Title: Letting Go
Author:  Maya Banks
Publisher/Year:  Penguin Group USA  2/4/14
Length:  352 Pages
Series: The Surrender Trilogy #1

Overview

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SURRENDER TRILOGY

In her sensational Breathless Trilogy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks tested the boundaries of desire. In her new trilogy, there’s only one thing left to do: cross them. And never have the consequences of erotic exploration been so irresistibly inviting, so shockingly intimate, and so totally unexpected…

LETTING GO

Josslyn found perfection once, and she knows she’ll never find it again. Now widowed, she seeks the one thing her beloved husband couldn’t give her: dominance. Lonely, searching for an outlet for her grief and wanting only a brief taste of the perfection she once enjoyed, she seeks what she’s looking for at an exclusive club that caters to people indulging in their most hedonistic fantasies. She never imagined that what she’d find would be the one man who’s long been a source of comfort—and secret longing. Her husband’s best friend.

Dash has lived in an untenable position for years: in love with his best friend’s wife but unwilling to act on that attraction. He’d never betray his best friend. And so he’s waited in the wings, offering Joss unconditional support and comfort as she works past her grief, hoping for the day when he can offer her more.

When he finds her in a club devoted to the darker edges of desire, he’s furious because he thinks she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Until she explains in detail what it is she wants. What she needs. As realization sets in, he is gripped by fierce, unwavering determination. If she wants dominance, he is the only man who will introduce her to that world. He is the only man who will touch her, cherish her…love her. And the only man she’ll ever submit to.

My Thoughts

I’m a huge fan of all things related to this author – and while the story was good, i think that it was my own personal reading fail that made this story a bit less than amazing.  it took me a few extra days to get through it, but i think that there’s some great stuff here.

As the synopsis says, we meet Joss on the 2nd anniversary of her husband’s death and she’s trying to let him go to live her life.  Her husband’s best friend Dash is there as well, as always, being her rock and supporting her choices.  She’s never thought of him in more romantic terms, and seeing as how she has her own darker desires that she wants to fulfill, she’s never imagined what he can do for her.

It’s only when she actually takes action, against the wishes of some of her friends that her life changes.  She goes to the House  – owned by Damon Roche who we met in the Sweet series, and things go amok.  Joss goes, as planned but never gets to live out those fantasies.  Dash is there to her surprise and lays claim to her since that’s something that he’s wanted to do since the moment he met her even when she was married.

The journey that we go on in this story is twofold . one of learning to love and let go – Joss and Dash both being able to move on from Carson’s death and the other is of self discovery – Joss learning what her desires are and what makes her feel like a woman and allowing it.

there are 2 things that bummed me out here.  the entire time, i thought that Ms. Banks our author was trying to ellude to the fact that Carson’s car accident wasn’t an accident.  She kept saying Carson had a conversation with Dash not long before his death asking him to take care of Joss and his sister.  So, for me, i figured that it meant that something happened that he was worried about.

The other piece – and again i’ll say that it’s probably more my fault than the writing, i just wasn’t into the scening.  there was 1 in the beginning when they first come together as a couple that i felt was hot and passionate, but the others – they didn’t hold my attention and i found myself rushing through them to get to the meat of the story.  but…since i know that our author usually writes hot and steamy scenes, i’ll take this on myself.  Also, we only get a tease of BDSM here with one night at the club and a little bit of light bondage when i would have thought that we’d get more since that’s the lifestyle that Joss was craving.

Anyhow, it was a good intro to this trilogy and i can’t wait to see what happens.  i guess i need to finish the Sweet trilogy though cause i feel like i’ve missed something since there’s a character or 2 or 3 that i don’t know the back story on that i’m sure i would have if i had read it.