Things have gotten busy during the week for a little bit so I’m going back to weekend book reviews, at least for a little while.  Hopefully you’ll find something appealing!

*****

Finding his way out of the darkness could be the biggest fight of his life.

Living In…, Book 1

Law professor Eleanor May is fine with taking over a class for a colleague on sabbatical.  She’s not so fine with the hot student who’s always seated front and center.   Once upon a time she was that student … and the scars remain eight years after it ended.  Yet this guy seems different from the others.  Despite the alarm bells in her head warning her about history repeating itself, she is drawn toward the forbidden once again— even though this time it could consume her.

Lucien North’s past is darker than the ink on his skin, a reminder of a time when survival was a fight to the death.  Seducing his beautiful professor wasn’t supposed to be part of his plan to put it behind him, but there’s something about Eleanor that’s gotten hold of him and won’t let go.

Together they light up the night, but will their powerful desire lead them to love—or drag them both to the brink of disaster?

Warning: Contains a younger man so hot he might scorch your fingertips, and forbidden lust so tempting, there’s no point in trying to resist. Check your inhibitions at the door—it’s WTFery 101 and class is in session.

Living in Shadow is definitely a scorcher – the sex scenes practically burn up the pages – but there is also a lot of emotional drama (and trauma) to go with it.

Even though it has been almost a decade, Eleanor’s still allowing a bad relationship control her life.  When her attraction to a student starts to heat up, it wars with her long-held fear.  Lucien can’t resist his professor’s pull but he realizes that she’s holding something back.  He wants to get to the bottom of all of her mysteries and release the passion he knows she’s hiding.  But he has secrets of his own, big ones, that he allows to control his life.  As he works to set Eleanor free, it may release demons that he doesn’t want to face.  Although their histories are drastically different, they have left behind scars that both need to face before they can move forward to a healthy and happy life.

Living in Shadow is sexy, raw and intriguing, and at times hard to read.  It does touch on a Dom/sub lifestyle so make sure you are OK with that, while it is very light it is there.  The bigger issues revolve around abuse and force, and it is much more violent a situation, so you need to be prepared for that as well.  Ashenden doesn’t suggest that sex and love can cure all of their troubles but the relationship they build together helps put them on a path to a better place.  You just have to be ready to tiptoe thru darker places to get there.