Letting Go (Surrender Trilogy (Maya Banks), #1) (Surrender, #1)

by Maya Banks

[Cocktails and Books]

Generally when I find out Maya Banks has a new book coming out, I rush to get my hands on a copy. It was no different when I heard about Letting Go. The premise of the story was intriguing and I was eager to see how the story of a widow and her husband's best friend entering a D/s relationship was going to work. The storyline was good and moved along well, but what I missed in this one was an emotional connection with the characters.

Joss Breckenridge, after three years, has decided it's time to move on. Time to let go of the grief of losing her husband and figuring out what she needs to be happy. So once she's said goodbye to Carson, she sets her sights on The House, a local D/s club in the area, where she can explore that part of her sexuality. Joss, while totally in love with her husband, was never able to ask him for the one things she truly wanted in bed. Having been an abuse survivor, Carson would never bring himself to "hurt" Joss, even if she asked for it. Now was her opportunity to discover if being a submissive is really what she wants and needs. Enter Dash. Dash was Carson's best friend and business partner. He also happens to be in love with Joss and has been for a long time. . He's been trying to figure out when the right time would be to make his move and declare himself to her. His plans go slightly awry when he walks into The House one night and finds Joss on the arm of another member. When Dash discovers why Joss is there and what she wants to explore, he demands that he be the only Dom that shows her what it's like to be a true submissive.

As I said above, I didn't feel an emotional connection to these characters. And considering who they were and the history that had between them, I felt like I should have. Part of the problem was the spent so much damn time talking to themselves. Wondering if they were doing the right. What did he/she feel? Was it the same as what they felt? Blah, blah, blah. I know part of the issue was getting passed the big elephant (or ghost) in their relationship, but talk to each other and not just yourself. It works wonders! And when I finally did start to get some semblance of emotions from the characters, it was Chapter 28 and the book was almost over.

Overall, it's not a bad book, but it was not what I thought I was going to get in a D/s book. I wanted more of that dominate male, pushing his submissive to the brink. Teaching her how the relationship was going to work. It was a good love story, but not what I was anticipating going in.