Watching and Wanting by Jay Northcote - Review Tour

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Global

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh

Length: 52,000 words

Housemates Series - though a series, each book can be read as a standalone.

Helping Hand (Book #1)  Amazon US | Amazon UK

Like A Lover (Book #2) Amazon US | Amazon UK

Practice Makes Perfect (Book #3) Amazon US | Amazon UK 

Blurb

Watching Jude’s cam show stirs desires Shawn’s always denied...

Shawn is adrift. Recently graduated, he’s stuck in a dead-end job that barely pays the bills. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends have moved on, and he’s still in Plymouth—going nowhere.

Jude is a student living in the same shared house. Out and proud, he’s everything Shawn’s been running from since he hit puberty. When Shawn discovers Jude works as a cam boy, he can’t resist the urge to watch one of his shows. It makes Shawn want things that scare him, yet his fascination forces him to confront his attraction.

Keen to explore his bicurious side, Shawn suggests they do a show together. Jude agrees, and things get complicated—and kinky—fast. But Jude isn’t looking to get involved with someone so deep in the closet. If Shawn’s going to get what he wants, he needs to find the courage to stop hiding from himself and be honest about who he is.

My Review

To start with the blindingly obvious (to anyone who has been following my reviews) I adore Jay Northcote’s books. I love his writing, I always manage to fall for his characters, and without exception his books always leave me with a huge grin on my face. Watching and Wanting was no exception to that rule. Just as the fact that it was light on angst—always a winner with me—and high on sexy times wasn’t a surprise either.

This is the fourth title in the Housemates series but could be read as a standalone. Having said that, if you can read the series in order, I certainly recommend it. If only because it’s so much fun catching up with the couples from the earlier books again.

Jude and Shawn’s coming together is relatively easy and stress free because it starts off as an experiment; an opportunity for Shawn to discover whether or not he really is bisexual despite having denied his attraction to men for years. The situation doesn’t become complicated until feelings are thrown into the mix and poor Shawn has to overcome his insecurities and find the courage to openly admit who and what he is.

It’s funny how it sometimes works. I was fully prepared to, at least initially, dislike Shawn. He’s been a bit of a bastard to his gay and bisexual housemates in earlier books and I expected his redemption to be difficult. Imagine my surprise when despite Shawn doing and saying one or two shitty things along the way, it was Jude how made me sit up and think: ‘hold on mate, now you’re pushing it’. (No, I’m not going to explain, if you want to know why that thought crossed my mind you’ll just have to read the story J). Suffice to say that I wasn’t completely convinced that Jude, who’d been nothing but understanding and patient up until that point in the story, would suddenly put his foot down and say that. As a plot device it worked brilliantly though, so mine is only a minor squabble.

People who’ve read Jay Northcote’s stories before will know he excels at sex scenes, and in this book he takes it one step further by introducing a (light) BDSM angle to the interactions between Shawn and Jude. To say it was hot to watch Shawn give up control and submit to Jude would be a gross understatement. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that the author outdid himself in the sexy stakes in this book.

Watching and Wanting, just like its prequels, comes highly recommended if you enjoy a fun, very sexy, and highly entertaining story.

Earlier Housemates reviews: Helping Hand | Like a Lover | Practice Makes Perfect

Author Bio

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her. 

www.jaynorthcote.com |Twitter |Facebook profile |Facebook Author Page
Newsletter |Jay’s books

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FRANKIE & AL by Sue Brown

FRANKIE & AL by Sue Brown

 

Pages: 158

Date: November 28, 2015

Details: No. 1 Frankie’s Series

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

Dumped by his boyfriend, Frankie Mason goes out with the girls, gets totally trashed, and ends his night by falling in front of a taxi. He’s rescued by a man with beautiful green eyes who takes care of him until he’s put into an ambulance. Frankie curses himself as he realizes he doesn’t have the man’s phone number. Still in pain a few days later, he is dragged out to a club only to be saved by Green Eyes once more. This time, he isn’t letting the man go.

Unfortunately Frankie has to attend a team-building exercise, nicknamed Womb Weekend, organized by his company. Al is working so he doesn't mind, until he discovers who the team leader is. Al has a lot of explaining to do!

My thoughts:

Anybody following my reviews will realise that only yesterday I shared my thoughts on Jordan & Rhys, the fourth title in Frankie’s Series. Yes, I am a ‘bad’ girl for only now reading the first book in that quartet, but it is most definitely a case of better late than never. J

Frankie and Al was sweet, fun, quirky and very enjoyable. It is hard not to fall like a ton of bricks for accident prone Frankie, even if most if not all of his mishaps are of his own making. How can you not develop a soft spot for this charmer, who wears his heart on his sleeve and has no problem making fun of himself and his antics? It is hardly surprising Al gets captured the very first time they run into each other, even if that first meeting is far from pleasant.

Where Frankie comes across as flighty and whimsical, Al is a solid rock of calm and restraint and, as a result, exactly what Frankie needs in his life. Sure, their getting together may be a prime example of insta-love, but it works so very well it is hard, if not impossible, to take issue with that. And while the attraction may be immediate, their coming together takes a while longer, which means they get to know each other before it all gets hot and steamy, and the reader is given the same opportunity.

This is a more or less angst-free story, always a big plus for me. Sure, Frankie goes through more than his fair share of set-backs but given his attitude he never comes across as a martyr. Al has to face a major trauma too, but for both men the problems they encounter are unconnected to the developing bond between them. In fact, it is fair to say they both find their issues more manageable because they other is there to help them through them.

This book came with a fair amount of laugh out loud moments which balanced more or less perfectly with the more emotional side of the story. Sue Brown once again gave us two characters who were easy to fall for and told their story in her usual flowing rhythm. The Frankie Series is most definitely a favourite of mine.

BRUISED

BRUISED by Sean Michael

 

Length: Short Novel

Date: 27/09/2014

Grade: 3

Details: Received from Totally Bound Publishing

            Through Love Romances and More

Kindle

The blurb:

“Johnson and Billy come from different parts of the country, different backgrounds and different places in their lives. Maybe different is exactly what they both need.

Johnson figures it's got to be a sign when cowboy Billy shows up at his garage after hours, just as he's about to go find someone to spend the night with. He's horny enough that a lot of guys would look good, but Billy seems special somehow.

Billy thinks Johnson's the hottest ticket he's seen since he moved to California from Texas, and after a good meal and some good fun, he takes Johnson home. They both find out they're getting more than they bargained for. Can Johnson and Billy figure out why they feel so connected and can they make it last once reality sets back in?”

My thoughts:

This is a sex driven story. If you’re not a huge fan of sex in your books, or only tolerate it in small doses, this is probably not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy hot sex with a light dusting of BDSM, combined with a relationship established on the basis of two men perfectly fulfilling each other’s needs, you’re going to love this book.

If I’m honest, my personal preference lies somewhere between those two extremes which means that while I enjoyed the very hot encounters between Billy and Johnson I would have liked to read a bit more about their relationship beside the physical aspect of it. As it is, the readers only get glimpses of Billy and Johnson’s lives. While the story makes it perfectly clear that Billy’s long hours as a defender mean the two men don’t spend nearly as much time together as they would like, the issue is mentioned and put aside in a sentence or two. Billy and Johnson don’t appear to talk and rarely seem to leave the house other than for work. Issues are dealt with in the bedroom. I really liked what I did see and learn about these two men and felt a bit short changed that I wasn’t given the opportunity to get to know them better.

 In fact the reader would be forgiven for thinking both men have super human powers when it comes to erections and orgasms. And, if I’m completely honest I have to say the sex between Billy and Johnson, while hot, became a bit repetitive after a while.

Having said all that I should also point out that this was a very easy and smooth read. While I may have had one or two issues with the story and the way it was told, that didn’t mean I ever even thought about not finishing the book. I enjoyed my time with Johnson and Billy. I just wish they had shown me a bit more of themselves.

ROPED IN

TITLE: ROPED IN

AUTHOR: L.A WITT & MARIE SEXTON

Length: Extended novella 39k words

Date: 05/05/2014

Grade: 4+

Details: Received from Amber Quill Press

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Graham and his roping partner Jackson have ruled the rodeo scene for ten years running, but lately, Graham’s heart isn’t in the game. He’s tired of the bruises, the cowboy mentality, and the animal rights activists who picket every event. And then there’s Jackson.

Graham and Jackson have been friends since they were boys. But ever since their drunken sexual encounter the year before, things have been awkward. Graham’s accepted that he might be gay, but no matter how attracted he is to other men, he always panics and runs when the clothes start to come off.

Then Graham has a run-in with one of the rodeo protesters, and everything changes. Kaz is young, idealistic, and sexy as hell. And Kaz has an idea for getting Graham past his nerves and into bed.

All they need is a bit of rope.”

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My thoughts:

This was a wonderful novella and a lovely story.

The three characters in this book all managed to tug at my heartstrings. It would have been impossible not to feel sympathy for Graham who may have found the courage to admit he’s gay but doesn’t have the nerves to stay with a man long enough to actually experience intimacy.

Jackson is Graham’s rodeo partner as well as lifelong friend. Their friendship has been strained for a year though, after a drunken and aborted sexual encounter. Graham has also been in love with Jackson for years but is convinced his feelings are one-sided.

Kaz is a young animal activist, protesting at rodeos. When he meets Graham during one of the protests the attraction between the two men is instant and they act on it. When Graham discovers that all he needs to relax with another man are a few orders and ropes to tie him, a whole new world opens before him.

But Kaz and Graham have nothing in common apart from a very strong and hot sexual chemistry. And Jackson isn’t quite as uninterested in Graham as he had thought either.

I adored the love triangle in this book. Especially because I couldn’t predict how it would end and also wasn’t sure what ending I was hoping for. The issue wasn’t black and white. Both Graham’s option looked good and attractive. Both had their pros and cons. And the rejection of either man was going to be painful to read about, yet one of them would have to surrender to the other.

I loved the BDSM elements to this story. They were light and all the more powerful for it. The analogy between a skittish horse and Graham’s insecurities, as well as the solution for either was wonderful.

“It reminded me of putting blinders on a horse – you didn’t take the threat away, you simply took the horse’s ability to see it. And somehow, with my hands tied between us, I felt more at ease than I had a moment before.”

Kaz’s soft touch dominance and Graham’s reaction to it were beautiful. Kaz is a passionate man with doubts and fears as well as dominant in the bedroom and seeing both sides of him made him all the more attractive as a character. Graham’s road to ecstasy was mesmerizing, as well as incredibly hot and the descriptions of Graham finding freedom while being bound took my breath away.

 “Being untied didn’t mean being free. It meant being a victim to my own fears and insecurities. I’d never felt safer than I did at that moment, tied to the bed and pinned beneath his slim body.”

This was my first encounter with Marie Sexton but I’ve read books by L.A. Witt before. In fact, she is one of my go-to authors when I’m looking for a well written M/M novel. All I can say is her partnership with Marie Sexton was as successful as her partnerships with others and her solo books are. I thoroughly enjoyed this charming, sexy and captivating love story.

“No matter how different we were, we kept up coming back to this. Two men who wanted each other. Simple as that.”

CURTAINS

TITLE: CURTAINS

AUTHOR: ANA RAINE

Pages: 59

Date: 02/05/2014

Grade: 3+

Details: Novella

            Received from Changeling Press

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Ian’s normal, boring life consists of his small town bartending job and his on again/off again relationship with his strictly vanilla boyfriend. Ian wants something more – he just doesn’t know what. When fate – and a travelling theatre troupe – drops his high school crush, Ezra, in Ian’s pat, Ian has to choose between his stable, boring life or risk everything for a future full of uncertainty – and the possibility of real love.

Ezra’s loved Ian since high school, and he’s always regretted the chance he didn’t take. But will Ian consent to be Ezra’s lover – and his partner in his darkest fantasies?”

My thoughts:

Ian’s life is okay. He lives in a small town where he has a bartending job, working for his very much in the closet and not overly committed boyfriend, Calvin. Ian knows something is missing from his relationship. He needs something more than Calvin is willing or able to give him even if he can’t quite name what that might be. When Calvin’s sister arrives in town he cuts off all contact with Ian to keep his gay secret safe.

Ezra was attracted to Ian when they were in high school together but never acted on his feelings, something he’s regretted ever since. When he and the theatre group he works with arrive in town he his delighted to meet Ian again and wastes no time claiming the man he allowed to get away once.

Now Ian faces a choice. Stay in his boring but save and predictable life with the boyfriend who will never be ready to commit to him or take a risk while making all his dreams and sexy fantasies come true with Ezra.

This was a fun little novella. Not a book that took my breath away or made me think but an enjoyable read about nice characters. We watch Ian as he spend the night with his commitment phobic boss and boyfriend Calvin in what is, for Ian at least, a not all together satisfying encounter.

Meeting Ezra again is a shock. From the moment Ian sets eyes on the man he used to go to school with he knows there is more to Ezra, a dangerous edge that excites as well as scares Ian. Giving in to the attraction and Ezra’s domination brings Ian an experience he’s only dreamed about in the past and leaves him yearning for more while scared to put his safe but boring life on the line for an unpredictable future.

I liked the character of Ezra. He’s both edgy and caring; a Dom determined to push Ian’s limits while making sure the man he’s been attracted to for so long is okay.  I was less fond of Ian. He seemed a bit wishy-washy, reluctant to make decisions for himself. I wasn’t entirely happy about Ian’s apparent double standard either; he resents Calvin for dropping him the moment he has family visiting because he doesn’t want to admit to being gay but hasn’t come out himself either. He doesn’t leave Calvin because the man won’t commit, or because the man can’t and won’t give him what he needs but because his boss and boyfriend loses the plot with him. While it was clear that being with Ezra gave Ian what he needed and that his feelings for Ezra were much stronger than the ones he had for Calvin, it seemed that Ian left with Ezra because he didn’t have another choice rather than because he wanted to.

The whole story is told from Ian’s point of view and in his voice and I couldn’t help feeling the language seems a bit childish for the topic. On the one hand Ian seemed to know about BDSM and what was expected of him while he seemed almost completely ignorant at the same time. That confused me a bit.

I’m not entirely sure if I would call this a BDSM story. Sure, Ian calls Ezra ‘Sir’ when they’re in the zone and Ezra is very much in control of their encounters and Ian’s ultimate satisfaction but it still felt more like kink, a form of role play, to me than the start of a D/s relationship.

Having said that, I did enjoy reading this story and got engrossed in all the physical and emotional turmoil Ezra throws Ian into. And I loved that the author gave us a glimpse of their life together, eight months later.

This novella wasn’t quite as deep or soul-searching as I’d hoped from the description but it did give me about an hour’s worth of very pleasant and at times very hot reading.

CONTROL

TITLE: CONTROL

AUTHOR: CHARLOTTE STEIN

Pages: 258

Date: 10/01/2014

Grade: 3

Details: Received from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca

             Through NetGalley

Own/Kindle

The blurb:

“When Madison Morris decides to hire an assistant to help run her naughty bookshop, she gets a lot more than she bargained for. Two very different men are vying for the position...and a whole lot more.

Andy excites her into grasping control, while Gabriel shows her how freeing it can be to just let go. Soon the lines are blurring and Madison is no longer sure who's leading and who's following. In the midst of kinky threesomes and power plays, can she’ll have to finally decide what--and who--she really wants.”

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This will be one of my more ambivalent reviews I’m afraid. While reading this book I was constantly torn between really enjoying myself and getting exasperated with the writing style.

I loved the idea behind the story.

Madison, the owner of the ‘Wicked Words’ bookshop (and isn’t that a brilliant name for a bookshop specialising in kinky titles), finds herself torn between Andy, the rather dominant and self-assured man about town and Gabriel, a shy, inexperienced and very submissive young man. When she hires Gabriel to work in her shop it isn’t long before she realises that he loves the kinky books she sells, although he does his best to hide his interest from her. It only takes her a little bit longer to discover that Gabriel, while inexperienced, feels the need to be told what to do. When ordered, he is up to almost anything. When Madison discovers her hidden talent for dominating Gabriel, things between them heat up very rapidly.

It doesn’t take long either before Madison realises she is developing feelings for Gabriel; feelings he is clearly experiencing too. Of course things are never that straightforward and especially not in this developing relationship; Andy is still in the mix and while all three of them seem to enjoy the sexy games they get involved in, his presence also emphasises all of Gabriel’s insecurities.

Like I said I really did like the idea behind this story. I enjoyed the games Madison played with Gabriel and how they teased him out of his shell. And I can’t deny that some of those games were very, very sexy.

However - you knew this was coming - I can’t help feeling I would have loved this story if only it had been told in a different way. This book was trying a bit too hard to be funny and snarky. I enjoy a humorous story as much as the next person, but only in the right setting. This book was dealing with deep and often repressed feelings and it could have been a truly touching story if they had been developed further. Because of the author’s constant need to be funny, those feelings sort of slipped into the background, but not enough - for me - to allow me to just go with the laughs. When I did smile I felt guilty for not feeling the emotions while every time I did manage to get really involved in the characters and their feelings I couldn’t help feeling I was missing the punchline. In fact, this book left me feeling that maybe I just wasn’t getting it.

Of course it is quite possible that the problem was exactly that; me not getting it. I would have liked this story to be more serious. I would have liked more insight into the development of the characters. I was constantly on the verge of really liking Gabriel only to never be able to get there because he just wasn’t developed enough. And the same is true for the other characters. Even Madison, who is the narrator never got better than two dimensional.

I also got lost in the timeline. When I thought only a few days had passed the story would surprise me by revering to passing months. And don’t get me started about the amount of times the word ‘lewd’ was used. It popped up so often that I ended up dreading the next time I would come across it.

I’m surprised to hear myself say it, but I can’t help feeling that this book would have benefited from a little bit less (rather hot) sex and more character development and attention to the emotions experienced by Madison, Gabriel and Andy. If you are in the mood for a funny and lighthearted sexy romp, this book may well be exactly what you need. If you want to feel the deep emotions that develop between well established characters, you probably want to pick up another title.

10 SHADES OF SEDUCTION

TITLE: 10 SHADES OF SEDUCTION

AUTHOR: VARIOUS

Pages: 448

Date: 30/09/2013

Grade: 5

Details: Received from MIRA Harlequin

            Through NetGalley

Own/Kindle

The Blurb:

“Are you aching for more shade? 

The experts in erotic romance invite you to delve deeper into the tantalizing world of BDSM with a selection of delightfully wicked novellas that will ignite your senses. Explore your darkest fantasies with ten daring, intense stories by some of the biggest names in the genre. If you're looking for a lip-bitingly sexy escape, 10 Shades of Seduction will claim you.

You know you want it.

Sarah McCarty, Tiffany Reisz , Alison Tyler, Lisa Renee Jones, Portia Da Costa, Saskia Walker, Anne Calhoun, Alegra Verde”

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This is a book consisting of ten different stories by eight different authors and as such impossible to review as one book. In fact, I’m not even going to try. Below are my thoughts on each individual story as well as a separate rating for each of them. In the past, when reading an anthology, there would be at least one story that didn't work for me at all; at least one that would let the rest of the collection down. How wonderful to find a collection in which every single novella worked for me. Granted, some worked better than others, but much to my delight none of them disappointed.

As the blurb suggests all of these novellas deal with Domination and submission in some form or another and all of them are explicit and sexy as my short descriptions and selected quotes will show.

Submit to Desire by Tiffany Reisz (5+)

Featuring the fabulous and oh so sexy Kingsley Edge from the “Original Sinners” books.

When Kingsley sees Charlie breathing fire in a club he makes her a proposition. He wants her to submit to him for one month during which he will train her for a client of his. New to BDSM, Charlie finds herself discovering a new world, filled with delights she never knew existed. The only problem is that by the time the month is over she has become so attached to Kingsley that submitting to another man, regardless of who he might be, seems impossible. What will Charlie do when she meets this mysterious client?

Filled with Tiffany Reisz’s trademark humour, sexiness and sparkling characters this story was exactly what I knew it would be; a pure delight and enticingly hot story.

Favourite quotes:

“What you must understand is that submissive women are not weak. They are often much stronger than the men who dominate them. They have to be strong and brave to submit without losing themselves.”

“You can be afraid all you want. Just don’t let your fear stop you.”

“Vanilla sex is all about trust. Rape is all about fear. In that place between fear and trust is where we live.”

“Charlie, in this house, the word slut is the highest compliment I can give. It means you are a person who owns her sexuality and is unafraid to experiment and open her mind and body to new experiences.”

Second Time Around by Portia Da Costa (5)

Willa meets her ex-husband James at a school reunion after they've been apart for three years. Things have changed though. The push-over Willa used to order around no longer exists. This new James is confident, and in total control. This new James makes Willa feel like an insecure teenager before they've even exchanged a word. The new James shows Willa that life and love will be better if she’ll just give up control and submit to him…at least some of the time.

A wonderful story about two people who were meant to be together but messed it up getting and taking their second chance.

“I decide I’m never going to hold back either. I’ll try anything, do anything…at his command.”

Tempting the New Guy by Alegra Verde (3.5)

Story set in an office environment. Glory is being pursued by new guy Clement Johns while she already is having an affair with her boss, Bruce and has also been seeing Alex, a client of the company she works for. While this makes for lots of heated and steamy encounters it also made this a story I wasn't quite sure what to make of. At some point Glory thinks:

“I was beginning to feel like an indentured whore who’d let out her vagina for the duration of her employment at Davies and Birch.”

I have to admit that’s exactly the impression she left with me. A well written story that didn't really work for me.

Giving in by Alison Tyler (4.5)

Ellis is only weeks away from homelessness when her friend Sasha treats her to a trip to Venice where they will stay with Stefan, a very rich uncle of Sasha’s.

While Ellis expects a two week holiday before she has to return to her desperate situation in New York, she finds something completely different. Ellis is on a journey to a place where all her fantasies - all the sexy stories she has ever written - are about to come true. Ellis can leave her troubles behind and enter a world filled with pleasure; a happily ever after story without an end.

“I will never run out of ways to make you come.”

What She Needs by Anne Calhoun (4.5)

“When Jack calls at 6:00 p.m. on a Saturday and tells me to meet him in the bar at the Embassy Suites, I know two things: he wants to fuck me, and I will let him.”

I like that Jack is a hero who doesn't look like a stud.

“He doesn't look like a man who can make a woman lose her mind. But he is.”

When “I” meets Jack she does what he asks without question. Jack is in control and if the narrator follows his instructions he’ll bring her to the heights of passion. This is a wonderfully sweet yet very sexy story. The “revelation” at the end didn't come as a surprise, but I don’t think it was supposed to. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Vegas Heat by Lisa Renee Jones (4)

Dante Ricci, rich entrepreneur planning to expand his empire in Las Vegas wants Sonya Miller, a highly ambitious corporate lawyer to work with him on this project. Contract negotiations and dinner lead to a rather unexpected game during which Dante demands Sonya’s trust and submission and the independent and always in control young woman learns that submitting has its own benefits.

“Give me control. I’ll be gentle”

A charming and sexy story although I can’t help feeling it would have been better if it had been longer, maybe even a full-length novel.

A Very Personal Assistant by Portia Da Costa (5)

Miranda Austin, corporate highflyer feels drained and fed up after an especially difficult meeting. When her personal assistant Patrick Dove suggests taking a few hours out of their day to get away from it all, Miranda knows he doesn't mean having a cup of coffee together. An afternoon away from the office, submitting to Patrick’s demands is just what Miranda needs and what started as a one-off turns into a regular event. But can an office affair ever work? And what happens when lust turns into real feelings?

“In the midst of crazy sex, she found serenity in his quiet, solid presence, over and inside her.”

“There was strength in giving in, it was her choice, what she wanted in this moment.”

“Yes…with you, I don’t have to decide things or control things or take responsibility. I can just be.”

Rarely has a quote had the personal resonance that the following has:

“And if you get too uppity, we’ve always got the cottage.”

Tied up & Twisted by Allison Tyler (5)

An S&M love story

When Hadley McCarthy goes to the gym to interview Reed Frost she feels an instant connection; he is the man she wants to submit to. Guy does the PR at the gym and has arranged for Hadley to do the interview. He hasn't seen her for a year but wants her back; he can’t wait to submit to her again. But Hadley has no inclination to return to Guy or her past as a Domme. And Reed Frost has steered clear of relationships for seven years and has no real urge to get involved with anyone again. Will anybody end up with who they want and need?

“I want to live in a world where everyone gets what they need, and nobody is punished for their desires.”

“Welcome to the beginning…the beginning of your happy ending.”

Letting Go by Sarah McCarthy (5)

Mark and Becky have been planning their weekend away for a month, but now that it is here Becky is afraid; afraid that she might not live up to Mark’s expectations; afraid that she may not be able to give him the submission he wants, and herself the release of control she has been craving for such a long time.

A very sexy and sweet story about a married couple taking their relationship one step further.

Forbidden Ritual by Saskia Walker (4)

Imogen is an independent and powerful woman who doesn't think she needs a man but finds herself ever more frequently spending the time in between work and sleep with Giles, a younger Dominant man who knows how to give her the pain she craves with her pleasure. Now Giles wants to take Imogen beyond her comfort zone; he wants her to submit to him completely. Will Imogen be able to agree to rope bondage – shibari – or will her need to never lose control completely make her deny both herself and Giles the opportunity of being happy together?

“This, shibari, is about the next level for me. It’s a sign of ultimate commitment and trust.”

This is a wonderful collection of novellas. One that has given me hours of pure reading delight, reacquainted me with favourite authors and introduced me to what are sure to become new must read writers. A little slice of reading heaven!

CLAIMED

TITLE: CLAIMED

AUTHOR: STACEY KENNEDY

Pages: 244

Date: 04/09/2013

Grade: 4-

Details: No. 1 Club Sin

            Received from Random House

            Through NetGalley

Own / Kindle

The Blurb:

“Presley Flynn is ripe to experience her secret fantasies . . . and Dmitri Pratt wants nothing more than to fulfill them. Once inside the elite Club Sin in Las Vegas, Presley is nervous but excited—and determined to surrender to her every desire. Dmitri is her Master, and his touch is like fire. With each careful, calculated caress, he unleashes her wildest inhibitions, giving her unimagined pleasure.

Presley is different than the other submissives Dmitri has mastered. The BDSM lifestyle is new to her, and so are the games they play at Club Sin. From the start, Presley stirs emotions in him far beyond the raw purity between a Dom and the perfect sub. For the ecstasy they share goes beyond the dungeon igniting a passion that claims the very depths of the heart.”

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There are as many reasons to read as there are readers, or books. Sometimes you need to learn something, sometimes you want to be scared, there are occassions when it is all about the mystery and then there are the moments when all you want and need is a sweet love story. Today was one of those love story days for me and wasn’t I lucky that I decided to start – and finish – “Claimed” by Stacey Kennedy.

Because a sweet love story is exactly what we find on these pages. Yes, it is definitely an erotic story, and yes there is a strong BDSM theme to it, but neither the story nor the subject matter is shocking. In fact, I would call this BDSM light.

When we meet Presley Flynn she is a bundle of nerves about to meet Dmitri Pratt – on a side note, Pratt seems to be an unfortunate surname for this character since he is anything but incompetent and foolish. Aged 25, Presley has recently broken up with her one and only boyfriend of eight years after catching him cheating on her. When her friend and roommate, Cora, sees her devouring BDSM novels she decides to introduce Presley to the club she is a member of. While Presley knows that the stories excite her and is very curious  about the life-style, she is very nervous about acting on her feelings and even more scared about coming across as not good enough.

Master Dmitri is fascinated by the young woman from the moment he first sets eyes on Presley. Especially since he can’t quite get a handle on the combination of lust, fear, insecurity and determination she exhibits.

“He couldn’t tell who she truly was; the innocent little darling scared out of her wits, or the brave woman not hiding from her sexual desires but fighting to express them.”

Dmitri doesn’t only decide to allow her into his club, he also fast-tracks her application process just so that he can start training her as soon as possible; before Presley has a chance to second guess her desires and let her fear keep her away. And so begins Presley’s slow but very intensive introduction into the pleasures of Domination and submission.

“That, Presley, is what makes you a submissive. You find peace and happiness when you relinquish control.”

As Presley spends more time with Dmitri she not only discovers the delights of BDSM and submitting to a man who seems to know exactly what she wants and needs, she also discovers sides to herself she never suspected were there.

“She had thought she’d come to Club Sin with something to prove to herself, to be a different woman, but tonight she felt as if she had become the woman she was meant to be – free and calm.”

But Presley isn’t the only one with issues to overcome and lessons to learn. As much as Dmitri teaches Presley that it is not only ok but also good to stand up for herself and stop always trying to please everybody around her, she teaches him that he doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on his lone shoulders. It takes a few lessons, but Presley and Dmitri soon discover that:

“Together, we’re better, aren’t we?”

Like I said, this is a sweet and romantic, not to mention sexy, story. And if it is BDSM-light it is also sexy light. While the pair indulge in all sorts of kinky play throughout the book, there is no intercourse until very late in the book. And I have to say I’m glad about that. In this story, with this innocent main character, anything else might have stretched my willingness to suspend disbelief a bit too far.

There is of course something cute about Presley in this book, coming to the realisation that the BDSM she has been reading about in her romance novels isn’t quite like the reality she’s encountering. I read that and couldn’t help thinking that there must be a lot of (mainly) women out there who have discovered the joys of reading this genre and now think they know exactly what BDSM is. Chances are that most, if not all of them – probably including myself – would be in for a rude awakening  if confronted with the reality of the life-style.

This is a feel good book without protracted drama; a light and easy read and just what I needed today. I look forward to future Club Sin titles. There is always room for a good and sexy romance in my life.

I’m going to end this review with one more quote, just because I liked the sentence:

“Or would you rather I spank your ass until a chair resembles your sworn enemy?”