Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Review: All's Fair in Love and Mastery by Sparrow Beckett


Publication Date: February 19th 2019 by Penguin Group
Pages: 240
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Grant Ellis, co-owner of the exclusive Catacombs club, can't stand Arabella Dexter...his own best friend. One scorching night shouldn't have made things weird between them, but it changed everything. Who knew there were lines friends can't uncross? Now, no one gets under his skin and drives him wild quite like Dex. Since she refuses to wear his collar, he can only mask his desire with sarcasm and antagonism.

Dex has had it up to here with Grant. He's a bossy, domineering jerk, and the sexiest man she's ever been with. Even so, she's done with collars and the nonsense that comes with commitments. When he extends an olive branch and invites her to visit his new resort on a remote island in Canada, it's a chance to get their friendship back on track.

Alone in the wilderness for a week, they explore Grant's investment and the boundaries of their relationship. Some bonfires can't be contained.

My Thoughts:
Grant and Arabella (Dex) were best friends until they had a hot one-night stand.  Grant wants more but Arabella doesn’t want to wear his collar, (commitment in BDSM speak, like I’m an expert here, lol) but after being burned by a past love, she doesn’t want to put herself in such a vulnerable position again. She’s powerfully attracted to Grant and wants their sexcapades to continue, but Grant doesn’t just want a f*ck-buddy.

Grant’s fallen hard for Arabella, and fears what no-commitment sex would do to him if she decided to just move on.  Grant doesn’t know this is the reason behind Arabella’s rejection, and so he takes it personal.  Which is understandable. In fact, Grant has issues with thinking he’s unlovable, so this plays right into it.

I’m a sucker for best-friends-into-love romance, because it doesn’t take much to flip that switch when you have such a powerful bond.  Grant and Arabella had some insecurities they both had to work through, but they never shut each other completely out even when they got miffed at each other.

I don’t read much erotica or BDSM, but when I do, I like some depth to the story, not just sex, sex, sex, and I thought All’s Fair in Love and Mastery struck a nice balance here.  It was kinky fun, and super hot, light-your-panties-on-fire-hot in places, and part of what made that work was feeling the deep connection between Grant and Arabella. They had layers I enjoyed unraveling and seeing them battle their irresistible attraction was a pleasure!


4 Suns



5 comments:

  1. I agree with you on the reading of erotica. This sounds like it was a lot of fun.

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  2. Yep, me, too. It can be hot, but I need a developed story to keep my interest. Sounds like there was some other elements like their hangups and their friends status that made it unique.

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  3. I am not the one for erotica either, but now and then there is one that is just really good :)

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  4. I rarely read erotica. Very rarely. I agree that a story is very important in this kind of book though. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  5. Sounds like this one had a good balance between plot and sexytimes. I have no issue with erotica or BDSM, but there has to be some plot there to keep things going.

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