Judith’s review of Blackmailed Into the Billionaire’s Bed (Carnal Sins #1) by Jan Bowles

Twenty-seven-year-old Kendall Van Heusen is in awe of her new boss, and so she should be, because Mac Buchanan, the legendary thirty-eight-year-old newspaper magnate is as powerful and ruthless as rumor suggests. Incredibly handsome and charismatic, Mac is a self-made man who rules his empire with an iron fist. Deeply attracted by his dominant nature, Kendall realizes she needs to be on top of her game as his new financial controller. 

It soon becomes apparent that they share a mutual sexual attraction. However, before they can act on their desires, Kendall receives a kidnap demand for the safe return of her best friend. Forced into stealing a million bucks from Buchanan Enterprises, she wrongly believes she can cover her tracks long enough to save Ashley’s life. 

When Mac discovers the deception, he is angry and gives Kendall an ultimatum—spend time in jail, or become his personal sex slave until the debt is repaid in full. Unable to tell him the truth, will Kendall be blackmailed into the billionaire’s bed?

Jan Bowles is an author who is known for writing menage and BDSM series and novellas and has a wide following.  Many of her books are pretty intense while others are much more light-hearted.  This novel is built on the premise that the stern and reclusive CEO billionaire, who is sexually very dominant, can actually blackmail his  employee because of an internal theft of fairly hefty proportions.  And it seems that is just exactly what he has done.

This novel wasn’t difficult to read in some ways and yet I was bothered by the premise that  1) a woman of Kendall’s considerable integrity would even think of ripping off her company for $1 million rather than find a more creative way of involving Mac and certainly allowing his connections to work for the rescue of her BFF.  Of course, that wouldn’t have made nearly as interesting a story in some ways.  2) I was bothered that Mac would use such an underhanded means of getting Kendall in his bed.  After all, if he is as all-powerful as he seemed and as he was perceived to be, surely he could have found an alternative way of wooing her.  Yet even while I am writing this I realize that the character as he has been written and developed is not that kind of man in the first place.  Mac doesn’t do “wooing.”  so all in all, the story is what it is and I have to own up being entertained throughout.

I have always enjoyed this author’s books simply because in many instances they really are as outlandish as any I have encountered.  Yet that is what makes them entertaining for me.  Yes, there is the now often used format of a single, sexually dominant billionaire (they seem to be popping up everywhere) who feels free to do whatever he likes with the women in his personal universe.  However, the one aspect of Ms Bowles’ books is that there is always, and I do mean always, an undercurrent of deep feeling and sensitivity hidden in the alpha hero which is released and made much more operative and apparent to those around him through the genuine affection and deep caring of the heroine.  So it is here,  I’m not sure that the premise or situations in this story would work in real life and yet I know very well that life often imitates art more  than we realize.

An important character of this author’s books is the fact that she puts a story together well.  Her characters have verve and vitality, even the very submissive women who populate her stories.  They exhibit humor and a zest for living as well as a sense of wanting more than they have and being willing to take the risks that make new relationships possible.  Ms Bowles is a writer who knows what she is doing.  uses the language effectively without pages and pages of “fill” sentences that are completely unnecessary to her story.  Her book is well-edited.   Kudos to her editors at Siren Publishing.

All in all it is an unlikely story that turned out to be very entertaining and a book I found to be an enjoyable reading experience.  I guess when it all is said and done, that’s what we all hope for.

I give this book a rating of 3.75 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This title is available from Siren Publishing.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.