The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton

Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate Kink
Reviewed By Anne's sister, Kate

Kaden and Leah are in a 24/7 master/slave relationship. Leah, a cutter, uses the BDSM aspect of their relationship to cope with her feelings. When Kaden finds out he is dying, he worries that Leah will start cutting again, or worse, when he dies. He asks his best friend Seth to move in with them and train to be Leah's new master, so Seth can help Leah cope with her feelings after Kaden is gone.

There was a lot of sex (m/f, m/f/m...no m/m) in this book, but that wasn't more the main focus. It seemed to be more of a novel where the sex plays an important part in the development of the story. I hesitate to describe the scenes as steamy because they seemed a bit short, again more there for plot advancement than for entertainment.
The story focuses on Seth's introduction to BDSM and Leah's adjustment to Seth as her new master. I was glad that Seth didn't just jump on board with the whole plan. He loves Leah, and once he finds out that she needs the BDSM to cope, he agrees to do it. But there are tons of WTF moments for him.
 
Kaden does his best to make the transition to Seth as a master very smooth for Leah. The relationship develops into a threesome.

Kaden finally dies in the last fifth of the book. And there were definite tears for the reader as you follow Seth and Leah through the initial days without Kaden.

And the ending...a little over a year later...you see the changes in both Seth and Leah. Although I would like to complain about the shift in narration. The entire book is third person. Then the last chapter (a year later) is suddenly first person...and from the point of view of a secondary character. The change was a bit jarring.

So, all in all, I loved this book. I don't see myself rereading it too often, simply because of how emotional a read it is.