Sun Stroked Book

4 ½ stars - Contemporary Romance/Erotica Anthology

Three lushly exotic, wickedly erotic tales of pure, vivid fantasy come to life.....

While reading Sun Stroked, there were moments when I swore I could almost feel the sun on my skin, the sand beneath my toes, and the wind in my face and hear the water lapping against the rocks and surf and the chime of exotic birds off in the distance. I actually found myself singing "Escape: The Pina Colada Song", and of course wishing I was sipping on a refreshing pina colada myself as I read it! This was a total impulse buy/read, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed all three delightfully sexy, albeit short, stories.

Danielle, Lauren, and Abby are three best friends from Chicago who go to the secluded, exclusive 'O Spa' (which supposedly stands for oasis, not orgasm...yeah right) on an exotic, private island in the middle of the South Pacific for two weeks in hopes of having short-term flings and fulfilling their deepest, darkest desires and wildest fantasies. Of course, little do they know, the paradise resort also serves as a recovery retreat and rehabilitation center for injured soldiers...sinfully sexy soldiers to be precise...oh yummy!

THE SENSUAL SOAK
Danielle 'Dani' Carrigan might be a take charge kind of gal, but she yearns to be dominated in the bedroom; so it's a good thing sexy hard-core military commander/weapons expert Ethan Sharpe recognizes her submissive nature and knows just how to push her limits and deliver the ultimate pleasure. This was a verrry steamy, light BDSM tale featuring creative use of a tree and some vines. I think this was my favorite out of the three stories.

THE PLEASURE POOL
Lauren Sampson is a sweet, good-natured person who's tired of men judging her solely for her body and looks, and she longs for someone to see her for who she really is and to unleash her sexual wild side. Captain Ryan Thomas is an expert military tracker, but an explosion has left him visually impaired and adrift. With his other senses heightened, can he be the one to finally recognize what's beneath the surface and touch her heart? Oh yeah, and some wild Tarzan and Jane role play might be fun too!

THE SUNSET SAUNA
Abby Benton just wants some R&R with her friends before she goes home and follows her plan to get engaged to her dud of a boyfriend because she thinks intense passion only exists in her erotic romance novels. She harbors voyeuristic and exhibitionist fantasies that she never expects to play out. Sniper Cody Lannon is determined to live his life in solitude and never lets anyone get too close. He's used to living his life through the eye of his scope, but he's unprepared for the feelings that are stirred up when he spies on Abby. It's a very erotic story, and their public displays are smokin' hot!

This was a very entertaining anthology with three sweet, fun, and delectably erotic fantasy filled stories that offer a little bit for all tastes (including some light bondage, Domination/submission, role playing, voyeurism, and exhibitionism) with great characters and nice HEAs. My only complaints are that I wanted lots more of it and wished I had read it on a tropical island paradise while some sexy soldiers massaged my feet and hand-fed me fruit! 4.5 stars!

Reviewed for queuemyreview... book release November '08

I picked up Sun Stroked by Cathryn Fox yesterday namely because it was a gray, rainy, dreary day in Seattle, and the cover of the book looked warm and tropical. After I finished reading, I have to admit; I did feel a bit warm and tropical myself! This is a very fun, lighthearted, steamy romance with three great happily ever afters. This story is about three women who go on vacation to a lush island paradise to escape from their daily lives, and if the brochure is correct- fulfill their wildest fantasies!

In the first story "The Sensual Soak" Danielle, an interior decorator, arrives on the island, only to be attacked by a giant water snake (okay, maybe not giant, but two feet is still pretty big) and almost drown! Ethan rescues her, the most darkly handsome man she has ever seen, with a brooding personality and a dominant streak a mile wide. Can Danielle bring some light back into Ethan's eyes, while Ethan fulfills Danielle's fantasies??

In "The Pleasure Pool" Lauren is a very beautiful woman that men drool over all the time. Why would she need to come to a fantasy island? She's looking for someone who will see her for who she really is on the inside, smart, caring, thoughtful… not just a pretty face. When she meets Military man Ryan, she's instantly attracted to him because he hardly glanced at her when they met. Lauren finds out Ryan is sight impaired due to a military accident. Has she finally found the man that can love her for all the right reasons?

"The Sunset Sauna" is about Abby Benton. Abby's friends brought her to this island because she is about to get engaged and they don't think her boyfriend is right for her. Abby wants passion in her life. She wants what the women all have in the steamy romance novels she reads. While she is out exploring the island, she runs into military sniper Cody who happens to be the most passionate and intense person she's ever met. Is Cody the one to light the fire in Abby? Will she go back and marry her stuffy boyfriend, or find happiness with Cody?

Sun Stroked was pure entertainment. The stories had very predictable happy endings, however it was fun to suspend belief for a short time. The writing was well done, and I thought Cathryn Fox did a great job making all the characters likeable. Sometimes that can be hard to do with six different main characters. I really loved "The Sensual Soak" the best, and I thought it was the most thorough and complete of all the stories, however I enjoyed reading all of them. I would highly recommend Sun Stroked by Cathryn Fox as a great way to escape for an afternoon. Heck, you might even feel like you went on a tropical getaway yourself!