The minute Shiori "She-Cat" Hirano appeared in
Bound I was drawn to her character and so I was thrilled to find out that
Unraveled would be her and Knox Lofgren's story. I knew it would be different, I knew it would
be unlike anything she's ever written, and I knew I was in for a treat and
author Lorelei James did not disappoint.
I loved this story about two people who needed each other in ways
neither one had ever admitted or put words to but somehow through trial and
error found the strength to follow their passion and listen to their hearts and
in turn accept each other faults, baggage, and craziness to find the love and
happiness they both so richly deserved.
The fact that never once during this book despite what the
characters were telling each other, despite their issues, despite some serious
missteps by both character did I never doubt they would wind up together is a
testament to how much I believed these two were destined to be together. I love when couples share verbal sparring,
maybe because it hits home with me, and Shiori and Knox are masters at it which
thrilled me to no end. For them it
turned out to be a weird sort of foreplay that brought them to a different
place and made them confront the feelings they shared. I admire Shiori's toughness, her attitude,
and the way she was honest with Knox about her wants, needs, and what he could
expect if they were together intimately.
She didn't back down, she didn't offer to change, and she was very clear
that she was not in it for the long haul, that she planned to return to Japan
at some point. There is nothing sexier
than a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to please the woman he's with
and Knox is that man andmore. He is
tough, he is protective of those he cares about, and he is dedicated. I enjoyed they way Shiori introduced Knox to
his submissive side, I love that she showed him that being submissive did not
mean being weak or less of a man and that in submitting to her he was taking
care of her every need something he not only wanted to do but NEEDED to
do. Yes, Knox struggled as I think a lot
of men do with submission, but the fact that he began to realize that he really
wasn't doing anything all that differently; that it was his pleasure to make
sure his woman got everything she wanted and needed really made him understand
what submission was all about. What was
interesting was watching Shiori's realization that she needed more than just
Knox's submission; that she craved the times they were together outside of the
D/s relationship and that she in fact needed those intimate, non D/s, not
sexual times with him.
As always in a book by Lorelei James, the intimate moments
between these two were off the charts sexy with some very well written
instances of delayed gratification, bondage, and some light punishment/torture
scenes all thrown in for good measure.
While this is a couple that enjoys their "kink" I didn't feel
it overshadowed the book; yes they took some time to explore what it would mean
to have this type of relationship together, yes there were times they
questioned it, yes there were times they messed it all up but in the end this
was the story of two people realizing that despite their need for their kink
they needed each other's love more.
I must give a shout out to the secondary cast of characters
in this book which all added so much to an already excellent story. Deacon really stepped up to the plate
multiple times during this book and I am even more fascinated by him than I was
before and ring girl/Black & Blue promoter Katie really impressed me during
this story and honestly I wasn't sure where was much hope for her in the
previous book so that was a huge eye opener to me. I'd like to say I made peace with Ronin in
this book but honestly, I'm still on the fence about him; he's just one of
those heroes that I don't trust fully although Amery moved up a couple of notches
in my eyes.
I love when an author spreads her wings and tackles a new
subject and then works hard to turn it into an amazing story and author Lorelei
James had done just that in Unraveled.
As a woman who has a very dominate streak, I love how she portrayed the
heroine as someone who while dominate is also vulnerable and also needs someone
she can show her softer side to. For me
Unraveled is her best book in the Mastered series to date and one that I know I
will enjoy re-reading again and again.
~SLICK~
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment