ONLY PLEASURE by Lora Leigh – a review

Only Pleasure by Lora Leigh review

Lora Leigh’s Bound Hearts series is a delectable read of contemporary romance with a nice touch of erotica to it. Of all the books in the series, my undisputed favorite is Only Pleasure which is the tenth book in the series.

Only Pleasure is about Chase Falladay and Kia Rutherford. Chase Fallady is one of the personal investigators of “The Club.” The Club is a place where men pretty much share the same lifestyle of sharing their women in ménages along with some sexual extremes. Kia Rutherford is the daughter of a prestigious business firm owner and ex-wife of Drew Stanton who was also part of the club. The thing is, even though Kia was married to Drew Stanton, Kia and Chase had always had their eye on one another even before Kia married Drew.

The story starts out with Chase having to visit Kia over an incident where Kia had almost gotten raped by Drew, if it hadn’t been for Drew’s chosen third who saved Kia from that scary fate. After the incident, Kia had confided in a “friend” about the incident and the club in which that “friend” proceeded to spread rumors that threaten the secrecy of the club. Chase promises Kia a generous divorce settlement and protection from her ex-husband who backhanded her because of her intention not to take him back in exchange for her to deny the rumors or any stories that pertains to the club.

Fast forward two years later and Kia is alone and closed-off from everyone for the past two years since the incident. While hiding out in a bar after an obligatory party, Kia runs into Chase and his friend Khalid el Hamid-Mustafa. They then invite her to have a drink with them. Well that turns into a passionate ménage in the back of Khalid’s hummer limo. Both Kia and Chase agree that the experience is only for the pleasure. Little do they know that it escalates to something much bigger than just the sensual gratification. At first Chase, Khalid and Kia participate in ménages. It was only for the pleasure right? But for Chase it was a way to avoid that kind of intimacy that comes with making love with just two people; his way to fight his ever growing feelings for Kia. But in the end of all the fun and games, Kia is still going to sleep all by herself in her loneliness. My most favorite scene in the book is when Chase does finally make love to Kia long without a third, on the hood of his car with the snow falling all around them. The scene was just so intimate that even though it was just for the pleasure you feel and see the height of emotion running through both of them. Of all the love scenes, I felt like this particular scene took my breath away.

Unfortunately even after a particularly steamy scene, Chase is still leaving Kia alone in her loneliness yet again. After an assault on Kia that left her injured with a concussion that Chase finally realizes how much he really loves and her and does whatever he can to make it up to her. He cares for her injuries and watches over her while she sleeps. And when she starts to feel better; he makes love to her, cleans her up afterwards, and even proceeds to hold her through the night the way he should have been doing for her in the beginning. When Chase does all this for Kia my respect for Chase really grows. The thing is this we are all human and we do mistakes that hurt one another whether we meant to do it or not. Sometimes we have a tendency to make these mistakes a lot on the person we love and cherish. But thing is for the person to own up and do whatever it takes to show that they have changed, to show they care, to do what it is necessary to make it better shows someone of worth to me. Not only does Chase own up and takes of care Kia but Chase is so sincere to Kia that it makes you want to tear up at his tenderness and his emotion towards her. Even though Kia is at the point of being wary of getting close to Chase again, Chase still continues to show Kia that he is it in for the long run and that he wasn’t going anywhere. And when the threats on Kia’s life doesn’t stop, Chase is there the whole step of the way to protect her.

One of my favorite scenes is when after Kia gets rescued from Harold Brockheim who assaulted and tried to kill Kia. While she was in the hospital was Chase’s first time he ever told Kia that he loves her. Also the wives of the club members visit her and leave her flowers. For a woman who was alone for the past two years, it looks like she had friends all along. It really touched my heart when Chase promised himself that Kia would never be alone again. It just makes you so teary when real friendship can be hard to find. Even though Kia had trusted the wrong friend, there is a group of kind hearted women trying to reach out to her that she doesn’t need to be alone no more. Another one is right before Chase and Kia get into a particular heavy love making scene, Kia says this is Chase. “It is, Chase? Isn’t that what love truly is? Being free even as you’re being held? Knowing you can reach for the stars, and someone’s there to share it with you? Or to give you a boost if you need it? Someone to laugh with, love with, cry and argue with? Someone you know will be there when you’re moody, when you’re dark, or when you just need a hug. Isn’t that love?” I love Kia’s honest definition of what love is to her and the thing is I most truly do agree with her.

There is just so much to like from the book. What I appreciated the most was how realistic that story was in the sense of the that society can be cruel, that people have their hang ups in their relationships and also how a person’s past can affect their future relationships. Lora Leigh shows her talent that she utilizes such strong depths of emotion but also include some rather “heavy” love scenes. While some may complain that some of Lora Leigh’s books are a little on the crude side, I believe Lora Leigh has the right touch to do it tastefully. This is my first Lora Leigh series and I absolutely do not regret it.

Reviewed by Xtina