Toy Box: Biting

Soul Mates #4.6

by M. Rode (Editor)

In Curiosity by Misa Izanaki, bartender Dante wants his half-vampire lover Kale to bite him. Kale is hesitant, afraid he'll go too far and hurt his sweet lover. But will refusing his lover this request do as much damage as granting it could? Jourdan Lane's offering, Clarity, brings us back to the world of Soul Mates. In this story Caleb's punishment is coming to an end and he is finally allowed to feed again. While he'd love to begin with master vampire Lucien, it is his lover Xander he turns to.

And finally, in Keifer and Me, Mike Shade brings us the reunion of Davey with his lover Kiefer after a year's separation. Keifer's promised him a homecoming Davey won't forget, but when Keifer starts talking about being a werewolf, Davey has to wonder if he's going to have to have Keifer committed. Who doesn't love it when the boys get a little toothy?

Genres: M M Romance, Vampires, Anthologies, BDSM, Erotica, Paranormal, Romance

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

In “Curiosity” by Misa Izanaki, Kale is a half-vampire and runs The Body Shop but he can’t stand all the paperwork required to run the place. He decides to call it a night and goes looking for his lover, bartender Dante, for something much more entertaining than paperwork. When Dante begs Kale to bite and feed from him, Kale tries to resist but finds it difficult to deny his beautiful lover anything. When things go a bit too far, both Dante and Kale have to deal with the aftermath. This is an intriguing story with interesting characters. Dante is an especially fun character with his body modifications including a lion’s tail and goat horns on his head. Neither of the men is your typical paranormal character and it gives the story a freshness and originality that makes for a nice read.

In “Clarity” by Jourdan Lane, as part of his punishment Caleb has been restricted from biting and feeding from others, something quite difficult for a vampire. Caleb has been feeding from bagged non-human blood and he is desperate for the restriction to be lifted. He wants ~ needs ~ to be able to bite his lover Xander as part of sex but must wait for master vampire Lucien to give his permission. This story is a return to the Soul Mates universe and the best part about it is that readers get a chance to read a story from Caleb’s point of view. Readers familiar with the series will know how much Caleb has gone through and for the first time we get a story that is from his perspective. The sex between Caleb and Xander is scorching hot but it is the deep and unbreakable love between them that leaves the biggest impression. The men are moving forward with their bond and the result is a captivating and thoroughly enjoyable story.

In “Keifer and Me” by Mike Shade, Keifer is returning home after a year in Siberia and Davey is waiting for him at the bus stop. Their reunion is bittersweet though as Keifer has something important to share with Davey. Keifer has changed, and Davey has a hard time believing it. This is an interesting story with characters that are quite complex. Keifer is determined to mark Davey as his and they have hot sex as a result. I think a bit more development of the story and the characters would have been good to help tighten the story a bit more. This feels like the first chapter of a larger work and it is an intriguing introduction to two men with a complex relationship.

Toy Box: Biting is a good collection of stories, all filled with a delicious amount of biting. Not surprisingly, the stories all deal with paranormal characters where biting has a decidedly more carnal aspect. For me, “Clarity” is the stand-out story here as I am a fan of the Soul Mates series, but all three stories are enjoyable making for a nice read.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Clarity’ Jourdan Lane gives us more of an insight into Caleb’s punishment sentence and his relationship with Xander. Will Caleb be able to regain the reassurance that the coven will continue to love and accept him? Lucien sees the effort and genuine remorse that Caleb has put in his sessions with Logan. In addition to the merciless lashes, Caleb is forbidden to feed, possibly for forever. Will Lucien show forgiveness to the one he once loved and trusted above all others, ,but who is also responsible for his near death? Caleb is freaked out by Xander’s wolf, and only with Xander’s tender and loving patience and touch will give him the clarity to see that he needs to change and not be the one holding the couple back. Maybe then they will be able to experience something more supernatural than just human sex.

[Tara]

6/29/10- Clarity by Jourdan Lane

This a a short from the Soul Mates series from Caleb's POV. He has been punished and has not been allowed to feed from anyone, only bagged blood for him. Not even during sex, where lust and feeding go hand in hand. He meets with the house psychiatrist and is given permission by the coven Master to engage in live feeding with his werewolf partner, Xander and they take advantage of that right away. That's pretty much it. Short, sexy, done. 3 stars.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curiosity by Misa Izanaki: 4 stars

Clarity by Jourdan Lane: 3 stars

Keifer and Me by Mike Shade: 4 stars

[Bookwatcher]

There is a story with Caleb, a Soul Mate serie character.

[Nene · Rating 4 out of 5]

**review just for Jourdan Lane's portion of the book**

I'll come back and read the others later. :D

[Neyjour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curiosity by Misa Izanaki: ★★★
[modern/urban fantasy / paranormal]

Average rating = 3.0 (3-stars)

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only doing 3 stars because while I loved Clarity (because I'm a big fan of Caleb & Xander) the other two stories were just OK.

[Cindyg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner...