Deviant (Blood & Roses, #1)

by Callie Hart

[Angie]

I really liked Deviant, although it wasn't quite as deviant as I wanted it to be. It's all about Sloane, whose younger sister disappeared a couple years ago. When the book starts it's just a few months later, and Sloane has basically sold her virginity for information about her sister's whereabouts. She meets the guy in a dark hotel room, and she just expects a wham, bam, thank you mam kind of deal. Nope. This guy takes his time and is into bondage. Sloane makes it through her first sexual experience, only to find the P.I. she hired (who set up this deal) dead, and no notes on her sister's case. Fast forward two years, when her mystery man walks into the hospital she works at.

Deviant is a mix of erotica and romantic suspense, kind of. The main plot is, of course, Sloane wanting to find her sister. Zeth happens to have some information about that which he learns from the man he works for. I'm sure you can imagine what happens to young women who are just grabbed off the street, never to be seen again. But Zeth doesn't let that information go freely, he wants something from Sloane. Her, obviously. This man is not vanilla at all, which scares her, but ultimately she gives into him! I'm totally into BDSM, so that was the draw for me, but I was a bit let down in that regard. Zeth pulls back a bit with Sloane. Maybe to not scare her away? Or because he's just so overcome by her that he forgets what he's really into? I don't know, but the sex never quite went there for me. It was still hot though.

In the end, I did like Deviant. I just wish the author had committed more and sent her characters more into the depths of the BDSM world. It felt like a cop out to me. Like things were going great and then fizzled when Sloane and Zeth were alone. That ending though? Quite the interesting cliffhanger!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.