Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (382 pages)
Other: BDSM, M/F, Anal Play, Toys, Spanking, Voyeurism
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Kennedia
His rough touch makes her lose control...
Rough Riders, Book 12
In Sundance, Wyoming, you can’t throw a boot without hitting a McKay cowboy, so Ben McKay is used to fading into the background. Except on weekends, when he’s Bennett, imposing Dom at The Rawhide Club, surrounded by a bevy of female subs eager for the attention of his long…whip.
As for the curvy brunette eying him from across the room? He’ll eat his Stetson if she's the experienced Domme she claims to be. Bennett offers her a deal—he’ll let her call the shots for one night. But the next night he gets to prove to her how freeing it'll be when he takes the reins.
Ainsley Hamilton is amazed by how well Bennett read her every secret yearning during that one explosive weekend—and she's stunned when they come face to face in their everyday lives as rancher and new bank president. Now Ben’s urging her to explore her submissive side outside the club, and there’s something in his commanding gaze that makes it too easy to let him take control—of her desires and her pleasure.
Can Ben help Ainsley overcome her fear that a relationship built on dark sexual appetites won’t survive the light of day?
Cowboy Casanova is number 12 in Lorelei James' Rough Rider series, and another winner in this reader's opinion. Ms. James continues to tantalize her readers with her unique style of writing that is fast paced, emotionally driven and sensually erotic. Readers are given Ms. James’ customary alpha male cowboy who has set out to tame the strong willed heroine and the continuing back story of the McKay family as a whole.
Ben McKay, the mild-mannered and mysterious rancher by day and Bennett McKay, the sexual dominant on the weekends are two sides of the same coin and the hero of Cowboy Casanova. Ben is a multi-faceted character who has a side he shares with everyone and then there is his Dom side that he only lets free behind the doors of the Rawhide Club. Ben has always known that he was a Dom but felt his family would consider him a deviant. As the story unfolds readers are given insight into Ben’s feelings about his place in his family and how he perceives himself in the BDSM environment. Ben doesn’t think that he will ever find a woman who will meet all his needs as a mate for life and has resigned himself to that fact, that is until his “Angel” with the wig appears in the Rawhide Club.
Ainsley Hamilton is a sexually disappointed divorced woman who is searching for answers to define what she wants in the bedroom. Ainsley is the president of the new bank in town and a conservative woman who is in total control of her life and job, but her sex life is missing something. Ainsley thinks she may be a submissive but she isn’t sure and enlists the help of her friend to get her into the Rawhide Club so she can observe the D/s lifestyle and maybe get some answers. Ainsley doesn’t exactly find answers but she does find trouble in the form of Bennett the Dom cowboy who wants to play with her.
Lorelei James' Rough Rider series always seems to incorporate some hard hitting issues and how the McKay's deal with them. This was not quite as hard hitting as alcoholism, although it is in the background of this story. This story deals more with the stigma that, because Ben enjoys being dominant in the bedroom and that he likes to dole out a little pain with his sexual exploits, he is a deviant. It also deals with the other side of the coin with Ainsley being a deviant because she likes to submit and likes to receive a little pain with her sex. I think the overall message here is that as long as both parties are consenting adults and can give and receive what their heart desires there is no right or wrong. What happens between them and behind closed bedroom doors is nobody else's business and should remain that way.
Ms. James writes this with both characters' points-of-view and does a phenomenal job of portraying her characters' thoughts and feelings. As readers we are given the opportunity to see that Ben isn't as self-confident as he would like everyone to think. Ben is not perfect and he makes mistakes in his relationship with Ainsley but he is also man enough to apologize for them and feels remorse. He has no desire to live the D/s lifestyle 24/7; he just wants a woman who can give him total control in the bedroom. We are also given insight into the confusion Ainsley is experiencing as she wrestles with the desire to be Ben’s sub but also be the conservative banker who doesn’t need her proclivities known all over town. Ms. James is very talented in her ability to engage the reader’s emotions in this story with her realistic dialogue and the thoughts she expresses for her characters.
I am a loyal Rough Riders fan and have followed this series from the beginning. I've enjoyed every single story, some more than others. This one just didn’t have the emotional punch the others had for me. I cannot pinpoint why or what was missing, it just didn’t hit me like the others in this series have. That is my lone complaint and I am not sure that other readers would have this complaint, especially those who don't follow the series.
Ms. James did not disappoint with the heat contained in this story, it was off the charts. The BDSM club scenes were vivid and displayed in exacting detail that left me breathless. The sex between Ainsley and Bennett was intensely erotic with detailed accounts of the characters' emotions and senses described in graphic detail that sent shivers up my spine and goose bumps on my arms. Ms. James can write erotica that will leave even the most seasoned reader blushing.
Ms. James' Rough Rider series, always has the underlying story of the McKay family drama; it is a big family with its own problems and dynamics that are always ongoing. This story is no exception, especially with the introduction of Gavin McKay in Rough Riders 11 and his relationship with Bennett in this story. This family is always growing and evolving--Ms. James is consistent in that she keeps this going throughout her entire series--and readers are given a peek into life in a large ranching family that is neither perfect nor absolutely horrible. The McKays are a family with ups and downs and issues that are real and emotional. Ms. James' fans are given an opportunity to bear witness to the western way of life. Readers get to experience the joys and the heartaches of the McKay family as they grow and evolve. Family members have died, a new generation has been born and another generation is taking over the reins of the family ranching business as well as making changes and additions to the operation.
The Rough Rider Series is not one that has to be read in order and you can pick up this book without reading any of the previous ones and love the story but I don't know why anyone would want to, this series is exceptional in the fact that there is an ongoing arc throughout the entire series that keeps readers like me coming back for more.
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