Reviewer: Andrea
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
The Summary:
The highly anticipated complete novel of The Professional—the first installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s scorching Game Maker series, an erotica collection that has readers asking: How hot is too hot?
He makes the rules…
Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss knows no bounds, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, feisty redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.
Rules are made to be broken…
Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.
Are you ready to play?
Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true. . .
The Review:
OH MY! Kresely Cole, you should have done this a long time ago! This novel was shocking and exciting in that way that makes you think “I shouldn’t be enjoying this.” Think Fifty Shades but better written and WAY less thesaurically- frustrating!
With scenes that would make the Marquis de Sade proud, this novel made me blush and wonder at my enjoyment at the same time. If one enjoys a BDSM novel, does that mean there is something wrong with said one? Hmm . . . At any rate, I’m a huge Kresley Cole fan, and I wasn’t disappointed with her foray into this genre. (Let’s call it naughty romance. That sounds much less harmless than bondage eroticism, don’t you think?)
Yes, the story was cliché at times—orphan learns of her ultra-rich father who happens to be a mafiya magnate with a heart of gold and a mansion to match only to fall for his privlekatel’nyy (Russian for attractive, I hope) enforcer with the damaged psyche and more baggage than Louis Vuitton. And yes, there’s not a lot of depth to the backstory, but who cares?! The novel pulled me in from page one, and I couldn’t devour it fast enough!
I loved this novel, and I can’t wait to learn about the other Sevastyan brothers, which is where I assume the series is headed. But readers beware. This is not a stroll-through-the-park romance. It’s dark and very twisted at times, but if you enjoy kink with a touch of romance, you’ll not be disappointed.
