Format read: ebook provided by author
Series: Book#1 in the Seduction Pact series
Release Date: 11 October 2011
Number of pages: 63 pages
Publisher: Loose Id
Formats available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks

Four best friends embrace their fantasies and make a pact of seduction to live out their deepest and darkest desires. The women place their lives in the hands of fate and one short straw declares Marley will be the first to awaken her secret wishes.

Reed, a Dom at sex club Castle Dolce Vita, has lived the BDSM lifestyle for awhile, but has yet to find a submissive that suits him. That is until he meets Marley, a woman seeking to indulge her fantasies.

As Reed guides her through a night of pleasure, Marley brings more to him than a perfect submissive–she stirs emotions in him long ago lost. By binding Marley, he runs up against his own limits, and now he has to choose between his self-protective barriers or surrendering to the wildfire Marley has reignited in his heart.

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: BDSM theme and elements, including spanking.

My Thoughts: With the big hype of Fifty Shades of Grey it seems everyone became aware that such a subgenre of erotic romance as BDSM exists. So if you are new to this sub-genre you couldn’t have found a better to story to initiate you to this world, but even if you are a seasoned BDSM reader I’m sure you’ll enjoy this story.

Bind Me is a short novella of just 63 pages, and the first in the Seduction Pact erotic series which tells the story of four girl friends who make a pact of spicing up their lives and realizing one of their most secret fantasies.

“What do you mean a pact of seduction?”
“Exactly what you think I mean. We each have to fulfill our hottest fantasy. You know, the one you’ve always wanted to do but never thought possible.”

Marley, Bella, Kyra and Sadie after some liquid courage spill their darkest sexual fantasies and then draw sticks to determine who shall go first and realize it. Since Marley draws the shortest stick Bind Me is her story. As Marley is a teacher by day, her secret fantasy is relinquishing control and being the one obeying rules for one. She dreams of being dominated and trying out BDSM. With her friends egging her on she enters the BDSM scene through garnering a private invite to Castle Dolce Vita through a forum announcement. The dom who responds to her message is none other than Reed who is instantly intrigued by Marley’s introduction, even more so when he spies her photo. He wants to introduce her to the BDSM scene and after Marley complies with the rules they arrange a meeting.

(By the way I found the rules the Castle was operating with ideal and very reassuring (“all participants must sign a waiver form to insure privacy will be kept while at the castle. No cameras allowed and no videotaping permitted. All participants must provide a clear STD and AIDS test and a background check to the members they’re involved with before they are allowed to engage in sexual acts. And lastly, when members are involved in club life, they’re not allowed to engage sexually with anyone outside of the castle”).)

What made me like Reed immediately was the fact that besides being an incredibly charismatic and handsome man he was most gentle and considerate. And no, I don’t mean he was a gentle dom, when they entered the scene he was a true dominant alpha male taking charge of everything and not tolerating any opposition.

Marley dropped to her knees, comprehending his statement. His gaze said it all; he now controlled the moment, and she understood what he meant about the difference between in a scene and out of one. A moment ago, he’d shown no signs of dominance, but here Reed was her dom. Not to be questioned, and by God, she relished his control.

But he was most considerate: he wanted to determine Marley’s limit and never forced her to do something she was not comfortable with.

His thrusts picked up the pace, and she noted that even though he told her to accept him in deep, he was being careful […]. Trust. Yes, he’d push her to a point where it’d test her, open new doors for her, but he knew how much she could take and wouldn’t go past it.

He is fair, controlled, thoughtful and honest. He doesn’t play games and the straightforward way with which he approached their arrangement made me trust him as well since I knew his purpose was Marley’s pleasure and self-discovery.

“Yes, I have a typical life outside of the castle walls, but my personality isn’t different. I am who you see now. The scene created for you is more about you than me, anyway. I’m merely there to bring pleasures into your life you’ve never experienced.”

Reed squeezed his hand tighter around her face in a show of domination. “Last night you gave yourself to me and I accepted you. It would be my honor to show you more of what the submissive role could bring to your life.”

Marley was a very likable heroine, one the reader could identify with as she was the epitome of ordinary girl next door.

The sexy scenes between Marley and Reed were sizzling hot and in my opinion portrayed perfectly how a dom-sub relationship is about much more than just sexual dominance:

Every time he wound the rope, his hands trailed against her skin, and being already sensitive, it only teased her. She wanted him to look at her, needed that connection and approval, yet he never did. He seemed too focused on the ropes. For the first time, Marley got a taste of what BDSM was really all about—the want to do right by her dom. Through all of this, past the orgasms and the pain, she felt a soul-deep need to please him.

Since this is a romantic erotica Stacey Kennedy doesn’t leave the reader without a HEA, but I think she managed to find the perfect balance between making it romantic and realistic. And it was lovely and satisfying to see the way Reed showed how it is possible for an alpha male like him to be, besides being a dom in the bedroom, a partner in a relationship:

“Are you saying you want to date me?”
“That’s the idea.” Date, love, dominate—he wanted it all.

What I loved the most about Bind Me was how realistic and credible everything was. The whole story, the setting the way things unfolded as well as the characters’ reactions were 100 per cent. believable and real, which is a rarity in BDSM stories.

Verdict: Bind Me is the perfect introduction to BDSM as it contains only light BDSM elements, features a most considerate hero and has a romantic storyline as well. Every girl curious about BDSM should get such an initiation as Marley did, but if you are less adventurous you can still get a taste thanks to Stacey Kennedy’s story which was both realistic and very hot. The narrative flew smoothly and I loved how believable everything was. Bind Me is just the perfect introduction to the BDSM genre!

I give Bind Me 5 stars!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

About Stella

Stella is a proud bookaholic and a self-taught multilinguist in training. Besides reading, her other great passions are travelling and baking. When she is not globetrotting she lives in sunny Budapest, where she loves to spend her free time preparing (and feasting on) delicious cookies or devouring equally yummy books. Her favourite genres are urban fantasy and romance and she couldn't live without her daily dose of sunshine. Besides being the Latin Lover on BLI Stella also blogs about books and a bookish life on Ex Libris.

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