Entertaining Distraction: A Steamy Fem-Dom Romance/Suspense

The Covenant. The most elite, exclusive, well-secured BDSM club in Tampa. Co-owned by Ian, Devon, and Mitch Sawyer, they've spared no expense to make it the best of the best. And Mistress China, a/k/a Charlotte Roth, Domme and Whip Master there, is the crème de la crème, the embodiment of the club's standards. Petite and gorgeous, Charlotte isn't just a Whip Master. She's a seasoned parole officer. You don't mess with Mistress China! But lately Charlotte's life has become routine, almost boring. Her past has always kept her work, BDSM, and personal aspects of her life completely separate. But then she notices Mike Donovan, owner of the Irish pub, Donovan's and brother of Jake, another Whip Master at The Covenant. Both feel a spark of interest. Why not? Charlotte's beautiful. Mike's certainly no slouch himself. But Mike's vanilla, never felt any interest in BDSM. Charlotte needs BDSM like the very air she breathes. Can anyone say complicated? When Charlotte notices Mike's submissive tendencies, she takes a chance. Is it going to be easy? Umm...no! But is anything worthwhile? As Charlotte eases into talks with Mike, he surprises her time and again with his insightful questions. While it's far from easy for Mike to wrap his head around the fact that the tiny Domme wants him, and as a submissive, he slowly dips his toes into the BDSM pool. Are there doubts? Oh, so very many! Charlotte makes it very clear there will be a contract with an end date, little possibility of a renewal at the end, and absolutely no relationship beyond the BDSM. Mike's never had to separate his life into starkly demarcated sections that never intersect. But there's no doubt about the attraction between the two. Then Charlotte makes a fateful decision that could destroy everything. Mixing business with pleasure is a hard limit for Charlotte. So why is she doing it? When that decision endangers lives, exactly what will happen? For Mike, putting his life in the hands of a petite woman, regardless of her training and proficiency, comes at a cost. Can two completely opposite people, both with pasts that haunt them, both with seemingly nothing in common, find a way to move forward? Or will those differences prove to be too much? Regardless, it's clear that both may have gotten in so far over their heads, there no chance for either. Will their seeming recklessness destroy the trust, faith, and friendship they've worked so hard to build? Samantha Cole has a unique and authentic writing style. The military and police procedurals in each of her books is spot on. They should be with her experience in the law enforcement field. But it's her intensive and thorough research into the beauty and captivating world of BDSM that grabs me every time. This book is full of unexpected twists and turns. Mike and Charlotte's relationship is so unusual and unexpected that I kept expecting it to implode every time Charlotte pushed Mike to take another step forward. The depth of emotion, connections, and growth of each character captured me and wouldn't let go. Honestly? I couldn't put the book down! I stayed up all night to finish it because I had to know how it ended. Predictable isn't something Samantha Cole does. She's a superb storyteller, and her books are riveting. I've been hooked on her books since I first found her as an author. She's at the top of her game with this one. To give Entertaining Distraction anything less than five stars would (please excuse the pun) a crime! Congratulations, Ms. Cole. You've demonstrated your mastery of this genre once again. One final note. Be an informed reader! This is an ADULT book. It contains explicit language, BDSM sexual scenes, and some violence. If you don't enjoy this genre, think hard before buying any book you know you won't enjoy. There are book synopses and reviews available on Goodreads and all booksellers' websites. Thanks for reading my review and happy reading!

This was interesting, getting a different perspective from the male Doms. I love Mike and he has always come across as alpha just as much as all the other guys around Trident, submitting to Mistress Charlotte really doesn't take any of that away from him in any way. It seemed they were fairly equal even in their D/s relationship, it worked well for them both. I really enjoyed the lessons and getting more insight into training and such. Another great addition book to follow on from the main Trident series, these characters all play their parts in the main series so it is nice to get some of their own stories and backgrounds, it all just adds to the enjoyment of reading and knowing a bit more about each of them. Understanding more of the BDSM lifestyle and how it is portrayed by those that have never actually practised it in any way is always insightful. There is some excitement as well so this isn't just about Mike and Charlotte's relationship, there are one or two other subjects involved. Well written and detailed throughout, it has a great flow to the story, no jumping or gaps. There is sexual content and a small amount of violence but nothing excessive.

Recommended This is a hard one for me to review. I’m such a huge fan of Samantha Cole and all her series but I can only give Entertaining Distraction three stars, and it hurts to do. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this book since I first read about Mistress China in Leather & Lace. This is probably a case of my expectations being the cause of my disappointment rather than the book itself. First of all, the book was good, with all of the elements we love from SC. Plenty of suspense and action, with the romance woven in and some hot, steamy moments. A book she writes could never be bad, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I felt like this just moved too fast on page for me. There were so many moments I would have loved to see: Mike’s training, his first visit to the Covenant, and how he felt in depth about those experiences, instead they were all off page and in retrospect. Also, I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a conversation between Charlotte and her friends, the subs, about her and Mike. A lot of emotional developments that I felt like were missing, such that I couldn’t immerse myself in it, and feel the connection or emotions. I’m not sure when Charlotte was revealed to be a parole officer, I must have missed that, and it worked for the story. It just brought to mind too many comparisons to Servicing the Target by Cherise Sinclair. Maybe I’ve read too many Domme books lately, but it seems they are all in tough, Alpha male dominated jobs, which is fine. I’m just ready for a Domme like Roxy, I want to read her story, a non-badass, gun toting Domme. This is a really good book, and you shouldn’t let my over-reaching expectations stop you from trying it. Definitely worth reading, the story-line is great with a touching and intimate look at the D/S dynamic from a Domme and her new to the lifestyle sub. We also get to see Mike and Jake’s family interactions, and learn more about how they grew up. As always, getting to see Jake and Nick was awesome, they are still my favorite characters!! Plus some hints as to the future of some of our favorite and new characters. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy.