Deacon by Kristen Ashley

Go away if you don't like spoilers.

So Deacon is a big, handsome brute who we've kind of met before in the KA world and his story is like a return to the KA I know and love (at least for 90% of the book).

The heroine is Cassie and she's smart, capable, not a ditz and thankfully isn't all about big hair and make-up. Cassie owns and operates some cabins in the woods (heh) and she works her ass off trying to make them work. Deacon rents Cabin 11 every now and then for a number of years. He doesn't talk to Cassie, he isn't friendly but he keeps coming.

Then for a Christmas he lowers his guard a little when he shows up and all the cabins are rented and he stays with Cassie in her house and they get friendly. Not sexy, friendly.

Then later it gets sexytimes.

So this is very KA the way I like her. Deacon has secrets and Cassie slowly uncovers parts. Deacon, per KA, is an anti-hero because he breaks the law but like all of KA's heroes he doesn't really do bad things. He's an outlaw with a moral code.

So there's a big misunderstanding and then a big reconciliation and honestly, it's a good 90% of a read until the misunderstanding/break-up. Because at that point Cassie gives Deacon a thumb drive with a song on it that expresses her feelings. We don't know the lyrics to the song because KA didn't get authorization to share so if you want to know this important part of the story then you have to go to You Tube or something to look it up.

That annoys me.

Annoys me further when Deacon responds by doing the same damn thing with another song.

Ms Ashley... when you write a book, it makes sense you might want to have the characters say what they feel with their own words instead of forcing your readers to either stop reading your book to go find a song or not bother and not know something important that's being communicated.

I really hated that. Plus I didn't care for the damned songs when I heard 'em so it made the book seem maybe a little less than it was.

BIG ASS FUCKING SPOILER ALERT HERE

So the end of the book after Cassie and Deacon get into a little bondage play goes to this really weird place of matching butt plugs and Deacon liking getting his ass reamed by Cassie and his big butt plug.

Let me say this again: our big, bad, hulking hero likes to get butt fucked by his woman.

Yeah, barf.

So I'd recommend the first 90% of the book. But after the big misunderstanding and Cassie brings out the butt plug: STOP READING! Really.

You'll thank me later.