Without Restraint by Angela Knight – a Review

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Description:
Atlanta deputy Alexis Rogers and Navy SEAL Frank Murphy know all about power and restraint, necessary force, and pushing their limits. When they meet in the darkness of a BDSM club, their skills are put to use. With each successive night comes a new adrenaline rush, and while they’re falling into something perilously close to love, their games are still too private, too extreme, and too daring ever to be exposed.

But their intimate lives are upended when a fellow deputy of Alex’s is killed. It’s not a tragic hazard of the job. It’s cold-blooded murder. And he’s not the last to be taken out. Now Alex and Frank have found themselves more vulnerable than ever—and exposed to a killer with a twisted vendetta who turns desire into the most dangerous sensation of all.

Review:

Without Restraint begins with Alex at a BDSM gathering, where she is watching a scene play out with Frank Murphy. Frank is a Dom that she has been corresponding with via email and getting to know a little about each other. Alex is a Sub that had a really bad break up with her previous Dom who was just an abusive jerk, and ultimately, ended up murdered sometime later. She and Frank were told about each other by a mutual friend who thinks they’ll be good for each other. Once Frank finishes up the scene he was participating in, he and Alex talk and decide to see just how things will go between them. After a trist, they part ways and decide that they will definitely see each other again. They just had no idea how soon.

When Alex arrives at work, she is totally surprised to see that the new guy the department has hired is none other than Frank Murphy. And, he’s just as surprised to see her. They decide that working together won’t be a problem for either of them, especially since they’re on different shifts. Alex’s friend and mentor, Ted, is not so sure. He’s into the lifestyle as well and lets Frank know that Alex’s last relationship didn’t end well, and if he is not good to her, he will answer to him. Frank assures Ted that that will not be the case.

When Alex begins her shift, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. When Ted doesn’t check back in service in a timely manner, she races to where he checked out with dispatch to find him lying beside his car, murdered. This sets into motion a series of events that puts everyone she loves and cares about in danger, including Alex herself. And, once her lifestyle is revealed to those she loves, things become even more dangerous. As the murderer starts targeting others, will Alex and Frank be able to stay alive long enough to catch the killer? Or will they end up victims as well?

Without Restraint is a well written story that draws you into the story from the very beginning. Alex is a very likeable character. She knows what she wants, both professionally and in her personal life. She comes from a strong, albeit very over protective, family. Frank is likeable as well. His childhood was not what Alex’s was. His bipolar mother had issues (to say the least), but even as a child, he did all he could to protect her, and himself, from the disease that was raging within her. And, come on……he’s a SEAL too!! We know from almost the very beginning who the murderer is, so we get to see what has driven him to be the bigoted, murderous coward that he has become. When his identity is revealed, the only one not surprised is Frank. He had pegged him, but had let it go because Alex never thought that someone she had grown up with, let alone dated in high school, would do the horrendous things that were happening around them.

I liked this book. I’m not a big BDSM fan, but the book was written really well. And, at least for me, the BDSM aspects of the book didn’t overpower the story. The suspense was great and the interaction with all of the characters flowed effortlessly. If you’re a fan of this genre and love a good crime/suspense read, you’ll definitely like this one. I do look forward to the next installment to see just exactly what she will do with this series. I’m pretty sure I know who it’ll be about, now all I have to do is wait. Well done, Angela Knight.

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher