Review: NOT what I expected!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2013
I had this book pegged: Girl with submissive desires goes off on a retreat, lies about her experiences on her application, gets caught and gets spanked. End of story. Like the heroine, Kaylee, I thought I knew it all. And, like Kaylee, I was in for a rude awakening.Kaylee's Keeper is one of those books that you think you have all figured out. The Liar Gets her Comeuppance theme has been done before, but not like this. No, not like this. Kaylee goes to this retreat, indeed lies on her application about how experienced she is in the BDSM lifestyle (she puts 5 stars, her experience is zero stars), and with each experience that comes her way inside 'The Castle', she realizes how much her dishonesty will cost her, not just in the ways we all imagine--safety, psychological health, etc--but in the context of her own pleasure, which is why she is there in the first place. When the master of the castle, Master Marshall, finds out she lied on her application, he takes it upon himself to correct her, and to show her all the ways in which she is cheating herself by not being honest--with him and with herself. He takes her on a journey of the purest discovery, and this is where I got fooled--completely.Author Maren Smith has a gift, and she uses it to its full potential in Kaylee's Keeper. We take the journey along with Kaylee, and Maren draws us into the scenes slowly, sensuously, so we can experience Kaylee's pleasure--and discomfort--right along with her. Master Marshall teaches Kaylee about pleasure, and about herself, and he is very hands-on. He also allows her to explore other people, and areas where she may not be comfortable, and Kaylee's dishonesty, along with her inability to trust, puts her in some interesting situations. What I loved most about Kaylee's Keeper was, as each scene unfolded, I thought, 'OK, this is where the book is going to lose me. Not into THAT', but because of this gift I mentioned that the author has of drawing you in through her scene descriptions and her spot-on emotional connection to the characters, I was hooked--in every scene. As unpleasant as some of the situations seemed to me at the onset, I became involved right along with Kaylee, and I, too, cried when Kaylee's three days were up and she had to go home. Never fear, HEAs abound.I was so surprised by this book, so taken with the storyline and the characters, so blown away by what it did to ME personally, that I cannot say enough about it. Any author who can take the reader on a ride and leave her wanting more is a talent, and one not to be missed. The book is a nice length, too, so the reader is treated to a nicely drawn-out story with many tasty and tantalizing sex scenes that will leave you panting.Read Maren. Read this book. You won't be sorry.