Thomas Harrow is new to Carnal Pleasures. Though an accomplished Dominant, not everyone is impressed with him at first sight. In an effort to prove that he belongs, he sets up a public demonstration that has a disastrous end. Layla Marks is a dreamer who works behind the scenes at the club. Night after night she watches the playing, secretly longing to be apart of the lifestyle. The pair couldn’t … lifestyle.
The pair couldn’t be more different: Thomas is demanding with little patience for Layla’s naiveté. With a rocky start already between them, they enter into a tentative D/s relationship, hoping that the other can be what they need.
But Thomas is not the only one who covets the shy beauty, and Layla soon finds herself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
The Carnal Pleasures series will be a mixture of various M/M and M/F pairings following the lives of the employees and patrons of the club. Due to language and explicit sexual interaction, it is recommended for readers 18 and up
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This is a very traumatic story. Layla is half mermaid and half siren; also very naive. Thomas is a very old dragon/dom. There are so many miscommunications between these two. Also there is a tiger shifter stalking Layla. Thomas agrees to train Layla as a submissive but things go awry. Layla has several unfortunate encounters with her stalker that leave her traumatized and injured in Thomas’s care but things just don’t work out.
Strong storyline with a bit of a twist and a turn and well sushi. A different happily ever after, but so realistic.
So this one is a little different then the first book..It still takes place at the club so you still see all the characters from book 1. There isn’t a lot of sex in this book and that didn’t really bother me because of everything else that was happening in it. In this book, we have Layla. She is the behind the scene girl, the one hiding in the corner cleaning up after everyone. She is naive and lost. When a mistaken identity throws her into a place she never thought she’d be. Thomas is a new Dom at the club. He’s out to prove he has what it takes. He wasn’t planning on getting Layla but he was pretty patient with her. Since she’s innocent, she brings a whole new level to the game. Layla is a mermaid and all by herself. She doesn’t know her family and where they come from so she has no clue how to control her abilities. This is a problem especially with her being innocent..While she’s trying to figure out her place in the world, her scent catches the eye of another Dom..This guy is creepy and the perfect stalker type. He knows what he wants and will do anything to get Layla. This adds a level of creepiness to the story. While I was thinking this was gonna be a complete story..it wasn’t. It was a good start to Layla and Thomas’s story and I can’t wait to read more from them!
Second installment of the Carnal Pleasures series.
Layla’s book didn’t quite capture me as much as Bane’s did. She and her Dom, Thomas, bore this love/hate relationship. Layla also had this naivete about her that made it hard for me to wrap my head around her overall character approach. I guess given her character’s overall foundation, it kind of makes sense.
Thomas felt this need to prove his bona fides as a new Dom at Carnal Pleasures, so we can see his character’s zest for going a step too far.
The ending was most surprising. Not even a hint at he right guess. Steamy scenes weren’t as intense as I would have expected for the overall feel of the series to date.
**I received this ARC via Gay Romance Reviews for my honest feedback.**
I read the first book in this series which was an m/m story and loved it. I’ll be honest, that I approached this m/f story with some trepidation. I have largely stopped reading m/f romance of any sort because the power dynamics between the male and female characters often makes my skin crawl. Adding a D/s relationship here with a male Dom and female sub sounded like trouble to me. However, having enjoyed the authors’ take on the relationship in the first book, I decided to give this one a try. Oh my, I really, really liked this. I never felt that Layla was being abused or that she was not a strong character. She was totally able to hold her own with Thomas (and teach him quite a few things, lol). They were a great pair and I would definitely read other m/f books by these authors again.
This is the second in the Carnal Pleasures series. We get Tomas and Layla’s story in this installment. Thomas seemed kind of cold and arrogant while Layla seemed young and naïve, somewhat immature. I loved that Tomas was a dragon!! There are dangerous twists and turns in the story line, I actually enjoyed it. I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received.
I loved book one in this series, so when this was released I was excited- Bane is a favourite.
What I found in this book was that there was just something missing. Layla is not the type of character that I like- she’s super immature and her actions frequently frustrated me. Her background was missing finer details and certain aspects were glossed over.
Thomas Thomas Thomas… you dragon you. I LOVE a story with a dragon shifter- but even his past was lacking a little.
There are some super hot scenes, and that damned tiger better turn up dead in a future book. The relationship between Bane and Layla was a saving grace, and Eli… you secretive man …
I will definitely read the next in the series, especially as the authors chose to leave book 2 THERE! RUDE lol
Layla is book 2 in the Carnal Pleasures Series. This is a fun read from an amazing duo of authors that will take you on a wild journey full of twist and turns.
In this book we get a glimpse into Tomas and Layla’s story and Layla’s family history which reveals a couple of shocking surprises. Trust is tested, bounds are crossed, limits are pushed and hearts are broken.
No spoilers
I’m not sure how I feel about that but in a lot of ways, it makes sense.
Layla is still so young and she’s curious about the lifestyle but she lacks self-appreciation. She has goals and she is book smart but her life smarts are for ch it! I am hoping as the series moves forward she evolves with it. She grew a lot in this episode alone. She found she didn’t have to hide every time she was confronted. She found she could fight.
Thomas is an arrogant old arse who needs to spend some time in self-reflection – Sooooo wanted to crisp his arse on several occasions! I had a hard time with his character. He just plowed through everything without taking the time to properly step back and analyze. For an old man, he should have had better life skills. I will admit that I gave him a bit of a pass just because of what he was… one of my favorite species *sigh*.
Thomas came on the scene like a bulldozer he felt he had to prove something and in a way, he did but seriously? The whole mix up was his fault if he was this great big bad dom he should have seen the clues sooner. He also should have had a lot more patience. Yes, he makes a valid point to Layla that he was trapped in his choices as much as she was trapped on the receiving end. But still, there were kinder more patient ways to go about getting the same results.
As for our dangerous tiger – how could you lose him?
This has a HEA –
It’s not your standard but it felt right for this situation, actually it was the only option for these two.
There are some loose ends but I think they will be tied up in future episodes.
I am excited to see who will bring Thomas to his knees and to watch Layla grow.
One of the things I enjoy about this series is the connection between the cast.
Phenomenal story by this duo! This story is hot AF and full of drama and angst. Thomas is a new Dom at Carnal Pleasures and he is also a dragon. Layla is a somewhat naïve cleaning lady also at Carnal Pleasures and a mermaid. These two are polar opposites in experience but they just want to prove themselves. It’s more of a true love story than Bane was and I even loved it more for it. Thomas reluctantly takes Layla on as his submissive considering their first meeting took off on the wrong foot from the get-go. Can Layla trust Thomas to be her Dom? I can’t wait for more from Carnal Pleasures!!
Layla is the 2nd book in the Carnal Pleasures series.
Thomas is a new Dominant to Carnal Pleasures and Layla is shy and works in the background of the club.
Their relationship starts off on the wrong foot but Thomas agrees to be Layla’s Dom. Can she trust Thomas after their shaky start?
This book was a great read and left me wanting more.