Burn For You by Annabel Joseph

 

I loved Club Mephisto and was majorly excited when I heard Annabel Joseph was writing a sequel.

Burn For You is the sequel, and while I loved the story, I'm conflicted about it as well. I mean, I'm giving it a perfect ten, but my fantasy Mephisto is a much kinder and gentler Dom in this book, which both makes me happy and blows some of the fantasy.

It's a very emotional book, with lots of ups and downs, and Mephisto really does need to be gentle and loving to help Molly through. Hmmm, let's get the blurb out of the way, so I don't start giving spoilers:

When Molly loses her longtime Master, she feels lost, angry. Confused. She’s unsure of her future, even her calling to the BDSM lifestyle. She knows her Master always intended her to go to his friend Mephisto next, but their emotionally—and sexually—fraught history is still a confusion of desire and fear in her mind. 

Mephisto wants to help Molly, but he doesn’t want to force her into service she’s not sure she wants. He owes it to Clayton to help her find happiness, but how? Molly and Mephisto advance and retreat from one another as they try to untangle their complex feelings for one another. More and more it seems their tense standoff will only end one way… 

This 63K word novel contains consensual BDSM play, Master/slavery, sado-masochism, anal play, objectification, caging, and other consensual activities which some might find offensive.

See? Lots of emotion to deal with.


BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: There are a few intense scenes, but it's not the focus. 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism: Again, it's not the focus, but with these two it's still intense when it happens. 3 of 3
• Extra Point: No

Burn For You is more about the emotional trip Mephisto and Molly undergo, and not so much about their sex life. I mean, this is Mephisto and Molly, so that part is eventually important, and this is still an intense book as far as BDSM goes. I debated on the extra point, but in the end, Burn for You is about emotions more than kink, though it's all bound up together, as Molly has to figure her life out, and that includes where kink fits into it.

As for the writing elements: the plot picks you up and carries you through the book on a wild rollercoaster, pacing is well done, prose and dialogue were exceptional, as was character development.

• Book Rating: Burn for You: 10 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 8 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

See the heat level? I don't want to give the wrong idea, that there isn't any sex or kink in this one, 'cause there is... it's still a scorching book. Could Annabel Joseph write anything else? Let's hope not :)

All three books in this series gets a 10 of 10 from me. The original Mephisto is still my favorite, but in a way, seeing the intense Dom from book one turn caretaker in book three is also a little heartwarming.

Books in the Mephisto series:

• Club Mephisto
• Molly's Lips: Club Mephisto Retold
• Burn For You

 

Spin Out (Deputy Joe Book 2) by James Buchanan

 

Spin Out is the second book in the Deputy Joe series. I have no idea if there will be more books, but I'd love to see a book written about one of Joe's out of town friends. Yummm.

I enjoyed the first book, but I believe I may have enjoyed the second book even more.

Here's the blurb:

Right guy. Wrong time. Deputy Joe Peterson understood the risks when he got involved with ex-con Kabe Varghese. He didn't, however, see fit to warn Kabe. Now, in the middle of searching for the killer of a local boy, he has to contend with his career and his relationship spinning out of control. Solving the case may be easier than repairing broken trust.

I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say Kabe does have quite a backbone, and he's more than capable of standing up for himself. I wanted to shake some sense into Joe a few times, which did kind of annoy me, but it all worked out eventually.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 1 of 3.
• Dominance and Submission: 2 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism: 1 of 3 . 
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements: The plot was once again well constructed, pacing had a few issues this time but nothing major. Prose and dialogue are hard to comment on, as the regional dialect is written in and it started to wear on me a bit in this book. Character development was once again exceptionally well done.

• Book Rating: Spin Out: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 4 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

The Deputy Joe novels:

• Hard Fall
• Spin Out 

Hard Fall (Deputy Joe Book 1) by James Buchanan

 

I enjoyed the Taking the Odds books by James Buchanan, and figured I'd give Hard Fall a chance.

Law enforcement plays big into this author's books, and that's no different here. The difference is instead of two cops coming together, we get a cop and a felon coming together. It works out, but it certainly adds a lot of drama.

I loved the wilderness scenes. I live in the southeast, nestled between several mountain ranges, and I've spent more than my fair share of time on a mountain. The climbing scenes were authentic, the emotions felt real, and the BDSM wasn't really BDSM, but still worked for me.

Here's the blurb:

Deputy Joe Peterson is Mormon and in the closet. Then ex-con Kabe Varghese lands in town on parole. When a tourist falls off the mountain, Joe finds he needs the help of this cliff climbing adrenaline junky to solve the case. Will Kabe tear him apart or does Joe need to fall hard before he can start living?

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline:1 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 2 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism:1 of 3
• Extra Point:No

As for the writing elements: The plot was well structured and interesting, pacing was fine, the prose and dialogue had a few issues but was mostly okay, and character development was stellar.

• Book Rating: Hard Fall: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 4 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

Hard Fall is a well done M/m book with elements of BDSM, without it actually being BDSM. There is light bondage, heavy spanking, and Deputy Joe just kind of runs things because that's his personality.