Wednesday 11 June 2014

KINKY REVIEW - Doms of Dark Haven by Sierra Cartwright, Belinda McBride and Cherise Sinclair

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Synopsis
Three women, three Doms. One extraordinary night. Welcome to Dark Haven, and may all of your darkest wishes come true...

Met Her Match (A Hawkeye Story) by Sierra Cartwright
Genre: BDSM Erotic Contemporary
Series: Hawkeye; Previous Book: Bend Me Over

Highly trained Mira Araceli can hold her own in the toughest parts of the world, but not, it seems, against her secret crush, Torin Carter. She'd fallen for her Hawkeye instructor years before, and to him, she'd been just another recruit; fresh, green, idealistic.

Torin, with his dark Irish good looks and fierce temper, doesn't want a partner, any partner, and especially not Mira. But assignments are assignments, and he takes his responsibilities seriously. So when the beautifully submissive Mira crawls into his bedroom, a leather belt between her teeth, he calls on all his resolve to send her away.

Unsatisfied, Mira ups the stakes and finds another dom to play with at Dark Haven. Beyond furious, Torin storms into Master Xavier's club and claims his rights to dominate Mira. For the first time in her life, she's met her match.

Educating Evangeline by Belinda McBride
Genre: BDSM Shape-shifter Paranormal

This isn't what she came here for!

Pursued by a group of mysterious hunters, Evangeline Jones was desperate for sanctuary when she ducked into the doorway of Dark Haven. Instead of safety, she discovers a decadent, sensual world that challenges her very outlook on life.

Harte Sommers is charmed by the little wolf with the pink streak in her ebony hair. As alpha of the Napa pack, he sometimes feels that he's alone at the top. When he meets Eva, he knows he might not be able to keep his wild little wolf at his side, but his heart tells him that his lonely days might be at an end.

Simon Says: Mine by Cherise Sinclair
Genre: BDSM Erotic Contemporary
Related Title: Master of the Mountain

With an empty nest and divorce in hand, Rona decides it's time to explore the fantasies that nourished her through a long, tedious marriage to a man whose idea of outrageous sex was leaving the lights on. At the top of her fantasy list is touring Dark Haven, the BDSM club, but she isn't prepared for the effect of a powerful Dom. When Master Simon takes control and introduces her to toys and sensations she's never felt before, she realizes he could fulfil every fantasy on her list all by himself. But she's vowed to never get trapped in a relationship again.

One of the most popular Doms in Dark Haven, Master Simon has had his fill of eager, shallow, young subs. Rona is older, intelligent, independent...and sweetly submissive. After an evening of intense pleasure and despite her obvious attraction, she refuses to see him again. He needs a way to change her mind. She's not the first sub he's taken on a journey of exploration, but he's beginning to think she might be the last.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, strong BDSM theme and elements to include exhibitionism and voyeurism.(less)

Review
This is the anthology that introduced me to BDSM reads that had actual plots and enjoyable characters.  It also added all three authors to my “Must find more by these authors immediately” list!

The Met Her Match story by Sierra Cartwright is related to her Hawkeye books – both the hero and heroine are employed by Hawkeye as security specialists. The dynamics of two partners establishing the parameters of their relationship – in and out of the BDSM world – is the driver for this story.

You do not have to read any of the other Hawkeye books to know what is going on – although several of the supporting characters have their own books in this series.  They all tend to towards the rougher end of sexual activity but as they say “If it’s consensual and works for all involved… who am I to say anything?”

Educating Evangeline by Belinda McBride is a paranormal read, related to the Truckee Wolves books. Goodreads lists this story as #2 in the series, but you do not have to read the first, Toxic, before reading this one. [It is a good read though, I enjoyed it.]

Intent on escaping the evil representatives of Abraxis [the usual group of evil scientists to whom medical ethics are a closed book], Evangeline follows a group of people into Dark Haven. Dark Haven turns out to be a BDSM club but she is allowed to join the group. Trying to ‘blend’ she meets Harte – alpha of a pack of shifters in the Napa Valley. There are dominance issues, pack politics and, of course, the Abraxis hunters to be dealt with but maybe, just maybe, Evangeline may have finally found a home and Harte a partner.

Simon Says: Mine by Cherise Sinclair. Oh my. This author is such a find. The hero and heroine were absolutely wonderful and I loved that they were ‘older’ and still hot and sexy. [Of course your concept of older changes through the years. I’d stand in line to be looking at 40 – from either side!] This is a wonderful introduction to the ‘whys’ of BDSM plus more than a few ‘hows’ – with emphasis on communication, mutual consent and always safety.

Simon is as alpha as they come – but brings out the romance and sweetness as well. Rona was in some ways very typical – a woman with issues related to her age and her body-image – who keeps assuming no one would want her. Fortunately Simon can be a very determined man who has a firm grasp of her issues – and her.

Goodreads lists this as #1.5 in the Dark Haven/Mountain Masters series. You don’t have to read the others [although you will want to] as it works very well as a standalone.

In many ways this reads more like a novel than the anthology.  Since all three stories occur at Dark Haven on the same night, each story has glimpses of the characters and scenes that are central to the other two stories.  The writing styles are compatible, the action flows very smoothly through the book. Very well done, ladies!

Sierra Cartwright
Hawkeye series
#1 Danger Zone
#2 Bend Me Over
#3 Met Her Match
#4 Make Me

Belinda McBride
Truckee Wolves series
#1 Toxic
#2 Doms of Dark Haven [Educating Evangeline]
#3 Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Nights [Hunting Holly]

Cherise Sinclair
Mountain Masters & Dark Haven series
#1 Master of the Mountain
#1.5 Doms of Dark Haven [Simon Says: Mine]
#2 Master of the Abyss
#2.5 Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Nights [Welcome to the Dark Side ]
#3 My Liege of Dark Haven
#4 Edge of the Enforcer

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