Loved this! Sexy, fun, and sexy as hell. I loved it and would definitely read more by the author. Very spicy and would recommend.

Content note for violence (the protagonists meet when he has to shoot the people chasing her, who have just murdered her brother off the page), language and graphic descriptions of sex, including almost-but-not-quite exhibitionism in public. 1

Haven, by Rebekah Weatherspoon

The start of this book is pretty brutal in its urgency, and for a moment there I thought it would be fully romantic suspense. It’s not. But holy shit, that beginning breaks your heart.
I really like how the book is structured, with chapters alternating the first person point of view of each of the two protagonists. We get the aftermath of the attack from Shep’s point of view. He sees Claudia as strong–because she is. In the next section, it’s Claudia’s point of view, and we see her struggling.

I think it was really smart of her to not maintain contact with Shep, to avoid idolizing him for saving her (not rescuing–she did that herself, running two miles uphill), and for simply being there afterwards. On the other hand, the contrast of his undemanding presence and generosity overshadow everything shitty in her life. We all deal with grief in different ways.

There are so many adult conversations by the halfway mark, one would think there’s little tension left–except not, because even adult conversations cannot gloss over the fact that they are still strangers to each other, and separately dealing with their own trauma.

Then there is the sex. (It’s good, really good.)

Shep is sexually dominant, Claudia likes ‘rough sex’ (which Shep equates with a degree of masochism), so I like that they didn’t magically match perfectly in their kink, and instead they both give a little to gain a lot.

I really like that the fact that Shep is traumatized by having to kill a human being–regardless of reason, justifications and rationalization–instead of going the “me, man, shrug, done” route.

However.

There’s some discussion of Shep’s anger, but it’s never resolved, or explored properly; we are just told how angry he is and how he needs to come to terms with it, or calm down, or control it, but that’s pretty much it. That bothers me. Both he and Claudia may be sure he’ll never hurt her, but I’m left wondering what will happen years down the road.

Same with Claudia’s “I need to deal with things”. Yes, yes, she does, but…how is she really dealing with “things”? Things that include the brutal murder of her brother before her eyes, followed by a two-mile run for her life-in the dark, barefoot in a forest, fleeing armed killers. I didn’t see where she does it, or feel that she’s truly working towards it; she just up and goes, then up and comes back.

(No, saying, “I’ve been seeing a therapist” when you drop back into his life, unannounced, a few months later, does not show me that you are dealing with the trauma)

Finally, the mechanic of a relationship between them just didn’t make sense to me. He lives in a small town on one coast, her work is very much hands-on in the largest city on the other coast, how sustainable will that be?

So, I liked both characters, particularly Shep. I liked that the kink is done well and respectfully. But the whole thing just didn’t come together for me properly in the end; I didn’t see them grow enough as individuals, and definitely not enough as a couple, for me to believe that they are in a successful relationship.

While I really like the characters, and I found the author’s voice very engaging, I am not quite sold. Haven gets 7.75 out of 10, mostly for the writing voice.

* * * * *

1 They are sitting in a boot at a diner and Shep orders Claudia to bare her breasts. While the set up indicates they’re likely to have enough warning for her not to flash the public, I have issues with this type of thing, because the other people present do not get to consent. YMMV, obviously

Rebekah Weatherspoon's writes so well! I love this story and the cover (I know, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but I do! :). I look forward to more from this author.

Book Review
Title: Haven (Beards & Bondage #1)
Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon
Genre: Erotic/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Haven was definitely explosive as we are introduced to nature photographer Shepard “Shep” Olsen and his dog, Titus after returning from his once yearly trip home, where he also has a play partner. However, his peace is interrupted when he hears a woman screaming for help and she practically falls threw his door. He kills the man trying to kill her and on their way to the hospital he learns that there might be more of them and that they killed the woman’s brother. He learns her name is Claudia and despite his rugged appearance, he is kind and gentle with her. The police are quick to act and find Claudia’s brother Miles dead, and the two men that did it. It turns out they are wanted in connection with a string of murders which is why the FBI are involved and despite the cut and dry nature of this attack, they grill Shep pretty hard. By the time he can see Claudia again she has left to go home and leaves no way of contacting her but Shep from the brief time he has known Claudia, knows she is a fighter and that she will be okay.
We then jump to Claudia’s perspective in the first week since her brother’s murder, at the moment is she numb waiting for the FBI to release her brother’s body which takes months. In the next six months, Claudia deals with her brother’s affair and lays him to rest but she is struggling with getting back into her life before, she doesn’t really talk to her friends, she wants nothing to do with her boyfriend; Jason and she doesn’t want to return to work. By the six month mark, she has dumped Jason, quite her job and travelled back to the mountain town where she met Shep. She brings thank you flowers for everyone that helps her and eventually she meets Shep again and they end up going for a drink. Shep knows that Claudia returned for a reason and needs some form of closure but she isn’t willing to tell him what she needs yet as despite everything, they are essentially strangers. However, before Shep can head home Claudia calls him, now she has his number and spends the night at his place while nothing happens they do discuss the possibility of a dominant/submissive relationship between then and despite his brain telling him it isn’t the right thing to do, Shep agrees.
After their first night together, Claudia agrees to spend a week with Shep at his home before they rethink their arrangement, however, Claudia is used to a D/s relationship where she is also dating the person whereas Shep is used to a D/s relationship where he has no emotional attachment at all and after seeing how compatible this pair are I don’t think it’s going to be possible for Shep to keep emotions out of this relationship. As soon as this pair start exploring their new BDSM relationship, the honesty and communication is strained between them because Claudia isn’t used to it and she has a lot of issue she is trying to work through as well but being a good dominant Shep knows what she needs and knows when not to push her limits. However, as I predicted Claudia wants a lot more than just a D/s relationship with Shep and if he is being honest, he wants that as well.
Their week together goes really well as Shep and Claudia develop a sense of trust between them that they have never had with anyone else, Shep even introduces Claudia to sub space and what they means, developing their relationship further but when Claudia gets a job offer she leaves to return home. After 45 days both Claudia and Shep aren’t doing well with being apart and she suddenly makes a reappearance in his life where she explains she worked through all the shit she has been carrying around with her. When he asks about her job, she tells him that she lied to her boss saying they were getting married and he couldn’t move so she now can work remotely and travel occasionally which she was used to doing in her old job. Shep is his usual cranky self during this time but when she mentions he would make a great stay at home dad, that seals it for him and they begin their new life together. Overall, Haven wasn’t as BDSM heavy as I was expecting and Shep is honestly one of the best portrayed dominant I have ever read about and I’d highly recommend this book to all.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

This is a book that combines some of my favorite things: people isolated in the wilderness and big animals. Claudia is on the run, and luckily, she happens upon recluse Shepard's cabin the woods. There are BDSM elements in their relationship, as is evident from the name of the series, and lots of sexy times. Overall, I really liked how different Claudia and Shepard were, and how they complemented one another. Weatherspoon is blowing up as an author, and it's well deserved.

I saw this book all over social media so I bought it. Of course, it sat on my Kindle for awhile before I got around to reading it. My TBR pile is out of control. I have no will power when it comes to books.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It starts out with a very traumatic event and the book chronicles how the characters worked their way to a new normal. Especially Claudia. I thought the BDSM elements were well done and fit the story and the arc of the characters. I’ll be reading more books by Rebekah Weatherspoon.

This one just didn't work for me. I didn't find myself connecting with the story.

Thank you for the chance to read it early.

I enjoyed the solitary nature of this book and especially the dog because who doesn't like a dog in a romance book?

Tapped out @ 38%. I like rough play but choking, anal, and the submissive play out in public is too much for me.

I found this book to be SO sexy. I loved the connection between the hero and heroine and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Loved it! Can't wait to (hopefully) interview you on our podcast. Sarah will reach out! Review is posted on Amazon.

Shep and Claudia do not have a meet cute, the meet under horrific circumstances and that is why they form this incredible bond from the beginning the book.

The way that Claudia's progress after the event happens felt quite real to me, she was not okay and she kept being not okay despite having this big bloody mountain man taking care of her and it was so important to me that that process wasn't hurried because the fact that she takes her time makes it realistic.

Shep is just a darling, I mean I think this is the most polite bondage book that I've ever read and that is fantastic!!! It made the interactions between Shep and Claudia that much more enjoyable because he was so nice and attentive to her but at the same time giving her what she wanted and always keeping her first, there weren't any overly demeaning words and I really appreciated that because sometimes when that happens it totally gets me out of the scene happening in the book.

The only thing that kind of bothered me were the noisy neighbors and townspeople but I guess that happens when you live in small towns.

In all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to finding out what's next in this seres.

Steamy, melodic in a sense. I could not put it down, ever reluctant to leave this world.

WOW! Talk about starting off with a bang. I've never been pulled into an erotic novel so quickly before. A story that definitely gets your heart pounding in more than one way.

I found this book very well written and enjoyable. I will definitely read more by this author.

DNG @ 30%

I just can't get into this. Nothing really wrong with it other than it's just not my jam.



**ARC provided through Netgalley**

Haven was a great book to end this mini-binge with.  Haven was an emotionally intense and surprisingly fun story  about finding an unlikely but deep connection in traumatic circumstances.  The pacing through out was fantastic but particularly in the pulse-pounding early chapters.  The dynamics of Claudia and Shep's relationship are complex, as they are hyper-aware of how wary everyone is of intensity & of the limited nature of their acquaintance. They honestly wrestle with how fraught it can be to untangle their actual experience of each other from what they have both built up about each other in their heads.  They struggle to give each other what they need and things don't go smoothly in vividly believable ways.   They are both unabashedly kinky, but that it isn't a cure or a reaction, but still a complication as they try to figure out if they can fit into each other's lives.  I wish there had been just a little more grovel at the end, but the reactions were completely within character. 

Shepherd Olsen's quiet and solitary life is dramatically disrupted when a bloody and shrieking black woman runs up to his isolated cabin near Federal park lands in Northern California. He springs into action, rescuing her and making sure she gets the help she needs, even as they are separated by the intense investigation.

Not only did Claudia Cade lose her brother Miles on the mountain, she also lost her way. She thought getting back to her job and her home in NYC would help but she can't quite fit back into her old life. Things that were comfortable before chafe, and fail to satisfy. She is disconnected from herself and her friends and her mind keeps going back to the mountain man, who held her and kept her safe on the worst day of her life. 

Shep's life has not gone back to normal. Maybe because Claudia was gone before he could say good-bye, his mind frequently goes back to her and the life he hopes she has been able to return to. He is shocked and confused when she shows back up on the mountain needing something from him that is she is scared to articulate.

Claudia and Shep are not perfect people, they fail, struggle and nearly give up. They need help from more than just each other but they find something in each other worth working for.  

Rebekah Weatherspoon continues to succeed in crafting stories that are emotionally layered and full of humor. I loved the whole cast, even when they don't love each other.

(Claudia is black woman from the Caribbean, she immigrated from Grenada as a child. I though Weatherspoon did a fantastic job in weaving this into her story.)

I received an ARC of Haven via Netgalley from the author. Haven will be released April 25th, 2017 and is available for pre-order at all the usual places.

If you want a steamy summer read with some characters who aren't your typical romance book types then this is the book for you. Our two main characters are a chubby Grenadian American woman and a bearded mountain man and their chemistry is just so good.

The book kicks off with our MCs meeting when Claudia is on a camping weekend with her brother and her brother gets murdered by a serial killer and Claudia is running away from the same fate and finds Shep who rescues her from the murderer. When Claudia tries to get back to her real life after the horrible events she can't stop thinking about Shep.

Now obviously based on that synopsis you can tell that there are some triggers with this book. Claudia's brother is murdered and Claudia herself nearly meets the same fate and is attacked so whilst it isn't gone into too much detail, if you are triggered by these kind of things I would be weary, especially as it is continuously mentioned throughout the novel as Claudia is still dealing with the trauma. BUT the way the author dealt with that trauma throughout the book was really respectful I thought, and I felt like the way she wrote how Claudia dealt with the grief and trauma was really real and believable.

The erotic parts of this novel, which there were a lot, were so steamy. I had to make sure I read this book when I was in bed as I knew if I read it in public I would get very uncomfortable. There was some exhibitionist aspects in this book which I haven't read much of in erotica and my god it got me a bit hot and bothered. There's also a lot of bdsm parts of their relationship, which from what I've read Rebekah Weatherspoon includes of lot of her books, which were really good to read, as I find bdsm in books can be really awkward if the writer doesn't know what they're doing.

I loved the characters in this book, I need to get myself a Shep because they way I imagined him was just so perfect. And Claudia was just such a good person to read the POV of, I felt like she made a lot of decisions that I would.

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I selected this book because the blurb really caught my attention. I like thriller stories that have a lot of action AND romance. This story started off good because there is no delay, it gets right into the action. But, after the action is over and the hero and heroine are safe and Claudia is recovering in the hospital, I found the police procedures to be very unrealistic. I don't know what Shepard's history in the town is, but clearly something is amiss because he is treated as if he is guilty of being involved in the terror that Claudia and her brother suffered. I just didn't understand why Shepard was being treated the way he was. I get that he did kill a man, but he did so in self defense, and Claudia's statement would back that up.

I also had a hard time understanding the instant connection between Shepard and Claudia. They don't know each other and yet, they don't want to be apart. When Claudia is admitted into the hospital, Shepard is there and sits with her, and when she breaks down, he holds her in his lap, and she clings to him. Yes, I understand that she suffered something really traumatic, and Shepard saved her. But he is still a stranger and it only took minutes for Shepard to save her life by killing the man chasing her. I could see if they had to be on the run for hours and hours or days, but it was just minutes. That is not enough time to form such a tight connection, imo.

And so due to the unrealistic approach of the police, the insta-connection between the MCs, I could not finish this book. I appreciate the publisher providing this as a "read now" via NetGalley and I do think the writing itself was well done, just not the story progression. I know this story will appeal to a lot of readers, so to summarize, this story was just not for me.