Review: Knots of Love
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2013
I was given the ARC copy of Knots by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to do so, Chanse. :)What a sweet story! It was a bit romanticized, but, it's a work of fiction, so artistic license is part of the deal.For the most part, I would say that in most situations that the author stayed true to the BDSM lifestyle. Showing the honesty and openness that a Dom demands from His sub.The story itself I fell in love with. Growing up in Hawaii as I did, it was fun to read some of the references and know exactly what they meant, and actually slipping into Pidgin English in my head while reading some of the chatter between Mark and Jay. The food references and customs were pretty dead on too.I liked the fact that Mark could be the commanding Dom and a tender and sweet man at the same time, and as circumstances dictated. It showed that just because he was a (sadistic at times) Dom, that he was also strong enough to show emotion. Let his guard down, so to speak.The main characters of Mark and Jeanie were written as loving, caring people. Jeanie had a lot of demons to overcome mainly her life with Pono, her husband of just a few years that passed away. And how she fell in love with his best friend, Mark. But also, to me, it seemed that she had a lot of scars from emotional abuse at the hands of her parents. All Jeanie wants is to love and be loved and to be accepted for who she really is.Mark, Pono's best friend has always loved Jeanie, but would never do anything to upset their marriage, which when it comes down to it was a farce, Pono was a man child, and Jeanie did nothing but try to please him at all costs. Mark was able to take Jeanie and show her that she isn't the person she's been made to feel she is. That she's not useless or worthless. And he does it in a very loving and gentle way.Secondary characters, Pono's family, were very accepting of Mark and Jeanie being together, even so soon after their son/brother’s death. They knew Mark, and knew that he would take care of Jeanie. And they made sure that Jeanie knew she was still their "daughter" and she was their O'hana... family.Other secondary characters, Mark's mother and Jeanie's parents were all character well written, even though I didn't like Jeanie's parents.One character in the book that I think should have been expounded on was Tia. She could have been a very useful tool in explaining more of how the lifestyle is. For a new sub, such as Jeanie, having the support of a sister sub is very important. Writing more of Tia into the book instead of leaving Jeanie much like a fish out of water, would have been a bit more believable in that aspect.This book was a fun quick read, and gets a solid 4 stars from me.