Title:Debauched

Author :Jennifer Dawson

Series:Undone, #3

Release date:April 26th 2016

Rating : 5 Stars

One night in a moment of sheer madness I confessed my secrets to him. All my life I’ve been pretending. Pretending to be the woman I thought I should be instead of the woman I really am. I’ve been faking it and I am good. No one has ever guessed. Except him. He just looked at me and knew. Chad Fellows is not the man I want, but he’s fast becoming the man I need. One night in a moment of sheer madness I held her in my arms and let her cry. I did the right thing, letting her walk away, no matter how much she calls to the part of me that wants to rescue her. We are nothing alike, and she’s a mess of complications in a life I’m trying to keep simple. But then I touched her and made her tremble and now I can’t turn away. Ruby Stiles is not the woman I want, but she’s fast becoming the woman I need.

I think the last time I read such a believable transformation for a character in that genre of books was when I read the Liliana Batchelor series by Holly Blackstone (https://www.goodreads.com/series/103156-liliana-batchelor).

Debauched (Undone #3) by Jennifer Dawson was a surprising book. It was not my first by this author but I admit I did not read all of the books in this series. Which is no big deal as far as the understanding of the plotline of this book goes. It is only a personal loss because If you do not read the whole series you are missing out on great books.

I think if I say “ I could feel the story developing “ that might be a tricky sentence if I am -like in this case – talking about a romance featuring subjects of dominance and submission.

But it is also the truth – because the author really lets the reader feel the journey of what I would call “self discovery”

I liked that the story is told from both perspectives – so we get to hear both sides along the journey. For me that was a welcome change because thinking about it – I can not remember ever reading a novel in that genre from both view points.

We get to know Ruby with all her doubts and how she blossoms ( I avoid the word CHANGE and all cost) when she is together with chad. How she questions herself but also instinctively does what she is “expected” to do. It was actually kind of funny watching her growing understanding for the situation and yet trying to avoid giving the whole development a label.

Chad is such an interesting character. He is first introduced as the total visual contradiction of what he is supposed to present. But he also further develops during the story even if only in the eyes of Ruby. He is so dominant but not unreasonable – not like most of those dominant males you encounter lately in the book world. The reader gets to understand his thoughts and how his actions work out with Ruby.

But the reader also encounters moments of insecurity, struggle and (dare I say it) a kind of fear – when he realizes what is already obvious to the reader.

Great story – can not wait for the next book by this author

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