Sherri Hayes

Indulge is a short novelette in Sherri Hayes’s Finding Anna world that features supporting characters Logan and Lily. Logan has been best friends with Stephan since high school, and Lily both works with Stephan and is his ex-lover, who becomes a great friend to Anna. When the series begins, Logan and Lily have already been a couple for a little over a year. This story follows them as they celebrate their first year together. Logan plans a three-day weekend getaway to a remote cabin in northern Minnesota near Lake Superior. It will be their first time playing dom and sub for the entire weekend and they’re both looking forward to it. Throughout their time together, they engage in all sorts of romantic and sexy scenarios, until the weekend is over and they’re reluctant for it to end.

Indulge chronologically predates all the other books of the Finding Anna series, but I personally think it would be best to read it in publication order, which is between books four and five. That’s because new readers won’t know who Logan and Lily are without reading the other books and might not be as invested in their story until they’ve met them. I’ve loved Logan and Lily as secondary characters in this series, as they’ve both been so supportive of Stephan and Anna. There’s not a lot to this short novelette beyond what I’ve described above, but it was great to finally get a peek into their own private lives. Lily has pretty much known since becoming sexually active that she’s a sub, but when she was introduced to Logan by Stephan, he wasn’t in the lifestyle. He became a somewhat reluctant Dom, but now that he’s more comfortable and gaining confidence, he seems to really be enjoying it. Unfortunately, while I love this couple, their characterizations don’t really deepen past what we already know about them from the other books of the series. The most interesting thing we discover is that Lily’s sister has issues with their lifestyle, but it doesn’t move past a mere acknowledgment of her concerns. It might have been nice to learn a little more about Logan and Lily and their background outside of their supporting character roles. In spite of feeling the story was a bit lacking, I still very much enjoyed their interactions here that I found to be extremely romantic and super-sexy. This was just a fun little uncomplicated story that was a pleasure to read.

Note: This book contains explicit language and sexual situations, including a D/s relationship, self-pleasuring in public, light bondage, use of sex toys, wax play, and anal sex, all of which could be objectionable to sensitive readers.… (plus d'informations)

Trust is the fourth book in Sherri Hayes’ Finding Anna series, which follows the same couple throughout as they navigate Brianna finding healing for the horrific abuse and human trafficking she was subjected to with the help of Stephan, the Dom who saved her from that life. This book opens about two months after the events of the previous book in which Stephan was placed under investigation by the FBI for buying Brianna’s freedom from the man who enslaved her, which led to Brianna selflessly leaving him to help protect him. Ever since, she’s been living with her childhood friend, Cal, and his girlfriend, Jade. Right from the opening pages, it’s obvious that both Brianna and Stephan are miserable without the other, but they have no choice but to remain apart until Stephan is no longer under FBI scrutiny and the media frenzy has died down. After making a deal with Cal, Brianna finally agrees to see a therapist, which in Stephan’s absence, helps her to continue to make progress in putting her life back together. Although terrified of facing her abuser in court, she’s willing to do so if it will help clear Stephan’s name and keep him out of jail. It’s not until about a quarter of the way into the book that Stephan and Brianna are able to finally see each other in person again, but not long after, a misunderstanding about Stephan’s ex staying with him stirs up a bit of trouble. Eventually, though, all is forgiven and circumstances change, making it possible for them to reunite for real. However, after spending time with family and friends over the holidays, the specter of her abuser’s trial hangs heavy over Brianna’s head, when it looks like she’ll have no choice but to testify or possibly see him walk.

Brianna has made great strides since the first book where she was so timid and fearful she was practically afraid of her own shadow. Admittedly she’s in a bad place when this book opens, deeply depressed over the forced separation from Stephan. It was hard to see her like this, but given all that she’s been through and that the one stable constant in her life was unfairly taken away from her, it’s totally understandable. Although she begins to have a few doubts when she finds out about Stephan’s ex living with him, she ultimately still trusts him when he’s finally able to tell her the whole story and make appropriate apologies (not to worry, there’s absolutely no cheating involved). Although Stephan is wary of therapists, Brianna finds some solace in her counseling sessions, which offers her someone to talk to besides Cal and Jade. Once she’s able to reunite with Stephan, her moods improve dramatically, and she’s able to enjoy the holidays with their friends and Stephan’s aunt and uncle. The thought of having to testify against her abuser terrifies her, but if it comes to that, she’s determined not to let him win. Brianna also begins making headway in her relationship with Stephan, slowly warming up to some of the milder aspects of his BDSM lifestyle. Overall, I was very impressed with how far Brianna has come since her early days with Stephan and how much farther she progressed in this book. She may still be outwardly quiet and fearful of certain things, but she has an inner strength that would be easy for outsiders to miss. I’m so glad that she has Stephan who sees all of that and never fails to compliment her on it even though she often doesn’t feel strong and that she has been able to make friends who also support her as she weathers through the turmoil in this chapter of their story.

In the beginning, Stephan is nearly as downtrodden as Brianna over their separation. The only thing that keeps him going is his work and the hope that one day soon, things will change and they’ll be able to reunite. In addition to his friends, Logan and Lily, his ex, Sarah, comes for a visit to offer her support. Due to certain circumstances that come to light, Stephan offers her a place to stay at his condo, but it’s purely platonic. He only wants Brianna and isn’t tempted by Sarah in the least. However, his naive failure to tell Brianna about Sarah’s visit leads to a bit of trouble for our lovebirds. It’s a rare misstep from Stephan who usually tends to be very controlled in every aspect of his life, but at the same time, I thought having him make a mistake only made him seem more human. At work, Stephan continues trying to ferret out the person who embezzled money from the Coleman Foundation. After he and Brianna are able to reunite, they share lots of quality couple’s time, including holiday festivities and plenty of sexy fun times. But the possibility that Brianna will have to testify in court weighs heavily on both of them. Stephan is an amazing dreamboat as always. He may be a Dom but he’s also a sweet, teddy bear who’s kind, gentle, and patient. He takes care of everyone around him, including his employees and the people he helps with his philanthropy work. I especially love how he cares for Brianna and would do anything to protect her, but at the same time, he allows her to make her own decisions. Even if he doesn’t like or agree with them, he respects them and her, frequently offering her praise and encouragement. I always come away from reading one of these book with no doubt that Stephan’s love and belief in Brianna is in large part responsible for her making such strides in her recovery.

Once again, I was blown away by this installment of the Finding Anna series. I’ve adored Stephan and Brianna together since the beginning. They have such a beautiful relationship built on, not just love, but also mutual trust and respect. I’ve had no doubts about their rightness for one another, and with each one of the books in this series that certainty only grows stronger. I was impressed with how much Brianna progressed in this book and just know that she’ll continue to grow as time goes on. I adore Stephan who has definitely earned a spot among my favorite romance heroes. He just always seems to intuit what Brianna needs and is more than prepared to provide it. I was happy to see resolution to both Brianna’s relationship with her father and with the greater story arc concerning her ex-slave master. I can honestly say that he got what was coming to him. That being the case, this volume wrapped up nicely with no cliffhanger ending like the previous books. Based on the cover blurb and the way in which the epilogue of this volume seems to bring some closure to much of the story, I’m guessing that the author originally intended Trust to be the end of Stephan and Brianna’s journey. However, since I’m a little late to the party on this one, I already know that there’s an additional novella and a novel with more story for this favorite couple of mine. Based on something Ms. Hayes said in one of her recent newsletters, I believe that she has plans for even more down the road, too, which makes me a very happy camper indeed. I can’t wait to share in more of Stephan and Brianna’s lives together. I’ll be interested, though, to see whether it picks up after the main body of this book or after the events of the epilogue, because I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing all that was relayed in the epilogue play out in a longer, more detailed format.

Note: I'm classifying this book as an erotic romance, mainly because of the underlying BDSM themes. There is a small amount of explicit language, but only one scene that includes light bondage, sensory play, and use of sex toys. So overall, the sexual content in this installment, while slightly steamier than most mainstream romances is still mild when compared with most erotic romances.… (plus d'informations)

Sorry, but the foundation of any BDSM relationship is INFORMED CONSENT. Brianna is a severely traumatized young girl who is in constant fear. She cannot give her consent to enter a M/s relationship, no matter how good Stephen's intentions are.

I really liked the inner monologs and the characters, and Brianna is a brilliant traumatized heroine, but the more I read, the more I cringe at their relationship. She needs serious help! Not just a nicer Dom. She can't enter into that dynamic consensually in her present state.… (plus d'informations)

Truth is the third book in Sherri Hayes’ Finding Anna series, a serialized set of novels that follows wealthy CEO Stephan Coleman and Brianna Reeves, the young woman he rescued from horrific abuse by buying her from a man who’d enslaved her as a minor. The previous book had ended on a cliffhanger with Brianna’s dad, who’d had a hand in her being sold into slavery, showing up at her door while Stephan is at work. This book begins with the outcome of that encounter, which unfortunately traumatizes Brianna a bit and forces her to deal with more of her troubled past. The remainder of the story follows Stephan and Brianna through roughly another month of their lives together as Stephan patiently and gently works through Brianna’s fears and helps her to come out of her shell and be more comfortable around other people. She begins to see more of her childhood friend, Cal, even though he and Stephan don’t entirely get along, and meets his girlfriend, Jade, as well as spending more time with Lily. Stephan and Brianna also talk more about a possible dom/sub relationship down the road and what that might look like, while Stephan still faces censure from multiple fronts for his lifestyle. Stephan continues his investigation into Ian, Brianna’s former slave master, and with the help of his CFO, finds some incriminating evidence, but along with it, he’s also outed for buying her freedom. Despite all the challenges they’ve face, Stephan and Brianna’s love has only grown, but this information getting out, along with nasty allegations from her father, could destroy the beautiful life that they’ve been building together.

I love that we get to learn a little more about Stephan’s background in this book, what it was like for him losing his parents and his relationship with the aunt and uncle who finished raising him. Throughout each book of the series so far, I’ve been falling more and more in love with Stephan. He’s one of the kindest, gentlest romance heroes I’ve read in general and is definitely one of only two Dom heroes I recall reading that I could genuinely call sweet. However, he’s not a pushover. He protects his own, namely Brianna, and doesn’t hesitate to discipline her when he feels she needs more mastery over a particular area (not to worry though, it’s a fairly gentle punishment and only happens once in this book). He’s very good at reading her cues and knowing what she can handle. One time he messes up and overestimates where she’s at, which only made him more human to me, and of course, he’s right there to offer comfort and apologies. Although not a trained counselor, he does a great job of getting Brianna to open up and helps her deal with her past trauma in a healthy way though journaling and talking. He’s an excellent communicator, always wanting to talk it out once she’s calmed down, whenever she’s had a panic attack or PTSD-type blackout when triggered. I love how tactile he is, always holding Brianna close, stroking and caressing her, which never fails to bring her solace. He’s also a tender lover, and although he’d like them to someday be in an official dom/sub relationship and enjoy the BDSM lifestyle together, he’s content with vanilla sex for the time being, because Brianna as a person and her well-being are the most important things to him. Over and over, Stephan proves his love for Brianna and that he’s willing to do literally anything for her, including facing his own fears. All of this makes him one of the most swoon-worthy heroes I’ve ever read.

Brianna is still very shy and meek after all that’s she’s been through, and she also harbors some natural submissive tendencies. But with Stephan’s help, she’s been able to gradually open up more. Although still wary of other men and of being in crowded places, she’s beginning to step out and take more risks. Her friendship with Cal has grown and she almost instantly connects with Cal’s girlfriend, Jade. She also spends more time with Stephan’s friend and co-worker, Lily, who has become Brianna’s friend as well. Although she still has some panic attacks and blackouts, they seem to be lessening, and when Stephan is with her, she’s able to do most things as long as she takes it slowly. Because of her father showing up, Brianna is forced to deal with more of her past, which is difficult for her, but again, with Stephan by her side, she finds the strength. In fact, she’s gradually starting to discover her own voice, wanting to protect Stephan the same way he protects her and willing to stand up to Cal on his behalf when her friend makes some sordid accusations. Brianna is a very sweet heroine who’s been deeply traumatized, but throughout this book, she takes more steps in a positive direction than steps back. However, given the way that this book ends, it will be interesting to see where things go from here for her. I hope the positive momentum will continue, especially since she takes the actions she does out of her love for Stephan and her need to protect him.

Overall, Truth was another wonderful installment of the Finding Anna series. I loved it as much as the first two books of the series. While it did have some minor editing issues, they weren’t quite as distracting this time, so I was able give it the full five stars. Stephan definitely ranks near the top of my all-time favorite heroes list for just being so incredibly awesome. Brianna is super-sweet and has been through so much, I can’t help but empathize with her pain, but also rejoice with her whenever she experiences something new and exciting with Stephan. She has an almost childlike enthusiasm whenever this happens that’s very endearing. I love these two together and think they make a great couple. Both of them come to the realization that they love each other in this book and I very much enjoyed seeing them declare that love. In fact, most of the time, their actions speak louder than words. They both demonstrate that love consistently even without saying the words. That being the case, the ending of this book almost gutted me, leaving things once again on a cliffhanger that’s perhaps even more intense than the one in the previous book. Deep down, I know that their love is strong enough to survive, but they’re clearly going to have more obstacles to overcome before that love can be entirely fulfilled. The prospect of seeing how that happens makes me extremely eager to pick up the next book, Trust, soon.

Note: I'm classifying this book as an erotic romance, because of the underlying BDSM themes. However, there is only one mild, non-sexual scene of discipline, and one scene of exhibitionism/voyeurism that includes a little bondage but that doesn’t go all the way either. So overall, the sexual content in this installment is more on par with steamy romances.… (plus d'informations)