A satisfying build to an unexpected climax.
Being an erotica-novel virgin, I was expecting sex scene after sex scene, with only chapter breaks to catch my breath. But Loving Blake was more than just detailed titillation. It was several chapters in before clothes started flying, which allowed time to get to know the characters and their circumstances for meeting.
Blake is a strong, no-nonsense businesswoman, who brings boardroom dominance into the bedroom. The blurred lines between love and business, sex and legal contracts was a fascinating element. Benjamin is Blake’s latest tenant: he stays in her guest house and she helps his career, and in return, he fulfills her sexual appetites. But just because your arrangement is signed on the dotted line, doesn’t mean what happens next will be black and white.
Though a couple of the sex scenes sounded similar—and more time in the pleasure pit would have been exciting—the majority were vivid and intense, with both Blake and Benjamin taking their turns at dominating the other. Suspense and mystery are introduced with an ex-tenant/lover and a dead body, and while the ending was a surprise, I found it rather bleak. No spoilers, but when the end villain was revealed, the anger and revenge brewing inside this character would’ve been great to have seen hints of earlier and establish they had this darker side to their personality. Instead, motivation and exposition all come at once at the end.
This is a sexy, erotic novel with as many unexpected turns as whips and handcuffs. However you feel about the ending, you’ll be jumping for the next book to see what happens next.