Author: Kallypso Masters
Series: Rescue Me #2
Blurb: (from Goodreads):
Marc d'Alessio might own a BDSM club with his fellow military veterans, Adam and Damian, but he keeps all women at a distance. However, when Marc rescues beautiful Angelina Giardano from a disastrous first BDSM experience at the club, an uncharacteristic attraction leaves him torn between his safe, but lonely world, and a possible future with his angel.
Angelina leaves BDSM behind, only to have her dreams plagued by the Italian angel who rescued her at the club. When she meets Marc at a bar in her hometown, she can't shake the feeling she knows him, but has no idea why he reminds her of her angel.
When Marc's search-and-rescue partner, widower Luke Denton, confides he believes Angelina is the angel his wife promised to send him, Marc is convinced she is meant for Luke. A painful incident from his past keeps Marc from letting any woman drive a wedge between him and a friend.
While Luke can provide Angelina with love and stability, Marc knows his friend can't satisfy her submissive needs. Marc offers one night to show her that BDSM is not about pain, but a power exchange with mutual trust and consent. But he knows he can't commit emotionally to anything more.
When the abusive Dom from Angelina's past threatens, Marc's protective instincts kick in; he must keep her safe. Again at the Masters at Arms Club, she turns the tables on him and turns his safe, controlled world upside down. (Book Two in the RESCUE ME series; follows introduction to series, MASTERS AT ARMS.)
Last week I reviewed the first book in the Rescue Me series, Masters at Arms, and if you recall, I was very pleased with the book. I still am, but I'm also realizing I might have made a huge mistake in reading this second book so fast. I had a moment when I thought "Don't read it now, wait till December, so you don't have to pull out your hair waiting for the next book." That thought never manages to sway my initial intention of reading a book fast and it totally didn't help now. *sigh* Oh well, no matter. I'll learn patience next time (yeah, right!).
Like I said in the previous review, Marc seemed to me like he really found himself after he enrolled. After reading his story, I stand by what I said then. Before the Army shaped him into the man he is, Marc lived in the shadow of his older brother, with the typical rivalry that comes from having an older brother that somehow managed to be good at everything. Before he enlisted he never did anything for himself. The job he had was at his parents's resort and even though he didn't feel quite satisfied, he stayed there, trying to prove his parents that he was just as capable as his brother, Gino. I think the first thing he did for himself was actually enrolling, but even that seemed fueled by his deep sense of regret for the fact that he couldn't get one more chance to apologize to his brother.Even so, I believe the minute he realized that he was good at what he did, he started to believe more in himself. In a way, going to war helped him mature. The thing I loved about Marc was his ability to say "I messed up and I'm sorry for it". He wasn't trying to pass as the dumb ass alpha wannabe guy, the one who either can't do a thing wrong or the one who never admits he made a mistake. He wasn't that guy. Also, he didn't have the arrogance that usually comes with wealth. Had he met Angelina before he enlisted, I think the relationship would've been doomed from the start, him not being mature enough for her, Angelina being too intimidated by her education and her brothers to take risks.
Angelina is what you might call a good girl. She only dates guys that are perfect in the eyes of her family, as she called them "boring" and "safe". At the same time though, I think she was a bit scared of listening to her instincts or to her heart or to trust her gut or whatever you want to call it. She was scared of going after the guy or type of guys that really appealed to her. I don't think it's because she never found the perfect guy before meeting Marc and Luke, but it's because she was scared of what they made her feel, and the only moment she allowed herself to take a chance was when the fear of being hurt was stronger than the fear of her feelings.
I mentioned Luke. Before you get your hopes up, it's not a threesome. You only get one scene (though I REALLY hope Ms. Masters will write an M/F/M scene - a big one *smiles* ). Luke is still a puzzle to me. I think there's more to him that what we learn in this book. I do think that there are other things that were left unsaid, things that made Luke who he is now. Also, there's a moment in the book where Luke totally surprised me. I'm guessing there a few other surprises for Luke, so I'm waiting (im)patiently before I make any judgments about him.
The ending is the real reason I regret finishing the book so early. Should've stopped at two, three pages a day, but I couldn't. Who could? I won't talk about the ending, except to say that it convinced me to get hooked up on the series and to say, again, good job! Anyway, I hope we'll get Master Adam's book soon.
My Rating:
