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Lean on Me (Masters of the Shadowlands 4) by…
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Lean on Me (Masters of the Shadowlands 4) (edition 2010)

by Cherise Sinclair

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
24018110,997 (4.13)1
Andrea wants to submit, but not to just any so-called Dom. He has to be tougher than the slum-bred bullies she grew up with. She'd given up finding a true Dom when her friend finagles her a place as a trainee in an exclusive BDSM club with the powerful Shadowlands Masters. Andrea's thrilled...and terrified. Forced to accept an unknown submissive into his carefully run trainee program, Master Cullen is furious. Not only is the young woman new to BDSM, but she's unsuited to her role--armoured in leather like a Domme, she's more liable to punch a Dom than kneel. He decides to push her right back out the door. But as he ruthlessly intimidates her, punishes her, then cuddles her, his glimpses of the woman inside the emotional armour intrigue him and her utter surrender captures his heart. Although Master Cullen is famous for his unfettered lifestyle, Andrea believes he might be interested in her, until she discovers he's not just a bartender--he's a cop. Maybe he'd overlook her past brush with the law, but when another trainee accuses her of stealing money, Andrea knows she's lost the Master she wanted with all her heart.… (more)
Member:Sarah_Hearts_Books
Title:Lean on Me (Masters of the Shadowlands 4)
Authors:Cherise Sinclair
Info:Loose Id LLC (2010), Kindle Edition, 314 pages
Collections:Erotic Romance, Glitterkink, BDSM, 4.5 STARS, Your library, Favorites
Rating:*****
Tags:Cherise Sinclair

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Lean on Me by Cherise Sinclair

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Lean on Me is the fourth book in Cherise Sinclair’s Masters of the Shadowlands erotic romance series. Andrea knows she’s a submissive, but the so-called Doms at the Tampa BDSM club she’s been going to don’t do anything for her. She wants someone with the experience to fully command her body. When her best friend, Antonio, calls in a favor with a Dom at the exclusive Club Shadowlands to take her on as a trainee, Andrea jumps at the chance. As a maid at her day job, it’s a place where she’d otherwise never be able to afford the membership fees, so she’s willing to do whatever she must to be there. However, she quickly discovers that the independence drilled into her by her father since she was only a child, along with a past experience of sexual assault which makes her lash out at any man who approaches her too fast, are both problematic in a place like the Shadowlands where she’s expected to submit to any Master who commands her. The one man who begins to earn her trust, though, is Master Cullen who oversees all the submissive trainees, but when she discovers that he’s not the type to settle down with just one sub, Andrea fears her dreams of belonging only to him might never come true. For his part, Master Cullen is annoyed that Antonio called in his favor to get Andrea admitted to the trainee program. Most of the submissive trainees have been at the club for a while and know the ropes, but Andrea is an unknown quantity. Still, she seems willing enough to learn, and soon Cullen finds himself enjoying his time with his Amazon and realizes it’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate his role as trainer from that of her actual Master. Once the lines have been blurred, they both discover there’s no going back, but when Andrea keeps refusing to ask her Dom for help, over and over again, Cullen may just decide that he’s had enough.

Andrea’s mother died when she was young and she was raised by an ex-military father who believed that a person couldn’t count on anyone but themselves. As such, he instilled a deep-rooted sense of independence in Andrea that makes it especially hard to allow herself to lean on anyone else even when she genuinely needs help. Despite that she knows deep down that she’s a submissive and desperately wants to find a Dom to love and care for her, so when her friend, Antonio, gets her into the trainee program at the Shadowlands, she couldn’t be happier. When she meets Master Cullen who’s in charge of the trainees, at first, he’s something of an irritation, but at the same time, he excites her body in a way no other Dom has before. After getting to know a few of the other Doms, though, Andrea quickly finds that Master Cullen is really the only one she truly wants. But when Antonio tells her that Cullen never gets involved with any sub at the club, much less a trainee, it seems her hopes of being his may be dashed until she’s finally able to let him know just how she really feels. After that, she’s living out her submissive dreams with the perfect Dom until her independent streak gets in the way of a great thing. As someone who’s rather independent myself and has trouble asking for help, I felt I really understood where Andrea was coming from. She maybe takes it a little further than I would, but given her past and the way she as brought up, it made perfect sense. When she was finally able to overcome her fears and make herself fully vulnerable to Cullen, genuinely asking for his help, it was a really poignant moment that left me with all the feels.

Master Cullen has been on my radar since I met him in the first book of the series. He’s always been the affable bartender at the Shadowlands who everybody loves, but in his day job, he’s an arson investigator. He got into that line of work when his fiancee was killed in a fire, and he’s also still grieving the passing of his mother, who didn’t ask for help soon enough to keep her cancer from spreading. Ever since losing his fiancee, he’s decided to simply play the field and avoid any entanglements that could lead to love. Being in charge of the submissive trainees at the club works just fine for him until his friend calls in a favor to get Andrea admitted. On her first night there, Cullen is a bit annoyed with her, but aside from her hitting Doms who are too quick to touch her, a problem that he promptly gets to the root of, she’s generally a quick study. As an extremely tall and muscular man, Cullen is always afraid he’s going to accidentally hurt some of the tiny subs, so he finds Andrea’s tall, full-figured body very appealing. Soon he’s having far too much fun pleasuring her over and over again, and feeling territorial every time another Dom touches her, but his sub is having a hard time asking for help and using her safe words when she needs to. After one breakthrough, he finally decides she’s his, but when the problem still persists even after she’s promised to try harder, Cullen doesn’t think he can be with her anymore. I’ve loved Master Cullen ever since he first appeared in the series, so I’d been looking forward to his book. It definitely didn’t disappoint. He’s just as delectable as all the other Doms in the series so far, and will certainly go down as one of my favorites. His characterization perhaps could have gone a little deeper, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. Just like all the other Masters, he’s very patient with his sub and the perfect Dom to help her overcome her fears.

As a part of a long-running series, Lean on Me features a number of supporting characters who have their own books in the series. All the past Masters and their subs make appearances, including Master Z & Jessica (Club Shadowlands), Master Dan and Kari (Dark Citadel), and Master Nolan and Beth (Breaking Free). All the Masters interact with Andrea on some level, while their subs befriend her, and they all engage in a fun after-hours party. Master Raoul is in a few scenes. He’ll become the hero of the sixth book, To Command and Collar. Sally, a rather bratty submissive who’s been having a little trouble finding a Dom to call her own and who also becomes a friend to Andrea, will finally get her HEA in the eighth book, If Only. There are a number of other characters mentioned who get their own books, but they didn’t have any real dialogue. I think the supporting character who stood out to me the most, though, is Master Marcus. I can’t recall if he’s appeared before or not, but I really liked how his personality showed through in this book, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book, Make Me, Sir.

Overall, Lean on Me was yet another awesome book in the Masters of the Shadowlands series. Andrea was a great heroine who really stood out to me as someone I could relate to. I enjoyed her Latina culture and how family is so important to her. Cullen feels the same and fits in with her family quite well. I think that Andrea’s issues were handled in a realistic way and I loved the creative solution the author came up with to get her to finally fully submit to her Dom. Master Cullen is a dreamboat who takes his time, feeling out Andrea’s problems and working patiently to help her overcome them. I like how he’s certainly not immune to her and how she gets under his skin until he can’t bear to let anyone else touch her anymore. I also like that when another jealous sub accuses her of something bad, he immediately steps in to defend and protect her. The two of them made an excellent couple who really set the pages on fire with their ultra-steamy, creative sex play. Ms. Sinclair is masterful at using these scenes to reveal things about her characters and propel the plot forward which makes for compelling reading. By the end, I had no doubt that Cullen and Andrea were perfect for one another, which made this another exceptional read in this series that has definitely left me begging for more.

Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including BDSM elements, voyeurism/exhibitionism, sex toys, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers. ( )
  mom2lnb | Oct 1, 2023 |
[b:Lean on Me|22411022|Lean on Me (Masters of the Shadowlands, #4)|Cherise Sinclair|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420512679l/22411022._SX50_.jpg|8080642] by [a:Cherise Sinclair|2882485|Cherise Sinclair|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1432767804p2/2882485.jpg]
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
4.75 Stars

Well, I may change my favorite in this series so far.
I really loved this one.

Andrea and Cullen were fantastic characters. Their interactions with each other was off the charts fantastic. I easily felt the connection to both of them and absolutely adored Andrea. She is just so 'normally neurotic'. She sees herself as independent. But she is really obsessed. Her refusal to ask for help no matter what goes to the point of self harm.

Cullen is hot and sexy and completely smitten. But he sees how dangerous her refusal to ever show what she considers weakness can be.

All of this leads to a very hot and steamy romance. This one burned up the pages. I laughed out loud many times. Other times I swear my toes curled for the steamy adult scenes.

There isn't much of any suspense as far as crime. The action is mostly between Cullen and Andrea. But, honestly I did not miss it. Cullen and Andrea's story didn't need it. They created their own action suspense. And lord have mercy did they have Action! I don't think there was any room for anything else but them. They were just that fantastic of a couple!

Definitely recommend this to lovers of Erotic Romance!
( )
  bodebeabay | Sep 25, 2022 |
I enjoyed reading this story. If you are looking for strong emotions (there is no way to read this story with out experiencing the emotions)this is a great way to do it. Andrea has taken care of herself and her father since she was 9. Growing up she has learned not to depend on anyone. Learning to give complete trust and submission is really hard for her. Cullen is a dom who has lived for so long closed off to emotions and finds that Andrea is just what he needs to become whole again. This trainee and trainer are perfect for each other. ( )
  Hanneri | Dec 6, 2017 |
I really like Cullen and enjoyed his story ( )
  kerbytejas | Mar 25, 2016 |
Another great addition to the Shadowlands series. I really identified with the overly independent Andrea. Strong-willed and unable to submit to just any Dom, Andrea stood out as a unique heroine compared to the small amount of BDSM stories I've read. Oh, and thank the gods her gay friend didn't die in the end. Or his boyfriend. I also liked the dash of family life we got of Andrea in her outside life. It definitely gave her character more depth.

A few things annoyed me. Andrea grew up in a rough neighborhood. I get that it fits the needs of a dynamic between Andrea and another sub, but I'm kind of tired of reading stories where people of color all come from the ghetto. And it's great that Andrea owns her own business. Why did it have to be a cleaning business? Are Latinas only capable of domestic jobs? I would have rather her be a starving artist or own a cheese shop or anything besides cleaning.

Anyway, I still love the Shadowlands and have an inkling that Marcus could be next in line to find the sub of his dreams. I don't really care who's next though. I'm sticking with this series till the end! ( )
  Akaria | May 13, 2015 |
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Andrea wants to submit, but not to just any so-called Dom. He has to be tougher than the slum-bred bullies she grew up with. She'd given up finding a true Dom when her friend finagles her a place as a trainee in an exclusive BDSM club with the powerful Shadowlands Masters. Andrea's thrilled...and terrified. Forced to accept an unknown submissive into his carefully run trainee program, Master Cullen is furious. Not only is the young woman new to BDSM, but she's unsuited to her role--armoured in leather like a Domme, she's more liable to punch a Dom than kneel. He decides to push her right back out the door. But as he ruthlessly intimidates her, punishes her, then cuddles her, his glimpses of the woman inside the emotional armour intrigue him and her utter surrender captures his heart. Although Master Cullen is famous for his unfettered lifestyle, Andrea believes he might be interested in her, until she discovers he's not just a bartender--he's a cop. Maybe he'd overlook her past brush with the law, but when another trainee accuses her of stealing money, Andrea knows she's lost the Master she wanted with all her heart.

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