Review: Breaking Free

Making the Grade: A

For My Thoughts


Breaking Free by Cherise Sinclair is the third book in the Masters of the Shadowlands series and if possible it was the best one yet. The storyline was more complex with the added element of suspense which as a romantic suspense junkie I really enjoyed. If possible the Dom/s scenes and sex were some of the hottest ones yet...they were off the chain...errr wait there were chains involved more than once and a whole lot more. One thing Sinclair does in her stories that I like is to not repeat the same “types” of scenes in each book - there’s always a new variation to captivate and titillate. In addition to being some of the most gorgeous, intuitive and alpha men on the planet - these Masters are very inventive when it comes to playing games and doling out punishment. Somebody turn on the fan - it’s getting hot in here!

Beth is on the run and hiding from her abusive and sadist ex-hubby who really did some nasty things to her in the role of her Dom during their marriage. She’d tried leaving him once before and that didn’t end too well for her and her body carries the scars as a constant reminder. She’s scared about being discovered by her ex but she refuses to stop living. Beth displayed an inner strength I admired while trying to make a go of it on her own with a small landscaping business and wow what a surprise that one of her clients is Club Shadowlands.

When Beth decided to dip her toes back into BDSM game I was sorta skeptical on how she would ever allow herself to let go and be dominated and trust anyone again to the level that is required in a Dom/s relationship considering what her Ex had done to her. I really feared for Beth at first and her return to the BDSM scene, but considering she was at the Shadowlands - I knew she was in “good hands” and those hands don’t come any better than attached to the oh so yummy Master Nolan. Not to sure what Sir would feel about me describing him as yummy - but he is!

I came to the realization that Beth was a sub at heart. It was a position she enjoyed and a lifestyle she was comfortable living and just because her previous relationship had been a train wreck - her desire to return to her roots was understandable. I realized it would be no different than a straight woman in an abusive relationship - she wouldn’t turn into a lesbian or a homosexual man wouldn’t turn straight. The heart wants what the heart wants and Beth wanted to be dominated.

As I stated earlier I loved the added element of the suspense. Knowing Beth’s husband was out there looking for her and it was only a matter of time before he found her kept me turning the pages...ohhhhh that and a lot of other things made me race through this book. Let me just say that Master Nolan knows how to throw an intimate house party with some pretty hot and sexy party games *fans self* *fans self* *fans self*.

Finally I was over the moon at the ending. Justice was served and if this had been a movie, then the theatre-goers would have been standing and cheering at the end. What goes around, comes around loser ex-hubby!

From Goodreads:
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands ; Previous Book: Dark Citadel
Genre: BDSM Romantic Suspense

A sadistic husband left Beth scarred, inside and out. Only at the Shadowlands BDSM club does she feel like a woman. But her fears limit her to Doms who won't overwhelm her--the very ones who cannot arouse her. The Master of the Shadowlands gives her an ultimatum: accept the Dom he assigns or lose her membership. The last thing Beth wants is a ruthless, powerful Dom, but that's just what she gets.

Asked to take on a problem sub, Nolan sees the issue immediately--although truly submissive, the little redhead is too scared to relinquish control and her Doms have let her get away with it. That will change right now.

As Master Nolan takes Beth under command, compelling her submission, she's terrified, but the experienced Dom brings her pleasure, not pain. His only demand is that she never lie to him. Under his capable hands, her body comes alive, and she begins to heal. As he pushes her limits, she learns to trust…and then to love. And she realizes he is beginning to care for her in return.

But now her cruel husband has found her, and Master Nolan discovers she's been lying and lying and lying.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, BDSM theme and content (including/not limited to bondage, caning, domination, restraint, paddling, spanking, submission, tethering); exhibitionism, menage, violence.(less

Review: Her Singapore Fling

In desperate need of protection, Jianne Xang-Bennett reluctantly turns to her estranged husband, martial arts expert Jacob Bennett, for help. But there are problems: they've been separated for twelve years and cannot be in the same room together without arguing or ripping each other's clothes off—often at the same time!

But Jacob will go to extremes for those he loves, and Jianne is the only woman who can bring this honorable warrior to his knees. Can they delve beneath their red-hot desire and blazing anger to find the love that has always been hiding?

Making the Grade: A

For My Thoughts

This may well be the best category romance I have ever read! I LOVED Her Singapore Fling by Kelly Hunter.

I don’t read a lot of category romance mostly because I find the names of the books sooooo contrived and frankly it turns me off buying these books. I will pick up the occasional category romance by one of my favorite authors like a Blaze by Jill Shalvis or Lisa Renee Jones or an Intrigue by HelenKay Dimon or a Super Romance by Sarah Mayberry but I’ve never read a Harlequin Presents Extra - and my question is WHY THE HELL NOT!!!!!! I couldn’t believe how good this book was and in fact I goggled Harlequin Presents Extra to see what the requirements were for this genre and not surprisingly - it is everything I am looking for in a great book.

I’m not sure what prompted me to purchase this book. The name reminded me of a particularly delicious fruity drink, the cover was suggestive and seductive and the back cover blurb definitely caught my attention. I devoured this book in one day. I know it’s no War and Peace but the fact that once I started Her Singapore Fling that I wanted to finish it immediately speaks volumes about just how much I enjoyed it.

Yes this book is part of a series by Kelly Hunter and although I joined in the series at the end, I don’t feel I missed any pertinent info regarding the Bennett family dynamics. The author doesn’t do a lot if any backloading of the previous siblings and I do plan to make the acquaintance of the entire Bennett family and read Hunter’s other books in the series. I can only imagine they are as good as this one was. Kelly Hunter just went on my auto-buy author list.

Jake Bennett, world class black belt champion, owner of his own Dojo, is the oldest sibling of the Bennett clan and I could tell immediately that he was all about family first and his siblings are just as loyal to him. He cared for, helped raise and is totally 1000% dedicated to his brothers, sister and his extended family including his young street-smart and wise beyond his young years apprentice Po.

Twelve years ago his family dedication and his desire to become a world class athlete contributed to the not-so-end of his marriage to his not-so ex-wife Jianne. I say not so because they never ever divorced. The fact that neither one sought out a divorce speaks to their deep abiding love for one another. Money (hers not his) and cultural differences also played a contributing factor, but the fact is that 12 years later when Jake and Jianne meet up again the sparks are still blazing bright and strong and hot.

The setting is exotic (Singapore), the story is full of sexual tension (not quite so ex‘s), suspense and danger (a very persistent stalker) and the result is an excellent and entertaining story that doesn’t drag or let up for one minute.

There are just so many good things about this book. I will be checking out more from Kelly Hunter and definitely checking out future titles from the Harlequin Presents Extra line!

Review: Game For Love

GAME FOR LOVE

(The Bad Boys of Football 3)

In a relationship built on lies...the only truth is their feelings for each other.

To fulfill his grandmother's dying wish, linebacker Cole Taylor must find - and marry - a good girl. First grade teacher, Anna Davis, fits the bill perfectly. Their deal is simple: If she'll be his temporary wife, he'll give her more pleasure than she ever imagined was possible. Only, love is the ultimate game-changer

Making the Grade: C+

For My Thoughts



Give me a sexy sports romance story any day and all is good with my world.

I’ve read the other 2 books in the series and was excited to see Bella Andre had a new addition to the Outlaw series. The cover immediately reminded me of another football sports book I read recently (The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton - gotta love those hunky ab-fabulous covers).

What happens in Vegas baby!!! Cole Taylor really wants to fulfil the wishes of his dying Grandmother who raised him. She wants to see him married and settled to a “good girl”. That’s going to be a tough request to fill considering Cole is a famous, football star for the San Francisco Outlaws. There may be lots of bad girls lined up around the block for this bad boy, but he needs to find a "good girl" to marry and introduce to Grandma.

First grade teacher Anna Davis is in Vegas for her sister’s wedding. She’s kind of the odd duck in her family, she has a few self esteem issues, is boring and predicable and just looking for the right moment to break out of her shell. Well hello Vegas because Anna’s about to take a gigantic leap outside her comfort zone.

Their eyes meet across a crowded room and with only the brush of her fingertips against his knuckles Cole feels an unbelievable shock of attraction for the innocent brunette at the bar. He also knows immediately knows she’s the “good girl” he’s been looking for. Before either can say “I Do” Cole and Anna are united in Holy Matrimony. I knew why Cole was marrying Anna but since she wasn’t aware of Cole’s full intentions (and had no idea he was a famous football player) I had a harder time believing she would marry a complete stranger - no matter how gorgeous or persuasive he was. So it seemed a bit far-fetched that these 2 would immediately jump into the wedding frying pan, but I went with it. On a side note I was having a he’s too stupid to live moment thinking that given Cole was a famous, wealthy football player, he would consider marrying someone without a pre-nup. Guess he wouldn’t be the first guy to do so?

All I can say is WOW - what a honeymoon. Given that these two barely knew each other a couple of hours, there was nooooo holding back in the bedroom on the wedding night. Cole pushed Anna to her limits and she discovered a whole knew appreciation for her sexuality. Cole kind of reminded me a randy, never had sex before 14 year old boy. He couldn’t get enough of Anna and he was almost too overpowering in his sexual prowess - he could have dialled it down a notch or two given Anna’s innocence. I guess it was a good thing Anna discovered her inner sexpot in a hurry. There are some - no make that a lot of scorching hot sex scenes between these two.

Once Cole revealed his true intentions about his true need for a wife - Anna of course felt betrayed but is then guilted into playing the role of loving and devoted wife to appease a dying woman’s wishes.

Once they return to “normal” life, Anna realizes just how hard it’s going to be to perpetrate the lie of being married to Cole. Anna really is a good girl and having to lie to family, friends and co-workers is not something that comes naturally to her. In addition being in the spotlight of the paparazzi would be hard for anyone to get used to especially when Anna finds herself falling deeply in love for real with her husband - knowing that to him their marriage is a sham and a charade they are playing for the benefit of his grandmother.

One thing that really made me roll my eyes in disbelief was when Anna attended her first ever football game and after watching about half the game - she felt she’d grasped the rules. Oh really? About football? Ummmm I don’t think so. I’m not a huge football fan, but I’ve been watching it for years and I don’t know that I could feel confident about knowing the rules after many years let alone half a game. It’s a little thing, but it struck a nerve with me.

There’s lots to like about Game for Love and really you don’t have to enjoy football or sports to enjoy this book. It’s a love story that starts out under false pretences, with an intense amazing attraction between Cole and Anna and in the end there is a happy ending for everyone

March TBR Challenge: Unholy Ghosts

March’s challenge was to read a new-to-me author off the TBR pile. Well the pile is so big and the choices were vast but I ultimately decided upon Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane. Many of my tweeps love this book and some dude named Terrible. Who names a character Terrible? Is he a terrible man? A terrible lover? Have a terrible disposition? I guess I finally decided to find out what all the fuss was about.

Making the Grade: C+

For My Thoughts



Unholy Ghosts is an example of Urban Fantasy. What does that mean? Since I really had no idea I decided to Goggle it. Here’s the definition from Wikipedia.

Urban Fantasy: describes a work that is set primarily in a city and contains aspects of fantasy. For good or ill, the introduction of fantastic elements is sometimes shown to have made a significant impact on inner city life. These matters may involve the arrivals of alien races, the discovery of earthbound mythological creatures, coexistence between humans and paranormal beings, conflicts between humans and malicious paranormals, and subsequent changes in city management.

After reading the back blurb of the book and taking into consideration the definition above - Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane is not a book I would typically pick to read. I’ve only ever read one other similar style of book and that was the “Fever” series by Karen Marie Moning (which I read based on tremendous twitter buzz) and was thoroughly captivated by the world within.

Chessie Putham is not the typical heroine I am used to reading about. She’s a deeply flawed character, a drug addict who also smokes and is a witch and debunker for the Church of the Real Truth. In other words she’s the go-to gal like in “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” when you need the undead removed from your home. She reminded me of a harder, darker version of Melinda from the TV show Ghost Whisperer. She’s into her drug pimp Bump for a lot of money and because of her addiction and dependence on his supply of drugs she’s kind of at his mercy.

At first I wasn’t “terribly” impressed with Terrible who is Bump’s thug/enforcer. He has mutton chops…mmm not “terribly” attractive, a lumpy nose, jutting brow and hard, dark eyes and he‘s a big, scary dude who seemed more than willing to break Chessie’s kneecaps (or whatever the UF equivalent is) than kiss her. Kane writes his manner of speech in something I coined Terrible speak. It wasn’t an accent per se, more like someone from a foreign country attempting to learn to speak a new language. He wasn’t the only one who spoke like that and I’m not sure I liked it. Here’s just a small sample:

“Hold it. Lemme call, aye? You ain’t just leave like this.”

Chess was caught between a rock and hard place. A rival drug lord wants his pound of flesh from Chess, she’s being spooked and seemingly stalked by an unholy Dreamthief, she’s suspicious of many of her co-workers about their involvement in something sinister that is going on in Downside and the bottom line is she doesn’t know who to trust.

If not for the TBR challenge, I am not sure that when I started Unholy Ghosts if I would have finished it. I just wasn’t feeling it, but I persevered and the action did pick up. I was even scared for Chess a few times - not a good thing to be reading about scary spectres before bed. And Terrible did grow on me but never in a “fan girl” squeeeee kind of way.

There are 2 more books currently released in the series (and they are on the TBR) and I will at some time probably read them, but I was not inspired to move them up the TBR (not like when I read “Fever” and devoured the first 4 books in the series one after the other).

I am certain that if this genre interests you, then the Downside world will more than hold your interest. It certainly had it’s moments, it’s just darker and more sinister with powerful amulets and spells and runes and well more Unholy Ghosts than I am used to.

Read an Excerpt

Back Cover Blurb

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah

Review: Dark Citadel (Master of the Shadowlands #2)

After Kari breaks up with her date during Beginner's Night at Club Shadowlands, she's given the option to continue with an experienced dominant. Despite her steamy fantasies about BDSM, the inexperienced schoolteacher plans to simply observe. Yet under the unyielding hands of Master Dan, she not only participates, but gives him everything he asks for. There is nothing she can hide from him. Not her passion...or her love. Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, BDSM theme and content (including/not limited to bondage, caning, restraint, spanking, tethering) exhibitionism, voyeurism

Making the Grade: B

For My Thoughts

Master Dan, Dan he’s the man, if he can’t get you off, then no one can. Wait I take that back. I’m pretty sure ANY of the Masters at Shadowlands could do the job with a look, a quirk of their brow or merely the threat or the promise of dishing out some punishment.

Dark Citadel is book two in Ms. Sinclair’s series about some of the hottest Doms on the face of the earth at the exclusive and private club The Shadowlands and the women who capture their hearts. As in the previous book, the heroine Kari seems to be your average, everyday woman with a normal career as a school teacher and as most woman do, she has self image and body issues. Luckily so far the Masters at Shadowlands seem to have a penchant for curvy women.

Looking to spice up their sex life Kari and her current boyfriend Buck decide to try out the Shadowlands and see if the Dom/s lifestyle is for them.It’s not long before Dom wannabe Buck gets carried away by the experience (and not in a good way) and before Kari can say Yes, Master she finds herself getting a whole new education experience courtesy of Master Dan the Man.

Big bad Dom Dan has a bit of a rep for being a loner since his wife died. He partakes of the pleasures at Shadowlands, but never with the same sub twice. When he notices Kari's not really “feeling it” during a scene with Buck the Schmuck, Master Dan rises to the challenge of initiating Kari into the lifestyle available at Shadowlands and takes matters into his own hands.

Master Dan works slowly towards the goal of building a trusting relationship between him and Kari. He pushes her boundaries, delivers punishments for disobedience and rewards for good behavior. He watches, listens, interprets the meaning behind gasps and moans and twitches all in the name of learning what his little subbie needs and wants...sometimes it seems like he and all the Doms really are mind readers.

Sure this lifestyle isn’t for everyone and some of the scenes being played out at Shadowlands are not for the faint of heart (there is nothing vanilla about the sex in Ms. Sinclair’s books that I’ve discovered so far) just like reading about this lifestyle wont be for everyone. It seems to me that this lifestyle within the context of these books is a win win for everyone. Shadowlands is an upscale, safe and secure club with monitors and a save word and no one is holding a gun to these subs heads. They get the experience and payoff of their lives from some of the best Doms in the business and if it wasn’t an extremely satisfying experience - hey they don’t have to keep going back.

Trust is a two way street and in Dark Citadel Kari’s not the only one who learns to trust her feelings and open up her heart. Master Dan finds the will to smile again. Like I said win win.

Review: A Lot Like Love

The FBI wants her cooperation.

As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city’s top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there’s only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother’s release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

Agent McCall just wants her.

As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This “date” with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they’re both determined to pull off even if they can’t be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick’s investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they’re a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. .

Making the Grade: A+

For My Thoughts

Julie James could write about the periodic table and I would buy the book, read it and totally enjoy it. Yes I am a big fan of Ms. James and yes she is that good. My one complaint? I wanted more. I needed the story to go on. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to these characters *sniffle*. And now the long wait begins until the next Julie James offering is available *sigh*.

Her latest release A Lot Like Love is her fourth book and she just keeps getting better. This book features a beautiful, sophisticated, refined, wine shop owner and billion heiress (well she will be one day) Jordan Rhodes and a don’t f*&k with me (and he has a really good face to go along with it too!), scruffy, just finished an undercover assignment, take charge, Cro-Magnon FBI agent Nick McCall. You can see where this is going right? Oil and water? Opposite ends of the spectrum? No matter how different Jordan and Nick are it doesn’t take long before the sparks are a-crack-a-lacking between these two.

Jordan would do anything for her twin brother Kyle who just happens to be incarcerated and that includes getting “into bed” sorta speak with the FBI if it means getting an earlier release for her brother. How hard can it be to carry on a "fake" relationship for one evening? Harder than you think Ms. Rhodes!

I, like Nick don’t know anything about wine, care nothing about wine and all it subtleties and when he was asked how an expensive glass of wine smelt - he replied like I would: “Like wine”. Ms. James takes the wine world and makes it interesting and so fun with her sarcastic dialogue and witty storytelling. She takes a simple scene about educating Nick in the fine art of wine tasting and makes it totally sexually charged...with no sex at all. Spit or swallow anyone?

Nick is gruff, rough around the edges and puts his don’t f*@k with me face to good use whenever he thinks it will get him what he wants. But we also get to see a gentler side of him when he has to explain to his old world Italian Ma why he can’t make it to her sixtieth birthday party and then there's a small crack in his armour when the “fake” boyfriend routine with Jordan starts to get on his nerves. It was fun to see the big, I'm-in-charge agent get taken down a notch when he realizes he wants more from Jordan than a “fake” anything. It’s something he’s never experienced before in his relationships and it was good to see him have to work through his feelings for the beautiful heiress.

Ms. James uses pop references in her books that make me laugh. This time in A Lot Like Love she incorporates Twitter and breaking it for 2 days, she references the character Sawyer from the TV show Lost and then the coupe is mentioning Dancing With The Stars (in Something About You it was The Bachelor). These are all things I, as a reader relate to and love. These small mentions really enhanced my reading enjoyment and I am sure I had a perma-grin on my face the entire time I was reading A Lot Like Love.

And finally Julie James provides the answer to that age old question of why men really do watch Dancing With The Stars with their significant others. Makes me wonder if Mr. James enjoys the Monday/Tuesday night viewings?

Review: Sweet as Sin

John Murphy is tormented by nightmares. A bestselling young-adult author, he writes the ultimate fantasy: stories where good always triumphs. He knows better. His past has shown him the worst in people—and in himself. When he moves next door to the sexy, vibrant Livvy—a woman completely unlike his usual one-night stands—he's driven to explore every curve of her delicious body.

Pastry chef Livvy knows that giving in to the temptation that is John Murphy won't lead to anything permanent, but she deserves a passionate summer fling. John discovers she's as sweet as the confections she bakes while Livvy slowly unravels his secrets. But what will happen when she uncovers them all?

Making the Grade: A

For My Thoughts

Well that was quite an emotional roller coaster ride!

This is my first book ever by Inez Kelley and like many others, I decided to read this book based on a lot of good twitter buzz plus the cover is pretty provocative. I had no idea what the story was really about or what to expect and can I say how pleasantly surprised I was by this book. In the words of Jackie Gleason: "How Sweet it is!"

In Sweet as Sin you’ve got the quintessential, tortured hero for the ages author John Murphy, the woman who grows to love him pastry chef Livvy Andrews and their emotional journey as they fight the monsters real and imagined to make a go of their relationship. One of the most interesting parts of Sweet as Sin was the novel way Ms. Kelley incorporated John’s occupation as a famous, best-selling author to tell a story within a story that mirrored John’s life and personal struggles as he used his writing as a coping mechanism and at the same time gave us incite into the hero’s actions. Above all Sweet as Sin was a story that proves “That which doesn’t kill you - makes you stronger”.

I felt so strongly for the hero at one point that I tweeted the author calling her a cruel mistress for forcing poor John and his alter ego Jondi to face the Sophie’s choice dilemma. This was a book that had me thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it as I went through a gamut of emotions from caring so much and feeling so sorry for the hero for the torture he had endured as a child in one breath to calling him an a$$hole and f*&king moron in the next breath even though I knew why he was treating Livvy so terribly. John’s survival skills run deep and are well honed from years of having suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of his preacher step-father. As the conditions build and become the perfect storm, John’s like a powder keg just waiting to explode and when he does Livvy tries to stand by her man but - a girl can only take so much from the man she loves. Thankfully Livvy believes in John and their love even if it takes him a little longer to come to the same conclusion.

This is great emotional love story and because of that it gets an A review from me.

Review: Club Shadowlands (Masters of the Shadowlands #1)

Series: Masters of the Shadowlands; next book: Dark Citadel.

Genre: BDSM Full-figured Heroine

Her car disabled during a tropical storm, Jessica Randall discovers the isolated house where she's sheltering is a private bondage club. At first shocked, she soon becomes aroused watching the interactions between the Doms and their subs. But she's a professional woman--an accountant--and surely isn't a submissive... is she?

Master Z hasn't been so attracted to a woman in years. But the little sub who has wandered into his club intrigues him. She's intelligent. Reserved. Conservative. After he discovers her interest in BDSM, he can't resist tying her up and unleashing the passion she hides within.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, strong BDSM theme and content (including/not limited to bondage, caning, restraints, spanking, etc), exhibitionism, voyeurism.

Making the Grade: A-

For My Thoughts

I kinda stumbled into this book like Jessica stumbled into Club Shadowlands and Master Z’s life - quite by accident. I’d never read anything previously by Ms. Sinclair or even heard of her before but her publisher Loose ID sends out emails about new releases and for whatever reason (I prefer to think of it as divine intervention - thank you God) I clicked on the link for Ms. Sinclair’s latest book Make Me, Sir only to discover it was #5 in a series. Being the anal (no pun intended - but after all this is a BDSM story) retentive personality that I am, I was intrigued enough about book #5 that I immediately purchased the 1st book in the series and all I can say is YOWZA. How fast can I read all the books in this series? If they are all as hot and steamy as this one is…I’mma need an industrial size fan and invest in an ice maker!

Jessica Randall...late at night, alone, stranded, a broken down car, rain, wind, soaking wet seeks refuge at the first warm location available - a mansion in the middle of no where? Club Shadowlands is a privately run BDSM club and once Jessica accepts the invitation to participate in bondage night her life will never be the same. Ohhhhhh Jessica you are in for the ride of your life.

I loved this story! Although Jessica is described as a petite Marilyn Monroe she wasn’t a perfect size 2 model and had some body issues as most women do. Finding herself in a very revealing outfit within the confines of Club Shadowlands her big boobs and jiggly thighs should have been the least of her worries.

Jessica knew nothing about this secretive lifestyle but finds herself intrigued, amazed, stunned and embarrassed by all the sights and sounds surrounding her within the club and it doesn’t hurt that the club owner Master Z had taken the innocent Jessica under his wing. Since I know nothing about this world either, I felt like I was getting an education right along with Jessica. I quite enjoyed it...thankfully from a distance. Jessica isn’t sure this lifestyle is for her, but she decides to give it a try under the careful and masterful tutelage of Master Z.

Right off the bat Jessica learns a very important lesson - NEVER sign your name to anything without reading the fine print first - the consequences can be very painful! She’s an educated, smart professional - a CPA - and she should have known better, but she was cold and wet and shaken up from having just crashed her car so cut a girl some slack if she didn’t read the small print. But there is no breaking the rules at Club Shadowlands, no quarter given for mistakes made and Master Z isn’t about to change that practice by letting Jessica get away with a major faux pas!

Ohhhhh my the men of Club Shadowlands oooooooze testosterone, confidence and a dominance that with one with one quirk of a raised eyebrow can set the body trembling (mine included!). But they are also caring and sensitive and are totally attuned to the subs, knowing their needs and wants even before the subs themselves all within the safe and monitored atmosphere that is Club Shadowlands.

Yes this is erotica and there are some pretty graphic scenes, but nothing I found too harsh or cringe-worthy (if this type of story doesn’t interest you to begin with then you aren’t going to read this series no matter what is written in a review).

I have already purchased books 2-5 and can’t wait to see what trouble has in store for Masters Dan and Cullen. I’m plugging in the...fan now!