Femme Fatale Blog Tour

Board Resolution by Joey Hill

 

Blurb

Savannah was groomed from birth to take the reins of her father’s manufacturing empire. Her emotional armor is as tough as the steel used in her factories, and nobody is allowed past it. Business partner Matt realizes that the key to entry is to command her submission. Calling on the unique sensual talents of his four-man management team, he engineers an aggressive and erotic takeover, determined to rescue the woman he loves from the steel cage she’s manufactured around her heart. Masked and lost to the sensations the team arouses in her, Savannah is theirs, at least for this one night. 

My Review

4 Solid Stars

“Say it again,” she said softly. “Say it so my heart will hear it.” He had stilled within her to give her time to adjust, and he pressed his cheek to hers, his breath in her ear. “You’re mine, Savannah. Now and always.”

This is my first read from Joey Hill and my first foray into more hardcore erotica/BDSM. I went in with my eyes and mind wide open, and I'm glad I did because I would have done the genre a great disservice it had been otherwise.

That said, I did have a couple of jawdropping moments. LoL! And let me tell you, this book gave a whole new meaning to board resolution. As hot or as erotic the sex in this book was, it wasn't what made the book for me. It was actually the character of Savannah.

Savannah Tennyson was groomed at a very early age to takeover the family business. His father had these ridiculous rules that he drummed into Samantha, basically stripping her of her own identity in order to become the kind of daughter her father wants her to be. She was so successful at it that people call her Savannah Cyborg because she's literally untouchable and doesn't show much emotion. In order words, this girl has no life whatsoever.

Poor girl. I loved her tough exterior because you can clearly see that underneath that hardass CEO facade was a vulnerable woman who craved a connection with someone.

“Tell me the dream. Your fantasy.”
“To be held,” she whispered. “…Someone…comes to me, to my bed, and holds me.”

Of course, we know that she wasn't just talking about anyone. She wants Matthew Lord Kensington. I know. His sounds like a pompous ass but he's actually very sweet and very patient with Savannah. Unlike her father, Matthew sees the real Savannah and most importantly, he wants the real Savannah. He sees beyond the tough facade and recognized Savannah's loneliness.

The trick was getting Savannah to admit Matt was all she needs. Granted, his methods were a bit, ahem, unconventional, I did understand why. Savannah needs Matt, not just in business but on a personal level but being who she is, she would never admit that to herself much less Matt. So I did understand why Matt felt the need to push Savannah into admitting her need for him.

“That’s the thing. You’re teasing my men, but you’re challenging me. From the first moment we met, you’ve known you were mine. Every negotiation has been a dare, a taunt. You want me to prove I’ve got what it takes to make you submit, claim what’s been mine all along.”

I must admit, this was the part of the book that I had the most difficulty with especially during the first part of their, um, negotiations. But as I said, Ms. Hill did a great job of exposing the characters' motivations that you'll understand why it happened.

Personal thoughts...

There was an important element that I felt I need to address about some of the "scenes" of this book. I think some of the reviews have mentioned the (view spoiler)[boardroom scene between Matt and Savannah (hide spoiler)] and the question whether it consensual or not?

I actually had to reread that scene twice and my opinion is that it was consensual. This is from Savannah...

“Fine, then. You’re right, Matthew. We’re two adults. We have a sexual attraction. It’s obvious. Let’s relieve it. We’ll have sex, get it out of the way. I’m sure you’ve indulged the itch as often as I have on a boring Friday night.”

That said, I believe Savannah had a different idea than Matt as to the "how" part. Yes, there was a moment there when Savannah fought Matt but I felt it was part of their play, more like in keeping with Savannah's personality. Matt actually recognized this and called Savannah on it.

There was also a moment where Savannah said stop it. After rereading that scene, it was clear that Savannah was reacting to Matt's way of getting her to admit her feelings and not to the act itself because they haven't gotten to that far yet. And Matt did give her the chance to walk away. She stuck it out and that was it.

I must admit, this book and this whole series is not for everybody considering the topic but the prose, the characterization is superb.

Personally though...

Looking forward to reading more from this series.

View all my reviews