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All her life, Annie Prideaux has suffered through her brother's constant practical jokes. But Jake's last joke is one too many, she decides when he sets her up on a blind date with his friend Drew - neglecting to tell his straight sister one tiny detail: Her date is not a man but a lesbian. Annie and Drew decide it's time to turn the tables on Jake by pretending to fall in love with each other.
All work and no play has Autumn Primm in the market for a little excitement. Her Venice Beach coffee shop, The Cat's Pajamas, is her pride and joy, but the time has come to take off the apron and see what the world has in store. Kate Carpenter needs to get away. And quick. A former firefighter, Kate's been crowned her town's new hero for reasons she can't quite get behind. A free flight and some time off have her fleeing the scene to sunny California. Dreamy Autumn Primm was never supposed to be part of that bargain.
Accountant and financial advisor Lacey Chamberlain doesn't consider herself a control freak. She's merely a planner-orderly, neat, and content in her tidy little life. When a marketing firm moves into the empty office next door, the loud-music-playing, stinky-food-ordering, kickball-in-the-hall staff make Lacey crazy. Marketing expert Alicia Wright is spontaneous, flies by the seat of her pants, and lives in the moment-all the things Lacey is not. She's also gorgeous, thoughtful, and seems determined to make Lacey like her. They say opposites attract, but for how long? And is that really a good idea?
Gina Antonelli had big dreams once, of riding her athletic achievements all the way to West Point and being the first in a long family line of soldiers to serve as an officer. When that dream died along with the girl she'd planned to marry one day, she'd vowed to forget about happily ever afters. When Gina agrees to renovate Carrie's soon-to-be new house as a favor to her brother's boss, she doesn't welcome Carrie's overtures at friendship or her own unexpected attraction.
A seasoned paramedic and former soldier, Angie Cullen has helped put people back together again. But her battle-tested heart is no match for the devastation of her partner cheating on her with the wife of ER physician Dr. Victoria Turner. When a car crash brings the betrayal to a shocking climax one evening in the ER, Angie and Vic find themselves unlikely and wary allies as they attempt to pick up the broken pieces of their lives. While each holds the remedy to the other’s broken heart, can Angie and Vic trust enough to love again?
With the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret's youth sparked into color. But first loves can scar. Margaret hasn't seen Courtney in years and that's for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control of the family store, Margaret comes face-to-face with her past and the woman she's tried desperately to forget. The fact that Courtney has grown up more beautiful than ever certainly doesn't help matters.
All her life, Annie Prideaux has suffered through her brother's constant practical jokes. But Jake's last joke is one too many, she decides when he sets her up on a blind date with his friend Drew - neglecting to tell his straight sister one tiny detail: Her date is not a man but a lesbian. Annie and Drew decide it's time to turn the tables on Jake by pretending to fall in love with each other.
All work and no play has Autumn Primm in the market for a little excitement. Her Venice Beach coffee shop, The Cat's Pajamas, is her pride and joy, but the time has come to take off the apron and see what the world has in store. Kate Carpenter needs to get away. And quick. A former firefighter, Kate's been crowned her town's new hero for reasons she can't quite get behind. A free flight and some time off have her fleeing the scene to sunny California. Dreamy Autumn Primm was never supposed to be part of that bargain.
Accountant and financial advisor Lacey Chamberlain doesn't consider herself a control freak. She's merely a planner-orderly, neat, and content in her tidy little life. When a marketing firm moves into the empty office next door, the loud-music-playing, stinky-food-ordering, kickball-in-the-hall staff make Lacey crazy. Marketing expert Alicia Wright is spontaneous, flies by the seat of her pants, and lives in the moment-all the things Lacey is not. She's also gorgeous, thoughtful, and seems determined to make Lacey like her. They say opposites attract, but for how long? And is that really a good idea?
Gina Antonelli had big dreams once, of riding her athletic achievements all the way to West Point and being the first in a long family line of soldiers to serve as an officer. When that dream died along with the girl she'd planned to marry one day, she'd vowed to forget about happily ever afters. When Gina agrees to renovate Carrie's soon-to-be new house as a favor to her brother's boss, she doesn't welcome Carrie's overtures at friendship or her own unexpected attraction.
A seasoned paramedic and former soldier, Angie Cullen has helped put people back together again. But her battle-tested heart is no match for the devastation of her partner cheating on her with the wife of ER physician Dr. Victoria Turner. When a car crash brings the betrayal to a shocking climax one evening in the ER, Angie and Vic find themselves unlikely and wary allies as they attempt to pick up the broken pieces of their lives. While each holds the remedy to the other’s broken heart, can Angie and Vic trust enough to love again?
With the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret's youth sparked into color. But first loves can scar. Margaret hasn't seen Courtney in years and that's for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control of the family store, Margaret comes face-to-face with her past and the woman she's tried desperately to forget. The fact that Courtney has grown up more beautiful than ever certainly doesn't help matters.
Parker King is the number-one tennis player in the world with a real talent for getting women in her bed. To prepare herself for the one title she's never won - and avoid the press and her ex - she retreats to a secluded home in Press Cove, Alabama. There she'll also be safe from the Soldiers of God who've threatened to kill her for what they see as her depraved lifestyle.
Starting a new life in a new city is never easy, but Kelsey Peterson is managing. She owns her own specialty shop, she's made some new friends, and she's finally feeling like she's ready to put down some roots in this small Chicago suburb. She's even struck up some regular flirtatious banter with that sexy blonde she continually runs into at Starbucks.
Olivia Bennett is on the tenure track at Cornell University, the resident expert on Southern women writers. After moving to upstate New York from Atlanta, she falls in love with and purchases an old, run-down farmhouse. The only catch: she knows nothing about renovating a house, taking care of land, or snow. Joss Bauer is a New York native who grew up in her family's construction business. She has a soft spot for old houses, but no patience for overpaid debutantes who want to play at country living.
A prominent figure amongst New York City's fashion elite, Elena Vega is a successful businesswoman and single mother to an adorable three-year-old son, Lucas. Her love life, however, is lacking, as those closest to her keep pointing out. At the persistent urging of her closest friend, Elena reluctantly agrees to a string of blind dates if she can find a suitable babysitter for Lucas. Enter Allison Sawyer, a free-spirited senior at New York University. Elena is intrigued by Allison's ability to push her out of her element, and the young woman's instant and easy connection with a normally shy Lucas quickly earns Allison the job. After each blind date, Elena returns home to complain to Allison about her lacking suitors. As they bond, Elena begins to realize that the person possessing all the qualities she most desires might just be the woman who has been in front of her the entire time.
Micky Ferro has lived her entire life according to other people's expectations. She married a man, had two children, and became a dutiful stay-at-home mom in suburban Sydney. Until she realized, with a little help from her best friend, that her picture-perfect life wasn't making her happy. On the first anniversary of her divorce, Micky decides it's time for the next step in her journey and gets a job at her neighborhood coffee shop, The Pink Bean.
Detective Sanne Jensen (not blonde, not tall, definitely not Scandinavian) and Dr. Meg Fielding (scruffy, scatterbrained, prone to swearing at patients) are lifelong best friends, sharing the same deprived background and occasionally the same bed. When a violent kidnapping stuns the Peak District village of Rowlee, both women become involved in the case.
Eighteen-year-old Charlee Parker met the love of her life in a parking lot-a leggy brunette with a valedictorian medal hanging from her rear-view mirror and an attitude as biting as a Boston winter. Alexandra Woodson was guarded, a 19-year-old orphan set on a bright future in hospitality administration. She never imagined an art student with a penchant for cheesy pick-up lines and stealing parking spaces would crack her rigid exterior and claim her heart. For four years, theirs was an enviable love - evergreen and growing. Unbreakable... until it broke.
NSA agent Dr. Emma Thorpe is tasked with putting together an off-the-books team of elite cyber warriors to combat computer hackers who threaten national security. She's given carte blanche to recruit the best of the best. There's only one caveat. The threat won't be resolved by following the rules, so she must find a way to recruit Paxton James, gray hat hacker extraordinaire. But the elusive, sexy-as-sin Paxton is in an Indonesian jail. And she's there because one of Emma's colleagues double-crossed her.
Homicide detective Mandi Murphy had seen enough bloodshed on the streets of Houston to last a lifetime. After a botched drug bust left a friend dead, she wanted out of the city. Peaceful little Sawmill Springs seemed like the perfect spot to start over. Six weeks on patrol proved the town to be as quiet and serene as she'd imagined.
Rooke Tyler makes a living by carving headstones in a cemetery for wealthy families. At night she sculpts stone, pouring her dreams and desires into the figures she chisels. Then two women enter her life, one offering her passion, the other fame. Rooke's choice may expose her secrets and change her life - if she follows her heart.
Sierra Cody is on fire. A rising star in women's professional downhill mountain bike racing, she has all the tools to become a world champion. All she needs to do is fully commit herself. Something far easier said than done. Dr. Kara Davies, a highly regarded and accomplished physician, is well on her way to achieving her dreams in chiropractic research. Commitment to her goals has never been an issue, but her personal life is a different story.
Taylor Andrews is at the top of her career. Everything she touches turns to gold and the studios know it. Just when she's on track for total television domination, Isabel Chase arrives in her office and slowly turns her world upside down. Isabel is intelligent, sarcastic, and dammit, downright beautiful. Unfortunately, she's the one person that can take away all Taylor has worked for. Will Isabel's success lead to Taylor's downfall? Or perhaps Isabel is all she needs....
Audie Award Finalist, Erotica, 2014
Mr. Global Leather has been murdered!
In the Grand Sterling Hotel of Midtown Manhattan, home of the huge annual leather/BDSM/fetish ball and contest known as Mr. & Ms. Global Leather, last year's male winner lies dead on the floor of his suite, wearing only very frilly, bright yellow panties. Cormac "Mack" Steel made a lot of enemies in his year wearing the studded leather sash, not the least being his co-winner, Mistress Ravenfyre. But she is not alone - there are over 3,000 attendees at this year's fetish-festooned event from all over the world, some of whom might have had some very personal issues with the corpse.
Enter Detective Rebecca Feldblum of the Midtown East Precinct. Assigned to this doozy of a case because, as one of New York City's only out lesbian detectives, her lieutenant seems to believe these are "her people". Shocked, amazed and alternately puzzled and amused, Detective Feldblum must navigate a world of doms and subs, masters and mistresses, pups and trainers, leather, latex and lingerie, and discover who murdered the late Mack Steel - and, she hopes, do it before the weekend is over and everyone goes home. In the process, she will discover more about the sexual underworld than she ever really wanted to know, and more about her own past than she could have ever imagined.
Written in the classic spirit of Sharyn McCrumb's Bimbos of the Death Sun, The Killer Wore Leather is both an engaging mystery and a humorous glimpse into the world of modern, pansexual international leather/BDSM contests and conferences. Only Laura Antoniou could write The Killer Wore Leather. In addition to being the author of the best-selling Marketplace series of erotic novels, she has over 20 years of experience teaching, speaking to, and occasionally skewering the alt-sex communities around the world. With a wicked sense of humor, insider information and a twisted imagination, she crafts a spicy melange of mystery and mayhem!
The Killer Wore Leather is a deliciously tongue-in-cheek murder mystery set at a leather convention, allowing listeners into this private world of personalities and peccadiloes. It's the kinkiest game of clue ever, with a sex toy as the murder weapon, and every leather man and woman lacks an alibi. Cleverly crafted and highly humorous, Antoniou is at her wicked best in this pause-resistant fetish fest. Laura is the best-selling author of the classic BDSM series The Marketplace, which has sold more than 400,000 copies and been translated into five languages.
Antoniou is the author of the top-notch "Marketplace" erotica series. With "The Killer Wore Leather," she's branched out into mystery-erotica, and--humor. And this book is hilarious--not a compliment I dole out easily. Antoniou writes a tight little mystery with all the gratification of a jigsaw puzzle. She peoples it with an S/M community that she skewers with all the love and familiarity of a close family member.
What if Raymond Chandler was more explicit with his implied S/M? What if Agatha Christie's Miss Marple was a demanding bottom? (“That’s SLAVE Marple to you!”) What if Chandler and Christie wrote their books with the humor of Steve Martin? We don’t have to wonder “what if?” We only need to listen to this book.
Narrator, Lauren Fortgang gives an especially excellent performance. Each character has a clear "voice," but it never sounds gimmicky.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of The Killer Wore Leather to be better than the print version?
Never read print version
What other book might you compare The Killer Wore Leather to and why?
Not because the stories are similar but they are both about murders and are very well done. "Punishment With Kisses" by Diane Anderson-Minshell a well d done book about kinky and wild behaviors. Good ending too.
What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?
Excellent narrator, she brings characters to life even the men and emotions are well played.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
There were lots of laughs, and a few heart tugs, but it was an interesting murder mystery. Especially for the genre it's written for.
Any additional comments?
I'd like to see more well written books in the kinky, gay, lesbian, erotic, area. This one on a scale of 1 being the worst and 10 being the best was a 7.5
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Laura Antoniou and/or Lauren Fortgang?
Absolutely not on author. Gads I wrestled over keeping this book at the point of no return and what a waste of listening time it has been for me. I have an 1 hr 10 min to go and I am up to 1.5x speed to finish! The biggest disappointment is that the reviews said it was great, one reviewer agreed with me, awful. I own 3 other reads by Ms Fortgang yet to be heard so the jury is out until I hear them.
What was most disappointing about Laura Antoniou’s story?
The reviews said this was clever, and I beg to differ. If it had been humorous in the truest sense, then ok, but it wasn't that either.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
The reader did a good job, but I did have to use 1.5 speed to get through it
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Killer Wore Leather?
I personally would not even give it a try. This was 14 hrs of what???
I thoroughly enjoyed this story.. the humour, satire and even some of the more serious points underneath. I loved reading the book when it came out and listening to it just brought it more to life. The narration is fantastic ...completely entertaining... lots of accents and each character recognisable. a great read and a great listen.
the premise of the story may be interesting but it's way too complicated and way too entwined with too many characters and hard to understand what's going on. I would not recommend this book.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
It doesn't get any better than Laura Antoniou. She truly loves this community and this novel proves it. She's pulls pieces from this conference and that and if you've been to any number of conferences you can pinpoint what came from where. She gets deep into Bootblacks which is awesome and truly sexy (damn I adore a good Bootblack). This novel is outstanding in that it leaves you hanging, wondering who did it up to the end. Bravo Laura, love you, love your writing style and love this wonderfully, kinky community.
Narrator, was great. Story was interesting and a little haphazard but good enough to finish.
What made the experience of listening to The Killer Wore Leather the most enjoyable?
The Voice Actor does a great job bringing the different characters to life. I enjoyed her voice work immensely and I am usually not fond of female readers. (My owns stuff around the voices lulling me to sleep and I mostly listen while driving)
What did you like best about this story?
It is a great story in a world I am all to familiar with. Laura A. Did a great job crafting the characters and environment and I really enjoyed the book in general
What does Lauren Fortgang bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The voice work and energy she brings to the voices is perfect.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
If only I could. Not enough time but I find myself listening to sections I have already read to enjoy them at another level with Lauren's voice.
I love and care about all the characters. well written and excellent plot too!
a tongue in cheek look at the pageantry behind fetish events. The authors knowledge and previous books culminate in a very funny parody. it's not particularly titillating but it's not meant to be. just pure comedy.