Books like this make my head tilt. Just when I think I’ve gotten a handle on this suspending disbelief deal a book like this comes along and I’m all…



Those of you that have superior suspension of disbelief powers might could enjoy this, because it is very… cutesy. Instalove fans will likely adore this too. I do recognize that it’s supposed to be romantic rather than bad wrong, but it was just a little too weird for me and I was never able to alter my thinking from WTF to warm fuzzy.

Daphne is a speech pathologist and tells this story. Aristotle/Ari/A kidnaps her ostensibly to “fix” his best buddy Benjy’s muteness. Only that never happens! Apparently ole Benjy’s cup of care is empty which begs the question of why the hell his bestie doesn’t know this. Nevertheless, Benjy is WAY more interested in doing the shilly shally with her than talking, though his voice returns later under… dubious circumstances. *side eyes*

Allow me to set this stage, Ari drugs and kidnaps Daphne, takes her to a secluded compound lodge, when she wakes it’s to a room full of strangers gawking at her. She tries to escape. YAY! She’s discovered immediately and taken to Ari’s and Benjy’s loft where he puts her to bed. Like a toddler. She wakes to not just Ari but Benjy. In bed. With her. Her reaction is along the lines of, “this is cozy”. NAY!



I maybe would’ve been less floored by this reaction were it more believable gradual? But within days she’s thinking of quitting her job and staying on the compound at the lodge forever with her two dudes and the rest of these fugitives then learning how to use various weapons to aid them in fighting the baddies. Ummmm first, when did they become a committed throuple? Second…



The suspend disbelief doubled down with her being a virgin at 25 who during her deflowering was deep throating one and taking the sizable dick of the other simultaneously. Like a porn star. Approximately 2.5 seconds later she’s DPing like a champ.



I’m not sure if I was more disturbed by her meteoric rise to pornstardom or the fact that the guys essentially treat her like a fuck doll. They carry her around, arrange her like a body pillow, dress and undress her, smack her ass a whole lot and basically dictate how she spends her time. What’s more, she seems to like it! She giggles and swoons whilst walking around making the moony eyes at them.

WHAT.THE.FUCK? There’s making lemonade out of lemons and then there’s HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND?



The saddest part is… well, two things really, the first being I got Jedi mindtricked into believing this was MMF when in reality it’s MFM. I blame myself for this. The cover should’ve tipped me off. I clearly saw what I wanted to see, so technically I Jedi mindtricked myself which is just… sad. Second, the sex is lame. Oral and DP. Only on her though which I found unrealistic seeing as how these two dudes were sharing a bed before Dolly, I mean Daphne, came along and they never cross the swords?



I’ve not read the other books in this series and was able to catch up relatively quickly so it can be read as a standalone. The ongoing plot is a little bit sci-fi divided by cyberpunk multiplied by action/suspense with the characters from the previous books playing a significant role in the narrative. The way it concluded was much the same as the romance plot-a little bit hokey and a lot unbelievable. I didn’t hate it and can admit that there were some sweet moments but Daphne was too bizarre and that coupled with the speed of their “connection” was too much for me.

Recommend to fans of cutesy reads who can suspend disbelief like a BOSS!

A review copy was provided by NetGalley.

I liked that even though I had not read any of the prior books in this series it didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of Daphne's story. The story has drama of course from the fact that the men had been held in a lab and forced to be research subjects. Also there is the action of Ari having kidnapped Daphne and the conflict surrounding that and the fact that the other men disagreed with his actions. Then there is the point where the conflict between the men and the bad guys who are after them. But during it all Daphne, Ari and Benjy develop a relationship and that is the heart of the story. Enjoyable, steamy and an all around solid story.

As a personal quirk of mine, I am not a fan of when people get kidnapped and then fall in love with their kidnappers. I get that it was played a little bit for laughs, but I just can't get behind that at all. I like the super-soldier/experiment thing they've got going on, but it sounds like all of the heroines were kidnapped, so I won't be reading the rest in the series.

I should have done a better job of selecting a book to review. I cannot lie and give a review of a book I did not read. What made me choose the book in the beginning was the cover. love the cover art. Once I started it, I found it was Paranormal theme which is a nightmare for me to read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get this book. If, someone ask me for a paranormal ménage I will recommend this book to them.

I liked this ménage read. This is the 4th book in the series but it can be read as a stand-alone. My only issue with the book was it seemed a bit rushed, I would have liked more interaction between Daphne, Ari and Benjy. It may have made their chemistry even better. Overall the story has plenty of suspense, drama and steamy sex. The story is entertaining and I will check out more in the series.

Most women go their whole lives trying to find 1 love. Daphne got lucky and found 2 men that would love her and protect her no matter what. Sometimes fate has a funny way of bringing people together and their love story proves just that!

Sorely disappointed in this book. I was hoping that maybe, just maybe I could escape the overbearing “Alpha” male trope. But alas I was sorely mistaken. From the very beginning Ari is a Alpha male through and through, and not in a good way. I am sure he was supposed to be dark and brooding, but I quickly lost patience with him. It was around the third time he picked Daphne up to carry her around that my mood turned sour and never sweetened. While Benjy was better, I found that, after a while, his playful antics seemed more childish than endearing.

I wanted to like this novel, but I just couldn’t get behind it. The chemistry seemed forced and though it actually had an in depth plot, it wasn’t one I could care about. The author does have a good writing style that flows easily. My problem was with the story itself, not the writing.

Double Dose by Katie Allen is book Four in the Research & Desire series. This is the story of Daphne, Benjy and Ari. Benjy and Ari are apart of a group of men that have been subjected to mind and body altering experience. They have escaped and now live in a private area that is fenced in and hard to get to to protect themselves and the others that are there. Benjy it seems was injured earlier (before this book started) that has effected him so much that he cannot speak. So Ari kidnaps Daphne to have her help Benjy. To Ari this makes sense since he and Benjy cannot just come and got to an appointment with her. But what they found that they all have feelings for each other and Daphne fits in with the others. But there is still danger for the group that needs to be solved.
Enjoyed this fantasy type romance!

I went into this one totally based on the cover. I'm so glad I did. This is a part of series and yet it isn't written that way, I didn't feel as if I was lost reading the story because each of the characters from the previous novel gave a brief synopsis of their stories without really spoiling anything. So I'm adding those onto the TBR Pile because why not??!! When I went to write this I discovered that Katie is the author of one of my favorite books ONe Two Punch, which is another amazing menage erotica, I knew I liked this one for a reason.

This was fun, funny, and a wild adventure. Hiding deep in the mountains Ari knows that his best friend needs help and decides to go out and get that help however he can. That help comes in the form of Daphne, Speech therapist, who is an expert in the field . She needs time away from the stresses of her own practice and a failed relationship that makes her doubt all she thought she knew about love and relationships

Let's be clear from the beginning this could have gone very wrong, however the way the author wrote it, giving screen time to the obvious issues with them having kidnapped her for her help makes the story a bit more believable and less Stockholm syndrome. From the very beginning Daphne tries to make the men see reason and when that doesn't work she tries to run. Daphne is cognizant of who she is, she voices her concerns without fear due to the presence of others who let her know they have her back when it comes to Ari. Daphne is relateable, fun, sarcastic and just down to earth & very well accomplished. The men who are working with what they know are pretty good guys who are trying to make the best of a bad situation made worse by Ari's decision to kidnap Daphne.

I enjoyed the story that unfolded, it's the culmination to the series so the mystery is sped up here and the unfolding pieces all start coming together and everything not just their case but Daphne's case as well begin to converge and spiral out of control.

We get an action packed adventure along with a steamy erotica featuring a menage that becomes polyandrous. I loved the way the separate relationships developed between each of the men and Daphne especially her non verbal communication with Benjy. The relationship the men had as friends was wonderful to read as well.

All in all a quick action packed adventure that had strong female lead who has an extremely erotic encounter with these men.

★★★★1/2☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
Wolf by Kaitlin O'Connor
One Two Punch by Katie Allen
Happy Reading my loves,

This is the first Katie Allen book that I have read. It is also the 4th in the series. When it comes to romantic suspenses I crave a good plot line and good characters, this book didn't give me what I wanted. The idea behind this book was extremely intriguing. I love the idea of a kidnapped damsel who falls for the not so bad guy plot.

Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me. I want to get to know the characters better. Daphne, has the classic "I'm a klutz" syndrome that most heroines have. It's a way to get women to relate to her and show that she isn't perfect but it really is over used. The characters were very shallow and the backstory for them were minimal. I would have loved to have more depth and development for the main characters. It seems that there was never a moment where they weren't going to fall madly in love. It was a very cookie cutter romance.

Ultimately, I loved the idea but the execution was lacking. I think what would have made this more than a 3 star book would be better character development. This would have added an emotional attachment that would have helped when the plot was lacking.

Posturing over paperwork after a long day seeing patients, Daphne is tired. Tired of her stagnant life. As a speech therapist, she is all too aware of the need to communicate effectively-which never seemed to happen with her ex-fiancé.  Finding him with another woman has her rethinking everything she thought she knew. Her life takes a sudden detour when she is kidnapped from her office by a man who she though to be a misplaced patient.

She awakes to find herself in a secret bunker high in the mountains of Colorado. When she is asked to help a man left with a speech impediment, she is dumb struck that these people would go so far to kidnap her for her services.  Upon hearing their story of being forced test subjects, with the hope of making super soldiers, she would like to help, but not being held against her will. Empathy is her undoing, however. She learns more about these men, Ari-her captor, and Benji-her patient, she starts to bond with them.  She's not happy about being there, but she can't squash the feelings they invoke from her. She thinks she's going wacko for sure. Plus, the past with her fiancé just doesn't seem to ever go away and now is threatening the group she feels a part of. Can she put her past to bed without taking the whole group down??

I enjoyed this book and liked all the interesting additions these supersoldiers possess.  They integrated her into their group little by little, and she liked being a part of it. The circumstances that brought her there, war with her feelings she's developed for Ari and Benji. My only problem? They kidnapped her because she was a speech therapist but she did virtually nothing to work with Benji to understand the root cause of his impediment and work on his speech. He also seemed less than pleased she was brought there to work with him on the first place. Outside of that, I liked the overall story of the guys fighting back against the laboratory that did these altercations to them.  Their plight is real and we are naïve to think this type of thing hasn't already been going on in the real world. The suspense and drama added to the story and I was reading a mile a minute to get to the end!  I would have liked to have read more about the consequences the lab faced though. The book was definitely worth reading.

reviewed by Deb

So it starts with a kidnapping, follows up with courting (in a way) by 2 hot, muscled men. And then they finally take down all the bad guys. Then, the exclamation of Love, with some hot three-some bedroom action throw.n in. I'm so glad about the HEA!

Speech therapist Daphne suddenly finds her life upended when she's kidnapped and taken to a secret hideaway in the Colorado mountains. Her kidnapper Ari is convinced she can help his friend Benjy who has lost the ability to speak. Once Daphne learns the reasons behind the secret hideaway and meets the other occupants she becomes determined to find a way to help them. She always finds herself attracted to two hunks and enjoys every minute of it.

This book was a good read and although it says you can read it as a standalone I found it a bit difficult to be honest the fact there are 3 others before it if my memory serves me right.

The book was written well its something different but I really think you should read the others to really get into the full awesomeness of the story.

Issues...such issues with this book.

I picked to read this book because the lead character was a Speech Language Pathologist! Yeah! That’s my job. No one is ever that! Did I get to see her in action...nope it was just glossed over after about the first three chapters.

We never got the guys POV at all. So their actions and thoughts were never explained, thus lots of unanswered questions and the men seemed not developed at all. There was instant attraction even though they kidnapped her.

It stated very slow and then all the action happened in the last few chapters. The story couldn’t make up its mind to go slow or fast.

Not a bad read, but not a great one.

Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

3.5 Stars I enjoyed reading Double Dose and although this book can read as a standalone I will go back and read the other three as there seemed to be something missing in parts. I liked the character interactions and storyline dynamics and look forward to reading it again with the other books

Double Dose is book four in the Human Design series by Katie Allen. This is my first book by Katie Allen. Even though I have not read any of the previous books in this series, it did not in any way take away from my enjoyment of this book.

Daphne is doing what she always wanted. She is a speech-language pathologist at a prestigious practice. Her life is very predictable. She had dated a man for a year and three months and they had become engaged. Only to discover that he had been using her the entire time as a front as he swindled investors out of their money. She, of course, was no longer engaged to him but the blow to her self confidence still stung.

At the end of a normal work day, after the receptionist had already left, a very hot looking stranger comes into her office. At first Daphne thinks he is a patient. Until he puts a cloth over her nose and mouth and kidnaps her.

Daphne wakes up in a remote cabin in the Colorado mountains surrounded by several equally good looking men and two women. All of them are yelling at the one they call Ari, who is the one who took her. Ari claims they need her because she is well known in her field of expertise and that she needs to help one of the men who either can’t or won’t speak.

Ari is one of five men who were held in labs against their will and had things done to them to enhance their abilities. Bionic men so to speak. They could see better, hear better, were stronger, could run faster. They had escaped and were hiding under false identities. None of them could remember their lives before they were “changed.” But the lab men wanted them back and would not stop searching for them. So Ari and his friends were constantly on high alert.

One of the men who seemed to be Ari’s closest friend, Benjy, could no longer speak. They don’t know if it’s from a physical or mental trauma. But Ari wants Daphne to fix him. Daphne is determined not to give in to their demands. But the longer she is around these men and women, the more she sees that they are not the bad guys but are victims. She keeps chastising herself that she is the worst kidnapping victim ever since she doesn’t mind being there at all. And the more she is around Ari and Benjy, the more she is becoming attached to not one of them, but both of them. And it is obvious they feel the same way for her.

At first, this was kind of a cute story the way Daphne reacted to her abduction and the way that Ari and Benjy were with her. I have to admit that at times, I thought Daphne was a bit childish. But as things progressed with the three of them, things got steamy fast, and boy oh boy, they did heat up. Daphne was actually very inexperienced since she and her previous boyfriend had never been intimate. But let me tell you, she caught on fast, very fast.

Then it all kicked up a notch when everything sort of comes to a peak between all the bad guys and the good guys. Things got pretty darn intense. This was a fun, steamy and enjoyable book. It most definitely won’t be my last book by this author.

*Received ARC from NetGalley for Honest Review*
Thank you Publisher & Author

I Give this Book 2 Stars

Oh Bugger...
*head hitting desk repeatedly*

The Synopsis makes the book sound great, by upon reading this book, it's paced HORRIBLY.
Fast paced in the areas you want to read or just jumps to the next day or days.
&
Slow paced in quite boring, long drawn out areas that leave you yawning and looking to the ceiling in frustration and/or have the near desperate temptation to close the book.

Honestly I can't understand these characters, you got Ari who kidnaps Daphne (yep, there even a Scooby Doo reference in the book) to have her help Benjy, who can't speak from a blow to the head. Daphne is supposedly the BEST in her 'line of work' and yet you don't see her do a damn thing and in the end she wasn't needed...SERIOUSLY.

****So what was the whole Clusterforkin point?!****

The fact that she miraculously FRIENDS everyone at the secure 'fortress', Ari took (Kidnaps) her too within a short amount of time (less then a few days), was mind boggling also to the fact she wants to live with them too...

This Book the All the Male Characters act like...Cavemen, the whole slap the butt and throw over the shoulders, several times through the book.
(Typically I DON'T MIND that at all, but in this book it just degrades the writing and makes it epic all amateurish, it's as if Dominant Strong Male Characters act like prehistoric men when women are around....)

I mean the chicks a virgin, yet had a FIANCÉ (who ends up stealing clients money and takes off with his lover) who she never fooled around with by the sounds of it nor slept with be that SEX or just plain nap in the same bed...I mean never napped with a GUY ever...

Sex/Intimate scenes: Seemed repeated, Mediocre at best and some areas comically boring, fast or long drawn out and leaving me only to roll my eyes... for example complete virgin 1 day and she's a master at DP the very next day...

Also (doesn't usually bother me since it's in a BOOK) but no protection either...

(I typically love sex scenes and more the merrier... but when you read this book and see how 'fast' these people bond, it's just ridiculous...)

Writing style:
0. Some Areas were dropped off, like... why couldn't you continue with this scene?
0. The convos seemed awkward or just drawn out way way to much or forced
0. Weird fillers
0. Some places were left like you should ALREADY know what's going on... yet you have no bloody clue.... (ex. The sudden FBI dude)
0. Don't think I didn't catch the Guys Names: Ari, Benjy, Cal, Darwin, Ed.... (the alphabet song was playing in my head when I listed them off too...)

Would I read more from this author?

No.

I was grateful to receive a free copy of Double Dose in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy reading menage stories, but I jus couldn't get engaged in this story. Everything about it from the kidnapping, to the compound with bunkers, to dangerous lab people, and finally the fraudster ex fiance. This story was all over the place. At first Daphne was kidnapped to help Benji talk. I didn't realize Benji was an adult. This whole plot died when Benji miraculously to talked. Another kicker was the author would intermittently use first initials. I found this rather strange. Overall, the writing was good, but the story was a little to strange.