Thursday, September 22, 2011

Review: Desire's Edge

Desire's Edge (Edge - Book 2) by Eve Berlin


Publication Date: September 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Erotic Romance
Pages: Paperback, 304pp
ISBN-13: 9780425241400
ISBN: 0425241408
 
(Received for an honest review from Berkley Heat)


Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


Eve Berlin (Eden Bradley) on the WEB: website, blog, facebook


Excerpt from Desire's Edge WARNING: This excerpt is not appropriate for those under 18 years of Age (Courtesy of The Smutty Kitty)



Book Trailer:






 
 


Synopsis:

Giving in to desire...
As a lawyer, Kara Crawford knows how to keep a secret, especially after being spurned by an ex for revealing her sexual needs. Kara doesn't expect to find anyone who can fulfill her more extreme desires - bondage and domination and submission - until she experiences one of the most incredible nights of her life with a man she's always admired from afar.

... can set you free...

Sexual dominant Dante De Matteo knew Kara back in high school, and he never imagined her darkest fantasies would align so perfectly with his. The lovers don't expect their passion to last more than a night, but when Dante's new job turns out to be at Kara's law firm, they find themselves confronted daily with the sparks of their blistering chemistry.

... but only if you give yourself completely.

As intense desire draws them closer, deep-rooted fears threaten to pull them apart - unless they can learn to embrace both the pain and pleasure of love.

Thoughts:


Dante and Kara knew each other in high school when relationships were simple, each having a secret crush on the other. Years later they meet at a friends housewarming party and the desire they were never able to explore roars to the surface. Kara has always had hidden desires she fears to express, but one night with Dante opens her up to a whole new world of possibilities. Dante is used to showing his more dominate side and having casual relationships but when his feeling for Kara become more intense it may be more than either of them bargained for. Can they ignore their issues with control and become vulnerable to love?

Eve Berlin's second book in the Edge series, Desire's Edge is an erotic romance that will have fans of the genre interested in exploring their own deeper and more intense fantasies. Berlin's book essentially allows the reader to delve into BDSM scenarios that range from mild pain play and spanking to exhibitionism. The author is able to convey the amount of trust and vulnerability that is necessary in a dominate/submissive relationship without portraying it as cheesy or unrealistic.

Berlin allows the reader to explore their own hidden desires through the relationship of her main characters, Dante and Kara. Both characters have control issues stemming from past relationships and hurts and it's hard for them to let go and embrace the feelings they are having for each other. I thought the author did a great job of showing the depth of these feelings and the trust necessary for this intense kind of relationship. It is never easy to contemplate giving someone else control over any aspect of a relationship, let alone control of over body, mind and soul. 


Having not been a reader of this genre for very long, I was a little taken aback by some of the scenes in this book and surprised by the intensity of my reaction. I don't think the author was using these scenes for the shock factor, but I believe she was merely trying to show the intense trust that is involved in a submissive relationship. I appreciated the authors commitment to encouraging readers to express what they want and need in their relationships, sexual or otherwise.


This book is very intense and packs an emotional punch. It is obviously not appropriate for readers under 18 years of age. There are some scenes, including those at the BDSM club that will probably push the envelope for some readers. It is fast paced and easy to follow. There are not a lot of secondary characters to cloud the relationship of the main couple and their relationship really takes center stage. I recommend this one to fans of erotic romance and to anyone who has ever been afraid to express to someone they love what their fantasies are and what lies hidden below the surface. Well written and very intense!

Desires Edge is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




 
 
 
 
Award-winning author Eve Berlin writes lush, sensual erotic romance for Berkley Heat. Her work has been called ‘brilliant’ and her writing ‘evocative’. Her debut Heat novel, PLEASURE’S EDGE, won the 2010 Holt Medallion Award for Best Erotic Novel. As her alter-ego Eden Bradley, her books have been nominated for numerous awards, and one of her novels was profiled in Cosmopolitan magazine. She has written under her various pseudonyms for Berkley Heat, Bantam/Delta, Harlequin Spice, Samhain Publishing, and presents workshops on writing craft and writing sex. She has appeared regularly on Sirius Satellite’s Playboy Radio show, Night Calls, and at the West Coast In the Flesh readings in Hollywood.

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