My Initial Reaction...
I devoured Five Golden Rings. It was one of those deliciously steamy reads that is just entirely too much fun to stop reading!
The Characters...
Mostly, I liked Tilda, the main character from whose point of view Five Golden Rings is told. I think what I liked most about Tilda was the way she wanted to forget her insecurities and her day-to-day life and just be daring for once. She's a CEO for a Fortune 500 company, so she's smart and powerful - and yet she still has some insecurities. When we first meet her, she's at her lowest point. On a plane to Cozumel on Christmas Eve, alone, drowning her sorrows in margaritas. She's just been dumped and is taking her romantic Christmas Holiday alone. So when the very sexy and fascinating lawyer, whose family just so happens to own the resort that she will be staying at, suggests a very kinky rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Tilda's in. Why not, right?
I enjoyed Miguel, too. He's sexy and delightfully creative - the Twelve Days of Christmas that he comes up with for Tilda is tintilating, and I was always anxious to see what the next day would bring. He's in Cozumel working on some sort of problem with the family business, something we don't find out about because he doesn't want Tilda to "worry her pretty little head" about it. Ok, he doesn't actually say that - but he sees Tilda as a pretty fling and he plays the role of the DOM very well. He has no idea that she's a CEO of a Fortune 500 company and she plays SUB so well, that he doesn't think otherwise. I found his attitude toward her annoying at times, but most the time it didn't bother me - it just fit the typical DOM/SUB relationship.
The Story...
If you're looking for a Christmas themed erotica, Five Golden Rings is where to go. Yes, it's set in Cozumel - so you don't have the snow and Santa or his elves. But you've got 12 days of DOM/SUB style sexiness, all centered on the "Twelve Days of Christmas Song." Jeffe Kennedy wrote some really creative adaptations to the song, and I enjoyed pretty much every minute. I was surprised by how well she played up the sexual tension - for an erotica she spends a pretty good amount of time making you wonder when you'll actually get to the moment, which I found added to the excitement. And when they did happen, the sex scenes were incredibly well-written, creative, and exciting.
The relationship developing between Tilda and Miguel is well-done. It's obviously centered around their sexual escapades, but there's the added dimension of what's going on with Miguel and the family business. Tilda doesn't know what gong on - because he doesn't tell her - and as I grew to like Miguel more and more, I worried more and more about what was happening. And grew more and more frustrated that he wouldn't confide in Tilda and let him help her. So that element of the story worked really well as a sub plot.
Concluding Sentiments...
I really enjoyed Five Golden Rings, mostly for it's creative sexiness. The characters were likeable and the plot really worked to move the story forward. A fast, fun, sexy read.