Title: Cutting Cords (Kiss of Leather: Book Six)
Author: Morticia Knight
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Length: 136 Pages
Category: Contemporary, BDSM
At a Glance: If you’re a fan of the series, I highly recommend you read this book. If you haven’t read the series, I suggest you start with book one first.
Reviewed By: Jennifer
Blurb: Liam yearns for Master Neal’s harsh touch, but Neal fears that a part-time Master can’t give a full-time sub everything he needs.
Liam’s world crumbled after the unexpected death of his Master. Prone to panic attacks and other social anxiety, Liam doesn’t believe he’ll ever find another Master who would be willing to take on such a challenged sub full-time. Too distraught to go back to Club Consequence, where he met the man he thought he’d be with forever, he decides to give Kiss of Leather a try.
After doing a piercing gig at Kiss of Leather, Master Neal signs up to become a member. On the night he performs a demo as the final step to being accepted, he meets a sub who brings out his protective urge and makes his heart come alive. Neal isn’t scared off by Liam’s anxiety or social awkwardness. On the contrary, he finds the sub to be refreshingly honest and endearing.
They try out a scene to see if they’ll click, and their connection is everything they’d both hoped it could be. However, the road to love and a Total Power Exchange isn’t an easy one. Neal still hasn’t discovered all there is to know about Liam’s traumatic upbringing, and he’s not sure if he’d ultimately be the right Master for Liam.
Both men are forced to face the truth about love, life and what it means to share it with another person. But before Liam can start over with Neal, he’ll have to cut the cords to his past and trust that Neal will be there to catch him when he does.
Reader Advisory: This book contains references to a traumatic and abusive upbringing.
Publisher’s Note: This book is best read in sequence, as part of a series.
Review: Ever since Liam was introduced, I have been waiting patiently (sort of) for his story. I was immediately drawn to the anxious, hurting sub, and wanted to see him smiling and happy again. In Cutting Cords, readers finally get to see him as his past is revealed and he learns to love again.
This book is best read in order, because the first part deals with Chuck and Jordan from Gaining Trust. After their part is over, Liam and Neal come in. Liam’s former Master died, and Liam is lost. Filled with anxiety, this full-time sub is finding it hard to function. He does, but going to Club Consequence is difficult. When Jordan and Chuck help him make the switch to Kiss of Leather, he meets Neal.
Neal is drawn to Liam despite his anxiety and lack of social skills. When they do a scene together, they discover they’re a great fit, but Neal isn’t sure he wants a full-time sub, and Liam needs to be one. They’ll need to learn to communicate, despite Liam’s seeming inability to complete thoughts, in order to reach common ground and make everything work.
As I said, I love Liam for his anxiety as well as his lack of social skills. He is so awkward it’s adorable, and yet I felt his pain. As someone who suffers from severe anxiety and has fled situations that get overwhelming, I saw myself in him. I also do not have the best social skills, and I can jump from thought to thought without warning, leaving my words seemingly disjointed to all but those who know me. Liam is much the same way. Within a single breath he will present two different ideas, which often confused everyone but Neal.
I loved the way the author portrayed him. Of all the characters in this series, I think Liam is the one I’ve connected with the most. Even though his thoughts and words were jumbled, I followed his logic and understood him. Seeing Neal able to help him through his anxiety, grounding him and giving him a way to communicate without frustration, was so heartwarming for me. It gave me hope for myself, to be honest.
This book felt so short to me. I never wanted Liam’s story to end, and it is definitely one that I’ll go back to the most often. If you’re a fan of the series, I highly recommend you read this book. If you haven’t read the series, I suggest you start with book one first. The overarching storyline begins there, and it begins to draw to a close in these most recent books. Without those as background, characters and events will be confusing and ultimately hurt your reading experience.
You can buy Cutting Cords here:
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