At times I found this book a little uncomfortable and confusing to read - Claudia's trauma felt both underdone and overblown at the same time and I didn't find hers and Shep's feelings towards each other particularly believable. Having said that, if you're looking for a quick, easy romance with some good sex scenes, then the book does deliver on that.

If you like a great read, this one will hold your attention from start to finish.

Haven is the first book I have read from Rebekah Weatherspoon and I enjoyed it. I love me some rugged mountain men and Shep was yummy. I thought Shep was broody, and sexy but at times I wondered why he would respond to things the way he did. What I mean is there were times where I felt like he was grumpy for no reason. Claudia was great. She was sweet, honest, sassy, and game for some kinky time. I will say I didn't like that she went all wishy washy towards the end. The reason this book was a 3.5 star and not higher is because it was too light on development side for me. There is tons of kinky sex, maybe too much(if that is a thing lol), but I would have liked more character and plot development. I would class this read as Erotica more than Romance. It was hot Erotica though and it did have a HEA, but I felt the ending was rushed. Still overall this was an entertaining read with hot smexy time, and likable characters.

<b><i>WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEX SCENES, TRAUMA & A BDSM RELATIONSHIP. NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER READERS</i></b>

• <b>Shep & Claudia were really complex and likable characters</b>! Shep was actually a big softie behind the cranky mountain man facade. He’s also witty and caring. I loved him from the moment he offered to hold Claudia’s hand & cuddled her *too much cuteness* He’s too good to be true & one of those men that you don’t want to let go, because there’s only so many of them. Words cannot describe how much I loved Shep. Claudia herself knows what she wants and is a confident heroine, that however also struggles with her trauma. I really liked how outspoken and humorous she was!

• <b>Their relationship was founded on mutual trust and respect</b>. I really liked that since most NA romances have the tendency to be problematic & abusive. Gladly I had heard before hand that this wasn’t the case for Haven. Both were the death of me, because they were perfect for each other and really made me invested in their love story. There are a bit obstacles that made me want to scream at both of them to just get together. That’s how invested I was. Shep and Claudia really are the ultimate OTP. There are graphic sex scenes, but I liked that it was also about them getting to know each other and not only about those scenes. We saw a backgroundstory for both of them and explored other relationships as well.

• <b>Please do me a favor: read this if you actually wanna read about a healthy BDSM relationship</b>. Do not read F*fty Shades of Gray. Read Haven. Normally I do not read books that contain a BDSM relationship (it’s just not my cup of tea and never will be), but I made an exception for this one, because I heard so man glowing reviews. Here we’ve got mutual trust and respect, we’ve got safe words and aftercare. There are clear lines and Shep always makes sure she is okay & wants this. He underlines that it’s actually about what she wants, as Claudia sets the boundaries. She knows what she gets herself into and always knows she can stop.

• <b>Liz - Claudias BFF - was actually the best</b>! She’s determined and cares so much about Claudia. Naturally I had to immediately like her. I just love it when we get to see strong female friendships besides the romance! Liz was also very responsible, she constantly check in with Claudia, to make sure her friend (who was visiting a virtual stranger) was okay. Beforehand she checked out Shep’s drivers license as well as all other information, to make sure he was not a strange creep, who could be potentially dangerous for Claudia. I really liked that everyone was handing things in such a responsible way.

• <b>The book also deals with serious topics like trauma & panic attacks</b>! I really liked that we did not only explore the romance, but also the trauma that obviously was still present since the scene in the beginning. Claudia struggles with survivor’s guilt as well as panic attacks & Shep also deals with trauma of his own, since he had to shoot the guy trying to murder her. In-between everything, I liked that the romance did not cure anything. Attachment and support did make both feel better, but it never magically cures any trauma & I really liked that it was that way.

• <b>It has great diverse representation</b>! Claudia is black and we also see trauma/panic attacks portrayed. There’s also an interracial relationship without any fetishisation. I am here for diverse NA books, because as far as I’ve seen they tend to be the best NA books, so I am sticking to them, when it comes to reaching for a genre that’s not YA!

• <b>A big, cuddly dog always gives bonus points</b>! I am 100% a cat person, but I used to really love dogs when I was younger. I still like them, so a good, cuddly dog always gives some bonus points! Titus really was super soft and nice, I wish I could have cuddled him!

• <b>IS THERE GOING TO BE MORE CONTENT?</b> Please tell me Yes, because the ending was kind of a bit abrupt and made me yearn for more. I just need a second book where both have settled in together and maybe have cute children, pleaaaase I would really read that! *fingers crossed* that my wishes are heard, because I love both of the characters so much and am not ready to just leave them.

<b>IN CONCLUSION</b> <i>Haven</i> is a great example of a <b>NA romance done right</b>. The romance is founded on mutual trust and respect and <b>tugged at my heartstrings</b>. Both Shep and Claudia are likable characters that engage you in the story and are the perfect match for each other. Above all we see great representation!

OH. WOW. I’ve seen a few of my friends over on twitter talking about how good this book is and I thought “I’ll add it to the TBR and maybe get to it one day” but THEN, I was told that it was on Netgalley and literally run to get it and I SO DON’T REGRET THAT DECISION because it’s just so good, it has all the element a good smut book needs and then some, I think I’ve said this in EVERY New Adult book review I’ve written but I am SO glad to be back on this horse, I don’t even know why I stopped reading them in the first place *cough* same characters *cough* same things happening *cough* boring, but the ones I’ve picked up lately are truely a blessing.
Back to the book at hand. The writing is blunt and straight forward, the sex scenes are far from being sugar coated, it’s very graphic. The author isn’t afraid of using the words as they are and I really appreciated that. You know me by now, I like my flowery writing BUT I only do when it’s needed, which wasn’t the case here, it wouldn’t have made sense with the content of the book, so the writing style is exactly what’s needed.
I loved how Haven starts, it throws you right into a very fast paced action scene that gets your heart rate going. And no, NOT the sexy kind of action, I’m talking more of a being chased by a murderer kind of action. And even after that, the story takes its time to show the two characters coping on their own before bringing them together and giving us all the smut we need in our lives.
Listen, you’re not ready for how sex positive this book is. I know I wasn’t. I’ve read my fair share of BDSM books where I cringed and felt uncomfortable because of how unhealthy the dominant/submissive relationship was *cough* 50 shades of cringe *cough*. The consent lines are blurred, the rules aren’t set and it’s just a very harmful depiction all around. And BLESS, that wasn’t the case here, there are on page conversations where Shep who is old to the lifestyle explains in full detail what’s done and what isn’t and asks Claudia if she was comfortable with it all.
AND THE SWEET SWEET ROMANCE. Excuse me if I’m enthusiastic about this book to the point of throwing all caps here and there but it’s just such a well balanced story, hot sex on one side and swoon worthy love on the other. Their chemistry is so palpable, and their banter AMAZING, it just flows naturally with teasy back and forths, serious conversations where they help each other cope with what they went through, literal netflix and chill nights and so on. I honestly loved how domestic and cozy the non-sex scenes were, with lots of cooking, spooning, watching The Originals and other things that don’t involve leaving the house. I’m all for that. I laughed, I swooned  and I was close to sheding tears towards the end.
That being said, I wanted MORE of this, of the banter, and simple things, I wouldn’t say they were overpowered by the sex but it was very close. I’m greedy like that, I loved them so much together that I wanted more.
Shep is a brooding, cranky mountain man but at the same time such a soft bear, he made my heart so mushy. When not in his dominant “persona”, he was a gentle, caring and a very attentionate person who was set on taking care of Claudia and genuinely loved doing that, he knew not to overstep, he knew when no meant no and didn’t press. He also tried his best to help Claudia grief and heal BUT he was fully aware that he wasn’t the answer to all her problems.
Claudia is literal goals. She’s an ambitous black woman who knows what she wants, how she wants it and stat. She has ambitions for her career that she didn’t throw away for a relationship. She’s such a strong woman that I lowkey look up to, she is honest, snarky and just the best, okay? I LOVED how confident she is about her sexuality, again, she knows what she likes, makes it known and is super comfortable in her body. I loved how the PTSD was delt with, it wasn’t brushed aside, you could clearly see that she was struggling and bonus point for her having to go to more than one therapist to find the right one for her.
I wanted to mention a few secondary characters as well, like May Bell and Jad, the old neighbors who basically adopted Shep and were like family to him, checking up on him and worrying about him. Liz, Claudia’s bestfriend is a true gem, I loved how positive their friendship was, she’s a keeper.
I was genuinely sad when I finished the book because I didn’t want it to end, I loved the characters and their story so much that I wanted more, I still do. My hopes and dreams are that the second book in the series will be about Liz and that we’ll get glimpses of Claudia and Shep through that. A girl can dream, right?

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This was my first time reading this author and I was impressed. It was definitely unique how the two meet and their subsequent relationship is very endearing. I'm not sure how the whole BDSM 'we' them, especially since it's really only one scene. I did appreciate the extended timeline as it was much more realistic due to the healing that had to happen.

3 Beardy Man and Fluffy Dog Stars

Once again, I’ll need to open my post with honesty, I requested Haven from Net Galley without registering the series title ‘Beards and Bondage’. Whilst I do enjoy a well-appointed beard, I have never been interested in the bondage and Dom/Sub romance novels. Not even the Fifty Shades hype sparked my desire to explore this sub-genre. But as I requested the novel, and the blurb is fascinating, I decided to test the waters – and decided I enjoyed the foray but it hasn’t convinced me to explore further.

The novel has a hugely dramatic opening. Shepherd ‘Shep’ Olsen (bearded mountain man) finds Claudia Cade (witty city-bred fashionista) battered and bloody on his doorstep with her attacker close on her heels. Forced to kill the attacker, Shep rushes Claudia to the hospital, and they manage to form a bond through shared experience. Claudia is left to grieve for her brother who was killed as she escaped, and Shep must face the reoccurring nightmares of killing a man.

You would think that after Claudia returns to her Manhattan home she would never want to set foot in the mountains that had taken so much from her. But after struggling to restart her old life she is drawn back to Shep, the man she cannot stop thinking about and returns to not only say thank you but offer him a proposition. She wants to heal, and the only peace she had was in his arms in the hospital bed, and in her mind, the best way to work through the grief is numerous bouts of sex with the studly mountain man. Shep agrees so long as she agrees to his sexual preferences of Dom/Sub and bondage.

The characters were highly engaging and had wonderful character development which did not have a heavy dependence on each other – which is refreshing. Shep and Claudia had to exclusively conquer demons and acknowledge grief, as both experienced different traumas. The dual POV really helped their development, as they were either in different cities or different headspaces. Also, the dual POV allowed Shep and Claudia to have different levels of commitment and confusion to the relationship.

Shep’s caring introverted ways perfectly juxtaposed Claudia’s wise-cracking, chatty nature – which made them an intriguing couple. Even with the alluring plot and characters, the sex distanced me from the narrative. Strangely not at first, but as more of the bondage culture came into play I became more detached. I think this is all down to personal preference, whilst I didn’t find the leather straps and public exposure aspects of their relationship engaging, I still enjoyed watching their relationship bloom.

AND, how could I forget Titus, the adorable giant fluffy pooch - he was an excellent companion for Shep and comforter of Claudia.

Overall, I am happy I ventured out of my comfort zone and tried this romance sub-genre, but I will check out any other non-bondage novels by Rebekah Weatherspoon.

This book wasn't remotely on my radar. But in the lead up to it's release I had been hearing a lot of good things about HAVEN, not just from readers but from authors I enjoy, and after seeing it available for immediate read on NG I was looking forward to the chance to dip my toe into a new author and read a good, emotionally complex, take on the whole bondage niche of erotica.

But.. I mean. Yeah, there's lots of emotions flying around but I never connected with it (not that we're supposed to) and some of it was annoying. I wish I could lay all that annoyance at the heroine's feet and be done with it but, while she was the worst of the two, I definitely felt irritated by both leads. And the supporting cast. And.. yeah, all the characters. Except the dog.

That being said, Weatherspoon sets up this story in a really interesting way; something traumatic happens to the heroine right as the book opens and she ends up crashing into the hero's life, literally, and he is then forced into doing something horrible (but also reasonable, if that makes sense), too. Beyond that secondary element all the violence happens off page and I really liked and appreciated that we had the repercussions of the trauma without being forced through the nitty gritty.

However. I just.. I guess it's the author's writing, maybe? This was my first read by Weatherspoon and I'm definitely not blown away. It was hard to get into, hard to stay focused on when I did find myself chewing through more than a few chapters at a time, and.. well, as shallow as it was, I did like the steamy moments. But it didn't balance out the rest. And that epilogue..? Honestly, I just don't really have words for what this made (didn't make) me feel. It wasn't terrible but I was also really happy to be done with it.

At this point I'm not sure if I would read on in the Beards & Bondage series or investigate the author's backlist and I unfortunately would not recommend this read.

Rebekah Weatherspoon is a new to me author. I first saw the cover to Haven and my attention was immediately caught. Then I read the about blurb and I could not wait to read this story. I have a bit of a weakness for city girls who find themselves in rural areas with sexy dominant men. In Haven, Claudia is a city girl who is on a camping trip with her brother that goes horribly wrong. Shepard comes to her rescue. He is a sexy dominant mountain man who lives an isolated life with his dog. Claudia throws his isolated life into turmoil and soon Claudia finds herself returning to his door, working on healing and coming to terms with the trauma and terrible tragedy she faces. Shepard has his own issues to work through. Soon these two are engaged in a passionate D/s relationship.

I loved so many things about this story. First, both characters were strong and compelling. Claudia showed such strength and though Shepard helped her heal, she didn't depend on him to slay her dragons, she worked through her pain and fear herself. I also liked that the BDSM scenes added to the plot instead of overtaking it. The dialogue was also fabulous. They had such great banter. Though this was my first book by this author, it will most certainly not be my last. I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!

This was my first by Weatherspoon but I'm already looking for more. Exciting, mysterious and engaging, this is as thrilling as it is romantic. This goes in the reread collection.

This book was nothing like I was expecting it to be, I was pleasantly surprised by the plot and the themes within. Normally, I’m not too into BDSM – yes, Fifty Shades of Gray totally ruined it for me, yikes – but I’m a big fan of Weatherspoon’s writing, so I decided to pick up this book, and I am so glad I did. It showed me a completely different side of things, the unproblematic side of it. Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely not you’re go to fluff romance.

Trigger warning for gun, blood and gore.

Claudia Cade has gone through something traumatic to say the least, she was running away from her kidnapper that also killed her brother, when she meets Shepard “Shep” Olsen, who ends up shooting the attacker to save Claudia and get her the medical help she needs. After that, they find solace in each other.

Months later, Claudia is unable to go back to her usual routine, so she decides to return to the mountain, in hopes that she’ll find the answer she’s looking for to finally move on. But when they’re finally face to face again, they realize how broken they truly are, and maybe they can help each other, or destroy what’s left of themselves.

This book could go one of two ways; amazingly beautiful or dreadfully wrong. It was a thin line the author was walking on, the “tragedy brings people closer” aspect of things could’ve backfired horribly, and I was so scared that it would end up with the same old “the romance makes all their problems miraculously disappear”. With that being said, this book definitely falls in the first option.

I loved how flawed the main characters were. They went through something horrible together and were just looking for a way to move on. However, they knew they needed help, there was no pretending that everything was fine and they were okay. It felt very realistic in a way, and I really enjoyed that.

All in all, this was a somewhat surprising and enthralling read, with a lovely nature setting – which is really not my thing, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this –, and a different approach on how to deal with tragedy. I was hooked from the start and I can’t wait to read more from this series.

I am so in love with this book! The beginning had me literally shook! Haven made me laugh, cry and most definitely smile like an idiot. The chemistry between the couple was so on point. I love Claudia with all my heart.

I have to say that this book started off with a bang. From the very first page there was action. It was a really good book. I could compare it to Fifty Shades good.

Claudia is a city girl who is on a vacation with her brother, when everything goes horribly wrong. She is running for her life and comes across a cabin in the woods. Shep is a sexy mountain man with a lot of emotional baggage. He answers the frantic beating on his door from a woman who is hurt bad. Shep saves her and rushes her to the hospital. He stays by her side till the FBI tells him no. Then she is gone. Then one day she returns to say thank you and the attraction heats up. Can she get past her hang ups and his? Can he love?

This book had a great plot. It seems as if Shep has issues with loving someone. Claudia seems to be having a hard time dealing with the whole guy trying to kill her thing. Claudia and Shep are very strong characters. They have a lot on their plate to deal with. The book starts off extremely fast paced. It goes right into the story instead of building up to the rescue (Kind of like that first drop of the roller coaster). Overall the book is good. It tells a deep story of dealing with inner demons. I recommend this book if you like books like Fifty Shades.

3.5 stars

I'm not really sure about this book if I'm totally honest. The deep trauma suffered by Claudia was never fully explained which felt a bit odd & while I fully appreciate she would have felt some kind of emotion towards Shep I can't believe it would be enough to totally uproot her life.

The sex scenes were good but again as the title is "Beards & Bondage" I expected more description of BDSM

After a slow start I enjoyed this book.
The first couple of pages got my attention but then it dragged out for a couple of chapters. I'm glad I kept up with it. It turned out to be a pretty good read. Full of suspense and romance.

What can you expect from a series called Beards & Bondage? Unsubstantial BDSM smut, right? Wrong! Surprisingly, this was a lot more than just that.
It was a story of loss and grief, fighting your inner demons by sharing your pain with the only person who knows how you feel and comforting each other by any means necessary.

This was such a great blend of steam, romance and tragedy, it totally took me off guard.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THIS. BOOK. I don’t think I’ve ever rated a romance novel above four stars until now. Literally every single person on my Twitter and Goodreads timelines was raving about Haven, and I’m so, so glad I decided to pick it up (psstttt… it’s free on Netgalley right now. DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY.). I was worried the romance would be problematic due to the nature of how Shep and Claudia met (he literally saved her life when he shot a crazy murderer who had been chasing her for hours and had already killed her brother), but the two of them worked through these complex feelings in a very understandable, healthy way. Overall, I thought Shep and Claudia’s relationship provided a great model for a healthy romantic and sexual relationship, which is something that the romance genre tends to lack. Haven does involve a dom/sub BDSM romance, but consent is always, always explicitly present. I am amazed at how the author was able to develop these characters so well in under three hundred pages. They were complex and, again, so realistic. Shep is an introverted mountain man, while Claudia is a badass Afro-Caribbean fashionista. The strength of Weatherspoon’s writing really impressed me, too, particularly her dialogue. The romance is sweet, and the sex is super hot. And I loved the mountain setting, of course. Overall, this book was refreshingly wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance, or who– like me– has been searching for the *right* romance for them. (BONUS: Dogs. Shep owns an adorable bear-dog named Titus.)

Haven is an interesting take on a BDSM relationship. Claudia and her brother Miles are camping when they come across a bunch of apparently psychotic killers who end up killing Miles and seriously injuring Claudia. She manages to escape and runs up the mountain and lands at Shep's doorstep, where he proceeds to kill the man who chased her. Their bond is formed at that one singular moment, where he killed to protect her. Claudia is obviously traumatized by what happened, and really grateful to the man who saved her. She's also inexplicably attracted to him, and can't get him out of her mind, so much that later, after she's healed (physically) and the investigation is done, she goes back to California from her home in New York, all so she can say thank you to the mountain man who saved her life.

They end up spending a week indulging in a kinky sex fest that involves a little bondage, a little domination and a whole lotta steaming up the sheets. They get to know each other and find that they aren't just connected through the incident that changed both their lives, but that they actually like each other and find each other interesting and funny. Their banter is probably my favorite part of Haven, it's sexy and snarky and sweet in a spicy way. "Took you f***ing long enough," I say as I stand. I want to cancel this stupid dinner and spend the rest of the night worshipping her body on my own dining room table. She fluffs her hair out and puts a hand on her hip. "Phsst whatever, bitch. You cannot rush perfection and you know I look good." "Keep going. I want to hear all about it. How you'd rather be looking at me with a board game between us than bouncing on my c**k." "Do you regret it?" "No," she pouts. "Your dick is magic. I just hate you for it."

But, all good things must come to an end, and Claudia and Shep aren't meant to be permanent. Not because the possibility isn't there, but because Claudia is messed up and hasn't really dealt with what happened to her and what happened to her brother. She was seeing a therapist, but didn't connect with her, so has been trying to deal on her own, and being very unsuccessful at it. And the sad thing is, she knows she's messed up and not really good for Shep right now, so she ends up hurting him badly when she leaves abruptly. "We can't pretend we didn't meet over my sliced scalp and the barrel of that blessed shotgun. We can't pretend that I didn't just sprint like a mad woman through the woods to get away from the ghost of my almost killer and maybe even Shep himself, not fifteen minutes before. I'm too f****d up for him. Too messy. He deserves better. Someone who can give him everything, a fresh start. Trauma free. I love him, but that will never be me."

I really like Shep, he's a sweet, caring man. He's dominant, but not in a controlling, cruel way. He has so much to offer someone, someone who is right for him, who gets him. And Claudia could be that woman, if she'd just get her head on straight. I was hoping she'd come back to Shep, and when she did, I was happy, but at that point, I kind of felt it was too little too late. She had really hurt him, and hadn't made any effort to reach out and explain, then she waltzed back and just expected him to fall in line with what she wanted. Hm, if I'd been him, I wouldn't have just taken her back like that. I'd have made her work for it much more than Shep did. But, then again, he's much nicer than I am.

Haven is sexy with two interesting, realistic characters, but there are two reasons I didn't give it a 5 star review. One is because the ending is really rushed, much too abrupt. I would have liked an epilogue. And two is because the connection between Claudia and Shep wasn't as deep as I had been expecting. I felt as if some details were left out. I was expecting a really deep, sort of emotional read and what I got was sexy with a little bit of emotion. Things were glossed over that would have helped deepen the story. Things like Claudia's therapy, there was only one scene with her therapist, and it was really short and didn't amount to much. She said she went to a therapist at the end, but there were no details about it. Also, the whole incident that brought Claudia and Shep together was sort of rushed and not given much detail. If it had been fleshed out much more, I think I would have felt their connection that much more. Other than these two things, though, I like Haven and appreciated its out of the box premise.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Claudia is attacked and fighting for her life when Shep saves her. She finds herself attracted to him but is it because he rescued her or is it genuine? Shep is complicated and a Dom but can Claudia be his perfect Sub?

I haven't read a book like this, 50 shades doesn't come close! I really enjoyed the story and the blossoming relationship