Review: High Risk

High Risk by Siena Noble
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

New to me author Siena Noble shows promise in the New Adult erotic romances.  The kinky part of it may or may not be her forte.  I am mixed because I am not sure if this book would have been better with or without the BDSM element.  The BDSM element with the club is good.  The kinky or SugarKink sex the two characters, Kiera and Caleb, fooled around with in their late teens is realistic and fun.  Their youthful exploration is on par with what teenagers exploring sex would do.  Their reconnection six years involving kink is a bit more iffy for me.

Perhaps it is the interactions between Kiera and Caleb which does not work for me.  Their interactions are a constant conflict with them continuously out of synch.  They cannot be honest with each other which is the basics and the foundation of a healthy BDSM relationship.  Without honesty, there is no trust; without trust, there is no healthy relationship.  Whatever it is between them, it reads like a complete train wreck for me.  For some readers, this kind of drama is exciting and they love it.  Perhaps from an old jaded kinkster, this kind of dysfunction is not for me.  All the kinky accoutrements in the world will not make a kinky relationship work, even if it is just a short term no strings attachment, when trust is simply absent.

The baggage between these two may add a bit of complexity to the story but from a kink perspective, it has all the warning signs of do not pass go.  Why?  Because actions matter more than words.  Caleb's actions from when he broke up with Kiera to his recent mixed signals are not a good sign for a dominant.  A supposed experienced dominant which a newly submissive should trust should have been control of themselves.  Now, in real life, are there men like Caleb as dominants?  Yes.  And they are just as much of a train wreck if not more.  Since this isn't supposed to be a perfect guide on BDSM, we can move on.

Mixing work with a relationship like this is a tantalizing taboo people fantasize about. I usually enjoy these kind of plot devices. Except in this case, it is clear that neither Caleb nor Kiera have any power for damage control.  This makes the story less exciting and more gut clenching.  Do I keep riding this train and watch as it inevitable crashes and burns?  What will be the collateral damage?  How will the author write herself out of this situation without the help of a bit of ex deus machina?  Is it possible?  Yes; it is possible.  Am I in for the ride?  Regretfully no.  For those who have not read the blurb carefully, this book does end in a cliffhanger.  If you do not like cliffhangers, wait until the Trilogy is completed before picking up the books.  You were warned.

This erotic romance is recommended to readers who enjoy a kinky exploration, "it's complicated relationship" status and second chances.

*provided by NetGalley