Rockin' & Reviewing: Book Review: Renovating a Heart

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Steve McCoy survived a harrowing youth and a horrible tragedy and still made it as a successful attorney and businessman. And he’s managed to keep his broken, battered heart under wraps by working with short-term submissives at his popular BDSM club, Eden’s Gate.

Until Kelly Markham came along. Kelly’s history was as bad or worse than Steve’s. She lost the only man she ever loved, a faithful, loving Dom, but she never lost hope. When she’s invited to visit Eden’s Gate, she feels like she’s finally found a home. Better yet, she finds a man who’ll help her reintegrate into the community, even if his help is only offered for one month.

Unfortunately, Kelly discovers that being Steve’s submissive is not easy. Matter of fact, when she accidentally trips a trigger from Steve’s history, being his submissive could actually be dangerous, even deadly. Steve’s determined to keep her at a distance and never show her his heart, but can he hold out when he realizes his best shot at a happily ever after might not survive?

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

“She had a future. Her past was shattered and gone, blown away like the grit and grime it had always been, letting the fresh, green grass grow from its remains. “

My Review:

This author was a new find for me, so for the purpose of this review, I read not only Renovating a Heart, but also the 3 previous books in the series: The Groundbreaking, Laying a Foundation, and Tearing Down Walls. One week and 1415 pages, and I loved every bit of it. I fell in love with her characters, first one handsome man, then his relative, I guess I am kind of a book slut like that... In fact, if I wasn’t happily married, I think I would probably be contemplating going off to Kentucky and looking for an Italian construction worker. Ms. Hall’s story is well written and highly descriptive. I was pulled in to their story immediately. Her characters are complicated, multi-dimensional, and well developed. I felt like I knew them intimately, so much so, that I had a few cringe worthy moments as well as tears. I not only fell madly in love with the handsome male leads, but I also loved and cared about most of the other characters, although I didn’t always like them initially. I am not of the BDSM lifestyle, but am not bothered by the idea and generally like books with sizzle and steam. This series, I dare say, goes beyond steam, it was smoking hot… incendiary! While reading, I actually found myself breathless more than a few times, and for some reason… I seemed to be doing a lot of extra laundry.

Then suddenly, things took a dire turn and arg – a cliffhanger. @#*! I despise cliffhangers with the heat of a thousand suns. When I realized I was at the end, I screamed in disgust, slapped the arm of my chair, and let loose with every explicative I know, which – I should be ashamed to admit - is quite an impressive list! My sweet little husband was more than startled. I was so distressed, I required an extra day to collect my wits to complete this post. If the author had been within reach, she would most likely be sporting a bruise from my pinch. I hope she is currently ensconced in her attic, banging away on her laptop, and writing an even hotter finale - if that is even possible. And of course, I not only expect her to bring the heat, but a HEA as well.

Empress DJ

Deanndra Hall is a working writer living in far western Kentucky. A free spirit and chronic jokester, she and her partner of over 30 years enjoy visiting their two adult children and their partners and playing with their three crazy little dogs. When she's not writing, Deanndra can be found kayaking, working out at the gym, cooking something healthy, or reading. After writing for business, industry, academia, and non-profits for years and having her work credited to others, she jumped into the fiction realm, particularly erotic fiction and erotica, and had so much fun she never looked back. Look for her on Twitter and Facebook and on her website and blog.

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