SAFE IN HIS ARMS

TITLE: SAFE IN HIS ARMS

AUTHOR: RENEE ROSE

Pages: 124

Date: 27/12/2013

Grade: 3.5

Details: Received from Stormy Night Publications

              Through NetGalley

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“For as long as she could remember, Becca dreamed of a dominant man to take her in hand, and Zac, the handsome Marine she met at her sister's wedding, filled the role with aplomb… for a weekend. Then the fling came to an end, Zac went off to war and died for his country, and Becca learned she carried a child who would be born without a father.

Seven years later, Becca has done her best to move on and forget about Zac… until the day she walks into her kitchen to find the man she believed she would never see again locked in mortal combat with her son’s nanny, and realizes everything she thought she knew about Zac was a lie.

Like all Black Ops agents, Zac doesn't exist in any government record. His life is a series of deadly missions, and relationships of any kind are unsanctioned. But he keeps one secret. He watches over Becca, the beautiful daughter of a rogue agent, and Parker, the six-year-old boy he fathered that fateful weekend. When he spots a known assassin in their apartment posing as a nanny, he's forced to reveal himself and take them to safety… whether Becca likes it or not.

While Becca may have enjoyed his dominance once, bending her to his will again may not be quite so easy. He is determined to keep her safe, however, and if a long, hard spanking is required, he is more than willing to oblige. Having Becca over his knee rekindles more than his passion, though; even when the immediate danger has passed, he finds it much more difficult to “ghost out” on his family again. Must he resign himself to protecting those he loves from afar, or can he find a way to be the man Becca needs and longs for, the man who is worthy of her submission and her love?”

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This was a charming erotic love story, if a little bit short. The set up is nicely done.

After one weekend with Zac, the man who fulfills all her fantasies, Becca finds herself pregnant. She knows that he is a Marine and unlikely to be around a lot but nothing prepares her for the news that he has died; leaving her to raise her son alone.

If Becca was unprepared for single parenthood, she’s even less prepared for the shock she receives when she finds herself face to face with the father of her child once again six years after he’s supposed to have died. Discovering that he is a ghost – a Black Ops agent with no official identity and no possibility of ever living in the real world – destroys any hopes she might have had of reuniting with her son’s father. And, as if all of that is not enough, she also discovers that she and her son are in danger; the nanny she had recently hired turns out to be a professional killer.

Despite all her doubts Becca can’t deny that she is still attracted to Zac and graves the domination only he can provide her with. But even as she is trying to figure out how to resolve his need to be invisible with her need to have him in her life danger comes lurking once again, leaving her and her son in a situation that may well end up killing them.

Zac hates that he had to stay out of Becca and Parker’s lives. He has done what he can, providing them with affordable housing and an income without ever contacting them. Being close to Becca again unleashes all his feelings for the woman who captured his heart over the course of one weekend and just walking away isn’t an option anymore. The problem is that staying with her is even less of an option. It will take deadly danger to make Zac realize that sometimes the impossible has to be done anyway.

Like I said, this was a nice story. Both Becca and Zac were interesting characters, if a bit two dimensional due to lack of back story. I’m not entirely sure how I felt about this psychic connection between Zac and his son but I did like that Zac had been keeping an eye on his unofficial family over the years.

In fact, there was a lot I liked about Zac, especially the way he had no reluctance admitting his feelings, first to himself and then to Becca too.

“This was what it was to love, then. Helplessness. And attachment to something that could be taken away or lost.” – Zac

I wasn’t quite as impressed with Becca who seemed a strange mixture of very strong and rather helpless. And I can’t help thinking that after having it explained to her several times Becca would be able to remember why the spankings were working so well in their relationship.

This is one hot story though and especially the spanking scenes are not for the feint of heart. This couple isn't playing when it comes to spanking; Zac and Becca are looking for more than lightly tinted ass cheeks. Zac inflicts real pain and Becca receives real benefit from it even if she is very slow to realise that. After all, the theme of this book is Domestic Discipline and as such the spankings are punishment. Becca may ultimately find pleasure in them, they are inflicted as punishment and are meant to hurt. The introduction to anal sex seemed a bit too fast to me, but that may well be a personal thing so don't let that put you off reading this book.

Despite those niggles I did enjoy this quick read. It was a straight forward story with a little bit of mystery, some action, a lot of heat and a wonderful happy ending. In fact it was a good read to spend a stormy afternoon indoors with.