A review by a_reader_obsessed
Designs of Desire by Tempeste O'Riley

2.0

I thought this had great potential as the story immediately drew me in, but after the first few chapters it kinda fizzled. It was a bit too insta-love and the relationship reminded me of the couples in the Breathless series by Maya Banks (which I enjoyed but I felt some major deja vu). James would rapidly vacillate between being strong then scared, then needy to crying, back to being strong. Seth was your typical protective, bossy, alpha male. Idk, the dialogue was often cheesy and awkward (I really hated when James called Seth sir for some reason), the dynamic between the two MC's felt cliched at times (even tho I have not read a lot of bdsm themed stories), and tho there were some good emotional moments it was not enough to be a great compelling read for me.