Title: Seduced by Fire
Author: Tara Sue Me
Publisher/Year: Penguin Group USA 3/4/14
Length: 320 Pages
Series: Partners in Play #1
Overview
Julie Masterson craves a taste of danger.
Despite being familiar with the different games people play in the bedroom, she’s never given into her curiosity about putting her body in someone else’s power—until a chance meeting with Daniel Covington, the seductive Senior VP of Weston Bank, draws her into a titillating new world of sexual experience, one that she never knew she desperately needed.
Daniel is highly respected within his community, but he hasn’t had an exclusive relationship for over two years. Yet Julie’s eager innocence is driving him to the brink of ecstasy, making him rethink his feelings about commitment.
As their sizzling connection heats up, Daniel is ready to take Julie fully under his command. But when the dangerous side of their play rears its ugly head, Julie will have to decide if she trusts him enough to surrender completely—or if she should escape before she gets burned…
My Thoughts
I’ve determined that i’m still a huge fan of Tara Sue Me based on how this story line developed and evolved. Her knack for writing erotica, and specifically BDSM, well, it makes you really feel like you’re in each of the scenes, as an active participant.
We meet Julie and Sasha in the flower shop that they own, on a day that Daniel Covington (Master Covington) walks into their shop. Sasha seems to know him, and once she noticed that Julie has an attraction to him, tries to put the kibosh on it. The question in Julie’s mind is how does Sasha know him, and what’s the fear there.
We should also say here that Julie’s aware that Sasha is a sub and that she enjoys a bit of kink while that’s not something that Julie’s pursued yet in life. It’s this though that makes Julie wonder if perhaps this is how Sasha knows him.
Through a series of events, Julie ends up on a date with Daniel at a charity event,where they solidify the fact that they have a strong mutual attraction and heated chemistry. Of course they end up in her hotel room and while it’s ‘vanilla’ – it’s still really hot. We then get a taste of what Daniel has to offer.
Of course this book then takes a really smooth and positive path – a journey of Julie’s self discovery of her submissive side, while allowing Daniel to really control the situation in a way that his dom side loves.
It’s only when some unfortunate things happen to Sasha at the hands of her dom that things really go south. We see Julie pulling away from Daniel, and we see that he doesn’t know how to react to things. This is where you really find yourself invested in their story – since you know that Julie has to do what she wants for her friend, yet you have to wonder how long she’s going to torture herself and Daniel.
The other interesting side story is of Dena, another sub that often helps Daniel in demos and clearly has an attraction for him. We have to wonder what her motives are and if she’s going to make trouble for Julie – that’s something that I wondered about. I’m always fearful of people messing up what i hope will be a long and strong relationship.
The really nice thing about this story is that we’re constantly reminded of the heat and passion that these 2 clearly share. Our author has a strong grasp on how to write a scene that draws you in and keeps you there. It’s hot and steamy, and oh so perfect for the genre. Enjoy!