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itsjulia_reads's review against another edition
2.0
I like the book going in but this took me forever to finish! It was too repetitive and I kept waiting for something big to happen, but it didn't until the last 10% of the book. I'd give this an overall 2.8
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I was a little disappointed in this entry into the Breathless series. Jace was a character that I really liked in Rush. He was super supportive of his sister, even after he discovered she was having a relationship with his much older best friend. The way he handled the situation made me like him more and I was really looking forward to his book. Unfortunately, Jace turned into Gabe in this book and it was a bit of a turnoff.
Jace lays eyes on Bethany across the ballroom as she worked Gabe and Mia's engagement party. He immediately feels something for Bethany and wants to keep her for himself, despite always sharing women with this best friend, Ash. But Bethany isn't like any of the women Jace has been with and the sudden possessive streak Jace feels threatens their relationship from the very beginning. Can they both learn to trust in themselves and each other to make this work?
As I said above, Jace turned into someone else in this book. He was broody, possessive, quick to jump to conclusions and someone I jut didn't like at all. He would show an extremely sweet and caring side when it came to Bethany, but his other side tended to take any good feelings I had towards him away.
Bethany was a little of a doormat, because she not only let Jace walk all over her with his bad attitude, she also let Jack (her foster brother) all in the name of giving back to him because of all he did for her. That got a little aggravating at times, especially when she kept claiming she wanted to change, stand on her own and make a new life for herself.
My other issue with the book was the age difference between Bethany and Jace. It was exactly the same as Gabe and Mia. Really? Two 38 year old best friends would both find young 23 year old women to fall in love with? It seemed a bit unrealistic and became a bone of contention for me, because it made me wonder why there couldn't have been an older woman for Jace and if Ash was going to miraculously find himself with a 23 year old as well.
Jace lays eyes on Bethany across the ballroom as she worked Gabe and Mia's engagement party. He immediately feels something for Bethany and wants to keep her for himself, despite always sharing women with this best friend, Ash. But Bethany isn't like any of the women Jace has been with and the sudden possessive streak Jace feels threatens their relationship from the very beginning. Can they both learn to trust in themselves and each other to make this work?
As I said above, Jace turned into someone else in this book. He was broody, possessive, quick to jump to conclusions and someone I jut didn't like at all. He would show an extremely sweet and caring side when it came to Bethany, but his other side tended to take any good feelings I had towards him away.
Bethany was a little of a doormat, because she not only let Jace walk all over her with his bad attitude, she also let Jack (her foster brother) all in the name of giving back to him because of all he did for her. That got a little aggravating at times, especially when she kept claiming she wanted to change, stand on her own and make a new life for herself.
My other issue with the book was the age difference between Bethany and Jace. It was exactly the same as Gabe and Mia. Really? Two 38 year old best friends would both find young 23 year old women to fall in love with? It seemed a bit unrealistic and became a bone of contention for me, because it made me wonder why there couldn't have been an older woman for Jace and if Ash was going to miraculously find himself with a 23 year old as well.
metzireadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Jace and Bethany
This was just an okay read for me. There just wasn’t enough plot in there for me to connect to the characters…and though the sexy times were hot, the emotional connection was to instalovy for me.
Jace and Bethany
This was just an okay read for me. There just wasn’t enough plot in there for me to connect to the characters…and though the sexy times were hot, the emotional connection was to instalovy for me.
tsukikomew's review against another edition
2.0
This review was posted at Tsuki’s Book Blog on Sunday April 7, 2013
I've been wrestling with my review for this since Friday so I took some time to think about it. There are some very good moments in the book but at the same time there is so much ridiculousness I'm not sure where to put it in my rating system. When I say ridiculousness I mean complete and utter Crazytown and not in a good way.
Jace is Mia's brother from the first book. He's thirty-eight and loves his threesomes with Ash. The thing about their threesomes is they aren't interested in each other at all. This is not a triad relationship but rather two men falling on the same woman for a few nights. On one night (Mia and Gabe's engagement party) Jace has an instant connection with a random server he never talked to. Ash sees it and decides, "Hmmm....threesome". They have one because she's desperate and then Jace can't imagine ever putting his penis anywhere but in Bethany (crude but true). He hunts her down, states he's a dominant, and deals with her foster brother. In the meantime he puts his foot in his mouth on occasion and then grovels. There is a suicide attempt, some homelessness, drug abuse, and some sort of pseudo-verbal abuse making up this story.
For the glass half-full crowd, I'll start with the positives.
The friendship between the three men is amazing to see and a joy to read. Most books utilize friendships as though they are the easiest thing in the world and it is just expected each person will have two really close friends. I'm not anti-social but I have one good friend. Even then I barely see her due to distance. Most books give the hero or heroine a few friends and the reader is under the impression that is completely normal and effortless.
There are a lot of people out there with no friends or at least no one near the level in books. Not every man or woman grows up in a place with immediately three close friends who would do anything for them. In this book Jace, Ash, and Gabe are perfection. They met in college and came together when Jace and Mia's parents died. Ash and Gabe rallied around their friend and watched out for a significantly younger Mia all while building their business.
The reader gets a full-view of their relationship and it is not all roses and glitter. This book features Ash and Jace's rocky friendship and subsequent repair. Ash and Jace have always had threesomes with women. They've been with a woman for a few nights and then they move on. Suddenly Jace becomes obsessed with one woman to the point of overlooking everything else. Ash calls him on his shit and is suddenly viewed as meddling. Throughout the entire book the two have to keep working on their relationship all while Jace keeps upsetting Bethany. The reader actually gets to watch as men work out their issues to build a good relationship. At the same time we gets teases over Ash's horrible family and Gabe and Jace's support of Ash. It's just amazing to read!
At the same time I really enjoyed following Mia and Gabe a little bit. I love that aspect of storytelling with the Nora Roberts trilogies and quartets and I would imagine in this series Burn will include Mia and Gabe's wedding. I love series that give the reader a little more about the characters they loved in previous books without doing too much. This book gives up glimpses into Gabe and Mia's lives. Gabe wants to get married right away while Mia is planning her dream wedding. Mia accepts Bethany no questions asked but she isn't shoving her attention down everyone's throat. It was the perfect tease for the reader. We get just enough to be satisfied with their happily ever after.
Now onto the glass half-empty crew:
I really want to discuss this odd decision in Maya Banks' books surrounding the homeless heroine. I encountered it in Colters' Lady and I let it go. This time I just kept looking up from the book and asking the air around me how this could possibly be a good idea. Bethany is homeless and not in the 'I've been on the streets for a week' kind of way. Bethany has lived on the streets for four years but she has pretty hair, relatively clean clothes, excellent grooming, clean work clothes, etc. Um....what?!
I understand it wouldn't be attractive to have her ragged, unclean, and completely unhealthy but it seems unrealistic she could fit in at a rich people crowd with little effort. I tried to suspend my disbelief over her healthy body, other than being a little thin, but it became harder and harder as the book went on. She wasn't just a homeless woman. She was also a recovering addict, previous whore, and a complete doormat. She had done it all at she was still innocent, naive, healthy, AND well-adjusted?! Sorry that is where I lost it.
Secondly Jace and Bethany have a pseudo-abusive relationship. I understand the dominant lifestyle and the choices to use crops, whips, paddles, etc. That is not the aspect of the relationship I have issues with. Bethany was a consenting adult although the whole getting put out on the street if she doesn't comply (not in the book but a general logical thought) could have taken away consent to a point.
My issue with the pseudo-abusive relationship was the verbal/emotional abuse. Jace overreacts every single step of the way. Bethany smiles at Ash? He yells at her and accuses her of cheating on him. Bethany goes to see Jack (her foster brother)? Jace freaks out and accuses her of leaving/lying to him. Every time he freaked out I sort of wanted Bethany to leave. She was always at a disadvantage because she had no life to fall back on. She didn't have a home or a job. She knew Jace held the power in their relationship because he could put her out on the streets at any time.
I understand the reader was supposed to look at Jace as having trust issues but it came off really badly. The whole crops, whips, pain angle also seemed to come out of nowhere and it made me more uncomfortable than usual when combined with the pseudo-emotional abuse. It bothered me because sometimes they had one of the yelling, fighting scenes and then they would have rough sex. It seemed a bit...trying for me as a reader.
I finished the book because I love Maya Banks' series. I'm really excited to read Burn which is Ash's story but I had a lot of trouble with this one. I enjoyed the concept of it but the application left a bit to be desired. I couldn't get on board with Bethany's normalcy and Jace's issues. They seemed a bit volatile to me. Bethany wanted to get a college degree and that made me wish this book took place after she started to be her own person and have something to fall back on. That way if they fought Bethany could stand-up for herself and wouldn't have to worry about being homeless as much as she did when Jace got upset.
2 Stars
Published by Berkley Trade
April 2, 2013
417 Pages
Provided by--The Library
Spoiler
I'm a huge fan of Maya Banks and I read pretty much anything she puts out. After loving Rush I immediately put my name on the hold list for the second book and it came in on Thursday. Weirdly enough I had a bit of a gap in my reading schedule because I thought Nora Roberts' Whiskey Beach came out on the second but no...the 16th. So I was able to start this one right away.I've been wrestling with my review for this since Friday so I took some time to think about it. There are some very good moments in the book but at the same time there is so much ridiculousness I'm not sure where to put it in my rating system. When I say ridiculousness I mean complete and utter Crazytown and not in a good way.
Jace is Mia's brother from the first book. He's thirty-eight and loves his threesomes with Ash. The thing about their threesomes is they aren't interested in each other at all. This is not a triad relationship but rather two men falling on the same woman for a few nights. On one night (Mia and Gabe's engagement party) Jace has an instant connection with a random server he never talked to. Ash sees it and decides, "Hmmm....threesome". They have one because she's desperate and then Jace can't imagine ever putting his penis anywhere but in Bethany (crude but true). He hunts her down, states he's a dominant, and deals with her foster brother. In the meantime he puts his foot in his mouth on occasion and then grovels. There is a suicide attempt, some homelessness, drug abuse, and some sort of pseudo-verbal abuse making up this story.
For the glass half-full crowd, I'll start with the positives.
The friendship between the three men is amazing to see and a joy to read. Most books utilize friendships as though they are the easiest thing in the world and it is just expected each person will have two really close friends. I'm not anti-social but I have one good friend. Even then I barely see her due to distance. Most books give the hero or heroine a few friends and the reader is under the impression that is completely normal and effortless.
There are a lot of people out there with no friends or at least no one near the level in books. Not every man or woman grows up in a place with immediately three close friends who would do anything for them. In this book Jace, Ash, and Gabe are perfection. They met in college and came together when Jace and Mia's parents died. Ash and Gabe rallied around their friend and watched out for a significantly younger Mia all while building their business.
The reader gets a full-view of their relationship and it is not all roses and glitter. This book features Ash and Jace's rocky friendship and subsequent repair. Ash and Jace have always had threesomes with women. They've been with a woman for a few nights and then they move on. Suddenly Jace becomes obsessed with one woman to the point of overlooking everything else. Ash calls him on his shit and is suddenly viewed as meddling. Throughout the entire book the two have to keep working on their relationship all while Jace keeps upsetting Bethany. The reader actually gets to watch as men work out their issues to build a good relationship. At the same time we gets teases over Ash's horrible family and Gabe and Jace's support of Ash. It's just amazing to read!
At the same time I really enjoyed following Mia and Gabe a little bit. I love that aspect of storytelling with the Nora Roberts trilogies and quartets and I would imagine in this series Burn will include Mia and Gabe's wedding. I love series that give the reader a little more about the characters they loved in previous books without doing too much. This book gives up glimpses into Gabe and Mia's lives. Gabe wants to get married right away while Mia is planning her dream wedding. Mia accepts Bethany no questions asked but she isn't shoving her attention down everyone's throat. It was the perfect tease for the reader. We get just enough to be satisfied with their happily ever after.
Now onto the glass half-empty crew:
I really want to discuss this odd decision in Maya Banks' books surrounding the homeless heroine. I encountered it in Colters' Lady and I let it go. This time I just kept looking up from the book and asking the air around me how this could possibly be a good idea. Bethany is homeless and not in the 'I've been on the streets for a week' kind of way. Bethany has lived on the streets for four years but she has pretty hair, relatively clean clothes, excellent grooming, clean work clothes, etc. Um....what?!
I understand it wouldn't be attractive to have her ragged, unclean, and completely unhealthy but it seems unrealistic she could fit in at a rich people crowd with little effort. I tried to suspend my disbelief over her healthy body, other than being a little thin, but it became harder and harder as the book went on. She wasn't just a homeless woman. She was also a recovering addict, previous whore, and a complete doormat. She had done it all at she was still innocent, naive, healthy, AND well-adjusted?! Sorry that is where I lost it.
Secondly Jace and Bethany have a pseudo-abusive relationship. I understand the dominant lifestyle and the choices to use crops, whips, paddles, etc. That is not the aspect of the relationship I have issues with. Bethany was a consenting adult although the whole getting put out on the street if she doesn't comply (not in the book but a general logical thought) could have taken away consent to a point.
My issue with the pseudo-abusive relationship was the verbal/emotional abuse. Jace overreacts every single step of the way. Bethany smiles at Ash? He yells at her and accuses her of cheating on him. Bethany goes to see Jack (her foster brother)? Jace freaks out and accuses her of leaving/lying to him. Every time he freaked out I sort of wanted Bethany to leave. She was always at a disadvantage because she had no life to fall back on. She didn't have a home or a job. She knew Jace held the power in their relationship because he could put her out on the streets at any time.
I understand the reader was supposed to look at Jace as having trust issues but it came off really badly. The whole crops, whips, pain angle also seemed to come out of nowhere and it made me more uncomfortable than usual when combined with the pseudo-emotional abuse. It bothered me because sometimes they had one of the yelling, fighting scenes and then they would have rough sex. It seemed a bit...trying for me as a reader.
I finished the book because I love Maya Banks' series. I'm really excited to read Burn which is Ash's story but I had a lot of trouble with this one. I enjoyed the concept of it but the application left a bit to be desired. I couldn't get on board with Bethany's normalcy and Jace's issues. They seemed a bit volatile to me. Bethany wanted to get a college degree and that made me wish this book took place after she started to be her own person and have something to fall back on. That way if they fought Bethany could stand-up for herself and wouldn't have to worry about being homeless as much as she did when Jace got upset.
2 Stars
Published by Berkley Trade
April 2, 2013
417 Pages
Provided by--The Library
Spoiler
bookstoashes's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 Stars
Oh boy, this didn't go as well as I was hoping.
First let's do the info I collected;
1st time main characters had sex; Page 28 (on e-reader copy)
How many steamy scenes in total within the book; 9 (a lot less than the first book)
Book Page total (e-reader copy); 337
Average page count between steamy scenes starting from first scene; 37
Usually I'd do the pros and cons but there are no pros to this book. The only one I wrote down was Ash. He's the only character I like in this book, and considering he's treated badly for a small chunk of it, that didn't help much.
I was kind of looking forward to the threesome scene, not gonna lie, but when it happened I felt uncomfortable because the entire time, Jace was overly possessive and rude towards Ash. He met the girl only an hour ago and is suddenly mad at anyone who touches her? Okay then..
I hoped there would be more scenes with the three but unfortunately it was just that once and it was just awkward.
**Spoilers ahead**
Moving onto the cons now;
-As mentioned above, Jace is just TOO attached and possessive, way too quick. This just seems to be a trope with this trilogy so I can't really say much about it, but it's kind of creepy how intense it gets at times.
-The fact that Jace pretty much kidnaps Bethany, locks her the apartment and gets people in the lobby to stop her when she tries to escape is bad enough. Adding onto that he pretty much gives her everything she wants while doing so, and has sex with her without even caring about how she feels about the situation.
The only reason she probably even fell for him to begin with is because he not only gave her everything she needed, but also because she was trapped and had no choice. It gave me a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome vibes. Also she probably feels he's entitled to having sex with her because he keeps giving her clothes and a place to stay since she's homeless. Instead of just helping someone out selflessly, Jace simply 'saves' her and decides she belongs to 'him'....not a fan of that.
-The book was just boring and WAY too fast paced. They fell in love in the matter of a week and the moment he saw her he knew she was different. Ugh I did not like that at all.
-Lastly, a line I took from the book that grossed me out. A few things Jace says really, really bothered me, but this one took the cake.
While Bethany was incredibly drunk (which is enough to not have sex anyway, even though she was asking for it), he said this to her, to her FACE!
"I'm still going to f*** you baby. Whether you're conscious or not. I'd prefer you be awake for the event."
And she didn't even bat an eye. WHAT?? He would have had sex even if she passed out. I can't fathom how this is hot!
I'm just glad this is done. I skimmed everything but the dialogue for most of the second half. I wanted to DNF it but since I want to read Ash's book so bad I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything (which I didn't, so kind of pointless that I read this through).
I just hope the third book doesn't disappoint me and make Ash into a douche like the other two (esp. Jace). I have hope since his personality is my favourite but I'm not going to hold my breath.
Oh boy, this didn't go as well as I was hoping.
First let's do the info I collected;
1st time main characters had sex; Page 28 (on e-reader copy)
How many steamy scenes in total within the book; 9 (a lot less than the first book)
Book Page total (e-reader copy); 337
Average page count between steamy scenes starting from first scene; 37
Usually I'd do the pros and cons but there are no pros to this book. The only one I wrote down was Ash. He's the only character I like in this book, and considering he's treated badly for a small chunk of it, that didn't help much.
I was kind of looking forward to the threesome scene, not gonna lie, but when it happened I felt uncomfortable because the entire time, Jace was overly possessive and rude towards Ash. He met the girl only an hour ago and is suddenly mad at anyone who touches her? Okay then..
I hoped there would be more scenes with the three but unfortunately it was just that once and it was just awkward.
**Spoilers ahead**
Moving onto the cons now;
-As mentioned above, Jace is just TOO attached and possessive, way too quick. This just seems to be a trope with this trilogy so I can't really say much about it, but it's kind of creepy how intense it gets at times.
-The fact that Jace pretty much kidnaps Bethany, locks her the apartment and gets people in the lobby to stop her when she tries to escape is bad enough. Adding onto that he pretty much gives her everything she wants while doing so, and has sex with her without even caring about how she feels about the situation.
The only reason she probably even fell for him to begin with is because he not only gave her everything she needed, but also because she was trapped and had no choice. It gave me a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome vibes. Also she probably feels he's entitled to having sex with her because he keeps giving her clothes and a place to stay since she's homeless. Instead of just helping someone out selflessly, Jace simply 'saves' her and decides she belongs to 'him'....not a fan of that.
-The book was just boring and WAY too fast paced. They fell in love in the matter of a week and the moment he saw her he knew she was different. Ugh I did not like that at all.
-Lastly, a line I took from the book that grossed me out. A few things Jace says really, really bothered me, but this one took the cake.
While Bethany was incredibly drunk (which is enough to not have sex anyway, even though she was asking for it), he said this to her, to her FACE!
"I'm still going to f*** you baby. Whether you're conscious or not. I'd prefer you be awake for the event."
And she didn't even bat an eye. WHAT?? He would have had sex even if she passed out. I can't fathom how this is hot!
I'm just glad this is done. I skimmed everything but the dialogue for most of the second half. I wanted to DNF it but since I want to read Ash's book so bad I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything (which I didn't, so kind of pointless that I read this through).
I just hope the third book doesn't disappoint me and make Ash into a douche like the other two (esp. Jace). I have hope since his personality is my favourite but I'm not going to hold my breath.
melagrossi's review against another edition
3.0
Jace and Ash like to share women, there’s no jealousy, no drama, just steamy hot sex… it’s how they roll, their kink isn’t a huge secret, even Jace’s sister Mia knows about it. And it’s at Mia and Gabe’s engagement party where Jace sees Bethany across the room, she’s working the event, he is of course hosting the event, in the hotel, that he owns… For the first time he feels a pull to a woman, who he wants just for himself, a feral, caveman craving to take her away and horde her to himself.
Ash, being the ultimate wingman, notices his interest in the pretty girl, and Ash thinks she’s hot too so why not, and corners her in the kitchen and propositions her….
Bethany is hiding out in the kitchen, handing over the cash she’d been paid so far to her “brother” Jack, she knows that despite his promises and stories he’s going to use the money for drugs, or booze or something else wasteful and destructive, and she’s only going to have the last half of the cash they’ll pay her when she’s done working bussing tables, it’ll buy her some food, and hopefully she’ll find a place to spend the night, because Bethany, eye catching, beautiful, kind, is also homeless… an unfortunate, but not completely uncommon story for someone who ages out of the system…
So back to the proposition, although a little off put by Ash, she agrees, there’s dinner, and maybe a place to sleep, plus they are handsome and she wants to feel good and forget. He wants to go now, she needs to finish her shift, she needs the money, Ash offers to pay her to get her into their clutches faster, but she refuses his money, having dinner together and having sex is one thing, feeling like you’re being paid for sex is not ok… not for Bethany…
Once they make it to the room, although grateful Jace is starting to feel possessive, caveman, and kinda jealous, they ignite and burn in passion. After a night of hot, steamy, sheet melting sex Bethany disappears, but Jace can’t forget her, and after trying and failing he decides to hunt her down, showing up at her home address which turns out to be a homeless shelter, he is taken aback, it doesn’t turn him off or away that she’s homeless, but she isn’t there and his hunt continues, because he is a man possessed, even if they don’t end up together he wants to help her, and the other women in that shelter.
In dramatic fashion he does find her, and she’s hurt, a “friend” of Jack’s found her and roughed her up trying to get their money, which she doesn’t have. She’s had a bad run of luck overall, aging out of the system, a car accident, an addiction to pain pills which she eventually beat… Jace finding her, wanting her, obsessing with her, he want to truly give her a Cinderella story…
The book moves into their long story, weaving in, out and around, trying to figure out how they fit, if they fit, dealing with a sad abandoned Ash, and how Jack fits into all of this…
The sex was hot, like smoking hot, melt your panties hot, but it was damn long (which was ok because it was a spendy book, as all hers are) but I felt it meandered and while I love the series, I only liked the book. I can do suspension of disbelief, I read like a crazy person, but this was just too… too… I don’t know, just too… I mean I can suspend my disbelief and buy the stories in Shayla Black’s Masters of Menage series (it’s a guilty pleasure thing, don’t judge) but for reasons I cannot quite articulate (obviously) I had trouble just buying this and moving past it.
It’s still an enjoyable volume in the series, but not her best book by a mile.
Ash, being the ultimate wingman, notices his interest in the pretty girl, and Ash thinks she’s hot too so why not, and corners her in the kitchen and propositions her….
Bethany is hiding out in the kitchen, handing over the cash she’d been paid so far to her “brother” Jack, she knows that despite his promises and stories he’s going to use the money for drugs, or booze or something else wasteful and destructive, and she’s only going to have the last half of the cash they’ll pay her when she’s done working bussing tables, it’ll buy her some food, and hopefully she’ll find a place to spend the night, because Bethany, eye catching, beautiful, kind, is also homeless… an unfortunate, but not completely uncommon story for someone who ages out of the system…
So back to the proposition, although a little off put by Ash, she agrees, there’s dinner, and maybe a place to sleep, plus they are handsome and she wants to feel good and forget. He wants to go now, she needs to finish her shift, she needs the money, Ash offers to pay her to get her into their clutches faster, but she refuses his money, having dinner together and having sex is one thing, feeling like you’re being paid for sex is not ok… not for Bethany…
Once they make it to the room, although grateful Jace is starting to feel possessive, caveman, and kinda jealous, they ignite and burn in passion. After a night of hot, steamy, sheet melting sex Bethany disappears, but Jace can’t forget her, and after trying and failing he decides to hunt her down, showing up at her home address which turns out to be a homeless shelter, he is taken aback, it doesn’t turn him off or away that she’s homeless, but she isn’t there and his hunt continues, because he is a man possessed, even if they don’t end up together he wants to help her, and the other women in that shelter.
In dramatic fashion he does find her, and she’s hurt, a “friend” of Jack’s found her and roughed her up trying to get their money, which she doesn’t have. She’s had a bad run of luck overall, aging out of the system, a car accident, an addiction to pain pills which she eventually beat… Jace finding her, wanting her, obsessing with her, he want to truly give her a Cinderella story…
The book moves into their long story, weaving in, out and around, trying to figure out how they fit, if they fit, dealing with a sad abandoned Ash, and how Jack fits into all of this…
The sex was hot, like smoking hot, melt your panties hot, but it was damn long (which was ok because it was a spendy book, as all hers are) but I felt it meandered and while I love the series, I only liked the book. I can do suspension of disbelief, I read like a crazy person, but this was just too… too… I don’t know, just too… I mean I can suspend my disbelief and buy the stories in Shayla Black’s Masters of Menage series (it’s a guilty pleasure thing, don’t judge) but for reasons I cannot quite articulate (obviously) I had trouble just buying this and moving past it.
It’s still an enjoyable volume in the series, but not her best book by a mile.