Title: Cereus: Training
Series: Cereus #3 – Anthology
Author: Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, B.A. Tortuga
Genre: Erotica / Paranormal
Length: 188 pages (3 stories)
Publisher: Torquere Press (October 16th 2013)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb: Paranormal resort Cereus is running like clockwork, but in these three stories, a whole new crop of employees and guests, like bears, vampires and fallen angels, might require some extra training.
In Ursa Minor, by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga, little bear Dakota is losing his sight, and is causing some serious damage trying to wait tables. Resort owner Jonny thinks he knows just what Dakota needs. His name is Cord, and the big grizzly shifter is more than willing to take Dakota on. In Heaven and Hell by Sean Michael, fallen angel Uri has no idea how to be mortal. Luckily, demon Quake is happy to show Uri all about the pleasures of being flesh and blood. Finally, in Weed and Feed, by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga, Terry and Boone are young werewolves who need a firm hand. Alpha wolf Jackson and vampire Cian are willing, and able, to provide just that.
Cereus: Training takes up where Building and Opening began, with all the fun chaos only Cereus can provide!
Product Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=4039
Review: Cereus Training Anthology; Seriously fun anthology if you ask me. Well it’s a resort, people are there to calm and vacation and I believe we all get the picture about what happens when you have all the time in the world and the premises to do whatever you feel like. In this anthology, you have a vast range of paranormal, werewolves, vampires, angels, and demons, even bears and bear-cubs, you name it. The stories vary from romantic to highly erotic – really a demon is involved, what d’ya expect? – and the most playfully erotic story ever. Young wolves need a leash I tell ya. So if you’re a fan of biting, nibbling, caressing, furs and all kinds of erotic scenes, this is the anthology for you. Enjoy!
Ursa Minor by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga ♥♥♥3 Hearts
Dakota, a bear shifter, is going blind. A genetically disease that can’t be cured by the shifter’s healing abilities and coping with it is so hard on the little man. Jonny and Luc send him over at the Cereus Resort and he finds a job as a client’s personal attendant.
Cord is a grizzly shifter and he finds the little bear charming. Everything about Dakota suits him, even his blindness. He helps him cope with it with the use of blindfold, as Cord is a fan of blindfold play. Could they be more suitable for each other?
But losing one’s sight is not easy to deal with. Fears nearly cripple Dakota and the almost permanent state of panic makes him clumsy. In order for him to relax, accept, and deal with his new life, he’s going to blindly trust the big bear, trust him with his whole life.
The story is nice and easy, a bit emotional, a bit dramatic. A love blooms steadily while the two men try to be there for each other. Yes Dakota is a needy character here by default, he is in a bad place, but Cord needs him too, he needs someone to understand him, understand his bear nature, and not judge him. A failed relationship help a great deal for Cord to understand and truly appreciate how important it is for him to have a mate, to love and care with the simplistic way the bears do by their nature.
The story while easy and not overly complex has a way of making you feel heavy inside. I can’t really point a finger to it, but the dialogues and inner thoughts made me sigh a bit too much, feeling overwhelmed by simple things when I shouldn’t. Other than that, there wasn’t really much going on to keep me interested, it was one simple love/mating story albeit with peculiar characters. If you expect a wild side from these bears, you’ll be disappointed. They are the lazy kind, they are in a resort after all, and they simply chill around lying in wait for Dakota to go totally blind and finally accept that as a fact in his life. Even the “mating” is a bit tame and slow and easy here, mostly lovemaking with a special brand of romance, one that doesn’t require too many words to be told. That, I actually liked and felt good reading it. It suited this read a lot.
Heaven and Hell by Sean Michael ♥♥♥♥3.5 Hearts
A Fallen Angel or… a pushed one as the case seems to be, Uri is unable to cope with what happened. To be damned for Eternity for helping his friend, for saving his life against the rules. But rules are to be obeyed and the fact that he didn’t repent and would do it again is what caused him his ripped wings.
Now the transaction from ethereal to corporeal is something Uri can’t understand, can’t deal with and Nathan’s only choice is to ask for help for Uri’s sake.
Quake! A demon… A sadist demon… A Master in a BDSM resort…
Yes, yes, someone had the brilliant idea to get a demon helping a Fallen Angel and oddly enough, it’s the perfect match. No, you won’t see BDSM scenes here, unless you count a scene with a very light binding of the wrists Quake uses to make Uri focus on feelings alone. No, you won’t see the sadistic side of the demon here on glorious display, and frankly I’d be a bit put off if that what the case. What you’ll read about is the most fantastic and fun falling in love, demon/angel making mountains tremble and a great deal of sexual scenes, erotic, sensual, glorious even.
I’ve read many food-on-the-bed scenes, but nothing more erotic, more sinfully delicious that Uri and Quake. Damn, hot damn! Everything about this pair is just that, HOT! Immortality suits marathon sex a lot, innocence suits the angel and depriving him from that suits the demon, and endless circle that makes you pant in the end.
Now if I was a religious person, that violence that came from above would have put me off a great deal in this story, but since I’m not, and I’m in favor of let fiction be I went with it. However, a heads up for Uri suffers a great deal of pain and violence from “Them” and a great deal of love and understanding from his demon.
In the end, this was a great love story dipped in a lot of delicious, sinful scream evoking, erotic scenes. Loved it!
Weed and Feed by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
Oh my God, what a furious read this one. Happy, joyful, fun, and sexy as hell. Ok people, there are two lovely wolves who are in need of discipline. They can’t stop fooling around with each other, romping and rutting. It’s like that they manage to get Cian’s attention. The vampire hates to slow, lazy life of the resort and just as he’s about to give it up and go back to the city, here come those two little teases. Terry and Boone are perfect and call to his need for sexual adventure.
Just as he makes plans for the three of them that evening, the two wolves manage to drag into their play a strong and kinky Alpha. However, instead of that making things awkward Jackson (the Alpha) and Cian decide to share.
Boon takes it pretty well, being the most carefree one of them two and more than intrigued with the Vampire, but Terry is all challenging the big, bad Alpha wolf earning himself quite some spanking.
Need I say more? Orgies!!! Oh my, I sound ridiculous screaming that in my room while writing this review, but yeah, this was one heck of a read. Probably the best I’ve read from this duo of authors, and certainly the best of the anthology. I loved the pairs here. Jackson and Terry, and Cian with Boon, they were all delectable. If I had to pick and choose, I think the vamp/wolf pair would win, but only with a small difference because the all-wolves pair was pretty hot too. The entire read is sex, sex, sex. The erotic level here skyrockets and you need to keep up because it doesn’t let go. Jac/Terry combo is the kinkiest pair with Cian/Boone being more snuggly and adorable. It was odd seeing Cian falling for Boone, it was done so well. He simply floated around that emotion like a damn snowflake and his indulging Boon’s every whim was just so perfect (yeah, I want a Cian of my own). Jacson on the other hand was admirable in his insistence, as Terry was more than a handful. At times, I wondered if the big Alpha would simply let him go and abandon the case.
Ah, such an intense read this one. Lovely and fun and a heck of a ride.