Guilty Pleasures

by Kitty Thomas

[Melanie]

I will start off saying that this is not a romance novel. If you've never read anything from this author, she writes some really dark stories. They are the type of stories you will either enjoy or you won't. When I read other people's reviews of this author, they either love her writing or think she's nuts, I don't think I've ever seen anyone say she is just okay. She does push a lot of boundaries, that's what I love about her work.

This story starts with a married couple who are going through the motions of marriage. The husband makes a ton of money and the wife stays home, gets manicures and reads fashion magazines. She does take care of the house and cooks only because "maids are nosey". Sex has become a part of the relationship that is something to check off the to-do list.

The book opens to a very poor sex scene, where the wife, Vivian, is counting the seconds for her husband, Michael, to finish and leave her alone. I'm sure there are many marriages in real life like this one. Michael and Vivian have a fight and he decides she needs to see a therapist, Dr. Lindsay Smith. He pretty much forces her to go to the sex therapist.

Well, Dr. Lindsay Smith is a male and this makes Vivian extremely uncomfortable. He recommends that she get a massage to relax her and make her more comfortable in her own body. This is where things take a twisted turn. Through a series of blackmail, the massage therapist, Anton, starts to do more and more with Vivian where she is getting happy endings with her massages. But it won't end there.

This story is filled with hot men, some intense sex scenes and BDSM. Ms Thomas pushes the envelope on many things with this book. There is coercion, kidnapping and Vivian is blackmailed into doing things that she wouldn't have done on her own. If you like dark stories with a Master/slave relationship, this is a great book for you.

**Book was provided to me by the author. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway by the author.