Lean on Me [Paperback]

Yummy!!!
Cullen has been tying us all in knots since book 1. He is the bartender who knows all our ladies and never forgets a drink. He is the trainer for the subs in training and as much as he gives everyone else satisfaction and happiness, it is about time the man found his own joy. Hello!

Andrea is a hard worker. She owns her own cleaning company and knows how to treat people with kindness and appreciation. She wants to know more about the BDSM lifestyle, but she is scared to go to any club where it could pose some danger to her. So, her best friend calls in a favor. He plays informant to a cop, Cullen, who happens to work at a private and exclusive BDSM club. Cullen owes him a favor and it is time he pays up. Cullen is going to get Andrea into the training program. It's an unconventional way into the club and not all the members are going to be happy that someone who can't really afford the exclusivity is allowed in and then attracts the covetted Cullen.

This is a great series to get to know the BDSM lifestyle and the best of what it offers. I don't believe for a nanosecond that this is what the typical club is like or that every Dom is as intuitive as these men. It is the perfect fantasy after all. But, I think it is what many must aspire to. For those of us who really couldn't comprehend the appeal, this series is revealing and educational. Not to mention hot and carnal.

Another winner by Ms. Cherise Sinclair! This story is about Master Cullen and Andrea. Cullen, whom we've slowly been getting to know from the other Masters of the Shadowlands books, finally gets a story of his own. We get to know his likes/dislikes, his background, what makes him "tick", etc. Andrea, a new character, gets a position as a trainee at the Shadowlands Club with the help of a good friend who happens to know Cullen. Master Cullen, the one in charge of the trainee program, is not happy about having to do this favor. But he very quickly becomes intrigued by Andrea's "beat up first and apologize later" exterior that is mixed with her submissive nature. As they get to know each other, we also get to "visit" with the other couples (Master Z and Jessica, Master Dan and Kari, & Master Nolan and Beth) that we met in her previous stories in the Masters of the Shadowlands series.

I thought Ms. Sinclair did another excellent job creating a new and interesting submissive character. Andrea grew up in a bad neighborhood where she had to often defend herself. She also grew up with an alcoholic father who instilled in her "depend on no one but yourself" attitude. Despite her rough childhood, Ms. Sinclair gave Andrea a wonderful sense of humor and a kindness/softness that was very appealing. It was easy to like her from the start, and I thought there was great chemistry between Andrea and Cullen.

I enjoyed reading every word of "Lean on Me". I was so into the book that I ended up finishing it in one day. (I just could not put it down.) I hope Ms. Sinclair will continue with the Masters of the Shadowlands series because I would love to read more about the people at the Shadowlands Club.

Andrea is an untrained submissive who craves her independence but yearns for someone to take control away from her. Growing up in a less than desirable situation, Andrea knows that the Dom of her dreams will be a man tougher than any bully but one that will be able to handle anything she throws at him. She knows that in order for a man to be her Master, he has to be willing to accept who and what she is without questions. With just one look at Master Cullen, the Dom in charge of the Shadowlands submissive program, Andrea feels her heart begin to beat and her palms begin to sweat. Her destiny comes in a mighty tall drink of water but her acceptance of this destiny is hard for Andrea to accept so she does the only thing she can think of to protect herself - she shuts down. Suffice it to say that Master Cullen is having none of this and takes Andrea's choices away.

LEAN ON ME is more than just a story. It is almost realistic enough that I felt I could see and touch and hear the sighs of both characters in this novel. Andrea was tough, and she had to be because of the life she grew up surrounded by. She learned early on that to appear weak could mean a rap or worse, and so her submissiveness was almost hidden from the naked eye. But not to Master Cullen. Master Cullen knows exactly what this wondrous but tough woman needs, and he is more than willing to let her experience his brand of submission first hand. Now, if only he can get her to admit she feels the same.

Cherise Sinclair's writing style and ability to tell one heck of a story shine on every single page of LEAN ON ME. Trust is the name of the game in this thought provoking novel and I was captured by the images and the emotions and the complete love felt by both characters. I couldn't have asked for more, and that's the truth.

LEAN ON ME is book four of Cherise Sinclair's SHADOWLANDS series and as such, I recommend reading in order, just to get the back stories. If this isn't an option, no worries - LEAN ON ME is fully capable of standing on its own.

Natalie S.