The writing did move quickly, the style was very readable, and the sex was hot, so I would certainly give any future books in this series a try. ~ Leigh, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Sexy redhead seeks the perfect Dom …
Isabelle Peters spots the Dom she wants — darkly handsome Sebastian D’Alessandro. Seems he’s also the impossible-to-please Dom, and the most-likely-to-find-fault Dom. Doesn’t matter to Isabelle. She’ll show him she’s the perfect sub.
Sebastian wants nothing to do with Isabelle. She lacks the proper respect. But he agrees to do a scene with her. If she’s as good as she says, she “wins” a weekend at his place. If she fails — as he knows she will — he never has to touch her again.
Can two such different people work out a D/s relationship … or even love? That’s what the negotiation is for …
I was really looking forward to reading a story about an impossible to please dominant man. Being considered the “Asshole Dom”, Sebastian’s high standards and strong nature were intriguing to me. I wanted to see what made him tick, wanted to see how exacting he could be, wanted to see him mete out punishment (squeal!).
But that wasn’t quite what I got.
Instead, I got a Dom that was strong and precise in his desires at the club, but reclusive, confusing and not willing to take control of his life in private. The issues he had with driving bothered me because it seemed counter to the personality the author was trying to cultivate for him at the club, and I wanted him to be stronger than that. We were given an insight into his personality however, and it made him seem more human and not so much of an ass at all. He still needed to get behind the wheel of a car though.
For her part, I could not warm up to Isabelle. I found her to be cold and she tended to rub me the wrong way. I wanted her to lose a little bit of her control and just loosen up. I did like the dynamic between her and her Domme friend Katie, and would be interested in seeing her in a future book. She seemed way more fun than Isabelle!
Speaking of future books, as this point, I must confess that it wasn’t until I was midway though this story that I realized this was the second in a series. There were several references to people that I felt I should know, which explains why I had a few moments of confusion. But despite my jumping into a story mid-series, I had no real trouble picking up what was going on. The Negotiation really can be read as a stand alone novel.
The writing did move quickly, the style was very readable, and the sex was hot, so I would certainly give any future books in this series a try, as well as going back and reading the first book in the series (The Bequest). I just hope the women let their hair down more so than Isabelle.
3.5 Stars
Thanks for the review Leigh