Title: Lean on Me
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Publisher/Year: Loose id 9/16/10
Length: 314 Pages
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands #4
Overview
Andrea wants to submit, but not to just any so-called Dom. He has to be tougher than the slum-bred bullies she grew up with. She’d given up finding a true Dom when her friend finagles her a place as a trainee in an exclusive BDSM club with the powerful Shadowlands Masters. Andrea’s thrilled…and terrified.
Forced to accept an unknown submissive into his carefully run trainee program, Master Cullen is furious. Not only is the young woman new to BDSM, but she’s unsuited to her role–armoured in leather like a Domme, she’s more liable to punch a Dom than kneel. He decides to push her right back out the door. But as he ruthlessly intimidates her, punishes her, then comforts her, his glimpses of the woman inside the emotional armour intrigue him and her utter surrender captures his heart.
Although Master Cullen is famous for his unfettered lifestyle, Andrea believes he might be interested in her, until she discovers he’s not just a bartender–he’s a cop. Maybe he’d overlook her past brush with the law, but when another trainee accuses her of stealing money, Andrea’s sure she’s lost the Master she wanted with all her heart.
My Thoughts
We meet again, in the interesting world of the masters – and who’s next up on our list. It took 4 books, but here we are focusing on Master Cullen who we know is really a great guy and you just really want to root for. He has a role at the core of every story being the bartender that every sub has to interact with and we see that he’s got a playful side yet is quite domineering which is perfect for him.
Cullen oversees the Trainees at the club – which is something i found to be really interesting. I think that the author did an amazing thing here by showing us that not only is Shadowlands a safe place for experienced Doms/Subs to engage in their favorite activities, but it also safely introduces people who are interested in being a sub to the lifestyle in a way that’s slow yet very very fast and oh so hot!
Andrea manages to nab herself a prime place as a trainee at Shadowlands becuase of her lifetime best friend and that’s both a blessing and a curse for her. See Andrea has gone through a few BDSM clubs, clearly portraying herself in the wrong way if she truly wants to be a sub, and as a result, doesn’t find what she needs AT ALL. She’s tall, curvy, and i believe Amazon, the term often used to describe her really does suit her. she’s sure of herself, not one to easily back down, and that’s exactly what Cullen needs i think. She grew up on the streets, has been through quite a bit in her life and although being submissive is something that she thinks she wants to be, it’s definitely something that will take a lot of work.
Being the head of the trainee program, Cullen has to deal with a lot without overtly playing favorites. It ‘s hard at times since it seems like Andrea wants to be a dom more tan a sub sometimes or just plain doesn’t want to be there, yet this big guy that Cullen is some how manages to find what makes her tick and goes from there.
Suffice it to say that one thing that i’ve learned with these strong women as leads in the stories – the more defiant the hotter the sex. make sure you have your A/C cranking when you read this and all others in the series because there’s truly not even 1 tame woman lurking in there.