Perfectly Paired
Series: Masters and Mercenaries: Topped #3
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM Romance
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: November 29, 2016
A table for two
Waitress Tiffany Hayes knows what she wants and she wants Sebastian. Top’s grumpy sommelier calls to her in a way no man has before. She simply needs to show him that they belong together. Finding an opportunity to spend some quality time with him turns out to be the easy part. Convincing Sebastian to look beyond his damaged heart and soul is far more difficult.
A thirst he can’t deny
After losing everything he held dear, Sebastian Lowe has finally rebuilt his life and the walls around his heart. Tiffany is a sweet temptation he struggles to resist. She’s bright and complex, but he’s sure she can’t handle his dark desires. When they’re thrown together on an assignment, he can’t help himself.
A perfect pairing
As passion builds, the new lovers are both forced to face their pasts. To have a future, they must find a way to heal the wounds they thought would haunt them forever.
Damn but she was a beautiful woman. She was also something he needed to keep his hands off of. No matter what Big Tag said, he did not date women he worked with.He didn’t really date anyone. He played with subs. When the need got too great, he found a partner for a brief time. He didn’t sleep with anyone. He fucked, and that was starting to get very old. Empty.
“So you said something about house rules?” Tiffany leaned forward, her elbows on the bar. “Are these housekeeping rules or like big bad Dom rules?”
“I don’t suppose I differentiate.” He couldn’t let those big eyes of hers soften him up. It had almost happened at her apartment. When she’d stood up after he’d spanked her and there had been tears running down her face, his impulse had been to reach for her. He’d wanted to draw her in the way he had that night when she was drunk and she’d cried on his shoulder. He’d wanted to smooth back her hair and promise her everything was going to be all right, that he could fix things for her. It was a path that was sure to lead to discomfort for her and humiliation for him. “I prefer a clean living space. I don’t like for things to be messy. I expect that you will keep your things in their proper place.”
Because no matter how hard he tried, he could still trip. The legs he now walked on were only a year old. He’d spent the first two years in a wheelchair.
The Garden’s Wheelchair Dom.
He still wasn’t completely comfortable in the prosthetics.
“I can try,” she said with a frown. “I’ll be honest, I’m not the world’s biggest neat freak.”
He’d been able to tell that from the state of her apartment. It had been cluttered, a bit dusty. With the exception of her easel. That had been perfectly taken care of. He rather wished he’d taken the time to ask to see her art.
He’d seen one painting that night he’d taken her home. It had been a painting of three laughing girls, the swirling colors so vibrant he could hear them giggling as they splashed in a puddle on a rainy day. The figures had been more impressions than photographic reality, but he’d known what she was trying to convey.
“If you cook I’ll clean, and the other way around.” He’d started a list in his head on the long drive. The drive that would have been considerably shorter had they left at the proper time. As she’d sung along to sugary pop songs after she’d changed his radio, he’d sat and considered how to proceed.
With caution. Lots and lots of caution.
“I’m not the best cook in the world,” he continued, “but I can manage. Most nights, of course, we’ll be eating at Top as our training sessions for the new restaurant will last long hours, but I would prefer to eat breakfast here rather than skipping the meal or picking up fast food. Eric made sure the fridge was stocked with a few items I requested.”
“Breakfast.” She gave him a little salute with her free hand. “I can manage that.”
“In addition to our duties at Top, we will now be taking on the additional task of appearing to be a long-term D/s couple, and we need to talk about what that should look like.” Another thing he’d been thinking about ever since that moment the trap had closed around him. “You know you probably could have gotten us out of this assignment. It’s much more difficult for the Dom to say no. The sub always holds the power. Is there a reason you didn’t use yours today?”
“I didn’t want to,” she replied simply. “I don’t have a full-time Dom and I thought it would be interesting to see what that’s like.”
Was she thinking at all? “You know nothing about how I function as a dominant partner.”
“And now I do,” she replied. “You like rules and schedules and you tend to be very fair.”
“I can be quite exacting in my standards.”
“I can be quite flexible,” she shot back as the sexiest smile crossed her face. “I’m serious about that. I can still do the splits and everything.”
“You’re far too reckless, Tiffany.” He didn’t appreciate recklessness so why was she like a siren calling to him? If he listened, he would end up wrecked.
“You’re far too uptight, Sebastian.”
A smart girl got what she wanted. A good girl made sure her Dom got what he needed, too.
Lexi Blake brings the feels with this one. Big time. So sexy and swoony. I adore everything this woman writes. She has a knack for writing a romance that not only scorches but packs an even more solid punch of emotion. It’s perfectly balanced. It’s perfectly written. It’s has a couple that’s perfectly paired.
Tiffany Hayes isn’t afraid to go after what she wants. And what she wants is the perfectly mannered but grumpy and standoffish sommelier, Sebastian. These two are polar opposites. Tiffany is fun loving and sunny while Sebastian shies away from any attention and prefers the shadows. Losing everything you ever held dear may do that to a man. Now he feels like a shell of a man he used to be, a monster. He doesn’t understand why a bright ray like Tiffany may be attracted to someone like him. But Tiffany isn’t above manipulation to get what she wants. And suddenly a flooded apartment and a few other “occurrences” and Tiffany is the only sub available for a Dom/sub training that Ian Taggard asks Sebastian to do…well…in his own Ian Taggard way.
Can I just say how much I love Ian? Because I swear the man is the perfect comedic intervention in every single book he appears in. I will never, and I mean EVER get enough of him.
As for Tifanny and Sebastian? I couldn’t get enough of them together. I loved the way that Tiffany was determined to break down all Sebastian’s walls. She doesn’t bow down or run away when things get difficult. She pushes his and forces him to see things the way they should be. She gives as good as she gets, if not better, and man but I loved her for it.
And Sebastian? Holy mother of swoons but I adored this man. Watching the painful struggle of him still trying to deal with his past and his present was absolutely gut wrenching. I hurt for him. I cried for him and everything that he’s been through. The man was just so perfectly imperfect.
This book was everything I love about romance; an endearing and strong heroine, a broken alpha that just needed the right female touch, a perfect balance of swoon and steam, and all with the spice of Lexi Blake’s BDSM to top it all off. It’s the perfect book to warm you up on a cold winter’s night. Simply delicious.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
MISCHIEF AND THE MASTERS
This series is by far one of my top favorite BDSM series out there. Cherise Sinclair has this knack for writing provocative mixed with emotional and gripping. Her romance is so far beyond simple eroticism and sex with BDSM. Her characters are multi-layered with so much depth that after 12 books in this phenomenal series, each time I pick up a new book it’s like coming home. These characters have become like friends to me. And even though you get a different couple in each book, you get to know each individual character well before. Enough so, that you yearn for the HEA and eager to get to the bottom of their secrets. This was exactly the case for me with Uzuri.
Submission is Not Enough
My heart! MY COLD BLACK HEART! It hurts dammit! It hurts so bad. This book twisted me inside out. Never have I been more invested in a character since Theo Taggart. I can’t tell you the amount of tears I’ve shed over this man. As much as I love every single book in this series, this was easily one of my most anticipated. We’ve been getting teased with Theo’s book for what feels like forever, and I felt like my heart would damn near explode if I didn’t get my grabby little hands on his story soon.
First of all, if you’re reading my review and you haven’t read 
Lexi Blake is one of my go-to authors when it comes to sexy romantic suspense, but with this book she proved that she can wring emotion from her readers like no other. It’s so much more than just romance. Twelve books into the series and I’m still as invested as ever if not more so with these characters and find myself eagerly anticipating the next book. It’s so far beyond just sexy BDSM romance and high octane action. Starting one of these books is like getting reacquainted with a gang of friends. I fall hard for each of them every single time and with the snippet of the next book I’m practically salivating for Nick already.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
LOVING YOU EASY
Well hot diggity damn that was freaking AWESOME! No seriously, y’all! That was quite possibly my favorite book in this series. And let me just tell you, I’ve been a huge fan of this series from book 1, so that’s really saying something. I must have read this entire thing in one pervy glee filled sitting. I couldn’t put it down for even a second. This book was everything I love as a romance reader. Yes, like all of Roni’s books in the series it was smoking hot, but it was also so much more than that! It was a little angsty with some suspense and mystery thrown in. The characters were incredibly endearing that you simply can’t help but fall for them right away. And then there was Hayes. *dreamy sigh*
I loved everything about this book. EVERYTHING. I loved how different each of these three characters were. I loved the relationship between Ren and Hayes and how they feed each other’s strength. I loved the bond they share going back to their teenage years. I also loved how quirky and endearing Cora was. She wasn’t a bombshell and she knew it. Yes, she certainly had her insecurities, but they didn’t define her. She was such a strong character and I loved how that played into the later part of the story. This is no damsel in distress and I adored that about her. Ren was enigmatic from his very first appearance, and you didn’t even know his name then. I couldn’t get enough of him.
Some of my favorite characters from previous books had a cameo, which I always appreciate. And I loved a few of the new faces we got to meet here. I was captivated by the budding romance and I was so invested in the lives of these characters that I couldn’t bear to put the book down for even a second.
Why are you so patient with me?”
Swoon.
How is it possible that this series just gets better and better? Because with each new book, I just fall more and more in love with these characters. But no characters touched me as much as Nolan and Beth. This couple was first introduced in 
Lexi Blake’s romances are an addiction I never want a cure from. I don’t care how many books this woman writes in this series because I will read each and every single one of them with the fervor of a kid at a candy store for the very first time. Yes. They’re that good. Her Masters and Mercenaries has been my biggest addiction for years now. And with ten novels into the series, I still hope it never ends. Each book continues to be just as good if not better than the last; keeping me on the edge of my seat one minute, and uncomfortably squirming in it and fanning myself in the next. It’s the perfect combination of romance and suspense, espionage and action, all topped with sizzling hot BDSM that together makes for one unputdownable read.
Kori and Kai together burned up the pages. I loved them as individual characters but I absolutely adored them as a couple. They may not have had a strong presence in the previous books, but they were still a dynamic couple in their own. Sadism isn’t typically my cuppa either, but something about just did it for me here. Possibly because Kai was such a great balance of loving and sweet with that demanding Dom persona with his sadistic urges.
I’m going to hurt you, Ben- because this is what I told you I’d do. And because this is what you obviously want me to do.”
I’m not typically a fan of Domme heroines, but when it’s Cherise Sinclair writing it, it’d be a sin for me not to at least attempt it. Well imagine my shock that I can now say that this may have easily been my favorite Shadowlands book yet. Of course it figures that it would be this author that will not only make fall in love with the story and the characters but also appreciate a strong Domme. If you’re on the fence about reading it, you need to jump off the damn fence and READ IT…or else deVries will come and spank you. Trust me when I tell you that you will to be left disappointed.
As far as Anne goes, well it doesn’t get more kick-ass than her. A fugitive recovery agent by day, this is a woman that knows how to throw a punch to fall a man twice her size. This is not only a woman that makes men shrivel in fear in the dungeon, she certainly handles her own outside of it. What I really loved about her is the vulnerability that was so evident about her. I think that’s what truly made her as endearing as she was. And the fact that Ben saw it and did everything to try and shelter her made me fall for him even more.
