Summary
I don’t want to hurt him—I just want to punish him.
It’s bad enough being the only female owner of the Salacious Players’ Club, but I’m also the only one without a kink, or so I thought.
Imagine my surprise when the kink quiz suggests that I’m not so vanilla after all.
In fact, I’m a lot more like Emerson Grant than I thought.
Just one problem—I have no idea how to be a Domme.
That is, until the app matches me with someone willing to help me learn.
He’s too young for me.
Too stubborn. Too good looking.
And, oh yeah, my friend’s son.
Beau Grant is a brat. I’d hate that about him if I didn’t love punishing him so much.
Underneath all of that attitude is a man who is misunderstood, selfless, and in need of direction.
But if he wants mercy, he has to earn it.
There are a million reasons why I should stay away, but I’m tired of doing what everyone thinks I should do.
I finally know what I want, and I’m ready to take what’s mine.
Review
I mostly enjoyed this book quite a lot. Older woman with younger man, yes. Dom/sub relationship, double yes. Some serious BDSM where aftercare is important, hell yes.
But… while choosing Beau for Maggie was a bold move, I’m not sure he was the right character. He does some soul searching during his relationship with Maggie, coming to term with his bratty way and how he wants to be better, but he still rely so much on her that he never makes a decision. Ever. Like he refused accountability. Sometimes it felt like a mother-child relationship more than a Domme-sub one.
There were still interesting sides of him. It was nice to see how he opened his mind and discarded his past opinions of his father, his father’s club, and what makes a man. That’s some growing up. At some point, he also makes amends to the people he hurt, mostly his father and his ex-girlfriend. I’m not sure he gets closure for everything that was wrong in his life, but as often stated in the story, he’s still young, and maybe that wasn’t the story to write at the moment.
Maggie, while still young–she’s only in her thirties–is also every bit the responsible adult she’s supposed to be. She’s dedicated to her work, and gets jealous of her friend Emerson and his apparently easy way to deal with everything. Her backstory of sexual repression was a bit odd but interesting. It was kind of cliché that she’s self-conscious about her body’s flaws but through her lover’s eyes, and draped in her Domme costume, she finds the confidence she lacks. I won’t complain though, as it is a message that needs hammered: people don’t see you like you do, and confidence is sexy.
The sexiness was off the charts! They explore each other’s limits and boundaries, but also agree to cross them with trust, for the other’s pleasure–and their own in the end. Everything is consensual, though one could argue that, as they’re both new to the lifestyle, they don’t really understand what they agree to. At least Maggie gets some coaching from the very knowledgeable Eden, and teaches the rules to Beau.
Beau’s interactions with his dad were nicely done. I loved how they slowly show the emotions they spent so long hiding. The ones he has with Sophie, his ex’s sister, were also quite interesting–she seemed so much mature than him.
I wasn’t a fan of everything in this book, but the author definitely offers a sexy reverse age gap romance.
Quickie
- Series: Salacious players’ club #4 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #erotica #reverse age gap #older woman #younger man #best friend’s son #Dom/sub relationship
- Triggers: some BDSM, tiny bit of violence
- Main couple: Maggie & Beau Grant
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + interesting relationship
- – trust and feelings seemed to come out of nowhere
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