Review: Bound Beneath His Pain (Dirty Little Secrets #1)

Bound Beneath His Pain (Dirty Little Secrets #1)

by Stacey Kennedy

Blurb:

Real estate mogul Micah Holt exerts absolute control over all aspects of his life. He keeps his dark side hidden away from the press, who will chase down any hint of scandal. He’s always in command of his world, careful to expose his closely guarded secrets only to those he knows he can trust. Then Allie Bennett shakes his legendary discipline. She’s beautiful, pure, untainted. But is Micah willing to sacrifice her innocence for his own selfish obsessions?

When that sexy smile makes her body burn, Allie tries with all her might to ignore it. For one thing, Micah's her new boss. For another, he's as complicated as he is devastatingly handsome. Still, Allie can only fight so much before she gives in to his dangerous games. She knows he's got dark secrets. But when she discovers the true depth of his pain, Allie must decide how far she's willing to go to light the way for love.

Themes:  erotica

Rating: 3.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Ok so I have to preface this review as saying I am NOT a fan of stories written in first person, especially ones where the first person POV changes back and forth from one person to another throughout the story.  It is just a personal issue with me and I have only ever found 1 or 2 authors that can do it well enough that it doesn’t drive me utterly insane.  And as much as I enjoyed the content of this novel, I did NOT care for this change in writing style from the original series (Club Sin) that I read and which lead me to request this story as well.  Had it been written in third person and I could have really gotten into the meat of the story, I imagine this one would have gotten more stars, but it just seemed to be missing something to me in this writing style.

That being said, the story itself was a fun read and I enjoyed seeing Allie and Micah maneuvering around one another as they tried to find a way to both get what they wanted. This series revolves around the Masters of the DC, or Dominants Council, that we met previously in the Club Sin series finale.  I was very intrigued when I learned they would have their own story and wanted very much to read them.  Going into the first in the series, I expected something similar to the Club Sin series but what I got was very different.  Micah has just acquired a new business to add to his outrageously large holdings and along with it comes the sweet and intriguing Allie.  Their first interaction leaves them both wondering if they should pursue the heat that runs under their skin like a live current ready to spark into an explosion.  Even though Allie resists him as much as she possibly can, Micah is ultimate able to break her down and convince her to give him a chance.  Micah was an interesting guy, obviously a dominant by nature, but he was not the confident and strong man I expected in all ways, still unsure and hiding parts of himself that Allie needed to see to feel fully connected with him.  I loved seeing him finally come to terms with his part, thanks to Allie’s help, and finally accepting that darker part of his nature, once he stopped being an ass.  Allie on the other hand was a great character from the very beginning.  She held her ground against the extremely dominant Micah and continuously called him on his crap, making him really think about his actions and how they affect people.  I loved seeing her discovering all of Micah’s secrets and then surprising him at every turn and defying his expectations.  She was truly a gem of a character and I only hope the rest of the gals in the coming stories are just as great.  The series will revolve around all the men on the DC and I look forward to seeing them each find their match and (hopefully) someone to embrace all sides of their natures, especially Derek, Allie’s half-brother, who’s book is next I do believe.  While I didn’t care for the writing style I am willing to work through it in hopes that the rest of the stories give me as many laughs, tears, and hot-flashes as Micah and Allie’s story of lust, dominance, love and acceptance.

*Note- if you are looking for a story revolving around simple sex or dungeon BDSM scenes, this will not be the story for you.  But if you are looking for a story about a true loving relationship, where there is just enough Dominance to add some spice then you will enjoy Bound Beneath His Pain.

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.