Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Letting Go – Maya Banks

Josslyn found perfection once, and she knows she’ll never find it again. Now widowed, she seeks the one thing her beloved husband couldn’t give her. Dominance. Lonely and searching for an outlet for her grief and wanting only a brief taste of the perfection she once enjoyed, she seeks what she’s looking for at an exclusive club that caters to people indulging in their most hedonistic fantasies. She never imagined that what she’d find is the one man who’s long been a source of comfort—and secret longing. Her husband’s best friend.

Dash has lived in an untenable position for years. In love with his best friend’s wife and unwilling to act on that attraction. He’d never betray his best friend. And so he’s waited in the wings, offering Joss unconditional support and comfort as she works past her grief, hoping for the day when he can offer her more.

When he finds her in a club devoted to the darker edges of desire, he’s furious because he thinks she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Until she explains in detail what it is she wants. What she needs. As realization sets in, he is gripped by fierce, unwavering determination. If she wants dominance, he is the only man who will introduce her to that world. He is the only man who will touch her, cherish her…love her. And the only man she’ll ever submit to.

Series: Surrender Trilogy #1
Release Date: February 4th 2014
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Source: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

Buy the book at:

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/042527294X/?tag=wwwmayabanksc-20

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/letting-go-maya-banks/1116335027?ean=9780425272947&itm=1&usri=letting+go+by+maya+banks&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-96Ptl7nl6CU-_-10:1&r=1

Books-A-Million – http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Letting-Go/Maya-Banks/9780425272947?id=5908362454132

iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/letting-go/id684972433?mt=11

Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/letting-go-50

Reviewer’s Thoughts

Generally when I find out Maya Banks has a new book coming out, I rush to get my hands on a copy.  It was no different when I heard about Letting Go.  The premise of the story was intriguing and I was eager to see how the story of a widow and her husband’s best friend entering a D/s relationship was going to work.  The storyline was good and moved along well, but what I missed in this one was an emotional connection with the characters.

Joss Breckenridge, after three years, has decided it’s time to move on.  Time to let go of the grief of losing her husband and figuring out what she needs to be happy.  So once she’s said goodbye to Carson, she sets her sights on The House, a local D/s club in the area, where she can explore that part of her sexuality.  Joss, while totally in love with her husband, was never able to ask him for the one things she truly wanted in bed.  Having been an abuse survivor, Carson would never bring himself to “hurt” Joss, even if she asked for it.  Now was her opportunity to discover if being a submissive is really what she wants and needs.  Enter Dash.  Dash was Carson’s best friend and business partner.  He also happens to be in love with Joss and has been for a long time. . He’s been trying to figure out when the right time would be to make his move and declare himself to her.  His plans go slightly awry when he walks into The House one night and finds Joss on the arm of another member.  When Dash discovers why Joss is there and what she wants to explore, he demands that he be the only Dom that shows her what it’s like to be a true submissive.

As I said above, I didn’t feel an emotional connection to these characters.  And considering who they were and the history that had between them, I felt like I should have.  Part of the problem was the spent so much damn time talking to themselves.  Wondering if they were doing the right.  What did he/she feel?  Was it the same as what they felt?  Blah, blah, blah.  I know part of the issue was getting passed the big elephant (or ghost) in their relationship, but talk to each other and not just yourself.  It works wonders!  And when I finally did start to get some semblance of emotions from the characters, it was Chapter 28 and the book was almost over.

Overall, it’s not a bad book, but it was not what I thought I was going to get in a D/s book.  I wanted more of that dominate male, pushing his submissive to the brink.  Teaching her how the relationship was going to work.  It was a good love story, but not what I was anticipating going in.

She would be forever grateful for Dash and his unwavering support over the last three years, but it was time to move on. It was time for her to stand on her own two feet and it was time for Dash to stop having to babysit her.

Today was not only about her letting go of Carson, but of Dash as well. He deserved more than to be saddled with the responsibility of his best friend’s widow. He had a life of his own. She had no idea of his relationships or if he was even in a steady relationship. She realized with sudden clarity just how selfish and self-absorbed she’d been since her husband’s death. Dash had been a steady fixture, one she’d taken for granted, but she would do it no longer. It would be a miracle if Dash were in a steady relationship because not many women would be tolerant of Dash dropping everything to rush to the aid of his best friend’s widow.

When they arrived at the cemetery, Dash parked and Joss immediately got out, not waiting for him to come around for her. She opened the door to the backseat and leaned in to retrieve the flowers.

“I’ll get them, Joss.”

Dash’s low voice brushed over her ears, causing a prickle at her nape. She picked up the vase and turned with a reassuring smile.

“I’ve got it, Dash. I’m okay.”

He gave her an inscrutable stare and she got the impression he was studying her again, trying to peel back the layers and get into her head. It was as if he knew something was different but couldn’t put his finger on it. Which was just as well, because Joss would die if Dash could read her thoughts. If he knew just what it was she’d planned and how she intended to move on with her life.

He’d be horrified, no doubt. He’d wonder if she’d finally snapped and he’d probably haul her into a shrink’s office so fast it would make her head spin. Which was why she had no intention of letting him know.

Her girlfriends were another matter. Chessy would understand absolutely. She’d even be encouraging. Kylie . . . not so much.

Kylie was Joss’s sister-in-law, Carson’s only sibling. They’d both grown up in horrific circumstances, and just as Carson could never provide what Joss craved—needed—neither would Kylie ever understand what drove Joss.

She might even be angry with Joss’s choices. Might think it was a betrayal of her brother. Joss could only hope she’d support Joss even if she didn’t fully understand.

But she was getting ahead of herself. First the cemetery and talking to Carson one last time. Then she’d tackle her best friends over lunch. She needed as much as possible to keep busy today, because tonight?

Tonight was when it all began.

Posted by arrangement with Berkley Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Maya Banks, 2014.

Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today and bestselling author of the Surrender Trilogy.  Her other chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and Scottish historical romance.  She lives in the South with her husband, three children and a variety of pets. Visit her online at www.mayabanks.com, www.facebook.com/AuthorMayaBanks, and twitter.com/maya_banks.

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