Title: Cherished
Series: Delicious bk 1 (Sway)
Author: Maya Banks & Lauren Dane
Genre: Erotica (BDSM)
Exiled by Maya Banks
Enticed to the island paradise where an enigmatic prince is living in exile, beautiful, virginal Talia is introduced to a world of forbidden pleasure where the prince’s every whim is fulfilled and her fantasies are rendered in exquisite detail. But when the prince is summoned back to fulfill his duty to his struggling country, reality is thrust upon Talia all too soon. She returns home, heartbroken, convinced she was a passing fancy for an idle ruler and his most trusted men. Until the day they arrive on her doorstep, determined to have her back where she belongs.
Sway by Lauren Dane. Book 1 of the Delicious series
Taken from Ms Dane’s website – SWAY will be in the CHERISHED Duology with me and Maya Banks – both our books will have a contemporary BDSM theme. It’s also the start to my DELICIOUS series, the spin off from The Brown Siblings books.
Levi Warner is an established, older man—wealthy, powerful, and above all, respectable. Then Levi meets Daisy, an uninhibited 24-year-old dance instructor and artist, not exactly the kind of woman Levi is accustomed to. But the young, free spirit, brings out something in him he only experienced in fantasies. When their scorching affair turns into something unexpectedly deeper, Levi finds himself torn between preserving his reputation, and exploring a wilder and much more satisfying kind of life.
If you are a regular reader of this site you know we are HUGE Maya Banks and Lauren Dane fans. Lauren Dane’s De La Vega Series is one of my comfort reads. So reading this book was going to be a no brainer for us., in fact both Helen and I read the book and had the same reaction to it.
In Exiled Maya Banks takes on a sensual journey with Talia and the exiled King of her country and his 3 most trusted men. To say this book is hot is an understatement, the pages fairly sizzle. What I liked about this book was the emotional connection she made with each of the men and how they react to her. When Talia arrives on the Island she assumes that she has agreed to be the mistress/whore of her Xander. As she struggles with how this makes her feel, she discovers it is the farthest thing from the truth.
I loved how each of the men made Talia feel special and loved. It made the conflict that much more heart-wrenching as it came out of nowhere and yet makes completely sense considering who Xander is.
I devoured each and every page of this story, and I wanted more of Talia, Xander, Sebastian, Garon and Nicholas.
I have been anxiously awaiting Sway for MONTHS. I blame it on the two line snippets that Lauren likes to post on twitter and FB. Course it is a spin off from the Brown Siblings so that means more of those yummy Brown heroes 🙂
I have to admit when I read the blurb about the book I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it as I am not a huge fan of large age gaps between the hero and heroine. There is just something about a hero who is in his 40’s and the heroine is in her early 20’s, that makes me uncomfortable.
I should have trusted Lauren to make it work and work in a way where I completely forget the age gap, even though it is an issue with the hero Levi.
I absolutely loved Daisy. She knows exactly who she is and what she wants and isn’t ashamed of it. I didn’t expect to like Levi and I have to admit I really did. He had had something really crappy happen to him, and it has shaped how he is now.
The relationship between Daisy and Levi is easy when it’s just the two of them or when they are with with her friends, but when Levi takes her into his world he can’t get past the differences, which causes strain in their relationship.
As Levi and Daisy figure out their relationship we also get to see more of Gillian’s other friends of and Gillian and Adrian, and we are introduced to Levi’s family, and I have to admit his future sister in law is a piece of work.
When you read a Lauren Dane book you know your going to get complex characters with a lot of depth and heart, an amazing secondary cast and a plot that keeps you engrossed and wanting more of the story. And that is what you get with Sway.
I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series.
Grade A
