Tag: Lynda Aicher

Guest Review: Bonds of Desire by Lynda Aicher

Posted November 24, 2013 by Judith in Reviews | 2 Comments

Judith’s review of Bonds of Desire (Wicked Play #3) by Lynda Aicher

Lawyer Allison English never planned to return to The Den—despite her naughty fantasies about being bound by owner Seth Matthews. But when club guest Tyler Wysong is injured in a scene, Seth turns to Allie for help. Aroused by both men, Allie should turn the case down. But she can’t.

After his bad experience, Tyler has no interest in being with another Dom. Yet he can’t deny his attraction to Master Seth. When Seth offers him a place to stay, Tyler agrees—if Allie will stay too. But what good is a chaperone who adds to his temptation?

Living with two subs brings out Seth’s protective instincts, though Allie insists she’s not into the lifestyle, and Tyler swears he’s done with it. But the chemistry between the trio prompts them to agree to submit to him for one week, and he’ll show them both the true pleasure that a Dom can provide.

There is no doubt that this series of short novels are erotic to the core, yet this third addition to the series is one that I think is even more deeply emotional than the first two. I read and enjoyed them as well, but I was captured by the deep hurts that resided in each of these three people. Yes the were drawn together by a series of happenings that resulted in serious injury to Tyler. Yet those physical injuries were nothing compared to the open wounds of his soul that no one had ever addressed. Allison was as needy as the other two–a woman of great proficiency in her professional life but who struggled to find that particular niche of satisfaction in her personal sphere. Seth, too, is a many of means and great talent, whose life had become pedantic and predictable, who finds in Allison and Tyler an energy and verve that seems to call to him on a level he has seldom experienced.

This story is really about how three needy people find opportunities to trust, yet are so damaged each in their own way they hesitate to act on the gift that is being given them. Lots of sex, sure. And certainly there is a BDSM component. But this tale is really about people and their deepest need, the striving to find someone who is worthy of absolute trust, and the courage to act when that person enters one’s life.

This entire series has been an emotional roller coaster ride, but I think this third story is more specific in that regard. My heart was captured by Tyler–a many who truly believes he is a piece of human trash and whose need to feel valued is screaming bloody murder throughout the story. But don’t be fooled: Seth and Allison are cause for weeping as well, and how these three manage to get it all worked out is very much at the heart of this tale.

It’s a story that will be appreciated by those who are fans of erotic romance fiction. The BDSM is not ‘hardcore’ but it is there. Nevertheless, I think there is true worth to be discovered in the reading.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

The Series:

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

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

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Tagged: 4.0 Reviews, BDSM, Carina Press, Contemporary Erotic Romance, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, Lynda Aicher, m/m/f, Menage a trois, Reviews, Wicked Play Series

Guest Review: Bonds of Need by Lynda Aicher

Posted April 23, 2013 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’s review of Bonds of Need (Wicked Play #2) by Lynda Aicher

When Kendra Morgan attends a party at an exclusive sex club, she’s not driven by mere curiosity. Hoping to prove she’s put the past behind her, Kendra must instead face up to needs she’s denied for too long. Despite her lingering fears, she can’t resist the temptation to play…

Deklan Winters has had his eye on his attractive neighbor for months, but only senses Kendra is no stranger to the BDSM scene when she walks into his club. And he can tell that’s not her only secret. What surprises him is his own overwhelming desire to give her what she craves—and to show her a side to the Dom/sub relationship she’s never known.

With Deklan’s guidance, Kendra begins to accept her forbidden needs and to recognize the fine line between pleasure and pain. But when her former Master returns to reclaim her, it will take all her courage—and all of Deklan’s love—to defy her past.

She’s a woman who made her first appearance in Book One of this series, a quiet and reclusive kind of neighbor who seldom showed up at the resident gatherings and cook-outs, who worked the night shift at Target and who didn’t appear to have very many friends. Yet she did open herself to a couple of the women in her condo complex, one of whom is the heroine from Book One. It is her rather quiet revelation that she had some past experience in the BDSM community that finally had her attending the party at The Den that opened this book.

There is lots going on with this lady. She is mysterious and sexy, yet she has about her an aura of sadness and keeping her emotions will hidden. It is that quiet but powerful pull that engages Deklan’s interest, a man who never gets involved with subs and only on a contract basis. Kendra pulls at him in a powerful and troubling way and it is their story that is at the core of this short novel. Most of all, this is a story about the abuses that often surface perpetrated by so-called Doms who have few if any personal boundaries or respect for others, who are all about themselves, who use the gift of submission to overwhelm and abuse those over whom they exercise power. They have little if any understanding of the delicate balance in a true power exchange relationship, and it is this kind of abuse that has caused Kendra to flee. Add in a family who think her ex-fiance is a “gift from the gods” and you have a pressure-cooker kind of context in which this love relationship grows.

This is an intense read, one that will be received well by those who appreciate an author’s attempt to expose those who misuse BDSM and give honorable people a bad name. The honesty that comes through in this story is one of its strongest appeals. I think this will be an entertaining and thought-provoking read and one that deserves to be read.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

The Series:

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

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

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Tagged: 4.0 Reviews, BDSM, Carina Press, Contemporary, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, Lynda Aicher, Reviews

Guest Review: Bonds of Trust by Lynda Aicher

Posted December 10, 2012 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

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.