Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Knotted Legacy
AUTHOR: Brenda Murphy
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 232 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 10, 2018
BLURB:
Martha McLeod, Head Mistress of Rowan House, Skye’s most exclusive pleasure house, is heartbroken.
Frustrated and lonely after a bitter split with her lover, she departs Rowan House for Lake Como, Italy to seek solace at the feet of Madam Givernay, keeper of Martha’s deepest secret. Lake Como and Madam’s attention is the perfect balm for Martha’s broken heart, until she meets Mistress Lucia Coruso.
Captivated by Lucia’s regal elegance and cool demeanor, Martha is torn between her desire for Lucia and the fear her secret will be revealed. When an extortionist threatens to destroy Rowan House, Martha and Lucia must join forces to save it.
REVIEW:
Complex female characters are my kryptonite, and I’m especially weak when those women are romantically drawn to one another. This book is full of amazing women who love each other, get each other hot, and keep each other out of trouble. It’s all about luxury, excess, and the strange sort of freedom that comes with a rigid BDSM lifestyle.
Professional Mistress and proud Domme Martha MacLeod co-runs Rowan House, an ultra-exclusive, all-female pleasure palace she owns with her sister, Elaine. Martha learned it all from Madame Givernay, the only woman she willfully submits to. But when Madame falls ill and bids Martha to her deathbed, she asks Martha to carry on her legacy—which includes taking in Lucia, her beautiful and devoted sub who obviously craves the freedom and control of being a Domme. Martha submits to no one, but it soon becomes obvious that Lucia is someone special—someone capable of making Martha enjoy submission.
Martha is my favorite kind of female protagonist. She’s built an empire for herself and she’s filled it with strong, capable, loyal women she can trust. She prides herself on being in control, but she has surprising moments of softness, be it a fondness for a longtime sub or compassion for a harried father on a ferry. I’ve had issues with previous protagonists in Brenda Murphy’s books, but in this case, Martha is wonderfully well-written. She and Lucia are both older women who have had time to figure out their bodies and wants and needs, but they are both still open to surprises. They’re confident, precise, intelligent, and fiercely protective of those they consider theirs. What’s not to love? I enjoyed Martha’s dominance so much that I was wary of her submitting to Lucia, but my god, they bring the fire together. There’s so much emotion and communication and trust between them.
The romance doesn’t stop with Martha and Lucia. Martha is still devoted to Myfanwy, a sub of Rowan House who has stolen nearly all over Martha’s heart over her years of employment. I adore Myfanway, too—unlike some of Murphy’s previous sub characters, she’s strong and sure of herself rather than immature and bratty. During her intense scenes with Martha (which include mild blood-play and wax-play, the latter being a first for me), it’s not hard to fall in love with her eagerness and responsiveness to her Mistress. I was wondering how things would work out with Lucia in the mix, but no worries—everyone gets their happy ending.
The blurb for this book promises a little mystery, but the actual thriller-type plot in the last half of the book took me by surprise. The blackmailing culprit is painfully obvious from the start, but I still enjoyed the tension and fast pace of the characters trying to figure out who is sabotaging Rowan House. The mystery itself fits in well with the sumptuous, erotic tone of the entire book.
Though characters from the two previous books set in this universe (Sum of the Whole and Both Ends of the Whip) make appearances in this book, the stories are not intertwined and do not need to be read in sequence. I actually gave a pretty lukewarm review to Both Ends of the Whip earlier this year, citing my dislike for the main character and the overreliance on sex scenes to move the plot. This book exceeds the previous in so many ways. The characters are better, the plot is tighter, and the love, trust, and affection between these very complex women flows off each page. Highly, highly recommended!
RATING: 
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