Review: Riveting, Emotional, and SEXY!!! Loved it!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 23, 2013
I've been waiting for Ford and Akira's story since I read Breakaway, ohmigod, ages ago! Their chemistry caught my eye right away. I loved Akira and have watched her go from a damaged girl who was too shy and too scared to do much of anything outside of pursuing her dream - figure skating. She was terrified of all the players. Of all men, really. Which can be rather crippling. Through her friendship with the feisty and outgoing Jami who always pushed Akira to step outside her comfort zone and with the help of a very special Dominant, she really came out of her shell. She blossomed into this strong, independent woman...who happened to also be a submissive. But we all know those things are not mutually exclusive.Ford went through quite a transformation of his own. When I first met him in Breakaway (cause I read the series out of order...I know he appears before in Defensive Zone), he was kind of a slime ball. He used people to get what he wanted. He was a bit of puppet for his father. He purposely did things to get on people's nerves. And he wasn't exactly known to stand up for what was right. Which is why his chemistry with Akira stood out so much for me. It was obvious right away that he would want to be a better man for her.Now Ford has become one of my favorite characters, because I got to see the evolution of sleazy Ford turning into the Ford we meet in Delayed Penalty. The Ford who fights to protect what's his, or what he wants to be his. The Ford who would give up pretty much everything for the woman he loves and for the man he calls brother.When Cort came into the picture, he was a very pleasant addition to my most anticipated Dartmouth Cobra couple. He was the missing the link that stoked the fire that was already sparking between Ford and Akira. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that he was the link that tamed that fire from the desperation and animosity that it had become for Ford and Akira (respectively).Cort had his own chemistry going on with Akira, which was seriously HAWT, even if unexpected. If you've read Breakaway and Offside, then you know that Cort has been away and you know why. So it was a bit unexpected because of his absence - out of sight out of mind for people like me, with short attention spans. But also unexpected because he went from being mostly vanilla to a budding and quite powerful Dominant. And y'all know that's what lights my fire, so the HAWT is self explanatory.There were, of course, some seriously strained moments when I couldn't quite see how two such possessive alpha males were going to be able to share and how the three of them would fit together. But in the end, they each brought a unique flavor to their relationship. Each being a necessary part of the trio. When the three of them came together - two alpha males, one a trained Dominant (you've read Offside, right? so you know what I'm talking about), one an unexpected natural Alpha (yes, with a capital A) and the sexy and submissive Akira - the chemistry, the tension, the anticipation - everything came a head. Some explosions happened. Some amazing scenes. Cort and Akira starred in possibly one of the hottest anal scenes in the history of erotic romance.And, of course, there were all the parallel stories - the couples, or trios really, from previous stories that we got to revisit. Bianca let us peek into their ever-evolving happily ever afters. We got a front row seat to the unfolding drama of Dean, Landon, and Silver's relationship as they worked out their dynamic. That involved some very much anticipated steamy moments, some very warm fuzzies, though getting to that was frustrating and painful at times.I got quite a laugh at (with?) the "trouble triplets" - Luke Carter, Scott Demyan, and Tyler Vanek - who were living up to their name, causing trouble and getting into it.Some major changes were afoot for the Cobras. Some major setbacks too. Some heartbreak. I'd recommend being prepared with tissues when picking up this book.The plot was strong and set up well. All the parallel stories added a richness to the book and were woven together connecting and intersecting all the characters' paths in a way that engaged my full attention, brought me joy and laughter, and even broke my heart before slowly piecing it back together. I was armed with tissues.I felt like I got the full experience from this book - interesting story, intriguing love triangle(s), characters I love, and masturbation-inspiring erotic scenes (translation: hot BDSM sex). I felt full and sated at the end, like after a gourmet meal, as opposed to a snack. Yet, I'm very much hungry for more and I'll attribute this to Bianca's plotting skills (I mean that in the best possible way), as she has me chomping at the bit to get the next set of characters' happily ever afters. One in particular has me super intrigued - Raif, the very sexy, brand spanking new Darthmouth Cobra player. And the anticipation is already killing me.So, reasons I love this series - there is so much story here. LOTS of sexy. And kinky. But what makes it so much sexier is that there is a story to follow and characters to love. I tend to get much more into the sexy parts when I'm connected to the characters. When I've gotten into their heads, and they've gotten into my heart. And the Dartmouth Cobras are firmly entrenched in my heart.*Review copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review & I also beta read this book.*