“I want to own you.”
“You already do.”
OMG. OMG!!! So, I read this book right after The Siren and and holyyy hell, it was fucking BRILLIANT!!! Gah. Wow. Ok, I did love the first book but now I seriously GET why so many of you absolutely L.O.V.E. this series. I get it. The feels. THE FEELS!!! Holy intensity!!!! I have tears in my eyes, my heart is racing and full to bursting. Ahhhh!! Yes, a few scenes definitely had me going WhatTheFuckDidIJustRead?! but that’s all part of the thrill. This may not be a romance series, but my gosh is there ever LOVE on such a strong level. And LAYERS. Layers upon layers to this intricate story. I’m in pure awe. This is 5 STARS!!!
Note: this is not a standalone. You must read The Siren (my review) first. I’m going to keep this review pretty much spoiler-free so anyone can read it but naturally it’ll make more sense after reading The Siren.
The first page of this book alone hooked me right into the story! Ha!! This book is just so bold and I love it!! I have so many quotes highlighted (they’re all at the bottom of the review though).
I’d spent most of the first book eyeing Søren warily, but I did really start to warm up to him in the beginning of this book especially. Sadist or no, there was no doubt that he genuinely loved Nora. But juuuuuuust when I started to think that maybe I could join #TeamSøren, he did something to her that, in his defence, she totally was okay with, but made my insides shrivel up into a little ball while my poor mind was just like WTFJustHappened?! Did I really read that?! So… that put me back on the fence with him. Ish. The thing is that I do really like him. He’s an infinitely complex character that I truly believe is one of the good guys… but, I’m still rooting for Wesley (and I have from the start). Gah, I’m so rooting for Wesley even though a part of me fears it could never work out between him and Nora. Still, I harbor a secret hope!
There’s a very fine line in my opinion between being a monster and being a sadist. Søren is a sadist — he becomes sexually aroused by causing pain to others. Soren doesn’t ever take what isn’t willingly given to him, and he’s extraordinarily careful to stay within the boundaries of his submissive’s wishes. That is what separates him… but that damn line is just so fine that the whole thing relies purely on trust and even though I like him, it does make me uncomfortable that he has to cause pain to get aroused.
The story in this book begins with Søren’s position at the church coming under scrutiny as he’s considered for a promotion and so, to avoid any questioning, he sends Nora away to the countryside to spend time at Griffin’s mansion. And he also sends Michael with her (a young, troubled sub who we met in The Siren and who was such an amazing character!) to train him over the summer months.
I find the whole lack of jealousy between Søren and Nora fascinating. He’ll literally tell her to go sleep with someone else, but it won’t bother him at all because he knows full well that she belongs to him and his heart belongs to her. It’s this incredibly strong commitment mixed with equally strong detachment.
Haha I definitely went through a lot of ups and downs and conflicting emotions and questioning the characters and myself and how I felt about various things but ultimately I just LOVED the story!
Griffin was totally awesome! I liked him from the first book even though we’d just seen him briefly but he really shone here! I totally fell for his playful, informal nature. He was the charming, kinky bad boy of the Underground and the whole storyline with Michael totally made me swoooooon!! What intensity and beauty there was there!! And that scene at the end where Griffin had that big confrontation and all those things to you know who…. OMG!! Bad ass!!! I highlighted endlessly! It was GOLD.
This book had a ton of reveals about Nora and Søren’s pasts. Holy crap is Søren history ever messed up. Like… shockingly, disturbingly, heart-breakingly so. But learning it has made me understand him more. Oh and we got to see more of Kingsley (YAY!) and the little bits that we’ve seen have me desperate to know more about him. Like, the wrist thing? Ahhh, I can’t wait for more of his character!
And you know I’ve been rooting for Wes from the start but after that scene at 75%, I just…. OMG. Oh. Em. Gee. Gah. I know, I know, I know that Søren loves Nora too but the way Wesley loves her just tugs each and every one of my heart strings!!!!! I’m sorry #TeamSoren, I get that you all love him (and I like him too, I really do) but I’m #TeamWesley all the way!!! Especially after that scene. THAT SCENE!!!!! I mean really…. First — PURE FUCKING AMAZING WRITING!!! Second — holy intensity!!! Third — I seriously can’t handle those feels. I can’t. Dammit. SO MANY FEELS!!!!! And just… I LOVE WESLEY!!!!!! *sob*
And I just want to point out that Wes is the only guy that Nora has actually shown real jealousy for. No one else in their world (including her) seems to even have the jealousy gene (heh) but even the mere suggestion of Wes being with someone else made her heart hurt. There’s something there, people!!
That being said, I’m kind of rooting for everyone honestly. I don’t think there’s a single character I’ve met yet that I didn’t like so … I’m rooting for everyone to find their happy ending 🙂
I want to note that I’m generally very wary of religion in books because so often it feels a little “preachy”, but I really want to applaud this author for the way she has incorporated this huge religious aspect into this series in a way that only ever seems like she’s showing us what the characters’ beliefs are and that’s it. I think she’s handled it very tastefully and it’s something I’ve been really impressed with overall.
This is such a richly layered story. Yes, it’s extremely erotic but the beauty of it is that each sex scene only serves to support the story or drive it forward. And not only are these extremely graphic and sensual scenes extremely well written, but they always serve a purpose. In my opinion, this is erotica done right.
And I stand by what I said earlier that this is not a romance series but oh my holy heavens is there ever some of the deepest, strongest, most intense LOVE I’ve ever read. It’s just gorgeous!
In so many ways this series is literally the opposite of what I’d usually read or even recommend on my blog but this seems to be the exception to every one of my rules because I am absolutely LOVING this story. If you have any worries holding you back from starting it, I’d honestly suggest not overthinking it. Just dive right in and let the story show you what it is. It might not be for you, but if you remain very open minded and accepting, you might fall in love with it too! I’d say it’s definitely worth a shot!
I, for one, am beyond addicted to this series and will be starting the next book right away!
Rating: 5 STARS!! Contemporary erotica.
*** SERIES READING ORDER ***
Click the titles or covers to purchase.
*** FAVORITE QUOTES ***
Note: I “hid” these in a spoiler tag but they are NOT spoilers. I only hid them because there are a lot and I thought it would be annoying to just have them out there. Have a look if you want, it’s perfectly safe 🙂
Show spoiler
“Happy now?”
Soren pulled her to him and ran his fingers over her cheek.
“You’re here. Of course I am.”________________________
Kingsley had a fascinating relationship with the press — fascinating in the way the sack of Rome by invading Barbarian hordes was fascinating. A reporter once threatened to run a story exposing one of Kingsley’s clients — an internationally renowned human rights attorney — as a transvestite with multiple sexual fetishes. Two nights before the story ran, a sex tape that the reporter and her husband made played on an endless loop on every computer in their six-year-old’s exclusive private school. The video was unremovable. All two hundred computers had to be scrapped and replaced.
The story never ran.________________________
“Out of the question,” Soren said. “I know how you behave in other countries. That you are still allowed a passport is one of the universe’s great mysteries.”
________________________
“You are my heart,” he said. He’s said those very words to her that morning. But that morning they’d sounded affectionate and playful. Now he said them as if he were stating a fact of anatomy. “I will not lose you.”
________________________
“She wanted him to make love to her again, but the moment had passed. A true sadist, Soren could only become aroused by inflicting pain and humiliation.”
________________________
“Nora reached out and touched the wound just over Soren’s heart. A superficial cut, it would heal in just days. The wounds underneath, however, were old and scarified and likely would never completely heal. Scar tissue, she’d once read, was the strongest of tissues. Maybe Soren’s heart was so strong because it was so scarred.”
________________________
“No interruptions for the next couple of hours, please. My guest and I will be fucking. Two hours, Nora?”
“At least,” she agreed.
“Better make it three, Alfred.” Griffin shifted Nora higher on his shoulder and continued up the stairs.
“This is going to be a long summer, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Eight and a half inches long, if you’ll recall.”________________________
“He was damaged, dangerous and dead sexy —Kingsley’s favourite combination.”
________________________
“I’m so in love with him I can’t even think straight. Which is fine since obviously I’m not straight. And neither is he.”
________________________
“I want you inside me,” he said simply … “I will beg you for it if you order me to. And I’ll beg you for it even if you don’t.”
________________________
“The jealous haters could have her spreader bars and her signature red riding crop when they pried them out of her cold, dead hands.”
________________________
“Winter,” she finally said, “can be beautiful and so cruel. Cruel and cold. And if you live in the presence of winter you never have summer.” Nora stepped close to him and put her nose at his cheek. “You smell like summer. Like clean laundry hanging out in the sun. That’s an amazing smell too.”
________________________
“My confession begins,” Father S said, “as the confessions of many men begin — with three words.”
“Father, forgive me?” Michael hazarded a guess.
Father S sighed.
“I met Eleanor.”________________________
“A really good dominant can put the fear of God into a sub with a whisper. Soren certainly can.”
“Soren can put the fear of God into a sub by just showing up,” Griffin said with barely concealed envy.
________________________
“Can I call you Mick? Michael’s too formal. I’m not formal. You’re lucky I’ve even got pants on today.”
________________________
“Your mind is both fascinating and repulsive.”
________________________
Until now Michael had always thought of kink as something dark and dangerous, something for fetishists and freaks like him. Now it suddenly dawned on him. BDSM was a game —a game where both players won.
________________________
Just looking at her, feeling himself falling under her spell, he could easily understand how men would mortgage their souls just to be able to kiss the toe of her boot.
________________________
“You’ve never met Soren. He’s a very good person. Best man I’ve ever known.”
“You told me about him. Good men don’t hit women.”
“Good men only hit the women who want to be hit.”
“Women shouldn’t want to be hit.”
“Then that’s her problem, not his, right?”________________________
“I love her,” Wesley whispered. “I love her more than my own life, and you…” He finally met Soren’s eyes. “You hurt her.”
Soren nodded.
“I do.”________________________
“No, she and I never had sex. That’s true. But we had love, real love that didn’t take anything out of us, that didn’t bruise or break us. I loved her without hurting her.”
________________________
