Deana and Amelia cooked up one hot and sexy book here, let me tell ya. Whew, I thought I needed a fan. If y'all like your books with alotta heat and kink, then this book is for you. It's absolutely fantastic to the characters, their relationship, their arcs, their fantasies and kinks. It's got it.

This book is not really a hardcore BDSM book. I found it to be first a love story and also a story of a woman Claire who is a Swiss banker getting over the death of her husband. When Luca an Italian businessman comes to her wanting a loan to purchase the club. Wanting to first know what the money would be given to she asks to see the club. This begins her interest in the lifestyle. Luca is also drawn to her from an article in a magazine but is really taken by her once he sees her in person. Now the two of them begin to spend time together and the first night that they together grab you the reader. That is when you know it is a love story and she is working through the loss of her husband. The more time they spend together the more they want to be with one another even when life pulls them apart. Like I said there is so much more to this story, and the other characters help with it, his Nonna, cousin, and niece, her assistant. Overall I found this to be a wonderful story.

This was predictable but sexy. Claire and Luca constantly have a strong sexual tension, and finally give in to it. I don't know much about the BDSM world, so this was an interesting first glimpse.

I think this story is one of the slowest erotica/BDSM books I have ever read. In this book, it worked well as Claire and Luca needed time to evolve for something more.
Claire is still grieving and a total newbie when it comes to BDSM she needs to learn everything. I liked that she was asking and that some things needed to be repeated as it made the whole thing even more real while reading.
Luca is a Dom. Not looking for love or commitment, but one sassy banker caught his attention. What will come from it? Will he change his mind and open himself to Claire?
The tension will be growing high and will be palpable to the core. So bring a fan to cool yourselves.
I gave four stars due to some parts that were longing in between and slowing everything down too much sometimes.

Sexy, funny book . Luca and Claire heat up the pages with their chemistry and fire. Great book!
Loved it

The story started off strong but seemed to get muddled down in the middle. It was tough to connect with the characters after a time and I lost interest in the relationship and where it was going. Claire is a very interesting character and her internal drive, combined with her pain made her someone I wanted to see get better as the story went along but the other characters seemed 2 dimensional at best.

Good start but just couldn't hold my interest.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. THank you NetGalley!

Fair warning; This book contains lots of steamy, sexy stories including BDSM.

I absolutely adore books about the bdsm / sub / dom lifestyle, and this book was no different. The kinky scenes were hot, that's for sure.

Will Luca break his own rule, or is it over?

This was a great book. Raunchy yes, but also full of complex human emotions and unexpected aspects from both of the two main characters.
I was a little confused by Luca's confusion over Claire's status, but I guessed that this was intentional on the part of the authors. Keep us guessing and off-kilter like both Luca and Claire were.
There were times when I wondered if both Luca and Claire were becoming caricatures of themselves but then something would jump out and I'd have to revise my opinion.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially Julien's little cameos - still beautifully nuanced.

Kink? Check. BDSM? Check? Steamy scenes? Double checked. I already knew what I was getting myself into when picking up this book. Straight up erotica with a plot. Shocking? I know. From page one, I loved Claire and Luca relationship and how they were able to move from being professional to having a Dom and sub relationship. Sometimes when reading BDSM erotica, the author could force the relationship and the unnatural state of it makes it an unenjoyable read or play it out slowly, fully developing the characters and plot, and that my friends is how the authors were able to immerse me into this read. The writing style was wonderful, there were some depth to the characters that made them balance each other and lastly the sex scenes were quite enjoyable. "Luca's Lessons" was overall an enjoyable read and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for erotica with an actual plot.

When I saw this one on Netgalley the cover grabbed my eye. I didn't even read what it was about. I'm so happy it caught my eye. I didn't want this book to end it was so good.

Claire has been raised feeling she was never good for anyone. Finally she met Liam her husband and unfortunately he gets Cancer and died. Something about Claire brought Lucca to her. I think all along he wanted her for him. He just wasn't sure a woman like her will want him.

Claire is new to dominant/submissive relationship but she is willing to do anything to make Lucca happy.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet, sexy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

I'll admit that it's been a while since I've picked up a BDSM book. Not because I have an issue with it, but because it hadn't appealed to me as much as others lately. That's until I read the blurb for this book. I'm glad I picked it up.

Claire is a bit of a socialite. She's basically grown up with a silver spoon, but has worked hard to make a name for herself as well...and then her husband died. This last year has been nothing but work and building the business, that is, until a man walks through her office door, changing the way she sees life. But is she ready?

Luca's family has been in the public eye for years. Owning a successful winery will do that, especially being Italian. But he also lives a lifestyle his family isn't aware of. So when he's given the opportunity to purchase a BDSM club from his friend, he quickly realizes he needs to separate his banking accounts. Finding the right banker who will be discrete will be a challenge. Challenge accepted.

Obviously the chemistry between Luca and Claire is there. But that's not where the book pulled me in. It was reading about the way Claire not only accepted the lifestyle, but let go of the past. Luca was so gentle and patient, yet still the ever commanding Dom. To be honest, their friends stole my heart as well. In fact, I'm really hoping the boys get their own story.

Much thanks to NetGalley, Totally Bound Publishing and Xpresso Book Tours for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.

📚 Series: No.
📚 Genre: Erotic Romance
📚 POV: Third person Alternating POV
📚 Cliffhanger: No.

⚠ Content Warnings: BDSM. Explicit sexual content. Dealing with grief.
⚠ Read if: you are looking for a BDSM read with better minded MCs.

Luca's Lessons is my first read from both of these authors and I'd like to say, I am completely satisfied. So many poorly written BDSM novels are all over the bookish market, it is enlightening to see one so promising. The execution was on point, the characters had backbone and are fully knowledgable on what they got into.

Luca Bernardi, an Italian businessman, meets Claire Favre, a Swiss banker, and he introduces her to the wonderful world of BDSM. This books tends to click most of the erotica cliches, but I am happy to report that the heroine is not a virginal doormat with no substance at all.

I think this book is a great representation of Dom/sub relationships where the emphasis on TRUST and care for well being is above everything else.

Loved this. Will look into the authors and their future books.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁

🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 4/5 ☁

I liked this romance. It was a little slow at first but it got better. They both were afraid to fall in love but in the end they did. Worth the read.

The premise of this story had me intrigued. I was curious to see how the fact that Claire was a grieving widow would play into the relationship she had with Luca. In fact, there were a few glimpses into them as people before the story really kicks off, and I liked what I saw. I loved the fact that while Claire was an independent woman in her own right, she was still curious and drawn to what she saw in the club.

Luca originally comes off as a very alpha character. Which makes sense considering that he is a hardened Dominant with years training submissives (to what end is never explored, but he never stays with one beyond their training). They exchanged some witty banter and I couldn't wait to see that dynamic as they began playing together.

Unfortunately, it was when the sex came into play that this novel lost most of its appeal. The best I can use to describe them would be disappointing? I didn't really see where they would be considered BDSM. I never bought that Luca was a true Dominant, much less that he had had any success in training anyone. Also, for the type of relationship that relies so heavily on trust and honesty, these two sure could work on their communication skills outside of the bedroom.

All in all, I am sure there are people out there who will enjoy this novel. I may give this author another chance in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I loved this read! Claire asked Luca introduce her to the D/s lifestyle and he agrees to with rules. The most important is not falling in love. As the lessons progress, they begin to fall for each other and Claire is unsure what to do about these new feelings and she walks away. Fast-paced read with lots of emotion and drama. The chemistry is steamy and Luca is amazing. I was hooked from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this book, so much feeling from two people who have been let down and hurt their whole lives!

Luca is a Dom who wants to buy a club from his dying friend. Claire is the owner of a bank, who invests money and Luca wants her to help him!

The attraction between the two in noticeable from the start, but Claire is nursing a broken heart from the death of her husband. Luca knows what he wants and is going to teach Claire trust and how to be the perfect submissive.

The first thing Luca tells her is that falling in love with him is a hard limit! He will train her for another Dom but there can be no feelings! Easy, well not for either of them, and when things go from bad to worse they both think they have lost the other.

Claire refuses to have anything to do with Luca, until her best friend steps in and gives her a few home truths. Will Luca forgive Claire, or has she left it too late.

This is the first book of Ms. Birch and Ms. Foster that I have read. Luca's Lessons starts off slowly. Claire is a widowed Swiss Banker. Luca is a Dom who turns to Claire and her bank in order to purchase a prominent and safe BDSM Club. When Claire and Luca meet, there's an instant connection. When Claire asks Luca to give her a tour of the club before she decides whether or not to accept his account, Claire is blown away by the little bit that she has seen. Her thirst for more knowledge and introduction in to the BDSM world is only enhanced when she asks Luca to be her trainer. Luca agrees but lays down the rules. The number one rule is that love is not a factor in their mutual relationship. As Luca shows Claire the heights and mastery of being his sub, Claire and Luca must now learn to navigate the shaky ground of trying to now to keep emotions/love out of the picture. When a severe misunderstanding threatens to rip them apart, will Claire and Luca learn to acknowledge not only the deep secrets that they're each hiding, but also their true feelings?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Luca's Lessons. I found the characters were all expertly written. I either loved or hated them. I also became frustrated and wanted to shake a few of them at times. The storyline has a slow build-up but continued to keep me entranced. I like the way that the authors showcased and explained the BDSM lifestyle and how it affects all of the people. I recommend this book to those 18+ due to the strong sexual content and language. Thank you Netgalley and Ms. Birch and Ms. Foster for introducing to new authors who know how to weave a tale that is not only engrossing but also truthful/honest to the lifestyle. I look forward to reading more of their work.

A steamy sexy, smoking hot romance book that will leave you breathless and wanting more. Great characters. Hot steamy romance. Smoking hot scenes one after another.

I get it the main characters: Luca and Claire are not going to be having lustful sex, but, someone in the bdsm club should be pounding and screaming from ecstasy. I got to 40% of this book and said... maybe I should only read what's in parenthesis. Too wordy and not enough action for the first half of the book.

I am trying to figure out if the author is lost and doesn't know how to bring these two dark characters together, again to wordy.

The first half the book, the one minor character Caroline Cartier was the only one partaking with her sub.

I get it the story is suppose to be stretched out so you build the these characters. I could careless about there struggles for sexually release.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review your book. Could have been better.