I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It almost reads like fantasy in that it's nothing like "real life" (at least MY real life!) but still feels realistic. There is a lot of sex in this book but it is not repetitive at all. Do yourself a favor and read "Both Ends of the Whip" first. It's not essential, but it's a nice backdrop. Kudos also to gorgeous cover art.

This is the fifth book I've read by [author:Brenda Murphy|16832444] and as with the others it does not disappoint. To be clear from the start, while there's romance and a love story, the primary focus is on bdsm relationships and our protagonist, the fabulous Martha McLeod is the owner and Mistress of Rowan House a secretive and exclusive pleasure house on the Isle of Skye.

Martha and indeed Rowan house have been on the periphery of other novels in the series so it's wonderful to get to know them both better. (We even get to see a slightly softer side of her sister Elaine, the feared 'cook' mentioned in [book:Both Ends of the Whip|39890203]) While not exactly a literary work of art, this is very well written, the characters are strong and believable, we have a good mystery to get our teeth into and the sex scenes are insanely hot.

I'm looking forward to the next Brenda Murphy book already.

Martha McLeod is the owner of Rowan House, an exclusive pleasure resort, and also the top domme. She’s been miserable since her former lover asked to be uncollared from her because she was unable to submit to her, even occasionally. There is only one woman she submits to and she is dying. When she’s summoned to see Madam G she is told she needs to take Lucia Coruso back to Skye with her and ensure she has a place to stay. Lucia is captivating but also confusing for Martha.

This is well-written BDSM erotica with a reasonable thread of a mystery running through it but what made it really work for me was the strength of the emotional content. It’s connected to “Both Ends of the Whip” by virtue of Martha and Rowan House but there is little crossover and “Knotted Legacy” can be read as a standalone novel. Martha and her sister have built a successful business in Rowan House and Lucia not only challenges her thinking around the business values, but also on a personal level. The power exchange and uncertainty that comes with a negotiating a new relationship is wonderfully expressed and gives good insight into Martha, particularly.

In “Both Ends of the Whip” I really struggled with the distraction I got from the constant italicised thoughts running through the main character’s head and while there are some here, there are only a fraction of them. Martha’s thoughts also speak to her emotional state more than to base desire. It’s to be expected that there is a lot of explicit sex but it is erotic enhanced by the characters’ connection with each other. Even the threesome is more than just sex. I think this is the first time I’ve come across Shibari (Japanese rope work) in lesbian romance/erotica and it was great to read something different.

I’m rating this four and a half stars because I felt the resolution to the mystery was dealt with a little simplistically (not that it matters seeing as I’m rounding up).

Book received from Netgalley and NineStar Press for an honest review.

This was pretty good, but I was not expecting it to be quite as erotic as it was. Still, it was interesting. I also wasn't a huge fan of all the italics of the main character's thoughts. I could have done without them, or they could have been done differently and I would have preferred that. They were always dragging me out of the story.