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Serving Him
(The Retreat #1)
by
An escape from the real world can only ever be temporary.
Rowan Stanton knows he is submissive. He loves to look after people but the country hotel he works at can’t quite fulfil his need to serve. When he succeeds at getting a new role as houseboy at The Retreat, an exclusive BDSM hideaway in the New Forest, he believes it’s his dream job. Inexperienced in many ways, he so ...more
Rowan Stanton knows he is submissive. He loves to look after people but the country hotel he works at can’t quite fulfil his need to serve. When he succeeds at getting a new role as houseboy at The Retreat, an exclusive BDSM hideaway in the New Forest, he believes it’s his dream job. Inexperienced in many ways, he so ...more
ebook, 151 pages
Published
July 24th 2018
by Pride Publishing
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Start your review of Serving Him (The Retreat, #1)

Tender and salacious, L.M. Somerton’s Serving Him is a romantic escape to a kinky paradise. The story is compelling, with enough drama to keep it moving along, and the BDSM scenes are refreshingly creative. Low on angst and high on passion, Serving Him is the perfect getaway.
This is my favorite kind of romance, where the characters are clearly perfect for each other and waiting for them to figure it out is the best kind of torture. At 21 and 29 respectively, while there isn’t a big gap in their ...more
This is my favorite kind of romance, where the characters are clearly perfect for each other and waiting for them to figure it out is the best kind of torture. At 21 and 29 respectively, while there isn’t a big gap in their ...more

Dnf at 46%
I was in the mood for a BDSM book and this one had just the right premise for it. After spending almost half the book waiting for the MCs to meet for the first time, and getting bored in the meantime with all the scenes with secondary characters from another series by the author, though, the relationship fell on its face pretty quickly. I’m not feeling the chemistry and the sex scenes felt so mechanical to me that I skimmed for the most part. Since everything else is average at best, ...more
I was in the mood for a BDSM book and this one had just the right premise for it. After spending almost half the book waiting for the MCs to meet for the first time, and getting bored in the meantime with all the scenes with secondary characters from another series by the author, though, the relationship fell on its face pretty quickly. I’m not feeling the chemistry and the sex scenes felt so mechanical to me that I skimmed for the most part. Since everything else is average at best, ...more

Rowan and Larcon
Thát was fun. I enjoyed this story a lot.
Rowan, a pure submissive young boy, gets a job as a houseboy at The Retreat an exclusive BDSM resort where all his dreams can come true. His first Sir for the next four weeks will be Larcon a rich business man.
Larcon freed himself from all the business he had and wants to dedicate his future as a Dominant, The Retreat is an excellent start.
We are witness of a beautiful relationship with nonstop D/s scenes. Larcon explores every limit Ro ...more
Thát was fun. I enjoyed this story a lot.
Rowan, a pure submissive young boy, gets a job as a houseboy at The Retreat an exclusive BDSM resort where all his dreams can come true. His first Sir for the next four weeks will be Larcon a rich business man.
Larcon freed himself from all the business he had and wants to dedicate his future as a Dominant, The Retreat is an excellent start.
We are witness of a beautiful relationship with nonstop D/s scenes. Larcon explores every limit Ro ...more

This book starts off with the first 30% setting up what the retreat is, letting us meet Rowan and then a small amount of time getting to know Lorcan, Mr. Wilder. That's a huge chunk of this book that the main characters don't interact with each other at all. Add in that the time Mr. Wilder is scheduled to be at the retreat is only for 4 weeks, you can imagine how rushed this relationship feels.
The part that is really frustrating is how clinical the writing is. All the BDSM scenes are explained ...more
The part that is really frustrating is how clinical the writing is. All the BDSM scenes are explained ...more

A Joyfully Jay review.
2.5 stars
There was a lot of giggling in Serving Him. Just giggling all over the place. But only by subs. Apparently Doms never giggle, nor anyone else. Just subservient men. This annoyed from the outset because it felt somehow belittling and playing to outdated stereotypes. I have no doubt the author didn’t mean this to be the case, but it turned me off right away. I can’t say my overall impression improved much.
The book is written adequately, though it’s somewhat simplist ...more
2.5 stars
There was a lot of giggling in Serving Him. Just giggling all over the place. But only by subs. Apparently Doms never giggle, nor anyone else. Just subservient men. This annoyed from the outset because it felt somehow belittling and playing to outdated stereotypes. I have no doubt the author didn’t mean this to be the case, but it turned me off right away. I can’t say my overall impression improved much.
The book is written adequately, though it’s somewhat simplist ...more

The concept of The Retreat in general is quite interesting, and makes for a great backdrop for this new series. You do not need to have read the series that preceded this (from which this one spun off) in order to enjoy this one—I didn’t—though once you finish Serving Him you’ll probably find your interest piqued for it as I did.
Rowan is a submissive who has an intense need to serve, so landing a job as houseboy at The Retreat seems like the perfect situation for him. He’s attentive and anticipa ...more
Rowan is a submissive who has an intense need to serve, so landing a job as houseboy at The Retreat seems like the perfect situation for him. He’s attentive and anticipa ...more

~ 4.5 Stars ~
Serving Him is book one in a new series for Somerton that is a spinoff of her popular Tales from the Edge series. Right from the beginning, we get to see some of our favorite characters from those stories, and it immediately makes you feel at home in this new one. Because this is the first of the series, Somerton does quite a bit of scene work or giving this new series a place to unfold. She does a great job of laying the groundwork for future books while keeping us focused on our ...more
Serving Him is book one in a new series for Somerton that is a spinoff of her popular Tales from the Edge series. Right from the beginning, we get to see some of our favorite characters from those stories, and it immediately makes you feel at home in this new one. Because this is the first of the series, Somerton does quite a bit of scene work or giving this new series a place to unfold. She does a great job of laying the groundwork for future books while keeping us focused on our ...more

The owner of The Underground BDSM club (from the Tales from the Edge series) is opening The Retreat, an upscale getaway estate where guests can stay for extended lengths of time (think vacation with BDSM themed accommodations). Lorcan is using his stay at the Retreat as a way to recharge and change the direction of his life which, up until this point, has been solely on his business. He’s now selling the company and ready to live life for himself.
Rowan is a young guy who likes to serve people, b ...more

4 Stars!
I've been wanting to read this author's books for a while and I was happy to give this one a try. I will say that for as a new reader, the beginning of this book was a little rough for me. This book must be a spin-off from the Tales from the Edge series and the first part of chapter one felt like I was walking into something I should have known more about. However, once we meet Rowan, things got much easier for me.
Rowan knows he is a submissive, but he is pretty inexperienced. He likes ...more
I've been wanting to read this author's books for a while and I was happy to give this one a try. I will say that for as a new reader, the beginning of this book was a little rough for me. This book must be a spin-off from the Tales from the Edge series and the first part of chapter one felt like I was walking into something I should have known more about. However, once we meet Rowan, things got much easier for me.
Rowan knows he is a submissive, but he is pretty inexperienced. He likes ...more

Well well well....this is the first time I've read this author and I have to admit that I really like the writing style. Although this is a shorter read, it's very well done and kept me glued to my Kindle.
Rowen is a submissive by nature. No, really. He's in a comfort zone when he's serving others, making them happy and feeling useful. After working in the hotel business for a while, he's applied to an exclusive club that created The Retreat for only a selected few. Leaving his job, aunt and bes ...more
Rowen is a submissive by nature. No, really. He's in a comfort zone when he's serving others, making them happy and feeling useful. After working in the hotel business for a while, he's applied to an exclusive club that created The Retreat for only a selected few. Leaving his job, aunt and bes ...more

When I read the blurb I was intrigued by the premise and the characters. I enjoyed reading about Rowan and Lorcan, though I wanted more. There was something missing from their relationship and it didn’t feel entirely real to me. When I read BDSM I need to feel the connection between the characters to believe the relationship. There are so many aspects of the lifestyle that is based on trust and I need to be able to see that.
While I could feel the connection between Rowan and Lorcan I felt like ...more
While I could feel the connection between Rowan and Lorcan I felt like ...more

What an unexpected delight this book was! I loved the location, setup and characters involved in this story.
Rowan needs to look after people, it's all he's ever wanted to do and his new job at The Retreat, a BDSM hotel in the country, allows him to do that for whatever Dom pays for his time.
Lorcan has just sold his business after losing ten years of his life to it and now wants to immerse himself in his dominant side which has been neglected for far too long. A four week stay at The Retreat is j ...more
Rowan needs to look after people, it's all he's ever wanted to do and his new job at The Retreat, a BDSM hotel in the country, allows him to do that for whatever Dom pays for his time.
Lorcan has just sold his business after losing ten years of his life to it and now wants to immerse himself in his dominant side which has been neglected for far too long. A four week stay at The Retreat is j ...more

Rowan Stanton Knows he is a submissive, and is at ease with himself. He is adorable. Nieve but in the cute way With an inner strength.
When Rowan hears of a job at an exclusive BDSM retreat as a House Boy, he knows he has to apply for the job. At his interview the owner is impressed with him, and offers him the position.
Lorcan Wilder, Has soold his company tht he has built up over the years at the expense of his personal life, and decides the first place he will visit is The Retreat, He wants to ...more
When Rowan hears of a job at an exclusive BDSM retreat as a House Boy, he knows he has to apply for the job. At his interview the owner is impressed with him, and offers him the position.
Lorcan Wilder, Has soold his company tht he has built up over the years at the expense of his personal life, and decides the first place he will visit is The Retreat, He wants to ...more

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3.75 stars
Overall, this was a sweet book with some steamy sexy times and a nice HFN at the end. We meet Rowan and I was immediately drawn to him. He is super sweet and endearing. The author did a great job of making him human and easily relatable with his infectious personality. He is charming in an innocent and accident-prone sort of way.
I like Lorcan as well, but wanted to get more into him outside of him being a dominant. We did get both MCs POVs but I am pretty sure we got more from Rowan a ...more
Overall, this was a sweet book with some steamy sexy times and a nice HFN at the end. We meet Rowan and I was immediately drawn to him. He is super sweet and endearing. The author did a great job of making him human and easily relatable with his infectious personality. He is charming in an innocent and accident-prone sort of way.
I like Lorcan as well, but wanted to get more into him outside of him being a dominant. We did get both MCs POVs but I am pretty sure we got more from Rowan a ...more

I was given an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
When I was offered the chance to read this book early I jumped at it. I have all of L.M. Somerton's books and I love each and every one of them. Her writing gets me in every time and I thoroughly enjoy the storylines.
Serving Him - book 1 of The Retreat - is a new series but it is a spin off from Tales From The Edge. At the very start of the book some favourites from The Edge appear but when we move further in to the story we are deal ...more
When I was offered the chance to read this book early I jumped at it. I have all of L.M. Somerton's books and I love each and every one of them. Her writing gets me in every time and I thoroughly enjoy the storylines.
Serving Him - book 1 of The Retreat - is a new series but it is a spin off from Tales From The Edge. At the very start of the book some favourites from The Edge appear but when we move further in to the story we are deal ...more

I looked forward to reading this book after I read the blurb but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. Rowan is sweet, accident-prone, innocent and very likeable but I want to know more about him and his past. He doesn't have a lot of experience as a submissive and seems to be out of his depth with Lorcan. Their relationship didn't feel real to me and the lack of emotion from Lorcan is weird. They don't have much of a connection and the BDSM scenes are very clinical. I don't like
...more

3.5 Stars ~ I am ecstatic that the author decided to write a crossover series based on the BDSM retreat created by Carey and Alistair, two of my favorite characters from L.M. Somerton’s ‘Tales from the Edge’ series. Since that series continues to reign as one of my all-time favorites in the Dom/sub genre, I was delighted to see some favorite characters (Olly!) plus watch as The Retreat took its very first client. The Retreat is different from The Edge in that it is designed to handle one client
...more

This book is a strong start to a series I expect to enjoy greatly. Rowan is sweet and almost innocent, and he is also a submissive who enjoys pain. Lorcan is a young self-made tycoon, who is ready to take a break from business and learn to enjoy life. A big part of starting his new lifestyle is focusing more time enjoying the pleasures of BDSM that he gets from dominating a sweet sub. At The Retreat, a new kinky hideaway, these men are brought together as Dom and sub. Lorcan has an entire house
...more

L.M. Somerton did a great job with this book. I found it sweet with a respectful representation of BDSM. It definitely is a great start to the series.
The character development could have used a little more. I wanted a better connection between them instead of just revolving around the BDSM aspect. However, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. It was a lovely read with these two. The world building was excellent. I’d definitely love to visit the retreat and the world the author created.
The storyl ...more
The character development could have used a little more. I wanted a better connection between them instead of just revolving around the BDSM aspect. However, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. It was a lovely read with these two. The world building was excellent. I’d definitely love to visit the retreat and the world the author created.
The storyl ...more

I Forgot How Good L. M. Somerton's Books Are
I haven't read an L. M. Somerton book now for a couple of years and forgotten how good they are. This series is a spinoff of The Edge series which featured The Underground while this one features The Retreat. Rowan and Lorcan meet at The Retreat where Lorcan is decompressing for 4 weeks while Rowan services him as a houseboy and submissive. Of course such intense and in depth involvement quickly deepens their connection and Lorcan proposes a work/perso ...more
I haven't read an L. M. Somerton book now for a couple of years and forgotten how good they are. This series is a spinoff of The Edge series which featured The Underground while this one features The Retreat. Rowan and Lorcan meet at The Retreat where Lorcan is decompressing for 4 weeks while Rowan services him as a houseboy and submissive. Of course such intense and in depth involvement quickly deepens their connection and Lorcan proposes a work/perso ...more

Great start to a new series. Rowan is a beautiful submissive who truly loves to and needs to serve. Getting the job as a houseboy at The Retreat gives him the perfect dom for him, Lorcan. They truly are perfect together, Rowan and Lorcan fall into a perfect rhythm. Lorcan knows just how far to push Rowan in his submission. I love watching their bond grow stronger and stronger throughout the story. Looking forward to more from this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this boo ...more
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this boo ...more

🔥🔥🔥💖 Hot..LOVED this. Lorcan and Rowan are beautiful together. I loved Rowan for his innocence and sparky personality. Lorcan was a Dom with a compassion and wasn't expecting to find Rowan at the retreat. This was a first read for this author and couldn't put this down.. Highly recommended for lovers of BDSM.
Lorcan wanted to stay at The Retreat lodge as a reward for his business dealings. A Dom and was wanting a sub to play with only his needed to be blonde.
Rowan 21 and accident prone, was exci ...more
Lorcan wanted to stay at The Retreat lodge as a reward for his business dealings. A Dom and was wanting a sub to play with only his needed to be blonde.
Rowan 21 and accident prone, was exci ...more

I haven't read a lot of BDSM recently and I enjoyed getting into it again. This one was a nice start to the new series with likeable characters all around. I did like Rowan and Lorcan together but I confess to being even more intrigued by what will be in store for Luke in the next book.
And the ending 'cost' this book a star. I really do want happy endings in my books and this one was only a HFN in my book. ...more
And the ending 'cost' this book a star. I really do want happy endings in my books and this one was only a HFN in my book. ...more

A really enjoyable read
This is an excellent story set in a prestigious BDSM retreat centre where Lorcan, an American Dom who needs space, meets his sub for the month, Rowan. The building of their relationship, the description of the setting, and the side characters was really good, and I hope that there will be more in the series.
This is an excellent story set in a prestigious BDSM retreat centre where Lorcan, an American Dom who needs space, meets his sub for the month, Rowan. The building of their relationship, the description of the setting, and the side characters was really good, and I hope that there will be more in the series.

I love L.M. Somerton's work. I know that when I buy one of her books I will get a well written, solid story with interesting characters and some solid heat. The Retreat series is a spinoff from The Edge series and many characters from The Edge appeared in this story and will, hopefully, be in other books in this series.
...more

LOVED IT!!!!! Mr. Lorcan Wilder is super hot (and that name…hot as well) and the way he cares for Rowan is awesome. Loved Rowan's quirkiness and the support characters were good….quite a few had me giggling. A very good, light-hearted novel.
...more

I loved this book!! Not only because it was A. Wesome, but because guess who made an appearance???? Squeeeeee!!! OLLY!!! *Happy dance* it was so good. I'm now anxious to see Luke and Tor get their subs as well. And maybe Rayne needs a touch or two lol! I need more!!
...more
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Lucinda lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.
She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She's fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially betwee ...more
She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She's fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially betwee ...more
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