The Way She Reads

This is the second title in the Tales from the Edge series and while I think you could probably read this story as a stand-alone I would strongly recommend that you readReaching the Edge first.

You can always tell when I’ve fallen for a series. I don’t usually enjoy reading several titles by the same author in quick succession, preferring to break them up with other books instead. So whenever I do pick up a sequel as soon as I finish the earlier title it is a safe bet that I’ve stumbled across books that have captured my heart. And boy, have I fallen for Tales from the Edge and the characters who dwell there.

This second book in the series focuses on Heath and Aiden. Heath Anders is Joe Dexter’s business partner and like him a Dom. Aiden Keller is a clever computer hacker in trouble who ends up at ‘The Edge’ and under Heath’s supervision. Both men realise they are attracted to each other from the moment they first meet, but this wouldn’t be life at ‘the Edge’ if there weren’t obstacles to overcome before the two men can act on their feelings.

Heath feels he can’t demand Aiden’s submission as long as the young man has no choice but to obey him. Aiden, on the other hand, may have fantasised about submitting but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to give in to those feelings especially since he can’t quite see submission as anything other than a weakness.

It takes a growing friendship between Olly and Aiden for the latter to realise that there is more to a D/s relationship than he could ever have imagined. But just when he and Heath are on the same page and starting to explore new (for Aiden) territory, the past interferes and threatens to permanently separate them.

I think I enjoyed this book even more than I did Reaching the Edge, probably because I got to know the characters even better in this book. Heath features in the first book too, and Joe and Olly play a major role in this story. And I honestly can’t think of any scenario in which spending more time with Olly wouldn’t be a wondrous thing. The lad’s cheekiness never fails to bring a smile to my face. As brats go he’s in a league of his own, although Aiden is a very close second, keeping Heath on his Dominant toes all the way.

I like the way BDSM is portrayed in these stories. The sadistic tendencies of the Doms are as enticing as the submissive yet bratty characteristics of their subs are. This book makes it perfectly clear that the relationship between D and s (when done correctly) is one of mutual respect, understanding, and consent without beating the reader over the head with long explanations.

The wonderful combination of love story, scorching hot BDSM scenes, and suspense combined with a wonderful lack of relationship angst means that these books could very well have been written to my personal specifications. The fact that I now find myself after falling for Heath and Aiden as hard as I did for Joe and Olly makes these books rather special. I think it won’t surprise anybody when I say that I bought Dancing on the Edge as soon as I finished reading this book.