Friday, February 14, 2014

SEXY SATURDAYS: CLAIMED and BARED by STACEY KENNEDY

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

Participating blogs:
 
 
Series: Club Sin #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 8/5/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 244
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4 stars


Claimed (Club Sin, #1)Presley Flynn is ripe to experience her secret fantasies . . . and Dmitri Pratt wants nothing more than to fulfill them. Once inside the elite Club Sin in Las Vegas, Presley is nervous but excited—and determined to surrender to her every desire. Dmitri is her Master, and his touch is like fire. With each careful, calculated caress, he unleashes her wildest inhibitions, giving her unimagined pleasure.

Presley is different than the other submissives Dmitri has mastered. The BDSM lifestyle is new to her, and so are the games they play at Club Sin. From the start, Presley stirs emotions in him far beyond the raw purity between a dom and the perfect sub. For the ecstasy they share goes beyond the dungeon igniting a passion that claims the very depths of the heart.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17609863-claimed?from_search=true
 
 
 
When Claimed released, I read a lot of good reviews and promptly bought a copy. Me being me, I hadn't gotten around to reading it, and when Bared came up for review, I found the perfect opportunity to go in for a two-fer. WIN.
 
I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed Claimed. I went into the story expecting a hot story filled with sexy kinkery. And yeah, that did happen, but I was surprised by what I found amidst that: an interesting, thoughtful and really loving story about two people who find exactly what they need.
 
So what about Claimed made it different? In a lot of BDSM-D/s stories, we have a wealthy arrogant man in pursuit of a shy woman he is convinced is truly submissive, only she doesn't realize that. And then he spends the entire story convincing her of that fact. And that's fine, but what I loved about Claimed is that Presley actively pursues the lifestyle on her own. She comes to the Club of her own accord. She must convince Dmitri that she belongs at Club Sin. Once they enter the Club, he's the boss, but the entire relationship is on her terms. I loved that Presley was the one to decide that she was a submissive. Dmitri may have been the Master, but she truly held all the power.
 
 Beyond that, Claimed is just a really good love story. I really like Kennedy's portrayal of the lifestyle, that the Masters don't want control over the Subs entire lives, that it is all about respect. And of course, Presley and Dmitri fall in love. It was super seductive and super romantic. Claimed has me very excited about the Club Sin series.
 
 
Favorite Quote:
 
  The journey with Presley hadn't been forced but had come down to the beautiful rawness between a Dom and a submissive. Presley offered her submission and heart to him in the simplest form she could, by showing him with her body, and right now, in this moment, the force of it stunned him.
 
 
 
Series: Club Sin #2
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: 2/10/14
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5
 

Bared (Club Sin, #2)In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Stacey Kennedy returns to Club Sin with another wicked and wild tale of submission, seduction, and love.

At Las Vegas’s exclusive Club Sin, Aidan Knight is the Master, unleashing the erotic yearnings of his submissive lovers. But his dominant façade conceals a devastating loss—something he instantly recognizes in his personally trained submissive Cora Adams. Sworn to unearth her secrets, Aidan uses his seductive skills to ignite her wildest desires until Cora yields to the pleasure she can find only with him.

Cora came to the BDSM club to act out her sub-and-dom fantasies without ever revealing the heartbreak that haunts her. But Aidan’s masterful touch is bringing her closer to the edge . . . and deeper into a world of control and surrender. He refuses to allow her to submit to any other man—nor does she want to. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing. For as they give in to passion, they must lay bare their souls for a love that could heal—and free—them both.

Bared is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18131911-bared?from_search=true
 
 
I really, really liked Claimed. I loved Bared.  Having met Cora and Aidan in the first book, we got a glimpse of their D/s relationship, but something definitely seemed to be up with these two. As it turns out, there's a lot up with them. Cora is in complete love with Aidan, has been for the entire time they've had their D/s relationship. But Aidan lost one love in his life, and to prevent ever feeling that way again, he refuses to see Cora as his love.
 
But really, it's not that simple. Aidan feels a lot of turmoil and guilt over his loss, and he just can't let that go. What he doesn't realize is that his denial is slowly chipping away at Cora's heart. And this, it was so heartbreaking and so very well-expressed on the author's part. Cora is such an endearing character, and every time she looked into Aidan's eyes hoping to see love, and didn't, it hurt me right along with her. But Kennedy characterized Aidan really well, also. As frustrating as his actions and thoughts were, getting that glimpse into his mind helped keep the frustration at bay. It was a painful journey all the way around, but very rewarding as well. I was completely pulled in, and pretty fascinated with not only this push-and-pull between a woman and a man, but also between Dom and submissive.
 
In case I haven't been plain enough with my praise, I really loved Bared. It was a story that was heavy on the emotions, without being completely melodramatic. I was fascinated by how in tune Aidan and Cora were, and how they perfectly completed one another. I mentioned in my review of Claimed that I liked the dynamic of the D/s relationship and the BDSM in this series, and that still holds true. These "Masters", they are really great, nice men who happen to be Doms, not complete overbearing assheads. It seems that their focus is more on pleasure and fulfillment of the lifestyle. I have a good idea (I think) whom the next book in the Club Sin series will be about, but regardless of who that is, I am most definitely continuing this sinfully delicious series.  
 
 
 
Favorite Quote:
 
  Blinking her eyes into focus, her gaze went right to him.
  To Aidan.
  Under his commanding watchfulness, her heart fluttered. Master Aidan's face was chiseled with ruggedly handsome features and lips that always held a slight curve. She looked directly into his gray eyes and she was mesmerized. The man was more than her Dom, he was perfection. A hardworking, strong, and caring man, the world was a better place with Aidan in it.
  He centered her.
 
 
 

Purchase Links
 
 
 
 
About the author
Stacey KennedyUSA Today Bestselling Author, Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Supernatural, True Blood, Lost Girl, and Sons of Anarchy.
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads
 

 
 
Photobucket

11 comments:

  1. Well this doesn't fit the type of stories I usually read but Glass made me read some kinky stuff so some of them are really good. Not kinky parts though. Anyhow I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. Great reviews :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really love this author and have read other books by her. The only thing I have a problem with is her books can be expensive and usually the stories are really short. I will try to get around to this series though because I do love this author just not the pricing lol.
    Thanks for the great reviews!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just love staring at the covers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm happy you took a chance on this series, i love that it's not just sexual but very emotional as well

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful reviews, Andrea. I always seem to buy books that I don't get to, but sometimes I'll go back and read it and wonder what took me so long? Sounds like this happened here. The second story appeals to me more than the first. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. different. glad to hear that it is pulling away from the norm and doing something different

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sounds like a really good series! Bared is the kind of story I love. The whole concept of the guy being scared to love again is a theme I enjoy reading. I'm glad these Masters aren't "overbearing assheads!" Great Reviews Andrea :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great reviews, Andrea! In Claimed, I like the unique aspect of Presley doing things on her own terms. And Bared...well, my heart was breaking for Cora while reading your review. :) I'm definitely going to have to check out these books!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I know I've read Stacey Kennedy before and I want to say that I've read these. I'm going to have to go back and look, because these sound familiar. I know I like them. Glad you did too.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are bloggy food. Feed me!

Recent Post