Review: Strangers in the Night by Jaycee Edward and Helena Stone

Title: Strangers in the Night

Author: Jaycee Edward and Helena Stone

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Pages/Word Count: 52 Pages

At a Glance: Wow. Just that—wow. I really was blown away by this story.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: When Army veteran Slade stumbles upon an isolated cottage on a cold, dark night, the young man finds more than just the shelter he’s seeking. Former club Dominant Callum is surprised to find a handsome stranger knocking at his door but invites him in despite his reservations. A nightmare reveals Slade’s deep-seated emotional issues, and Callum knows he needs to get creative if he’s going to help Slade leave the past behind.

Neither man is prepared for the feelings Slade’s introduction into the world of BDSM will unleash, and thirty-six hours will either be enough to bind them, or they will remain forever strangers in the night.

Review: Short. Terribly erotic in the best of ways. Too short. Intelligent and wounded characters. Way too short. Give me more, please. Brilliant collaboration!

These are all so relevant to describing the short novella Strangers In The Night by the dynamic writing team of Jaycee Edward and Helena Stone. What appears to be an insta-love trope that includes some very sensual BDSM elements quickly morphs into a beginning exploration of a potentially permanent D/s relationship. Callum, a retired Dom who once trained subs for others, is now a bit of a recluse in his cottage off the beaten trail. The lifestyle and in particular, his propensity for becoming attached to those subs he trained, convinced Callum that solitude was vastly more comfortable than living in the scene.

Slade is running from a past that haunts him daily. His time in the military was both exactly what he needed and the undoing of him, simultaneously. Craving the fulfillment he finds in giving over control, Slade is lost without the rigid life of the soldier. But, the battlefield which brought death and one loss in particular has left Slade torn and deeply wounded.

One night brings these two men together, each fragile in his own way, but both needing the strength submission brings. The only questions that remain are, can Callum once again be the Dom to a sub who he thinks will most assuredly be moving on, and will Slade find all he needs in the man who can help him tear apart the grief that holds him prisoner?

Wow. Just that—wow. I really was blown away by this story. I love when a short story can reel me in and make me hunger for more. In short shrift, the authors introduced two men and plumbed the surface of all that makes them tick. Rapidly building two amazing BDSM scenes that were emotionally packed and sexually charged, Edward and Stone also drenched these moments in a story that was both revealing and literally flew off the page. These men were fascinating and written with such depth for so few pages of text. I finished this novella in one setting and nearly cried, for I wanted more, so much more of this duo.

Strangers In The Night was an incredibly well written story that introduced us to compelling characters and a fascinating storyline. I sincerely hope this is not the last time we will read about Callum and Slade, or hear from their gifted authors Jaycee Edward and Helena Stone.

You can buy Strangers in the Night here: