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The hottest lessons require the strictest discipline…

Study in Seduction, Book 1

Five years after losing her husband, Carla Jonas has finally decided to go for her dreams—all her dreams, from studying literature at Oxford to exploring a secret desire to be dominated and disciplined. A desire she never knew she had until six months ago, when a mysterious masked man pleasured her at a fetish party.

She’s stunned when she meets her new college professor. Not only is the gorgeous French academic, Alex Lemaitre, notoriously strict, this isn’t the first time they’ve met. She’d know that exotic accent anywhere—he’s her masked lover. Except he won’t even admit he was there that night.

There’s no mistaking the sexual attraction smoldering between them, and when he issues her a challenge, she’s more than up for it. Even when his unique tutoring methods drag her far beyond her comfort zone.

But as he leads her on a journey of sensual discovery, she’s not sure if any degree of submission will find its way into his guarded heart, or if she’ll end up with her own heart broken.

Product Warnings
Contains an intense relationship between a hot French professor and a smart woman who knows what she wants from him. Also features desktop discipline, fantasies fulfilled, secrets revealed, and motorbike sex.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2013

3 people are currently reading
237 people want to read

About the author

Natasha Bond

4 books9 followers

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5 stars
26 (25%)
4 stars
21 (20%)
3 stars
36 (35%)
2 stars
15 (14%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
Author 17 books66 followers
September 25, 2013
Wonderful erotic romance from author friend Natasha Bond, with *the* most gorgeous Hot Prof hero Alex Lemaitre! An intense, extremely sensual and thoroughly addictive read. Review to follow.
Profile Image for Hilary.
131 reviews16 followers
September 26, 2013
I hugely enjoyed this erotic romance from Natasha Bond (who, declaration of interest time, is known to me), even though it takes me beyond my usual romance comfort zone (which I guess I can say is extended now!). I loved the storyline, the settings and the grown-up, warm and intelligent characters whose stories I really wanted to know. So much in this novel that is to my taste: Oxford and Provence, intelligent verbal sparring, Metaphysical poets (and a provocative take on Jane Austen). Carla, who fulfils her ambition to go up to Oxford at the age of 34, meets Alex Lemaitre, the hottest imaginable professor of English. Their tutor-student relationship is risky and wrong, full of dangerous and sexy games, but it was far easier for me to care about them as it is so very much a meeting of equal ages and minds as well as bodies. Both have secrets in their pasts, and the story of their hedonistic path beyond pain and pleasure to a future together has wit and depth of emotion (I laughed out loud in places, and felt, well, a slight prickle behind the eyes in others). It's a great beginning for this author.
Profile Image for Fiordiligii.
1,797 reviews26 followers
October 12, 2013
I really, really, really wanted to like this story, mainly because I am sucker for a professor / student plot. Throw in some great writing, hot poetry and great sexual tension and I normally would float on cloud nine. However, while there was a lot of erotic tension, the sex itself felt somewhat distant and fast, usually ending rather too abruptly. Also, I understand that the hero, Alexandre, has some emotional hang ups, but most of the time he appeared cold and sadistic, as if he was playing with Carla, the heroine, and not in a good way.

Carla is a great character, she, too, has to deal with a troubled past, a cheating deceased husband and desires that aren't really conventional, but what makes her shine like a beacon, was her strength and fortitude to face her demons.
C-
Profile Image for Ester.
551 reviews
March 29, 2018
La verdad es que no me termino de convencer del todo...

Llegué a un punto de la historia en que me resultaba tedioso seguir...

No niego que el inicio tuvo un buen enganche... pero en el medio... no logró mantener el enganche.

Y la metida de cuchara de Gaby... eso no me quedó claro. Como que le faltó a la autora explayarse en ello... entrar en detalle! Además de que no tuvo mucho sentido lo que hizo... como que faltó un cierre en ello.
Profile Image for Tania Smith.
175 reviews
November 18, 2017
First time reading this author. Have to say surprised me. Enjoyed this story a lot. Well constructed characters, felt their connection. Looking forward to the next one.
890 reviews
June 19, 2018
not very well written, and incredibly cliche. stopped after 2 chapters
Profile Image for alexa ⚘.
270 reviews21 followers
March 4, 2017
Todo muy lindo pero vine en busca de un libro BDSM - erótica y creo que leí un romance rosa chicle.
Profile Image for Simply Love Book Reviews.
7,046 reviews870 followers
September 26, 2014
Leigh‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

3.5 STARS

Review copy provided for an honest review


Dark Blue was a mix of emotions for me. I couldn’t put it down, but I’m not sure how I really felt about it.
The romance between Professor Alex Lemaitre and returning student Carla Jonas was complex and steeped exploration; in both of them trying to discover the needs they each had, to discipline or accept such discipline. To control through sexual domination or be controlled. Alex was a multi-faceted hero in that he was dominant and caring, while at the same time being hard and aloof. He was a likeable, if somewhat confusing, character. I did not feel as much of a liking for Carla. She seemed to only have a backbone at certain times. She was bold enough to return to school and live out her dreams after the death of her husband, but afraid to stand up to her family. Assured enough to confront Alex about whether he was the masked man she met at a fetish party, but afraid to read an erotic poem aloud in class.
The story itself was written in a very lush manner. The references to erotic poetry, the enchantment of the Oxford setting, and the British sayings immersed the reader in an English flavor which was charming. However, I just felt that in some manner, the sex and the plot itself fell short.
The build up to the relationship between the characters was erotic, but during the actual sex scenes, I felt it was too rushed. I wanted more detail to understand the emotions between these two. Also, a mystery stalker was introduced into the plot, whose identity seemed to be resolved too obviously, and the allusions to Alex’s past seemed to hint at darkness, but I found the actual explanations to be, frankly, anti-climactic.
A story with a sexy hero where discipline and BDSM were woven into a mix of erotic poetry, and a forbidden relationship between a professor and his student, Dark Blue had a lot of potential that I feel was not fully tapped. A second book has been released in this series with Alex’s brother, whom we have already met, so I am interested in hearing about his story. I just hope that Ms. Bond explores the full potential that Alex’s brother’s story has to offer. Dark Blue could have been wonderful, and while definitely worth reading, I can’t help but feel that it fell short of what it could have been.
Profile Image for Silvia.
320 reviews68 followers
October 13, 2021
This was an unexpected fast read that kinda brought me back to University. Now, I didn’t have any professor/student cliché, but I did experience panic when sending/presenting an assignment (who didn’t?). Anyway, Carla’s agitation might have been of a different kind . . .

Alex and Carla are an interesting couple, they intrigued me from the moment (and circumstance) they met but, I must say, the D&S part didn’t completely convinced me. Alex clearly wants to discipline Carla and that seems to play well at the beginning, but then dominant and submissive don’t appear to stick to their roles and they certainly don’t follow the basic rules. The sex is steamy—especially when you include a motorbike in it!—no doubts on that, I just couldn’t quite picture this couple having a real D&S relationship. I also had an issue with time jumps. Days or even weeks regularly go by and the events that happen in those time frames are often skipped, leaving the reader with perhaps just a vague idea of the facts. I couldn’t help but feeling a bit lost . . .

Overall, I did enjoy the book, there were twists that together with some erotic poetry made me particularly eager to keep reading and I’ve reached the end pretty quickly. I’d be curious to see what else is at play and for who.

I received a free copy of this book from the Author for an honest review. This does not affect in any way my opinion of the book nor the content of my revieworiginally posted on Darkest Sins.
Profile Image for Victoria Rainey.
512 reviews8 followers
October 26, 2013
Night Owl Review

***4 1/2 Stars***

Original Review Published here: http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Rev...


Dark Blue is the first book in the Study in Seduction by Natasha Bond. Five years after her husband’s death, Carla Jones is studying at Oxford University. She also wishes to explore domination and submission. She meets a man at a fetish party who she has trouble getting out of her head and months later finds out its her new Professor Alex Lemaitre. The attraction between them sizzles whenever they are in the same room together.

Carla is unique she is older than the other students at Oxford. She leaves a career in journalism to pursue a career in literature. She is a strong woman who has had a rough life. Her husband was cheating on her before his death and she has not told anyone what he did.

Alex Lemaitre is a professor at Oxford who specializes in erotic literature. While he is attracted to Carla, he pushes her harder that most because he thinks she can rise to the challenge.

The chemistry between Carla and Alex is blistering hot. The sex scenes were hot and spicy. I loved that both Carla and Alex tried to fight there attraction even though that Carla wanted to know if Alex was her masked man at the party months earlier.

Overall, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I really liked this book. While this book was set in England the English slang was easy to understand and not confusing in the least.

Profile Image for Lara Prado.
223 reviews
December 8, 2015
Si bien soy un poco reacia a estas historias en un principio, con 50 sombras aprendí a no negarme rotundamente desde un comienzo sin embargo, la historia fue un simple OK. ¡ Y NO ENTIENDO COMO!
Tenia todo, pero todo para que me guste y creo que las tres estrellas se deben básicamente a eso, porque que el protagonista masculino, siempre hermoso por supuesto, sea francés, viviera en londres y enseñe literatura, ya lo hacia ideal. A eso sumarle varias escenas en la costa azul, uno de mis lugares favoritos en el mundo.
Sin embargo a cada pagina me parecía más y más de lo mismo, no sentí la pasión ni conexión ni nada, no me sorprendí ni una sola vez. Fue, como dije, un OK con un lindo chico francés.
Profile Image for SaturNalia.
1,318 reviews47 followers
October 9, 2015
Carla is a widow and a freshman in collage. Alex is her hot new English professor. They met at a kink party, before the semester started, and he made her orgasm. They enter into a secret relationship pretty quickly. She meets his diabolical family in France, receives threatening notes, and deals with her own family issues. Alex didn't help her with any of it. They were two seperate entities, even though they were in a relationship, and she managed crisis after crisis on her own. I didn't feel the spark between Carla and Alex. The sex was rushed and over before it even began.
Profile Image for Fiore  Rubi.
60 reviews
July 11, 2016
Linda historia!, muchos problemas que tuvo que enfrentar la chica., pero me hubiera gustado que la historia fuera mas larga y narrarán todo lo referente a los padres de Carla, como se enfrento a ellos y sus suegros con lo referente a Stephan, pero en fin.
Profile Image for Karla Cabcam.
928 reviews21 followers
May 20, 2015
Comenzó bien pero después se puso bastante aburrido.
1 review
Want to read
June 2, 2014
i think nice
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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