Reviewed by Roberta

TITLE: Caged Sanctuary

AUTHOR: Tempeste O’Riley

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 204 Pages

BLURB:

Kaden Thorn, a dental surgeon who lives a quiet life, has no hope of finding the love he craves. A vicious gay bashing cost him the use of his legs and confined him to a wheelchair. He has given up hope of finding a Dom or even a nonkink partner to love him. When his best friend practically forces him to attend a dinner party, the last thing he expects is a strong Dom who can see beyond his wheels.

Deacon James is an architect and a demanding Dom, but he has spent the past couple of years without a sub or partner. When an employee invites him to a dinner party to meet his girlfriend, Deacon smells a setup but agrees anyway. He prides himself on being an excellent judge of character, and when he meets the younger dentist, he sees past the chair and finds a sweet submissive man who more than piques his interest.

Kade’s fears and demons continue to haunt him, challenging Deacon to use everything he’s learned as a Dom to earn Kade’s trust and submission. Deacon’s determined, though, willing to battle all of it to have Kade by his side and at his feet.

REVIEW:

I have read a couple of this author’s other work and I have always enjoyed her stories, so I was really excited to read her newest book. I’m really glad that I did.

Kade Thorn is this really sweet, lovable sub who has been without a Dom in his life since his accident. Kade is filled with so much doubt about himself as he’s not the same person (i.e. sub) that he was before the accident. His self worth is just about nil as he’s had some bad/mean experiences from Doms and subs when he tried to get back into the scene when he first got his wheelchair and that has just crushed him. Kade is a respected dental surgeon and he’s got his practice and a great best friend. Kade has even tried to have a vanilla relationship, however, that didn’t work out as he was an ASSHAT. Kade is just so sweet, kind and so very lovable. I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and let him know that he was loved.

Deacon James…I really liked this guy. He saw someone that he wanted (Kade) and went after him. I love that Deacon is this really successful guy who is a partner in an architectural firm and yet, he’s got this really caring or nurturing side to him. He is a Dom…there is no doubt about it and yet, he’s caring and thoughtful and just so darn romantic. I really like how he wanted Kade so much and how hard he worked to take in Kade’s limitations regarding the physical part of their D/s relationship. How he worked to help Kade work on his self worth and to show him that he meant EVERY WORD that he spoke. Deacon is this really great guy. I really liked his personality and his perseverance in letting Kade know just how he felt about him and just how very special he was.

Now, there are some very nice intimate scenes (i.e. sexy times) in this book. These intimate moments were in turns hot and sexy and yet, they were also a reaffirmation of their commitment to each other. You have to have ABSOLUTE TRUST in the person that you’re with in order to do the things that you’re doing. Safe Sane and Consensual are not just words…they are the main tenet of the BDSM Community and it was very apparent in this book. I like the research that the author put into this book. Especially in regards to Deacon coming up with ways to allow Kade to sub for him in a way that wouldn’t hurt him and that allowed him to feel cherished.

This book had me all over the place. My heart hurt so much for Kade. I hurt for him that he was gay bashed. I hurt that his feelings about himself, his self worth…that just tore me up inside.   It hurt my heart how he didn’t believe that someone could love him the way he is. I loved Deacon’s attitude and the way that he asked for help when he was unsure. I really liked these two characters together. They really completed each other. They each had what the other needed/craved in a partner. I’m sad that we didn’t get to see them going through counseling and seeing Kade work through some of his issues, but I liked the way it ended.

The secondary characters in this book were really great. I liked how Katie has been with Kade for years and is in fact his best friend. I really loved that even though he has never told her about his kinky side, that she has always been a support for him and truly wants the best for him. I loved Sam and Jake. I loved how Jake and Kade actually knew each other before his accident and that they had the chance to reconnect with each other. I liked how Sam was a wonderful sounding board for Deacon to use in his quest to make sure that he was doing the right things for Kade. I loved that each of these characters loved and supported the MC’s and showed it in various ways. They really helped bring the story and our MC’s closer together.

I will say that this story isn’t very angsty and that bothered me a bit. I felt that there could have been more. I felt that delving a bit more into Kade’s attack and his subsequent loss of his legs. I would have liked to see more of them in counseling and see if there had been progress made in Kade’s self worth…but those are things that would have made it a deeper story for me.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Amazon.UK

ARe