Her Keeper
by Helen Karol
The feud between Detective Rick Andrews and Sara Michaels is legendary and no one ever wants to stand in the line of fire when they go at it. Despite the feud, everyone knows Rick and Sara fell in love the day they met - only they just keep making war not love.
Sara
I've never forgiven Rick for humiliating me during my freshman week in college. Ever since I returned to my sleepy hometown of Lake Andrews, he insists on constantly watching over me. Maybe if he didn't frame his advice in 'do as I say' commands, I might be inclined to listen now and then, but his dominant decrees make me go for the knee-jerk response every time.
So why is just the thought of him such a turn on?
Rick
Can't deny the chemistry between me and Sara. Her intelligence and her spirit intrigue me and, for some unfathomable reason, the need to protect her consumes much of my waking hours and a few of my dreams as well. But she's too high maintenance. Especially as she holds a long time grudge and knows just how to push my buttons. Thing is our ongoing feud's about to reach combustion level. Sara's crossed the line and I'm determined to use the power her transgression grants me to lay down the law in a way she can't escape.
Her Keeper has mature content that features a hot cop (two actually), a crazy, hot proposition and two people who are stubbornly in love.
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| https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00I6VYKA6 |
Momma Says: 3 stars⭐⭐⭐
This one is something of a mixed bag of tropes in the romance genre. We have a bit of an enemies to lovers story with Rick and Sara going toe to toe over a grudge, which leads to the romantic comedy elements with the witty banter and chuckle-worthy situations. Add in contemporary, small town, and of course, the BDSM elements, shake them all up and you get HER KEEPER.
I quite enjoyed the beginning of this one. It takes right off, some eight years after Rick and Sara met. That meeting is the source of the animosity between them as Rick continues to bring out Sara's sass and sarcasm. I also found myself quickly warming up to both characters and I loved their back and forth as they butted heads over everything, all while attempting to convince themselves that there isn't an attraction between them.
The circumstances surrounding Sara's grudge against Rick as well as those that give him the opening to propose an arrangement of sorts are a little over the top, but they do make for some amusing situations. However, it was shortly after that arrangement that my feelings for these characters began to change. Rick started as a decidedly alpha male who is overprotective and a Dominant to boot. His need to keep Sara safe seemed almost second nature to him and was part of what made him so likable and endearing. His proposal, which is more a coercion than an offer, brought about a change in him that rubbed me the wrong way. What started as overprotective became more like overbearing. Considering the BDSM elements of the story, I expected this in the bedroom, but Rick's actions bordered on controlling when they affected Sara's career and where she should be working.
The same can be said of Sara, who had no problem speaking her mind and standing up for herself in the beginning. Once she accepts Rick's terms, she is like a different person. She still has some of her sass, but she's all too willing to just sit back and let him handle things and speak for her.
I don't pretend to know all the ins and outs of a Dominant/submissive relationship, but for me, what came across as sexy in the bedroom became controlling and manipulative when it branched over to every other aspect of the relationship. So, to sum it up, this steamy read is well-written and interesting, but somewhere along the way, it began to lose that special something that makes me want to root for a couple's happy ending.
I quite enjoyed the beginning of this one. It takes right off, some eight years after Rick and Sara met. That meeting is the source of the animosity between them as Rick continues to bring out Sara's sass and sarcasm. I also found myself quickly warming up to both characters and I loved their back and forth as they butted heads over everything, all while attempting to convince themselves that there isn't an attraction between them.
The circumstances surrounding Sara's grudge against Rick as well as those that give him the opening to propose an arrangement of sorts are a little over the top, but they do make for some amusing situations. However, it was shortly after that arrangement that my feelings for these characters began to change. Rick started as a decidedly alpha male who is overprotective and a Dominant to boot. His need to keep Sara safe seemed almost second nature to him and was part of what made him so likable and endearing. His proposal, which is more a coercion than an offer, brought about a change in him that rubbed me the wrong way. What started as overprotective became more like overbearing. Considering the BDSM elements of the story, I expected this in the bedroom, but Rick's actions bordered on controlling when they affected Sara's career and where she should be working.
The same can be said of Sara, who had no problem speaking her mind and standing up for herself in the beginning. Once she accepts Rick's terms, she is like a different person. She still has some of her sass, but she's all too willing to just sit back and let him handle things and speak for her.
I don't pretend to know all the ins and outs of a Dominant/submissive relationship, but for me, what came across as sexy in the bedroom became controlling and manipulative when it branched over to every other aspect of the relationship. So, to sum it up, this steamy read is well-written and interesting, but somewhere along the way, it began to lose that special something that makes me want to root for a couple's happy ending.
❃❃As posted at The Romance Reviews
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