X

X, Y, Z Trilogy #1

by Mandy Lee

As her life spirals into crisis, Ella Fairbrother takes a risk. Visiting an elite sex club, she accepts a proposal from a man known only as ‘X’. He wants her to wear a blindfold in the bedroom – to protect his anonymity – and in return, she’ll experience pleasure that’s off the charts.

A simple enough arrangement.

But it’s soon complicated by Max Delaney, the new owner of the publishing house where Ella works. Enigmatic, ruthless and devastatingly handsome, he’s a man who’s used to getting exactly what he wants. And right now, he wants Ella.

Addicted to her mystery lover’s touch, but plagued by questions over his true identity, Ella finds herself increasingly attracted to Max. So, what to believe about Mr Delaney? Rumours and gossip, or the claims of the man himself?

In a world where no one is quite what they seem, where should you place your trust?

X is the first book in The X, Y, Z Trilogy.

Genres: Romance, Erotica, BDSM, Contemporary Romance, Dark, Dark Romance, Mystery

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 13, 2019

About the author

Mandy Lee was born and raised in Leicester, in the UK, where she still lives with her extended family. Until December 2017, she was a secondary school teacher, but finally gave up the day job to devote all her time to writing.

Mandy has been writing for most of her life, trying out different genres. It wasn’t until she discovered erotic romance (a genre she loves reading) that she finally found her home. She has released the following books:

You Don’t Know Me
True Colours
Shut Your Eyes
X
Y
Z

You can contact Mandy in the following ways:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mandy-Lee

Author website - http://www.mandy-lee.com

Bluesky: @mandylee2015.bsky.social

Reviews

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

2.5

This could really be a 5-star read, it wasn't for the h Ella.
One of those rare book that the H is a way better character... He had his flaws but compared to her, where a blip!

**LET THE RANT BEGIN**

OMG, she was a train wreck, just too stupid to live!
After losing her mother to alcohol abuse, guess what was her "escape"?? You guess... Get drunk, every opportunity she got!!
Feel uncomfortable for being in a sex club... DRINK!
Meet the new boss that she "thought" was the devil incarnated... DRINK and say a bunch of nasty things to said boss cuz "i'm drunk and i have excuse" tomorrow I will look sheepish and say i'm sorry just to do it again...
She does awful things to him while drunk, she slaps him, she dumps a plate of soup in this lap just because he said to her stop drinking!! She says openly real mean things to him to the point that he actually say she is hurting his feeling!!!

Then, surprise she is catching feeling for him...

She doesn't deserve him...

The "best friend" was a joke, if that's her idea of a friend, someone that just thinks in herself... Forces her in uncomfortable situations, that she needs a definition check! She does so many stupid things! She was just like I said, TSTL...
Skimmed the last 20% just to see the ending and meehhh!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, I was a bit put off by the initial premise and mostly read it to cross off a letter on the ABC challenge, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Enemies to lovers, a bit of a mystery, happy ending. All of my favorite things tbh.

[Stephanie Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did! It was pretty predictable but in the best way! I’m also very intrigued by the concept of the trilogy being written in reverse chronological order!

[Leslie Hallman · Rating 1 out of 5]

. 💻 This incredibly and obnoxiously annoying woman foul mouths her way through her professional career (this judgement from a foul mouthed person but dang, there are limits to how many times it’s appropriate or believable that one would screech the F bomb and/or slap the new boss of your company). Side story, she decides it’s a great idea to have quite boring and not that appealing sounding encounters with a secret random dude at a sex club. Are they the same person? Who the F bomb cares!! Heavily skimmed and badly written overly wrought drama ridden pages later with supposedly enemies to lovers and evil schemers, I managed to finish this just to complete my third A-Z reading challenge in 2024. Sorry, Mandy, this was not great in any way.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/4/2023)! 🎁

[Monica Osorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Vanilla than expected

So I was thinking this would be like Salacious Players Club. My mistake. Spoilers….

Due to the fact that it talked about a sex club I was thinking it’d be more along the lines of certain kinks, which done get me wrong, there is one. But it wasn’t like I was thinking. Anyways, the spice was good. Always love me a good pleasure kink. I liked how it started off of how the two characters met and continued. I’m also super glad she didn’t get upset and break up with him after finding out Mr X was the MMC. That would have been annoying so thankfully, she didn’t. The book is based on London so there are phrases that my American brain didn’t know but could figure out. I’m not a big fan of this series getting written in reverse. The author talks about it but I’m not a fan. Obviously, there’s HEA in the books but I don’t want to know until I read the book. If that makes sense. It’s dumb, I know. I also, wasn’t a fan of the writing style. The talking parts were in ‘ instead of the normal “. To me that’s referencing a phrase or something of the like but it was when they were taking. I wasn’t a fan that the talking pointed blended into paragraphs instead of being on their own too. It needed more break ups then all the words being clunked together. I liked the plot. That was interesting and a good play on that but it gave away the ending in the long run. So now I can’t see the bag guy from a good perspective from Seb’s POV. Well, I guess I wouldn’t anyways unless it was DPOV, which, this book was not. Overall, I liked it. Just minor things of personal preference that I didn’t.

[Brittany Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't prepared for how much I would enjoy this book!!

I am currently doing the A-Z reading challenge and X is always hard to find so when I found this little nugget I was over the moon!

I don't think I was prepared for the journey this book was going to take me on.

It had it all. Angst, suspense, humour, romance, spice (really good spice), mystery..

The FMC is brash and confrontational, but I found I really liked her. We all know that greif can do awful things to us, and I felt the author wrote Ella's struggles in an honest way.

Max, although he comes across as an arsehole, is actually adorable. Yes, there are times where he overstepped the line, but I forgave him once I understood him more.

And then there is the mysterious 'X', he was to die for! Those scenes at the club? Will live rent free in my mind for a long, long time.

I will says, I did not like Ella's friend. She was, for the most part toxic, and Ella wasn't blind to her behaviour, there were times however I wish she had called her out on it!

Overall this is definitely a book I would recommend.

[Sharon Kallenberger Marzola · Rating 4 out of 5]

X has an intriguing plot concept. The author lets the reader know how the story will end, although it is rarely a surprise in a romance. The enjoyment is in the journey to the HEA.

I was a little surprised that the sex club wasn't very kinky, although their time there suited this couple. I liked everything about Ella and Max. and the early deception. There was an unexpected twist with Sebastian. It surprised me initially (for a page or two.)

Marnie pissed me off a few times. I understand her loyalty to Christopher in some ways, but I didn't grasp why she plotted against Ella. They are supposed to be best friends.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story. In addition, it gave me an "X" to complete my ABC Title challenge. I will read Y and Z for next year's directives.

3.5 Stars

[Shanice · Rating 3 out of 5]

THREE AND A HALF STARS

!!!!!!Tiny spoilers ahead!!!!!!

I liked this story, I enjoyed the whole premise of it with the sex club and the mysterious X and then the whole story with Ella and Max. I enjoyed their chemistry but what I will say is I wished there were more scenes with X. It seemed to be over quite quickly and then the story felt rushed in some way. Also……I don’t have a clue what Ella looks like! I know Max has dark hair, dark eyes, muscles, abs, he’s over 6ft, he dresses well, he has a tattoo…..all I know about Ella is she had shoulder length hair and she’s a size 12 ? It’s a personal annoyance of mine, I like to have something I can add my imagination to so that was frustrating. Overall, 3 and a half stars. I have the other 2 books in the series and I’m excited to start them.

[Allison Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of Mandy Lee's I've read, and it won't be the last. While the story line is predictable, the interactions were all unique and appealing. The format of the trilogy going backwards in time is different and more enjoyable than I thought it would be but lets be honest, shes right. The happily ever after is always there and we might as well know about it and enjoy the steps along the way. I'm definitely going to check out Y and Z. The billionaire thing is getting played out in a lot of romance novels but Mandy Lee made the characters relatable and I connected with them.
It's also very nice to finish my ABC challenge with this book and not a book about x ray technology like I thought I would have to! 🤣

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 35%

I really wanted to like this book, it's such an intriguing concept, especially the 'reverse timeline' thing the author is trying out. I'm planning to give the other books in the series a go, because the author is really good.

Sadly, a belligerent drunk as a heroine ruined it for me. She's just constantly AWFUL, and a generally terrible person. It was off-putting and what led me to give up on the book (just after the office party at Max's house).

It's a pity, because some of it was really, really good. I skimmed the rest of the book and some of the scenes grabbed my attention and kept me completely engrossed.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

X is for Sexy Max

I liked the beginning at the club when Max met Ella and they had an exchange of words. What I found unsettling was how quick Ella decided to jump the ship of "I'm reviewing a manuscript while waiting for a friend all because of what Celine had to offer her." Ella's friend Marnie was no friend. I can't believe a character like Ella got away with all the mean crap she did to Max. She lacked something. Class. Yeah that's it. If you enjoy a lot of UK lingo, you'll love this book.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with the intent of it having a good synopsis and a great way to hit my ABC challenge.
The story line had so much potential but the writing style and how events occurred made it almost unreadable. When you read the secondary book 'Y' it does get better in writing, but unfortunately the way it was set up in X made it hard to keep pace.
There are overall issues of the story line seeming to go backwards in areas, the confusion the tattoos which wouldn't be as big of a deal if the writing style was fluid.

2 stars for story format alone....I can't see how this was readable.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ella Fairbrother, Assistant Editor for Romance and Max Delaney the new owner of the publishing house. Ella is struggling with the death of her mom and Max is definitely more than gossip and rumors would have you know. This was more then I thought it would be. It had intrigue, suspense and spice. I was expecting more kink since they meet in a sex club like environment. I really liked the interaction between both characters. I liked that in the trilogy we already know who the brothers will be with for the next book and look forward to their stories as well.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because a) it was a freebie and b) I'm needed a book for X for the alphabet challenge. I wasn't expecting much as I have previously been disappointed by random indie authors. But I was pleasantly surprised!

I really enjoyed this book and flew through it. It's not just smut, it has a solid storyline and well-developed characters. I liked this more than Ana Huang's popular Twisted series. I can't wait to read the other two books in the trilogy!

[Sarahpeacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner: sexy, romantic and as mysteriously thrilling as the love interest. A well written, funny and sometimes heart breaking story about finding love and accepting the past. The heroine is smart, funny and realistically messed up but over the course of the story she finds X, a man who helps her to finally accept her past (and his) and move on. Thoroughly recommended.

[Danielle Hughes-Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read a chapter or two per evening before bed so it took me some time to read. I enjoyed it, but when I read it was based on a Sex club with an annonymous man called X I thought it would be spicier and kinkier than it was. I just felt it was a little slow and very tame but I am still intrigued to read about Max’s brothers. I did enjoy it though.

[Karen Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuinely enjoyable read! While it starts as your classic billionaire romance, a sharp mystery twist midway turns everything on its head. The pacing keeps you hooked, the suspense keeps you guessing, and the drama delivers plenty of gasp-worthy moments. I’m already eager to dive into the next two books!

[Patricia Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating

A chance met at a club brings Max to his knees when he finds Ella.
Pictured as a ruthless man, the Prince of Darkness by some, Max navigates thought this world. Ella, is a strong willed woman who finds herself in the arms of a man that makes her understand that the past is the past.
I love this story and have found a new author to check out.

[Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

Loved this story!!! I haven’t read the other but at the start it does say this is “the last one” kinda thing but in threw caution to the wind!! I loved this book but I’m going to say this I couldn’t stand her so called “best friend” I understand she was being abused but she was a shitty friend.

[Carol West · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of action , suspense and a good tumble

This book was very action packed and keeps you guessing . Kept me involved with the characters and wondering and second guessing when I thought I had it . I was surprised many times . Loved it .

[Ren Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice

Honestly the story was nice but I expected more. It’s a special club I expected more. Or maybe I’m just into the kink to much but it was very vanilla. anyways the story was nice.

[Arow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly standard framework, I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I like that it could be a stand alone as Y, Z further develops the story of supporting characters.
I would read more by Mandy Lee.

[Kelly Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the FMC very whiney and not relatable. I thought the MMC was better written, however without his POV I felt this book was lacking and couldn't really get to know him as well. The spicy scenes were the best written parts - although crotch was used a lot and that gave me the ick.

[Becky Manson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book. Perfect balance of story, character development and spiciness. Some guessable twists, and some twists I did NOT see coming…. Unfortunately felt a little rushed at the end, otherwise would have gone the full 5 stars.

[D Dowell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

I liked the characters at first, but then they just seemed so flat. I found myself more invested in the side characters for this one. Writing was good quality, the story was good over all I just didn't love or even really like either MC.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful

Love the characters the mystery behind this family and the villain! So many twist and turns. The sec scenes are smoking hot and the friendship almost lost had me in tears. I highly recommend this series.

[Random Hodgepodge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Began reading this for my Alphabet Challenge and Romance is a genre I haven't read much in years. What could go wrong? This old lady wasn't prepared for the BDSM within the first few pages. Wish Amazon Kindle books had tag labels. Will do my best to soldier on:).

Not bad, better than I expected! Reminded me of Fifty Shades of Grey.

[Katlin Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Worst Book

To be honest, this is the worst book I've ever read. I only kept reading it in hopes it would get better. Never did. Predictable. Knew the whole plot by chapter 3.

At least I can cross off X on my A-Z reading list. 📚

[Wynonna White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

I started this book and couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for the next book in this series. Highly recommend