I have a lot of thoughts about this book and went back and forth on my rating.  This was the last title I read for my genre meeting on erotica and it definitely fit that genre.  It was a quick read but there were some unsettling topics and themes that may be hard for certain readers.  I would only recommend this book if you are looking for an erotic book and are comfortable with the topic of rape fantasies.

Sabrina is a college student with a crush on rich boy Weston King.  While lusting after him from afar at a party, she stumbles upon Donovan Kincaid, bad boy of the school and Weston’s friend.  After Donovan saves her from being assaulted, she can’t get him out of her head but doesn’t she like Weston?  Ten years later, Weston hires Sabrina to work for his company and they have a brief, passionate affair.   When Donovan enters the picture again, Sabrina can’t pretend that she isn’t still attracted to him—can she resist and will her heart be broken?

Honestly, there were parts of this book that were ok but other parts that I hard time with.  I can appreciate that the book was as advertised:  a woman torn between two men who happen to be rich and like dirty sex.  If you are looking for an erotic book, this had plenty of sex and discussions about sex.  I can’t say that the book didn’t deliver on its premise.  My main issue with this book (and what led to a great discussion with a fellow librarian) is that I feel the book should have had a trigger warning on it.  I know, I know, trigger warnings are a very hot button issue right now and I do think that some people go overboard with it but I couldn’t help but wonder how someone who has dealt with sexual assault would feel while reading this book.  But—this is where I’m torn.  There were a few times during the book that I wanted to yell at Sabrina “you need to see a mental health professional! There is nothing wrong with you but you need a neutral party to work on this!”   On the other hand, rape fantasies are more common than people realize (check out any article on this topic in publications like Psychology Today) and I appreciated that this was discussed by two of the main characters in a consensual way.  I think too many romance novels that feature this fantasy gloss by the need for both parties to be on the same page and this was discussed in this book.  However, I really do wish that Sabrina would have sought out professional help because she was very wishy-washy about how she felt and what she wanted.  The other minor issue I had with this book was that it ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger so if you are invested in the story you have to read a second book to see the conclusion.

Overall, this book was what I expected and should be read if you are looking for an erotic story filled with plenty of sex scenes.  However, be warned that the subject matter can be tough for some readers.  I gave this book 3 stars because the writing wasn’t horrible and it was a quick read

Author: Laurelin Page

Published: 2017

Rating: 3 Stars