Reprint Andrea wants to submit, but not to just any so-called Dom. He has to be tougher than the slum-bred bullies she grew up with. She’d given up finding a true Dom when her friend finagles her a place as a trainee in an exclusive BDSM club with the powerful Shadowlands Masters. Andrea’s thrilled…and terrified.Forced to accept an unknown submissive into his carefully run trainee program, … carefully run trainee program, Master Cullen is furious. Not only is the young woman new to BDSM, but she’s unsuited to her role–armored in leather like a Domme, she’s more liable to punch a Dom than kneel. He decides to push her right back out the door. But as he ruthlessly intimidates her, punishes her, then cuddles her, he glimpses the woman inside the emotional barriers. Her utter surrender captures his heart.
Although Master Cullen is famous for his unfettered lifestyle, Andrea hopes he might be interested in her, until she discovers he’s not just a bartender–he’s a cop. Maybe he’d overlook her past brush with the law, but when another trainee accuses her of stealing money, Andrea knows she’s lost the Master she wanted with all her heart.
Masters of the Shadowlands series:
Book 1: Club Shadowlands
Book 2: Dark Citadel
Book 3: Breaking Free
Book 4: Lean on Me
Book 5: Make Me, Sir
Book 6: To Command & Collar
Book 7: This Is Who I Am
Book 8: If Only
more
Every time I read a Cherise Sinclair book (or a Lexi Blake book) I wonder why it’s been so long since I last read one. The truth is that I am in far too many arc groups – but love all those authors too much to leave any! As a result I rarely get the time to read ‘just for me’. When I do indulge myself in a free choice read (not that I don’t really have a choice with the arcs) Cherise is now top of my go-to list.
I bought this book a couple of years ago as part of a box set and could have sworn I’d read all 4 books. Colour me surprised when I started reading book 5 and discovered I’d missed one! So I jumped straight into this and loved every single moment.
Cherise has a talent for pushing your boundaries without tipping over the line into dub/non-con. (I love those genres too but that’s not what these books are about.) She can make you feel uncomfortable but not annoyed or disappointed, just like her amazing Dom’s do with their sassy subs.
The BDSM scenes are tasteful but still incredibly hot and didn’t overwhelm the story. Andrea and Cullen were caught in a maelstrom of emotions, fighting against either their ‘rules’ or their insecurities. There was push and pull without it seeming unnecessary or forced, instead what we get is a beautiful love story between two very strong personalities.
It was refreshing to see a submissive who needed someone strong enough to force/demand her submission. One for whom submission wasn’t always easy. Andrea wasn’t really a brat, she was a woman who struggles to give up the tight control that has been ingrained into her. Cullen is such a dreamy Master and sees Andrea in a way many others don’t.
Lean on Me is a fantastic BDSM romance and one I highly recommend.
The Best Book so far…
I was worried about this series getting into a rut.
I was wrong.
Unfortunately, Cullen was one of my favorite doms of Shadowlands, and it’s a bummer that Andrea snatched him up, but I supposed it was for the best. Great character development on both Cullen’s and Andrea’s part. Even better world-crafting. I could see this series going on and on… as long as the author can come up with interesting plot complications.
The other reviews probably have extolled on the various plot lines running through this tale. I won’t bore you. Suffice it to say I wasn’t bored and am willing to progress to the next tale in this series.
Ratings (out of possible 5)
Character building:
World building:
Relationship building:
Romance:
Heat/steam:
Drama:
Action:
Suspense:
Dark:
Triggers: Bad childhood triggers.
POV: Multiple
Ending: HEA
Length: Approximately 423 pages according to my Apple Book
Technical Issues: Layout needs help to determine switching of POVs. This really irritated me because it would have taken so little to make the necessary corrections to help the readership in general.
Recommend: YES
Thank you, Liz K, a reviewer on Amazon, for this cool ratings board!
Andrea has been looking for the right dom, but hasn’t been able to find one, then a friend helps her become a trainee at Shadowlands and she meets Master Cullen, although Master Cullen doesn’t want a partner and never with the same submissive twice, but she hopes she can change his mind.
When Cullen sees the trainee he was forced to accept he’s ready to send her straight out the door but something stops him, when he learns that she was attacked and that’s why she reacts to the doms, he wants to help her, she won’t ask for help from anyone and she fits him so well, he’s never wanted more but he’s starting to question whether she could be the one.
With one of the trainees continually telling her she doesn’t fit and Master Cullen will never want someone like her, when she gets accused of something she doesn’t argue and walks away knowing they’re right, he’s a cop and could never want her.
Cullen returns from being away for work and when he finds out what happened he makes sure everyone knows, but can he convince Andrea that her past doesn’t matter and she’s the one for him.
Andrea wants…no neec to submit but only to a strong Dom. All of her previous Dom experiences have been miserable failures. Shadowland may be her last hope. Mast Cullen, tainee coordinator, is less than pleased at having to take on Andrea as trainee. The prickly little sub is quick to retaliate whenever anyone touches her by surprise. Not acceptable. Cullen’s rule is that he does not get involved with trainees…until Andrea that is. This beautiful, feisty woman calls to him. Vowing to be the best sub training that Shadowlands has ever had, Andrea allows herself to be pushed beyond boundaries and refuses to ask for help or admit vulnerability. It’s up to Cullen to get her past that. A false accusation ends up sending Andrea running for the hills instead of calling Cullen. Once again she refuses to rely on anyone. Once the debacle is straightened out Cullen feels they may be on the right path but again she disappoints him. He finally calls it quits because he can’t do his job as a Dom if she won’t let him. Finally realizing she’s only hurting herself, she acknowledges her need for him and take steps to get him to take her back. What she doesn’t know is that he has taken similar steps to ensure that she is his.
All these Shadowlands books are on fire! Have recommended these a million times to friends. Love love love them !!