Like all Sinclair's books, this was a fast and (mostly) fun book for me. I don't enjoy (reading about) the public play aspect of the lifestyle, so I didn't enjoy those sections as much--and there's a lot of them. and Xavier is a bit more controlling than a lot of the other heroes in Sinclair's other books. I guess it goes with having had slaves for so long, or is just where's he's at on the spectrum, but no thanks. I liked Abby a lot as a character. I could relate to her very much, as an intellectual and someone who avoids conflict as much as possible. That whole not being able to turn off your mind thing is very much a problem I can relate to. As is conflict avoidance and difficulty identifying and expressing negative emotions. Xavier was a little TOO dominant for my taste--but I liked his back story and the person he was. and he certainly wasn't presented as perfect or all knowing. For that reason, I thought I'd find this overall story more engaging--but I didn't. I read it like a regular romance novel, almost skipping through some of their sex scenes. They just didn't engage me. (In fact, the "harem" scene at the end kinda freaked me out. no thanks!) I will admit that I found the heavy inclusion of Lindsey and some of her POV a bit distracting--the extra POV is not Sinclair's normal format, and I felt like it took attention away from Abby and Xavier. I'd love to hear more about Lindsey, possibly with the Enforcer, but I'd rather she have her own story written. I did enjoy seeing how characters from other stories in the series have progressed on with their relationships and lifestyle after that first flush of romance was over. Another distraction for me from the emotion of the story was the analysis of BDSM as a lifestyle and community, from an anthropological view, in Abby's head. I felt like I learned more, and I enjoyed the perspective. It even flowed with the story pretty well. It just didn't keep me focused on the love story. Overall, the story was enjoyable. I appreciated having a main character with a lot of the same emotional and intellectual qualities I've dealt with, as they're not common heroine qualities in a Janet Evanovich/ Sookie Stackhouse world. I'm not sorry I read it, but given how little it engaged me, compared to Sinclair's other books, I doubt that I'll reread it. Then again, maybe sometime I'll read it when I can read uninterrupted and see if I enjoy it more when not reading it in small chunks amid lots of distractions. it's certainly not a priority, though. Still, if you enjoy the genre, it is worth a read, if nothing else, to read about a smart girl who gets some too. (Also, the sly shout-out to Club Shadowlands and Master Z is fun.) As is usual in Cherise Sinclair books, we have briefly seen all or some of the characters in previous books and any new ones we meet may well turn up in future books (There's a nice hint at Xavier being friends with Zachery, who if you've read the other series by this author is the owner of Shadowlands). We have met Xavier Leduc in previous books. He is the owner of Dark Haven and is called My Liege. I hate it the title, it made me cringe, made me think he was pompous and full of self importance but we find out he dislikes it and my view of him changed somewhat. Professor Abigail Bern goes to Dark Haven to research secretly for an academic publication but gets drawn into a demonstration with Xavier. He calls her 'little fluff' which as pet names go was terrible. Previous books there's been 'little rebel' and 'sprite' so 'little fluff' seems a poor effort in my opinion. Anyway, despite that, Xavier and Abigail are electric together but the problem for Xavier is he only wants a play partner, he has avoided anything more since his wife died. The longer Abigail kept the secret as to why she first attended the club I was waiting for it to erupt, the longer her new friends didn't know the worse it would be and they find out in the worst way. When Abigail is being publicly punished in the club, the act of Xavier giving her his braid to hold while she's blindfolded and scary is strangely heartwarming. Such a small thing made my heart flutter and think there was hope for them. The play scenes they have are erotic, exciting and imaginative. Her punishment made me cross my legs and hide, poor thing.This is the best of the series so far.
What do You think about My Liege Of Dark Haven (2012)?
Rereading in preparation for Edge of the Enforcer due out later this week!
—Savon
