The Dark Garden

To review Sept. 2 ( )

Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/01/book-review-dark-garden-by-eden-brad...

The Dark Garden is a story that follows a woman named Rowan. She likes to be in control which is why she is the best head mistress/Dom at Club Privé. She loves her job and she is very good at it. But things take a turn when a new Top arrives at the club named Christian. He knows what he wants and it is Rowan. Rowan will not submit to anyone, but she can't stop thinking about Christian. So Christian makes a proposition to Rowan about being her dom for thirty days to help release whatever demons she has. He can sense she has experienced something traumatic and he will do what it takes to get to the bottom of it.

I really loved this book a lot. I have reread a few parts already. It is different from most of the BDSM reads I have been reading in that it focuses on the actual feelings of the people involved. Most BDSM reads slowly work up to that, but there is an instant attraction here that could definitely lead to something more. Rowan is a smart and sassy woman. She has been through something a few years ago that has changed her. She will never let anyone get the better of her ever again. I love how confident Christian is to make her discover her true self. He says that she is a submissive. She tells him he is crazy and won't let any have control over her. She is not a weak woman. Christian is a man that has been around the world and has seen plenty. His art is his living and Rowan inspires him to do more. Rowan and Christian are explosive together. From the first meeting you felt their chemistry. The scenes they share are really unforgettable and had me entranced even after I was done reading the book.

I love the journey Rowan takes to discover herself. How she really had to look at herself in order to really understand things around her. She was quite the hypocrite in this book saying that there was no way she was a sub because it made her look weak. But she would tell fellow subs that Doms and subs have equal amounts of power. I love how Christian doesn't give up on her as much as she can't face what he is saying and her growing feelings for him. I love that this is a journey for Christian as well. He has never loved anyone. He may have seen all there is to see, but he felt empty. I love that together they made discoveries about themselves. I was dying to see whether they were willing to face the obstacles or run in the other direction.

Now as much as I loved this book, there was one thing that irritated me; April and Decker. What gives? Why weren't they given their own story? Rowan and Christian take up about 90% of this book and April and Decker's story felt sprinkled in the other 10%. I was dying to know more about them. Their scenes together were great, actually just as great as Rowan's and Christian's. But I had a hard time with it because we are given so little of them especially Decker. He has some major book boyfriend potential, but we barely get a story from him. Why was he afraid to be with April? Did something happen in his past? What is so different about April compared to the other women he Tops? We only get things from April's point of view. Well, what about Decker? It just felt odd to me. They should have gotten their own story or at least some things from Decker's point of view. We know what Rowan, Christian and April are feeling. Why was Decker left out? All we get it that he knows she is beautiful. Okay. We know there is more to it than that, but what it is? I hope we do get more because, like I said, I really liked Decker and him and April together was incredible.

Despite that, I still loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It was sexy and had characters I really cared about. The sex scenes were out of this world and memorable. I loved that shower scene between Rowan and Christian. I love all the emotion that was put into this book. I had a tear or two myself while reading. Rowan's turmoil was understandable and made me root for her happy ending no matter how hard she fought it. Even if BDSM isn't your thing, I would say pick this book up. This has a different feel compared to some others and I really like that as well. Highly recommended. ( )

The Dark Garden by Eden Bradley a romance that tips the erotic scale. Rowan Cassidy likes to be in control. She is a dominatrix that frequents the local S & M club, Club Prive. There she meets Christian, who is another dom. He's confident, drop-dead gorgeous, and determined. From their first meeting, Christian becomes hypnotized by Rowan. He makes her an offer she can't refuse. Christian challenges Rowan to be his submissive for thirty days. She is hesitant, but soon agrees. However it is easier said than done. Rowan has issues of her own. Something happened in her past that haunts her and drives her need to always be in charge of any situation. Thus the conflict.
The story line has positives and negatives. Rowan is strong yet vulnerable. She has issues that have shaped who she is. She feels safe when she's a dom; while being a submissive scares the hell out of her. Her deal with Christian is a way of confronting the past, and letting go. During their 'sessions' Rowan even has moments of shear terror that makes her want to run away. This seemed very plausible to me. I could even believe that for some unknown reason, Christian wanted to help her. They had great chemistry together, but their relationship seemed rushed. The ending is one of the problems I had with the story. It seemed to tie up rather quickly into a neat little package. I'm sure great sex can solve a great many things, but somehow I think this story line needed a bit more considering the circumstances. Another problem that I had with the book, is April and Decker's story. April is a friend of Rowan's and Decker is a dom. They are both minor characters in the story and so is their story line. Their story felt like it was thrown into the book. I think it would have been better if April and Decker had their own book. Rowan and April's story line paralleled, but I felt as if more explanation was needed in their story.
Overall if you're a fan of 50 Shades of Grey, you might enjoy this book. There are things I enjoyed about this book as well as things I didn't. The writing was good, the characters were good, but the story line left me wanting. This book is recommended for mature audiences only. I would rate this book 2.5 but I'll round it up to three Willies since we don't know halvesies . ( )

**Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques**

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!

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