Review: Has It's Moments
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2012
What do you do when you want to marry for love and your family fights you every step of the way? You leave.The story line of the book was interesting. Written as a trilogy, it had definite parts. The first book, Breaking Free takes us from the lap of luxury into the waiting arms of Jordan, a local coffee house and BDSM club owner. The dialog was a bit off and the action choppy. I also had trouble with the suspension of disbelief at the coffee house when Claire gets in trouble for not being a good barista and ends up down in the dungeon having sex and taking over 40% of the company. It was too fast.In the second part of the book, San Francisco Breeze, the flow was much better. The sex was sizzling and the events of the book were more orderly. The detail was very intense and the scenes were electrifying. The involvement of Claire in the business end of the coffee house takes on a smoother ride. She and Jordan come up with a great name for the coffee house with drinks named for BDSM signature flavors. It made me laugh and I was back to being hooked again. The blend of coffee house, sex club scenes and private moments made this segment my favorite of the three. It held my interest, felt realistic and had a good story line.The third part of the book Body and Soul takes on yet another twist. Claire experiences new sensations and must decide if she is going to remain with Jordan or help her family who needs her. This section was full of angst and the author did a good job of relating that. The story wavered again, however, as Claire encounters another man and immediately falls into bed with him. This felt a little off. As the story concluded, it went back to full speed and was fine, but I had a lingering sensation that it was more 2-D than 3-D and I wanted more character depth and emotion.Overall, the story line was interesting and the premise worthwhile. The sex scenes were sizzling and the author's grasp on BDSM was good. What I had trouble with were some of the scenarios. Whatever choices made in the story need to have a good foundation and dealing with the dynamics of BDSM, you have to keep showing character depth and how it affects the person emotionally. Okay, maybe not always, but in a coming into yourself tale like this, it helps the reader connect on a more intimate level. Moving from errant barista to business owner and sex slave all at once was a tough nut to crack. In the second book, emotion was well done, but in the first and third, more definition would have been helpful. A little more lead in would have made the difference. I did enjoy the coffee house play on BDSM. Having worked as a barista, I could totally see it and that was my favorite part about the book.If you enjoy a BDSM novel with a bit of coffee house flair, then give this one a try.Originally posted at LAS Erotic Reviews