No safe word can protect the heart…

Infamous erotica author and accomplished dominatrix Nora Sutherlin is doing something utterly out of character: hiding. While her longtime lover, Søren—whose fetishes, if exposed, would be his ruin—is under scrutiny pending a major promotion, Nora’s lying low and away from temptation in the lap of luxury.

Her host, the wealthy and uninhibited Griffin Fiske, is thrilled to have Nora stay at his country estate, especially once he meets her traveling companion. Young, inexperienced and angelically beautiful, Michael has become Nora’s protégé, and this summer with Griffin is going to be his training, where the hazing never ends.

But while her flesh is willing, Nora’s mind is wandering. To thoughts of Søren, her master, under investigation by a journalist with an ax to grind. And to another man from Nora’s past, whose hold on her is less bruising, but whose secrets are no less painful. It’s a summer that will prove the old adage: love hurts.

5 Little Red Riding Crops!

There is so much I so badly want to say about this book!!!

The characters in this series are just unreal…in a good way.

For someone who used to moonlight as a dominatrix, Nora is one of the most caring characters I have ever encountered. She’s seriously got a heart of gold, even if she doesn’t have the most conventional way of showing it. She’s really sweet and tough and FULL of inappropriately timed humor. I ADORE this character!!!

And that brings us to Michael. Oh, Michael! I just want to track him down and give him a great big hug. That poor kid has such a horrible backstory (as do most of the characters in these books!) and he’s reaching a point in his life where he’s coming to realizations about himself that are not easy for him to deal with. He’s just so frikkin sweet and innocent and…..UGH! I just want to SQUEEZ THE SHIT OUT OF HIM!!!!

That brings us to the tears. Yes, TEARS. I was listening to the audiobook for this one at work (NO JUDGEY!!!!) and the FIRST time I was brought to tears, I was full-on CRYING at my desk. The scene that caused the tears has so my INTENSITY and the sheer gravity of that moment is near unbearable. And this was a scene that caused GOOD TEARS, not bad!!! It’s not often that you become so attached to a character that you genuinely feel love for and pride in a character when this incredible moment happens. I was totally moved!

Then there’s a moment of bad tears. It was horrible. Just horrible…..

In the end, this book brought me to tears three separate times – 1 bad and 2 good. No book has ever done that to me before. This was such an amazing read. The way Michael’s story is what every author should strive for when aiming for good character development. The change in this character is AMAZING.

As I mentioned, I listened to the audiobook for this one. The narrator of The Angel is a female and she’s awesome. After falling in love with the voice belonging to the gentleman who narrated The Siren, I was a little put off at first but after about ten minutes, I was thoroughly impressed with this woman’s ability. And those intense moments I mentioned? This narrator pours every ounce of emotion into those scenes. She really makes you FEEL the moment. An exceptional job!

This was such an excellent book! I never thought I would see the day where a BDSM novel made me cry with joy. Such a weird feeling….

Spice Level
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

My Rating
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

BDSM
Polyamory
LGBTQ+ Romance
Chosen Family
Badass Snarky Heroine
Alphahole Antihero
Forbidden Love
Soul Mates

CONTENT WARNING: This is a good opportunity to remind everyone to check out the Trigger Warning page here on my website. This message applies to my books and pretty much everything you’re going to see on my blog, whether it’s dark romance or urban fantasy romance (which tends to be violent). I don’t include this message with every review but some antiheroes rise above the others and do some truly depraved shit. Ye be warned.