2.5 stars - OK I'm coming at this review for a second try. For me this books was very up and down with some parts I loved and others I really didn't. I think the biggest problem for me was that Lukas, disappointingly, fell into that tired old BDSM cliche of deciding things for Tiffany, or not telling her things, "for her own good". In other words because it was easier for him.
Had she kept things secret for as equally justifiable a reason he would still have subjected her to a punishment and I just cannot abide that type of double standard. I'm not sure if I'm an oddity amongst readers in not loving these mind-reading, "know you better than you know yourself" Doms, but they get right on my goat.
For heaven's sake Tiffany is a grown up women who runs her own business and has managed to live her life really well until she met Lukas. She is capable of making her own decisions and choices, given ALL the relevant information. So when Lukas treats her like she is incapable of this he really goes down in my estimation. It's misogynistic and smacks of Christian Grey, not a truly consensual BDSM relationship and very much not a partnership!
I also felt that Lukas definitely got off lightly (from his terrible decision at the end of book 4), considering it demonstrated how little respect he had for Tiffany. I appreciated how strongly she made her point to him - and I was glad he realised how unjust and out-of-order punishing her would have been. Would he have found it so easy to forgive and forget had the boot been on the other foot? Yeah, I doubt it. Double standards again
Over the last book and this Lukas became quite whiney and woe is me, just because Tiff wasn't a pushover submissive. Oh let's all feel sorry for the poor little Dom who doesn't have everything going his own way. He fell in love with Tiffany's independence and sass but then seems to want to change her and dampen her spirit.
The book took on a more suspense element and moved away from focussing so much on just the two couples, and that was a very welcome addition to the story. There were also several new characters introduced, two of whom I suspect will feature strongly in the next book. I look forward to getting to know them both.
I'm coming back to rant about the men keeping information from their women, again. Their excuses for not telling their romantic
partners
where they were disappearing off to or why they couldn't go to the bachelorette party were, quite frankly, weak. Whilst I appreciate their will be times Lukas wouldn't be able to give Tiffany details,that wasn't the case here. He could AND should have warned her about Jake. Yet again it felt as though the men were refusing to be totally honest when they wouldn't accept the same treatment from their submissive.
I did really enjoy how Lukas handled Tiffany's family and the lengths he went to in order to ensure her happiness. He did manage to melt my heart with the depth of his love. And the author can definitely write, the stories are really easy to read, the pace is good and the plot flows smoothly.