Cocktails and Books
Written on Mar 23, 2014
I had to take a very long time to think about what I was going to write about these two books. I wanted to make sure that I had all my ducks in a row because I had very strong feelings about them.
First of all, they were EXTREMELY well written. Julie Shelton is a great wordsmith. She includes a lot of detail, but it's not overwhelming. Her dialogue is very realistic, and her characters are fleshed out perfectly. You feel like you're reading about real people having real conversations.
Sarah has not had an easy go of it. Her past haunts her at nearly every turn. The only real pleasant memories that she has are about Jesse. She's loved him for years, but circumstances kept them apart. Now, she's returned to her hometown to take care of some family business. You can guess who is now the sheriff.
Jesse never forgot Sarah. She has been the shining light in his life for years, but he knew that he would never be good enough for her, so he let her go. Now, years later after having a very difficult time of his own, he's determined to prove that he's a new man and worthy of her.
Adam is Jesse's best friend in the world. They served togeter as SEALS overseas, and they've got a bond that can never be broken. They're like brothers. Adam finds himself in love with Sarah by proxy. Jesse told him so much about her that he's got very deep feelings for her even though they've never met.
Ok. That's as far as I'm going. You know I never give spoilers. Now, for the nitty gritty. Sarah, Jesse, and Adam have explosive chemistry. I think they may have burned my Kindle. The sex? WOW! The BDSM was pretty hard core. It was more intense than most BDSM stories that I've read. That's not a bad thing, but it did take me awhile to get used to. This went way beyond any blindfolded flogging that a lot of people have read. It's not really for the squeamish, but it's no less interesting or hot.
My only real issue here is the (what I consider anyway) unusual amount of violence. A lot of bad things happen to Sarah (and the other characters as well) from the very beginning. Some of these things are quite brutal. Several times, I had to put the Kindle down and walk away. Not because I was disgusted, but because I was nervous. I found myself being very afraid of what was coming next. This book is classified as an erotic BDSM romance, but I would say that it's more of an action mystery with a lot of really great sex thrown in.
All in all, I thought this was a very good series. As I said before, the writing is pitch perfect. Ms Shelton weaves an excellent tale. I'm very impressed. It's not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend these books.
Reviewed by Kenna for Cocktails and Books