Love and Lust rec: 'Strangers in the Night'
Strangers in the Night by Jaycee Edward and Helena Stone
What it's about (courtesy of Dreamspinner Press):
When Army veteran Slade stumbles upon an isolated cottage on a cold, dark night, the young man finds more than just the shelter he's seeking.
Former club Dominant Callum is surprised to find a handsome stranger knocking at his door but invites him in despite his reservations. A nightmare reveals Slade's deep-seated emotional issues, and Callum knows he needs to get creative if he's going to help Slade leave the past behind.
Neither man is prepared for the feelings Slade's introduction into the world of BDSM will unleash, and thirty-six hours will either be enough to bind them, or they will remain forever strangers in the night.
Why you should read it: Strangers in the Night is a short story of less than 60 pages that packs a lot of detail and emotion into a small package. Slade is a former soldier on a quest to travel the country while finding forgiveness for himself. Suffering from war-related PTSD as well as enduring a personal hell of self-blame and guilt, Slade is a broken man.
On a cold, winter night, Slade stumbles across Callum's isolated cabin. Callum feels he has no choice under the circumstances but to give Slade shelter at least for the night. As a former club Dominant, though, Callum quickly recognizes Slade's need to be given orders and his willingness to accept them. Whether this is part of Slade's true nature or just ingrained from his years of service in the military is not revealed initially, and Callum has only a few hours to discover what lies beneath Slade's use of "sir" and his nightmares on Callum's sofa.
Callum begins to believe that he can help Slade but recognizes that his unexpected guest needs more help than light D/s sex can provide. Does Callum have time to show Slade that submission can give him back the personal power that he needs to banish his ghosts? Both men must overcome miscommunication in order to begin to trust each other. Strangers in the Night is gentle BDSM at its best and sexiest as the two men learn what is at the heart of their needs.
I particularly love that the story is told from both POVs in third-person. This storytelling mechanism allows the reader to experience the story in a way that would have taken a much longer book if we were allowed inside the head and heart of only one man. Strangers in the Night is the outcome of a beautiful collaboration between two talented authors, and I'm looking forward to more from this partnership.
Becky Condit is a widow, mother of three and grandmother of 10 who reads all kinds of books, but her go-to comfort books are erotic romances. A romance novel coupled with just-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of cold milk is her idea of heaven. She reads and reviews more than 250 books a year, so you won't often find her without her Kindle in hand, but when you do, she'll probably be gardening, doing needle crafts, working in her upholstery workshop and spending time with her family.