Review: Hardcore and fabulous characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2013
Cara and Travis are both "geeks", but as the saying goes, it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for. You'd never expect what you get from these two, and that is part of what I liked. While objectification, as it turns out, is not something that turns me on, this book was exciting and a joy to read. The relationship between Cara and Travis was something of beauty.Cara is an artist, and she is really rough on herself. She thinks she will be alone forever due to her sexual preferences. So when Travis asks her out, she doesn't really expect much from the date. And then he kisses her. They say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they kiss, and they are right. Something in that kiss sparks something in Cara and it is game on.Travis is a millionaire. He doesn't want for anything. That all changes when he meets Cara. He tests the waters with her and quickly realizes that she may be compatible with him as far as their individual kinks. Safeword: Quinacridone is not necessarily the story of sadist meets objectificationist. It's much more complex, but hey, it all starts with that kiss that rocked both their worlds.Right away I was drawn to these people and their story. Their date leads to sex, but even before then I was hoping it would work out for them. I loved that in the beginning every time Cara was ready to give up on Travis, he would do something to blow her mind. Like a true engineer, he tests different tactics with Cara... like a sexual engineer!"She felt so vulnerable when he made her look at him. His finger was still under her chin and she aimed her eyeballs down, trying so escape his gaze."Travis is a man of infinite patience, and his love and attention humanizes Cara for me. The sex wasn't really my thing, but the love that grows between these two was beyond exciting. I loved watching their relationship as a couple grow, even if I wasn't turned on by the same things as them. A lot happens in this story, its definitely not casual reading for the everyday romance/erotica fan, it's a hardcore story.Another thing I loved is that this book was so very different than Safeword: Matte, the other story I've read by this same author. I was kind of expecting a story close to the same, but with different characters and circumstances. A lot of series are like that, interchangeable. That is definitely not the case here, and that was beyond terrific for me. I can't wait to read the rest of the books now, to see which end of the spectrum they fall on. This book, for me, was about love. It's a raw look at people and their preferences, yes, but it is most definitely about this couple who are willing to do anything for eachother. The love is most definitely there, and its not an easy road. One more not so cliché quote? Maybe anything worth having is actually worth working for. It warmed my heart to watch Cara and Travis meet, flirt, care, heal, love and grow.