Her Dark Past (The Corde Noire Series, #4)

4.5 stars– HER DARK PAST is the fourth and final installment in Alexandrea Weis’s contemporary, adult THE CORDE NOIRE slightly paranormal, erotic romance, BDSM series focusing on the members of an elite, secretive society known as Corde Noire. This is businessman Declan Corinth, and erotic, romance writer Brynn Adler’s story line. HER DARK PAST can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory, I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing investigation and search for answers about the murder of Nathan Cole whose story was told in book one DARK PERCEPTION. There is also a crossover connection with Alexandrea’s COVER TO COVERS series with Cary Anderson (The Bondage Club #3) and Donovan Books as Brynn Adler’s agent and publisher.

Told from several third person perspectives including Brynn and Declan HER DARK PAST continues to focus on the search for the person responsible for the murder of billionaire businessman Nathan Cole. Brynn Adler is Nathan Coles’s ex-wife, and the woman about to take over all of his assets and possessions. As a member of the infamous Corde Noire Society- an exclusive BDSM club- Nathan’s murder casts questionable doubt amongst the members of the Corde Noire. Enter Declan Corinth, a former sub and a reluctant Dom who is tasked with ferreting out whatever information he can from our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance between Brynn and Declan, and the revelation about the who and why of Nathan Cole’s demise.

Brynn Adler has a psychic connection to the past; when she steps into a room she is able to ‘see’ the events that have occurred, and Ren Plancharde, the current head of the Corde Noire Society, needs whatever information Brynn Adler is able to reveal. Declan Corinth owes much of his current success to artist Ren Plancharde, and all debts will be wiped clean if Declan is able to seduce Brynn into revealing the information about the person(s) responsible for Nathan’s death.

The relationship between Declan and Brynn begins as a lie. Declan is a reluctant Dom ordered to seduce Brynn into a D/s relationship-a relationship and lifestyle that once destroyed Brynn’s marriage to Nathan Cole- a man whose sexual proclivities bent towards the dangerous and dark. As the story line progresses Brynn begins to place her trust in a man whose attraction to Brynn is marred by a debt owed to Ren Plancharde. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense although Declan’s attempts to Dominate are fraught with guilt and sorrow. Brynn’s reluctance to re-enter the D/s lifestyle casts an aura of questionable consent.

The world building continues to focus on the murder of Nathan Cole. Nathan’s ghost continues to ‘haunt’ a number of the story line characters including our heroine Brynn Adler, and Ms. Sabine Cleo- a woman with mystical powers that currently holds Nathan Cole’s spirit hostage and prevents him from moving on. We are introduced to Gabriel Durand, Ms. Cleo’s nephew, and a man with some extraordinary powers of his own. Gabriel will be featured in Alexandrea Weis’s new spin-off series THE MISTRESS MAKER- as the new head of the Corde Noire Society.

HER DARK PAST is an intriguing, exciting and revealing story line. The true nature of Nathan Cole’s murder, and the people responsible, comes to light but Nathan’s spirit will continue to haunt this plane of existence. The premise is sexy, enchanting, spirited and inventive; the characters are sensual and passionate; the romance is moving and emotional. HER DARK PAST is an enthralling and magical story line; a must read for fans of Alexandrea Weis and her CORDE NOIRE series.