Caught up in You by Roni Loren (Loving on the Edge #4)
Released: August 6, 2013
BDSM
Berkley
Reviewed by Mandi
All Kelsey wants to do is save up enough money to go to culinary school. Her day job is working at a diner and making amazing muffins. Her night job is being a dominatrix at The Ranch, an exclusive BDSM club. She likes both jobs, although being a Dom is emotionally exhausting. The highlight of her day is in the mornings when Wyatt comes in for breakfast.
Wyatt is a wealthy businessman who runs his life to precise order. But every morning, he goes out of his way to stop for breakfast and enjoy the beautiful waitress. One morning when he sees a man approach Kelsey and drag her out back, he springs into action, saving Kelsey in the process. Kelsey has a bad, messy past, and a ‘friend’ of a druggie ex has located her. Scared, Kelsey figures it’s time to leave town again and try to hide. But Wyatt has another plan. He needs a date for a business retreat he is going on, and asks Kelsey to come with him. Kelsey discovers Wyatt used to be a practicing Dom, and she yearns to learn how to submit, so they would both be helping the other out. What starts as a planned week together develops into much more.
I liked both Wyatt and Kelsey in this one. Wyatt is geeky in the sense that he is overly obsessive about working, wears glasses and has a crazy collection of movies, but he is also super alpha. It’s a good combination. I liked that Kelsey comes from a rough background and worries about fitting in with Wyatt’s more cultured, wealthy lifestyle. The first 15-20% of this book really worked for me. Their chemistry is well done.
Overall I liked this book, but for me personally, after Wyatt and Kelsey decide to go into the D/s relationship for the week, I got tired of the BDSM stuff. And it’s not that this author doesn’t write the BDSM stuff well, it’s just my wish that Kelsey immediately didn’t start calling Wyatt “sir” and Wyatt didn’t immediately start his dominant, ‘don’t do this, do this’ attitude. I wanted them to discover each other on less of a D/s level. I think I’ve said the same thing about other books in this series. I love this author’s voice, but I don’t love the D/s stuff. I’m not sure why that is – I crave for this author to write a dark contemporary, that isn’t involved with the BDSM scene. I’m greedy that way *wink*
I got tired of the BDSM sex, but at the same time I liked these two together. I definitely recommend this author.
Rating: B-
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If you enjoy a dark read that is not BDSM, I recommend HEAT by R.Lee Smith. It has 2 sets of main characters: A criminal alien who comes to earth to kill humans in order to harvest them to make drugs and an alien cop who is trying to capture him. Each kidnaps a woman to help him. Their stories parallel each other, one a terribly dark – I hesitate to use the word- “romance”, the other, more traditional romance. The story line of the criminal and his captive is like watching a house burn…horrible but you can’t take your eyes from it. You just got to stay to see what’s left. He is evil. I mean murderously, unrepentantly jaw-droppingly evil. And yet, in the skilled hand of the author, I’m actually rooting for this monster! And I’m rooting for the cop too! The story is plot driven and it is long but does not drag. (Print edition 617 pages). I stayed up until 3am days on end even though I had to get up for work at 5:30am. When I finished it, I started it over again immediately. It’s a great book.
I think Jane from Dear Author reallllly liked this book and I became quite intrigued. I have it, I just need to commit to read it. I do love a really evil character….