4.5 Cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews

Posted Thursday, January 6, 2011


The Moon, The Madness, and The Magic by Eliza March

Publisher: Siren Bookstrand

Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal

Length: Full Length (203 pgs)

Other: BDSM, M/F, M/F/M, F/M/M, Ménage, Anal Play

Rating: 4.5 cherries

Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Fate sealed Rourke and Dane's destiny thirty years ago. Now Celeste, a fae shifter, understands why she's irresistibly drawn to both the Werewolf and the Demon Dragon Shifter. Surely with her succubus nature, she'll be capable of seducing the two alpha men, but will she be able to convince them that sharing her to fulfill the Prophecy would be better than the alternative: chaos, destruction, or death?

Why are the men's tastes--in everything from food to sex--changing? Maybe because one is the prince of the wolf pack, and the other is the leader of the Lore, a dreaded Demon Dragon shifter. They have one option--accept their destiny and complete the ménage bond or die.
The idea that a ménage a trios could save the world is an intriguing premise and the fact that one of the men needs to seduced into it was very hot indeed.

Imagine my surprise when my favorite unicorn, Celia, is back to set another stage for love. I think her character is pretty cool and I love the ways she has to show her love for her extended family. I am thinking they wished she didn’t love them quite so much, until they get the full impact of what was planned for them. Then they’re pretty grateful, to a certain extent.

In The Moon, The Madness, and The Magic, Celia sets up Celeste, her niece who has a very interesting bloodline, with Rourke, a very dominate and sexy growly man, and Dane, brother and best friend to Rourke and delicious in his own right. Of the three of them, Celeste is the only one in the know and the one with the responsibility to initiate the two men into her world and their place within it. That’s a great conflict right there. Add to that the fact that all three are going through some changes that will either destroy the world or save it depending on their choices and the plot accelerates even more.

For erotic romance readers, the story is spiced up with the knowledge that unless the three bond through sex all Celeste’s explanations will be for naught. The world will still fall into chaos. That is a pretty serious load to carry based upon whether or not the men have what it takes to satisfy Celeste and the ménage bond. It’s a great concept and I couldn’t wait to see what Ms. March would do. I was fascinated with the author’s decision to make Rourke the stubborn one and as far as I’m concerned, the one who was the neediest. Rourke was a very strong character and yet I found him to be vulnerable. He simply can’t be anything else than what he is and he has to be dominant or he’d fall apart. And yet, he needs. He needs Celeste, craves her even. That passion and possessive drive could be his undoing. That dynamic worked for me. I felt it gave greater emotional depth to the story.

Dane tugged at my heart strings. His torment comes from the choices he has to make. At one point I felt really sorry for him and was worried his heart would be so broken, he’d not recover and would turn bitter. I liked how the author circumvented that possibility with an inventive and sensual solution.

The only thing I wished the book would have had was more of an emotional edge to Rourke’s seduction. I would have loved to know more of his feelings…you know, those words that build shivery anticipation of how he’d react to the next touch by Dane. That perhaps Dane could have had a stronger role in seducing his reluctant bond mate and not relied so much on Celeste and her special touch. Instead it was pretty straightforward and I was left with a feeling of wanting. Of course this is my opinion and even though Rourke was a tough nut to crack, I continue to wish there’d have been a bit more to his capitulation. On the other hand, what there was for physical interaction between the three of them was pretty inventive and hot so I am pretty sure erotic romance readers are going to find enough of what they look for to be satisfied and happy with this story.

The Moon, The Madness, and The Magic is a well written, imaginative and entertaining read filled with spicy action and sultry seductions. The conflicts in this story are mostly internal but there’s an overt threat that looms over the three characters which adds to the tension and importance of their being successful. Of course writing a book where sex is the key to saving the world just had to be fun to write and it shows. There’s humor between the characters and lots of good buildup for a reader to enjoy which leads to a very satisfying happily ever after. I love how the men refused to “poof” and it summed up their personalities well. Rourke and Dane are not ‘poofy’ men; they are alphas all the way and oh, so yummy. I think readers will like them just as much as I did and will come away thinking Celeste is one lucky lady. Read it and see if you agree.

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