Brought to you by OBS reviewer, Marianthi

Love Bites is an anthology of three vampire stories that are laced with BDSM elements.  The three stories are Oath of Service, Be Careful What You Wish For, and Bloodslave. Oath of Service is part of the Mageverse stories, while Be Careful is a never before published work, and Bloodslave was previously published in another book.  And just to keep it interesting, a sample chapter of Ms. Knight’s newest book is included at the end (consider it an appetizer).

I will start with Oath of Service.  It should have been titled “Morgana Gets Her Comeuppance.” This is the story of the infamous Morgana le Fey, the much maligned witch of Arthurian legend.  Though in all the previous Mageverse books, Morgana loves to wear the bitch pants, she secretly desires to be dominated by none other than Sir Percival of the Knights of the Round Table.  Sir Percival has also lusted after Morgana for hundreds of years and he finally gets to put her in her place, collared by her own oath, and at the mercy of Percival and his two friends. So let it be noted that this has M/F/M/M action going down (ha, pun intended).

What I like about this story is the continuation of the Mageverse thread and it can be a standalone story for those who are not familiar with the series.  However, I will forewarn that this is a much darker Mageverse story than the previous stories.  In fact, Ms. Knight also writes an introduction to the story that warns the reader that this is a BDSM story and if this is not what you are into, then it may be too intense for you. What I also like is that though this is a BDSM story, it is also very much a love story. What I do dislike is that this was a much darker BDSM story than what I expected, even with the author’s heads-up.  I have read stories with bondage before, but the sadomasochism is a bit much even for me.  I personally do not find humiliation sexy.  But more power to you, if that flips your switch. Is this story a good read? Of course it is. Ms. Knight pretty much always delivers a good story. It is just that this one comes with a rated R instead of a PG rating. This makes this book an adult only read.

Be Careful What You Wish For was more my ideal story of BDSM. It is the story of three vampires: Decker, Beau, and Amanda. Amanda is the lucky vamp that gets to partner up with Decker and Beau, but only singularly. Beau and Decker are actually enemies.  They cannot stand each other. The only thing these two have in common is Amanda. So what is this story about?  All three vampires come to the rescue of a girl who is being stalked by a warlock that has trouble accepting rejection.  The girl is not sexually interested in the warlock, so he decides to curse her for eternity as a werewolf.  The three vampires are in a race against the clock to stop the curse from being placed.  The price for their interference is a spell that causes a little bit of mischief, mischief of the M/F/M kind.

I liked this story better than the previous story because it had lighter BDSM tones.  The story was a quick, good read that didn’t leave you disappointed in the balance of sexy and plot.  I did not like the ending of the story when it came to the dealing of the warlock.  I felt he deserved so much more punishment than what was given to him.  It felt like he got a slap on the wrist to me.  I would have liked his punishment to be more in line with the crimes that he committed.  It is just a small point to dislike, but it really stuck with me.

Last but not least, Bloodslave is the story of a human captured by not one, but three, horny and hungry male vampires.  When they realize that Verica (the heroine) is a virgin, well let’s just say she doesn’t remain one for long.  The leader of the fanged tooth trio, Julian, decides to make Verica a bloodslave. A bloodslave is a nearly immortal human that is not blood dependent.  The purpose of the bloodslave is to sexually please and feed his/her master(s).

If you like M/F/M/M action, then you hit the jackpot.  I like this story the second best out of this anthology. It has moments of non-consensual acts, but that is an integral part of the story.  It isn’t a rape story: it is a story about a person that initially does not want to be a part of the act, but is seduced into participating.  I liked that it was a quick, sexy read, but at times I did not like it because certain aspects actually made me uncomfortable.  The scene where it is decided who gets to take her virginity was not my favorite.  The characters basically play cards to decide who gets to do it.  I could have done without this scene.

Overall, Ms. Knight delivers a good solid read. The book is a bargain for those that like quick reads and are really into the BDSM lifestyle.  Why 3 out of 5 stars if it was a good read?  I had to subtract a few stars for the issues that I had (warlock’s punishment and the card game scene). If you are someone that can overlook these small items, then it is a 5 star read.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*