City Threads - Shop now
$0.00 with 100 percent savings
Digital List Price: $0.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Lexi Blake
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Lexi Blake (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 3,757 ratings
A routine mission…

Sean Taggart is hunting a deadly terrorist, and his only lead is the lovely Grace Hawthorne. She's the executive assistant for an employment agency Sean suspects is a front for illegal activities. To get the truth, he is going to have to get very close to Grace, a task he is all too eager to undertake when he discovers her deliciously submissive nature.

…turns into a dangerous seduction.

Soon, Grace Hawthorne is living a double life. By day, she is the widowed mother of two college-aged sons. By night, she submits to Sean's every dark desire. She's living out her wildest fantasies of pleasure—intimate acts of trust she's only read about. As passion engulfs her, a murderer strikes, and Grace learns that Sean has a deeply hidden agenda. Will Sean choose his mission and break her heart or be the Master of her dreams?

A Masters and Mercenaries Novel by Lexi Blake
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 1 of 15
    Masters and Mercenaries
  2. Print length
    373 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    September 25, 2011
  6. File size
    488 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 15 books in this series.

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  28. The Rules (Claiming Her Book 1)
    Kindle Edition
    $4.99
  30. Re/Bound (Doms of the FBI Book 1)
    Kindle Edition
    $3.99
Next page
Loading...

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005PJMDTM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ DLZ Entertainment LLC
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 488 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 373 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1937608002
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 15 ‏ : ‎ Masters and Mercenaries
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 3,757 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lexi Blake

Lexi Blake

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she's sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn't until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.

For more information about her books, her appearances, and her wacky life, visit her Facebook page at AuthorLexiBlake.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
3,757 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this book to be a great first installment in the series, with a fast-paced storyline filled with action and believable intrigue. The writing is well-executed and easy to read, with believable erotic scenes and a sexy alpha male protagonist. Customers appreciate the character development, with one noting how the author provides detailed character descriptions, and they enjoy the humor, particularly the sarcasm. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it wonderful while others say it's slow at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

251 customers mention "Readability"243 positive8 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as fascinating and entertaining with high levels of engagement.

"...a healthy dose of humor with your romance, or just a well written, enjoyable book, do yourself a favor, and pick this up. Highly recommend!" Read more

"...And how Sean embraced them. I really enjoyed reading this book. Would I Recommend:..." Read more

"...As far as the narration. This was expertly handled. It is by far my favorite solo narrated performance...." Read more

"...'s combination of erotic romance and romantic suspense - the books are unputdownable and keep you on the edge of your seat, making you rage a little..." Read more

249 customers mention "Suspenseful story"235 positive14 negative

Customers enjoy the suspenseful story of the book, which is fast-paced with action and has an intriguing premise.

"...This book is a romance but also suspense, so in the beginning there is a lot of back story. And a lot of details! Like a lot!..." Read more

"...The suspense of the plot and the camaraderie of this group really keeps engagement with the storyline. As far as the narration...." Read more

"...I don’t know how one author can come up with so many unique storylines and wonderful characters, but I applaud her for the time and thought she has..." Read more

"...I love Lexi Blake's combination of erotic romance and romantic suspense - the books are unputdownable and keep you on the edge of your seat, making..." Read more

136 customers mention "Sex scenes"136 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the sex scenes in the book, describing them as believable and steamy, with good BDSM content.

"...of creepy the way I am describing it, but trust me...it is the sweetest thing...." Read more

"...He gets into her bed and best believe these scenes are HOT!..." Read more

"...You won’t be disappointed. There are plenty of oh-wow steamy scenes but each is unique to the characters and not merely copied from book to book...." Read more

"...He's a dominant, commanding but also kind and endearing character. But also a little too proud...." Read more

111 customers mention "Character development"105 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting the author's skill in providing character details and creating emotional connections. One customer mentions how the female lead character isn't twenty-something, while another notes how Sean's many sides are revealed throughout the story.

"...The sheer joy of this story is watching Sean devolve from a charismatic, suave, confident ex-Green Beret into a love crazed walking hormone...." Read more

"...Lexi Blakes character development is always great! I feel like I know the characters and understand why they behave they way they do...." Read more

"...Ryan West did an amazing job tackling multiple characters and it was so easy to forget I was listening to only one person throughout...." Read more

"...how one author can come up with so many unique storylines and wonderful characters, but I applaud her for the time and thought she has given each..." Read more

62 customers mention "Writing quality"59 positive3 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting it is well-written, easy to read, and has perfect proofreading.

"...Sean's descent into love is marvelously detailed as he moves from wanting to play at clubs, to maybe having a sub in the bedroom only, to his final..." Read more

"...The writing is so good and the characters have so much depth that it feels like you are really connecting to them...." Read more

"...This author respects her readers enough to have professional proofreading. Get a little taste with Book 1 and you’ll be intrigued...." Read more

"...The writing was so well done that by the end of it I was satisfied with the conclussion and eagerly anticipating to read more of the secondary..." Read more

28 customers mention "Humor"28 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book, particularly its sarcasm and banter, with one customer specifically mentioning Grace's funny character.

"...And hilarious. The depth of Sean's feelings is conveyed so beautifully...." Read more

"...The plot kept me interested; it was suspenseful and funny in parts too. I'll definitely finish out this series!" Read more

"...Sean and Grace are so cute together. The right amount of Dom and Sub, sarcasm and alpha behavior, fun and danger..I loved watching them come..." Read more

"...the building of relationships, the mystery within the storyline, the humor and of course the intimacy between the two main characters Sean and Grace...." Read more

27 customers mention "Sexy romance"27 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book, appreciating the sexy alpha male character and how he takes care of the heroine.

"...He has his sights set on Grace Hawthorne, the lovely administrative assistant...." Read more

"...Adam and Jake were a hoot together while being under cover. Loved the brotherly love between Sean and his brother Ian. Loved there talks and banter...." Read more

"...I also love the fact that these men REALLY love their women and are not afraid to tell them and show them every minute of every day...." Read more

"...I am totally in love with Lexi Blake's characters. Grace is a sweetheart...." Read more

32 customers mention "Pacing"22 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some praising its wonderful flow while others find it slow at times and somewhat predictable.

"...Grace is a natural pleaser and care giver. She smoothly handles problems, finessing away hurt feelings, but always getting her way...." Read more

"...series and a nice slide into the BDSM scene for many, as it is not hardcore at all; having read a good amount of BDSM reads, this was along the tame..." Read more

"...Although The Dom Who Loved Me has a promising premise I find the execution sloppy and would really, really like for the pace to slow down somewhat..." Read more

"...In every book of the series the BDSM is sensuous but not overdone. Did RJ_418 and I read the same book?..." Read more

THIS BOOK!
4 out of 5 stars
THIS BOOK!
My Review: May Contain Spoilers, read at your own discretion This was not the first book from Lexi Blake that I read but once I read one of her books I wanted to read all. This was the first of this series so I started reading this book. This took me a little while to get into. This book is a romance but also suspense, so in the beginning there is a lot of back story. And a lot of details! Like a lot! But I do understand that it is necessary for the storyline, because Ms. Blake continues to reference them in future books. So it's good to know what she is talking about. But I love Sean and Grace's story. Grace is a bit older and has two college aged children. So when Sean comes sniffing around she doesn’t believe that he is really interested in her. Although its Sean's job to get close to Grace he cant help wanting her the way he does. Even though Sean is playing a role his feelings for Grace are completely real. Sean works with his brother at his security firm but secretly wants to be a chef. He loves cooking. When Sean and Grace are alone together things start to really heat up. Grace had been reading some steamy romance novels and was really interested. Little does she realize Sean is a real life Dom. And Sean senses the sub in Grace. Up until this point Grace has resisted Sean but once he turns that dark, deep voice on her she's ready to give him anything he wants. He gets into her bed and best believe these scenes are HOT! Sean has been in the lifestyle for years, so he leads Grace and she falls completely in love with him. Sean shows her was she was missing with all her previous sexual encounters and she soon becomes addicted to what he can give her. I love the fact that he doesn’t let her hang ups about her again stop him from pursuing her. When Graces finds out what Sean has done she is heart broken. Now she understands why he was so interested even though he was younger than her. Sean has to convince Grace that he really does love her and want her while protecting her from the enemy. When things start to go wrong, Grace has to decide if her pride is worth losing the man she loves. Wrap Up: I do enjoy these character together and I really liked learning about some of the other characters. It really sets up the reader for the stories to come in the future. Also I really enjoyed the friendship Sean had with some of the other characters. You start to get a glimpse into McKay-Taggart and you want more. I loved how Sean and Grace found a way to make their relationship with, even with the age gap and Grace's older sons. And how Sean embraced them. I really enjoyed reading this book. Would I Recommend: I would recommend this book! I love Sean and Grace and love them together. Lexi Blakes character development is always great! I feel like I know the characters and understand why they behave they way they do. The only thing I didn’t love was the really in depth suspense plot, but I completely understand why it is needed. The only other thing I don’t love is the instant love. Sean and Grace fall in love and decide with in a week. I know that this may be possible but I do feel like it does take a bit more time than that to fall in love. But that’s just my opinion
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • RVAbooklover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hawt Alpha in Love
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I just reread this, and fell in love with this series all over again. Is it perfect? No, but what it does, it does so very, very well.

    Sean Taggert is part of McKay-Taggert security. His firm is hired to try to stop an eco-terrorist. They have reason to believe Grace's boss, and possibly Grace, is involved in a nefarious plot. Sean and his associates, Adam and Jake, infiltrate Grace's office. Sean is utterly gobsmacked by Grace from the first time he sees her pictures, in which she is wearing do-me shoes. As Sean becomes more and more attracted to Grace, he is determined to prove Grace's innocence.

    Being an over 40 myself, I loved Grace. 6 years widowed, with both of her grown children away at college, she doesn't think she has what it takes to attract, much less keep, the 8 years younger Sean. Grace is a natural pleaser and care giver. She smoothly handles problems, finessing away hurt feelings, but always getting her way.

    There are 2 scenes where Sean screws up, big time, and my heart absolutely hurt for Grace.

    The sheer joy of this story is watching Sean devolve from a charismatic, suave, confident ex-Green Beret into a love crazed walking hormone. It starts slowly, and kind of rapidly spirals. The more control Sean tries to maintain, the faster things slip from his grip. Sean's descent into love is marvelously detailed as he moves from wanting to play at clubs, to maybe having a sub in the bedroom only, to his final realization that he wants a 24/7 slave relationship, so he can keep Grace from ever flirting, however innocently, again. It's not that he doesn't trust Grace, not at all. He realizes he is being irrational. But Sean finds Grace so irresistible, he is convinced every other man she comes into contact will, too, and it drives him crazy. Sounds kind of creepy the way I am describing it, but trust me...it is the sweetest thing. He loves her so much, he can't imagine every other man wouldn't love her, too. Sean is, to put it simply, completely undone by Grace.

    There is also a great deal of funny in Sean's journey. As he falls deeper and deeper, his thoughts and actions become more irrational. And hilarious. The depth of Sean's feelings is conveyed so beautifully. We feel his confusion and frustration, his longing, even when he wonders if Grace is as innocent as he thought, so clearly. Loved it.

    Adam doesn't help matters by having his own mini-meltdown, and making a semi-serious play for Grace, as well. Adam's almost desperate play for Grace causes a lot of tension for the whole group.

    Ian's determination to keep Sean safe is matched only by Sean's determination to keep Grace safe. Ian and Adam's serious agendas are a balance to Sean's love match.

    If you are looking for a BDSM-centric book, you will be disappointed with TDWLM. D/s is frequently mentioned, and played at, but more as erotic bedroom games than a lifestyle choice. The love scenes are rife with the lingo, but are more emotional and less contracted than most in the BDSM realm. Sean doesn't really want to top Grace, he just wants to love her.

    Bottom line - I love Sean, I love this book, I love this series...Yes, I'm gushing, but at review #170, who is really gonna read this?? Seriously, though, this series is one of those where you read book 1, and think "Oooh! My favorite!" Then you read book 2, and think "Ooooh! My favorite!" and so on...If you like romantic suspense, hawt alpha men who adore their women, BDSM-lite, a healthy dose of humor with your romance, or just a well written, enjoyable book, do yourself a favor, and pick this up. Highly recommend!
    13 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • SEXY ROMANCE READS
    4.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    My Review: May Contain Spoilers, read at your own discretion

    This was not the first book from Lexi Blake that I read but once I read one of her books I wanted to read all.

    This was the first of this series so I started reading this book. This took me a little while to get into.

    This book is a romance but also suspense, so in the beginning there is a lot of back story. And a lot of details! Like a lot! But I do understand that it is necessary for the storyline, because Ms. Blake continues to reference them in future books.

    So it's good to know what she is talking about.

    But I love Sean and Grace's story. Grace is a bit older and has two college aged children. So when Sean comes sniffing around she doesn’t believe that he is really interested in her.

    Although its Sean's job to get close to Grace he cant help wanting her the way he does. Even though Sean is playing a role his feelings for Grace are completely real.

    Sean works with his brother at his security firm but secretly wants to be a chef. He loves cooking.

    When Sean and Grace are alone together things start to really heat up. Grace had been reading some steamy romance novels and was really interested. Little does she realize Sean is a real life Dom. And Sean senses the sub in Grace.

    Up until this point Grace has resisted Sean but once he turns that dark, deep voice on her she's ready to give him anything he wants.

    He gets into her bed and best believe these scenes are HOT! Sean has been in the lifestyle for years, so he leads Grace and she falls completely in love with him.

    Sean shows her was she was missing with all her previous sexual encounters and she soon becomes addicted to what he can give her.

    I love the fact that he doesn’t let her hang ups about her again stop him from pursuing her.

    When Graces finds out what Sean has done she is heart broken. Now she understands why he was so interested even though he was younger than her.

    Sean has to convince Grace that he really does love her and want her while protecting her from the enemy.

    When things start to go wrong, Grace has to decide if her pride is worth losing the man she loves.

    Wrap Up:

    I do enjoy these character together and I really liked learning about some of the other characters. It really sets up the reader for the stories to come in the future.

    Also I really enjoyed the friendship Sean had with some of the other characters. You start to get a glimpse into McKay-Taggart and you want more.

    I loved how Sean and Grace found a way to make their relationship with, even with the age gap and Grace's older sons. And how Sean embraced them.

    I really enjoyed reading this book.

    Would I Recommend:

    I would recommend this book! I love Sean and Grace and love them together. Lexi Blakes character development is always great!

    I feel like I know the characters and understand why they behave they way they do. The only thing I didn’t love was the really in depth suspense plot, but I completely understand why it is needed.

    The only other thing I don’t love is the instant love. Sean and Grace fall in love and decide with in a week.

    I know that this may be possible but I do feel like it does take a bit more time than that to fall in love. But that’s just my opinion
    Customer image
    SEXY ROMANCE READS
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    THIS BOOK!

    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2021
    My Review: May Contain Spoilers, read at your own discretion

    This was not the first book from Lexi Blake that I read but once I read one of her books I wanted to read all.

    This was the first of this series so I started reading this book. This took me a little while to get into.

    This book is a romance but also suspense, so in the beginning there is a lot of back story. And a lot of details! Like a lot! But I do understand that it is necessary for the storyline, because Ms. Blake continues to reference them in future books.

    So it's good to know what she is talking about.

    But I love Sean and Grace's story. Grace is a bit older and has two college aged children. So when Sean comes sniffing around she doesn’t believe that he is really interested in her.

    Although its Sean's job to get close to Grace he cant help wanting her the way he does. Even though Sean is playing a role his feelings for Grace are completely real.

    Sean works with his brother at his security firm but secretly wants to be a chef. He loves cooking.

    When Sean and Grace are alone together things start to really heat up. Grace had been reading some steamy romance novels and was really interested. Little does she realize Sean is a real life Dom. And Sean senses the sub in Grace.

    Up until this point Grace has resisted Sean but once he turns that dark, deep voice on her she's ready to give him anything he wants.

    He gets into her bed and best believe these scenes are HOT! Sean has been in the lifestyle for years, so he leads Grace and she falls completely in love with him.

    Sean shows her was she was missing with all her previous sexual encounters and she soon becomes addicted to what he can give her.

    I love the fact that he doesn’t let her hang ups about her again stop him from pursuing her.

    When Graces finds out what Sean has done she is heart broken. Now she understands why he was so interested even though he was younger than her.

    Sean has to convince Grace that he really does love her and want her while protecting her from the enemy.

    When things start to go wrong, Grace has to decide if her pride is worth losing the man she loves.

    Wrap Up:

    I do enjoy these character together and I really liked learning about some of the other characters. It really sets up the reader for the stories to come in the future.

    Also I really enjoyed the friendship Sean had with some of the other characters. You start to get a glimpse into McKay-Taggart and you want more.

    I loved how Sean and Grace found a way to make their relationship with, even with the age gap and Grace's older sons. And how Sean embraced them.

    I really enjoyed reading this book.

    Would I Recommend:

    I would recommend this book! I love Sean and Grace and love them together. Lexi Blakes character development is always great!

    I feel like I know the characters and understand why they behave they way they do. The only thing I didn’t love was the really in depth suspense plot, but I completely understand why it is needed.

    The only other thing I don’t love is the instant love. Sean and Grace fall in love and decide with in a week.

    I know that this may be possible but I do feel like it does take a bit more time than that to fall in love. But that’s just my opinion
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Crystal
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing experience on audio!!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Audiobook review: narrated by Ryan West

    I read most books in this series years and years ago and absolutely loved them. The writing is so good and the characters have so much depth that it feels like you are really connecting to them. The suspense of the plot and the camaraderie of this group really keeps engagement with the storyline.

    As far as the narration. This was expertly handled. It is by far my favorite solo narrated performance. Ryan West did an amazing job tackling multiple characters and it was so easy to forget I was listening to only one person throughout. The different inflections and accents were a joy to listen to. I truly got to experience this book as a “first” all over again and am thankful for it because I’ve fallen in love with this series all over again!
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Chétral
    5.0 out of 5 stars EROTIC THRILLER AND ACTION AT IT'S BEST
    Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Grace is a forty y-o widow and working in for a friendly but desperately old drunk, the chief of a company which becomes the entry door for a CIA investigation. Sean is an ex-military, actually working for a spying enterprise, and his duty is to seduce the chief's secretary to get access to secret info which could lead to a terrorism plot. The very alpha and kinky spy infiltrates the company with a few members of his team, and introduces innocent Grace to BDSM. Lots of great, thrilling action and very sexy scenes happen in this page turner, mixed with humor and suspense.
    I greatly enjoyed this book and plan to read others from this James Bondish series. Each book of the series is a stand alone novel. Good read.
    Report
  • Brianna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Super spannende Story mit ordentlichem Schuss Sinnlichkeit
    Reviewed in Germany on January 8, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Die Geschichte von Lexi Blake hat wirklich alles , was eine gute Story braucht...glaubhafte Charaktere...Spannung bis zum Schluss...und einen Dom , der es einerseits sehr gut versteht , seine Sub zu händeln...andererseits wollte ich ihn manchmal gerne bei den Ohren packen und ihm diese lang ziehen , weil er irgendwie nicht wirklich Ahnung von Frauen zu haben schien...zumindest was Grace angeht, schien Sean doch manchmal etwas überfordert zu sein...*lach* ...allerdings hatte er es hier auch nicht mit einem scheuen kleinen Mäuschen zu tun , sondern mit einer gestandenen Frau, die bereits zwei erwachsene Söhne ihr Eigen nennt...und gerade das macht sie so sympathisch...dass sie nicht einfach so kuscht , sobald Sean ihr seine Befehle entgegen bellt, sondern sie durchaus ihren eigenen Kopf durchzusetzen weiss: -)
    Im Schlafzimmer...oder auch im Pool ;-)... unterwirft sie sich ihm jedoch sehr gerne seinen sinnlichen Verführungskünsten ...und diese Szenen haben es in sich;-)
    Alles in allem eine sehr gelungener Roman der mich von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite gefesselt hat und er bekommt von mir daher wohlverdiente 5 *****...
    Und er macht total Lust auf mehr ♡ denn auch die Nebencharaktere wie der Bruder von Sean...Ian...und auch Adam und Jake...sowie Eve und Alexander...von dem wir leider noch nicht zu viel erfahren haben...bekommen ihre eigene Geschichte...♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
    Report
  • Lesley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in Australia on March 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book drew me in and held me captive. Lots of action and growth within the book.
    Report
  • The Literary Invertebrate
    5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars, rounded up for being the start of a really epic series.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    In the Masters and Mercenaries series, Lexi Blake has done something awesome: she's thrown together funny, sarcastic characters, hot romance of the BDSM variety, and fast-paced action. Also, I LOVE the Bond spin on the titles.

    Admittedly the plot can be a little hit and miss: I'm not sure I've grasped all the political twists and turns in this book, especially at the end. But Blake's characterisation is absolutely fabulous, and it's what makes the series so great. With just a few pen-strokes she sketches out snarky, wounded characters who all feel remarkably individual, considering how many of them there are.

    Blake's heroines are a real strong point - throughout the series, we have a wonderful range, including a black woman, Asian woman, several disabled women, and (in this one) a 40-year-old. Widowed Grace Hawthorne has two kids at uni and, with her husband long dead, isn't really looking for romance.

    Enter 32-year-old Sean Taggart, a former Green Beret who now works for his older brother Ian's security company, McKay-Taggart. They've been sent in by the CIA to investigate Grace's boss, and one of the easiest ways of doing that is by getting Sean into Grace's bed. But what happens when he realises he's fallen for the target?

    Generally I LOATHE romances where the hero had an ulterior motive when originally getting together with the heroine, because I invariably feel like the heroines don't make them grovel enough. I definitely don't have that problem here. Sean falls for Grace pretty much instantly and is determined to protect her, even if she's evil. That's totally what I'm here for. She also is sufficiently hard on him to satisfy my vengeful side.

    As for the BDSM, I think it works here. It doesn't always - there are some Blake couples where the Dom/sub thing doesn't feel organic - but Sean and Grace aren't one of them. It's very light BDSM anyway, restricted to some spanking and bondage.

    Overall

    A fantastic start to the series (and incidentally has a great MFM sequel).
    Report
  • Sarah (Feeling Fictional)
    4.0 out of 5 stars Masters and Mercenaries book 1
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    3.5 stars

    Anyone who follows my blog or is friends with me on Goodreads can't fail to have noticed that I've become a huge fan of Lexi Blake over the last year or so and I'm really enjoying working my way through her extensive backlist. I've been looking forward to starting the Masters and Mercenaries series for ages and have already met quite a few of the characters as they've made appearances in her other books. So I was excited to start the Dom Who Loved Me and overall I did enjoy the story but I did have a few issues with it that meant I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the Bliss or Texas Sirens books.

    To start with the positives I have to say I really loved Grace, she's an older heroine (something we don't see enough of in my opinion) who was widowed young and is now living alone for the first time after her two sons have left to go to college. Grace is a people pleaser who always goes out of her way to make sure everyone around her have what they need. Before all her energy went into looking after her sons and now she mainly focuses on her job and trying to anticipate the needs of her alcoholic boss. I thought Grace was a great character and I really enjoyed seeing the boost in her confidence that came from starting a relationship with Sean.

    When it comes to Sean I have more mixed feelings, in some ways I really liked him but there were other things that drove me absolutely crazy. Firstly was the fact that he met Grace when he was there to put both her and her boss under surveillance. McKay/Taggart Security Services are hunting a terrorist and they have reason to believe that the company Grace works for is somehow involved so several members of the team go undercover as both employees and clients while they try to figure out what is going on. I don't have an issue with that but I did find it uncomfortable that Sean gains Grace's trust specifically because he wants to spy on her, perhaps that wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't immediately pursued a relationship with her, if they'd become friends through the investigation but not taken it any further until he was sure of her innocence I'd probably have felt better about it.

    The fact that he takes advantage of her trust (even going so far as bugging her house, making a copy of the key she gave him for his friends to use to get inside her property and even drugging her so they could hack into her laptop!) while at the same time starting a D/s relationship with her just made things creepy, trust is the cornerstone of any kind of BDSM relationship and I didn't appreciate Sean completely ignoring that. Then, after abandoning her with no notice he ended up treating her terribly for no good reason which annoyed me even more. I thought the scenes after Grace found out the truth were totally unrealistic and I couldn't believe that she didn't use her safe word and walk away from him. To be honest I'd have liked the story a whole lot more if she'd done exactly that and he'd had to work at earning her forgiveness.

    That really makes it sound like I hated this book but that couldn't be further from the truth, like I said I did really like Grace and I even thought her and Sean were well matched both in and out of the bedroom. I liked that she was strong enough to challenge him when she needed to even if that did go a little awry towards the end of the book. I also thought they had a lot of potential as a couple and their chemistry was fantastic. One thing I really loved was getting to know the other members of Sean's team and I'm really excited to continue the series, especially Adam and Jacob's story which, luckily for me, is up next! This series definitely has the potential to become one of my favourites, we already have a group of fantastic characters and Lexi Blake excels at mixing a hint of suspense and danger in with really hot romances.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report