Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 10/1/13
Reviewed by Anne
304 pages
Raven is a tough tattoo artist who can be very hard to like. She’s got a prickly protective shell that not many bother to work through. Jonah Warner is a single dad whose only child is growing up and has moved away from home. He’s ready to look for a relationship and Raven intrigues him, and their chemistry is off the charts.
(Here’s my favorite quote)
When he got this woman naked they were going to set shit on fire. (p. 28)
OK, disclaimer first, this series is a favorite of mine. We’re talking top 3, maybe my favorite of all time. So, I certainly went in predisposed to enjoying this book, and it was no surprise to me that I loved it. I’ll try to explain why.
This is a low conflict book. There’s not a lot holding Jonah and Raven apart. Not much they have to overcome, except Raven’s internal issues. This is my favorite kind of book. I love the slow but sure journey as they move from instant lust to falling in love. They talk with each other – so there’s no conflict created by their lack of communication. It’s wonderful to watch them grow closer and closer.
This is a well written book. It’s clever and funny in parts. Hot in parts. It made my heart ache in parts. It took me away from everything and made me not what to go back!
This is an extremely hot book. I think Lauren Dane writes scorching sex scenes, and this book is a great example. I also really enjoyed that Jonah and Raven came together in a Dom/sub relationship that didn’t require a kinky club or anything over the top. From the moment they started moving in a sexual direction, you could see that Raven liked to be subservient to him. This is a stark contrast to how she is with everyone else in her life. Jonah is not an experienced Dom, but he’s learning what he likes, and Raven trips all his triggers in a very good way. I think it was different than other things I’ve read because it didn’t come off like they were playing a scene, more like they were letting their true personalities show, and this was how they clicked together.
I would have liked to see them talk through some of their Dom/sub behavior a bit more. It’s hard for me to buy that they slipped into these rolls so effortlessly. I certainly think there should be some amount of discussion before trying a new toy. That it worked for them so effortlessly and that they never had a problem stepping over each other’s boundaries… that was a bit unrealistic for me.
There are some family issues in the book that I don’t want to give detail on, as I believe they would be spoilers, but I really liked the way they were handled. Families are messy and not perfect. You don’t always get a neat and tidy ending. That’s done well in this book.
This book is 6th in the series. It would probably stand alone, but I think you’d get more out of it by reading the series in order. Raven has been in every book so far, and she was often in the roll of villain. Her character is well established and it’s consistent throughout the series, including this book. I love that Dane can take the feisty/prickly/bitchiness normally reserved for secondary characters and KEEP it even when the Raven moves to being the main character.
I highly recommend this book. It’s a Best of 2013 read for me!
Do you have an all time favorite series? Or are you like me with one or two favorites in each genre?
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