Where did you get the book: Bought
Publisher: Headline UK /Berkley US
Release date: Out now
Coming in print in March 5, 2013! From NEW YORK TIMES andUSA TODAY Bestselling Author Beth Kery.
Because You Are Mine, an exciting tale of erotic obsession.
When they met, the instant attraction was unmistakable…a purely, exquisitely physical charge. Succumbing to their desires is the easy part. But when passion opens the door to an intimacy neither has known, can a man known for being unbendable learn to love?
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
I’ve been waiting for a while to get the omnibus edition of Because You Are Mine because I’m not a real fan of serials, and I like to glom a book in full without any cliffhangers. And I do like the premise of the cool billionaire hero who falls hard for his heroine. It’s a crackilicious theme for me, even though I do feel the trope feels saturated in erotic romance. But I liked the approach Kery took with her characters and plot in this book, and the erotic elements heightened the sexual tension
Within their first meeting, struggling artist, Francesca, and the elusive billionaire, Ian, are both drawn together when she won a commission to paint for him. Their attraction is palpable and filled with tension, and I liked the fact that in a previous painting she created a few years back, she captured a scene which Ian was depicted in–unbeknownst to her. It allowed her to connect and capture a private moment, which made a dent in Ian’s emotional armour. But the course of their relationship isn’t as smooth because Ian’s inner demons and secrets has placed a barrier which Francesca is adamant in breaking through.
Although the premise is not new, especially with the virgin/ingenue heroine and the tormented billionaire hero, I did like how Beth Kery uses this trope in exploring the power play between the two characters. Whilst Ian is in control in the bedroom, it is Francesca who is dominant in many ways–breaking through his emotional and mental barriers. She also challenges Ian’s self-control, sexually and emotionally, and I am a complete sucker for this factor in a book. Who can’t resist a hero who is cool and detached, but completely losing control in the face of his heroine. I liked that this was illustrated in Ian’s form of BDSM which Kery highlights.
I also loved that Francesca, even though she starts out as a virgin and had no real interest in men at the beginning of the book, was very open and willing to explore the BDSM elements with Ian. And I liked that she was no simpering missish heroine who blanches at being challenged and being pushed into the darker edge of sex and desire. But what I really liked about their romance, is that they both learned and discovered new aspects of each other.
One of my favourite scenes is when Ian starts to teach Francesca how to fence, and it definitely reflected their on-going relationship with Ian challenging her emotionally and sexually. Yet at the same time she teaches him to learn and open up from his closed self and it gave their relationship an equal footing. There is also another scene when Ian finds out that Francesca is unable to drive, and encourages her to learn and to get her licence. This really summed up the book for me because it did connect with the power play theme of control and being in the ‘driver seat’. It also allowed Francesca to open up and embrace herself, especially from her past because of her past weight and being the focus of bullying. However, I do have to say that I was skeptical she was able to pass in such a short time let alone passing her test for a motorcycle license.
But I really liked the themes of discovering and embracing sexuality, and letting it be a part of healing and accepting yourself–as well as using it as a catalyst to opening up emotional and mental dams which both Ian and Francesca had.
Nonetheless, there were a few issues I had with the book, and it was the pacing. I definitely felt this was a serial because every few chapter excerpts affected the flow of the narrative, which stuttered the pace of the story. I also found Ian’s character hard to warm up to, even though I knew he was utterly in love with Francesca, and his own emotional breakthrough happened at the end of the story which was linked to his tormented past with his mother. I found that this was rushed and not as developed as I would have liked. I wished there was more time to expand on this because I think the themes linked to his past would have made his character more relatable. And I would have liked more insight especially with his past and how that affected his sense of control, it really felt the story and his characterisation only got going for me but then ended pretty abruptly.
Because You Are Mine is a solid erotic romance with the popular trope of the billionaire hero and innocent heroine who breaks through his walls. Although this may not offer nothing new within the genre ,it definitely had some of the hottest love scenes I’ve read that included BDSM. And despite the issues I had with the pacing and the rushed ending – I really did enjoy the book because the erotic elements were well developed and helped to heighten the romantic tension and added layers to the themes of power and control. That for me is a good sign of a BDSM toned romance!
I give Because You Are Mine a C+
Jen at FV is a big fan of this serial. I have the first few…I really need to get busy and read them.
OH MY BUT IS SOUNDS GOOD!!