The first in a new series from award-winning author Rebekah Weatherspoon…A week-long getaway…City girl Claudia Cade’s carefree life is plunged into chaos when a camping trip with her brother in the national forests of Northern California turns into a deadly dash for her survival.A solitary world turned upside down…Nature photographer Shepard Olsen has resigned himself to a quiet existence, … Shepard Olsen has resigned himself to a quiet existence, with only his dog by his side, until a woman in need of his protection shows up on his doorstep and throws his universe into disarray.
Two lives linked by tragedy…
Claudia is desperate to heal from her traumatic loss, but can’t stop thinking about her run-in with evil….or the grizzled mountain man whose quick thinking and good aim saved her life. When she shows up on Shep’s doorstep again, she finds she isn’t the only one who can’t move on.
… saved by bliss.
The two begin an intense, passionate relationship of Dominance and submission, pleasure and pain, but with dark memories haunting them and decisions about the future rapidly approaching, Claudia can’t help but wonder…how long can they be each other’s haven?
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Haven opens much like a scene straight out of a thriller, frightening yet exhilarating as Rebekah Weatherspoon links two people together through a hauntingly horrifying event.
Claudia Cade and Shepard Olsen form an instant connection, one that is intense and a bit co-dependent as their relationship develops as a way for both to cope. But alas, this relationship is not immediately pursued as the two go their separate ways following the events that lead to Shep saving Claudia’s life. For Claudia, the weight of all she’s lost; the grief over her brother and the words and actions from the comforting mountain man, in a way, awaken her from years of complacency and unhappiness.
Shep has past and maybe current abandonment issues; however, he is content living his life on the mountain–his place of refuge and solitude. But after meeting Claudia, even under the traumatic circumstances, he cannot seem to get her out of his mind nor escape the turmoil he feels over his actions that ultimately led to him saving her life. But then Claudia returns wanting to explore what she feels for him and well, for Shep, there is no more escaping. The two immerse themselves into a relationship centered on dominance and submission. A relationship that has an expiration date but one that is, nonetheless, a temporary reprieve.
Though this novel is definitely re-read worthy, I found Claudia’s behavior towards the end of the novel kinda out of character for post-Claudia. Instead of her actions being in line with the woman she was becoming, her actions felt more like those as a result of fear. Understanding, yes… But nevertheless, very much frustrating.
Thrilling and erotic with just the right amount of angst, Haven is a romance that had a few different layers, let’s not forget the small-town vibes this book gives. Hands down– a quite enjoyable read!
Someone told me I would love this book and I cannot deny, it was great. Rebekah Weatherspoon gave a wonderful story that was easy to follow and kept me turning the pages late into the night.
Emotional and steamy!
While Shep and Claudia’s back story could have been fleshed out a little, I really enjoyed this book! Two walking wounded finding healing and love with each other!
I love this book so much. I love Shep. I love Claudia. I love Shep & Claudia together. I might hate Rebekah Weatherspoon for putting me through everything that Claudia and Shep go through to get to their HEA – but it was glorious and I can’t find one critical thing to say about it. So, I’m pretty sure I love Rebekah Weatherspoon too.
This is a super gritty and angsty romance where, if it weren’t for a horrific tragedy, these two people should never have met. The road they travel – physically, emotionally, and psychologically is so painful and authentic. You can’t help to want to hug them one moment and smack their heads together the next. Are the sex scenes kinky & smoking? You betcha!
The ending was perfect and at the same time I feel like I’d read an entire series about Claudia and Shep. I’ll settle for more about Claudia’s BFF, Liz in Sanctuary.
Note: I found this series before I discovered Weatherspoon’s Fit Trilogy. Technically, there is a brief mention of some secondary characters from those books in HAVEN. However, I don’t feel like reading them out of order impacted my enjoyment.
It never ceases to amaze me how Rebekah Weatherspoon can navigate such heavy topics (in this case: grief over a violent death of a loved one) while still making the book feel like the best kind of comfort read. Everything is handled with such a light touch that still gives the heavy feelings space, but doesn’t weigh down the reader. And it’s HAWT AS HELL. And kinky. And honestly, if you’re going to be saved by a mountain man, Shep is the hero you dream of. I loved this book.
Beards and Bondage – that’s all I needed and it did NOT disappoint!
Claudia and Shep meet under extreme circumstances that leads to strong feelings very quickly. But can he really help her heal and can she really handled his BDSM preferences?
I’m not a regular erotic or BDSM reader because some that I’ve read in the past have lacked enough plot/character development for me, but Haven felt very different from the beginning. I really liked the way the characters and story were developed before Claudia and Shep even kissed making the feelings seem more plausible. I also really liked the way the story advances in time to allow for even more growth. The BDSM elements were, for this occasional reader of the sub-genre, perfect; it was enough to elevated it above just a steamy sex scene but not so much that I felt overwhelmed with lingo or positions/scenes that were unfamiliar or hard to imagine.
I’m really excited to read the next two books in the series!
Hot. Hot. Hot. I am in awe of Weatherspoon’s ability to hook a reader hard and fast *and* fulfill the promise of that hook with engaging, multidimensional characters you want to root for. Bonus points for spectacularly steamy moments of intimacy and a HEA that feels true to the characters. Not to be missed.
3.5 Stars
Haven is the first book I have read from Rebekah Weatherspoon and I enjoyed it. I love me some rugged mountain men and Shep was yummy. I thought Shep was broody, and sexy but at times I wondered why he would respond to things the way he did. What I mean is there were times where I felt like he was grumpy for no reason. Claudia was great. She was sweet, honest, sassy, and game for some kinky time. I will say I didn’t like that she went all wishy washy towards the end. The reason this book was a 3.5 star and not higher is because it was too light on development side for me. There is tons of kinky sex, maybe too much(if that is a thing lol), but I would have liked more character and plot development. I would class this read as Erotica more than Romance. It was hot Erotica though and it did have a HEA, but I felt the ending was rushed. Still overall this was an entertaining read with hot smexy time, and likable characters.
Perfect read. I was hooked after the first few pages, and was in love with Shep by the end of the book. Shep was a complex and developed character but he wasn’t flawed. Claudia wasn’t complex at all but she had some flaws or issues to workout, together they made a good couple. This book is written differently from most, this book is a series of interactions and conversations, time is not wasted on page long internal monologues the characters talk or they don’t which I loved. The story also felt complete to me even though you really don’t know what will happen, I believe a decision was made about their future that would make both characters happy.