Burton Books

"Certain Devils". In 1829 just before he is to take his final vows, the Jesuit David Beckett crosses the Channel to investigate rumors of demonic activity at Chateau de la Grotte Cachee in France. There he meets the enchanting immortal Ilhtu-Lili while her companion Elric loathes how she looks at the Englishman. To his chagrin and guilt, Beckett finds himself confused with his stay at this HOUSE OF DARK DELIGHT as he wants the enchantress who makes him wonder if he is capable of being a priest.

"Satisfaction". In the present at Grotte Cachee, the chateau administrator Emmett is dying from pulmonary fibrosis. His daughter Isabel keeps visiting him from New York to spend time with him. His friend Hitch is also there reminiscing about the events of 1972 in the hidden hedonistic valley.

The two erotic novellas share much in common in spite of the almost two century gap between when they occur. Each tale is well written as fans will believe in the sexual escapades of the immortals with mortals. Although newcomers might have some early adaptation issues due to no initial background, they, like readers of the previous Grotte Cachee erotic fantasies, will quickly be enchanted by WHISPERS OF THE FLESH.

Harriet Klausner

Burton's third installment in Grotte Cachée series is the best so far. These two stories, Certain Devils and Satisfaction, both do what I want in a story: they create characters that I care about, responding in believable ways. These stories reuse slightly supernatural characters from the earlier books, too, the gods and goddesses (or something like) who seclude themselves in this distant corner of France. These stories do something else that I like, too: they create and sustain an erotic intensity sure to seduce any willing reader, possibly more than once.

The first of these stories is a seduction itself. An intense young man enters the chateau, determined to unearth its secrets. He arrives already certain of what those secrets are - and dead wrong, at least in every way that matters. It turns out that what he came for isn't so very secret and, in the end, he unearths his true self to himself.

After that first story's claustrophobic focus on just one character, the second widens the perspective. Many characters play their roles. In fact, central characters play several roles, separated by decades in time. Burton weaves these many strands together gracefully, just as well as she followed the thread of one character in the first story. And, in both cases, dramatic tension resolution move at an easy and rewarding pace.

That pace leaves lots of room for carnal interactions, which Burton scripts in loving detail. The players enter their play willingly (mostly) and happily. That wasn't always true in her earlier writing, and I find it much easier to enjoy.

You could probably read these books in any order. Although the eternal characters remain constant throughout, the separate vignettes occur at widely spaced times. Overall development of the series comes more as a filling-in of detail, not a strictly chronological continuity. As a result, newcomers find equal welcome no matter where in the series they start. I recommend this to any reader who enjoys adult themes, and who has the privacy in which to enjoy them fully.

-- wiredweird

Enter into the Château de la Grotte Cachée (the castle of the hidden grotto), a secluded castle in France. It is the administrateur's job to provide carnal nourishment for the immortals or Follets, which live there; a djinni (shape shifter), a Nordic elf, the Goddess of the new moon and a satyr. Sex from mortals is something they can't live without. But because of their delicate status, they also require a protection and privacy of sorts. This book contains two stories detailing different individuals' experiences at the Grotto at different times.

Certain Devils - Elic, the Nordic elf who can change from man to woman, and Lili, the Goddess of the new moon and succubus, have been a couple for hundreds of years. One of Elics immortal quirks is that he can't have sex with another immortal/Follet. He and Lili have learned to work around that, mostly by bringing mortals into their bed. Over the years they have shared hundreds of lovers.

When David Beckett, a Jesuit demon hunter, shows up at the Grotto disguised as a landscape artist, Lili is not only physically attracted to him, but finds herself besotted with the young man. This brings out the jealousy in Elic and causes problems in their comfortable love life.

Satisfaction - Isabel's father has been the adminstrateur to the Chateau and the Follets for many years. It is a family tradition that has been past down from one generation to the next. He is dying now and is content because he thinks that his daughter is going to take over his post. She's not. Part of the job involves finding mortal playmates for the Follets; the other part involves finding a gifted woman to make a marriage/love match for the guardian of the Follets, Adrien, so that he can produce more gifted children that can carry on the family tradition. Isabel won't do this job because she has been in love with Adrien since they were teens. She knows she can't have him, that doesn't mean that finding someone for him to have is something easy for her to do.

This story weaves a present day Grotto story with a glance back to the Grotto in the 1970's when Isabel's mother and father met. It is also a continuation from the last story in the second book of the series.

I loved the second book, Bound in Moonlight, I found it a highly entertaining and sexy read. However, this book surpasses that, easily. All the elements that I loved in the first book are here; steamy sexual encounters, fascinating chateau guests and the charming and playful follets. What's not in this book is an overload of the bondage and S&M type lovin' that got a little too much for me in the previous book.

Her sex scenes in both books are excitingly explicit and gratifyingly graphic. But her storylines in this one are by far her best. In this book she added more detail and emotions to the characters, making them come alive. It's definitely still a highly erotic tale, but this time you get a more captivating story and the characters mean more to you; definitely a bonus.

In between the pulse accelerating sex scenes I actually found myself laughing and crying a few times. She added a bit of romance and heart to some of the sex this time around. Whispers of the Flesh is everything I love about Erotica; a seamless blend of flesh, fantasy and reality.

Cherise Everhard, October 2008

Another wonderful book by Ann Burton. This on is Jael's story who's about to marry a man arranged by her parents. She like every other bride hopes for happiness and love. Instead her husband is far worse then she could imagine and she's the third wife. Jael becomes good friends with the two other wives and the coucumbine who shows up a little later. In order to stay alive in her marriage Jael must have sons yet through the other wives Jael learns the only way to do so is by committing adultery. Jael finds that troubling to say the least. Through the cocumbine Jael slowly starts following her God. Her killing of Sisera really surprised even though it happened in the Bible. It was very brave and yet still surprised me. I liked the arrival Deborah and look forward to reading her story.

I've always been fasinated by the little snippets of information contained in the Bible about ordinary people, especially the women, who have done something important enough to be remembered and recorded in the most read and published book in history. What were they like? What were their lives like? What was the rest of the story behind the few sentences we have? Ann Burton has done a wonderful job of creating a very plausible history for Jael, the contemporary of Deborah and heroine of the Israeli/Canannite conflict of that time. I was able to feel her fear, her pain, and her hopelessness, as well as her joy, friendships, and dreams. It is a story of honesty, faithfulness, courage, and a touch of sweet romance. I'll be reading Ms. Burton's other books in this series.

Jael's Story by Ann Burton is the Old Testament story from the book of Judges about a Kenite woman who uses a mallet and tent peg to kill Sisera the captain of the Canaanite charioteers. That's really all we know about Jael from the Bible. The story is told twice, once in prose, once in Deborah's song as poetry. The story of Jael has always fascinated me, so as soon as I heard about this book, I had to read it. Burton does a great job of describing life in a tent community using authentic language to add to the atmosphere. In Burton's book, Jael is a young Canaanite woman married to a brutish Kenite with another wife and concubine. One thing that really stands out about the book is that Burton does not portray the Canaanites as evil or immoral as often happens in Biblical fiction. All of the characters (except perhaps Heber and Sisera) are portrayed as true people with merits and flaws. The only time the book didn't flow well was during the one scene that we have the most information about. When Jael picks up the mallet and tent peg to strike Sisera, the story kind of jerks along until the scene is over and then flows back into a smooth narrative. So the one thing we know to be true about Jael is the one thing that doesn't fit into Burton's story, and the mystery of Jael continues.

This colorfully illustrated book contain useful information about man-made historical buildings, monuments and artifacts from around the world. From the Great Wall of China, to the pyramids of Egypt, this book shows and describes so many spectacular creations that have stood for thousands of years. My 60 year old father as well as my teenage nephews loved this book!

As a person who loves to travel, I am always drawn to coffee table-type books with beautiful photos of intriguing places. This book not only contains wonderful photos, but also descriptions of each place. I enjoy it, but truth be told, I was able to purchase it for $5.00 at Barnes and Noble in the bargain books section. May want to check that option...

This is a very good compilation of man-made "wonders" in a concise and easy-to-read format. With a hundred entries, "Wonders of the World" would be monstrous were it to include much detail about each wonder. However, many readers will find this an easy way to learn the salient points about many fantastic places, all in one book.

The primary arrangement is by continent, within which the wonders follow in chronological order. Each time you turn the page, you're reading about a different place. Every so often, there's a mini-chapter which generally describes civilizations or feats of man which proliferated, but couldn't be represented in a comprehensive way (e.g., "The Inca Empire" and "Houses of God"). These touch on key points, and might inspire the reader to pursue further study of more in-depth literature.

Each of the wonders is presented very simply: a world map in the corner, with a dot showing where on the planet it is situated; below that, a tiny political boundary map depicting area cities; two or three nice color photos; a five- to ten-paragraph description of the wonder; and lastly, a few paragraphs of complementary information relating to some part of history or related trivia. For example, the entry for The Grand Canal (Venice) has interesting notes about the gondola and Piazza San Marco.

As with any "best of" book, one may question why some things are included and others are not, but that's an argument I won't take up here. Yes, there are surely more than 100 magnificent places/things to see in the world; however, what's in this book is worth reading about, and I'd recommend "Wonders of the World" to just about anyone.

This book has an excellent sampling of tractors in this era.Plenty of pictures and illustrations of the inner and outer workings of these machines.Not an encyclopedia or a how to manual but one can get a good general overview of the history of the tractor.

For anyone who is interested in Tractor History this book will be an outstanding source of information. There are also additional books for other time periods written by the same award winning arthor.

I was very pleased to receive this book from this provider. The book was in great condition and I would buy from them again. Thank you!

I bought this book after looking at some of the names on the back. Especially appealing were, Saroyan, Cather, Wharton, Harte, Dos Passos and Anderson. The stories selected from these authors were not the best of their works, but overall it is a good sample. Additionally, there were some suprisingly good stories from people I had never read before, especially Zona Gale, whose "Nobody Sick, Nobody Poor" was excellent. Overall, a few stories (The Gold Bug) are let downs, but most are excellent and worth the time to read.

Another reviewer quoted the famous passage, "The Master said, The gentleman is not a utensil" as a highlight of this translation. Well, it only highlights that the translation is not as accurate as it should be. In the original text, the negative before qi, "utensil," is bu, which negates verbs, not nouns. That means qi must be understood as a verb, "to act like/behave like/serve as a utensil." A more precise translation would be: "The gentleman does not serve as a utensil." It's a subtle but crucial difference, and there's really no excuse for a translator of Watson's experience to make a mistake like this. He is more at home in imperial literature, not the classics.

This little book has had a considerable influence over the centuries in China and its cultural sphere. This translation is very agreeable and can be read in one day. However, it is a book that requires more than just one reading.

To give some examples, here are some sentences, almost chosen randomly:

"The Master said, The gentleman is not a utensil."

"The Master said, Persons who lack trustworthiness-I don't know how they get by!"

"A person who really hated the lack of humaneness would conduct himself humanely, never allowing those who lack humaneness to affect his behavior."

"The Master's Way consists of loyalty and reciprocity alone."

And my favorite one: "Standing by a stream, the Master said, It flows on like this-does it not?- never ceasing, day or night."

Burton Watson is a great translator of fine letters and we are all in his debt.

I had to read Paradise Lost for my English class, and I bought this, honestly, so I wouldn't have to buy a Cliffs Notes separately. The annotations are really helpful, and explain a lot of things. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book; it's just the notes. If it's your first time reading Milton, get this. If not, you may be annoyed by the notes; I was after a little while, once I got the gist of the story. I give it 4 stars because it's helpful, but you either love or hate Milton, and I hate it. But the notes (I can't say this enough) make the reading so much easier!

I recognize that Milton is second to Shakespeare in linguistic craft and mastery, and, wanting to round our my literary experience, I searched for month to find a lovely, hardbound, guilt-edged "Complete Works of Milton" to match my lovely, hardbound, guilt-edged "Complete Works of Shakespeare." But to no avail!

I almost bought a paperback "Complete Works of Milton," which had Milton's Greek, Latin, and Italian poems. It surprised me that this man was a genius in many languages, but since I only speak English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French, I demurred.

I finally settled on this edition since it does the job that an English student or aficionado would want. It contains the complete English sonnets, his English plays, and the supernal-issimo twins "Paradise Lost," and "Paradise Regained." In addition to the polyglot works, this book omits his prose works. But that is for another time and another day!

The "helps" are great. Every line in Epic Paradise plays is numbered, which prevents any miscounting errors. Moreover, it has many helpful footnotes, which highlight many of Milton's word plays and puns. In this dimension, Milton is one of the funniest classicists in the universe.

I enjoy Milton. His wordplay and "force of langue" outstrips Shakespeare in many instances. I also enjoy his obvious Christianity, which is what makes Lucifer is such a charming character. You only counterfeit a true coin!

This seller got my order to me very quickly. And he replied to my email about the product very gquickly. I would definetly buy from this seller again.

I dip in and out of this book. It is a combination of both examples and text book type exposition on the various kinds of arguments written or oral that one may be called upon to create. I love the friendly, systematic, varied, ecclectic quality of the book. It is, however, not a quick read since it is well designed for classroom use. I use it is a reference and an inspiration to think effectively about presenting effective "arguments."

As noted on the back of this very enjoyable book recently released by Wolfmont Publishing, "Tis the season to watch out for thieves, cutthroats, liars, rogues and con artists!" That it is as the holidays are nearly on us and it is also the season to help others. Not that help should not go out year around, but this is the time of year when more media attention is focused and it could be argued that needs are the highest. With all profits from this book going to support the "Toys for Tots" program the twenty authors and publisher should be very proud of what they have created.

In alphabetical order the authors are, Nick Andreychuk, Guy Belleranti, Tony Burton, Carol A. Cole, Herschel Cozine, Margaret Fenton, Suzanne Flaig, John M. Floyd, John L. French, Gary R. Hoffman, Joseph Ketner, Jean Lauzier, Jeffrey Marks, Debra Gray De Noux, O'Neil De Noux, Neil Plakcy, Rob Rosen, Mike Wiecek, John J. Wilson and Frank Zafiro. The result of their entertaining efforts, compiled and edited by Tony Burton and released through his publishing company, Wolfmont Publishing, take the reader on an emotional ride from hysterically funny to incredibly moving and all stops in between. While not all stories can be covered due to the obvious number and space limitations, there simply isn't a bad one in the bunch.

Starting off the anthology on a humorous note is the short piece penned by Herschel Cozine titled, "The Plight Before Christmas." Little can be said without ruining the funny read and it is good to know that Ellery Queen is on the case.

Also funny is the short story written by Rob Rosen tiled "Murder In Toddler Town." The hill is steep, the grass is wet, and clearly the victim fell on his way from fetching a pail of water. Detective Dock isn't convinced it was all an accident and knows this isn't the first time such a thing has happened.

John L. French also uses humor well in his story tiled "Surprise Package." When an elf is dead, the crime scene is at the North Pole or thereabouts, of course Santa would come in a red Jeep looking for P. I. Matthew Grace. After all, he has a body, a crime may have been committed and there are lots of suspects and Santa doesn't know nearly as much as we were always led to believe.

At the other end of the emotion scale is the incredibly powerful tale titled "Popcorn for Christmas" written by Debra Gray De Noux and O'Neil De Noux. Set in a morgue on Christmas Eve, it is a tale of what could have been. If this one does not get you in the heart, you simply aren't human.

Somewhere in the vast middle between those two extremes are tales such as the one written by John M. Floyd titled "Christmas Gifts." Dennis Bates has it all and is used to being in power as well as whom to help for his own reasons.

Carol A. Cole's story "The Bells of Christmas" also revolves around helping others in a way. Criminals are stopping cars and helping themselves to the victim's cell phones and Christmas packages before escaping by use of a City Cab.

While those detectives are dealing with a mortal problem, the paranormal makes another appearance in this anthology through Gray R. Hoffman's tale, "In the Chimney With Love." A few presents are missing from the Wallen's tree but there really is a logical explanation and heartfelt explanation.

Those familiar with Frank Zafiro's novel "Under A Raging Moon" (also available from Wolfmont) as well as his numerous interconnected short stories also set in "River City" won't be disappointed in his story titled, "Three Days of Christmas." The thief stealing Christmas presents is going to be stopped in the officers involved have their way.

Also putting a hard stop to crime is the theme behind the story "Secret Santa" by Jean Lauzier. Sometimes the best gifts are those that we do not know where they come from and never know who to thank.

The above gives you a small sampling of this excellent anthology as well as glimpse into some personal favorites. Your choices may and most likely will vary. However, you certainly won't be disappointed in this book as each and every story in it is a good one whether a new tale or a favorite reprint. The result is an excellent anthology dedicated to a worthy cause and a book well worth owning.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2006

The good thing about this book is that it will probably introduce you to some new mystery writers. I know I found some new ones to follow.

The GREAT thing about this book is that the profits from sales of this book go to the Toys for Tots Foundation. Can it get any better?

Over twenty authors contributed to this fun little book, filling it with light stories for the mystery readers in your life. You'll have fun debating which are your favorites, and all the while, the money you spent for this delightful gift will be helping a child smile.

Check it out.
Don't delay.
Hear the laughter
On Christmas Day.

Armchair Interviews says: 20 stories in one book. Nice!

A young Cabell weaves tales (annotated by authorities (?) of the era) spinning tales of some of the descendants (lineal and "spiritual")(and their consequences)that enrich the History of Dom Manuel of Poictesme. And outlines one of the characteristic approaches taken by the male in his inevitable pursuit of "Domnei".

These ten stories are attributed to Nicolas de Caen who wrote them in 1470 while serving as the priest and secretary to Philippe, Duke of Burgundy. The stories begin in the 13th century and end in the early years of the 15th. During this time the English Kings are struggling to retain their French possessions. In the "Sestina" chapter, Alianora of Provence, the wife of King Henry III, enlists the aid of Osmund Heleigh to help her secure the escape of her son Prince Edward whom the barons have imprisoned. The bookish Osmund helps her with disasterous consequences to himself. In the "Tenson" chapter, Prince Edward defeats the barons at the Battle of Evesham, after which he goes to Spain to get his wife Ellinor who he married ten years earlier. Several try to get him to set aside his claim to her with dire consequences for his opponents. In the "Rat-Trap" chapter, Prince Edward, now Edward I, arranged to marry Blanch, daughter of King Philippe of France. When he goes to France, King Philippe has second thoughts about the marriage and arranges to have Edward assassinated. Edward discovers the plot and humiliates the French king then departs France with a wife but her name is not Blanch. In "Choices," Queen Ysabeau spends a holiday toying with Sir Gregory Darrell and Rosamund Eastney. In "Housewife," Queen Phillipa, wife of Edward III thwarts a conspiracy against him and inspires the English army to defeat the Scottish forces invading England. In "Satraps," Dame Anne of Bohemia, wife to Richard II, prevents Richard's uncles from placing his brother Edward Maudlain on the throne by having Edward M. leave the court and go into hiding. In "Heritage," Edward Maudlain with the help of Richard II's 11 year old wife, Isobel Valois, takes his brother's place in prison and is slain, after which Henry of Derby becomes King Henry IV. In "Scabbard," the deposed Richard II changes his surname to Holland and makes a long tour of the continent. On his return to England, he has a chance to recover his usurped throne but opts to settle in Wales at Caer Idion, marry a peasant girl named Branwen and become a shepherd. In the "Navarrese," Antoine Riczi remains loyal to Princess Jehane de Navarre. In the "Fox-Brush," King Henry V traveling incognito in France as Alain Maquedonnieux the Irish harpist, kills a fox near the Convent of Chartres and has a chance meeting with Lady Katherine the Fair. He falls in love with her, and after an angst-filled courtship they become betrothed in the Cathedral of Troyes. In his "Epilogue," Nicolas de Caen gives the authorities for his tales and apologizes for being unable to confirm solidly the facts of the first three tales. As the events in the tales take place, the Hundred Years War blossoms and the seeds for the War of the Roses are sown.