Tags: Contemporary, Erotica, BDSM

Blurb

Taking a break from her job at an art gallery in Charleston, South Carolina, Valla Denier escapes on a week-long camping tour of New Zealand with a small group of companions and two skilled guides. Valla is enchanted by the wild beauty of the South Island and Kaikoura Beach, as well as the local men.

After catching the eye of a rugged, drop-dead-gorgeous man in a café, she is shocked to run into him later that evening at a karaoke bar. Setting her shyness aside, she serenades the stranger with a seductive tune. She never imagines the lyrics would be taken literally. Later that evening, Valla is taken from her campsite and wakes up in a strange room. Her captor is the man from the bar, Brocan Judge, a six foot five wall of muscle with piercing, cobalt blue eyes. He is not responsible for her abduction; his friend has delivered Valla as a gift, and repairing the situation is not as simple as it sounds.

Valla soon learns that Judge is a Dom, intent on punishing her for her willful ways. Even more surprising is Valla’s reaction to him. When he offers her the choice to stay or leave, she must decide how far down the submissive path she is willing to travel. But trust has never been Valla’s strong suit. Will she be able to set aside her inhibitions and give in to the strong hand she has secretly craved, or will doubt trump her growing desire? 

Kay's Review

Valla is on a camping trip with a group of others in New Zealand when she meets this mysterious man whom she's attracted to. After serenading him with her karaoke performance, he corners her in the hallway but before they can get to kick it to the next level, they are interrupted and Valla has to leave. Later on, she is abducted from her campsite and drugged. She wakes up in the mysterious man's bed and the story takes off from there.

I like the premise of this story. There are a few captor/captive dark romances out there. So I was hoping this would deliver on the capture-bonding psychological element. Well, it didn't for me. I guess partly because, Judge wasn't the abductor. His friend did it as a favour to him without his knowledge. And secondly, I never felt as if Valla really wanted to get out of there or that she was being threatened.

The romance between Valla and Judge blossoms easily once Judge explains the situation, although Valla didn't really fight him before hand. She seemed happy to play dress up and do his bidding quiet easily. Of course, the real complication comes when they have to explain her abduction to the authorities and also because Judge is unwilling to let her go early.

On the whole, this is on the medium-light end of the BDSM scale. All their interactions are consensual. There is really no heavy play although she is restrained and spanked a few times.

This is a good read, light and fun. Valla is a strong, likeable character. Because the story is written in her POV only, I never connected with Judge which is the downside of the single POV. I loved the descriptions of New Zealand and it made me want to pack my bags and head out there. 

Still, don't take my word for it. Go and pick up a copy. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.