C-

Giving It Up

I wanted so much to like this book! Because hello…female photojournalist Domme and SWAT hero submissive. But to be frank, I found it to be rather boring.

Beatrice and Warren have mutual friends who are a couple. Beatrice has always crushed on Warren, but thinks he hates her given his terse attitude every time they meet up at barbecues or dinner parties. While shooting pictures for said couple’s wedding, Beatrice overhears Warren on the phone with a Domme agency. What he’s looking for is a little out of his price range, but Beatrice is willing to fill in for half the cost. She needs the extra money to help take care of her Nana.

Enter in a 5-week engagement where Beatrice agrees to play Domme for Warren every Wednesday night. They’ve both been harboring feelings for one another for a long time, but Warren had a shitty breakup and is too busy taking care of his parents, his sister, and his nephew for a relationship. And well…Beatrice thinks Warren doesn’t like her. Cue several pages of each of them having feelings but remember this is just a “business arrangement.”

I understand the connection between Beatrice and Warren. Beatrice grew up in a household where she had very little control, while Warren is too busy running around taking care of everyone that he just wants to not be in control for a while. However, their transformation (Beatrice learning to take control of her life vs. Warren learning to let someone else help with his burdens) was more telling than showing.

Several characters would comment on how different Beatrice and Warren seemed, but it didn’t resonate with me on an emotional level. There also wasn’t enough interaction between Beatrice and Warren, and several details regarding Beatrice’s story felt open-ended. How did Beatrice conduct herself at her estranged sister’s wedding? What’s going on with Beatrice and her part-time gig at a Domme agency?

It was a bit of a slog because a lot of the book felt like filler. The main characters interacted more with other people than each other, to my disappointment.

– Amanda

She dominates his body and his mind…but can he give up control without handing over his heart?

If Beatrice Lawrence didn’t know better, she’d swear the universe is out to make sure she is totally, completely screwed. It’s not enough her family’s restrictive rules drove her away from home at a young age. She had to go and fall for a guy whose mere presence heats her body like Death Valley.

Except he seems to harbor a special brand of dislike, just for her. He even seems intent on ruining one of her biggest wedding photography gigs by dodging every key shot to make a phone call.

It’s not that SWAT officer Warren Davis isn’t attracted to Beatrice. He is. God, he is. But between supporting his parents and helping raise his single-mom sister’s kid, there’s no time to build a relationship.

Besides, Beatrice is too innocent for some of his darker…appetites. Until she catches him on the phone with a professional Domme. He must be crazy to let her talk him into hiring her instead. Even crazier to risk letting their professional relationship get personal…