Review: Unexpected Gifts: Pleasure Times Four

Unexpected Gifts: Pleasure Times Four by Candace Blevins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holiday seasons, specifically Christmas is the time people bring their loved ones together and celebrate. What happens when two additional people show up to the party of two and make it four? For Cole and Jayce, they are happily together. Cole's bear shifter is a partner to Jayce's vampire desires. Their dynamic is super hot and when they hit the sheets, there is fire. With Jayce getting reading to start his next "life" and coming out of the shadows, Cole is eagerly looking forward to their compatible love of physics research together. Never did they think they would need more than each other.

In comes Polly... a former Queen of a realm and now Master Vampire. Polly is woman who is used to running the show and knowing the most. Being asleep for 150 years - through industrial revolution as well as our digital age is going to be tough. Lucky for her, the vampire world is ready for such challenges as they have a curriculum to bring their sleeping vampires back up to speed.

I'm mixed about this story. Here's why. I loved the tough topics tackled in this story. From the very beginning, there are discussions on social economic viewpoints that appeal to me. In addition, we see the counterpoints between experience and youth. I can see the perspective of both Cole and Jayce. I understand it because once, I was Cole and I would have been as outraged as he is with Jayce. Now, I lean more towards Jayce's beliefs and it is hard to be as gracious as Jayce. I'm not saying that older and richer people know better. I am saying that with experience, some people with knowledge will turn it into wisdom. And in a country which is so very young compared to others, it is easy to lose sight of the long view. This is what I love about Ms. Blevins. She sneakily sneaks in these concepts and discussion points that make me want to chat with her up into the wee hours of the night. This intellectual stimulation is so appealing. She keeps slipping in these points to ponder throughout the entire story. This is what makes the story work so well for me.

From a character perspective, this is one of the few books in her large repertoire where I just did not connect with the characters. I admire them. I thought each one of them were unique and interesting. I just didn't connect with them and there was no chemistry between me and the four. Even if I liked Sergei and thought he was the most adorable service bottom and pet, I just did not feel vested in him or the other three. This is why I'm mixed on this holiday treat. I loved the subject mattered studied and would love to read more about it and yet, the characters were meh.

Seeing a more relaxed interaction of Abbott with his people and his tentative interaction with shifters is a nice abet worrisome insight. Full confession - I love Abbott. It distresses me to no end how he and the shifters have a strained relationship. I think a lot of it has to do with the Vampire logic versus Shifter emotions. For me, Ms. Blevins does an amazing job of showing how the long lived see life and make decisions different than those who are short lived. Yes, the shifters live longer, and yet they are still children in experience. Whilst some are better at control of their emotions, they tend to act based on feelings and emotions instead of looking at the long game. This is not to say the vampires are always right. Cold logic equates to a very lonely and cold bed if not tempered with emotion. This blend of logic and emotion is done so well in Ms. Blevin's books. I love it.

Whilst this review is getting a bit dry, the erotic scenes in this story are not. They are so sexy and panty moistening goodness. Good lord, Ms. Blevins cranks up the sexy kink with this foursome. There is zero intense BDSM. Instead, there are sexy shenanigans with threesomes and foursomes. They are explosively hawt and not to be missed. When it comes to sex scenes, Ms. Blevins is one of the few authors I will read every word and revel in the sex scenes.

This erotic romance is highly recommended to paranormal readers who enjoy multiple partners.

* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Side note for those who stuck through to the end of this long review - Cards Against Humanity is an awesome game to play with erotic authors. I have had the pleasure to play this twice now and each time it has been way too wrong and hilarious. Deviant buggers... all of them. You know who you are.

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