THE DOM’S DUNGEON - Cherise Sinclair
Loose Id www.loose-id.com
ISBN: 978-1-60737-492-3
December 2009
Erotic Contemporary Romance

Seattle, Washington - Present Day

MacKensie Taylor is hoping that Vacation Exchange will allow her to find a job in Seattle so that she can relocate from the small Iowa town she lives in, inhabited by even smaller minds. A veterinarian, Mac already has interviews set up, and wants more than anything, a fresh start. The home she’s staying in is huge, and absolutely gorgeous, but when she comes to a locked door, her past starts haunting her, and she has to open that door. What Mac finds behind that locked door is a not altogether unpleasing shock. Apparently, the homeowner is into BDSM enough that he has his own private dungeon. She’s been to a couple clubs before, but has never done more than look, so a chance to explore the fascinating equipment without being watched is a chance too good to pass up.

Alex Fontaine’s trip to Iowa is abandoned when he is injured while foiling a mugging. He hopes that the vet who is taking care of his home and dog will be okay with him returning home during what is supposed to be her stay. When he gets home and finds the supposed-to-be locked door to his dungeon open, Alex is angry. The contract they signed clearly states that locked doors remain just that. Seeing his tenant naked and draped over a spanking bench gives him the perfect idea about how to punish her.

Though curious about BDSM, the scars from Mac’s past have never allowed it to go past that, but Alex has her in a pretty rough spot. She doesn’t have the money to stay in Seattle and go to her interviews without the home she planned to use, plus one word to the Vacation Exchange people could get her in all kinds of legal trouble, not to mention ruin her reputation before she can even get a job. So, when Alex suggests that she pretend to be his sub in order to rid himself of an obsessed woman in exchange for a place to stay, Mac reluctantly agrees. But can a woman terrified of sex and men convince anyone that she’s willing to submit to Alex?

MacKensie’s rough early years have scarred her so deeply that she doesn’t believe a relationship could be possible, but in THE DOM’S DUNGEON, she might find out otherwise. Though angry at first, Alex can’t deny how attractive he finds his new housemate, and he’s intrigued by the conflict between her submissive tendencies and her denial of them. Realizing it goes beyond denial to terror rouses his protective instincts, and he decides that he’ll do whatever it takes to get the pretty little submissive past her fears.

As Mac’s issues go much deeper than just sexual, she not only begins to explore her submissive side, but also what it’s like to be in a caring, romantic relationship. Both characters are likeable, and it’s captivating to watch Mac lose her wariness, and to see the tender yet dominant way Alex treats her. Both emotional and erotic, THE DOM’S DUNGEON is a tale I highly recommend.

Jennifer Bishop