Release Book

4 ½ stars - Romantic Suspense/Erotica/BDSM

This is my fifth read by Beth Kery and she continually delivers when it comes to 'must have a fan handy, bust the thermostat hotness'. She packed an emotional, erotic punch with Wicked Burn, showed true originality and genius with Daring Time, and took risks with dark, kinky Sweet Restraint, but Paradise Rules was a bit of a disappointment, mainly because I really disliked the characters. I'm glad to say that for the most part, Kery seems to be back on track (at least for me) with her latest erotic romantic suspense novel, Release.

Chicago fashion designer and boutique owner Genevieve "Genny" Bujold and her ex-CIA turned security specialist husband, Max Sauren, engaged in an illicit ménage on New Year's Eve with Max's business partner, ex-Army officer Sean Kennedy, three years ago that led to disastrous consequences, including a devastating end to Genny and Sean's would-be love affair and a shocking murder. When a series of strange events and a Chicago blizzard bring Sean and Genny back together, can Sean win Genny's submission and heart, even though secrets and lies from the past threaten to tear them apart once again?

Release has steamy sex, raw, powerful emotion, an intriguing murder mystery plot, and an ex-military alpha hero with a major dominant streak in the bedroom who makes a yummy-as-sin hero, despite the fact that he seriously overuses the endearment "girl" for the 30-year-old heroine, even though it's delivered in a sexy New Orleans drawl, to the point of annoyance and distraction at times. Once again, Kery turns up the heat and conveys intense eroticism with a book that's full of scorching hot sensuality and mildly kinky BDSM sex, including bondage, spanking with a flogger/crop, anal sex, a flashback M/F/M ménage sequence, and of course dirty talk by the hero, who seems to have a proclivity for giving detailed instructions of precisely what he wants.

Overall, it's a satisfying erotic romantic suspense read with lots of twists and surprises, a hunkalicious, Dom hero, and wicked, turn down the AC hot sex! 4 ½ stars!