SEXY SATURDAYS + GIVEAWAY: SEDUCED BY FIRE by TARA SUE ME

Sexy Saturdays with Andrea and Autumn is a weekly post created to spread the word about spicy reads. 

Participating blogs:

The Autumn Review

The Bookish Babe

 

Series: Partners in Play #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: NAL Trade
Publication Date: 3/4/14
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3 stars

Tara Sue Me became a worldwide phenomenon with the Submissive Trilogy. Now she presents a scorching tale about a risky passion too hot to ignore.…

Julie Masterson craves a taste of danger.

Despite being familiar with the different games people play in the bedroom, she’s never given in to her curiosity about putting her body in someone else’s power—until a chance meeting with Daniel Covington, the seductive Senior VP of Weston Bank, draws her into a titillating new world of sexual experience, one that she never knew she desperately needed.

Daniel is highly respected within his community, but he hasn’t had an exclusive relationship for over two years. Yet Julie’s eager innocence is driving him to the brink of ecstasy, making him rethink his feelings about commitment.

As their sizzling connection heats up, Daniel is ready to take Julie fully under his command. But when the dangerous side of their play rears its ugly head, Julie will have to decide if she trusts him enough to surrender completely—or if she should escape before she gets burned...

I've hit a bit of a wall when it comes to BDSM-centric novels. I still like them for the most part, but I want a story that is as much about the mental and emotional aspects than the physical. I've recently started seeing the name Tara Sue Me (interesting name, right?) around the blogosphere, along with several positive reviews. When her latest release Seduced by Fire was offered for review, I decided to give her a try.

I'm glad I did. While I was not blown away by Seduced by Fire, I did like it. Julie and Daniel were the typical BDSM couple, with him being a Dom and her willing to explore her submissive side. (Sidenote: I want to read a book with the gender roles reversed. Bad.) While I did find them typical- which is fine, btw - I did appreciate a couple of things. One, Daniel isn't an alphahole jerk who storms around town clearing Julie's path and making grown men cry. And two, I liked that despite him instinctively *knowing* Julie is a submissive and hoping to help her see that, Daniel wasn't hell bent on forcing the lifestyle on her. He gently pushed Julie towards acceptance, but was willing to step back if she resisted. That was refreshing. Another interesting and surprising turn was the exploration of the dangerous side of BDSM, involving Julie's best friend Sasha. I really liked that this secondary story was included, and that the aftermath wasn't brushed over.

So. I did truly enjoy the sexual side of the relationship. And let me just add that while those scenes didn't occupy a huge part of the story, they were each very sexy and I believe that intimate scenes are definitely a strong point for the author. Despite my enjoyment of those scenes and the emotional and mental sides to the BDSM, I didn't feel a particularly strong connection between Julie and Daniel in the other areas of their relationship. Maybe I was supposed to feel the implications, but I didn't. I got that they were attracted to one another sexually, and that they liked each other, but I didn't feel the great love.

I found Seduced by Fire to be a very interesting read. I read it fairly quickly, and never felt disinterest. Though the resolution seemed a bit rushed, I was satisfied with the way the story wrapped up. I will say that I am very interested in a slight secondary story, between Dena and Jack, a submissive and her former Master. There was some serious intensity between these two, and I hope the second Partners in Play novel is about them.


Favorite Quote:

  He was slow and tender, and shattered any lingering misguided impression she had about domination. Fast or slow. Hard or gentle. He would take what he wanted in any way he wanted. And she would let him, because she knew there was only freedom to be found in placing herself into his keeping.
   His hands slid to her face and the blindfold fell from her eyes. She saw her own desire reflected in his gaze. And as he drove them both toward and encompassing climax, she saw something deeper. It was her strength that made him strong, and his command that made her complete.

Purchase Links

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About the author

Tara Sue Me wrote her first novel at the age of twelve. It would be twenty years before she picked up her pen to write the second.

After completing several clean romances, she decided to try her hand at something spicier and started The Submissive. What began as a writing exercise quickly took on a life of its own. An avid reader of all types of fiction, she soon discovered she enjoyed writing a variety as well.

Tara lives in the Southeastern United States with her family, two dogs, and a cat.

 

 

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