He was the last thing she thought she needed, but she was everything he wanted.Abused and alone, Kitty had no idea how far she’d have to flee after she finally got the courage to run. She never would have guessed she’d end up halfway around the world, or in the home – much less the arms – of dominant Australian whip-master, Noah Carver.He knows she’s damaged, that she needs safety and time to … heal, but the way her submission calls to him has Noah thinking more about what could be between them than her history.The only question now is what she fears more: standing up to her abusive ex-dom, or staying with a man she’s afraid to love?
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An amazing story of love and hope
Wow Maren Smith hit the ball right out of the park with this Black Light book. We very, very, briefly met Kitty at the end of Shameless, Hadlee and Garreth’s story in the Black Light Valentine Redux anthology. We also met Noah in this story, though Fearless can very easily be read as a stand-alone. However that brief glimpse of Kitty and Noah left me desperate for more of their story, so I was hugely excited when this landed on my kindle.
I’ve read several other books by this author, mainly in the Masters of the Castle series. So I knew I would get a well written, full of feels and steamy read. However Fearless was even better than I expected. I fell in love with both the emotionally battered and broken Kitty, as well as the gentle and caring, tower of strength that was Noah. Oh my word I want my own Noah!
In some ways I was surprised at how short a time line was covered by this book, it genuinely felt longer. It wasn’t quite insta-love, though it also wasn’t too far off it either. However nothing felt rushed or unbelievable, in fact it was very MUCH a believable story. I was totally invested in both main characters and their relationship. Noah’s care of Kitty and the amazing way he gave her back her submission was simply amazing.
The book held my attention from start to finish, it made my heart ache and then sing with joy. It wasn’t the story I expected and yet it was absolutely everything I wanted to read. Quite simply it was perfect and I can’t sing it’s praises enough. This is my favourite BDSM read of the year.
What a riveting continuation of Shameless from Roulette Redux.
When Kitty is finally able to get away from her tormentor after the disaster at Blacklight, her journey to restore her broken mind and body begins.
While still in Hadlee and Garreth’s care she does not show any signs of improvement, but just withers away. As a last resort Garreth contacts Noah, the Australian whipmaster, for his advice. And a couple weeks later Kitty is on her way to Australia to “relax and heal”. But that proves extremely difficult.
With unnerving, meticulous attention to detail Ms Smith charts all the mental damage her former, so called dom, wrought.
But in the care of Noah, a conscientious, dedicated Dom, she, very slowly, begins to allow herself to change.
Until a unexpected “complication” seems to put an end to their growing understanding.
This is a sometimes chilling, at other times highly sensual story, extremely well told. A fitting addition to the Blacklight series!
I loved this addition to the black light series! Noah was so great and I loved his swagger! Great read!
Brutalized to a breaking point Kiity runs and with some help lands in Noah’s care. Strong, patient, caring, dominant he sets out to help her heal and be herself again. But doubts creep in and circumstances make for a dangerous choice. Will she walk into Noah’s loving light or let the evil from her past consume her again?
OMG! I LOVE this author. This is the first actual book written by her that I have read, and I loved every single word. I was torn between taking a break to make the story last longer and NEVER putting it down, so I could continue to immerse myself in this frightening, yet erotic, exciting, and pleasure filled story.
In this book, Maren Smith used her phenomenal writing skill to make me feel the terrifying anticipation experienced by Kitty, a submissive. From the very first sentence, fear began to build in my stomach and tighten my throat. The punishment Kitty endured from her angry dom was more than harsh, and my trepidation continued to grow right along with hers. My stomach in knots, it was a relief to see the words, “Chapter 2.” Then, while I was still angry, even furious, with how Kitty was being treated by her sick, sadistic dom, this author actually made me laugh. What the heck! How was that even possible???
New feelings emerged in both of us when Kitty escaped to Australia. I wanted to cry for her insecurity and pain. I empathized with her fear of the unknown, and her misery at her inability to provide anything for herself. And, I laughed at her fear of spiders.
This talented author took me on a spiritual, emotional and physical roller coaster ride. She was able to skillfully pull me into the soul of an abused woman, into the heart of a submissive, and at last into a woman’s sublime fulfillment. Thank you Maren Smith! This is definitely a 6 star read!
What a great story, I was drawn in almost from the first word and had to read it all before I could go to bed. The chemistry was amazing and the evil nature of Ethen was hard to comprehend, but unfortunately there are more like him. I laughed at the spider story and the education about Australia’s wildlife was an interesting element to the story. I hope there will be more stories about Noah and Kitty as she heals and their relationship matures. A wonderful heartwarming book.
“He was the last thing she thought she needed, but she was everything he wanted.”
Black Light: Fearless is my first book by this author and this book captured my interested from the very first page.
This book is intense, gripping, and so intriguing.
I haven’t read a book quite like this one and I’m glad that I did! It grips at your heart and tugs and tugs and tugs. I went through an array of emotions: happy, sad, enraged, and hopeful. I will say that there are trigger warnings for this, especially in the beginning.
It has very intense pet play and abuse.
Let me start with Ethen.
I absolutely loathed Ethen. He was brutal, cold, calculated, unlikable. He truly did not care at all about what he was doing to the women and how he treated them. It was hard to read through how he treated these ‘menagerie,’ in which he referred to the women as. And I couldn’t help but feel bad for the situation they were in, whether they wanted it or not.
Kitty.
I was intrigued by her character. I loved her vulnerablity and I admired her strength. Under the circumstances, she was resilent. Even though she was helpless, she thought on her toes. Ethen, her abusive ex, treated her like she was a rag doll, a play thing. I was glad when she was able to get out of the place he kept them tucked away in.
“I am a good girl.
I am safe.
I am loved.
I don’t have to be afraid of anything.”
Noah.
Hot, alpha male who is able to control his anger.
I was really suprised by how much I loved his character. I didn’t expect him to be a Dom, and I certainly didn’t expect him to take in someone who’s so damaged. The natural progression of him and Kitty’s relationship was facinating. The way he cared and wanted to protect her was sweet. And what I really admired was how much he wanted her to heal from the damage and abuse, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. His compassion, his patience, and his understanding shined through! I fell in love with Noah’s character and the fact that he was willing to do anything to get to Kitty once he realized how he felt, and how important she was to him.
One thing did really surprised me was that Kitty being an actual kitty. I’ve never read anything like it before and the way she found herself, being able to feel comfortable in her own skin, in who she is. I loved that about Kitty. I knew she was just as amazing as Noah saw her, even under all the abuse that Ethen did.
The confrontation between Kitty and Ethen was something I was waiting for and I’m glad that Smith delivered! And when Noah and Ethen shared their confrontation, I was cheering him on and hoping he’d do more.
This story really shows you how much life has to offer after being in the dark and feeling stripped of who you are. It truly captures the meaning of healing and aftercare, in all aspects. It proves that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
This is my first book by this author and definitely will not be my last! I hope we get to see more of Noah and Kitty!
Four and a half Dreamy Stars:
I fell down the rabbit hole of the Black Light series about a month and a half ago. I was charmed by the MMF ménage book, Infamous Love by Livia Grant, and I couldn’t stop reading. As of today, there are two series. Black Light Fearless is the second book (theoretically) in the second series. Even more interesting is that each book is written by a different author, writers who are connected under Black Collar Press. Overall, this series is grounded in the BDSM club founded by the three characters from the first book, Jaxson, Chase, and Emma. Each book centers around different characters and their stories as they connect through the trio’s club, Black Light. I think what draws me to this series is this connection. In most of the books, you read characters from the other books in the series. I’ve always loved to follow characters through other books, as it offers me more of their stories. I’ve always struggled with saying “good-bye” to characters, so this series continues to allay my book-hangovers.
Black Light Fearless centers around Noah and Kitty. We encounter them in Black Light: Roulette Redux, an anthology/compilation of stories by the various authors for this series. Noah and Kitty figure into the story of Hadlee and Garreth as tertiary characters. Hadlee and Kitty are “pets” of Ethen, an abusive dominant. Neither of them recognize that Ethen’s form of dominance and submission is not centered on full consent; it’s abuse.
This story begins right after Hadlee’s story. Kitty realizes that Hadlee’s rejection of Ethen will fall upon Kitty. Unfortunately, this truth is real, and Ethen abuses Kitty horribly. Kitty realizes quickly that she cannot handle Ethen’s form of this lifestyle, and she calls Kitty and Garreth to rescue her. In the aftermath of this rescue, Ethen continues to threaten her life, and Garreth sends her away to his friend, Noah, who lives in Australia. From there, Noah must find a way to help Kitty heal from her relationship with Ethen. In doing so, will they find love? Will Noah show her the loving parts of the BDSM lifestyle? These are the questions of this book.
Since being sucked into these books, I’ve loved the characters and the way the BDSM lifestyle is shown. For the most part, these relationships are consensual and erotic. However, this book plays with the idea of consent and the line of abuse or dominance. It’s the only one that shows this line in such a dramatic fashion, and it makes for a compelling story.
Noah is one of my favorite characters in this series. In the former story with Hadlee, his perception of her former abuse makes him empathic and thoughtful in a way meant to help her heal and accept Garreth. He has this same sense of understanding with Kitty in this book, which causes you to fall in love with him. He is an empath, while also being a dominant. And he shows his empathy through his kindness and care of Kitty. He is swoon worthy for sure.
Kitty is a bit more difficult. There were times when I wanted to reach into my book and smack her. Trust me, my heart hurt for her as she struggles to come to terms with her abusive relationship with Ethen. However, when she readily reaches out to him to bring her back to the U.S., I was frustrated. Not just because Ethen is a horrible person, but more that she was leaving Noah, someone worthy of her love.
Together, this couple is beautifully bound, and Smith creates characters with an emotional connection first and a sexual connection second. For Kitty, this is necessary. I loved them together, and I couldn’t put the story down until the end.
If you want to see the emotional depths of a BDSM relationship, then read Black Light Fearless. Out of all of the books of the two series, this is one of my top 5 easily.