Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday #16: Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017


Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Hello everyone! Here we are with another round of Top Ten Tuesday and we're discussing the Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017

Well. It's still early to decide, since I still have some books I need to finish. Also, compiling this list has made me realize I've read way more adult books this year than YA. Might go on and rectify that next year, just to keep a balance of things. Anyway, here's my favorite books I read in 2017 so far, in absolutely no particular order:

  1. Blood Red Kiss by Kresley Cole, Larissa Ione & Gena Showalter - It's really no surprise I love this book, since it has stories from three of my favorite authors. Read my review here.
  2. Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter - This is probably my bookish discovery of the year in the adult department. I absolutely adored this book and I really encourage you to read this book if you love the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale and you want a new, non-fantastical, non-magical, take on the fairy tale. You can also read my review here.
  3. Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell - This was my first poetry book in way, way over a decade. It was recommended to me by Ray from The Royal Polar Bear Reads and I had a ton of fun reading it. You can read my review here.
  4. Monstress Vol 2: The Blood by Marjorie M Liu - Are you surprised that this book is here? This was my favorite comic book EVER. I may still be a newbie in this genre, but I can safely say this book will probably be my favorite comic book for a very, very long time. Read my review here.
  5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber - If there's one super popular YA book that I am thankful for giving in and reading it is this one. Caraval was fantastic and I am very excited for the next book to come out. Read my review here.
  6. Originally Human by Eileen Wilks - This was my first audiobook ever, guys. And it was everything I hoped for. It's a GraphicAudio production, and at the time I listened to it it a freebie. It reminded me of the old theater plays I used to listen to on vinyl as a kid. 
  7. The Becoming by Jeanne C Stein - This was a book I bought on impulse at a second hand store, and I am super happy I got it. It felt like one of the older urban fantasy books I used to read and I really enjoyed it.
  8. Storm of Ecstasy by Setta Jay - Although I absolutely love the entire Guardians of the Realms series, this book showed a widening of the mythology and the entire world within that series, and it reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Stargate. 
  9. Master Bits & Mercenary Bites - Girls Night by Lexi Blake & Suzanne M. Johnson - I couldn't not have a Lexi Blake book on this list. It's just not possible, guys. Okay, so the reason I loved this book is that it took two of my favorite things, mashed them up together perfectly and put them into a single book: food and romance. The recipes are fantastic, the snippets are awesome and I am keeping my fingers crossed for more of these books to come out in the future. Read my review here.
  10. Razr by Larissa Ione - This story was not only fantastic, but I feel it kinda changed the world of the Demonica series a little bit. There were some things going on in this book that I wonder what kind of effects it will have on the world of my beloved demons and angels and horsemen and horsewoman. I am definitely hoping that this will be explored in the future. Read my review here.
This is it guys. The top ten books I've read so far in 2017. I'm not ready for the year to be over though.

What about you? Which books will end up on your Top Ten list for 2017?

Monday, December 11, 2017

Book Review: Denying Ecstasy by Setta Jay

Author: Setta Jay
Series: Guardians Of The Realms #3
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, Paranormal Romance,
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 28th 2014
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: My copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):
A headstrong sassy mortal, Rain is a Mageia living in Tetartos, the Realm of beasts and Immortals. Her nights have been restless, filled with sensual dreams of a big blonde Guardian whose glares indicate he wants nothing to do with her. She is determined to shake off the odd feelings until she finds out her dream lover is responsible for her rescue from a demented Demi-God. In doing so, his touch ignites something rare and coveted. Something that she’s never anticipated… Something he should have told her about. Rain is set on making him explain and then feel the full force of her ire.

After a devastating betrayal resulting in the loss of a close friend a century ago, Dorian refuses to trust or engage with Immortals other than his Guardian family. His years of brutal fighting in the underground Immortal rings are over. He patrols the Realms and slakes his lust with the humans on Earth. Existing, but not living as he used to. He knows the moment he scents Rain that he has found his mate and after touching her he plans to avoid her as long as he can... Until he learns she is in danger. Raging, his beast demands that he go to her, but taking her from their enemy has repercussions he fully plans to escape at all costs.

For Dorian, finding a way out of mating Rain means he could succumb to madness and harm those that mean so much to him… but giving in to his burning urge for her means losing control in a heated mating frenzy sure to ignite them both and link them forever.
The story of the Guardians of the four realms of the Earth continues in Denying Ecstasy and let me tell you, it was fantastic.

Dorian is a male that's been betrayed in the past, a betrayal that resulted in the death of a really close friend. That betrayal makes him reject the fact that he might have a mate, no matter how badly resisting the frenzy hurts him or Rain. He is a very proud male that doesn't trust easily, and for that reason he tries really hard to resist being with Rain. At the same time, though, he can't help but be drawn to her. He's a very strong, very powerful, very loyal male, and because of his status as one of the twelve Guardians he can't get over the fact that his behavior, his lust, resulted in his best friend dying. He's being really hard on himself, and while his refusal to accept that he's found his mate might seem a bit exaggerated, it kinda makes sense. I saw his refusal as a form of self punishment more than him not trusting Rain, since his best friend will never get the chance to find his fated mate. Sure, there's some mistrust there on his part, since he was betrayed by a female he knew, but I still think it was more him punishing himself than anything else. I really felt sorry for Dorian, because I could tell how truly sorry he was, how much he regretted the past.

At the same time we have Rain, who is the perfect female for Dorian in my opinion. She is Alyssa's best friend, and while Rain is not necessarily jealous of her childhood friend, she's definitely feeling her mortality a little bit. I loved the fact that that she didn't let Dorian walk all over her and that she called him out a few times when she had the chance. At the same time, I also felt sorry for her, because the actions of one hateful woman had so much power over Dorian, and by extent, over Rain herself.

While the focus of the story is mostly on Dorian and Rain, we do get some Brianne and Vane scenes that I love. I kept wishing for them to be mates, because they truly love each other. So I'm really curious to see what will happen with these two.

As already used to from the first two books of the series, this book was HOT. And I do mean steamy, guys! The immortals in this book are sexual creatures and the mortals that are mated to them are just as affected by the mating frenzy as the immortals themselves. So do keep that in mind.

There were a few things going on in this book that made me very, very curious to find out what's next for the Guardians and the world in general. I like the way this story is going and I cannot wait for more.



Sunday, December 10, 2017

Book Review: Love And Let Die by Lexi Blake

 Love And Let Die by Lexi Blake
Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #5
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, BDSM
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment LLC
Release Date: October 1st 2013
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Author
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Ian Taggart and the whole McKay-Taggart Security team return in Love and Let Die.

A Tragic Love Story

Charlotte Dennis’s mission was clear: distract and misdirect CIA operative Ian Taggart by any means necessary. If she failed, she would never see her sister again. With her training, it should have been simple, but after one night in Ian’s arms, she knew that saving her sister would mean losing the man of her dreams. Ian was tracking a terrorist when he met the beautiful American daughter of a Russian mobster. His instincts told him Charlotte was trouble, but his body craved her like a drug and his heart would not be denied. She took his ring and his collar. For once he was truly happy. But as he closed in on his target, her betrayal cost him his mission while her sacrifice saved his life. As she died in his arms, Ian vowed he would never love again.

A Dangerous Reunion

For six years, Charlotte has thought of nothing but returning to her husband, her Master. Working in the shadows, she has devoted herself to earning a chance to reclaim her place in Ian’s life. But forgiveness isn’t a part of Ian’s vocabulary. Nothing is more important to Ian Taggart than his new mission. But the information he needs is firmly in the hands of the woman who betrayed him. To catch his most dangerous prey, Ian will have to let Charlotte back into his life. As the hunt takes them to some of the world’s most exotic locations, the danger grows and their passion reignites.

Will Ian forgive his wayward submissive…or lose her again?
*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

The big guy of this series is finally getting his story told and let me tell you, I'm a really happy reader.

You already know about my love of Ian and Charlotte Taggart, so it's no surprise that I love their book as much as I do. I may or may not have read this book multiple times too, because that's just what I do with stories I love as much as this one, I obsess over them.

I finally understood why Ian was as dark as he was in the beginning of this series. And as reckless as he was. It all makes sense. I also kinda understood why he did what he did in the first book of the series, Sean's book, when he made a decision that put his relationship with his brother at risk. But I get it. Everything made sense when I read this book. The fact that Ian survived the emotional pain of losing his wife shows just how strong he is. And I say survived, but definitely not recovered from it, because we know he never truly did recover from it. Charlie was the one for him. And I completely understood the way he treated her in the beginning of this book. He basically got his heart broken twice by the same woman, so him being a bit angry, hurtful and mean makes a lot of sense.

At the same time I couldn't help but love Charlie. She had to overcome a lot of tough shit from her past, and while she had to do some really bad stuff along the way, she didn't lose her humanity or her soul in the process. I loved how throughout the book she and her sister Chelsea are shown to be complete opposites. Chelsea, her younger sister, is darker, more lost due to the horrors of her childhood, while Charlie still has some pureness in her.

I really liked how the issue of commitment in a BDSM relationship was approached in this story. Here we have a guy whose wife died and tried everything in his power to survive that pain and did everything he possibly could to cope and to live in the fantasy of being with her one last time, while at the same time we have a woman who knows her husband is alive and well, and she did everything her Dom told her to do, even after she left him. I liked that aspect, as well as Charlotte's reasoning behind doing some of the things she did to honor her contract with Ian.

There were some funny moments too. As already used to from future books when these two appear, I already knew Ian and Charlie are a really funny couple, so I was very glad to see that this was also present in their book.

The plot was really interesting and it shows how cunning the villain was, and how dehumanizing ultimate power can be for some people. It also kind of explains the first arc of this series really well and it shows that sometimes there's a fine line between good and evil. We also understand what ties together certain events and certain characters, because this book adds a piece to the puzzle that shows exactly those details. The ending was really fitting and I liked how in the end Ian chose Charlie above everything else, even when everything seemed to be pointing towards her not being a trustworthy person. So I liked that he took a chance with her. As always, we get a glimpse in the future of the series and Damon is next. I am very excited to see what his story will bring.


Monday, December 4, 2017

2018 Beat The Backlist Sign-up Post



Well hello my dear bookworms! The reading challenges for 2018 are starting to appear and I'm trying to decide which one to sign up to. One of the challenges I just know I'll sign up to is Novel Knight's Beat The Backlist challenge.

I previously signed up for the 2017 edition of this challenge, however life happened and I wasn't able to even hit the half mark on my initial goal. Which makes me sad, but that's another story. Anyway.

Because I want to read those books I signed up with last year, I'll keep the list the same, taking out those books I've already finished (the amazing, unbelievably huge number of 2, if you want to know), and adding a few more books that I probably won't get to finish before the year is over. So, without further ado, here's my list for Beat The Backlist:

  1. The Pelican Brief - John Grisham
  2. The Firm - John Grisham
  3. The Gathering - Kelley Armstrong
  4. Roverandom - J.R.R. Tolkien
  5. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
  6. Outlander - Dianna Gabaldon
  7. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
  8. Wedding Night - Sophie Kinsella
  9. Unrivaled - Alyson Noel
  10. Evening Class - Maeve Binchy
  11. Dangerous Creatures - Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
  12. Dangerous Deception - Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
  13. The Taxidermist's Daughter - Kate Mosse
  14. The Square Root Of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood 
  15. Girls In The Moon - Janet McNally
  16. City of Weird: 30 Otherworldly Portland Tales - Gigi Little
  17. The Palace - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
  18. Started For Ten - David Nicholls
  19. Legacy - Hannah Fielding
  20. The Chic Boutique On Baker Street - Rachel Dove
  21. The Children Of Freedom - Marc Levy
  22. Matilda - Roald Dahl
  23. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
  24. Ariel - Donna McDonnald
  25. The Soul Summoner - Elicia Hyder
  26. The Treemakers - Christina L. Rozelle
  27. The Last Priestess - Elizabeth Baxter
  28. More Than Exes - Elizabeth Briggs
  29. Nefertiti's Heart - A.W. Exley
  30. Netherworld - K.N. Lee
  31. Novelista Girl - Meredith Schorr
  32. Puck Buddies - Tara Brown
  33. Finding Home - Lauren K. McKellar 
  34. Unseen - Stephanie Erickson
  35. The Color Of Water In July - Nora Carroll
  36. Aurora Sky - Nikki Jefford
  37. Dirty Little Secrets - Liliana Hart
  38. Embers - Karen Ann Hopkins
  39. The Faerie Guardian - Rachel Morgan
  40. The Language of Souls - Lena Goldfinch
  41. The Language of Sparrows - Rachel Phifer
  42. Shimura Trouble - Sujata Massey
  43. Graveyard Shift - Angela Roquet
  44. Suspended - Sarah Noffke
  45. Atlantis Riptide - Allie Burton
  46. Marked - Elisabeth Naughton
  47. The Dark Of Twilight - Kate Danley
  48. The Illusionist's Apprentice - Kristy Cambron
  49. A Kiss of Venom - Hailey Edwards
  50. Frostbitten - Kelley Armstrong
  51. Waking The Witch - Kelley Armstrong
  52. Spell Bound - Kelley Armstrong
  53. Thirteen - Kelley Armstrong
You can also check out my progress on my Goodreads shelf dedicated to this challenge, that I'll update with books as I read them/as I decide to read more backlist titles. Right now, there are 53 planned books for this challenge for me to read. 

Are you signing up for this challenge? What's your goal?

Edited to add: I'm on the Book Bards team


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Book Review: Master Bits and Mercenary Bites - Girls Night by Lexi Blake and Suzanne M. Johnson



 
Author: Lexi Blake, Suzanne M. Johnson
Series: Masters & Mercenaries
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, Cookbook
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: November 28th 2017
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
From the creators of Master Bits and Mercenary Bites, New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake and Southern food expert and USA Today bestselling author Suzanne Johnson, comes a new look at the Masters and Mercenaries world—Girls Night.

Join us for easy to cook, delicious recipes and stay for the stories of the women of McKay-Taggart. From slow cooker special dinners to cocktails that will elevate your game, Suzanne will show you that easy can be delicious.

Lexi dives into what happens after happily ever after. Charlie and Ian try to have a night out—but their kids prove that anything can happen when Taggarts are involved. Faith and Ten get a gift they never expected. Karina and Derek go on a stakeout. And Serena finds the meaning of Bliss. All these stories and more explore what it means to be a wife, a mother, a woman navigating love and responsibility.

Good meals, good times, good friends.

Bon appétit!
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

The awesome authors Lexi Blake and Suzanne Johnson have done it again! After the amazing short stories/cookbook they released last year, they've once again managed to blow my mind with this new book.

Let's start with the short stories. I LOVED them. First of all, they offer readers a way to catch up with some of their favorite couples. The stories were short, sweet, funny, sexy, and all around amazing. I was giggling like a loon at some of the stories, while fanning myself at others, and okay, wiping my eyes at most of them. I said this in a tweet right after reading the book, that these are my favorite kind of short stories, because they truly warm my heart. And I loved that they focused on the women. It showed powerful, strong women being amazing mothers, amazing partners, sexy and feminine, kickass, happy and sad, and everything in between. I loved it!

Next are the recipes. Now... There are some that use a crock pot, which I have never used in my life, but now I just might if I can find one, and some for regular cooking. There were quite a few that had me drooling and taking mental notes, because I am definitely trying them out. AND, the best part, there were some cocktail recipes in there. If there's anything I love as much as cooking, that would be cocktails. The ones in this book sounded divine. Now I just need to find an excuse to make those cocktails.

I am truly, truly hoping that there will be more of these books coming out in the future, because I'm having an amazing time reading them. All in all, I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who loves finding out new recipes, combined with some great sneak peeks into the life of already established couples.



Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2glwCGM 
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2gGEuPY 
Print: Print: http://amzn.to/2zjgg5p   

      
Excerpt from Rough Night

“You taste better than any pie, my Charlie,” Ian whispered against her lips. His hands tightened on her and she felt one of those big palms stroke her thigh. “Why don’t you straddle me and let’s see what happens.”
She knew what would happen. She placed the tray of treats on the table beside them and gingerly shifted, twisting so she straddled her Master’s lap. Yes, there it was. His cock was right against her pussy. All she had to do was…
Ian groaned as she rolled her pelvis. “That’s right, baby. Now give me some of that sweet, sweet lemony goodness. Ride me and feed me. That’s what I want. Let me watch you come.”
“And if I can make you come?” It was a fun little game. She would try to see if she could get that big dick of his to go off before she did.
“Then I’ll walk around for the rest of the night a bit on the uncomfortable side,” he replied, his hands finding her hips. He shifted and she found herself with her clitoris in the perfect position. “But that’s not going to happen. I know exactly how to make you moan, Charlie baby.”
She felt her phone vibrate. Charlie winced. “It’s another text.”
He pumped his hips up against hers. “Answer it. If it’s anyone except Malone telling us one of the children is missing, I’m texting them a dick pic and asking them to leave us alone. Let’s see if you can text while I do this.”
His erection slid over the perfect place and Charlie could feel the orgasm starting to build. How could he still do this to her? All he had to do was start touching her, using that deep Dom voice on her, and her whole body was ready to comply to his any and every whim.
Did she have to answer? It probably wasn’t anything important. Was anything in the world as important as the way this man made her feel?
“Give me a taste of that tart, baby. Or better yet, pull those pretty nipples out and let me taste them. Let me lick and suck and bite on those sweet nipples.”
Her vision was going soft as he hauled her close.
And her phone vibrated again.
“Ian,” she started.
“Do what you need to,” he replied as he licked her collarbone. “I’ll do what I have to.”
She was going to kill whoever was texting her. It was probably Malone, trying to figure out where the damn marshmallows were.
She bit back a groan and reached for her phone. It better be so good because she was getting close, and the minute Ian started sucking on her breasts she wouldn’t be able to hold…
Do you have a fire extinguisher?
“What?” Charlie shifted, trying to get a better grip on the phone.
And the chair under Ian kind of exploded.
Charlie hit the floor, her knees knocking on the tile. Ian had gone backward but he’d managed to twist his body so he landed on his shoulder instead of knocking the back of his head against the windowsill.
Panic flooded Charlie’s veins. She scrambled to find her phone. “Ian?”
“I’m fine,” he groaned. “Call him. Damn it. Can’t we have one fucking night out without the world coming to an end? Ah, yeah, this is going to hurt.”
Had he thrown out his back again? She couldn’t stop and find out. Sarah Stevens was here somewhere and she was a nurse. Surely she could help.
Charlie grabbed the phone from the midst of the now fallen lemon tarts. The tray had turned over, but there were still several that had landed on the table. She would have to shove those in her purse if they were about to flee home. With shaking fingers she dialed the number for Michael.
“Hey, Charlotte, I think I got the fire out. Boomer stopped, dropped, and rolled on it. That did the trick. The girls thought it was hilarious, but we’ve got another problem now,” Michael was saying.
“There was a fire?” She practically screamed the question.
“Tell Boomer to sit on it,” Ian said from the floor. “Put him on speaker.”
She didn’t need his sarcasm, but he had the right to listen in. She clicked to go to speaker. “Where was the fire, Michael?”
“Well, you see when I told the girls we could have a campout in the living room, I kind of thought we would build a fort made out of sheets, you know what I’m talking about,” Michael continued, his Texas drawl slow and steady. “Damn, Charlotte. I didn’t think the girls would take it so literally.”
Her girls took everything literally. “The girls tried to start a fire? In my living room?”
“It was minor,” Michael promised. “Mostly because they couldn’t take apart the furniture to burn. That was their plan. Apparently Ian taught them how to use whatever’s around to stay warm in case they find themselves out in the woods at night. I saved the sofa, but they did manage to get that wicker basket of yours to burn. Kala said she had to use it because she couldn’t get to the hatchet.”
Charlie turned to her husband. “Why would our daughters know how to use a hatchet?”
He was a nice shade of pale and his shoulder seemed weird. “You told me to teach them some life skills.”
She was going to kill everyone.
       

About Lexi Blake: NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.


FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE



About Suzanne Johnson: Suzanne Johnson is family-trained, a south Georgia native who’s been cooking all of her life, creating not only some really unique food, but precious memories that re-occur every time she smells something simmering in the oven.  In all of her books, Suzanne shows that making a delicious meal doesn’t have to be complicated — it just has to be made with love. So go ahead, don’t be bashful, dive right in.  Who knows?  You might just make a few memories of your own.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Book Review: Sanctum by Lexi Blake

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #4.5, Shades of Naughty
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: November 14th 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Author
Blurb (from Goodreads):
A contract broken…

Ryan Church and Jill Paxon enjoyed their life as Master and submissive until the day Ryan's entire world crumbled. No longer able to fulfill his end of the contract, Ryan did what he thought was best for Jill. He let her go.

An unexpected reunion…

Eighteen months later, Ryan is working for Ian Taggart as the Dom in Residence at the elite BDSM club Sanctum when his former submissive walks through the door looking for a job. Jill has changed, but his desire for her is still insatiable. Jill, shattered by his past rejection, can't trust Ryan, but she needs the job. Back in the community where she once felt safe and secure, she longs for the life she lost and the man she loved.

A last chance for love…

Ryan is presented with an opportunity to restore his wealth and name, but it could cost him his last chance at rebuilding a life with the woman he loves. When the secrets Jill has carefully hidden from Ryan are exposed, a terrible twist of fate might take her out of his life forever.

A Masters and Mercenaries Novella by Lexi Blake
*Dislaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Sanctum is not only a story about second chances, but also a story about how important communication and honesty are in both vanilla and D/s relationships.

Ryan is a guy who has had a bit of bad luck in his life, and he's the type of guy that can't do things half-way. His way of dealing with things falling apart around him is to make sure that, even though it isn't his fault, it ALL falls apart, even the thing he cares about the most. Which doesn't really make sense in the beginning, but then I realized that he has a pretty unique interpretation of what it means to be a Dom and a sub.

Jill gave me the impression of a woman who tried really hard to keep the man she loved next to her, even hide her own personality in order to do that. Which is part of the reason why, ultimately, their relationship would have ended no matter what. And I loved the fact that Ryan addresses that and shares his feelings about her behavior during their first time together.

Ryan and Jill both made mistakes in their relationship, and I like that the story showed that clearly and pretty brutally. Like I said, Ryan is a guy that has a pretty unique view of what being a Dom is, and it certainly is the main reason why ultimately his relationship with Jill ends. At the same time though, Jill also makes some mistakes based on her past and that gives her a strange interpretation of what a sub should be like, and instead of being completely honest she gives Ryan the best version of herself without any of the bad moments. It's basically a painful experience to see being talked about by both characters, but it's also really important and eye-opening. It's rare that I get to read about how the BDSM contract works in relation to the simple human interactions, and I found it fascinating. Blake did a really great job at showing how both Ryan and Jillian broke that contract by doing little things, the things most common in traditional, vanilla relationships - hiding stuff, not being honest, not saying what they truly wanted and so on.

At the same time, maybe also because of my background in psychology, I was fascinated by the way Blake showed how one action can be viewed differently by different people, so much so that they end up being seen as two opposite actions. And it wasn't necessarily due to the difference between the male and the female minds, but more because of the misinterpretation of the roles these two people had in their relationship. And I liked the fact that this was talked about, and Blake did a great job addressing that.

All in all, this was a short, but really complex story, that is a great addition to the series and definitely a nice way to take a break from the usual strong, fast pace full of danger at any turn.


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