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Door Trilogy #1

The Red Door

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The Red Door
Erotica M/F/M and M/M/F with M/M)



Returning home four years after tragedy struck, Aurora Hammond finds herself in an exclusive BDSM club called The Red Door.

Club owner, Mitch Reed, and Dom, Alex James, want Aurora to be theirs, even if they have to share.

When a sex-trafficking ring is revealed to be using the club and targeting Aurora, truths and feelings are brought to light.

Can Mitch and Alex protect her, or will their desires for each other be used against them and put Aurora in jeopardy?

239 pages, ebook

First published August 18, 2014

23 people are currently reading
520 people want to read

About the author

J.L. Massey

3 books41 followers

Hey! I'm just a small town girl. I live in my head half the time, nodding to conversations I never hear. I'm a wife and a mom of three 'innocent' hellions. I have a cat who pretends to love us and a dog who loves us a little too much.

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5 stars
70 (38%)
4 stars
42 (23%)
3 stars
47 (25%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
1 star
9 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Angie.
1,382 reviews121 followers
August 24, 2014
The Red Door begins with Aurora (Ari) finding her parents trapped in their home during a fire and it's obvious to us, as the reader, that it was no accident. For the next four years Ari has let herself go, drowning in grief. She went through the motions and finished college but now she's finally ready to start living life again. She moves back to her hometown, buys a house, reconnects with old friends, gets a makeover...you get the picture.

While growing up, Ari overheard her parents regularly referring to a club called The Red Door. Over time she realized they were into the BDSM lifestyle. Ari has always been curious. Always felt like she'd be sexually submissive. Felt like she needed it. However, she had no sexual experience. She finally gets her chance to see The Red Door for herself when she's invited as a guest.

At the thirty-five percent mark the story takes a twist. In my opinion it took it up a notch. I was intrigued to see where Massey was taking us. But I had some issues:

* The dialogue was confusing. There were times I didn't know who was speaking.

* There weren't always proper breaks between the transition of scenes. There were several times I had to reread a paragraph because I thought I missed something.

* Some of the sex scenes were ill-described. When the body placement seems impossible then the scene is difficult to imagine and that's distracting.

* The dynamic of the relationship between Mitch/Ari/Alex was confusing. Ari was supposed to be the sub while Mitch and Alex were her Doms but they were also switches amongst each other but Ari always seemed to be the one to call the shots. It wasn't always her fault though. Mitch and Alex were contradictory. They would allow her to talk back and they were inconsistent with corrections and discipline. To be fair, they were all virgins in a way. They were trying to figure it out together so that excused some of the Doms' fumbles.

* But when it came to Ari's safety there was no excuse for the many fumbles. Mitch and Alex were like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. They kept dropping the ball. I lost count of how many times time Ari ran off and I blame them for it, not her. She didn't fully understand what she was getting herself into. She counted on them to guide her and they continuously failed.

* The ending was anti-climactic. We were let in on who the villain was before the characters knew. That was a surprise but it also made perfect sense. My heart broke for him but he made such a rookie mistake that it was over quickly. Fyi there is no cliffhanger, I'm assuming book two will feature a different character.

Overall, the story was just okay for me. Massey definitely gets points for originality. I wish her well for the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Toni FGMAMTC.
2,098 reviews26 followers
May 16, 2015
This story starts out with scenes from the past, murder mystery style (which I like). It them jumps to where one of the victims is now in life. Throughout each meeting of a character, I was analyzing if they were the killer. I did figure it out before the book made it clear because of a certain statement from the killer, but I'm not going to share that and ruin the plot.

I thought the author made a very good point of providing all the information anyone reading a BDSM book could need. All the acronyms and proper titles are completely explained. The lifestyle is approached in a very educated and mature way. And the reader is told what they're in for right away.
If you don't want to see two guys going at it, a girl going down on another girl, or punishments being handed out, then you don't need to go there, because you will see it as well as all other types of sex.


The problems that I had were with the maturity of the characters and the timeline. The two men and one woman fell into an immediate relationship from the first eye contact. I didn't have time to get to that point with them. And I don't think they were ready either because they continuously acted immaturely. I know it was new to them all in different ways so maybe that is how it would go, I don't know.

Because of not feeling invested in the love of ménage relationship, I instead just focused the hottest of it. Two guys? Yes, please! And make them bi...ggggaaaahhhhgggg (that was me just melting). So yeah, I like that idea. The sex scenes were above par really compared to many erotic stories I've read.

So, in summary, loved the idea of two men and a woman, great sex scenes, great explanations of the lifestyles, poor character and relationship developments.

It all wraps up nicely at the end until, wham she hit us with the epilogue. Now, I'm wondering what is going to happen in the next book.
3.5

***Copy given in exchange for an honest review***














FULL REVIEW CAN BE FOUND AT http://fangirlmomentsandmytwocents.bl...
Profile Image for Rebeka Perales.
530 reviews19 followers
August 24, 2014
Title: The Red Door

Author: J.L. Massey

Genre: Erotica

My rating; 5 BIG FAT STARS!!

Warning!! This book includes M/M/F M/F/F and M/M ;)

(Which come one of course that warning hooked me!!)


The Red Door is J.L. Massey debut novel. I'm always hesitant when going into brand new authors books. You never know what to expect.

With TRD I jumped right in. The whole synopsis caught me and I knew I had to get my hands on this book stat!!

From the prologue I wondered what the heck was going on.

So the mystery begins.

Aurora loses her family at a young age. Moving away and living with her aunt she goes through life not really living at all. Finally she decides to move back to her home town where she once had her family.

Enter side characters... WHO I JUST LOVED!

Becca and Mark are her best friends and once Aurora returns home she realize she still has a family through them.

Holly and Adam where life time friends with Aurora's parents. Her parents helped Holly and Adam achieve something they always wanted and they would forever be grateful to them.


NOW For Aurora was always curious about this certain place she use to always hear about. When she was younger she called it a carnival... finding out later it was actually a BDSM CLUB!!

This book had so many funny silly parts that I couldn't help but giggle along with the girls when they talked about this BDSM club.


Enter the very sexy MITCH and ALEX.

Right away they knew they want Aurora NEED her even.

Jumping into a Dom/Sub relationship automatically made a turn for HOT!

Having two men want one lady. YES PLEASE ULTIMATE FANTASY! 


So as you can see this book has so many great side characters it definitely brought the book together as a whole!


J.L. Massey did such a great job with the mystery that came with this book. I don't want to give too much away but yall will love the twist and turns this book takes.

The sex was so damn sexy if my kindle had panties they would of melted just like mine did!!


This book also brought some tears to my eyes from the bit of darkness that was in it. Not every author can pull these subjects off. But J.L. Massey DID!!

The Epilogue was FABULOUS! It ended just how I wanted but still left me NEEDING MORE!!


Im so glad she let me read an ARC and I look forward to more of these characters!
Profile Image for Claudine Van.
716 reviews24 followers
November 10, 2014
I must say I really enjoyed this book. Yes quite a few reviews made me back off from reading it for a while but I looked through all my read books and haven't read a ménage book in a while.

Although I am not a big fan off m/m I must admit in a setting like this book I absolutely love it.
The book start off quite nice not to fast and not to slow we get to know Ari she just finished her degree and is moving back home after 4 years. Ari had been living a lonely life for the past for years at college after she left her home town due a very traumatic event.I think she is a wonderful character some said they didn't like how easily she fell for the two hero's but I think she needed to feel loved and she needed the safety she felt they could offer her. Was she naive yes but when you get to know the hero's you get to know how she affected them as well. And that is why I love books with dual POV'S. I loved both Alex and Mitch, I loved how these three learned how to love each other and how they worked out their relationship. Yes there were ups and downs but all relationships have them.

The storyline was not so far fetched as some people may say it is fiction after all. I loved the
other characters as well and the way everyone fit together. I must say that I am so glad that we got some background story on all three MC'S. I enjoyed this book and had shed a few tears even and also a lot of steam not to mention a lot of trying to figure out who to trust. I loved every bit of this authors writing and will definitely be looking out for the next book.
Profile Image for Michele.
533 reviews48 followers
June 11, 2015
ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review

What an amazing debut! JL Massey does an amazing job of keeping you intrigued throughout the story so that you can’t put it down! I will say this now, if you aren’t interested in reading about guy on guy action (which I think is SO HOT by the way) and some girl on girl action, this really isn’t a book for you. But if you’re like me and that stuff does it for you, then pull up a couch and read away my friend!

I’m just going to start off with my favorite part…. THE SEX SCENES! Umm seriously, two guys getting it on is so HOT, then they also swing both ways, umm can someone please pass me some new panties please? Seriously, these scenes catch the pages on fire and you fanning yourself asking where you can find a man like them.

The one thing I wasn’t the biggest fan of were the characters maturity. They were very immature about their new relationship. I can totally understand how much an M/F/M relationship can be a totally uncharted territory for most people, and some don’t handle the unknown well. I think that if they were a little more mature about it, they wouldn’t have had some many problems.

After that epilogue I’m dying to see what JL Massey has up her sleeve next. I’ll be anxiously waiting to see what’s next.
Profile Image for SandyL.
3,729 reviews
March 9, 2015
I almost put this book down and didn't finish several times, but around 40% the story started to get more interesting and, overall, I'd rate it 3 stars. Aurora returns to her hometown after finishing college, and jumps right back into things after she abruptly left years ago. She gets an invitation to a BDSM club that she's heard rumors about, and before you know it she's with two guys. One is the club owner and Dom, Mitch, and the other is her childhood crush, Dom Alex. Oh - Ari is a virgin and Mitch has never had a sub, but within minutes he's claimed Ari, the three have decided to all be together and Mitch takes Ari's virginity in a three-way. No discussion about safe words, no negotiation, and very unbelievable. The dialogue was difficult to read - the author doesn't use contractions so conversations sound very stilted. Close to mid-way through the book, a mystery is revealed and this makes the story much more interesting. There were so many characters in the book that it was hard to keep track of who was who. But the pace picked up and I did find myself wanting to finish the book to see what happened.
Profile Image for J Ho Lo.
300 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2014
Solid 3.5 to 3.75 stars.
This was a great debut novel! I honestly prefer an author's debut book to be less than amazing. This means that the author has plenty of ways to improve and grow with each book.

The story was well thought out and executed though the story does move a little slower than I normally prefer. My only complaint was that the h was a bit annoying because she was so immature (this is intentional because the h really is immature in many ways, I just don't like immature girls haha), and the relationship seemed to happen at warp speed so I didn't feel the emotional connection between the characters.

This really is a good start to a new series. Book 2 promises to be even more of an emotional roller coaster and I look forward to reading it.
Profile Image for Sheri Bishop.
507 reviews7 followers
December 15, 2014
I really wanted to like this book. I read the synopsis, thought "great story line", and bought the book. But the more I read, the more problems I had with the book. First, the author expects us to believe that the female main character goes from a severely depressed virgin to a highlighted woman who is not only in a bdsm relationship but in a menage bdsm relationship, who loses her virginity in every way possible in the first 2 chapters. Second, her dialogue is very hard to follow. I had to go back and reread several times to understand who was speaking and who was the "I" she was writing about at the time.
Profile Image for ♂♀♂ Mary's Menage Reviews ♂♂♀.
433 reviews233 followers
October 26, 2014

started really good until the heroine became their sub.

i found it hard to continue and finally stopped my reading.

both heroes are no Doms. The author did not do her homework. One is full of insecurities and the other one is a massive caveman character.

The heroine was better but overall I got so frustrated with the way the author portrayed the lifestyle that as I said stopped at 2/3 of the story.

gave 2 stars because the writing is nice and fluid but otherwise way too much of my pet peeves.

Mary
Profile Image for Kimberlie.
1,231 reviews
February 19, 2015
I had a very open mind when I started this story, and I'm not referring to the sex scenes. Erotica is a widely varying genre... most stories are either short (20-40 pages) or intro, sex, boring, sex, sex, the end. What I loved about Massey's The Red Door is that it was a well developed story, with amazingly H-O-T sex, with a little mystery thrown in. Sure there were a few minor things that could have been done better, but this is right up there with some other popular authors as a debut novel. This is exactly my kind of erotica. I'm all in for this author!
Profile Image for M.L. Pennock.
Author 7 books55 followers
January 29, 2015
If more time had been spent on the plot and developing the story - sex trafficking, the broken girl, the need to be needed and dominated - while also focusing on the erotic elements this could have been a better story. I felt like once the story got to a certain point it was sexsexsex but very little content.

There were multiple times I was confused who was speaking to whom or tense was changed within a sentence.

There is a literary device known as a "contraction" which was sorely underutilized.
Profile Image for Jey.
579 reviews
April 22, 2015
This book was just all over the place.
The storyline, or what existed of it, didn't make sense, the dialogue was poor and the whole thing had an identity crisis.
The premise was interesting but poorly executed in my opinion.
Profile Image for Meagan.
90 reviews5 followers
September 25, 2014
2/2.5 stars.

The book was different. I got lost in places and found it hard to follow the story.
Profile Image for Debra Monette.
169 reviews5 followers
March 25, 2015
Raw, highly erotic M/F/M. I will definitely be reading the second! New indie author, not meant for anyone under eighteen.
Profile Image for Louise H's Book Thoughts.
2,036 reviews317 followers
April 11, 2024
Well during reading this book I swung between 2 stars and 5 stars! Having read it all I'm closer to 4 than 3, but still not sure.

'Angie is a reading machine' has pretty much summed up how I found the book, but I'll add my take on this too.

I will start with the negatives first - and there are a few - but that said I did enjoy this book. However "one butt plug, BDSM does not make". Other than Ari being told to call people 'Sir' there really wasn't a 'BDSM' feel about this book. It was more a story of how a very damaged girl found her libido and fell in love along the way.

Negatives
#1 I felt that for a very naïve young woman the actions of Ari on her first visit to the Red Door were very unlikely. HOWEVER a little later in the book (during a conversation with Jackson) this is sort of explained and I found it more acceptable. BUT then this made me realise how badly some of the Doms behaved, bearing in mind this was Ari's first ever experience of BDSM. OK I haven't ever been to a BDSM club, but have read lots both on the internet and in well researched books, and the BIGGEST factor is trust having been built. The Dom went on and on about rules and his
integrity but the actions he took with Ari showed he had NO integrity at all - and this is our supposed hero. Why did she learn more of an 18 year old Dom trainee than 2 supposedly experienced Doms?

#2 There were several naval gazing episodes that went on FAR TOO LONG i.e. pages and pages. This cut back on the action/peril that was supposed to be the focus of the story. In fact the peril bit was over in a blink of an eye, with very little suspense or angst. It would have been nice to have a scene with Ari's friends as they tracked her down and set out to rescue her, including how they were feeling/reacting.

#3 Why did a group of people agree to be with Ari 'at all times' and then continually leave her on her own? Not what should be happening when her life was at risk!

#4 Why did the heroine grow a backbone once or twice to then immediately lose it? I'm sorry but I really found it hard to empathise with Ari and at times she really irritated me. That girl is a yo-yo!

Positives
#1 OK so the above makes it sound like I didn't like the book - and yet it kept me turning pages (even reading it on my phone whilst queuing for rides at a theme park!) and I stuck with it to the end.

#2 I loved how the feelings and relationships were built and expressed.

#3 The characters were generally well crafted, the dialogue was very natural and the writing style was flowing and easy to read.

#4 I enjoyed this enough that I will buy the rest of the books in the series.

So if you can put up with Dom's who are written more like alpha males and a few dubious or unlikely choices/actions by the main characters this is actually quite an enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Jennifer Leal.
12 reviews
February 13, 2015
I liked this story. it was in my opinion written well for a first time indie author. She gave us a heroin, 2 hero's, and a good plot that kept you wondering whats going to happen next. And of course there was plenty of steamy scenes that left you wanting more. The Red Door is book 1 in a 3 part series, but the story was resolved enough at the end that you could walk away and be satisfied. No cliffhangers here, which I truly appreciate.
Now I feel like I need to say something about a few things. This story is a fantasy. It's not real. So I feel that the timeline for the main character to fall into a relationship with the 2 guys is not far fetched at all. I mean we never have a problem with fairytales, i.e Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and how fast they fall in love, marry their prince and live happily ever after. So for me in this work of fiction I have no issues with it.I mean it is erotica after all. The second thing I find funny is how a few have commented on the immaturity level of Ari. Well lets see she is an emotionally traumatized female in her early 20's, Who has not had any real relationships yet. The author lets you know up front she is naive. But it's not an annoying kind of naivety its more of a I don't really know what I'm getting into but it sounds like fun and excitement kind of scenario. This is the first time ari is being introduced into the BDSM world so she doesn't know all the terminology and rules that go along with being in the club. the author did a very good job of introducing Ari, and many new readers to this world and didn't to me think she sounded like she was giving a lesson in BDSM vocabulary. I enjoyed this story, and I have recommended it to everyone I know. I am looking forward to reading book 2 The Black Door when it comes out.
Profile Image for Heather Schrader.
199 reviews9 followers
July 13, 2015
Five Star Read
I was given a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mitch Reed owns the Red Door an exclusive BDSM club.
Alex James is a Dom there.
When Aurora Hammond's returns home after four years she finds herself at the Red Door.
Both Mitch and Alex want Aurora to be theirs even if it means sharing her.
Truths and feeling will be brought to light after its found out that a sex-trafficking ring is using the club and targeting Aurora.
Will Aurora be put into jeopardy? Or can Mitch and Alex protect her even if their own desires can be used against them?
This is book one of the Door Trilogy.


A highly charged fast paced novel I was hooked from the first page. Full of twist and turns I never knew how the story was going to go.
Mitch and Alex are the ultimate alphas in this story and I was sure how all that was going to play out when it came to them both wanting Aurora.
After four years Aurora to me seems to have really grown as person and she was ready to let her hair down so to speak and start living.
Even though this book is highly erotic the sex scenes between all characters was well written and and each scene was written differently.
Some of the secondary characters like Becca and Mark seemed to me like they really wanted to be there for Aurora but in the end.....well you will have to read to find out.
Reviewed by Heather S. for the Art of Romance
Profile Image for Jennifer Hajdics.
246 reviews4 followers
November 17, 2014
Just Awful!

Was this supposed to be a story? Because I feel like I just read a damn textbook. Dear Author: It's called Abbreviation. Look up the definition because your characters sound like aristocratic robots reading a script. Could you have made the book any longer with mundane drawn out descriptions that were so boring I kept wanting to skip ahead? And was could there have been anymore plot holes to the weak story? I appreciate that you probably worked very hard on this book, but in no way was it enjoyable. I invite you to go back and read it yourself taking into consideration what I've pointed out. Keep that in mind if you write another book in the future. And remember spelling, grammar, and abbreviation!
Profile Image for Jenn Book Ramblings.
619 reviews4 followers
August 24, 2014
This was a great debut novel from what looks to be a very promising author!
The story is executed beautifully and well thought out and written.
This is a great start to a new promising series. I have a feeling book 2 is going to be even more of a roller coaster than this book and I look forward to reading and enjoying every second.
679 reviews5 followers
September 26, 2014
Awesome start to a series

I give this book5 stars. I can't wait until her next book comes out. I love reading about the BDSM world this book had slavery, love,kidnappings, death. this book is not for the faint of heart
Profile Image for Mandy Saial.
1,155 reviews
September 29, 2015
J.L Massey is a new author to me , but the synopsis intrigued me so I took the leap.
This book was the perfect combination of exciting adventure ,just the right amount of tormented, emotional angst , and wicked dominant love of all shades .
57 reviews6 followers
November 29, 2014
The book started out slow, but it finished strong and I am looking forward to the next one.
633 reviews2 followers
February 22, 2015
The red door

The red door is a great read I just loved it a real page turner it's got it all its hot an adventurous a real page tuner
16 reviews
Read
November 7, 2015
I enjoyed the characters and the development of the story. the story was pace well and kept me hooked till the end.
Profile Image for J.A. Lafrance.
Author 58 books389 followers
May 10, 2016
Hooked, this book pulled me in and held my attention from scene to scene. I can't wait to read more from J.L Massey
Profile Image for Nicky.
271 reviews11 followers
August 26, 2014
3.5 stars. Got a bit lost in a few places, but a good debut.
Profile Image for Kerry.
669 reviews29 followers
April 6, 2016
Would have and should have been 5 stars, unfortunately the editing mistakes make it impossible to give. They aren't big enough to spoil your enjoyment, but enough to irritate. I loved the story and let me tell you the Second book The Black door is just as good. Have to wait now for the release of The Bronze Door......

These two books could be read as standalones, however the characters are written so well that they leave you wanting more of them and revenge for them. I would recommend that you read them in order as there is an amazing story being told, the final of which I'm hoping comes in The Bronze Door.

The books contain BDSM scenes along with M/M and M/M/F.
Profile Image for Darra.
235 reviews5 followers
December 26, 2015
I can't believe I did not put up a review for this book! The Red Door is a reread book. Jaw dropping and will push you to your limits. I assume the vanilla's out there should stay clear. If you don't know what vanilla means, that's you.
The Black Door was the follow up to this book. That book is a slap to the face. A totally different than what you have before. Absolutely glad I read it.

However if I had to choose between the 2, The Red Door is my favorite. This makes me want to read it again! Need something hot, great story and a book that makes you want to scratch that itch, read it! ;-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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