Published: August 3, 2013
My rating: 4 of 5 ⭐
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On the day her divorce is finally official, Tasha Skinner, is dragged out by her friends for an evening of celebration. Her marriage had not been a picnic and it would take her a while to get over the damage it had done to her self esteem and independence, but the girls were determined to give her a good shove in the right direction! Although Leather and Lace night at a club, however much at home her friends seemed to be, turned out not to be Tasha's idea of a real good time.
As a member of the Isthmus Alliance, Dylan Caprese and his friends did not appreciate the 'open nights' at the Marquee, and always took care that one or more of them were present to monitor the inexperienced dabbling of people wanting to experiment in BDSM. Unfortunately, on these monthly nights, the mixing of alcohol and power play could easily get out of hand.
Dylan knew right from the moment he spotted Tasha outside waiting in line for her friends, that she did not belong with this crowd. Not only did she not come across as a bondage groupie, she seemed like a genuine innocent and he felt immediately drawn to her and compelled to protect her.
Tasha is out of her element at the club and although she tries to tough it out for the sake of her friends, she is relieved when Dylan, the big handsome guy she briefly met outside, offers to take her somewhere quieter for a bite to eat. She is surprised at herself that she is rather easily convinced to go with him, but there is something about Dylan that makes her feel safe and protected.
Dylan's instinctive need to protect immediately clashes with Tasha's hard-found new independence, but there is no denying the attraction that sparks between them. Dylan knows he has to tread carefully, he has no idea how Tasha will react to his dominant preference in the bedroom. Tasha is slowly learning to differentiate between abusive control and loving protection, one having been the story of her past, and the other the promise of her future.
But when Tasha’s past starts to interfere with her new found sense of self and her tentative steps toward a future, Dylan can no longer patiently wait for Tasha to be ready. He has to act now in order to protect her or he might not be able to save her at all......
*******
Great start to what looks to be a cool new series! I actually love the way the 'Dominants' are portrayed in this book. In most other novels, Dominants are for the most part shown as solitary figures who might have a friend or two, but are generally very self-contained. In this story, Dylan is actually quite the social mover, both professionally and privately and is very patient and considerate to boot. On top of that, he's bald (love it!), he's tall, he's hot and he is Alpha all over! No complaints from me!!
Tasha is a bit naive, but sweet. Seems like she was fairly shut off from what went on in the world outside her marriage. She is determined to stand on her own feet and seems open to new things, but her inherent naïveté gets in the way sometimes. She has some harsh realities to face, but in the end, her backbone is strong, her loyalty true and her forgiveness genuine.
Some secondary characters in this book warrant a closer look...... I can make a few suggestions for future protagonists in this series!!! Holy hotness!!!
I will most definitely be following the ISTHMUS ALLIANCE books, I really enjoyed the interaction between the main characters, the dialogue, the plot, Dylan's gentle yet dominant nature and the concept of the Isthmus Alliance in general.
A definite great read, with some good excitement, intense 'gimme! I want!' sex-scenes and an A+ cover!!
NOTE: I listed this book on Goodreads as BDSM/Erotic Romance but have to make note that the book is mostly hinting at BDSM and must be considered very mild.
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