Rowan can’t imagine what she was thinking when she agreed to the bargain
Master Christian proposed. She is no submissive, it isn’t in her. She is
sure of it. She much prefers playing the part of the Dominant in her
relationships. Well, not relationships exactly, more like interludes.
Maybe that’s why she agreed to Christian’s insane deal – boredom. She
hasn’t met a man who excites her like he does in a long time. But Christian
is a Dominant himself, and demands no less but complete submission from
Rowan, and she has agreed to give it for the next month.
Christian knows the moment he meets Rowan that there is an inner submissive
hidden deep down. Why she is stifling her true needs, he isn’t sure, but he
knows with every fiber of his being that it is true. Now she has agreed to
be his sub for a month, but Christian knows that will never be long enough
to sate his desire for the captivating Rowan. Will Christian be able to
help her work through her deep-rooted fears and find a way to allow her true
self to emerge or will her past trauma prevent her from being able to give
what they both need?
The Dark Garden
is the first book
by Eden Bradley I have yet read, and it will not be my last! I thoroughly
enjoyed her story, and found myself drawn in by the characters and the plot
from the get go.
Master Christian is the kind of man that makes a woman wonder if possibly,
just possibly, she might be a submissive… He is everything that Rowan
needs: strong and gentle, sensitive and dominant, caring and thoughtful.
His continuous patience with Rowan does more to allay her fears than years
of therapy could ever accomplish.
Rowan’s inner conflict is palpable, and the reader cannot help but feel her
pain along with her. Even while denying who she really is, she knows that
Christian sees the truth of her and can’t help but respond to his
determination to free her from the shackles her pain has wrought. She
blossoms under his persistence, and finds freedom with him.
Through it all, we enjoy a sub-plot with the characters of Decker and
April. To be frank, I am still not quite certain what the purpose of this
plot was, but I liked it all the same. April and Decker were definitely
supporting characters, but their story rarely crossed with the main
characters’, making me wonder why they were in the book. The best I can
figure is that perhaps they were there to provide the spicy scenes
throughout the book, since it takes some time for Christian to break past
Rowan’s defenses enough to develop their relationship to that level. I
found myself distracted wondering about the purpose of the second storyline,
even while I enjoyed April and Decker’s romance.
Regardless of the distraction, I still highly recommend The Dark
Garden to anyone who enjoys their romances with a bit of BDSM in
them. Eden Bradley is definitely an author to keep an eye on!
Reviewed by Jennifer
