Adored releases May 12
Synopsis:
A man who gave up on love
Mitch Bradford is an intimidating man. In his professional life, he has a reputation for demolishing his opponents in the courtroom. At the exclusive BDSM club Sanctum, he prefers disciplining pretty submissives with no strings attached. In his line of work, there’s no time for a healthy relationship. After a few failed attempts, he knows he’s not good for any woman—especially not his best friend’s sister.
A woman who always gets what she wants
Laurel Daley knows what she wants, and her sights are set on Mitch. He’s smart and sexy, and it doesn’t matter that he’s a few years older and has a couple of bitter ex-wives. Watching him in action at work and at play, she knows he just needs a little polish to make some woman the perfect lover. She intends to be that woman, but first she has to show him how good it could be.
A killer lurking in the shadows
When an unexpected turn of events throws the two together, Mitch and Laurel are confronted with the perfect opportunity to explore their mutual desire. Night after night of being close breaks down Mitch’s defenses. The more he sees of Laurel, the more he knows he wants her. Unfortunately, someone else has their eyes on Laurel and they have murder in mind.
My review:
Adored is story number 8.5 in author Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series as well as novella number 6 in the 1,001 Dark Nights 2015 line-up and from the synopsis alone, I was dying to read this latest installment.
Now, I’ve heard numerous times in the years I’ve been a reader that there are people who don’t really like novellas because it’s hard to build a relationship with the characters. That you can’t develop an emotional connection. Well, I am here to tell you that Lexi Blake and this novella will dispel all of those notions.
This story was packed with emotion, suspense and scorching heat but also had some mystery and more than a few chuckles along the way and I loved it!
Mitch is all alpha Dom and needs the lifestyle to maintain order and control in his life. It soothes him. Calms him. He’s had his share of failed relationships, his childhood was less than stellar and all of that pain and heartache has made him the man he is today. He truly has damaged hero written all over him. And when it came to Laurel, and all the feelings she brought about in him, he was a jumble of emotion. He wanted her but knew he had to stay away from her. This was all something he wasn’t used to. It broke into his calm routine and it scared the hell out of him. He knew she wanted more from him above their working relationship and he was trying his best to keep her at bay…but Laurel was good at calling him on his crap and she pushed his buttons like no other. (My kinda gal!)
I loved that about her. She was one tough cookie and went after what she wanted but also knew Mitch and knew what he needed. She was willing to bend to him and try her best to be the woman he needed and wanted and I admired her for that. She also knew when enough was enough and made no bones about staying true to what she saw for herself and her future…even in if meant not being with Mitch.
They are a special kind of amazing when they are together. Despite being hard-headed, Mitch is patient with Laurel. When he introduces her into the BDSM world, he truly puts aside his own needs to make sure she is comfortable and at ease with the lifestyle. I absolutely loved that about him. They have many stumbles along the way and I went through moments of wanting to shake Mitch but like with any lovable damaged hero, in the end, they are worth all the heartache they caused and Mitch was no exception.
Now, as for the suspense aspect, author Blake did one hell of a job. She introduced quite a mystery in the beginning and left breadcrumbs along the way leading us on a path to one hell of an ending I never saw coming! It was certainly a “whoa” moment!
There’s also a bit of a surprise that happens early on but I can’t mention it without spoiling things…so my lips are sealed!
Adored is the whole package. Sexy, emotional, suspenseful, it’s a page turner from start to finish. Thank you, Ms. Blake, for giving us Mitch and Laurel’s story!
Five Loves
Book Links:
About the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.