Review: Wicked Play book 3
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 22, 2013
Bonds of Desire is the third book in Lynda Aicher's Wicked Play series and I have to say it was also my favourite. We have already met both Allie and Seth in previous books, not only are they friends with the previous main characters but Seth is also the third owner of The Den.Allie has been secretly fantasising about submitting to Seth since she first visited The Den with Kendra and Cali but she has no intention of taking it any further. She is just too focused on her career to take time out for a relationship right now. But when Tyler is injured in the club Seth asks her to step in and help protect Tyler's legal rights and after seeing what happened to him she is unable to refuse. Tyler is wary of being around another Dom but he badly needs a place to stay while he recuperates and agrees to move in with Seth temporarily but only if Allie will stay with them too. All of them are attracted to each other but all have very good reasons to avoid getting involved, especially in something as complicated as a threesome. As their attraction grows Seth helps to show both Allie and Tyler how good life can be with a real Dom but can they find a way to make their relationship work on a more permanent basis?I have enjoyed Lynda Aicher's realistic portrayals of the BDSM lifestyle throughout the series but I think this book is the one I've had the strongest emotional reaction to. My heart broke for Tyler and the situation he found himself in, as a male prostitute he had incredibly low self esteem and had never really had anyone who cared about him before. He was abused horrifically by a "Dom" who should have known better, the assault and the consequences aren't sugar coated and were at times painful to read about but I was pleased that it was shown how abhorrent the attacker's behaviour was, there is no attempt to make this seem like normal BDSM because of course it isn't. The other Doms from the club stepped in and did what they could to stop things but if I'm honest I wanted them to step in sooner, I understand why they couldn't but that doesn't make me feel any happier about it.I think what I liked most about Seth was how much he genuinely cared for both Tyler and Allie. He was horrified that Tyler had been so badly injured and wanted to help him press charges against his abuser, not because he was worried about the club's reputation but because he was so disgusted by the other man's actions. You do have to suspend belief a little to accept that Tyler would be ready to even attempt a sexual relationship with Allie and Seth quite as quickly as he does but I can forgive that in fiction, especially when they were all so well suited to each other. They all bring different personality traits to the relationship and I honestly felt they were stronger as a threesome than they were as individuals or split into any form of couple. I believed in the connection between them and lets face it Allie is one lucky lady because Seth and Tyler were both incredibly hot!I've already said that Bonds of Desire was my favourite book in the series, it works well as a stand alone story but I've enjoyed both previous books too so would happily recommend any of them. This is a great introduction series for anyone who is new to BDSM, it offers a realistic portrayal of the lifestyle without being too full on just for impact and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.