I'm giving this one 3 stars. It was OK, but I certainly liked the first one better.
Couple of issues with this book. It didn't seem like a typical D/s relationship. Drake is right. He let Kate get by with way too much and while Kate was certainly interested in learning about the lifestyle, she wasn't a very good submissive. Drake's leniency with Kate led her to do things that would never fly in a typical D/s relationship. She'd have been punished and probably "pushed" off on a different Dom or just completely talked out of participating in a relationship like that. She wasn't a serious submissive and it seemed like Drake had it right at one point that all she wanted to do was dabble and do a little "role play" but not be in a serious D/s relationship.
I think my big issue was the arrival of Maureen, Drake's ex-wife,and her son, Liam. They had no place in this story. That was so left field, and I actually despise the author a little for putting them in. Here's this woman, who cheated on her husband and accused him of abuse. She even pulled a restraining order out against him. Like that isn't shameful or embarrassing enough. Then, five years later, she shows up out of the blue, before Kate and Drake are set to leave the country for 6 months and tells him he has a son. And this son has leukemia and he may be his only saving grace. The woman knew there was a possibility that Drake was the father (it's hinted that while they weren't having sex on a regular basis, the one time they did, Drake apparently forced her) but because of Drake's proclivities, she didn't feel it was right to inform him that he may have a child. Because apparently, people that are into BDSM can't have kids and shouldn't be allowed to be near them, like they're pedophiles or perverts. And, wait, it gets better. Not only does this spiteful, waste of a space woman want him to save her son, but afterwords, she wants him to have no contact with him. She doesn't plan on telling Liam who his real father is and doesn't want Drake to disclose that information to him either. She'll tell him when he's 18 and can decide on his own if he wants a relationship with him. By then, it'll be too late. A kid that age would certainly despise the parent that was never a part of their life, whether it was of their own decision making or not. I believe there was something in there about how Maureen's new husband is Liam's dad and just because you're a sperm donor doesn't make you one. Well, we certainly wouldn't know, since she decided that he was an unfit parent and didn't deserve to know he had a son. He never got the chance to prove he could be a good father to HIS son. And then, she threatens to slap him with another restraining order for assault, because her husband started a fight and Drake was only trying to protect himself and fought back. Seriously, this woman is certifiable and over dramatic and could probably stand to be strapped up and caned herself. Who knows, she might lighten up a little and pull that stick out of her ass and get her head out of the clouds and realize that just because Drake enjoys power exchange doesn't mean he's a bad person or a sicko. And Drake's reaction? Seriously? No anger, just acceptance. He agreed to do this for a son he didn't know he had, and took such horrible abuse from both his ex-wife and her new husband and for what? Sure, he saved Liam's life, but good gracious. The woman could be grateful. All those scenes just didn't seem natural. I can't imagine that any parent, after finding out they have a child 5 years later, would react the way Drake did. Regardless of whether he ever wanted to have children or not.
I was all sorts of prepared to give this one a 4.5 or 5 star rating. I loved the first book. I thought that we'd finally get to see Drake train Kate some. See if she actually has what it takes to be a true submissive. See if she can let go of all the societal norms and just give her trust and inhibitions over to Drake. I figured we'd get to see them in Africa where Drake could help Kate overcome a depressive time in her life and show her that Africa isn't terrible everywhere. That while there is death and famine, there is also beauty and life and abundance. But you don't even hear one of them actually acknowledge that they're in a real and exclusive relationship until 91% into the book. Almost at the very end, and Drake finally says, "Hey Kate, let's be exclusive. I don't want you seeing anyone else and I won't see anyone else either." And since this whole Maureen/Liam plot was thrown in there, Drake is way too preoccupied to even think about furthering Kate's training. These two never knew how they were supposed to introduce the other when they were meeting people. So confusing? Really, if I was going away to a country that I had previously associated with death and depression and putting my faith and trust in a man who was teaching me to submit, I damn sure would have set the parameters of our relationship way before that.
I did enjoy the fact that Kate finally told Dawn to get lost. That woman was all sorts of crazy. If I was Kate, I'd have had her arrested and charged with stalking and anything else I could have pulled out to get her ass locked up in an insane asylum. I mean, she hired a PI to investigate and follow Kate, got personal and confidential medical records and god knows what else. I'd have sued the hospital as well. Nobody should have to be subjected to that kind of behavior.
I suppose the over the top circumstances throughout the book just really sat wrong with me. There was so much stuff in this book that was just unbelievable and could have and should have been handled differently. I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth and very unsatisfied with the way this ended.