Review: Terrific Story!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2014
Bared is hard to categorize. It's a sweet BDSM novel. Yes, it still has the kink factor. However, the relationship between Aidan and Cora has a strong basis of friendship and deeper emotions than I usually see in these types of books. I have to say though, I LOVED this book. The emotions were so raw and intense. I connected on every level with Cora and felt Aidan's intensity through and through. Their relationship was also a unique one, that I don't think I have read before. Aidan and Cora have been in a non-committed, yet exclusive, D/s relationship for two years when Bared begins. From the first page Ms. Kennedy blows your mind with Cora and Aidan's relationship. I was completely submersed in their lives and I didn't want to get out anytime soon. Again, this isn't your normal BDSM book. There is still the tragic past aspect, BUT it doesn't have any bearing on Cora or Aidan's need to explore the BDSM lifestyle. There was no excuse for their need of bondage, domination or submission. It's just who they are and I loved that.Bared starts out a Club Sin in mid-scene for Cora and Aidan. I was a little shell-shocked at the beginning, not because it was an outlandish scene but, because not many books start out in a sex scene. Though, in my honest opinion, there are no sex scenes with Cora and Aidan. It always feels like something more. But the night goes on to be a turning point for the pair. When confronted about her true feelings, Cora bolts and must finally deal with the emotions she has kept locked away. Of course, Aidan, in all his dominant glory, isn't willing to let her get away that easy. Little does he know, the pain in Cora's eyes is directly related to him. Aidan will proceed to push and push until he is also forced to deal with the demons he was never prepared to revisit. The toll their hidden emotions take on these two is almost irreparable. But with the help of their friends and their basic need for each other they will have an opportunity to make a future together. It's not just a future together they need though. They have to be whole in who they are, and they just aren't there yet. Cora is on the verging of shutting down for good and Aidan can't get past his misplaced guilt from his dark past. There were times I wanted to smack both Cora and Aidan upside the head. But I kept reminding myself that, to a third party the solution looks easy. When you're in an emotional trench so deep, like these two are, it's harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is a very tedious and trying road back but, the end scene is SO worth the journey.This is another "all the emotions" book. And while it did get a bit wordy in places at the beginning, it was terrifically written and absorbed my full attention from Chapter 1 to "The End". The struggles Cora and Aidan faced were those that I could sympathize with and made my heart hurt. But their story was fully developed and showed so much growth on everybody's part. I'm officially dubbing this a "sensual BDSM" book. The kink isn't tamer but, the couple's relationship is much more multi-faceted than the norm. I truly loved Cora and Aidan's relationship and the little bits we got from Presley and Dmitri, and Kyler and Kenzie. You can definitely bet I will be visiting Club Sin again with the future books, and frankly I can't wait!Happy Reading!*ARC provided by author/published through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*