Review: Fantastic Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2012
This book had me reading it from cover to cover and hooked me right from the first word. I love it when the heroine and hero are both real people with problems just like everyone else. With characters that practically breathe, a plot that will surprise you with its twists and turns and the edgy rise into a new relationship, this book will keep you reading into the night and have you grabbing your e-reader over your coffee and corn flakes in the morning.What would you do if your husband or boyfriend suddenly decided one day that he was ready to move on and didn't really tell you why? This is the heart wrenching situation that we find our heroine, Mia, in Uncollared. Her Master doesn't want her anymore and she is devastated. He was her world. For most of us, the man in our lives can and does become part of our orbit and when the planets become misaligned, bad things happen. We don't eat. We don't take care of ourselves. Author Nora Raines does a great job of illustrating Mia's hurt and confused feelings. Frankly, I clutched my e-reader in hand most days, eager to read the next chapter or two.The other intriguing point in the way Nora Raines wrote Uncollared was how she handled the hero, Chess. He's a Dom who is about to lose his business. Chess is a real guy that is struggling to hold on to something that is slipping away from him a little every day. Mia, as his new sub, gives him hope, and in turn, they bump and grind through the carnage of Mia's old relationship and the tentative beginnings of a new one. This really worked for me. The way Chess was able to introduce himself into Mia's life was masterful and as their relationship progressed, I found the story drawing me in because of the fragile nature of it and the strength that it gave to both characters.When you are looking at conflict in this book, there are several that keep you reading. First and foremost, you have Mia and her anger toward Phillip, the Master who left her. You also have Mia's body image that gives an oh-so in your face reality moment for most of us. It drew me in. Honestly, what woman doesn't have issues with something on her body? Then you have Chess trying to force his way into Mia's life. She resents it, but needs to feel the mastery that comes from a BDSM relationship. Talk about hot! Wow. Finally you have the real life situations that both Mia and Chess have to deal with out of the bedroom, with her work as a social worker and his as a business owner in the grips of losing everything his family has worked for.Nona Raines has done a wonderful job mixing real images of people and the intricacies of a BDSM relationship. People with hearts that are broken from the events in their lives come together to fill a need and in doing so, create a plot with fire. The dialogue felt real, the emotions spot on and my finger hurt from flicking my e-reader to find out what happened. The sex was steamy and each scene was well thought out and not repetitive in any way.Uncollared is a book that will be staying on my e-reader library shelf for a long time. If you love an evocatively written book with real people that enjoy a BDSM relationship, then this one is for you.Originally posted at LAS Erotic Reviews