Restrained Desires

by Katherine McIntyre

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I loved the overall plot and characters. I don’t think it was executed as well as it could have been. For the most part, the interactions between the two main characters were enjoyable, but once it got past more than flirting It lost steam a bit. There is an emphasis on one of the characters having a kinkier side to her sex life she wasn’t allowed to explore during her marriage, but now she can indulge. I actually think this is the part that wasn’t handled well and to be honest, it mostly felt barely there. I don’t feel like the story would lose anything if that idea wasn’t there at all.

All My Thoughts

May contain spoilers.

I really liked the characters in this book. I will admit I binged the first two books in this series quickly before starting this one. While you don’t need to read them, I do think it enhanced my enjoyment of at least the secondary characters a great deal. It helps to know their back story as well as their relationship and history with the main characters of this one.

Chelsea and Kyle are a cute pair and I really enjoyed the dynamic and drama coming from Kyle falling for her best friend’s sister. Chelsea is a strong, recently divorced woman that is ready to explore what she really wants and let loose. Kyle is sweet, shy, and very self-deprecating. They are very cute together, especially when Chelsea gets extremely flirty and Kyle has had a crush on her for years. I enjoyed seeing that tension rise as Chelsea realized she wanted more with Kyle, it was quirky and cute.

One of the main plot points given is the fact that Chelsea apparently has a kinkier side that her ex-husband was not willing to let her explore because she wanted to be dominant with a submissive partner. I genuinely don’t feel like this was handled very well in this book. It wasn’t inappropriate or anything, but to me, it just felt like this was hardly there and barely touch on. I feel like calling it a kinky desire was almost a little too big of a word to describe it. I don’t think this book would have changed very much if that plot point was not included at all. I do think this bit of the story did well at helping develop Kyle’s character a little. I would have loved for this to big a bigger point just for that. The fact that Chelsea insisted that Kyle needed to “use her words” when agreeing to anything was a great moment for her character and it definitely needed to be expanded upon.

Overall

This was a cute romance with some good build-up and tension though it doesn’t quite hit the mark I think it was trying to. I do recommend reading the others in the series (they are all somewhat short), but it certainly isn’t necessary.


Free copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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