First Glance (A Steamy Series-Starter Anthology‪)‬

The is an anthology of three series starters written by Shayla Black: Wicked as Sin, Seduced by the Bodyguard, and More Than Want You. I could review each title separately, but that would be cumbersome and could risk too many spoilers for the reader, so I am going to give an overview of the body of work in more generalities. All three books are stories written about alpha-men. The first is a picture of the anti-hero, he is an honorable man who is misunderstood but not in the habit of ingratiating with or explaining himself to others. We see his transformation once he encounters the heroine, who is his opposite: the virgin daughter of a Baptist Pastor. The second, a novella, is the highly skilled, dedicated bodyguard who is looking for a life change to a quiet, country life, who must protect the beautiful pop star when her life is threatened. The third is a man who has put work and financial success above everything else in his life, including his relationship with a younger brother. The heroine is a free thinking, yoga instructor/Meditation coach who asks the right questions to get him thinking and re-evaluating his life goals and priorities. All three are swept away by love, though the first does not achieve his happily ever after in this book, which ends in a cliffhanger. If I was to rate then separately, I would give the first 5 stars, the second 3 stars(I find that novellas often wind everything up in a bow too quickly), and the third 4 stars. As a collection of series starters I would give this 4 stars. It is a good representation of and introduction to Ms, Black’s work and I believe that it will entice the reader to delve further into these worlds. Ms. Black’s writing is very erotic in nature, so this will be an important thing thing for some readers to know. Her books are well thought-out, organized stories and the worlds she has built fit seamlessly together. Don’t stop with these three, I think her books get better with each addition to the communities she has created.

I am voluntarily leaving this review after reading an advanced complementary copy via Booksprout.

There were parts of this book I really enjoyed. Realized I had already read the last story in the series already. I really enjoyed it. The first story was good for a while but I do not care for cliffhangers where you’ve got to buy another book to finish the story. The second book was was ok but the most details were about sex and not the actual story. It could have been a good story if the emphasis had been on the story and not as much focus on the sex.