Lowered Lashes

by Isabel van Loen

Amelia—sweet, bookish, and heartbroken after a breakup—has a chance encounter with a wealthy donor during a D.C. conference. David Montclair is powerful, protective, and used to being in control. As the head of Montclair & Co., a prestigious Georgetown mergers & acquisitions firm, he commands loyalty—and obedience.

When he invites Amelia to stay with him for the summer, she accepts, placing her vulnerability in his dominant hands. Their romance unfolds through devotion, discipline, and irresistible power exchange—until a dark family secret threatens to tear them apart.

A story of tenderness and dominance, vulnerability and strength, Lowered Lashes is a slow-burn erotic romance about intimacy, power, and what it means to give yourself to someone completely.

Perfect for readers who
✔️ powerful, protective alpha males
✔️ slow-burn dominance and submission
✔️ age-gap romance
✔️ luxury lifestyle and emotional heat

Trigger Contains explicit, consensual sexual content and emotionally intense themes.

125 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2025

About the author

Isabel van Loen writes emotionally intelligent, character-driven romance that explores power, intimacy, and the ache of desire. Her stories often feature dominant men, vulnerable heroines, and slow-burning relationships that unfold with intensity and grace.

Isabel lives in Boston with her two dogs, Dorian and Celeste. When she’s not writing, she can be found lingering in old bookstores or wandering quiet city streets just after the rain. She believes love should be both fierce and tender—and that fiction should make us feel a little more alive.

Reviews

[Chandra Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lowered Lashes is an intoxicating blend of vulnerability, passion, and emotional risk that drew me in from the very first encounter between Amelia and David. Amelia, still raw from heartbreak,sweet, self-aware, and quietly strong even when she doubts herself. Meeting David Montclair flips her world on its axis. He’s commanding yet protective, the kind of man who seems untouchable until you see how deeply he feels for her.

David is always in control, and that dominance is absolute. Amelia may be bookish and gentle, but she isn’t without fire. At times, she pushes back, testing the boundaries of his authority. And every time she does, David responds with firm, unyielding punishment—reminding her that surrender is not optional but essential to the relationship they’re building. Their dynamic is intense and honestly not entirely healthy.

And just when you’re lost in the spell of their summer together, the story leaves you gasping—with a cliffhanger ending that flips everything upside down and makes you desperate for the next installment.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cait's Reading Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lowered Lashes by Isabel van Loen is a novella of Amelia and David’s story. Amelia and David meet at a conference. Amelia is going through a breakup and David is protective and dominant.

This story shows the growth of their relationship over the course of a summer when Amelia stays with David. Amelia explores vulnerability and strength with David who is protective and tender in how he shows his feelings for Amelia. There is complexity as they are each strong in their own way. I thought this exploration was well-written and paced over the course of the story. I enjoyed reading the beginning of their story, and the cliffhanger keeps the reader engaged and looking forward to the next chapter of their story.

Readers who enjoy slow burn, age-gap, and protective MMCs / alphas. There are open door scenes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.