LisaP

3.5 Stars!

“How delicious was the path to depravity..."

A Bedtime Story by L.C. Moon is the first book in her The BTS Trilogy. This is a dark, slightly taboo erotic thriller with a few surprises thrown in that I did not see coming. This is also a debut novel for this author. Jumping into a novel from an unknown author, particularly a debut novel, is always somewhat of a risk. You never know if you will be pleasantly surprised or find yourself in the land of the abysmally awful. While I did experience many moments of frustration with our two protagonists, I did enjoy reading this book and being taken into the depraved and morally questionable world this author has created.





Laura Spencer is an innocently sweet and socially awkward young woman who gets pulled into the seedy and dangerous criminal underworld when her older brother betrays the wrong people, namely the Russian Mafia, and decides to run rather than face the consequences. This leaves Laura with a huge target on her back and it is only a matter of time before she is kidnapped. Her inept beloved brother has essentially handed his introverted sister to the big bad wolf.

Kanye Malkin belongs to the Organization, the Quebec fraction of the Russian Mafia. He’s a powerful and ruthless man who has been charged with the mission of abducting Laura Spencer and bringing her in to see if they can get the whereabouts of her brother out of her – using any means necessary. Kanye is intrigued by the young woman who wants to protect her brother. He decides to take her to his home and hold her captive. There Laura is given an insider glimpse into the depraved and sadistic world of her captor. The innocent lamb has truly been lured and caught.





The minute Laura enters Kanye’s home, a push and pull relationship ensues, a constant battle leaving one wondering who would win the continual tug-of-war? It was enough to give me a serious case of whiplash. Kanye sees Laura as a challenge, someone to control and to ultimately break and put back together again. What he does not expect is to find himself breaking his own rules, all for a woman who is slowly weaving herself into his inner being. Laura’s dismal circumstances have her fighting her captor and trying to resist the submission he wants from her. Despite their tumultuous and fiery connection, both Kanye and Laura develop feelings more than carnal lust for one another. Who will ultimately win this power struggle?





While the overall captivity story arc was engrossing this author did go to places that I consider my no-go zones or my hard limits. I can handle abuse and other taboo topics; I simply did not appreciate some of the choices Kanye made. Further, the relentless battle between Laura and Kanye did get tiresome at times. They were hot one moment, cold the next. One moment they could not live without the other, the next moment they wanted nothing to do with each other. It really was exhausting. I would have liked to see more depth in their bond and connection. The ending did come as a surprise even though I was aware that this book ends in a cliff-hanger. I am not sure I understand Kanye’s actions and the Laura that we are presented with at the end is a little perplexing. The change we see in Laura is very drastic and hard to come to terms with. Perhaps this will all be worked out in the second installment of this trilogy?

All in all, A Bedtime Story was a great start to this series, a book that intrigued me and frustrated me in equal parts. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of dark romances. While this may have not been the “darkest” book I have ever read, it did have its moments. Definitely an impressive debut novel!






****A review copy of A Bedtime Story by L.C. Moon was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review.