Review of Zane's Choice by Mardi Maxwell

Zane's Choice by Mardi Maxwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Zane’s Choice proved to be quite the action-packed thrill ride as Zane wars with himself over his professional obligations and his love of a woman who may be guilty of some rather egregious crimes. That Ravyn is a feisty woman who has cultivated a take-no-prisoners personality to protect herself from the world her father and husband thrust her into just means that the sparks are flying. Of course no Ramsey courtship would be complete without Addison’s meddling, so we are treated to plenty of her shenanigans as she does her part to see Zane find his happily ever after.

I think I finally figured out what’s missing from this series that is keeping it from being a 5-star read for me. There seems to be very little attention paid to teaching the ladies about the D/s lifestyle. Granted, it has been a while since I read the first two books in the series, but as I recall all of the heroines have little to no experience with the D/s lifestyle. While they had a tendency to be submissive (in the bedroom, at least), none of them were experienced subs yet they were all expected to act accordingly. As such, the Ramsey brothers come off as demanding men rather than commanding Doms. While this may seem like semantics, it’s a missing ingredient for me that causes them to be good books rather than great books. Zane is no different in this respect from his brothers and it is his desire for a Master/slave relationship that was the “light bulb moment” for me. I do believe that Zane says they’ve talked about what he wanted in an M/s relationship, but there was little more beyond that discussion-wise. Ravyn seemed to be expected to know what Zane wanted from her. Not including the negotiation and “training” scenes is most likely why I’ve found the D/s relationships lacking in this series.

That said, Ms. Maxwell clearly made up for that with the amount of action, romance, and suspense she includes in this installment. Ravyn proves herself to be a strong character with her refusal to take the easy way out. Fortunately for her, the Ramseys are a protective lot once they’ve claimed someone, so Ravyn gets the helps she needs without asking for it. The twists and turns are aplenty and the level of suspense is what made Zane’s Choice such an enjoyable read for me. And I just gotta say, THAT was an unexpected bomb dropped at the end of the book! I can’t say I saw it coming either, but it certainly bodes well for the next book in the series as do the numerous new characters that were introduced. Let the stalking for book five begin.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Zane's Choice by Mardi Maxwell blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Review of Their Temporary Sub by Mardi Maxwell

Their Temporary Sub by Mardi Maxwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



While I enjoyed Their Temporary Sub, I really wish I had reread books one and two prior to starting it because I felt lost for far too long while reading it. I love ménage books, so I’ve been looking forward to reading Luc and Logan’s story. However, the speed with which the relationship between them and Cassie developed felt accelerated. As it has been six months and at least 200 books since I read Jackson’s Sub, I attributed the “rushed” feeling to being out of the flow of the series.

That said, after finishing Their Temporary Sub, I went back and reread Jackson’s Sub from where Cassie first enters the book and there just weren’t enough interactions between the three to balance it out. There seems to be a chunk of time missing despite the fact that book three picks up at the scene on which book two ended. Both Cassie and Luc’s emotions and wavering kept me dizzy for a large part of the book and not always in a good way. Fortunately, Logan was the stable and driving force that bonded them together – except for a singular incident, he remained steadfast in moving forward with the ménage relationship with his twin and Cassie.

As for that singular incident, it was Thor’s reaction that baffled me most when he chose to believe the word of someone he didn’t know over his goddaughter, whom he helped raise. Thank goodness the Ramsey men aren’t drawn to weak-willed women and Cassie was able to “prove” her innocence, getting everything back on track. And because love – and hormones – conquer all, the three forged ahead with their relationship … and lots of hot sex. While Their Temporary Sub was not everything I hoped it would be, it was still an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Zane’s Choice.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Review of Jackson's Sub by Mardi Maxwell

Jackson's Sub by Mardi Maxwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Ramsey brothers are back in Jackson's Sub, the second installment of The Doms of Club Mystique series. This time around we get to enjoy the entertaining and steamy antics of Jackson and Jenna. Much like her best friend Addison, Jenna has been harboring a crush for a Ramsey brother for years - Jackson. And just like his brother Cade, Jackson doesn't think he's capable of loving a woman without hurting her. So despite his feelings, Jackson deliberately drives a wedge between him and Jenna after spending the night together. Fast forward a year and we find Jenna staying at the Ramsey's ranch while she helps Addison with wedding plans. As expected, Jackson and Jenna under the same roof makes for an entertaining read and some seriously hot sex scenes.

What was not expected, was the level of action and intrigue as we learned more about the brothers' biological parents. I enjoyed the expansion of this subplot as well as the insight it provides into Cade and some of the things he did in the first book. One of the things I enjoy about this kind of series is the follow-up on characters from previous books and I like that the author continued the character development of both Cade and Addison even though they weren't the focus of this book. Even more so, I enjoyed the groundwork she laid for the twins' book and I cannot wait until it is released.

Ms. Maxwell has provided us a well written and enjoyable novel in The Doms of Club Mystique series and I am impatiently waiting for the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Jackson's Sub Tour Stop! blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Review of To Love and Obey by Mardi Maxwell

To Love and Obey by Mardi Maxwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thoroughly enjoyed reading To Love and Obey. Cade has a strong alpha Dom personality but has convinced himself that he can close the door on his dominant tendencies and lead a vanilla lifestyle with Addison when he gets ready to settle down and get married. As such, he never told Addison about his sexual preferences, so it’s not surprising that she felt betrayed when she walked on him sharing his brother’s girlfriend with him and a third brother. I did have a problem with Cade’s tendency to ignore Addison when she disagreed with him and at times strong-arming her into doing what he wanted. This leads me Addison who, while I loved her character most of the time, had an annoying habit of letting Cade control her in ways that conflicted with her personality otherwise. The biggest example of that was when he made her sign the contract. Nothing in their negotiations indicated that she was getting any of the terms she requested or that she wanted the terms they came to. For a red-head with a fiery temper, her personality was doused several times by Cade in ways that just didn’t jive with her character.

Despite this minor character issue, I enjoyed To Love and Obey and Ms. Maxwell’s writing. This was a fast-paced book with the right amount of action, hot sex (it is a BDSM book after all), and love that succeeds in kicking off the series right. I will be reading the sequel and hope to read future books in the series as I found the Ramsey brother’s quite interesting and cannot wait until the twins get their own book…their preference for symmetry just screams ménage relationship.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Jackson's Sub Tour Stop! blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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