Guilty Pleasures

The Channel #6

by Bertrice Small

A steamy collection from Bertrice Small, who "creates cover-to-cover passion" ( Publishers Weekly )

Carla, Tiffany, Nina, and J.P. have already gotten major play on The Channel, a secret, women-only interactive cable network. Now they'll carry out even more fantasies with a collection of seductive characters they would only meet in their dreams...

The women entangle themselves with pirates, sultans, regency rakes, and even movie stars. And then there's Maureen Flynn, new to The Channel. She's an au pair from Ireland whose fantasy of choice is with a brawny Celtic warrior. Will he turn her on to The Channel like those that came before her?

Genres: Romance, Erotica, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2011

About the author

Bertrice Williams was born on December 9, 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, the daughter of Doris S. and David R. Williams, both broadcasters. She studied at Attended Western College for Women and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. On October 5, 1963, she married George Sumner Small, a photographer and designer with a History Major at Princeton. They had a son Thomas David. She lived on eastern Long Island for over 30 years. Her greatest passions were her family; Finnegan and Sylvester, the family cats; Nicki, the elderly cockatiel who whistles the NY Mets charge call; her garden; her work, and just life in general.

Published since 1947, Bertrice Small was the author of over 50 romance novels. A New York Times bestselling author, she had also appeared on other best-seller lists including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and the L.A. Times. She was the recipient of numerous awards including Career Achievement for Historical Romance; Best Historical Romance; Outstanding Historical Romance Series; Career Achievement for Historical Fantasy; a Golden Leaf from the New Jersey Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America; an Author of the Year (2006) and Big Apple Award from the New York City Romance Writers chapter of RWA, and several Reviewers Choice awards from Romantic Times. She had a "Silver Pen" from Affair De Coeur, and an Honorable Mention from The West Coast Review of Books. In 2004 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by ROMANTIC TIMES magazine for her contributions to the Historical Romance genre. And in 2008 she was named by ROMANTIC TIMES along with her friends Jennifer Blake, Roberta Gellis and Janelle Taylor, a Pioneer of Romance.

Bertrice Small was a member of The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, PAN, and PASIC. She was also a member of RWA's Long Island chapter, L.I.R.W., and is its easternmost member on the North Fork of Eastern Long Island.

Reviews

[Bookaholics · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guilty Pleasures by Bertrice Small
Contemporary Romance - Aug 2nd, 2011
2 stars

Guilty Pleasures is a collection of short stories exploring women from different walks and careers who indulge in the Channel - a secretive female only interactive cable network that allows women to live out their wildest sexual fantasies...

Carla and the Pirate King: Carla is a nurse who has been married for over thirty years. When her husband is away or if she has time alone, she transports herself (via the channel) away to an island, where she’s the pirate queen who lords over it all. But what happens when a rogue pirate, one that was not created by her, storms in and gives her the best sex she ever had? Who is this mysterious person?

Nina and the Movie Star: Nina is a widow in her fifties. Loving her independence and getting her needs met by the Channel, she is not looking for a guy when Robert Talcott, a recent divorcee and an ex-movie star, sweeps her off her feet. But can she truly give up the Channel for him?

Nanny Maureen and the Celtic Warrior: Maureen is hired by the bestselling romance novelist who lives in Egret Pointe. Leaving behind her family in Ireland, she takes on the position as live-in nanny and is also given a subscription to the Channel as a gift by her female employer. In all her fantasies, the male protagonist is a Celtic warrior named Toryn of the Thousand Pleasures. What turns out to be a harmless guilty pleasure turns to reality when she finds out that the handsome butcher’s boy is also an Irishman named Toryn...

J.P. and the Regency Rake: Jane Patricia had a difficult and grueling childhood, but has managed to carve out a name for herself in the publishing industry. When she creates the perfect and domineering male lover, Charles Pell, she refuses to leave the Channel. Exasperated the CEO of the Channel offers Jane a bargain: he can somehow turn Charles Pell into a real flesh and blood human, if that’s what Jane wishes...

Tiffy and the Sultan: Tiffy has been married to Joe for years. She is the perfect wife who barely even visits the Channel. When Carla persuades Tiffy to live a little and create a male person who does not look like Joe, Tiffy finds herself having the best sex in years! Addicted to her newfound fantasy, Tiffy starts giving up sleep so that she can spent stolen hours in the Channel. Can she stop her addiction before she gets hurt?

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is fascinating - a mysterious channel that caters only to women and their sexual fantasies headed by the powerful CEO Nicholas who somehow can work magic of some sort? Unfortunately, every single story suffers from the same glaring flaws: each story always begins with a massive (Seriously massive!) information dump and every single character is so flat and two dimensional. It’s almost as if the author is just using the background and the characters as if they are mindless props. Plainly speaking, I feel that the characters are just there as dolls for the sex scenes.

If you are looking for a mindless book to “relax” to, this is it. Guilty Pleasures is paper-thin on substance and forgettable plots. If you are looking for a solid erotic romance, I think you should look elsewhere.

Reviewed by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Club

[ABookAddictHere · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so much like the others , it was a bore. I could only get done with the first woman or section before I tossed it aside. Six books I guess, is too many of the same thing! It was weird too having different people and different story lines unlike the other books with one woman, one fantasy.

[TinaMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carla and the Pirate King - 3
Married woman fulfilling a fantasy on the special Channel for women only while her husband is on an overseas trip. She learns some things about herself and her relationship with her husband. I struggled with this anthology. Not my fav of this author

Nina and the Movie Star - 3
Widow goes from fulfilling her needs via the Channel to a real life movie star. Story seemed flat to me and patronizing in places. All the right elements 'seem' to be there but it didn't work for me.

Nanny Maureen and the Celtic Warrior - 3
I think I liked this one best in the anthology although it still read the best. I'm used to more from Bertrice Small

J.P. and the Regency Rake - 3
A careful what you wish for tale

Tiffy and the Sultan - 3

[Greyland Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

The Channel series was okay at best sometimes. The only good parts were when the POV's were in "The Channel". I'm just glad got this series out of the way. I only got 10 more books of Small's to read.

[JustAGirlWhoLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story, sex and characters a lot! I was disappointed and I didn’t like that the book contained short stories and not just one story like all the other books. Good read! 🙂👍🏻📕

[Heather Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first!

re-visiting the heroines from the previous novels was great. My only wish....is that there was more Channel and less reality.

[Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five erotic fantasies

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first few books in this series were romances. Then we have to book about the woman who only cares about herself and sex. That one doesn't even pretend to be romance. I don't know if this last book does or not, because I couldn't get past page 32 (and that was in the large-print version). I get that it's fantasy, and I'm fine with that, but when Carla is lying to her husband of 30 years, and taking off work so she can indulge in a BDSM weekend with a complete stranger, then, no, I'm out. Obviously, I have problem with sex or I wouldn't have made it this far in the series (or read all of Small's other books), but I don't want to read about people having sex just to be having sex. Especially if they're both married to other people. The other stories may be better. I don't care to take the time to find out. I'm reading Small's Bond of Passion right now, and as that one actually has a storyline, I'll be finishing it.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this series. I am disappointed this is the last book of the series. Carla,Tiffany,Nina and J.P. have gotten a major role in the channel in the past and they're back for more. The channel is for women only to let them carry out their wildest fantasies steamy role plays that must not spill out into their day to day lives. They will be introduced to characters they can only meet in their dreams. They entangle themselves with pirates,sultans,regency rakes and movie stars. And then there's Maureen Flynn who is an au pair from Ireland and her fantasy is with a Celtic Warrior. The sex scenes are steaming.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Weird mix of moralizing and mixed attempts at incorporating erotica/romance into poorly written "story lines". Patronizing in it's " the road to hell is paved with lust" approach, and I don't appreciate that tone. I was hoping the short story format might be better suited to her writing, but I was wrong, she still manages to make erotica boring. ...I've read hotter regular romance. Give it a pass.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading all the books within The Channel series I was very excited to see how it would all wrap together. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Beatrice Small took her final book of the series and wrote 5 short stories in it. I was very disappointed. Usually after reading an entire series i am left wanting more but in this case i am glad this was the final book.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Along with "Read,Current,To-read" should be a "Reject" shelf. This goes beyond my "Hot" shelf. In a virtual reality TV channel, women create fantasies and f- and yell sh-. Boring. A few pages in tell all, that is, nothing worthwhile.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five short stories; all set in Egret Point and all relating to "The Channel".

Although Bertrice Small is known for her hot historical romances + her contemporary stories relating to the channel, all of these are not romances. Not every story has a happily ever after. Still, a good read.

[Dawn ♥ romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked these five erotic short stories, the conclusion of the pleasures series. I have enjoyed the channel concept and found all the fantasies fun. This group about Carla, Nina, Maureen, J.P and Tiffy was a good wind down of the channel.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot! Hot! Hot! I enjoyed the fantasties of the women who have the Channel. This is my first foray in Beatrice Small's Pleasure series. It will not be my last. I like that the women are older and experienced and that the men are varied in age. Good read.

[Jeri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars for me. Same problems I had with the last one ring true for this one. It was a a quick read so I did enjoy it, and it's not a bad series by any means. But as someone else mentioned, we don't have to be told over and over someone's breast are round.

[Nenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Decent.