Oh, the horror.

Now I get to pick up the new book and read more of Toreth and Warrick. Words I've never read before (in this sequence of these two characters).

A series reread before I get to the new book. I've missed Toreth and this world so much.

First of all: Beks is a friend who can write. Not that I doubted her talent but this is my first time actually reading her words in a story.


Second of all: I think BDSM and I have officially broken up. Not that we ever were exclusive and I was firmly eyeing other genres, but I think this is it. No more kink for me. Well, I shouldn't say never...


Fit is a trilogy that takes baby steps in introducing three vanilla women (and the readers) into the world of BDSM. With each instalment there's more kink and deeper involvement with the community.

In Fit Violet and Grant are cute when she seduces him at his office and he charms her into a relationship with him. I loved them up until the first sex scene which threw me out of the story and marred my enjoyment. Their emotional journey was lovely but the sex left me utterly cold.

Nailah's sharp tongue trips Armando, who falls head over heels in love with her in Tamed. It takes a little convincing from him but these two hit the sheets and get together too. Their story worked better for me because the first few sexual encounters were practically skipped and the explicit scenes were left later in the book when I had had a chance to invest emotionally in the characters.

In Sated Keira is an absolute joy, a gift to romance heroines everywhere, who fangirls herself a gorgeous Korean switch, Daniel Song. I liked her so much that the BDSM didn't bother me at all and I didn't even feel like skipping those scenes. I even liked their story best despite the ending feeling a little rushed as some key scenes were omitted.

So, if diverse contemporary and lightly kinky romance is your kind of thing, you should definitely try these books. And I'm not just saying that because Beks is a friend and I love her dearly. I'm saying it because Beks can write.

This book is why my "theory good, practice not" rating-slash-shelf exists. I can see the brilliance of the set up, the momentary genius in the writing, the detail that make others love the story, and yet it all falls short of my expectations.

The first twenty-five pages or so were a struggle and it all started with a fridged woman. Inspector Robert Court is investigating his cousin's murder unofficially, because someone was already hanged for the crime. Officially he's chasing a charlatan spiritualist Oliver Marsh, who accidentally gives Court the clue he desperately needs.

See that set up: Two equally cynical men from opposite sides of the law, thrown together by something paranormal and having to work together to rid themselves from inconvenient ghosts. That's the good in the theory. In practice however, it doesn't take much more than a cab ride and a couple short discussions before both men risk their lives for buggery. Technically, the anal intercourse enters the picture much later, but I doubt Court's colleagues would have seen it that way.

Both characters act too stupid to live because the authors rely heavily on romance shortcut where the reader knows to expect the two point of view characters to fall in love and spend the rest of their lives together because they are meant to be. Neither Dee or Devon justifies why would Court put aside his apprehension of getting close to a suspect or why would Marsh risk his life and living to give into Court. There are hints of instant attraction and lust but those aren't strong enough to explain that first surrender.

I quite liked the discussions that followed each and every sex scene, but I couldn't enjoy the rest of the story without a proper foundation. Especially when the dog play and elements of BDSM emerges. Court and Marsh never talk about their preferences and limits of consent until after the sex and even then it's mostly assurances that neither had gone too far.

"Was I too rough? I'm sorry. You just make me so… I could hardly help myself."

I'm pretty sure that if this had happened in a hetero romance, there'd be an uproar. Then again, plenty of alpha heroes are loved despite sounding exactly like the abusive boyfriends they are.

I could have enjoyed the decent murder mystery and an erotic novella squashed together despite a few minor editing quibbles and story details—like how could they afford to take cabs all the time—if the foundation laid in the sixty pages leading up to the first sexual encounter had been better.

Thanks for the rec, Ana, I'm sorry I didn't like it better.

I can't believe it's over. What do I do now?