Category Archives: BDSM

Review: Heart of Stone (Stone #1) by Dakota Willink

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Title: Heart of Stone
Author: Dakota Willink
Publisher/Year:  Dakota Willink 12/27/15
Length:  442 pages
Series: Stone #1

Overview

ound by need. Entwined in secrets…

Krystina

I had dreams and aspirations, none of which included a man by my side. Been there, done that.

Then I forgot my cellphone, and all of my carefully laid plans went to hell.

He wasn’t supposed to be there when I fell.

I wasn’t supposed to get lost in a sea of sapphire blue when he helped me up.

And he wasn’t supposed to be Alexander Stone, the New York billionaire real estate tycoon.

I saw the dark promises in his eyes when he looked at me.

But the shadows of my past haunted me, making me afraid to explore the possibilities I could never before have imagined.

Alexander

I was used to getting what I wanted.

I understood the value of finesse and patience to achieve the desired result.

But a chance run-in with Krystina Cole quickly turned my world upside down.

She was strong, determined, devastatingly beautiful-and stubborn as hell.

Her quick wit and firecracker attitude was the complete opposite of what I wanted in a woman.

But I still wanted to claim her.

Tame her.

Make her mine.

And I always get what I want.

My Thoughts

I kept getting this book and series as a suggestion of things to read so of course I had to dive right in. The subject matter is always one that interests me – I love to see someone’s eyes opened to the world of non-vanilla activities, and watch how someone comes out of their shell to realize that there truly is more to it than kink and pain.

What we get in this story is a girl who’s come out of a relationship where she felt controlled, he cheated and she now has trouble trusting men. She will never put herself back in that position. Add to that, she’s living in a city where she’s trying to find her footing and she’s having a tough time at it. Her dream is to work at an Advertising agency, and yet right now she’s working in a grocery store since that’s what she was able to get. It’s not until the owner of the store looks to sell because he needs the money that Krystina’s life changes

Enter Alexander Stone. A mogul and a man who’s direct and precise about what he wants in every facet of his life. He’s got many companies and he’s trying to create a name for himself outside of the empire that his father built. He needs control, requires it, but when he sees Krystina for the first time, he realizes that the notion of control with her goes to a different level.

What we have in this story is typical of others in the genre. There’s a man who’s a firm and strong dominant – needs to be like that in everything he does, but he finds that he has this softer side towards Krystina. He is not the relationship type, but he’s going that route with her. He’s never been one to really be patient with a sub who didn’t know the lifestyle and yet he’s willing to take his time and introduce her to things in the right way so that she can make her own opinions.

This story is a slow build – you get to see a lot of hedging on what they are each willing to compromise to be ‘happy’. Happy is relative in this sense since I think that they are both masochists in their own way and don’t want to allow themselves to be happy. It’s a roller coaster of sorts in terms of building trust, understanding perspective and realizing what they are willing to do or give up to make someone else comfortable.

I wanted to like this book – I had such high hopes, but what I will say is that while intentional in nature, the characters make me a bit nuts. it took me far longer to read this first installment than it should have and it’s giving me much hesitation to find the next one. I want to love it, I love the idea of a girl who’s learning a new world and a guy who realizes that he can compromise, but…..this one is not necessarily the right one for me. we’ll see. I rarely let a book beat me! Enjoy!

Review: Restrained Under His Duty (Dirty Little Secrets #3) by Stacey Kennedy

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Title: Restrained Under His Duty
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Publisher/Year:  Random House 4/4/17
Length:  220 Pages
Series: Dirty Little Secrets #3

Overview

As the chief of security for a prominent senator, Ryder Blackwood is stunned when an anonymous source sends him a compromising photo of his boss’s twenty-five-year-old daughter getting down and dirty in an underground sex club. If it gets out, the media firestorm could ruin her father. More troubling for Ryder is how arousing he finds the whole situation. He’s known Hadley Winters since she was a kid. And now she’s the woman in all his most private fantasies.

Wild behavior helps Hadley get through those painful, lonely nights, but she’s been waiting a long time for a man like Ryder to protect her from herself. Ryder is raw. He’s real. And he makes her feel safe. Now that they’ve both become pawns in a blackmailer’s dangerous game, there’s more at stake than her father’s political career. As the intimate threats tear apart a tender new love, Hadley is forced to trust Ryder with her life—and her heart.

My Thoughts

So i’ll be honest, it’s been quite a bit of time since I was with this series, but I do vaguely remember what was going on with the four friends. They’re all successful and they all own sex clubs, but that’s only a part of who they are. They have these amazing identities and lives that fly above and beyond what they try to hide, and it’s what they’re trying to hide that often gets them into trouble.

In this story – we are focused on Ryder – he owns a security firm and he has been working for a Senator for longer than he can remember. He’s grown close to the man, as well as to his daughter, and the sparks fly between them but they both fight it since there’s complications in what that could mean.

Of course, when something comes out that has the power to compromise Hadley, and in turn harm her father, we see the protective nature of Ryder come out in full force and as a result, the sparks fly to a point where they combust and the world is turned on its side.

There’s a lot of deceit in this story. There’s someone who’s been selling false stories to the tabloids about the friends, and now Hadley has been brought into it. There’s someone who’s trying to get her father to step down from office and when that doesn’t happen, Hadley is blackmailed for it.

Murders are attempted, moles and false stories are planted to weed out whos behind everything, and what inevitably happens is that there’s an unhappy ending for several people. We don’t know who’s trustworthy and we have ideas on who’s not for sure. Will it all come to a head before or after any chance of romance has passed.

The conclusion here sets up a story for the final man of the quad, and we now know who’s behind some things but not yet why. The implications there are immense and I can’t wait to find out now how it resolves since i’ve discovered this series again. Enjoy!

Review: Black Edge (Black Edge #1) by Charlotte Byrd

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Title: Black Edge
Author:  Charlotte Byrd
Publisher/Year:  Byrd Books 10/12/18
Length:  184 Pages
Series: Black Edge #1

Overview

I don’t belong here. 

I’m in way over my head. But I have debts to pay. 

They call my name. The spotlight is on. The auction starts. 

Mr. Black is the highest bidder. He’s dark, rich, and powerful. He likes to play games. 

The only rule is there are no rules. 

But it’s just one night. What’s the worst that can happen?

My Thoughts

Who doesn’t like a good story about sex games right? That’s what we get when we dive into things with Ellie and Aiden. This story starts off with our leading ladies enjoying their lives as most girls do – although they have it a bit better than most of the main female characters that we see in these stories. Ellie and her friend and roommate Caroline met while at Yale, and come from families of privilege. They have the means to do what they want, and don’t struggle like most of the characters that we have. Where it does follow suit is that Ellie wants to make her own way – her family’s money is a result of her mom remarrying – and her step father has a bit of wealth which he shares with Ellie. He pays for her apartment, while Ellie insists on paying her student loans.

Her story’s trajectory changes when Caroline gets the invitation that she’s been waiting for. She heard about this exclusive party and has been waiting for an invite to it, and when it comes, both girls end up on a trip of a lifetime. They are taken to this lavish yacht party where they quickly learn that things aren’t what they seem.

Ellie is immediately given a new dress to wear, courtesy of their host Mr Black. Then they mingle and meet all these young eligible bachelors, where Ellie realizes that perhaps they aren’t exactly her speed. Time and time again she’s told that she doesn’t belong at the party and she questions everything. When the atmosphere changes after a break from cocktails, they are called to the main salon where it’s only women there. Quickly things take a turn for the racy. We learn that the next round of the event is an auction – where the women are up for bid and the man who wins them gets a night of what ever sexual fantasy he wants. The women get to keep the money and are at the mercy of their ‘owner’. Caroline quickly realizes that this isn’t for her and expects Ellie to depart with her but surprisingly Ellie realizes the the idea isn’t so bad and the money that she could make would be worth it.

From then on, the story takes a turn. Ellie perhaps brings the most money in for the night – her gentleman thankfully isn’t an older guy, but instead Mr Black. He’s not at all what she expects, but his preferences are darker and raunchier than she could have imagined. What surprises her the most is how much she enjoys what he does and wants more. The time they spend together seems great but she knows that it’s just one night.

So when she goes to depart the next morning, she thinks that’s the end of things, and yet Mr Black, Aiden – tracks her down before she leaves and gives her something to hope for. What that is, and what that means for her – you’ll only know if you read the story!

There are a few subplots going on as well that make this story a bit meatier. There’s the best friend Tom that Ellie’s had since college – a guy that she’s always crushed on and a guy that broke her heart when he quickly started dating their boss and got engaged. That put the breaks on any emotions and feelings, and thankfully for Ellie, it opened up the possibility with Aiden. What happens in this story though makes us see that Tom isn’t worthy of her devotion. Watching his demeanor and judgement makes us root for Ellie and I can’t wait to see what happens to Tom as a result of his new found rude qualities.

There’s also the bits about Caroline – we know that she enjoys the nicer things in life and that she’s the one who brought Ellie into the world with Mr Black. She now has a bit of jealousy and I can’t wait to see how that plays out for her.

Then there’s all of Aiden’s past and the mystery that surrounds him and his tastes. I’m sure that all the readers here can’t wait to see what it means for the possibility of the future since there are so many dark corners and twists that will be obstacles.

Well…lucky for my eager reader mind – i’ve got the next book already and i’m off to see what comes next. Enjoy!

Review: Secrets of Daddy’s Best Friend (Daddy’s Billionaire Best Friend #3) by Lacy Ryder

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Title: Secrets of Daddy’s Best Friend
Author:  Lacy Ryder
Publisher/Year:  Smutpire Press 4/9/20
Length:  23 Pages
Series: Daddy’s Billionaire Best Friend #3

Overview

Mark has a secret, and it’s threatening to ruin everything…
My body pulses every time I see him. Thoughts of the dirty, secret things we’ve been up to rush through my mind and consume me.

I’m in a constant state of arousal, always waiting for his next command. He’s more than forbidden, which just makes me want him more.

But Mark has a past, and with it comes a secret that has me questioning everything we’ve been up to… can we get through this or will this tear us apart?

My Thoughts

The summary is a bit misleading as we don’t ever know what the secret is until the very end and it doesn’t seem like it has any implication. Not anything material at least since the story plays out exactly how we expect.

So we left this couple after they had an exciting night in the underground BDSM club under Marquee – Katie was taken to heights that she could have never imagined and Mark seem to be quite smitten with her.

What I wonder though is what the interest is there – is it purely because she’s so young, is there something more – deeper? I really don’t know and we don’t quite get to that point. On her way out of the club though, he does share a secret with her that apparently shocks her and makes her think, but at the same time, we have no idea what it is and we don’t really see the implication until the end.

We’re in this third chapter now at Katie’s father’s birthday party. we watch how there’s chemistry between Mark and Katie and somehow no one picks up on it. the innuendos, the touches, and still everyone’s oblivious. even her mom. Mark throws caution to the wind, although we know that he’s all for the risk and convinces Katie to meet him in her father’s office. What we get there is an incredibly hot scene, one that makes us wonder how no one knows what’s going on, but that’s not for this conversation.

We continue to watch these two find moments to steal away together, and all while the party is going on. She wonders if there could be something more and how to go about it without getting caught. It’s only at the end of this novella that we find out what the secret was and the concern/question that it raises in Katie as to why they’re doing what they’re doing and if it’s ‘ok’. I won’t reveal the secret – you need to read this for yourself to find out, but perhaps thats the most compelling bit of this story – aside from the hot and steamy BDSM moments. Enjoy!

Review: Obsessed with Daddy’s Best Friend (Daddy’s Billionaire Best Friend #2) by Lacy Ryder

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Title: Obsessed with Daddy’s Best Friend
Author:  Lacy Ryder
Publisher/Year:  Smutpire Press 4/9/20
Length:  23 Pages
Series: Daddy’s Billionaire Best Friend #2

Overview

Mark has me on the edge, in more ways than one…
I’ve never felt this way before. Not about anyone before Mark. Everything we do is so forbidden, yet so satisfying.

If anyone ever found out that my dad’s best friend took me to a place called The Dungeon…

If anyone ever found out that he’s tied me up and had his way with me more than once…

If anyone ever caught us in the act at work… well, let’s just say I’d never be able to look them in the eyes ever again and my life would be over. But, I just can’t help myself around him. The naughty things he makes me to do are well worth the risk and I’ll gladly satisfy him over and over again.

My Thoughts

Well, my hopes were dashed in thinking that this would be more than another chapter – but oh well. What we have here is the continuation of a slim level BDSM type story – with Katie continuing her experience with Mark. We saw their play time go from one night into something more. He invites her to Marquee for a night that she assumes will be entertaining clients, but instead finds that he’s rented the entire place for them – to play and to learn more about the chemistry between them.

Katie’s taken to levels that she could never imagine, not surprising given her young age, but still, Mark has a dark side and that’s the delicious kind. There’s an underground to Marquee that no one knows about – it’s a secret BDSM club and Mark’s a member. He takes her there for their private night and shows her parts of his world that he knows she’ll love but knows that she’s never experienced.

There’s a hint of angst and more to come as we see what secrets they’ll have to keep. They both know that there will be issues if Katie’s father realizes what they do with each other, and we know the bubble will burst in the coming weekend when it’s her. father’s birthday and they’ll be in the same party together. So, if nothing else, there’s a bit of excitement coming in the third chapter – so I guess that means that I have to go pick it up. Enjoy!

Review: Taken by Daddy’s Best Friend (Daddy’s Best Friend #1) by Lacy Ryder

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Title: Taken by Daddy’s Best Friend
Author:  Lacy Ryder
Publisher/Year:  Smutpire Press 4/9/20
Length:  22 Pages
Series: Daddy’s Best Friend #1

Overview

I’ve fantasized about him for as long as I can remember…

Mark Logan. Household name and CEO of a company named after himself. Of the lesser known facts, he’s also my father’s best friend since like… forever. Luckily for me, that was enough to get me in as his secretary, on one condition. No special treatment will be given and I have to perform if I want to keep the job.

Easy, right? Not even close.

The first thing I do is walk in on him dominating his current secretary all over his desk. Then, instead of backing away slowly and forgetting the whole thing I find myself eagerly watching; wishing that it was me sprawled out over his desk.

Now, I can barely look him in the eyes and in Mark’s own words, he wants me to “take over all of her responsibilities.” But, what exactly does he mean by that?

There’s only one way to find out…

My Thoughts

I feel like that summary was longer than the book -and it was almost the case. I didn’t realize that it at the time that I purchased it but what we have here I guess is an interesting chapter of sorts – watching a teenage Katie get a job working for her father’s best friend. A man that’s always been of interest to her because of how he carries himself, but he’s always been off limits.

At the same time, we learn that Mark has always been intrigued by Katie – always found her to be something special and now that he’s got the chance to taste that – to sample it, he goes for it.

So what we get in this novella of sorts is the first day of Katie going to work, walking in on Mark and his secretary doing all sorts of hot and steamy things on his desk, and of course she’s afraid that she’ll be caught but can’t seem to turn away. She doesn’t realize that Mark knows that she’s there, and then we get the pleasure of watching how things play out from her after that.

So…i’m not sure what book two will hold for us, but hopefully it’s longer than 22 pages and we can get something hotter! Enjoy!

Review: Tied to Him (The Billionaire’s Beck and Call #3) by Delilah Fawkes

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Title:Tied To Him
Author:  Delilah Fawkes
Publisher/Year:  Delilah Fawkes 7/13/13
Length:  206 Pages
Series: Billionaire’s Beck and Call #3

Overview

Jackson Pierce is a man with a secret…

Becoming Governor isn’t in the cards for billionaire and former D.A. Jackson Pierce unless he can squelch the unsavory rumors flying around. He’s not ashamed of his bad boy past being a dominant at a BDSM club, but he knows the revelation could ruin his political career before it even begins.

He’s skeptical of his campaign advisor’s idea–find a do-gooder wife to give him a more respectable image–until he meets Rose Turner, a former foster kid working in a local community center. Compassionate, feisty and passionate about helping troubled youth, she’s perfect for his needs. But as they get to know one another, his feelings for her grow all too real.

Rose Turner can’t take another heartbreak, not after being abandoned by everyone she ever loved. When she accepts Jackson’s proposal, she vows to keep her distance, but the more she gets to know him, the more she wants to let him in. But trust doesn’t come easy–if he wants it, he’ll have to earn it.

As the two draw closer, threats roll in: if Jackson doesn’t flip on education reform, a blackmailer will expose the fake marriage, ruining his career and tarnishing Rose’s reputation. But if he gives in, funding for the community center will be cut, and Rose’s kids will lose it all. With everything on the line, he must make an impossible decision as the clock runs down.

What’s a man of principle to do when everything he believes in falls apart?

My Thoughts

It’s nice to see how this series progresses, and it’s even better to see Max’s older brother Jackson coming into his own here. We learned in the last installment that there was a bit of a divide with the brothers from growing up, with Max assuming that Jackson took a role in the family outside the business out of spite, but it’s nice to see that it was instead a desire to follow his own passions. We knew of his political aspirations, so it’s great to see that at the forefront of this third book.

At the onset of this book, we learn that Jackson ha the same kinky tastes as Max and Chase, but that he’s chosen to put those in the past for the most part as he’s on his quest to be Governor. The issue that he’s facing now is that he’s learned through his campaign advisor that a woman that he ‘played with’ in the past as a BDSM club is now claiming that it was something more sordid than all that, and it’s going to compromise his campaign. What they decide is that he needs a bride who’s on the up and up to offset those rumors when they come out.

Enter our leading lady Rose – a woman who volunteers with homeless children, making them dinner each week because she knows first hand that sometimes the meals they get at school or the shelter are the only meals they get. She has been through the foster system herself and knows what it’s like to have few options and to finally find someone who cares for her in the way a child needs it.

When Jacks sees her in action, he realizes that she’s perfect for what his advisor thinks he needs, and now he has to convince Rose that she can take the offer of a lifetime – $5Million dollars for a year of her time and a marriage.

The journey that our story goes on from here is a sweet one. We see that she’s willing to ‘sell herself’ because she knows what she can provide for all those kids. She’s willing to set aside part of herself also because Jackson is attractive, powerful and he seems genuine. All the platforms that he talks about in his speeches align to what she wants to do to improve the quality of life for the kids she sees every day and that alone is enough to buy her time.

Jackson wakes up something inside Rose that’s intense. He treats her the way that she deserves and yet she struggles to accept it. They go on dates that mean something to her and they spend time that brings deeper parts of themselves out in the most genuine and sweet ways. All while teasing out the passion and chemistry that they have on such a dominant and powerful way. When they learn at their wedding that someone wants to out their secret behind the relationship and the wedding, we see the story take a turn for the worse.

Jackson enlists the help of Max and Chase and their wives to try to suss out who’s behind the blackmailing. Rose and Jackson go on their honeymoon and try to enjoy what their relationship has turned into, something that actually feels real to both of them, but there’s the undertone that everything will crumble. The threat from the blackmailer is that Jackson needs to change his campaign promises and give up a lot of what Rose believes in him in order to keep the lies quiet.

I’m sure that all the readers know who the blackmailer is, but in the story, the characters can’t quite sniff it out. They search in the office of the opposing candidate and come up empty. They sniff out Jacks’ office and come up empty. They have no idea who is behind it all, yet the threats keep on coming.

When Jackson realizes that he’ll have to do what the blackmailer wants in order to protect Rose as he’s realized and admitted to himself that he loves her, his plan backfires. She loses respect for how quickly he walks away from his beliefs…..and we see the story take a sad turn.

It’s a race to find out who’s behind the threats, while Jackson also has to figure out how to win Rose back. How to remind her that he’s a man worthy of her respect and her trust.

Similar to how all the other stories played out in this series, we see dynamic highs and lows, we see anxiety and we see romance. Tears, love, and heat….all wrapped up nicely in a bow. I’m sad that there are no other characters to take on this journey, but at least we got three books out of it. Enjoy!

Review: Bound To Him (The Billionaire’s Beck and Call #2) by Delilah Fawkes

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Title:Bound To Him
Author:  Delilah Fawkes
Publisher/Year:  Delilah Fawkes 7/13/13
Length:  206 Pages
Series: Billionaire’s Beck and Call #2

Overview

Sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil…

Isabeau is happier than ever, loving and living with Chase Drake, her husband and dominant master. But when her younger sister, Lucy, shows up at her doorstep, she knows trouble is on the horizon.

Their brother Alex is in deep again with a bad crowd, but this time, Lucy doesn’t have the money to bail him out. Alex’s life is on the line if he doesn’t pay soon, but since he’s in jail, it’s up to the sisters to come to his rescue.

When Chase Drake’s old friend and fellow dom, Maxwell Pierce, comes to visit, he is instantly enchanted by the beautiful, fiery Lucy Willcox. When he overhears her confessing to Isabeau that she needs money in a hurry, he offers her a job on the spot, as his personal assistant.

He’d come to Chase for a recommendation, because his personal assistants have duties that are… quite unusual. If Lucy takes the job, she’ll be at his beck and call, 24/7, bound to him, and all that the job requires. But with her brother’s life in jeopardy, threatened by a dangerous mobster, she’s desperate enough to sign his contract, no matter what the small print says.

What Lucy doesn’t expect is that she’ll enjoy it… and that saving her brother may mean putting everything on the line, including her heart. 

My Thoughts

Well, we got an interesting start to this series. watching Isa and Chase begin an unconventional relationship both in the office and out. When their relationship ends in the first book at a proposal, it’s lovely to see that they may get their happily ever after. Little does Isa know, her past and family are going to come around and rise up in her life in an unexpected way, and the journey that we watch unfold is a bit similar to book 1, yet with a far darker twist.

It’s on the night of a small dinner get together when a friend of Chase’s comes over – Max – an equally handsome and sexy powerful man, yet one who’s unattached at the moment as he shares similar interests that Chase does. When the door bell rings and the expectation is that it’s Max a tad early for dinner, we’re surprised to see Lucy, Isa’s younger sister coming in hysterics. The reason we learn is that their brother has gotten himself into trouble that even Lucy can’t fix. Ever since Isa moved out to take care of their grandmother, Lucy has been trying to keep their brother out of trouble, or clean up his messes when he gets into trouble often, but this time he’s gone too far.

We watch how Lucy is in a fragile moment, Isa comes in and tries to ease her misery. We watch how Chase wants to protect his new family, and how there’s an instant connection between Lucy and Max. She doesn’t know what he has to offer, but they both feel a spark when they first look at each other. Lucy’s looking for a job to help pay off their brother’s debts, and instead of just Chase jumping to find a solve, Max offers a reprieve, however unconventional it may be.

The path this story takes us down is quite expected from this point forward. We have an innocent who knows nothing of bondage and doms, but she knows sexual attraction and is willing to do what she needs in order to save her brother. The consequences of this agreement, Lucy agreeing to be Max’s assistant means that he’s going to show her the world, tangibly, physically, emotionally. And that’s what she needs even if she doesn’t realize it yet.

When it seems like things are going well and that Lucy will be able to dig them out of the hole that Alex has gotten them into, tragedy strikes and Alex is beaten to an inch of his life in prison. All because the man that he conned felt that he was due more money and retribution faster than anyone could provide it.

Lucy jumps to work on a solution, and Max is by her side the entire time. They confront the powerful man and his gang that have traumatized Alex, and confront him with a payoff or a trade to get Alex’s safety. Of course, Isa and Chase are not far behind and they devise a plan of their own, without cluing in Lucy and that means we’re about to experience fireworks in a bad way.

Drag races, Gang beatings, cons, death on the horizon, and perhaps some FBI like objects all come to a head when we get to the peak of where this story goes. There’s no lack of excitement here, but there’s also a point when we realize that passions are higher as well than had previously been expected. How this story ends isn’t uncommon or surprising, but elements of the story make for a quick and exciting read. I’m really intrigued where a book three can go, given that this one seemed to tie up a bunch of loose ends, even from book one. So, that means that I have to jump into the next one and see where we go. Maybe there’s someone that we’ve yet to meet that needs to experience a bit of sexy control. Enjoy!

Review: The Billionaire’s Beck and Call (The Billionaire’s Beck and Call #1) by Delilah Fawkes

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Title: The Billionaire’s Beck and Call
Author:  Delilah Fawkes
Publisher/Year:  Delilah Fawkes 1/4/13
Length:  198 Pages
Series: Billionaire’s Beck and Call #1

Overview

Isabeau Willcox is just the temp at the front desk, so when the mysterious, sexy and notoriously ill-tempered CEO, Chase Drake asks her to be his executive assistant, she’s sure there’s been some sort of mistake. However, Mr. Drake wants her, and Mr. Drake always gets what he wants. 

When she enters his employ, she agrees to be at his beck and call, to be his, but what exactly does that entail? When he punishes her for breaking his rules by bending her over his desk, she realizes she may be in for more than she bargained for. 

Isabeau is introduced into Chase Drake’s world, learning about his darker side, including his secret sex dungeon and deliciously naughty toys that spark her imagination and make her knees weak. He shackles her and makes her his slave, bringing her to heights she never imagined. But when he asks to make their arrangement more permanent, she remembers how quickly he’s dismissed previous assistants, and wonders if she can give him the trust he craves. 

A bad boy business partner, a dangerous secret, and Isabeau’s conflicted heart threaten to end it all before it’s even begun. Suspenseful action and a romance that will leave your heart, and other places, aching for more weave throughout this story of two different lovers from two very different worlds. 

My Thoughts

What we have here is what i’d consider an intro level D/s story – which scratches the surface of what we need to itch, without really getting too deep. We start off this story with Isa, our leading lady, as she’s temping at the office of a very demanding billionaire named Chase. He’s got an reputation, but she’s willing to see past those rumors in the hopes that there’s something more.

It’s on that first day working that there’s a spark between them, she brings out his Dom side which makes him very uncomfortable because he sees her as more than other women, as something more precious and he’s afraid to tarnish that. Isa though feels compelled to push him, to get a reaction out of him because Chase is able to wake something up in her that she’s never felt before and she needs that more than ever these days.

We spend the bulk of this story watching Mr Drake bring out the darker side of Isa, take her to levels of pleasure that she’s never known or experienced before, all while showering her with the luxuries that he’s used to because he wants her in his world. While doing that, she’s introduced to his family and a few others in his circle, one of whom is Lex Smith, his business partner. The way that he is around her gives off a vibe that makes her uncomfortable and we get to see how that plays out when Lex does things that are capable of ruining the business. He tries to get Isa to choose him over Chase, and he tries to steer her in the wrong direction, but we get entertained in watching how that plays out.

There’s a chase, embezzlement, heartbreak and a ‘red room of pain’ in this first installment that draws us in quickly to bring this first book to a close. We’re taken on a path that you wouldn’t expect, and it’s a fairly fast journey from what we usually see in D/s stories, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not as enjoyable anyway. For those that like a lighter dom story – enjoy this one!

Review: Theirs to Cherish (Wicked Lovers #8) by Shayla Black

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Title: Theirs to Cherish
Author:  Shayla Black
Publisher/Year:  Penguin Publishing 3/4/14
Length:  400 Pages
Series:  Wicked Lovers #8

Overview

The perfect place for a woman on the run to disappear…
Accused of a horrific murder she didn’t commit, former heiress Callie Ward has been a fugitive since she was sixteen—until she found the perfect hideout, Club Dominion. The only problem is she’s fallen for the club’s master, Mitchell Thorpe, who keeps her at arm’s length. Little does she know that his reasons for not getting involved have everything to do with his wounded heart…and his consuming desire for her.

To live out her wildest fantasies…
Enter Sean Kirkpatrick, a Dom who’s recently come to Dominion and taken a pointed interest in Callie. Hoping to make Thorpe jealous, she submits to Sean one shuddering sigh at a time. It isn’t long before she realizes she’s falling for him too. But the tender lover who’s seducing her body and slowly earning her trust isn’t who he claims…

And to fall in love.
When emotions collide and truths are exposed, Sean is willing to risk all to keep Callie from slipping through his fingers. But he’s not the only man looking to stake a claim. Now Callie is torn between Sean and Thorpe, and though she’s unsure whom she can trust, she’ll have to surrender her body and soul to both—if she wants to elude a killer…

My Thoughts

It’s been ages and ages since i’ve been in this series so I honestly don’t remember Dominion much, the characters or what the stressors are, but when we dive into this story and get to live in the world that Callie’s living in and yet running from, we realize that it doesn’t matter.

The journey in this eighth book of this series takes us on two different paths. First we see the sub in Callie come through, even though she’s got bigger walls than anyone. She’s got this attraction to Thorpe, but he’s always kept her at arms length. She doesn’t realize that it’s because of the attraction that he has to her, and the burden of his past that he doesn’t want to lay on her. AT the same time, she’s using Sean both to make Thorpe jealous and to fuel a bit of an attraction that she feels there. She doesn’t trust anyone yet she finds that there’s something that she can latch onto with both, until one proves that he’s not who he seems and that forces Callie to run yet again.

Thorpe’s always known that Callie was on the run and knew her true identity and still chose to keep that information to himself since he knew that it would make Callie run. He’s a protector by nature and that’s all that he wants to do for her. Sean on the other hand really isn’t who he showed himself at the club and he’s the reason that she runs. She finds an old picture of herself in his phone and a gun, and that’s more than enough of a reason to run out.

That where the other part of the story really starts up. 1) the hunt for Callie, and who will get to her first. 2) who’s actually after her and why 3) what will this mean for everyone involves.

we go to Vegas, to a lake in the middle of no where back to vegas and then on the news. Mysterious military men are on the hunt for Callie, and even though it’s nine years later, we don’t know who or why.

The other side of the story is that there’s this menage going on with Callie, Thorpe and Sean. They both give her what she needs in one for or another yet they don’t complete her and they have their fair share of misunderstandings throughout. They each know where they fall short and yet they hope they can be enough. While this isn’t a menage in the true way that we’ve seen it in other stories/series – it’s an interesting approach. I don’t know that i’ll dive back into the next one of this series just yet since there are a few other things i’ve got in the pipe, but i’ll def hop back in eventually. Enjoy!