Review: 3.5 spankin' stars!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2014
Deklan is one of the three owners of The Den, we met him in Bonds of Trust – he’s your typical closed off ex-military time that has a hero complex. But he’s also a Dom and sexy as h*ll with a huge, throbbing.... heart (what did you think I was going to say?)Kendra is our hot-mess heroine; she was understanding of Cali when she found out about her desires to be dominated, but that wasn’t just being friendly and nonjudgmental... that was because Kendra knows what it’s like to hide a desire to be dominated. But her need isn’t to be overpowered, it’s for the bite of the whip.During an open night at The Den, Cali brings Allison and Kendra along to see what the club is all about. Kendra knows she should not tempt herself by going. She left that life behind. But when she watches as the scenes play out there is a need to experience so much more.Deklan notices immediate the instinctual submission displayed by Kendra when she walks into the club. He also notices the eyes of all the others who see the same thing. Unable to stay away, he finds her in the dungeon bent over a spanking bench. But her excitement and arousal has been replaced with fear. Stepping in, Deklan is able to give her what she needs in that moment and bring her back into the here & now.Kendra doesn’t look at her sexual desires as liberating, these are things that she should be ashamed of, behaviors that lead to abuse. But Deklan wants to show her that her relationship with her ex was abuse not sexual play. He knows he has to gain her trust and in order to do that, she must be in control of everything.As these two develop a rhythm of visits to the club he can’t seem to stop wanting more from her, but Kendra still doesn’t believe that the relationship that they have in the club can exist outside of those walls. Giving a man that much trust and control will always lead to him abusing it, in the club it’s controlled – it’s in view. It’s in a safe place where someone could hear her cries.Deklan’s a man that can’t stop himself from saving someone. When he sees what is really going on with Kendra he knows he can save her, he won’t fail her. But the only problem is getting her to let him in enough to save her.I enjoyed the second story in this series, but just not as much as the first one. I loved Deklan’s character and that this was much more of a BDSM type read, with far more actual sexual acts occurring; but there was just something in Kendra’s story that never stuck with me enough.She was only a little involved in the lifestyle, so I understand that she may not have seen signs early enough. But she was portrayed as being far more experienced than was really explained. All of that, and she still could not separate the abuse at the hands of her ex, who exploited her need of pain – and what a safe & consensual relationship could be.Although the physical act of sex did not happen until way later the scenes were still highly erotic, mostly due to the Deklan’s voice that is offered throughout the story. His desires were screaming to be heard.Overall the second book dipped just a bit lower than I wanted it too, it was still a great read and I found myself wanting to know every little detail beyond what was revealed in the story. Allison gets her story next and I am not sure what wild ride she is going to take us on. She’s a little too outspoken and a little more conservative so I am not sure how this reserved woman is going to find herself in the arms of not just one man, but two.