Tempted: A Wicked Sanctuary Novel by Marie Tuhart - 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

This novel was quite a ride. It actually was a five star story for about ninety percent of the novel, only dropping one star due to the ending. I thought that this was incredibly well done and I had such a fun time reading!

Let's start with what I loved about this book:
Tempt was a novel about a seasoned BDSM dom and a girl beginning to learn about the lifestyle. The educational aspects about BDSM and the club-life was incredible to me. I would like to preface with the fact that I don't actually know much about BDSM myself, but this story felt very informative and like a great novel explaining the beginnings of the lifestyle. I think that this was one of the biggest strengths of the story, how thoroughly the rules and precautions were explained.
I also thought that consent was represented so well! Which is always important and rarely well done. Good lord, the consent was not just presented but enthusiastic. There was so much trust built up between Max and Sierra before anything sexual ever happened. He made sure that this was truly what she wanted and ensured that they had a great and trusting relationship built up before exposing her to too much. I thought that it was beautifully done and very refreshing for an erotic story to do.
I liked the sub-plot of Sierra figuring out whether or not she was submissive, dominant, or versatile. So often in these types of novels the female character is already obviously submissive and there is no conversation surrounding how to discover the role you like to play in the bedroom. Watching Sierra and Max go through that and discover the type of sex that Sierra likes and the role she is most comfortable in was interesting to me.
On that topic, I also loved that Sierra was comfortable setting limits for herself and for Max. It felt very healthy and responsible. She knew that outside of the bedroom, she was not comfortable with Max being dominant towards her or trying to take over aspects of her life. Sierra was willing to explain that and stick towards her boundaries and not get run over by someone else's wants.
I also thought that Sierra's friends were very non-judgemental which was new and I loved to see it.

Now onto the stuff I didn't like so much:
At times the writing could be a bit juvenile, thus taking me out of the story for a minute or two. The beginning of the story starts this way, and I was unsure about whether or not this book would be for me because of it. I think that the beginning feeling very young and typical can lead to some people dnf-ing which makes me very sad because I think this book deserves to be read.
I was a bit disappointed by the actual sex throughout the book. While the buildup to the first scene was amazing, I was actually frustrated that we barely touched on any of the BDSM that we spent the entire book explaining. I loved learning about the business side of the club and community, but I would have actually liked to see that incorporated into Max and Sierra's sex life a bit more. When it came to erotic scenes, more often than not it was just glazed over and skipped to the next day.
The biggest problem that I found was the ending. Without spoiling the book, I found that the plot twists were very cringey and not well done. The two twists were unrealistic and too easily solved. It felt so disconnected from the rest of the story and really disappointed me at the end.

Ultimately, I don't think that this story is for everyone, but it worked pretty well for me. If you want to learn a bit more about the business and guideline side of BDSM, this is for you. However, it is not as erotic a story as the vibe lends itself to and the ending was disappointing. Overall, a solid read though!

ARC received for review

Now this book was rather slow, and a whole lot of introduction to BDSM for a newbie (even a reading newbie which I'm not). Max and his partners are HOT and Doms which is nice. They know what they are doing, and aren't afraid to jump in and protect anyone. Sierra is a newbie, but her friends know a little more so maybe their books won't be as slow. Max and Sierra had chemistry, but he was just too careful and it got a little boring at times. Several people show up to throw roadblocks in their relationship, but true love wins in the end. The end was a little blah, but the teaser chapter for the next book with the friends....it's gonna be HAWT!

Sierra is stranded in the middle of no where. She asks for help at a house in the middle of the woods. There she meets max, and there is instant chemistry between them. I loved watching their relationship develop. Sierra is a very strong woman, even if she doesn't fully realize it until the very end. Max is protective of Sierra, but he learns to let her take care of herself. I didn't want this story to end- and the first chapter of the sequel leaves me begging for more.

A wickedly good romance. I enjoyed the story and liked the characters. Nice job on the characters. Hot in the right spots.

I enjoy a good erotica and the synopsis had great potential but the first few pages was enough to stop my reading in its tracks. There is no way a woman would allow Max to manhandle her inside the house and literally immediately get naked and into a shower especially after the night she had. Plus, I would have prefered Max's first meeting with her to have been one on one and not while he was hosting a party. Just felt overly cliched and beyond realms of acceptable reality to continue.

Tempt by Marie Tuhart a five-star read that will tempt you. This was my first ready by this author but it wont be the last, you can tell that lots of planning and plotting went into this one as the characters have amazing detail and depth and the BDSM storyline is so well done, not overly fantasised but real and shows you the true side. Sierra was really well done, you could be there with her pushing her along at places, and Max well I loved him from the beginning, but it was nicely done as you get to see how Sierra falls as well, overall a very well written story and an author I will be checking out more from.

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a new author for me and I thoroughly enjoyed this

This is the first of a series and I am so looking forward to reading more
A great read

OMG! This book was an amazing release! I loved it! I am so sad that book number 2 is not out already, I need to read it NOWW!!!! Haha.

Ok so the book opens up and moves faster than the speed of light, and we already know what this book is going to be about. The BDSM/Kink culture is a real thing, and to think that most of what Marie has written is all based on major research makes the culture even more real.

Sierra is a woman with a lot going on. It’s like she cant catch a break when it comes to her love life. But one thing I really love about her is the fact that she stands her ground, when she broke up with her now Ex over something that he knew she didn’t like, it was the last straw for him.

The way she meets Max though???? YES YES YES! I was in love with Max as soon as she knocked on his door wanting to use his phone to call her best friend to save her. I feel like that was my favorite part. She met him, he automatically took charge, which of course she is not a huge fan of, she couldn’t get away, and I loved it. He will find her and make it his business to know everything about her.

One of the other things I loved about this book was the character development. You got to know them, I loved Max and Sierra as characters, even as a couple, her trusting him, him being very patient with her, the scenes in this book were intense, their attraction was something out of this world.

I am all for learning new things, and in this book I learned a lot about the lifestyle, it was teaching me but also adding amazing characters in the mix. It was awesome.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book, and as for Marie Tuhart, thanks for writing such a great one, cant wait for the next book.

When I read the blurb for this book I was curious about the horror campout, is that a thing? I realize there had to be a reason for her and Max to meet, I just think it could have been written/told differently. Also, I had no idea Sierra was old as she was til about the middle part of the book and then I questioned her character/maturity and I didn't want to because I did like her. The book was written well though and I would like to read the following story in this series.

I would give this 4.5 stars if I could - and I am very grateful that this is a start to a series as I cant wait to read the rest of them.
Sierra angry, wet and frustrated walks up a too long lone driveway to a house for sanctuary, what she finds is Max and a very different kind of Sanctuary to be discovered.
A novel with domineering males, discovery of kink, girl code and even a bit of romance. It was great read, not to full on with the BDSM and an enjoyable story through it
Thank you to NetGalley and BackLit PR for the Free ARC, can't wait to read the rest of the series.

My rating: 4 stars! As much as I enjoyed this book ....I had read another book that read along the same lines.. Boy meets girl ...boy in kink lifestyle ...girl new to lifestyle ...ex partner makes trouble ...etc., etc. etc! I felt at times she was educating her readers of the lifestyle of kink. - what is a permissible action and what is not! That being said ...I enjoyed the story line and the interaction of the main characters. I would look forward to more from this author in the future!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in return for an honest and unbiased review

Sierra walks away from her horrible ex-boyfriend and stumbles into Max’s club. When sparks fly between them, Max knows that Sierra is the one for him. What will happen when he shows her his world of BDSM? Quick read with great chemistry and an entertaining story. I liked it.

Sierra is on a camping trip with her boyfriend when she realizes it is a themed camping trip. The theme is scary and she IS NOT into that. So when she up and leaves the camp sight with no phone and on foot, she needs to find a way home.
Sierra makes it to a driveway and knocks on the door. A gorgeous specimen of a man answers the door wearing only pants. Max immediately becomes concerned for this strangers welfare. They are after all out in the middle of the woods and it has been raining. Max sees to her drying off and makes sure she gets home but he can’t let her escape his life completely. Max and Sierra embark on a romance, both working out their own issues along they way.
Opinion
This book is BDSM but not at all overly graphic. The issues that Sierra has make it hard for me to see her liking the lifestyle, but I suppose it is possible. I have issues with things that went astray at the club. I would think that an established club would not have that many issues so close together.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the story. The romance between the two MCs was endearing and the two complement each other well.
There is definitely room for more books with her two best friends and his two best friends. Perhaps there are more possible with some other minor characters.
I do look forward to reading more in this series. Overall, the book was an enjoyable, quick read.

I want so much more. I am so happy to see that this is just the start of this series. We are introduced to the others in such a way that future books will be awesome.
Sierra ask a lot of questions. Max and everyone is so patient with her. When she calls him out for not obeying his own rules I thought "you go girl."
Tempt, is a book that anyone into or interested in the bdsm life style will love.