Annabel Joseph is an amazing writer and she has the BDSM lifestyle down to a "t". She writes characters full of flaws that you absolutely fall in love with. This book was no different.Ashleigh, "Ash" is a ballet dancer who has joined her current troup to work with the famed "Rubio". She wants to dance with the best and learn. What she doesn't count on is a last minute character change that lands her dancing with Rubio live in front of an audience with shoes that aren't' broken in. Rubio is seriously unimpressed and Ash is mortified.Liam and Rubio are friends in the lifestyle. Liam is a Dominant. After Ashliegh's bomb on stage, Rubio invites Ashleigh to an after party. The thing she doesn't know it that it is a BDSM party and when they go to the play room, she gets more than she bargained for. Liam is a wealthy eccentric who has befriended Rubio. He immediately takes a liking to Ashleigh but Liam is not a one woman man.Oh Rubio...Rubio is a Latin Heartthrob and a big shot dancer...and he knows it. He can be cruel and conceited but we begin to discover there is more to him than meets the eye.Ashleigh's past has left her afraid. She sleeps in a sheet tent. Initially, Liam has his heart set on sleeping with Ashleigh but he finds himself falling more and more for this bizarre young woman who he wants to Dominate.Ashleigh feels broken. She has resigned herself to a life of celibacy. She is emotionally fragile. She wants to learn how to be a submissive and how to give herself fully to her Dom.She has a lot to overcome. She must learn that to be submissive is not to give control, but to give power and that in the end she is completely in control.Liam decides that he has to have her. He will take Ash however he can get her but only to help her and then he will move on. Because that is what he does. Always.Soon Ash is experiencing pleasure she never knew existed.She continues to suffer emotionally and she punishes herself relentlessly.Soon it's not clear who is saving who and Liam is in for more than he bargained for.Annabel Joseph has done it again. Love her characters, loved this poignant and beautifully broken story. Bravo! There are warnings attached to this book that should be taken seriously. This book addresses tough issues of past abuse. It would be very difficult to read if this was a trigger for you. It is also not a sweet and clean love story. It is dirty and broken and absolutely beautiful. I can not wait to hear Rubio's story!5 Stars!
Heather~Reading Haven~
I am a thirty something wife and mother of two. I read in all of my free time and some of my not so free time. Sleep, who needs sleep! I started out several years ago and after finding some amazing books and even more amazing friends GR has become my favorite place to hang. I started out with Urban Fantasy that was heavy on the romance and branched out in to straight contemporary romance. Now I am reading a variety of book. Some New Adult, some Contemporary Romance, some YA, Erotica and some Dark Erotica. If there is a love story in there, I'll read it. I am a complete sap for a good love story. I prefer a HEA (insert unicorns, rainbows and kittens). I really dislike major cliffhangers when there is more than a few months gap between releases. I read so many books that I forget the story line. I sometimes wait until the whole series is out so I can plow through the whole thing. :-)
Annabel Joseph is an amazing writer and she has the BDSM lifestyle down to a "t". She writes characters full of flaws that you absolutely fall in love with. This book was no different.Ashleigh, "Ash" is a ballet dancer who has joined her current troup to work with the famed "Rubio". She wants to dance with the best and learn. What she doesn't count on is a last minute character change that lands her dancing with Rubio live in front of an audience with shoes that aren't' broken in. Rubio is seriously unimpressed and Ash is mortified.Liam and Rubio are friends in the lifestyle. Liam is a Dominant. After Ashliegh's bomb on stage, Rubio invites Ashleigh to an after party. The thing she doesn't know it that it is a BDSM party and when they go to the play room, she gets more than she bargained for. Liam is a wealthy eccentric who has befriended Rubio. He immediately takes a liking to Ashleigh but Liam is not a one woman man.Oh Rubio...Rubio is a Latin Heartthrob and a big shot dancer...and he knows it. He can be cruel and conceited but we begin to discover there is more to him than meets the eye.Ashleigh's past has left her afraid. She sleeps in a sheet tent. Initially, Liam has his heart set on sleeping with Ashleigh but he finds himself falling more and more for this bizarre young woman who he wants to Dominate.Ashleigh feels broken. She has resigned herself to a life of celibacy. She is emotionally fragile. She wants to learn how to be a submissive and how to give herself fully to her Dom.She has a lot to overcome. She must learn that to be submissive is not to give control, but to give power and that in the end she is completely in control.Liam decides that he has to have her. He will take Ash however he can get her but only to help her and then he will move on. Because that is what he does. Always.Soon Ash is experiencing pleasure she never knew existed.She continues to suffer emotionally and she punishes herself relentlessly.Soon it's not clear who is saving who and Liam is in for more than he bargained for.Annabel Joseph has done it again. Love her characters, loved this poignant and beautifully broken story. Bravo! There are warnings attached to this book that should be taken seriously. This book addresses tough issues of past abuse. It would be very difficult to read if this was a trigger for you. It is also not a sweet and clean love story. It is dirty and broken and absolutely beautiful. I can not wait to hear Rubio's story!5 Stars!
