baralillaannie's review
4.0
The best so far in the series, this was right up my alley! I loved the initial plot with two characters going through rough break ups confiding in each other and then falling in love. Their contract and set up is exactly my type so this was really enjoyable!
restyourbones's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really wanted to like this more than I did, because I was really looking forward to Jared's book 😔 But everything was hashed over too much. I'm really waffling between a 3.25 and 3.5 stars 🤷🏻♀️
It was nice to see another side to Adam in this one, when he was interacting with Leigh.
Sadly, Jared's style of Dom'ing is not for me. Service Dom is way too close to Daddy Dom for me 🤢🙅🏻♀️ The fact that he called her little girl was just a big no.
It was nice to see another side to Adam in this one, when he was interacting with Leigh.
Sadly, Jared's style of Dom'ing is not for me. Service Dom is way too close to Daddy Dom for me 🤢🙅🏻♀️ The fact that he called her little girl was just a big no.
majic's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
plantlife19's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
deanie's review
3.0
So, both Jared and Leigh have horrible exes, and somehow still can't get over them. Leigh's long-term boyfriend repeatedly breaks up with her to date other women, and she still takes him back, while Jared's girlfriend doesn't care about his interests, leaves him for months for work, and when he tries to leave her, threatens to kill herself. Seriously, Marissa has deep psychological issues. I like Jared and Leigh, though their reluctance to move past their previous relationships gets old fast. There's an element of domestic discipline to this (Leigh asks him to help her stay on track with her diet and exercise), which really isn't my thing, though it isn't handled badly. This isn't a bad book, but it's definitely not the author's best.
nikkiethereader's review
5.0
Both Jared and Leigh have been burned by long term relationships where they weren't really valued and wanted. Even though they were both afraid to trust, they found comfort and healing in each other. It was easy for them both to be with the other, which shocked them both. Leigh decides to risk everything to ask him to discipline her to keep to her diet so that she can manage her blood sugar levels.
This is not the first Golden Angel novel I read. It won't be the last either. Normally books like this make me feel extremely uncomfortable. Her books don't. I'll be honest and state that I haven't really read a lot of books in this genre and the few I did weren't really that great. So, it's possible that I might like them. Who knows? All I know is that I don't feel uncomfortable reading books from Golden Angel. This book was really nice. The only problem I had was that there were a few scenes here and there that I felt got rushed over a bit too much.
Leigh is a very wholesome girl. She knows her flaw and she does what it takes to fix it. I like that about her. I can also really relate to the high blood sugar problem. In more ways than I care to admit. I really liked Jared a lot. He's very upfront and honest. He's not some broody and mysterious person who gets mad when people question him. It was a refreshing change. I can't really give an honest assessment of the background characters, but they all seemed fun and friendly and full of life! I'll have to go back and read some of the books in this series to know some of them better.
I have never heard any books by Rose Lane before. She's pretty talented. I really enjoyed listening to this book. She definitely helped elevate it in a lot of ways. I was impressed. I hope that she's the narrator for the rest of this series. She definitely nailed it.
I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. I had a feeling I would, though. Golden Angel has a talent. She knows how to make things exciting to read. I can see why people begged her to put her work into publishing. I'm glad they did too. The world would be without her literature if they didn't.
This is not the first Golden Angel novel I read. It won't be the last either. Normally books like this make me feel extremely uncomfortable. Her books don't. I'll be honest and state that I haven't really read a lot of books in this genre and the few I did weren't really that great. So, it's possible that I might like them. Who knows? All I know is that I don't feel uncomfortable reading books from Golden Angel. This book was really nice. The only problem I had was that there were a few scenes here and there that I felt got rushed over a bit too much.
Leigh is a very wholesome girl. She knows her flaw and she does what it takes to fix it. I like that about her. I can also really relate to the high blood sugar problem. In more ways than I care to admit. I really liked Jared a lot. He's very upfront and honest. He's not some broody and mysterious person who gets mad when people question him. It was a refreshing change. I can't really give an honest assessment of the background characters, but they all seemed fun and friendly and full of life! I'll have to go back and read some of the books in this series to know some of them better.
I have never heard any books by Rose Lane before. She's pretty talented. I really enjoyed listening to this book. She definitely helped elevate it in a lot of ways. I was impressed. I hope that she's the narrator for the rest of this series. She definitely nailed it.
I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. I had a feeling I would, though. Golden Angel has a talent. She knows how to make things exciting to read. I can see why people begged her to put her work into publishing. I'm glad they did too. The world would be without her literature if they didn't.
lifeinthebooklane's review
3.0
The Stronghold Doms is a wonderful series about a group of friends who all attend (or end up attending) a BDSM club. In Breaking the Chain we get to know the story of Leigh, best friend to the heroine of Book 1, and Jared, an original member of the group. This pair connect through their mutual unhappy love lives. Jared having been in a fairly toxic relationship whilst Leigh's ex had an early mid-life crisis. Having invested years of their lives in relationships that have recently failed, both are understandably cautious about jumping into a new one with both feet.
I found both main characters to be very believable, their reactions, their fears, their responses and decisions all felt very natural and realistic. It was very easy to buy into their growing connection and scorching hot chemistry. There is no unnecessary angst or drama in the story in terms of the main characters and their relationship. There's plenty of upset caused by Marissa, a total drama queen who only wants what she can no longer have. However Jared and Leigh don't let this impact on their relationship and I liked that the author demonstrated how a mature couple navigate the turbulence that life often throws into our pathways.
I maybe felt the pace was a little slow at times, though none of the story felt like idle filler used to add pages rather than content. Overall the writing is very strong, Golden Angel portrays very realistic kink relationships, even if the fact that they are all great friends, all into BDSM and have a club on their doorstep is a little stretch on reality. Leigh and Jarad's was almost more of a DD relationship than a truly kinky one, the play never extending much past spankings and making it ideal if you are new or less enthused by the genre but want to sample this author's work.
One of the real great strengths of the Stronghold Doms series is just how stand alone each story is. Sometimes there is a slight overlap in the timeline of books, and if you start with the latest there will definitely be a few minor spoilers for earlier books. This is a great series of reads that I am more than happy to recommend.
I found both main characters to be very believable, their reactions, their fears, their responses and decisions all felt very natural and realistic. It was very easy to buy into their growing connection and scorching hot chemistry. There is no unnecessary angst or drama in the story in terms of the main characters and their relationship. There's plenty of upset caused by Marissa, a total drama queen who only wants what she can no longer have. However Jared and Leigh don't let this impact on their relationship and I liked that the author demonstrated how a mature couple navigate the turbulence that life often throws into our pathways.
I maybe felt the pace was a little slow at times, though none of the story felt like idle filler used to add pages rather than content. Overall the writing is very strong, Golden Angel portrays very realistic kink relationships, even if the fact that they are all great friends, all into BDSM and have a club on their doorstep is a little stretch on reality. Leigh and Jarad's was almost more of a DD relationship than a truly kinky one, the play never extending much past spankings and making it ideal if you are new or less enthused by the genre but want to sample this author's work.
One of the real great strengths of the Stronghold Doms series is just how stand alone each story is. Sometimes there is a slight overlap in the timeline of books, and if you start with the latest there will definitely be a few minor spoilers for earlier books. This is a great series of reads that I am more than happy to recommend.
kat_the_bookcat's review
3.0
Can we just talk about how lovely it is to read a book where the hero and heroine TALK to each other?! They COMMUNICATE about everything they need to! Is one of them struggling with a situation? THEY DISCUSS IT! Is someone feeling hurt by the way the other acted? THEY TALK TO EACH OTHER!
That's all.
That's all.
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