Loved it. This book teetered on the edge of wrong and definitely strayed into the realms of morally dubious.
Be careful reading reviews as there is a hidden twist in this book that really is best read 'blind'. I'm not going to refer to it again but be VERY careful of others providing unintentional spoilers!!! My other warning is that once I started reading this I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it, regardless of the time of night or the fact I should be working.
Even though there are previous books in the series, this was 100% readable as a stand alone story. Indeed I have at least one other
Pleasure House
book on my kindle but read this as the BOTM over in the Dark Erotica group. There wasn't one instance of me struggling to understand or follow the book, and spoilers were really kept to a minimum too.
Kitty Thomas wrote an amazing story, one that constantly reminded me Lyndsay wasn't all that much of a good guy. Just as I'd start viewing him as a hero, she'd throw in a quick reminder of his sins. This book took us on a journey of finding the path between what is good and righteous, and what a soul needs to flourish and grow. Shannon needs to be owned, she craves the security that comes with knowing she has a master to make the tough decisions for her.
Giving up her freedom and independence to be the property of someone feels so wrong but you can also see that it is the only way she can ever be happy. My heart and mind battled around this one so much, but in the very best of ways. I found myself dwelling in the grey zone of dubious consent and consensual non-consent, and boy I loved every moment of it. It was little easy-to-miss touches, like her freedom on Fridays, that really bought this home.
Shannon and Lyndsay have the most unconventional of relationships. Their history is littered with heart ache, pain, regret and sorrow and yet together they are perfection. With a chemistry that is off the charts, the author treats us to some delightfully depraved and blisteringly hot kink scenes between this pair.
I loved how this pair loved, with a quiet fierceness, though I did get quite worried at one point that the author was going to take it all away from me. However through loving Lyndsay, Shannon found the strength she'd previously lacked. The strength to make the toughest of decisions and to fight for the future she wanted.
I can't recommend this book enough. It dabbles in darkness without going too far, it will mess with your head repeatedly and it is so hot it puts the sun to shame. I just need to read the rest of them now.