TITLE: SAFE IN HIS ARMS
AUTHOR: RENEE ROSE
Pages: 124
Date: 27/12/2013
Grade: 3.5
Details: Received from Stormy Night Publications
Through NetGalley
Own / Kindle
The blurb:
“For
as long as she could remember, Becca dreamed of a dominant man to take her in
hand, and Zac, the handsome Marine she met at her sister's wedding, filled the
role with aplomb… for a weekend. Then the fling came to an end, Zac went off to
war and died for his country, and Becca learned she carried a child who would be
born without a father.
Seven years later, Becca has done her best to move on and forget about Zac… until the day she walks into her kitchen to find the man she believed she would never see again locked in mortal combat with her son’s nanny, and realizes everything she thought she knew about Zac was a lie.
Like all Black Ops agents, Zac doesn't exist in any government record. His life is a series of deadly missions, and relationships of any kind are unsanctioned. But he keeps one secret. He watches over Becca, the beautiful daughter of a rogue agent, and Parker, the six-year-old boy he fathered that fateful weekend. When he spots a known assassin in their apartment posing as a nanny, he's forced to reveal himself and take them to safety… whether Becca likes it or not.
While Becca may have enjoyed his dominance once, bending her to his will again may not be quite so easy. He is determined to keep her safe, however, and if a long, hard spanking is required, he is more than willing to oblige. Having Becca over his knee rekindles more than his passion, though; even when the immediate danger has passed, he finds it much more difficult to “ghost out” on his family again. Must he resign himself to protecting those he loves from afar, or can he find a way to be the man Becca needs and longs for, the man who is worthy of her submission and her love?”
Seven years later, Becca has done her best to move on and forget about Zac… until the day she walks into her kitchen to find the man she believed she would never see again locked in mortal combat with her son’s nanny, and realizes everything she thought she knew about Zac was a lie.
Like all Black Ops agents, Zac doesn't exist in any government record. His life is a series of deadly missions, and relationships of any kind are unsanctioned. But he keeps one secret. He watches over Becca, the beautiful daughter of a rogue agent, and Parker, the six-year-old boy he fathered that fateful weekend. When he spots a known assassin in their apartment posing as a nanny, he's forced to reveal himself and take them to safety… whether Becca likes it or not.
While Becca may have enjoyed his dominance once, bending her to his will again may not be quite so easy. He is determined to keep her safe, however, and if a long, hard spanking is required, he is more than willing to oblige. Having Becca over his knee rekindles more than his passion, though; even when the immediate danger has passed, he finds it much more difficult to “ghost out” on his family again. Must he resign himself to protecting those he loves from afar, or can he find a way to be the man Becca needs and longs for, the man who is worthy of her submission and her love?”
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This was a charming erotic love story, if a little bit short. The set up
is nicely done.
After one weekend with Zac, the man who fulfills all her fantasies,
Becca finds herself pregnant. She knows that he is a Marine and unlikely to be
around a lot but nothing prepares her for the news that he has died; leaving
her to raise her son alone.
If Becca was unprepared for single parenthood, she’s even less prepared
for the shock she receives when she finds herself face to face with the father
of her child once again six years after he’s supposed to have died. Discovering
that he is a ghost – a Black Ops agent with no official identity and no
possibility of ever living in the real world – destroys any hopes she might
have had of reuniting with her son’s father. And, as if all of that is not
enough, she also discovers that she and her son are in danger; the nanny she
had recently hired turns out to be a professional killer.
Despite all her doubts Becca can’t deny that she is still attracted to
Zac and graves the domination only he can provide her with. But even as she is
trying to figure out how to resolve his need to be invisible with her need to
have him in her life danger comes lurking once again, leaving her and her son
in a situation that may well end up killing them.
Zac hates that he had to stay out of Becca and Parker’s lives. He has done
what he can, providing them with affordable housing and an income without ever
contacting them. Being close to Becca again unleashes all his feelings for the
woman who captured his heart over the course of one weekend and just walking
away isn’t an option anymore. The problem is that staying with her is even less
of an option. It will take deadly danger to make Zac realize that sometimes the
impossible has to be done anyway.
Like I said, this was a nice story. Both Becca and Zac were interesting
characters, if a bit two dimensional due to lack of back story. I’m not
entirely sure how I felt about this psychic connection between Zac and his son
but I did like that Zac had been keeping an eye on his unofficial family over
the years.
In fact, there was a lot I liked about Zac, especially the way he had no
reluctance admitting his feelings, first to himself and then to Becca too.
“This
was what it was to love, then. Helplessness. And attachment to something that
could be taken away or lost.” – Zac
I wasn’t quite as impressed with Becca who seemed a strange mixture of
very strong and rather helpless. And I can’t help thinking that after having it
explained to her several times Becca would be able to remember why the
spankings were working so well in their relationship.
Despite those niggles I did enjoy this quick read. It was a straight
forward story with a little bit of mystery, some action, a lot of heat and a
wonderful happy ending. In fact it was a good read to spend a stormy afternoon
indoors with.
