Jonathan’s sights are on Beth, and though she readily accepts her true sub nature, he knows he’s in for a struggle. Beth has been taught by her late husband that she can only depend on herself--a lesson that will be a challenge for Jonathan to undo.
With the help of best friend Peter Hamilton and the atmosphere of the city’s premier BDSM Club, Reckless Abandon, Jonathan knows it’s a challenge well worth meeting. The only uncertainty is whether or not he can get Beth to completely surrender to him before another does her harm.
My Thoughts: I enjoy reading romance novels, and I am a sucker for a happy ending. I also sometimes enjoy some fun-filled sex mixed in with my romance, be it graphic or mild. Happily, Ms Ashbury can be counted on to provide a fun, enjoyable erotic romance. In recent books she has gotten more adventurous, moving away from a standard M/F romance and exploring M/F/M couplings, BDSM, sex toys, etc. I can't help but wonder if she did any hands-on research. :P *wicked grin*
I know very little about BDSM so it was interesting for me to read this story. It's primarily told through Bethany's eyes, with occasional peeks into Jonathan's mind. We never get inside Peter's head, we only see him through Beth and Jonathan's eyes. As a result he was less fleshed out which is unfortunate since he is part of the love story.
We follow Bethany on her journeys as she learns about the Master/sub relationship, and her developing relationship with Jonathan. Jonathan has wanted Beth for a very long time and with the death of her husband, he is free to make his move. To his surprise, she makes the first move by going to the local BDSM club and requesting that she be given a Master. The owner and manager, who knew she was coming because she'd made an appointment, has Jonathan ready and waiting in the wings. Jonathan gives Bethany no time to catch her breath and immeidately whisks her off. He deliberately keeps her off balance so that she will not have time to over think things, as she's prone to do. Peter, a good friend of Jonathan's and a fellow Master, is biding his time, waiting for his cue from Jonathan to join in the relationship. Peter knows Bethany casually but is interested and he and Jonathan are hoping to convince Beth to accept both of them.
The love story moves along quickly but doesn't feel rushed and Ashbury has gotten quite good at writing her sex scenes. There were a few thigns that didn't work for me: Beth, who is portrayed as a caring and concerened parent gives little thoought to how her grown children will react to her new relationship and livign arrangement. Now I don't expect that to be a large part of the story but some acknowledgement of it would be realistic and normal. The other part that didn't work for me was the subplot with Beth's sister-in-law Constance. While it did provide some additional dramatic conflict, I don't think it was necessary and it detracted from the overall story.
Despite those drawbacks, this was a fun, sexy, enjoyable love story and definitely worth a read.
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand Release Date: January 14, 2011
More info: goodreads
**The author is a friend of the reviewer**
This ebook was received from the author for review.
Nice review. Quick question before I mark this to read. Most BDSM books I read has the woman holding there orgasm until she is at a point of pain, is this one like that?
ReplyDeleteLaurie, she does hold off her orgasms a few times but not to the point of pain, and not before Jonathan has made sure she has lots of orgasms. Then he starts having her hold off a bit. He does it gradually then pushes her limits.
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