BREAK ME DOWN (Loving on the Edge 8.5) by Roni Loren-Review, Book Tour and Giveaway
Break Me Down
Loving on the Edge 8.5
by Roni Loren
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotica, BDSM, romance
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 27, 2015
Samantha Dunbar needs to forget Gibson Andrews. When he trained her to be a domme, she experienced just how hot things could get with the sexy executive. She was ready to hand him everything—including her heart. But Gibson backed away, declaring them incompatible. He’s a dominant, and Sam’s no submissive.
But after an attack shakes Sam to her core, Gibson tracks her down at her family’s rundown farmhouse and makes her an offer. He’ll stay the week and be hers in every way—a helping hand for the renovation and a willing lover in her bed. He swore he’d never give up control to anyone again, but he hasn’t been able to touch another woman since Sam. Maybe a week alone with her will cure him of his relentless craving.
But one taste only makes them want more, and Sam and Gibson are drawn in deeper than ever. The man who won’t give in has just met the girl who won’t give up…
•••••••••••
REVIEW: BREAK ME DOWN follows the D/s relationship between Domme Samantha Dunbar, and her reluctant submissive Gibson Andrews. Gibson is a dominant at the local BDSM Club-The Ranch- but his fantasies find our hero in a position of submission especially as it pertains to Samantha Dunbar-a Domme whose need to dominate and control is beyond anything Gibson has experienced. What ensues is the break down of a man’s control, and a woman’s emotional and psychological need to dominate.
BREAK ME DOWN is a tale of erotica; of sexual, emotional and physical domination by a woman over a man with some dubious consent, and a rape fantasy with the female in the position of the aggressor. Gibson is a man with a past darkened by a controlling father; and Samantha is a woman whose past is mired in betrayal and abuse. Both our of leading characters act out their sexual aggression and fantasies both in and out of the bedroom but for all intents and purpose I felt a line was crossed when the fantasies and sexual domination became more about the power over someone else. Rape is about power, control and anger, and in this, our heroine was acting out against her own perpetrators who, years earlier, took away Samantha’s choices and control. The sado-masochist theme is strong throughout the storyline. There is also a questionable scene where the ‘safe word’ was ignored, and emotional threats against our hero, once again, stepped over the proverbial line.
I have enjoyed Roni Loren’s LOVING ON THE EDGE erotic romance series but BREAK ME DOWN was an uncomfortable read for me with so many questions of consent and coercion. The use of ‘force’ is questioned by the characters, and although the Domme, in the end, refuses to ‘force’ her submissive, the fear and anxiety about the potential situation is a part of the storyline-none the less.
BREAK ME DOWN is a sexually graphic storyline with contents that me be unsuitable for some readers. Gibson Andrews is a submissive who thrives on the pain inflicted by the woman that he loves; Samantha Dunbar is a Domme who must be in control and hold the power at all times but in the end, Sam knows when enough is enough.
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.
Reviewed by Sandy
He squatted down and picked up the sanding machine. It’d been a while since he’d tackled any home improvement projects. His position as head of PR at Vandergriff kept him too busy. But when he’d first bought his house, it had been in pretty rough shape. He’d taken on weekend projects to get it how he wanted it. He’d learned a lot and messed up more. A handyman, he was not. But he understood the satisfaction Sam probably got from doing this herself. It could be cathartic.
“I don’t suggest you turn that on unless you know what to do with it,” Sam said from behind him.
He turned around, finding her at the bottom of the stairs, raven hair damp and twisted into a messy bun atop her head. Face scrubbed clean. She looked so young standing there. He was used to seeing her with her dark eyeliner and hair done in some quirky way. But this version of her was just as breath-stealing. He held up the sander. “Don’t turn it on unless I know what to do with it. There’s a dirty joke in there.”
She smirked, some of that trademark attitude back, despite the lingering ghosts in her eyes. “So do you? Know what to do?”
“With a woman or home improvement equipment?”
“I already know you know what to do with a woman.”
He tilted his head. Flirty Sam. Yes. Yes, he liked this. “I’m not quite as skilled with machinery, but I can hold my own. Why? Gonna put me to work to earn my keep?”
She walked forward, her beat-up Vans silent on the floors. “Hmm, now there’s an idea.”
The tone of her voice had slipped into a dangerous place, one he recognized. One his body recognized. “I don’t mind helping.”
She tucked her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, her vintage No Doubt T-shirt stretching thin across her breasts as she considered him. “Is that right?”
He lost his focus for a moment just looking at her. Her shirt read Just A Girl, but that was far from the truth. She was so much more. A fucking mystery wrapped up in smarts and sex appeal and kink. He’d only gotten to touch her once, but he hadn’t forgotten how those pert breasts had felt in his palms, how her body had responded to his touch, how it had seemed like the goddamned sun had come out when he’d made her come. His blood rushed south at the memory, and he had to shift his stance to tamp down the reaction. How big of an asshole would he be, getting hard and horny the morning after Sam had been attacked? He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can help with whatever you need.”
Her smile was quick, not too big, but enough to punch him in the gut. “Those are mighty vague terms, Gib. You should know how dangerous that is in negotiations. I could make you strip naked and clean the bathroom grout with a toothbrush while I sip iced tea and watch.”
He set down the sander and ran a hand over the back of his hair. She’d meant it as a joke. He tried to smile but managed only a tight grimace. Any image where he got on his knees for her pushed that forbidden button inside him. “Right.”
The silver ring in her eyebrow twitched up as if she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. “Nah, never mind. I know how you can help. Leave.”
Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.
If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that’s it. She is the National Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.
Places to find Roni Loren:
Site: www.roniloren.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoniLoren
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roniloren
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4877863.Roni_Loren
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Excellent review, Sandy. Though this is not my type of read.
Super review, Sandy. This book sounds like a very emotional and strong read. I do enjoy some erotic stories, not sure if I want to read this, after reading your review. Thanks.
Thanks for the review Sandy. It does sound like you have some issues with the story.
Wonderful and honest review Sandy. I can always count on The Reading Cafe for their honesty !
Very good review, Sandy. Not sure this is for me.
Very nice review, Sandy. Sounds like an interesting storyline.
Thanks for the terrific and honest review, Sandy. It looks a bit too emotional for me.
Sounds like a different kind of love story, thanks Sandy