Review: Club Wonderland by Christine d'Abo

Club Wonderland: Gael Hernandez and Alice White

(Friends and Benefits #2)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Alice White isn’t used to being ignored. So when the object of her lust does just that, she’s bound and determined to get his attention. Her pursuit leads her to Wonderland, the kind of club she’s only read about, and suddenly Alice is craving something she never knew she needed.

Gael Hernandez wants to be the youngest partner at his prestigious law firm, and not even a certain tempting legal assistant can distract him from his goal of financially helping his family. Until she shows up at his favorite club and surprises him with an interest in being restrained. But the BDSM lifestyle is no game to him, and he won’t take things further until Alice is schooled into submission.

After a taste, Alice wants more. She offers to be Gael’s sub for one weekend, with nothing forbidden and no boundaries. In a few short days, he gives her the strength to be the person she’s always wanted to be. Now Alice just needs to convince Gael that he can dominate in the bedroom, and submit to love.

Review:

Club Wonderland by Christine d'Abo is the second book in the Friends and Benefits Series, I read the first book and really enjoyed it so I was happy when this book came up to request. I have always enjoyed d’Abo. I have to say, I preferred the first book in this series to this one. The character development in the first book was better, we had a better understanding of the characters and it was more humorous. Not that this book was even remotely bad, I definitely enjoyed it. The character development in this book wasn’t as good. We did learn some about Alice and her difficult relationship with her mother and her desire to please people. It was fun watching her explore her sexuality as well. Gael comes to us knowing what he likes and how he likes it, there is no exploration for him here, for him his exploration is more emotional. He’s never really had any emotional attachments to his subs and never really wanted one. Right now he has a lot at stake and Alice could blow all of that out of the water but I liked how he went for it anyway after a whole bunch of heming and hawing lol. Gael, while I did really like him he’s a great intense Dom but he is not as developed as Alice. He remains a bit of a mystery. There was also a bit of issue with the timing in this book. The beginning was a bit slow and the ending a bit rushed. Story was fun and since it is fairly short it did move along pretty quickly.

Review: The Dom Around The Corner by Christine d'Abo

The Dom Around The Corner: Simon and Gavin

(Escape #1)

Summary:

Simon is jaded. His bookstore is failing, his personal life is nonexistent, and he’s tired of the local scene. He’s desperate for a change, and hopes to find it at Escape, the hot new BDSM club in town.

What he finds there is Gavin. One look at the sexy submissive is all he needs to know that his trip to Escape was the right decision. And their night of no-holds-barred kinky sex feels like only the beginning . . . until his promising new sub vanishes with the dawn.

Then Gavin walks through the door of Simon’s bookstore—for business, not pleasure. To both of their surprise, he’s the consultant Simon hired to help save the store. As they work together, Simon realizes that he might have another shot at happiness, if only he can convince Gavin that he’s worth sticking around for.

Publisher's note: This title is a heavily revised re-issue of a prior story, Commanding Acquisitions, originally released in 2010.

Review:

The Dom Around the Corner by Christine d’Abo is a re-release, it was originally published in 2010 and per d’Abos note in the book she felt like she has grown as a writer and found a new home for this publication. I’ve been reading d’Abo for a few years and almost always enjoy her stories. Some I like better than others but it’s rare that I don’t like one at all. This one is a M/M D/s tale and I am not new to either genre, but if you are new to these genre’s you might not want to start here because it is fairly explicit and details. You might want to ease into these sexy times.  It’s a pretty short book so there isn’t a ton of character building but you get a pretty good sense of whom these characters are. Simon is our Dom and he definitely likes his control so it’s killing him that his business is failing so he works night and day to the detriment of his social life. It takes some needling from his cousin to get him to go out and get his “escape”. I found Simon a bit wishy washy and half the time he didn’t see to know what he wanted. I like Gavin better as a character, he is fighting some serious shit so I understand why he acts the way he does. Overall, it was a quick enjoyable read. I’d give it a 3.5 rating.

Review copy was provided through NetGalley for an honest review, no other compensation was provided.

You can also view this review on Brazen Babe Reviews

Review: Pretty When You Cry by Skye Warren

Pretty When You Cry: Ivan and Candace 

(Stripped #3)

Pretty When You Cry on Amazon

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

Review:

This was a mixed bag for me...

It is a dark erotic novel which I knew going in so that wasn't really an issue for me. The issues I had were Ivan was pretty underdeveloped as a character by the end of the book we knew very little about him. His back story constituted about a page out of the entire book. I wanted to know more about his childhood, how he took himself from the streets to being one of the most powerful men in the city. These are the things the reader is interested in, this is what makes us bond with the character. I can't say I bonded much with Ivan.

But that wasn't even my biggest issue with the book.. My biggest issue was the sexy times. Ivan has a Daddy complex, he wants to be called Daddy and he wants to treat Candace like a daughter which just creeps me the hell out. I had a father whom I called daddy pretty much all of my childhood so to even think about Daddy in any sort of intimate situation makes me want to gag a little or a lot. I get Ivan’s desire to take care of Candace, the reward and punishment and even the innocence (This isn't my first rodeo after all) but just the incorporation of Daddy into the mix... I just mentally go there.

So other than skipping over a lot of the sexy times, I actually liked the story. Candace's had a difficult past and now under Ivan's protection she is doing better but her past won’t stay in the past. Now she is being threatened and there is no way Ivan is going to let that continue. So we are taken down Candy's journey how she got to where she is today, how she has changed, how she hasn't, how she discovers she needs to change. It’s a good emotional journey that I enjoyed being taken down.

*Review copy was provided for a honest review, no other compensation was provided.