Surrender to the Cyborgs (Ebook) by Grace Goodwin Okay, yes, this book is exactly what it sounds like. I purposely read across genres absorbing different styles, deciding what I like and don’t like. Recently, I went on a binge of alien-centered books like this to see if any of them could crawl out of the depths of your typical loosely edited, “spit it out quick and don’t think much about plot” alien erotica. In this genre, you can’t even trust reviews for the most part, because the reader isn’t always that discerning. However, I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t a single author out there who cared about craft. So I kept looking, and looking and abandoning, and abandoning… I was about to give up when I came across Surrender to the Cyborgs. (I think I saw it on a Bookbub ad, but I’m not sure anymore.)
Anyway, this book will slap you upside the face with sex on the first page (which was almost enough for me to throw this one in the pile with the others) But then I realized that the author was appeasing the typical erotic reader with ‘what they wanted’ right off the bat, because she was about to feed them something they were not used to… an actual well-plotted, well-rounded story.
Now, hold on, I’m not saying this is rocket science, but what this author gives us, which is normally lacking in the genre, are actual, real, distinct characters. They each have their own stories, their own hurts, their own reasons for being. And right around where most erotic stories end, because we’ve seen our three-to-five required very graphic sex scenes, this story continues with a shocking event that (gasp!) has nothing to do with sex!
This is when we see the main character shine as a hero in her own right, using her backstory to help solve a crime and better the lives of others. There is also a great message (not at all subtle) in this story that we should honor our vets. That gets an extra star in my book for theme alone.
So, as far as erotic goes, I give this an enthusiastic thumbs up. No, this will not contend for novel of the year, nor would it stand up against mainstream non-erotic books, but I see this as a shining star in a genre not really known for its quality. I’m very interested in seeing where this author takes her storytelling abilities in the future, because she’s definitely setting the bar higher than most of her counterparts.
ADULTS ONLY! (And this made me blush A LOT)
(And, umm, no, I am not posting the cover that makes me blush. Look it up online if you want to see it.)
Faye Bird worked as a literary agent representing film and television screenwriters before becoming a writer herself. She is the author of My Second Life and What I Couldn’t Tell You. She lives in London with her husband, two children and one very fluffy cat
Fifteen-year-old Ana has a good life–she has friends and a boy she likes and a kind mother–but still, she’s haunted by her past; she knows that she lived once before as a girl named Emma, and she still misses her old family. When, by chance in her life now, Ana meets a woman she knew in her previous life, a terrifying memory flashes through her mind of a young girl drowning. Was Emma responsible? And should Ana pay the price? Consumed by guilt, Ana sets out to find out as much as possible about the person she was before and what she had done, only to discover that the family she misses so deeply had dark secrets of its own. To come to terms with her life now, Ana must figure out how to let go of the past.
To be perfectly honest, I’ve been writing in the Dragonrider Chronicles world for so long now, it’s harder not to let my mind go there! It’s become a comfort zone for me, because I’m so familiar with the landscape and history. Writing about that world feels like coming home. So I was very excited to get to shed new light and breathe new life into it with a different perspective. 
Changing the angle of focus to the lives and culture of the elves seemed like the logical transition since so much of the first series revolved around the human way of life in their kingdom. So I’m taking us back there, but on a different path, to see that world from a completely different viewpoint. 
So, when this book about super-hero kids came out, I was excited to finally read what everyone was talking about.
The townspeople, sick of losing their tractors trap him in a big hole. After he escapes, they lead him to a junkyard where the Iron Man is more than happy to sit around eating cars and other metal junk all day, every day. Then a space dragon the size of Australia shows up and the Iron Man needs to save earth (with an odd contest, not a fight). (Note: the book is only about 70 pages long with REALLY BIG type and pictures. I finished it in under half an hour)
It’s kinda disturbing, but these people have to get in really good shape, because they are their avatars in the virtual world, and they play a game similar to catch the flag, but they kill each other to get to the flags… but if they die, they just wake up and get to play again another day. The overall arc of the story is the protagonist’s team gets beaten pretty badly, and has to win every game after that to make it to the championship. While they are playing, they deal with real-world issues outside the virtual arena, like video game addiction, drugs, relationships, and dealing with the death of someone you care about (all in front of news cameras). I am not really into sports, and the idea of gladiator-like combat, even in the virtual world does not appeal to me, but this story really drew me in. I am looking forward to seeing where the next book takes us, because this first book did end very much like a stand alone. I would definitely look for another Holly Jennings book.
This book was not what I expected. I thought it was a paranormal from the cover. I kept waiting for the paranormal to happen, and as our main character walked towards “the door” I was biting my nails waiting for “it”.
Jennifer M Eaton 