Review: Claiming Eden

Claiming Eden by Kele Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was one I demanded so loudly of Ms. Moon to write. Write it she did, after the issues she had to overcome with her publisher. As soon as it came out, I bought. But I did not read it. I held it and kept looking at it, but not daring to open it. Why? Because I built the story so much in my head, I was afraid I would be disappointed. In someways, I was a bit disappointed. Yet in other ways, this was a lovely closure to a story that was a long time coming. Even though this book is number 3 in the series, it can be read out of order. In fact, the 1st book in this series is probably best read last.

I cried in this book. I seem to be reading books that make me tear up. Otherwise it could be early onset menopause, who knows? This is the Danny who is still in transition. This is the Danny who does not know if he can keep his best friend, Paul safe. Paul's masochist tendencies are too extreme and dangerous. I hated Paul's family. I loathe them and wish they could all be flayed alive and dipped into a tub of salt before left in a pool of lemon juice. I hate them. The way they treat Paul is completely incomprehensible. I love Paul. He is so gentle and loving. How is it possible he is in this horrible family?

Danny is the only one who can protect Paul and it is such a large job. So large because the Paul in this story is still so young and angry. He's a rebel who hates his father and loves his mother. He wants to stick it to his father constantly because his father is an asshat. Not physically abusive like Paul's but still, emotionally bad. All of this makes for a bad combination in BDSM. I'm leery of how this will go. But Danny is persistent and he finally convinces Mistress Circe to take him on as a pupil. And what a ride it is.

For those who are looking for a story of an inexperienced dominant learning the ropes so to speak, this is an excellent choice. Danny may be an arrogant little shit at times, but he tries hard. He also has to protect more than just his boy, Paul. Danny nonverbal communication screams dominant to me loud and clear. He may be a baby dom in this story, but boy does he get really good fast. His dominant nature makes me swoon. Ms. Moon does an excellent job of showing the before and after Danny. This story is not straight forward. There are twists and turns which make it complicated and at times, frustrating. There are also some hidden secrets that are never tied off. I really want to learn more about what happened to Mistress Circe and her old lover. Now that would be a lovely little one off story. This trilogy is the one which brought me into Ms. Moon's world. I loved it and I will always think of the Eden series with great fondness. Recommended to kinky readers who like to see how getting into the lifestyle begins.

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