Judith’s review of Bonds of Trust (Wicked Play #1) by Lynda Aicher.
After ending her passionless marriage, Cali Reynolds is eager to live out her forbidden fantasies. Her first step is attending new members’ night at The Den, the most exclusive sex club in town. Perhaps here she can find a man who understands her desire to be dominated
At first, Jake McCallister thinks Cali has come to his club for the wrong reasons. But when he discovers she is seeking fulfillment after years of denial, he’s intrigued—and takes it upon himself to initiate her into the pleasures she’s been missing.
Her first encounter with Jake is everything Cali has always craved, and more; she’s not prepared for the feelings he inspires in her. And Jake is just as surprised by his overwhelming attraction to Cali. As their play intensifies, so does their bond. Now, Jake doesn’t want anyone but Cali—but is he ready to officially claim her? And will she submit to being his forever?
There are a lot of books about newbies seeking something more in their personal love experience but this novel is so very well done that it was not difficult to read and certainly was an enjoyable experience. Add in the fact that it is always deeply satisfying when reading stories about more mature women who have tasted of life and found it not a very tasty dish so far. So it is with this heroine who has had the 20 year marriage, the sex life that has nearly killed her with boredom and which made her wonder if there was something wrong with her, and kids who are really oblivious to the deeper stresses that are keeping their mother from embracing fully who she is and what will meet her needs.
Now she has finally decided that she is going on an exploratory mission and even though she is “turned off” by the more extreme in the world of kink, yet she finds a person who it appears is as taken with her as she is with him. On the one hand, Cali is walking a new and unfamiliar path but the farther she travels the greater she understands that she is not a pervert but a woman who has a different set of needs. Jake is also making the surprise discovery that even though he mentally understands that not all people are alike, it is a new experience this late in the game to encounter a woman who brings new life into a lifestyle that he has embraced for years but now with Cali he is finding a new liveliness in their time together. He has come to accept that for him Cali has brought a new verve into his personal encounters and he is completely unwilling to share her with anyone else.
This is a story that has the raw and rewarding, the highs and lows, the jaded with the newly experienced all cobbled together to make a story that is spicey and erotic but so very human as it reveals the deep need and tender heart of a woman who has long been aware that her needs simply weren’t to be met by a husband who was far more interested in his own goals and life routines than he was in making a life with Cali that was mutually supportive and nurturing.
I have not read a book by this author before but am really delighted to have received the ARC from Net Galley and discovered another fine writer of romance fiction.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
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