Veena’s review of Playing Knotty by Elia Winters
Erotic Romance published by Pocket Star 16 Mar 15
I love the play on words with the title of this book, but the true gem here is the beautiful contemporary romance that enjoy a slow buildup toward full commitment. This is not a BDSM story from a purist perspective, since the only element at play here is rope and the detailed description of the various knots and harnesses. Emma, of course, discovers the freedom that comes from being tied up, while Ian truly never claims to be a practitioner of BDSM in the conventional sense, since he’s as happy being tied up as he is tying up a partner. Together they explore an attraction that has been simmering between them since high school, which they never had the confidence to explore until Emma’s need for funds and a sick model gave them the chance.
Emma might be shy and insecure, but she has used her smarts and business degree to start her own book store. Unfortunately, circumstances have caused her money flow to tighten and she’s a bit underwater when Ian asks to use her extra space to run a rope tying workshop and then to be his model for that workshop. Suddenly Emma is transformed out of her dull existence into a new and exciting world.
It’s fun seeing Emma emerge out of her cocoon and gain her wings. Clearly some of this is Ian’s doing, but she finally gathers the courage to stand up for herself to her pushy mother and to her college friends, who don’t even realize that they’ve been taking advantage of Emma’s good nature until she stands up for herself.
Ian’s character is the one that surprises me. While it’s true that he was nerdy and shy in high school, he’s grown way past that with his rope tying skill and the workshops he runs, so I find his shy hesitant approach with Emma, whom he’s had a crush on since high school, a bit strange. It does not, however, deter me from staying the course and enjoying their slow build-up toward a serious relationship and learning a lot more about ropes and ties.
Grade: B
Summary:
Bondage meets bookworm in this sizzling erotic romance about a shy bookshop owner who discovers an exciting new side to herself when an old friend opens a bondage workshop in the back of her store!
Emma Green has never been very confident. When Ian Cooper, an old friend, asks to rent out the back room of her bookstore for a bondage workshop, she agrees because she needs the money. She isn’t expecting to participate, and she definitely isn’t expecting to enjoy it. But all of Emma’s expectations fly out the window when she tentatively agrees to be Ian’s bondage model for workshops and exhibitions—and her success in the role upends all previous notions she had about her body and her desirability.
Now, Emma must learn to reconcile these conflicting images of herself while dealing with another conflict: Is Ian just another playboy, or everything she’s been looking for?
No excerpt available.
