I disliked the first story, I loved the second story, Songbird. I don't think it is possible to not read this one and not tear up or even cry. Yes, Emmy is/was naive with what she wanted from the brothers, but I get why she did. I loved that Sean was able to step up and accept her and they were happy for the time they had. I loved that Taggert and Greer finally acknowledge their feelings and were going to get their girl. Even though love was there, all of them felt the guilt of Sean's death and what their perceived part in it was. When they all were forced to talk and share it was heartbreaking, all around. I could have done without the threat to Emmy, but it sort of made sense within the storyline. I loved the ending for this one, it was hard not to be happy!
November 26, 2021
So Much Love
This book is actually two books, re-issues of previously published books Songbird and Stay with Me. Stay With Me is a book I’ve been wanting to read for years. I was about to download it when I noticed this dual book that had it with Songbird for just a dollar more than the stand alone so I went ahead and bought this one instead. I haven’t read Songbird yet but just finished Stay With Me and it was wonderful. I loved the characters and reading about the realities that can come after the “happily ever after” especially when it’s with non-traditional relationships.
Catherine, Logan and Rhys are a MFM triad. (No MM involved. Both men, best friends, are straight.) The three have been married for five years. While everything was great at first as the years have past the two men have allowed their pursuit of success and wealth to become the main focus of their lives and while they still love Catherine with all their hearts, they have also been neglecting her and their marriage, taking her and her love for granted, putting their business first every single time.
Things come to a head when they forget their anniversary dinner and blow off the special vacation she had been planning for months because of another work “emergency”. For Catherine, who had recently discovered she was pregnant and was going to share this with them at the dinner, it was the last straw. Realizing she can’t continue to be neglected the way she is, she goes on their vacation alone so she can decide what to do with her life. Clearly she feels their marriage is over. I can’t say I blame her. I’m surprised she put up with it as long as she did.
When the men return from their trip they don’t even know she had been gone for days, which shows so clearly just how much they really do take her for granted. Both men are stunned at the realization that she has left them, possibly for good. Neither is willing to give her up without a fight so they track her down at the resort she is at in Jamaica and together try to win her back. There are bumps along the way as they try to find their way back to the relationship that has been lost.
Since the viewpoint changes we get to see clearly how everyone thinks which helped me not dismiss both men as self-centered ass holes. There were times I wanted to smack each and every one of them in the back of their head. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
I only have a couple of complaints. First and foremost the end was way too rushed. The second time they attempt their reconciliation it happened way too fast with very little show and was mostly just us being told what they did. To me we never really saw them earn anything and she forgave and forgot too quickly. The epilogue, which wasn’t really an epilogue and just another chapter, just ended abruptly. I was surprised when I turned the page and realized there weren’t any more.
Another complaint was I feel the book was a little short. I felt we could have learned more about their characters themselves. The back story about the way they met and ended up together was barely mentioned and except for a brief sentence or two we know nothing about their backgrounds. She hints that both men grew up poor, which might explain why they were both so driven but I felt there should have been more. Also, we learn nothing about Catherine’s background and why she was willing to put up with the neglect for so long. It was almost like this book was a sequel to a prior book that I hadn’t read. I looked everywhere and there is no prior book. Maybe Maya needs to write one. I would love an entire book where we see them meet, fall in love, and begin their unique relationship. (Hint, hint!)
Despite the two issues above I loved the story and recommend it to anyone who does not have issues with their type of relationship. Also, be warned, this book is steamy and sexy with a number of extremely hot scenes. It is NOT for the faint of heart. You’ve been warned!
This book is actually two books, re-issues of previously published books Songbird and Stay with Me. Stay With Me is a book I’ve been wanting to read for years. I was about to download it when I noticed this dual book that had it with Songbird for just a dollar more than the stand alone so I went ahead and bought this one instead. I haven’t read Songbird yet but just finished Stay With Me and it was wonderful. I loved the characters and reading about the realities that can come after the “happily ever after” especially when it’s with non-traditional relationships.
Catherine, Logan and Rhys are a MFM triad. (No MM involved. Both men, best friends, are straight.) The three have been married for five years. While everything was great at first as the years have past the two men have allowed their pursuit of success and wealth to become the main focus of their lives and while they still love Catherine with all their hearts, they have also been neglecting her and their marriage, taking her and her love for granted, putting their business first every single time.
Things come to a head when they forget their anniversary dinner and blow off the special vacation she had been planning for months because of another work “emergency”. For Catherine, who had recently discovered she was pregnant and was going to share this with them at the dinner, it was the last straw. Realizing she can’t continue to be neglected the way she is, she goes on their vacation alone so she can decide what to do with her life. Clearly she feels their marriage is over. I can’t say I blame her. I’m surprised she put up with it as long as she did.
When the men return from their trip they don’t even know she had been gone for days, which shows so clearly just how much they really do take her for granted. Both men are stunned at the realization that she has left them, possibly for good. Neither is willing to give her up without a fight so they track her down at the resort she is at in Jamaica and together try to win her back. There are bumps along the way as they try to find their way back to the relationship that has been lost.
Since the viewpoint changes we get to see clearly how everyone thinks which helped me not dismiss both men as self-centered ass holes. There were times I wanted to smack each and every one of them in the back of their head. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
I only have a couple of complaints. First and foremost the end was way too rushed. The second time they attempt their reconciliation it happened way too fast with very little show and was mostly just us being told what they did. To me we never really saw them earn anything and she forgave and forgot too quickly. The epilogue, which wasn’t really an epilogue and just another chapter, just ended abruptly. I was surprised when I turned the page and realized there weren’t any more.
Another complaint was I feel the book was a little short. I felt we could have learned more about their characters themselves. The back story about the way they met and ended up together was barely mentioned and except for a brief sentence or two we know nothing about their backgrounds. She hints that both men grew up poor, which might explain why they were both so driven but I felt there should have been more. Also, we learn nothing about Catherine’s background and why she was willing to put up with the neglect for so long. It was almost like this book was a sequel to a prior book that I hadn’t read. I looked everywhere and there is no prior book. Maybe Maya needs to write one. I would love an entire book where we see them meet, fall in love, and begin their unique relationship. (Hint, hint!)
Despite the two issues above I loved the story and recommend it to anyone who does not have issues with their type of relationship. Also, be warned, this book is steamy and sexy with a number of extremely hot scenes. It is NOT for the faint of heart. You’ve been warned!
December 26, 2024
Songbird - 1 star
The story was boring and the two brothers (🤮) seemed more interested in getting Emily into bed than helping her through her grieving process.
Stay With Me - 1 star
Rhys and Logan neglected Cat terribly and she finally left them. They went after her and she immediately fell back into bed with them. Then, they broke their word to her and left her alone on their “vacation” and she had to make her way home by herself. When she became ill, and had to go through surgery on her own, she banned them from her hospital room. After they took her to the doctor and they saw the baby together on the ultrasound, she decided that it was HER fault that they had deserted her on their trip because she hadn’t told them about the baby.
I am so pi$$ed that I paid for this piece of crap book. DNF
The story was boring and the two brothers (🤮) seemed more interested in getting Emily into bed than helping her through her grieving process.
Stay With Me - 1 star
Rhys and Logan neglected Cat terribly and she finally left them. They went after her and she immediately fell back into bed with them. Then, they broke their word to her and left her alone on their “vacation” and she had to make her way home by herself. When she became ill, and had to go through surgery on her own, she banned them from her hospital room. After they took her to the doctor and they saw the baby together on the ultrasound, she decided that it was HER fault that they had deserted her on their trip because she hadn’t told them about the baby.
I am so pi$$ed that I paid for this piece of crap book. DNF
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2018
greer taggert emily....she was forever with the donavon brothers....fell in love with all 3 married sean but he got killed....she is in hiding and the brothers find her bring her back to ranch...they are in love with her but she blames herself for seans death...alot of crying thru book on her part...one of the ranch hands kidnaps her blaming her for seans death the brothers find her again in a cave...rand is there with a gun she steps in front of tag and gets a bullet...they kill rand...she has a long recovery and finally the 3 become one....story was good ending as well she has their child and is pregnant with another and is writing music again so they are all happy...
May 27, 2022
This is a good threesome book. Greer and Taggart met Emily through their brother Seth, who was murdered in front of Emily. She can't find the will to continue her career as a Singer of Country songs. Greer and Taggart find her in her apartment, thin and alone. They worry about her so they take her back to their ranch.
Emily is trying to get back to normal and her love life is definitely improving. The murder of Seth has never been solved and Emily doesn't feel safe on her own but with Greer and Taggert she feels very safe.
Emily is trying to get back to normal and her love life is definitely improving. The murder of Seth has never been solved and Emily doesn't feel safe on her own but with Greer and Taggert she feels very safe.
June 10, 2024
STAY WITH ME:
I honestly think I don’t like second chance romance stories. There’s just never enough groveling.
SONGBIRD:
Honestly I don’t think I would consider this a second chance story because what she was asking from BROTHERS like of course their reaction is expected. I really did like this story line. It broke my heart what Emily was going through. It had me teary eyed a few times. I just didn’t like that they were brothers.
I honestly think I don’t like second chance romance stories. There’s just never enough groveling.
SONGBIRD:
Honestly I don’t think I would consider this a second chance story because what she was asking from BROTHERS like of course their reaction is expected. I really did like this story line. It broke my heart what Emily was going through. It had me teary eyed a few times. I just didn’t like that they were brothers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2017
Adult- Erotic Romance.
Two short stories about one woman falling for two men at the same time and struggle their relationship goes through which not considered to be a normal relationship between two people. Maya Banks writes very good about their lives how adjusting together the couples sex life is open between them.
Two short stories about one woman falling for two men at the same time and struggle their relationship goes through which not considered to be a normal relationship between two people. Maya Banks writes very good about their lives how adjusting together the couples sex life is open between them.
February 20, 2019
Book duo
I wish I could have given two separate star ratings. This book had two stories, and while I liked the first story, I the relationship hit physical way too soon for the situation. That's just my opinion, but it is why I would give it 4 starts. The second story was an established relationship, and it was fantastic. It would be a five star for me.
I wish I could have given two separate star ratings. This book had two stories, and while I liked the first story, I the relationship hit physical way too soon for the situation. That's just my opinion, but it is why I would give it 4 starts. The second story was an established relationship, and it was fantastic. It would be a five star for me.
May 22, 2019
Linger by Maya Banks is an enjoyable experience.
Both of the stories, Song Bird, and Stay With Me, grab your heart strings right from the start. The men in these two stories give me hope that love and romance could happen to me! Don't miss another outstanding book from Maya Banks.
Both of the stories, Song Bird, and Stay With Me, grab your heart strings right from the start. The men in these two stories give me hope that love and romance could happen to me! Don't miss another outstanding book from Maya Banks.
August 19, 2019
I liked the first novella as I could kind of see it working and I liked the story but the second story just seemed a little too awkward to be believable. All in all they were definitely not what I was expecting and took me a little by surprise but they were fun, entertaining and easy to read. I think I do like Maya Banks writing and will delve into some of her other stories.
May 6, 2020
Good, it great
I am a huge fan of Maya Banks but this book of two different stories was just ok for me. Both stories are MMF but the first one seemed awkward. The second book was better but the stories were both short dropping you into the middle of their lives which kept you from really being invested in the story.
I am a huge fan of Maya Banks but this book of two different stories was just ok for me. Both stories are MMF but the first one seemed awkward. The second book was better but the stories were both short dropping you into the middle of their lives which kept you from really being invested in the story.
June 10, 2012
This book contains two erotic short stories featuring committed, polyfaithful (polyamours) F/M/M ménage relationships.
Stay With Me 3 Stars
Workaholic husbands, Logan and Rhys continually seem to neglect their wife Catherine. When the husbands cancel (again!) right before their Jamaican vacation Catherine decides she needs some time alone to contemplate her future so she leaves, unannounced, and goes on the vacation alone. Two days later the men realize she's gone and follow her with the intention of winning her back.
I suppose my main complaint here was that "winning her back" involved a lot of sex. You have to have the sex for it to be erotic but a bit more action and a bit less activity might have been a more believable route. Catherine's husbands were pretty big jerks, Logan maybe more than Rhys, and she takes them back more than once (I probably would too). If I'm suspending disbelief over all the 'win her back' sex then I'm suspending it there as well. Problems aside I thought it wasn't a terrible way to spend a couple hours.
Songbird 3 Stars
Emily is in love with the Donovan brothers. All three of them. She confess her love to the oldest, Taggert and the middle brother Greer but they reject her. Baby brother Sean marries her and they leave the family ranch and move into a hotel in town. Four years later, Sean's been dead (murdered) a year and Emily is barely surviving, isolated in a tiny apartment in the city. Taggert and Greer arrive unexpectedly to bring Emmy back home and fix a mistake they both realize they made 4 years earlier.
There are a few irksome issues dealing mainly with dialogue. Brothers in a ménage, is that any weirder than former strangers or best friends in a ménage? I'm not sure, but maybe? There are some fairly emotional moments and perhaps a few tiny tears were shed. Again, not outstanding or completely believable but fairly hot and sometimes that's what counts.
Less book Review, More Personal, Flawed, Circular Thinking on Ménages:
This is my first foray into such avocation so my feelings are a bit conflicted, so much so that I'm not sure I can adequately express them. I tend to talk myself into a circle and then decide that perhaps it's simply not for me to understand. Firstly, I should mention that the idea of the F/M/M ménage is not an issue (M/F/F probably would be. But another issue for another book). It's quite a compelling notion especially when you read the tenderness that is featured in the relationship and physical act. So, okay, I'm on board-in theory. Where I start to disengage is on an emotional level (or maybe the cerebral level). There's something good and naughty about the thought of a ménage but reading about the act makes me think, well, that there's someone sometimes left out or there's not enough of this or that to go around. I know these stories are told as a woman's fantasy with deep emotion, love and protection being paramount and I also understand that generally men might be less likely to engage in a M/M/F ménage. So this is fantasy, right? Ok, I get that. Still I can't shrug it off as such without thinking about what it would truly mean to be one of the participants. I don't proclaim to be an expert on men. In fact I'm as perplexed by them as one can be so it's hard for me to understand why guys might like (or heck even prefer) to share a single woman. Let's not get into men and monogamy, sharing multiple women or casual and promiscuous sex because frankly I don't have the strength. In this book we are dealing with committed, polyfaithful (polyamours) relationships. Simple, right? No way. I start thinking is that emasculating for one or both men? Then I wonder why would it be? I don't know! Is one more dominate? Am I thinking in terms of obsolete gender roles rather than letting people be who or whatever they are? Does it go against the primitive, dominance and possessiveness one so often reads about in Romance novels? I like that kind of guy in books. Do I see all men as those types because I read Romance novels? What exactly is the inducement (besides 'love') in this situation, particularly for the guys? Do guys share because it makes them feel empowered? Manly? Other? Is it possible to have two committed relationships? If the guys don't enjoy sex with one another, what kind of relationship do they have with each other? Rivalrous? Amicable? Loving? Is this lifestyle rife with jealousy or feelings of neglect? Perhaps no more than a traditional relationship but the opportunities seem more abundant. Is someone more or less being used or exploited (this might be a little of my F/F/M or non committed F/M/M bias). I guess I feel a little repressed after reading this. Or at least not as enlightening as I hoped I was. Still I can't quite wrap my mind around how the ménage situation is one in which two men would be healthy, genuine and content. Maybe the dudes don't matter since it's her fantasy after all, right? That's no way to think! Shame on me. So the circle of thoughts begin again and I am no closer to understanding than I was before. Illuminations, if you have them to share will be happily accepted.
Stay With Me 3 Stars
Workaholic husbands, Logan and Rhys continually seem to neglect their wife Catherine. When the husbands cancel (again!) right before their Jamaican vacation Catherine decides she needs some time alone to contemplate her future so she leaves, unannounced, and goes on the vacation alone. Two days later the men realize she's gone and follow her with the intention of winning her back.
I suppose my main complaint here was that "winning her back" involved a lot of sex. You have to have the sex for it to be erotic but a bit more action and a bit less activity might have been a more believable route. Catherine's husbands were pretty big jerks, Logan maybe more than Rhys, and she takes them back more than once (I probably would too). If I'm suspending disbelief over all the 'win her back' sex then I'm suspending it there as well. Problems aside I thought it wasn't a terrible way to spend a couple hours.
Songbird 3 Stars
Emily is in love with the Donovan brothers. All three of them. She confess her love to the oldest, Taggert and the middle brother Greer but they reject her. Baby brother Sean marries her and they leave the family ranch and move into a hotel in town. Four years later, Sean's been dead (murdered) a year and Emily is barely surviving, isolated in a tiny apartment in the city. Taggert and Greer arrive unexpectedly to bring Emmy back home and fix a mistake they both realize they made 4 years earlier.
There are a few irksome issues dealing mainly with dialogue. Brothers in a ménage, is that any weirder than former strangers or best friends in a ménage? I'm not sure, but maybe? There are some fairly emotional moments and perhaps a few tiny tears were shed. Again, not outstanding or completely believable but fairly hot and sometimes that's what counts.
Less book Review, More Personal, Flawed, Circular Thinking on Ménages:
This is my first foray into such avocation so my feelings are a bit conflicted, so much so that I'm not sure I can adequately express them. I tend to talk myself into a circle and then decide that perhaps it's simply not for me to understand. Firstly, I should mention that the idea of the F/M/M ménage is not an issue (M/F/F probably would be. But another issue for another book). It's quite a compelling notion especially when you read the tenderness that is featured in the relationship and physical act. So, okay, I'm on board-in theory. Where I start to disengage is on an emotional level (or maybe the cerebral level). There's something good and naughty about the thought of a ménage but reading about the act makes me think, well, that there's someone sometimes left out or there's not enough of this or that to go around. I know these stories are told as a woman's fantasy with deep emotion, love and protection being paramount and I also understand that generally men might be less likely to engage in a M/M/F ménage. So this is fantasy, right? Ok, I get that. Still I can't shrug it off as such without thinking about what it would truly mean to be one of the participants. I don't proclaim to be an expert on men. In fact I'm as perplexed by them as one can be so it's hard for me to understand why guys might like (or heck even prefer) to share a single woman. Let's not get into men and monogamy, sharing multiple women or casual and promiscuous sex because frankly I don't have the strength. In this book we are dealing with committed, polyfaithful (polyamours) relationships. Simple, right? No way. I start thinking is that emasculating for one or both men? Then I wonder why would it be? I don't know! Is one more dominate? Am I thinking in terms of obsolete gender roles rather than letting people be who or whatever they are? Does it go against the primitive, dominance and possessiveness one so often reads about in Romance novels? I like that kind of guy in books. Do I see all men as those types because I read Romance novels? What exactly is the inducement (besides 'love') in this situation, particularly for the guys? Do guys share because it makes them feel empowered? Manly? Other? Is it possible to have two committed relationships? If the guys don't enjoy sex with one another, what kind of relationship do they have with each other? Rivalrous? Amicable? Loving? Is this lifestyle rife with jealousy or feelings of neglect? Perhaps no more than a traditional relationship but the opportunities seem more abundant. Is someone more or less being used or exploited (this might be a little of my F/F/M or non committed F/M/M bias). I guess I feel a little repressed after reading this. Or at least not as enlightening as I hoped I was. Still I can't quite wrap my mind around how the ménage situation is one in which two men would be healthy, genuine and content. Maybe the dudes don't matter since it's her fantasy after all, right? That's no way to think! Shame on me. So the circle of thoughts begin again and I am no closer to understanding than I was before. Illuminations, if you have them to share will be happily accepted.
January 27, 2018
Emily came to the Donovan brothers expressing her love for them all and was turned away. She married their third brother and a year after his murder they came to save her and claim her. Lots of love all around as well has hot intimate sex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2018
This was a two story book both of the stories were good.
April 25, 2019
Perfect read
I love all Maya Banks books! This will make you fall in love with the characters in these two stories
I love all Maya Banks books! This will make you fall in love with the characters in these two stories
August 2, 2019
Did not like. P.
March 5, 2021
Read each story before, buy reread this one again . Love all of Maya Banks books. They a great love story's. Hot and sexy, and full of love.⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐
March 1, 2022
Stay with me:
THIS. THIS IS HOW YOU GROVEL !!!!!!!!!!
THIS. THIS IS HOW YOU GROVEL !!!!!!!!!!
March 21, 2023
Stay with Me started out promising, but I just felt like Catherine was strung along too much even after voicing her complaints. It seemed her men would give a little to show her some inkling that she was more important to them than work, but then it was back to the same old excuses. Songbird wasn't really for me. I guess I just didn’t understand why Emily was so drawn to these men. All in all, these two were good short stories to read to get a little spice.
July 17, 2024
I absolutely loved this book, it’s a great bind up edition containing two great stories stay with me, and songbird both about second chances at love. I thought both stories were highly entertaining and enjoyable book to read whilst having deeper emotional experiences throughout them both. Definitely recommend reading this book.
Stay with me- Catherine Cullen Wellesley is married to two men Logan Wellesley and Rhys Cullen. She’s left hurt and disappointed when they both forget their anniversary and leave her waiting in a restaurant this isn’t the first time this has happened over the years they blow her dates off for work emergencies. But this was especially sucked Because she was planning to tell them she’s pregnant. They also cancel their planned vacation to Jamaica for another work thing making her realise she hasn’t been their priority in forever and that this marriage no longer working she decides to take some time to think and goes on the vacation on her own days later Logan and Rhys panic when they don’t find her at home and track her to Jamaica they have sex with her but they know things aren’t fixed and are in real danger of losing their wife, especially after she tells them how’s she really feeling. They used to be so close when they were finally struggling but ever since they got a successful career up and running and lots of money they havent had family time. They agree to not work during their vacation. For the week it goes pretty good but another work emergency has the vacation get shortened they head to work, she heads home but is rushed to hospital after her appendix ruptures and when she can’t get ahold of them for a couple of days extremely distances herself. They find out she’s in hospital and pregnant and are deeply regretting not being here sooner. She’s over three month’s pregnant, she’s eventually allowed to return home and they take care of her and make several major changes at work hiring more stuff and delegating responsibilities so they can be home more. Over time their relationship gets better and they find out their having a girl and she gives birth to Lauren Cullen Wellesley.
Songbird- Emily Donovan has always loved the three brothers Taggert, Greer and Sean and when she confesses her feelings to taggert and Greer despite their true feelings they harshly rejects her, Sean finds out and accepts her love, they elope and get married and move away supporting her music career. During one of their rare visits to the family Sean gets stabbed to death by what Emily believes is a crazed fan. She feels so guilty over his death that she no longer sings and is barely existing a year later, taggert and Greer deeply concerned for her take her home. They want a second chance with her both brothers feeling guilt of their rejection of her feelings and the fact that Sean and Emily were living separately from them, but they also want to protect and care for her. The doc tells them she needs hard love and be encouraged to live again. Taggert and Greer tell her they love her and they have serious conversations about their regrets and guilts, they make love on a regular basis she starts feeling happy again until they’re called away to fix a fence and she gets kidnapped by one of the ranch hands rand who ties her up and leaves her in a cave for two days he killed Sean accidentally aiming to kill her because she broke the Donovan brothers up. He lies to the brothers saying she left them they don’t believe Taggert follows rand who leads him to Emily she gets shot by rand protecting him, taggert shoots Rand. During her near death experience she’s visited by Sean’s spirit who encourages her to sing again and be happy. Years later she’s still living in the farm with Taggert and Greer has a four year old daughter Macy and pregnant with a baby boy their calling Sean. She’s a songwriter now.
Stay with me- Catherine Cullen Wellesley is married to two men Logan Wellesley and Rhys Cullen. She’s left hurt and disappointed when they both forget their anniversary and leave her waiting in a restaurant this isn’t the first time this has happened over the years they blow her dates off for work emergencies. But this was especially sucked Because she was planning to tell them she’s pregnant. They also cancel their planned vacation to Jamaica for another work thing making her realise she hasn’t been their priority in forever and that this marriage no longer working she decides to take some time to think and goes on the vacation on her own days later Logan and Rhys panic when they don’t find her at home and track her to Jamaica they have sex with her but they know things aren’t fixed and are in real danger of losing their wife, especially after she tells them how’s she really feeling. They used to be so close when they were finally struggling but ever since they got a successful career up and running and lots of money they havent had family time. They agree to not work during their vacation. For the week it goes pretty good but another work emergency has the vacation get shortened they head to work, she heads home but is rushed to hospital after her appendix ruptures and when she can’t get ahold of them for a couple of days extremely distances herself. They find out she’s in hospital and pregnant and are deeply regretting not being here sooner. She’s over three month’s pregnant, she’s eventually allowed to return home and they take care of her and make several major changes at work hiring more stuff and delegating responsibilities so they can be home more. Over time their relationship gets better and they find out their having a girl and she gives birth to Lauren Cullen Wellesley.
Songbird- Emily Donovan has always loved the three brothers Taggert, Greer and Sean and when she confesses her feelings to taggert and Greer despite their true feelings they harshly rejects her, Sean finds out and accepts her love, they elope and get married and move away supporting her music career. During one of their rare visits to the family Sean gets stabbed to death by what Emily believes is a crazed fan. She feels so guilty over his death that she no longer sings and is barely existing a year later, taggert and Greer deeply concerned for her take her home. They want a second chance with her both brothers feeling guilt of their rejection of her feelings and the fact that Sean and Emily were living separately from them, but they also want to protect and care for her. The doc tells them she needs hard love and be encouraged to live again. Taggert and Greer tell her they love her and they have serious conversations about their regrets and guilts, they make love on a regular basis she starts feeling happy again until they’re called away to fix a fence and she gets kidnapped by one of the ranch hands rand who ties her up and leaves her in a cave for two days he killed Sean accidentally aiming to kill her because she broke the Donovan brothers up. He lies to the brothers saying she left them they don’t believe Taggert follows rand who leads him to Emily she gets shot by rand protecting him, taggert shoots Rand. During her near death experience she’s visited by Sean’s spirit who encourages her to sing again and be happy. Years later she’s still living in the farm with Taggert and Greer has a four year old daughter Macy and pregnant with a baby boy their calling Sean. She’s a songwriter now.
July 25, 2015
Stay with Me:
I've read this book about four times and this is the first time writing my review on it. I have to say with my extensive bookshelf and my now limited space....in order to keep any book I have to love it and read it more than once. So far I have to say, I love Maya Banks writing style and have several of her books in my collection to prove it.
"Stay with Me" starts off with a harsh topic. Catherine has come to the realization that her relationship with Logan and Rhys has been in a tragic downward spiral for years. She no longer ranks on their list priorities. After pushing off responsibility for time and attention spent with her based on who's available, she's at the end of her rope.
Even after she leaves on a much needed vacation without them and they find her, they still don't want to believe how broken their relationship is. Time and time again they fail her and it takes a major incident to finally open their eyes. Still by this time she's all but broken in spirit and has no hope for their change.
This book was heavy most of the time, with a splash of Maya Banks ever so brilliantly sensual writing the rest. I found myself having to open the windows to cool down during my read and after I finished the book I diligently put it back on my shelf to read again. I love Maya Banks and her books.
Songbird:
I was given this book as a gift and I knew I'd love it from the moment I opened the box. What can I say, I'm a big fan of Maya Banks. I had read the book "Stay With Me" a while back and I loved it the first time I read it, and I love it now. This was the first time reading Songbird and I have to say, I loooove it too. It's a great two books in one collection.
Songbird was a story that made me want to cry, laugh and cry all over again. The story begins harsh and fast. Emmy is a singer whose husband is murdered in front of her. After a year of grieving, her deceased husband's brothers find her and bring her back to their home town. She hasn't moved on and in many ways has decided to let go. She can't sleep because her dreams are filled with flashes of her husband looking at her and saying his last parting words as his blood flows and she tries in vain to stop it. She's thin from lack of appetite and her days pass while she stairs at the ceiling above her bed hoping that her life is just a bad dream. She hasn't faced the ugly truth, her husband is dead and will never hold her again. She holds herself together with tape and glue and refuses to cry because crying confirms the reality in which she faces everyday, a future without Sean.
Their are plenty of hot and passionate moments that I wont spoil, but one thing is for sure.... this book is topic heavy with just the right touch of orgasmic three-somes.
I've read this book about four times and this is the first time writing my review on it. I have to say with my extensive bookshelf and my now limited space....in order to keep any book I have to love it and read it more than once. So far I have to say, I love Maya Banks writing style and have several of her books in my collection to prove it.
"Stay with Me" starts off with a harsh topic. Catherine has come to the realization that her relationship with Logan and Rhys has been in a tragic downward spiral for years. She no longer ranks on their list priorities. After pushing off responsibility for time and attention spent with her based on who's available, she's at the end of her rope.
Even after she leaves on a much needed vacation without them and they find her, they still don't want to believe how broken their relationship is. Time and time again they fail her and it takes a major incident to finally open their eyes. Still by this time she's all but broken in spirit and has no hope for their change.
This book was heavy most of the time, with a splash of Maya Banks ever so brilliantly sensual writing the rest. I found myself having to open the windows to cool down during my read and after I finished the book I diligently put it back on my shelf to read again. I love Maya Banks and her books.
Songbird:
I was given this book as a gift and I knew I'd love it from the moment I opened the box. What can I say, I'm a big fan of Maya Banks. I had read the book "Stay With Me" a while back and I loved it the first time I read it, and I love it now. This was the first time reading Songbird and I have to say, I loooove it too. It's a great two books in one collection.
Songbird was a story that made me want to cry, laugh and cry all over again. The story begins harsh and fast. Emmy is a singer whose husband is murdered in front of her. After a year of grieving, her deceased husband's brothers find her and bring her back to their home town. She hasn't moved on and in many ways has decided to let go. She can't sleep because her dreams are filled with flashes of her husband looking at her and saying his last parting words as his blood flows and she tries in vain to stop it. She's thin from lack of appetite and her days pass while she stairs at the ceiling above her bed hoping that her life is just a bad dream. She hasn't faced the ugly truth, her husband is dead and will never hold her again. She holds herself together with tape and glue and refuses to cry because crying confirms the reality in which she faces everyday, a future without Sean.
Their are plenty of hot and passionate moments that I wont spoil, but one thing is for sure.... this book is topic heavy with just the right touch of orgasmic three-somes.
April 28, 2019
Enjoy Stay with Me the most but Songbird does touch the heart with sadness.
Have owned these two books for ages so pleased to reread them through KU.
STAY WITH ME
I do enjoy rereading this book, can’t explain why but it just grabs me.
A life lesson. Maybe it is the fact that something like this happens daily, work is the overriding priority, until you nearly lose what is most important.
This is one of my favourite rereads by this author. I love the characters and the plot is superb. You can understand this happening in real life and how Catherine feels in being ignored and even worse, forgotten, by not one but two husbands.
Catherine, Logan and Rhys are in a ménage marriage, except the men seem to have gotten so wrapped up in building their business they have forgotten they have a wife.
This starts at their 5-year anniversary and the men forgetting they are supposed to be meeting Catherine for dinner.
Catherine I thought, had a quiet dignity and strength, she didn’t shout or scream, she told them what was wrong and just wanted her men to be there with her, especially now she has something special to tell them.
Have read this many times and have reviewed this book previously but review is missing.
SONGBIRD
Likeable characters and enjoyable story.
Ménage romance with a sad tale about a brother lost due to someone’s jealousy.
This story always breaks my heart due to the reasoning and actions by one insane person. Whilst I love how these three interact, I find it isn’t my favourite by this author.
Emily I feel, is still too young and Greer and Taggert never really explain why they refused her all those years ago.
A story of growing up, love, loss and finding new hope and renewing old loves.
Read and reviewed previously.
Have owned these two books for ages so pleased to reread them through KU.
STAY WITH ME
I do enjoy rereading this book, can’t explain why but it just grabs me.
A life lesson. Maybe it is the fact that something like this happens daily, work is the overriding priority, until you nearly lose what is most important.
This is one of my favourite rereads by this author. I love the characters and the plot is superb. You can understand this happening in real life and how Catherine feels in being ignored and even worse, forgotten, by not one but two husbands.
Catherine, Logan and Rhys are in a ménage marriage, except the men seem to have gotten so wrapped up in building their business they have forgotten they have a wife.
This starts at their 5-year anniversary and the men forgetting they are supposed to be meeting Catherine for dinner.
Catherine I thought, had a quiet dignity and strength, she didn’t shout or scream, she told them what was wrong and just wanted her men to be there with her, especially now she has something special to tell them.
Have read this many times and have reviewed this book previously but review is missing.
SONGBIRD
Likeable characters and enjoyable story.
Ménage romance with a sad tale about a brother lost due to someone’s jealousy.
This story always breaks my heart due to the reasoning and actions by one insane person. Whilst I love how these three interact, I find it isn’t my favourite by this author.
Emily I feel, is still too young and Greer and Taggert never really explain why they refused her all those years ago.
A story of growing up, love, loss and finding new hope and renewing old loves.
Read and reviewed previously.
February 17, 2013
~2.5/5
[Also available on my blog.]
This was not quite as good as I was hoping it would be.
My copy of this (as I know there are other versions) has two stories by Maya Banks.
First, Stay With Me. This one was better than the other by far. I liked how Catherine interacted with her husbands, and I liked seeing them try to work through their problems. The two men needed to fix things, as they had made several missteps in the marriage, and I think they did a pretty good job at making up for it by the end, assuming that they did keep up with what they’d started. I liked that Catherine was firm in her thoughts, that she loved them but wasn’t going to back down. They all needed that.
This story gets a weak 3 stars on its own.
Second: Songbird. I was not as big a fan of this one, and I’m not even really sure why. It just didn’t hold my attention as well for some reason, I guess. I felt bad for the three of them, I actually understood their feelings and felt for what they had gone through. The ending was very nice, and it did get a little bit exciting before the actual ending. It just felt slow, or something. Overall, though, it logically wasn’t that bad, I don’t think. It was probably just me. I might just not have connected with the characters as well as I could have. I don't know.
On it's own, this story gets a very weak 2.5 stars, maybe even 2.
There is a lot of sex in these stories. In the first one, I rather enjoyed it. In the second one, I mostly enjoyed it. The stories would have probably been just fine without all of the sex; I actually didn't even enjoy the sex very much; it didn't make me hot, and the in the second one, I found myself wanting it to be over already. And I know that Banks usually does a much better job, so this could have just been some weaker stories of hers. Then again, it could also just be me.
I don’t think these are the best by Banks; there are definitely better ones out there. I will be reading more of her books in the future, and I'm looking forward to it.
[Also available on my blog.]
This was not quite as good as I was hoping it would be.
My copy of this (as I know there are other versions) has two stories by Maya Banks.
First, Stay With Me. This one was better than the other by far. I liked how Catherine interacted with her husbands, and I liked seeing them try to work through their problems. The two men needed to fix things, as they had made several missteps in the marriage, and I think they did a pretty good job at making up for it by the end, assuming that they did keep up with what they’d started. I liked that Catherine was firm in her thoughts, that she loved them but wasn’t going to back down. They all needed that.
This story gets a weak 3 stars on its own.
Second: Songbird. I was not as big a fan of this one, and I’m not even really sure why. It just didn’t hold my attention as well for some reason, I guess. I felt bad for the three of them, I actually understood their feelings and felt for what they had gone through. The ending was very nice, and it did get a little bit exciting before the actual ending. It just felt slow, or something. Overall, though, it logically wasn’t that bad, I don’t think. It was probably just me. I might just not have connected with the characters as well as I could have. I don't know.
On it's own, this story gets a very weak 2.5 stars, maybe even 2.
There is a lot of sex in these stories. In the first one, I rather enjoyed it. In the second one, I mostly enjoyed it. The stories would have probably been just fine without all of the sex; I actually didn't even enjoy the sex very much; it didn't make me hot, and the in the second one, I found myself wanting it to be over already. And I know that Banks usually does a much better job, so this could have just been some weaker stories of hers. Then again, it could also just be me.
I don’t think these are the best by Banks; there are definitely better ones out there. I will be reading more of her books in the future, and I'm looking forward to it.
March 12, 2011
Ms. Banks weaves bittersweet tales. Linger contains two stories, both a menage a trois. In Stay with me, Catherine is the lonely wife of two men. I always thought that having a spare husband would ease the time when the other one wasn't around. This story proved my theory wrong. This was a sad story of a wife taken for granted. She gives up hope. While this did end as a HEA story, I would have been just as satisfied if she left the two workaholic husbands.
Songbird is yet another story of a broken woman. Her story is sadder. Emily's devastation with her husband's death is understandable. For her to be with two men, her husband's two older brothers is believable only when the history is revealed. It is a story that is bittersweet for me because it was one of those could have been yet, it isn't. The guilt between the three of them was a bit overwhelming. It's nice to see an author who isn't afraid to show the bad aftermath of decisions. Ms. Banks is a master at showing what could have been, yet rips that away from us to give us the reality due to choices the characters make. Her books are almost always bittersweet an poignant for me.
Songbird is yet another story of a broken woman. Her story is sadder. Emily's devastation with her husband's death is understandable. For her to be with two men, her husband's two older brothers is believable only when the history is revealed. It is a story that is bittersweet for me because it was one of those could have been yet, it isn't. The guilt between the three of them was a bit overwhelming. It's nice to see an author who isn't afraid to show the bad aftermath of decisions. Ms. Banks is a master at showing what could have been, yet rips that away from us to give us the reality due to choices the characters make. Her books are almost always bittersweet an poignant for me.
August 31, 2011
Stay With Me: Committed menage a trois with Logan Wellesley and Rhys Cullen married to Catherine. Five years into the marriage, they have forgotten she exists except for occasional intimate encounters and plenty of forgotten commitments. Make-up sex lasts for a week but despite its intensity they quickly revert. She's a little too forgiving for my tastes and they need they heads knocked together but it was a beautiful poignant story.
Songbird: Greer and Taggert Donovan take a year to find and retrieve their brother's widow Emily and act on the feelings they all tiptoed around in the past. She has retreated from the world after her husband's tragically unsolved murder and no longer can sing. The road to healing includes finding acceptance back in the only home that she has known as well as dealing with the deranged murderer for once and for all. Also very poignant.
Songbird: Greer and Taggert Donovan take a year to find and retrieve their brother's widow Emily and act on the feelings they all tiptoed around in the past. She has retreated from the world after her husband's tragically unsolved murder and no longer can sing. The road to healing includes finding acceptance back in the only home that she has known as well as dealing with the deranged murderer for once and for all. Also very poignant.
January 22, 2016
ok, so of course I'm going to love this book because I love Maya Banks' writing style, BUT ... it does have some annoying little tidbits to it.
in my opinion, neither story had any business being a novella. it just didnt feel complete. and it lost some points with me because of it.
i have read TONS of anthologies and short novellas that are 'complete'...these weren't. In order for me to even feel half the "knot-in-the-throat" emotion the book itself warned me I would feel, I need to know more about the characters themselves...both stories alike.
And as for the 'hot loving' ... yes, there was some serious kinky loving (obviously with menage), but it wasn't anything that jumped out at me. it didn't WOW me.....
in my opinion, neither story had any business being a novella. it just didnt feel complete. and it lost some points with me because of it.
i have read TONS of anthologies and short novellas that are 'complete'...these weren't. In order for me to even feel half the "knot-in-the-throat" emotion the book itself warned me I would feel, I need to know more about the characters themselves...both stories alike.
And as for the 'hot loving' ... yes, there was some serious kinky loving (obviously with menage), but it wasn't anything that jumped out at me. it didn't WOW me.....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews