This is one of those books that takes any notions you have of what it is gonna be and destroys them by about page five. In all the good ways.

I loved how so much of their relationship was about exploration of post-trauma selves. Claudia's trauma happens on the page, while Shep's happened before we meet him. These two folks were shaped by outside forces and now they're shaping themselves to each other. It's breathtaking to watch. Of course, it's also hot as hell, and provides a gorgeous delineation between sadism and submission that will prove instructive for folks novice to this genre.

If you've been thinking about getting into BDSM, but want a solid romance along with your erotica, I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Jayysus!!!! A few of my friends and favorite authors were raving about this book so when NG put it up as read now, I had to jump in and I am so glad that I did! Step and Claudia were the real deal. This book had the perfect amount of angst, heat, banter, great convo and humor. Miscommunication and lies by omission drive me banana sandwich in books and I was beyond thrilled that these two actually TALKED to one another. I FLOVED this book and I am so glad that I got the opportunity to read it early!

Book: HAVEN

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon (twitter: @RdotSpoon)

Genre: Romance… with a little murder… and a lot of BDSM.

Rating 4/5 stars

TW: Assault, murder, blood (all in the beginning)

I am generally not a fan of romance books especially ones that involve BDSM. I blame 50 Shades of Grey for this. It always feels like there’s a lack of consent in these books, an uncomfortable feeling that the female main character feels like she can’t say no without upsetting the male MC or ending the relationship.

After seeing so much hype around this book and seeing a rave recommendation from The Book Voyagers on Twitter, I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed.

HAVEN follows Claudia and Shep, two strangers who are thrust into each other’s lives after Claudia and her brother are the target of a pair of serial killers. After saving her life, Shep finds that he can’t quite get her out of his mind… and Claudia is feeling the same. Claudia comes back to the mountain, and to Shep, looking for closure on a terrible part of her life but ends up getting more than she bargained for.

This book is filled to the brim with consent, witty banter, and a woman who takes no shit off any man- dom or not. Too many of these BDSM stories play out with the woman taking whatever the man dishes out (sexually, emotionally, and otherwise) but Weatherspoon has created two characters that understand you can be dominate and submissive without letting that part of your life completely overtake you. I’ve read BDSM stories where the female MC has a smart mouth and the “dom” feels he has to break her of that and by the end of the story, the female MC is a completely different person. That doesn’t happen here. Claudia is sexy, witty, and a complete and utter smartass from start to finish and Shep loves every minute of it.

If you’re looking for a sexy BDSM romance that isn’t over the top with whips and chains, this is the book for you.

Sexy mountain men better be the next big thing! Even if they aren’t, Haven is still fantastic! Shep lives on a mountain with just his dog and his closest neighbors are miles away. Then Claudia stumbles into his life. Literally. She’s running from her would be killer who did murder her brother. She makes it to Shep’s cabin, barely conscious with a killer on her heels. Shep rescues her, by shooting him, and rushing her down the mountain to the hospital. Not the most romantic set up, but I promise you that it works!

Haven is an usual Erotic Romance and I loved it! The actual romance picks up six months after Claudia’s attack when she returns to thank Shep for saving her life. Something is off in her life and she just can’t shake what happened and she thinks spending time with Shep will help her. Shep is also going through something and Claudia might be just what he needs. This isn’t a case of being healed by the power of love or marathon sex as a cure. Both characters acknowledge that what they’re doing isn’t exactly conventional and that feelings are running high and pushing them together. That doesn’t erase their chemistry though. It’s through the roof!

Haven does have BDSM elements. Shep normally visits a club once a year and spends a week with a specific submissive, then heads back to his life of solitude. He’s convinced himself that that’s enough, but when Claudia admits that she’s interested in that kind of sex, it becomes clear that he’s lying to himself. Their sex scenes are crazy hot! It doesn’t go as hardcore as I would have liked, but I believed in Shep’s domination. In too many Erotic Romances, it feels like the characters are just playing, but Shep and Claudia feel like a real D/s pairing.

I just really enjoyed Haven. It’s a very fast and sexy read and I adored both love interests. But I did want to see them use the rest of the toys that Shep ordered! What’s in the box?!

This book is okay. It has super shocking and super funny moments. It's a good love story that needs some TLC in editing and I personally think a scene where Claudia rips into Sarah, but that's probably just me and you'll understand when or if you read the book. Beware there is just enough story for this not to be strictly erotica, but the story that is there is really good.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 Stars

I was so close to really enjoying this. My main issue is that is starts out emotionally high charged and then sort of dwindles as time goes on. I loved the first few chapters. But after the two MCs reconnect, it seemed to turn from a story of tragedy and healing to one filled with lust mistaken as love. I think if the story had been fleshed out more (it seemed rather on the short side) it would have gone a long way in making this story more well rounded and also allowing the readers to connect more with the characters. Instead, I felt like the beginning incident was only there as a plot device to bring the two characters together.

Holy Mountain Man!

From the first time I saw this cover and read the blurb, I’ve been dying to read Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Haven. It’s a journey that Claudia finds in the gruff arms of a mountain man surrounded by woods and with a healthy dose of BDSM.

Some of the scars will fade, but a lot of the deep cuts will leave their tracks in my skin forever.

Claudia Cade is having a camping trip with her brother when her life changes drastically. Chased up a mountain, she comes upon Shepard Olsen who saves her. She heads back to New York to heal only to realize that maybe what she needs to heal is back up on that mountain. With Shep.

Shep can’t get Claudia off his mind, and he’s as surprised as she is to find her back in his lonely mountain town. Maybe what they both need is the comfort they can find in each others’ bodies. But will it be enough?

I loved how Haven handles the trauma that both of these characters experience. It’s so realistic, and it’s portrayed so well that I was turning pages as fast as I could. Claudia right from the start owns her feelings and her decisions, and it shows a lot of courage on her part to face her fears. I admired how she goes back to the scene of the tragedy. Shep is such a sweetheart too! He’s a nature photographer and has a gentle soul. His needs align so well with Claudia’s and whoa, was this book HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

There’s almost an insta-connection here, but under the circumstances, I understood it. Integrated with the BDSM and killer tension, it all just made sense in their journey. It felt like a necessary ingredient as they meet up again and take that initial step towards finding acceptance in all the bad between them. But with all that bad, can they form something good and lasting?

While this is a darker story, there’s a great dialogue between Claudia and Shep. I enjoyed the humor and camaraderie they had with each other. This book brought the dark and the light, the humor and the tears. This is not to be missed, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next in the Beards & Bondage series.

4 stars

Haven by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Beards & Bondage

Hooked from the first page and kept enthralled throughout – great characters and plot – loved this book.

When Claudia Cade, running from certain death, pounds on Shep Olsen’s door one dark night he manages to save her from serial killers. She can heal physically from the wounds she has sustained but the loss of her brother and close brush with death leave her changed and somewhat broken. She wonders if she will ever be whole again. Returning to their lives “before the incident Claudia and Shep spend time apart thinking about that night, what nearly happened and the connection they seemed to make – an inexplicable connection. When Claudia doesn’t “heal” emotionally she returns to the scene of the crime following a hunch that spending time with Shep will be beneficial. What happens in the time they agree to spend with together is intense and scorching both physically and emotionally. Claudia leaves before their allotted time is up and again she and Shep spend their time separated from one another thinking, “what if?” By the end of the book I was definitely ready for them to find a way to be together for the long haul because they are so perfect for each other.

If you are looking for a story with heart, kink, wonderful characters and a story you won’t be able to put down then I recommend this book to you. This is my first book by Weatherspoon but I doubt it will be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
This is only my second Rebekah Weatherspoon series (any FIT fans in the house???), and it was a pretty hot read. Usually I don't go for bearded hero's but I wasn't disappointed. Mad props to Weatherspoon for creating well rounded heroines that don't devolve into 2 dimensional caricatures of subs in BDSM erotica. Claudia retained her own opinions and autonomy while still making the choice to enter into a bdsm relationship. I also liked how she didn't immediately decide that it was something she was sure she wanted to do and how far she wanted to take it. Most people don't wake up and think "yeah I want to be a sub 24/7". The beginning was a bit dark for the mood I was in, but if you like angst ridden thrillers you will probably be hooked on this book from the get go. Overall it was a pretty sexy read and I pleased that it presented the opportunity to use the phrase deliciously beardy in a book review. It's deliciously beardy.