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pamgodwin's review against another edition
5.0
What an engrossing tale! My favorite AJ book thus far. As a complex character study, it's both shocking and heartwarming. The H/h, Liam and Ash, are equally damaged. Their childhood trauma might be trite, but the delivery of their experiences is anything but predictable. The blanket fort will stick in my mind for a long fucking time.
Lofty mainstream romance readers might not like the darker plot elements, but others will rightfully see it as refined brilliance, which is backed by polished writing, fully-vetted characters, sizzling sex scenes, and unerring pace.
The line-up of supporting characters is small, which allows you to spend more time with Liam and Ash--exactly where you want to be. Mem, the story sage, is a sensational character who draws Liam out for the reader in subtle and engaging ways. But the Great Rubio is the greatest supporting character. You'll hate him, sometimes you'll warm to him, and he'll always make you smile just in anticipation of his next antic. I can NOT wait for his book, which is coming next!
You can't dispute how meticulously this story is crafted, how well-executed and how much passion is injected in the pages. The result is psychological erotica at its deepest, most gratifying level. Well done, Ms. Joseph.
Lofty mainstream romance readers might not like the darker plot elements, but others will rightfully see it as refined brilliance, which is backed by polished writing, fully-vetted characters, sizzling sex scenes, and unerring pace.
The line-up of supporting characters is small, which allows you to spend more time with Liam and Ash--exactly where you want to be. Mem, the story sage, is a sensational character who draws Liam out for the reader in subtle and engaging ways. But the Great Rubio is the greatest supporting character. You'll hate him, sometimes you'll warm to him, and he'll always make you smile just in anticipation of his next antic. I can NOT wait for his book, which is coming next!
You can't dispute how meticulously this story is crafted, how well-executed and how much passion is injected in the pages. The result is psychological erotica at its deepest, most gratifying level. Well done, Ms. Joseph.
rachelreadsdaily's review against another edition
5.0
I freaking LOVED this book! Two people who both have equally damaging pasts find each other and work together to conquer their demons and move forward with their lives, each other, and an amazing love that they've created together! Amazing story!
ccoleman813's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite what I was expecting when I was looking into "dark" books, but a very cute story none-the-less.
Waking Kiss has emotions all over the place. From reliving child abuse, to BDSM, to bullying, to trying to overcome sexual responses.
Ashleigh is trying to get past her hangups with sex and wants to try to submit to Liam while trying to stay away emotionally....like that could ever happen.
Liam is the "big bad Dom" though I really didn't get a Dom feel off him at all, at least not compared to the other Doms I've read.
I think I was just expecting a bit more "darkness" to Waking Kiss, but I still enjoyed the story.
lucystillman's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful. This book was not like any BDSM book I had read before and I really enjoyed it.
daisycloudgazer's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the idea of this story more than the actual writing. I will never understand why the most popular BDSM novels are so bound and determined to portray stalker-type behavior as dominant at best and romantic at worst. The dominant in this book is supposed to have an extremely pure motive for helping the submissive, but in reality he uses his wealth & resources to invade her privacy under the guise of protection. This story would have been far better and just as hot without all that.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
3.0
I both loved and hated this relatively short romance novel, but managed to finish it in under 24 hours, in two sittings, as permitted by my schedule, and so I can't have hated it too much.
The book started off in Ashleigh's voice, and I enjoyed that. Asheligh is dark and damaged, but I found her likable enough to root for her. Then Liam is introduced, and I really hated his POV at first. I eventually got engaged enough in the story to ignore his voice and just enjoy where everything was going. But I hate when romance author's shorthand for male POV is to be pointlessly crude. I'm not offended by F*ck or c*ck or the other language he used, when it feels germaine to the story and necessary, and I get that his character being a player, he'd be thinking primarily about sex and how to seduce Ashleigh. but the way his voice was written felt unnecessarily crude, just a lazy short hand for a no good player (but with a heart of gold! of course.). Of course, in no time at all, this crude player is had suddenly developed a selfless hero complex and is bending over backward to accommodate and help Ashleigh with her issues. Just a weak portrayal of a character that could have been more appealing, in my opinion. Also, he was in the creeper/ Edward Cullen/ Mr Grey class with a lot of his choices and actions early in the book. I find absurdly wealthy characters uneappealing, perhaps because they feel so unrealistic, especially ones who drop everything, including a lot of money, on women they barely know, who haven't demonstrated much reason for them to be interested.
So that's what I didn't like. I did like Ashleigh, and while I didn't necessarily buy the speed of her recovery, I appreciated that she was going through a process, and using resources to advocate for herself and deal with her issues. I also appreciated, oddly enough, the unpleasantly realistic fights between Ashleigh and Liam. They aren't marks of a healthy relationship--but let's be realistic--it wasn't a healthy relationship, and they weren't healthy characters. so seeing them screaming rude things at each other felt genuine and appropriate to their damaged characters and tenuous relationship. The other aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the evolution of Rubio's character. at the beginning of the story, I failed to see how Ruby could ever be deserving of his own sequel romance. By the end, I found myself looking forward to it. He grew as a person, and grew on me while doing so.
Also, in neither good nor bad observations, this didn't feel as explicit as many of the BDSM romances I've read. While sex was very much an integral part of the story, much of it was without a lot of detail. there were definitely sections of the story that told instead of showed, summing up a lot of action in a few brief phrases. Not necessarily good or bad. Just different from what I expected. And the ballet setting was detailed and interesting. Something new for me to read.
So, basically, I hated a lot about the book, and yet I read it in 24 hours, in 2 long sittings, and look forward to the sequel. Perhaps my relationships with this book is not so very different from the relationship between the two main characters of the story.
The book started off in Ashleigh's voice, and I enjoyed that. Asheligh is dark and damaged, but I found her likable enough to root for her. Then Liam is introduced, and I really hated his POV at first. I eventually got engaged enough in the story to ignore his voice and just enjoy where everything was going. But I hate when romance author's shorthand for male POV is to be pointlessly crude. I'm not offended by F*ck or c*ck or the other language he used, when it feels germaine to the story and necessary, and I get that his character being a player, he'd be thinking primarily about sex and how to seduce Ashleigh. but the way his voice was written felt unnecessarily crude, just a lazy short hand for a no good player (but with a heart of gold! of course.). Of course, in no time at all, this crude player is had suddenly developed a selfless hero complex and is bending over backward to accommodate and help Ashleigh with her issues. Just a weak portrayal of a character that could have been more appealing, in my opinion. Also, he was in the creeper/ Edward Cullen/ Mr Grey class with a lot of his choices and actions early in the book. I find absurdly wealthy characters uneappealing, perhaps because they feel so unrealistic, especially ones who drop everything, including a lot of money, on women they barely know, who haven't demonstrated much reason for them to be interested.
So that's what I didn't like. I did like Ashleigh, and while I didn't necessarily buy the speed of her recovery, I appreciated that she was going through a process, and using resources to advocate for herself and deal with her issues. I also appreciated, oddly enough, the unpleasantly realistic fights between Ashleigh and Liam. They aren't marks of a healthy relationship--but let's be realistic--it wasn't a healthy relationship, and they weren't healthy characters. so seeing them screaming rude things at each other felt genuine and appropriate to their damaged characters and tenuous relationship. The other aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the evolution of Rubio's character. at the beginning of the story, I failed to see how Ruby could ever be deserving of his own sequel romance. By the end, I found myself looking forward to it. He grew as a person, and grew on me while doing so.
Also, in neither good nor bad observations, this didn't feel as explicit as many of the BDSM romances I've read. While sex was very much an integral part of the story, much of it was without a lot of detail. there were definitely sections of the story that told instead of showed, summing up a lot of action in a few brief phrases. Not necessarily good or bad. Just different from what I expected. And the ballet setting was detailed and interesting. Something new for me to read.
So, basically, I hated a lot about the book, and yet I read it in 24 hours, in 2 long sittings, and look forward to the sequel. Perhaps my relationships with this book is not so very different from the relationship between the two main characters of the story.
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