Review: Fantastic Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2011
Mari Carr has always written hot and sexy romance stories, with delightful characters and wonderful settings. With Black Jack, however, she has taken the heat level to stratospheric new levels.Scoundrels is the most popular club of its kind. The people of Los Angeles come to experience the fetish shows, and the club regularly sells out each performance. When the male lead in the pirate fantasy calls in sick for the last performance, Emma convinces long time friend Jack to fill in for the night. As manager, Emma knows Jack will be perfect in the role. When the female lead begs off at the last minute, it's too late to find a replacement, so with some trepidation, Emma is forced to assume the role of the captive of the pirate. What happens next shocks Emma and Jack, and life for the two of them will never be the same. Jack has always known he was a dominant, and has always longed for the perfect submissive to love. He and Emma and Travis have been friends since first grade, but Jack is shocked to discover that his friend Emma has been hiding a secret, one she wasn't even aware of-she is perfect for Jack's desires. When their performance at the fetish club awakens Emma's submissive side, Jack discovers just how perfect they are together. Can Emma accept all of Jack's desires? How can she show Jack what she wants, when he won't take the time to listen? Will these two ever find out how Travis engineered their first performance?With the combination of the pirate fantasy intermingled with the romance burgeoning between Jack and Emma in real life, things go past the boiling point quickly. There was one confusing spot in this, when Ms. Carr changes the club name, but it wasn't enough to make me stop reading.Emma Potter is a strong and independent woman, confident in her abilities and used to being in charge of her life. She has been best friends with Jack and Travis since they were all in grade school together. She manages the fetish club owned by her reclusive friend Travis with skill and success, making it the in place to be. A part of her has been fighting her attraction to Jack for most of her adult life, knowing she would never live up to his fantasies with her very vanilla love life. I enjoyed watching as Emma opened up to the possibilities before her.Jack Carlysle is everything a woman could want: handsome, strong and loyal to his friends. He has been a bit in love with Emma for most of his life, but never thought she could accept his dominance in the bedroom. When that secret surfaces, Jack is torn between desire and fear-desire for the strong and feisty woman he has loved for years, and fear that his desires could push her away. I love that Jack was willing to curb some of his stronger desires to keep the woman he loves in his arms and in his bed, and loved his delight at discovering her hidden depths.There is only one secondary character here, the reclusive third friend Travis, and he is a mystery man. I enjoyed watching him manipulate his two best friends into getting their hearts desire in each other, and I hope Ms. Carr will revisit the club to give us a look into the secrets he is guarding so closely. This is an intriguing look into fetish clubs and the BDSM lifestyle, told as only Mari Carr does, with lots of hot sex and passion flowing off the pages. One warning, this should be read with the air conditioner on high and plenty of ice at hand-and you might even save some ice for drinks.Originally posted at Whipped Cream Reviews