the pacing was pretty bad, and the dialogue was borderline incoherent sometimes most of the time. but, you know…. i still finished it ( )

4.5 stars

Very tantalizing and seductive read. The characters were charismatic and interesting. This author is a queen at writing a love triangle that ultimately leads to a relationship without leaving anyone out. I did have a few questions but it wasn't enough to take me out of the story.

I’m going to see if I can clearly articulate my thoughts about this book: it was just okay. In 2013 after 50SoG put BDSM on main, poorly I will add, I’m sure this was all the rage but now in 2021, this falls a bit flat for advanced readers.

The premise is very simple: a naive 21yo virgin in desperate need of a financially stabilizing job goes to work as a secretary at a dungeon. She’s not experienced enough to work in a dungeon but the plot is all about her supposed growth in the end; except, it sort of cliffhangs the reader and she doesn’t have growth except for having a few mild sessions with the male protagonists as they ease her into the lifestyle at her hesitant request. It also includes the insta-love revealed later trope and first sex/falls in love trope [falling in love with the first person you have sex with].

Mia, the protagonist, I dislike with a passion. Her inner dialog is so judgmental of everything around her, she leaps to absurd conclusions, and has doe-eyed and rose-colored fantasies about things. She’s annoying AF. Again, probably a big thing back in 2013, not so much now. I am finding less interest in female characters who are virginal innocents being thrown into the supposed dark and deviant world of BDSM; give me a woman out to actually experience something, not some judgy teeny-bopper who blushes at the very thought of sex. Only me? Mia spends a good portion of the book wondering what has to be wrong with the people who come to the clubs and who would want to do these things rather then trying to gain an understanding. She’s also abysmally ignorant of everything involved in a BDSM lifestyle and while she chooses to Google some things, she doesn’t choose to do research on anything pertaining to what goes on in the dungeon or the other clubs in the business. I’ll stop there because it makes me mad, like actually mad.

Richard, the assistant director of the Enthrall dungeon, is one of the male protagonists and falls right into that dark broken man trope. This dumb shit of a line he says - “you’re proof of god” I mean...it’s a book, calm down, I know. It was still eye-roll inducing for me. There’s not a lot to know about him and it’s basically exposition dumped in a single conversation; there’s no lover discovery to be had, especially because Mia is so naive.

The other male protagonist but not the main one is Cameron. He’s a psychiatrist and Director of of the Enthrall businesses. He has the most insight into Mia and Richard both and has a hand in some things going on between them. He is into Mia as well and they spend the book in a cat and mouse. He does use his training and understanding of psychology to get Mia and Richard to open up about things - some readers may misinterpret this as manipulation so be wary if you have a problem with that sort of thing.

There’s a few side characters who I’m sure will pop up in the following books and those are the three Dominatrixes- Scarlet, Penny, and Lotte. Scarlet and Lotte pop up the most and have the most interaction with Mia but aren’t essential to the story necessarily. They play the role of informative and plot pushing. There’s also Mia’s BFF Bailey and her girlfriend Tara who are having their own drama. Tara was actually the secretary Mia replaces at Enthrall.

Overall, I was disappointed in the characters more than the story. It has potential and I hope the characters develop more in the other books.

**All thoughts and opinions are my own. I read this using my personal KU subscription.** ( )

Conflicted

I am... conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it's an interesting premise. On the other, there's a hopelessly naive and very confused heroine who thinks everything kink is a sign that someone has had a trauma in their life; a wishy-washy Dom; and an incredibly manipulative shrink.

I don't think Mia was informed enough to give any kind of consent and Cameron really manipulated her into dangerous situations, and broke all kinds of boundaries. I can't see myself choosing to continue on with the series. It's just not my cup of tea. YMMV. ( )

This trilogy was a great read. Even though at times I wondered why Mia chose to react certain ways, it still was a very intriguing story (Mia's journey into the seductive world of Enthrall). Loved the way the author completed the trilogy. This was the first I read of the author. Got the first book free on amazon AND I was hooked! And now on to Beyond Enthrall.... ( )