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Michael James: Special Edition

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The Queen is a successful CEO married to one of the most powerful men in the country. Not only is she a sexual assault survivor, she's battling individual men, general accepted misogyny, and corporate business matters on a day to day basis. She's successful, powerful, corrupt, and manipulative - everything you need to be a class A bitch. Fighting for her right to a woman’s place in the corporate business world, it's just another day for her at the office and she's used to it. But while her successful renowned husband decides to admit one of his deepest secrets, her world begins to change forcing her to step up her game with the push and pull of control.
Michael James is one of the world's most successful business owners. As a household name, you rely heavily on the companies he owns, runs and invests in for services and items. He's seen in the news on a regular basis but keeps his personal life surprisingly hidden. He controls everything and everyone around him, no matter what the price or what it takes. So when his darkest secret is revealed, it forces him to control more than ever before. Determined to get his life back in order, to protect his reputation and public identity, and to ensure his wife’s life, how far will he go?

The celebrity life is exquisite and filled with the absolute finest of all items. But hidden from the world may be a dark sex life you could never imagine. So when one of the world's most famous couples attempts to deal with a detrimental secret in private, deceit begins to entangle their relationship. From the bestselling erotica writer Lisa Andrew, comes this sexy psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

231 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2019

5 people are currently reading
33 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Andrew

21 books111 followers
Canadian bestselling author Lisa Andrew has published 7 paperbacks including a collection of Dark Romance short stories, and two full length novels.

Her common themes reflect:

• CNC
• Forbidden Romances
• Enemies to Lovers
• Morally Grey Characters

Stay up to date on projects, appearances, and merchandise as well as get access to advanced reading copies! Lisa Andrew's Newsletter

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Shatarupa  Dhar.
620 reviews84 followers
July 7, 2019
Michael James. For a novel with that name, it starts with his wife’s narration. And what a sexy narration it is. Erotica Author Lisa Andrew’s debut novel delivers beautifully. The subtitle says it all, A Tale of Sex, Power, and Deceit. And they are revealed in the exact same sequence.

While the first few pages looked promising, the next few were a tale of Michael James’ virtues and vices, followed by his wife’s, as narrated by the third-person omniscient narrator. Michael and his wife just got back together. And it’s been five years since their marriage – a business partnership, and a Dominant Submissive relationship. And a long time since they were properly intimate. While on the business front, they are equals, in the bedroom she’s his submissive. But, since the past few months, not to the Queen’s (that’s how the wife’s referred to) knowledge, Michael is facing problems in his sex life (namely, erectile dysfunction). They have an open relationship, no fidelity to speak of. And she is literally as equal to him, in every sense of the word.

The story begins here with the ways Michael comes out with to cure himself. The first one is almost like a harem, for both him and her. With explicit sexuality in display. Among the various characters who are nothing more than a pawn in their lives, I loved the twins Colin and Dylan, the most! It is all about control. Sexual control which The Queen enjoys in her boardroom versus the same control which Michael enjoys in their bedroom. The Queen tormenting Michael for all his dominance in his helpless situation. While she took lovers left, right, and centre, no such lovers are introduced of Michael. Because of his situation, maybe, but it kind of left me confused as to the title of the story.

This story is like Mr and Mrs Smith, except for violence there’s erotica. But some of their kinks were not for my reading senses. Certain fantasies of theirs just made me cringe, and I won’t go into details here.

The angle of misogyny in the business world, especially at the top, is the perfect catalyst for showing The Queen for what she is. And midway through the story, the introduction of a new player is surprising. The Queen likes to keep her power. As much power as Michael has over her. Though the non-revelation of their ages is a bit of a bummer.

Most of the things that are mentioned are in contrast to one another. Feminism against letting others use your body, real-life situations clashing with kinky fantasies.

It is late in coming (pun intended), but the epilogue sums it up nicely. A rollercoaster ride of who deceives whom. Till the very end. And at last it’s clear why the book is named what it is and her name is revealed too.

P.S. I loved the author for providing this at the beginning of the book:
Warning: The fictional works contained are created solely for dramatic purposes. There are scenes of extremely aggressive, and sometimes violent consensual sexual content. Dubious, and/ or otherwise non-consensual sex does not exist in real life, only in literature as it is found here when consent is conveyed through the thoughts of the characters. Readers should not use fictional work as a basis for sexual education, or without proper protocol information.

From what I could perceive, the length could have been curtailed. Also, it needs editing and proofreading.
Profile Image for Kayla Sargent.
202 reviews7 followers
February 9, 2024
For my first book by Lisa Andrew, I am impressed. Strong female character. Strong male character. Together, they are a force to be reckon with. The spice level was on point. The book starts off strong, but I do question the ending. I don't feel like we were given enough information. I'm hoping that maybe it was written the way it was maybe for a cliffhanger of a second book. Fingers crossed. All in all, it's a good book.
Profile Image for Steph Warren.
1,774 reviews39 followers
August 27, 2019
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

There is a VERY important foreword to this book, that clarifies the author’s view on consent in fiction and in reality. I am very glad Lisa Andrew included this note, as there is a lot of dubious consent and non-consensual sexual activity in the story and the reader is both forewarned of that and reminded that it is in fact that – a story.

Initially the book reads like an erotic wish fulfilment fantasy. Michael James and his wife, referred to for most of the book as ‘The Queen’, are an idealised power couple in public: beautiful, rich, powerful. Each is CEO of their own company/ies. In private, we are told that they are equally compatible: he dominant and her submissive, but with rules, respect, a perfect understanding. They meet each other’s different needs and enjoy what is implied to be quite kinky and extreme play.

The author has clearly researched into the BDSM scene and is aware of the importance of such a clear understanding, of safe words, of attentive aftercare, of trust. She stresses that the submissive holds power in forms of the limitations and restrictions on play, and that the release comes from acting within the defined and accepted roles and pushing the boundaries but safely, together.

However it doesn’t take long for the reader to realise that something has gone wrong between Michael James and his Queen. They tell themselves how much they love and adore each other, but we gradually find out that they both have secrets from each other, and that their dominant/submissive roles are nowhere near as clear or as agreed as we first thought.

Although the book is named after the male character, the focus is really on The Queen for most of the story. And her story arc is a dark and disturbing one, featuring regular sexual assault and harassment which she has internalised as her being in control because she chooses to accept the abuse and welcome it, even when she does not want it. This made my heart ache for her, and I felt that her attitudes, reactions and rationalisations were consistent with how some people process such trauma in reality. However, she remains a strong character too, showing both the brittle strength of a fake male/fake bitch facade, and the inner strength of a survivor who can pick themselves up from the floor and face the things they fear.

Ultimately, whilst packed with explicit, detailed, dirty sex this story is really about power and control. Power and control over other people, but perhaps especially over oneself. This is not an easy read, but it is dark and simultaneously erotic and disturbing.





All decisions are made by him and he has the final say. Answers are persuaded and reflected by the tone of his voice, and if she’s correct he’s interested. But it also has elements of work or strain involved on her part. Even if her plan doesn’t work out, he’ll most likely enjoy what he wants. And the sky’s the limit in the privacy of their own home.
There’s no pressure because there’s no one there to watch them, there’s no one else to judge them or what they do together, it’s simply just how they want to play.

– Lisa Andrew, Michael James

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Profile Image for Lanie Mores.
Author 7 books102 followers
May 19, 2022
The Queen is a beautiful, successful CEO married to a notorious billionaire, Micheal James, her King. The power couple enjoys having control in the bedroom as much as they do in the boardroom. But control can become a fuzzy concept when deception is involved.

When the Queen discovers her husband’s darkest secret, they must put their power struggles aside and come together to find a mutually beneficial solution. Meanwhile, the control she has fought so hard to maintain in her corporate life is put to the ultimate test.

This was a challenging review for me to write, since I’m new to this genre. That being said, my review will be based mainly on writing quality, story and character development, and overall strengths and weaknesses of the novel.

Lisa did an impeccable job drawing in her readers from the get-go by opening with a steamy love scene. Did I mention this is erotica? The author’s writing style is professional and descriptive, fuelling the imagination as she continues to infuse passionate, sexual liaisons throughout the novel in various methods and scenarios, some of which I did not previously know existed.

The characters were brought to life through her illustrative prowess and realistic, interesting dialogue. I felt as if I knew these people in real life. Both of the main characters were strong, successful individuals, but were also flawed and vulnerable, making them more relatable.

The story kept me entertained from start to finish, and I look forward to reading more of Lisa’s work.
Profile Image for Kristina Marquardt.
211 reviews12 followers
February 21, 2024
This is a review and rating based on the genre of this novel. Please keep in mind that this title is an erotica novel. The material within these pages may not be for everyone. 18+ audience. 

Micheal James and The Queen have these pages on fire from the very beginning and do not give the reader a break. Non-stop passion. Descriptive and alluring. This is not a casual read.  You want to grab this title off the bookshelf with purpose, the purpose of taking your mind into steamy intimate scenes. It will have you needing to splash your face with cold water to cool yourself down. Just enough of a plot weaved into a well written story with a high amount of heat in all the right places.  

I recommend this novel for all of us who like to add (a lot) of sizzle into our reading variety.  One of the best in this grene I have had the opportunity to read.
1,134 reviews22 followers
March 4, 2024
Good story and I love the characters. Enjoyed reading it and loved the spicy scenes. I will continue to read more books by this author.
Profile Image for Briar's Reviews.
2,322 reviews579 followers
June 9, 2020
If you're looking for a hot erotica that will leave you steaming up your house, pick this book up!

Michael James is a purely hot erotica following the Queen and her husband Michael James. The Queen is a CEO and she just got back with her husband, another prominent business figure with intriguing tastes. They have a Dom-Sub relationship, and tend to get into very naughty scenarios. This relationship isn't easy, especially with Michael spying on his wife and her escapades. Michael is having some issues in the sex department (erectile dysfunction) which is causing problems in their open relationship.

This book is about domination and control in a celebrity like marriage. The couple explore various kinks and constantly tease each other. Michael crosses some lines, which the Queen is none to happy about, but they eventually get back to getting hot and heavy with each other. Boundaries are pushed and pulled and rubbed and everything in between. But there are secrets in this relationship too, which slowly unfold over the course of the book.

There's lots of aggression in this book, and thankfully Lisa Andrew put a little disclaimer at the beginning of the book about consensual sex. People need to realize this is a work of fiction and for people's fantasies, and it is not recommending being mean to your spouse and flogging them because you had a bad day. To add to the realness, there is sex therapy and the two deal with their problems.

This book is going to be in a niche market - you need to like erotica and BDSM relationships in books to enjoy it. I'm not the biggest fan of BDSM anymore, but I can totally appreciate it for what it is and shout to the hills that you need to read this book if you love erotica. It's a lot more sex than plot, but that's what some readers desire.

Overall, this book is a pure fantasy for erotical overs. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking to add another erotica to your TBR shelf. Lisa Andrew has crafted a wickedly wild book!

Four out of five stars.

I received this book for free from the author, Lisa Andrew, in exchange of an honest review.
Profile Image for Erin.
3,533 reviews80 followers
April 17, 2024
OOH this was good!! It was a spicy and adrenaline packed story about sex, power and deceit that had me hooked from the very first page and unable to put it down for one second until it was finished.

The Queen and her King are an incredible power couple. But certain events and past struggles have put their relationship to the ultimate test.

Their story is filled with drama, angst, suspense, emotional turmoil, insane passion, sizzling hot moments and incredible love.

And the smut contained within the pages of this drama filled story, were deliciously on point, extra kinky, and sinfully delicious.

Well written, definitely captivating and utterly suspenseful. I enjoyed every sinfully delicious moment of it.
Profile Image for Darcy.
2,159 reviews25 followers
February 18, 2024
I like the storyline in this book but one thing I had a harder time connecting with was there is a lot of third person writing. For me and this is just personal, I like first person writing as I connect better with the characters. However, this story is definitely good. It draws you in with all the controlling behaviors with both the Queen and Michael James. I will say it does start at a slower pace and in the beginning I had to come back to it. It does pick up as it progresses. There are definitely a few darker moments that has the Queen feeling as if she is in complete control of everything. This is an intriguing story that definitely becomes clearer at the end.
Profile Image for Jaime Cantrell.
613 reviews14 followers
October 28, 2024
I don’t even know what to say about this book. I mean I loved it, there is no doubt. Im just not sure how I feel about the MMC, Michael James. Do I love him? Do I hate him? Do I love to hate him, hate to love him, or both? I just don’t know. I love the FMC, Lacey Peers (James). They are the ultimate power couple. This book really has me some type of way and I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like all my emotions were waring with each other while reading it and I was all there for it. This book is definitely going on my re-read list! Highly recommend this book!

As always be mindful of trigger warnings, what I like you may not.

Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Liz Ranne.
1,120 reviews28 followers
February 20, 2024
OMG! WTF did I just read?? Lisa has done it again! A mindf*ck at each turn!! Holy hell this book was awesome!! It was nothing but spice pretty much through the whole thing. Micheal & His Queen's story is a helluva a story!! He needs help, & so goes the road of good intentions. There's a lot going on behind the scenes & some secrets still to be revealed. I sure hope we get another one! Highly, highly recommend this book & author!
Profile Image for Library.of.linds.
705 reviews31 followers
February 23, 2024
Michael James

Omg this book is 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵. I was not expecting that but I am here for it!!!!

If you’re looking for a captivating, kinky, suspenseful thriller, I highly recommend this book! It’s the first I’ve read from this author but I will definitely be reading more!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
TW: 🖤🖤🖤
Profile Image for Dusty Shirley.
954 reviews11 followers
April 8, 2024
I am here for it
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
Well now this is not what I was expecting but yes this was fantastic. You have a veritable power couple, both strong mc. This is an erotica novel so be prepared for lots of the spicy spice. It's non stop action from beginning to end. Highly recommend this.
Profile Image for dark_romance_bookworm.
241 reviews7 followers
May 20, 2024
So this one took me a good few chapters to get in to the story but then it hit and I couldn’t put it down!

Michael James and his ‘Queen’ are both strong characters. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and the spicy was totally there.

The last few chapters certainly answered some questions, but also for me asking more. Well worth a read 👍🏻
1,394 reviews15 followers
March 5, 2024
First time reading this author however won't be my last. The couple are very trusting of each other and he seems to be on edge for certain things. You won't be disappointed in this book. You will fall for him.
Profile Image for Fae.
231 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2022
Michael James is my favorite book of Lisa Andrews so far! Although there was some of the smut scenes that had me going “WTF? Why??” The story line was interesting and well developed.

Michael James and his wife are the ultimate power couple. Both at the head of their companies and successfully staying there. But while Michael is rising to top in the business world, something else is not... This book follows the couple as they deal with the problem with secrets and dark desires spilling in the process, throwing the couple, but most importantly, Michael’s wife, in a whirlwind while she fights to stay in control.
After all, how hard can it be to deal with a narcissistic, powerful, and controlling man with impotence when you are a survivor of sexual assault dealing with men trying to overpower you every day in your working life?

I once again advise that you check the trigger warnings before reading this, to figure out if this story is for you.

As mentioned before, the storyline was very well written and developed. And, just like her other books, the smut scenes were very vivid and written exquisitely. This book deals with many taboo’s, abuse and situations that has you questioning if Michael James is just a protective and given husband or a very abusive and controlling one. And let me tell you that by the end of the story, the jury was still out on this one for me. The ending also had me questioning if his wife wasn’t, actually, the controlling one? I still don’t know.

But one thing I know for sure is that Michael James is a VERY conceited man. “Her God. I am her God” I mean…. Bro, what?!

All in all, the book will leave you with many questions but most importantly: To cum or not to cum THAT is the question.
Profile Image for That Aesthetic Reader.
153 reviews13 followers
August 22, 2024
This book is meant for mature audience!

I recently had the pleasure of reading Lisa Andrew's riveting psychological thriller "Michael James," which explores the intricacies of control, power, and hidden secrets. The plot centers on the lives of wealthy businessman Michael James and his wife, The Queen, as they negotiate the perilous waters of both corporate and individual deceit. I was gripped from beginning to end by Lisa Andrew's writing, which is powerful and engrossing. The plot twists are thrilling and unexpected, and the characters are well-developed. The spice was on-point just like everything else. Because of its gripping story and the author's skill at crafting a complex, dark tale that is difficult to put down, I gave this book a rating of four stars.
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