Review: Tied to His Betrayal (Dirty Little Secrets #2)

Tied to His Betrayal (Dirty Little Secrets #2)

by Stacey Kennedy 

Blurb:

Darius Bennett can’t live without supreme control. A self-made billionaire, he’s rich enough to get anything—and any woman—he wants, yet he’s still haunted by a broken relationship. Five years ago, Darius let Taylor Erikson go because he knew he could never give her what she truly wanted: his heart. But the moment Taylor walks back into his life, bruised and beaten, Darius blames himself. To make good on his betrayal, he vows to help her heal—in and out of the sheets.

Once upon a time, Darius was Taylor’s world. Now his fierce embrace is exactly what she needs to get back on her feet. But Taylor pays a heavy price for her sizzling nights with Darius. As the emotional ties become stronger than ever and the paparazzi hunt her down for their next juicy story, Taylor must face some hard truths. They can’t go back. And to move forward, the key to loving Darius isn’t about keeping his secrets—it’s about exposing them.

Themes: Erotica, BDSM

Rating: 3.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 Ok once again I am struck with a dilemma; I enjoyed this story very much, despite the fact that I really HATE reading romance novels in first person when the story jumps back and forth from POV to POV.  This was a story of second-chance-love for sure, but there were a lot of tears, a lot of really scary truths and a woman that has loved a man for years even when he pushed her away and she tried to find a way to survive without him. Darius pushed away Taylor many years ago, hoping to allow her to grow and experience life, even though it broke his own heart just as much as hers.  He believed he knew what was best for her and his decision has led to some really serious consequences that are coming to light currently.  Taylor has tried hard to move on with her life, but once again she finds herself depending on Darius and falling back in love with him.  She wants to be able to trust him with her heart, but deep down she knows he can’t change and truly offer what she needs because he is too stubborn and determined that he knows what the best course of action for all is. I liked Taylor even in the few moments that she was completely a wimp, her inner strength came out when she really needed it, but overall she was a character that I liked reading about.  Darius was kind of an ass most of the time, even if he was a sexy-as-hell ass.  Truly there were issues the man needed to come to terms with, but in the end when he finally pulled himself together and found the love that was always within his reach, I found I was rooting for him to get his HEA.  The chemistry between these two was off the charts, even though it was obviously difficult for them admit their feelings even all these years later.  The passion that carried them quickly into deep waters was sensual and hot enough to keep me reading even when I felt like putting down the book.  Overall I am liking this series, by one of my favorite erotic authors, but once the series ends, I hope (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE) that Stacey returns to the standard third person POV which is where my heart and attention truly lies. Looking forward to the next two stories and finding out who seems to be after the DC men and the women that are grabbing their hearts.

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