Angie
Written on Mar 1, 2013
Wow. Beyond Eden was definitely something different, and I really enjoyed it. I haven't read much menage, but I think I'm going to have to! Beyond Eden follows Eve, Danny, and Paul who were best friends in high school and have now been reunited after 10 years. Their relationship is very intense and complicated, as there's each of the three pairings as well as the three of them together.
Eve and Paul were madly in love, but at 18 went their separate ways. Now Eve is back and thrust into Paul's life again. He's currently engaged and planning on a political career, so he's trying to shove his feelings for Eve deep down, by reluctantly allowing their best friend Danny to date her. That doesn't work out so well. He's an absolute mess over this, as his whole future plans are to please his impossible to please father and Eve and Danny don't have a place there.
There's also the added complication of Paul's relationship with Danny. They live together and are in a Dom/sub relationship. Paul craves Danny's domination over him, but wants it out of his system so he can move on with his fiancee. Pain is the ultimate release for him, and no one gives it to him better than Danny does.
When the Eve and Danny, and the Danny and Paul relationships collide...holy crap! That did not go how I was expecting at all. It's intense and emotional. All of the secrets come out, and Eve's reaction was the most surprising, but it did feel honest. I loved seeing how much Danny really cares for Paul. Even if he's in full Master mode he can take that step back to keep Paul from overdoing it. It was sad watching Paul, since he really doesn't know when to give up. He's literally addicted to the pain and can't judge when his body has had too much.
I absolutely loved this one! But what kept from from giving Beyond Eden a full 5 stars waw two things. First, that whenever any of the characters thought about leaving each other they said they were dying. I know their relationship is really intense, but that's a bit much. The other thing was that I really wanted to see Paul stand up to his family, but we don't get to see that. I felt like that was the most important event to come from their story and we don't get to see it. Other than that, Beyond Eden is simply amazing.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.