The Empress' New Clothes

Ahhhheemmm. Cough, cough (fanning blushing face as we read). Let's see, how to start. Well, first of all, everyone should keep in mind that this is a one hundred percent complete fantasy. It's about a totally new culture and race of people. I think Jaid Black did a superb job of creating another world. Even with all the sex in this book (and I mean A LOT of sex), the author still manages to develop her characters sufficiently enough to make a reader happy. At least, happy enough with this type of genre, which is, of course, erotica. That said, I absolutely hated the High King, Zor! Before I get too ahead of myself, I'll summarize. Kyra, our main gal, is on a retreat on good 'ole present day earth with her best pal, Geris. She's trying to find inner peace after her sister has been missing for a year. At the end of their retreat, the woman are more than up for a little letting loose, but as they prepare to leave, they spy two too-good-to-be-true gorgeous men ogling them. Without further ado, Kyra's clothes are literally ripped (yes, as ridiculous as it sounds, ripped) from her body as the dark haired man roars towards her. That dark haired man is our main guy, the High King of the Trek Mi Q'an Galaxy (try saying that six times fast), a.k.a Zor. This guy, Zor, is a totallly domineering larger than life, at times Neanderthal-like hunk of a speciman. In fact, all the men from his seventh dimension are. He has claimed, and kidnapped, Kyra to be his High Queen and Empress. Not only is she only allowed to wear these ridiculous sheer outfits in public, but she has to be completely naked whenever in her unasked-for husband's presence. Did I mention all the sex before too? Yes? Okay. Keep in mind it's a manditory part of the culture in the book(My, my, aren't we lucky little readers). This book is dedicated to exploring their relationship as it develops from one of difficulty to one of... well, read it for yourself. I'm not spoiling anything for you here! Yes, I hated Zor in the beginning, but I grew to love him by the end. So, you might be asking me, why, oh, why, did I give this five stars? Because, it made me laugh my pants off! After I got past the whole Kyra will never have her old life again thing and the constant, the neverending sex (which can only begin to frustrate a reader because real life is never like this) and Zor's pompous attitude (which does get better!) I found myself really enjoying this book. The amount of sex the characters have, the unbelievable attitudes of the men, the way the women give birth, it's all hilarious! There are so many characters in it your head may spin though. Ms. Black is definitely setting up for many more books in this series. And as many as there are, characters that is, I was surprised at how well I came to know them. Black is definitely talented at writing emotion into her characters with limited wording. Readers may be offended by some goings on in this book, but keep in mind that it is a fantasy and take it

A lot of romantica walks the narrow line between too much sex and not enough story, not enough sex and too much story, or really lame story and poorly written sex.Jaid Black, thankfully, is a writer who can do both a great, interesting and fresh storyline with really well written sex and relationship between the characters.You've got your Alpha Male and your female lead in a science fiction storyline. How refreshing is that? Even better? The sci fi is well written, funny and isn't eclipsed by the sex.Zor, the High King seeks out his mate, who just so happens to be a human from earth, Kyra Sommers. He comes to get her, finds she's not a typical wilting willow and it goes from there. Nice backstory, thank god the female lead isn't some whining, 18 year old virgin. To those who complain about the sex being graphic - when you read "erotic romance" you're going to get a book with lots of sex in it. If you don't like lots of sex in your books, especially graphic sex, it's pretty much general common sense to avoid the words "Erotic" in the title or description. As to what does or doesn't ring your bell sex wise, that's all relative. I found the sex to be pretty hot and very well written, different things work for different people, this happened to work for me.

This is not a traditional romance, where only the main couple make out with each other. This is more erotica, with some unusual sexual twists, futuristic connotations, a very different sexual culture, etc. So don't expect this to be politically correct or realistic. It's fantasy with sex and romance and adventure. If you're concerned that people will think this reflects what women want, or how men should act in real life, then this is not the book for you. This book is for those who are more sexually adventurous in their readings, know when how to keep reality and pure flights of fantasy separate, and don't expect earth-bound customs/behaviour/cultural norms/sexual practises from a futuristic, fantastic, space adventure. Enjoying the unreal escapism of this book, I loved it. If you're all for the fantastical, not-worried-about-this-being-dangerous-to-your-sense-of-morality-in-real-life, then I highly recommend it to you. If you're expecting a traditional romance like some of the other reviewers, and are easily shocked/offended by non-politically correct behaviour, maybe you should skip this, it's not for you. Very mature readers only.

'Empress' was my first Jaid Black book; I read it through in one sitting. The next day I went back and read it again (and ordered the rest of her books that were available at the time). Plainly put, Jaid's books are sheer erotic fantasy. The settings are vivid, the characters are literally "larger than life," and the dialog is snappy and keeps me smiling throughout the stories. (Zor's reaction to a cheese doodle is priceless!) Jaid gives her imagination free rein, and the result is a fascinating new world where sensual pleasure is the norm rather than the exception and sex isn't a dirty secret hidden behind closed doors.Not for the faint of heart or easily offended, Jaid's books draw a firm line: men are definitely dominant creatures and women are there for their pleasure. Having read the entire Trek Mi Q'an series, I can't see how that would be a hardship. Trystonni males definitely have an edge over mere Earth men, and I, for one, am ready to sign up as a Sacred Mate to a Trystonni warrior. Beam me up, Zor.

This was my first Jaid Black book and my first Romantica ebook. What a hot, funny, sizzling, adventurous read! I recommend this book to anyone who loves sexy paranormal adventure. The characters are fully developed, three-dimensional people. Zor is the High King and Emperor of his world. A world where women are scarce and have to be... "imported". Kyra turns out to be his sacred mate and when Zor comes to claim her, the adventure begins! The world Ms. Black creates is as full and richly developed as her characters. Reading how Kyra adapts to the customs of her new world, and how Zor adapts to having a sacred mate was a ride I did not want to end. It was sweet, romantic and hot hot hot hot! Whew! Sexually, this book is not for the timid. It is honest and direct with out all the purple prose that can get so silly you laugh out loud during "the" crucial scene. Sometimes it is down right inspirational! You and your significant other will reap the benefits.The second book in the series was just as sexy. I cannot wait for the third installment! Thank the Goddess Zor has brothers! In the mean time Tia Isabella and Treva Harte are filling in *very* nicely ;) in the romantica time travel department. I have read all of Ms. Black's efforts to date and haven't been dissapointed. Keep up the excellent work