Review of Combustion by Elia Winters

First I'd like to say that this is not meant for sensitive, conservative, and close-minded readers. There are a few subjects broached in this book that might make you uncomfortable if you're not used to reading sexed-up stories. But if you're like me, then you would easily enjoy this.

Title: Combustion
Author: Elia Winters
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Source: ARC Given by Tour Organizer
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25396982-combustion

SYNOPSIS:

A war orphan, Astrid Bailey is content living her adult life alone, working as a contract machinist. Her real passion, though, is inventing felicitation devices that promote womens sexual empowerment and help them find pleasure independent of a man.

The upcoming Worlds Fair, with its substantial cash prize, is an opportunity to open the shop shes always imagined and hopefully solve her financial woes. Except the committee has denied her entry unless she obtains a sponsor. Astrid suspects they mean male.

Eli Rutledge, noted watchmaker, knows entering the fair will solidify his reputation as an innovator but hes fresh out of ideas. Until Astrid approaches him with her outrageous product line. With no other options, though, he agrees to lend her his good name.

As construction heats up, so does their chemistry and the complications. Astrid is unaccustomed to asking for help, much less sharing credit. And Eli fights an attraction that could spell professional disaster. As the Fair date approaches, Astrid and Eli must decide how far theyll go. For the businessand for each other.

Product Warnings Contains period-appropriate graphic language, highly inappropriate amounts of M/F and F/F sex, and copious amounts of *ahem* product testing. May *ahem again* spark an online shopping binge for *cough* toys. Of the adult variety.

REVIEW:

My, oh my! Combustion is one hot read; I kid you not. This made my list of 10 Hottest Books I've Read.

What I like most about the sex in this book is that it doesn't try too hard. There's no role playing, tying up, or any of the BDSM stuff most of us are used to reading nowadays. But that doesn't mean Combustion doesn't have its own brand of kink. The blurb is actually straightforward and honest. Let's just leave it at that.

Now the characters I found really interesting. Reading about two main leads who are polar opposites, with one very confident and strong while the other is more tamed and uptight is pretty common. But the man is usually the dominant half in the relationship; that's not the case in this book. Astrid is very comfortable with her sexuality, and she usually goes after whatever she wants. On the other hand, Eli is a reserved and controlled man who is too concerned about his image and place in the community. The tension and chemistry between the two is amazing. It's not too dolled up and exaggerated, and it's definitely NOT love at first sight. It has all the basic things I normally love in a reading material!

I just had an issue with the setting. When you start flipping through the pages, you will feel as if it is set in the late 1800s or early 1900s. But then you continue and start questioning your earlier assessment because of the modern influences in the story. Don't even get me started on the dialogue. They don't talk like the characters Sir Arthur Conan Doyle penned. There's a simple explanation for this though; one that I read through passing. Apparently this is not set in any time; it's an alternate reality (or something) that the author created.

I will give Combustion 4 stars. It's a fast-paced, sexy book with lots of sexual adventures and lessons on fighting for what--or who--you love.

RATING:

PURCHASE LINKS:

Samhain Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

When she met his eyes again, her gaze was resolute.

"Mr. Rutledge, I don't mean to give the wrong impression. It's very kind of you to come meet with us, when I'm sure there are other things you could be doing."

Astrid put her shoulders back slightly, straightening.

"But whether you realize it or not, you're the very reason we women need groups like this."

With a wave of her hand, she gestured to the other ladies gathered in the room.

"You have nothing in common with us. You inherited a successful business from your father, who was already a prominent businessman, and your greatest achievement is to not yet have run it into the ground. Other people have given you everything you've ever needed. As a man, you can get a position on the Chamber of Commerce or the Fair Board or the IFCT or the London Business Council or whatever, and know that when you talk, people will listen. And I'm very happy that you have the money to own a shop and rent a booth at the Worlds Fair, but to assume that everyone else is in the same position as you demonstrates how completely clueless you are about the plight of women business owners in this city. So no, you haven't said anything to offend me. Everything about you offends me."

The room had gone silent, and Eli stood frozen, staring down into Astrid's face, into her dark eyes that suddenly widened as she realized the magnitude of what she had just said. She flushed, her face and neck and collarbones turning a rosy shade of pink, and she pressed one hand to her lips before turning and rushing from the room.

As she left, Eli watched her go with numb shock. Her words had been incredibly rude, and he couldn't help but feel stung. What shocked him the most, though, was his sudden and overwhelming urge to kiss her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elia Winters has always been a New England girl, despite having spent much of her childhood in Florida. She holds a degree in English Literature and teaches at a small rural high school where she runs too many extracurricular activities. She balances her love of the outdoors with a bottomless well of geekiness.

Elia dabbles in many genres, but erotic romance has been one of her favorites since she first began sneaking her mothers romance novels. In high school, she kept her friends entertained with a steady stream of naughty stories and somehow never got caught passing them around. Her erotic fiction and poetry have been published online at Clean Sheets and Scarlet Letters under a different name. Elia currently lives in New England with her loving husband and their odd assortment of pets.

Elias virtual life is as busy as her real life. In addition to her website http://eliawinters.com/, you can also find her on