Taming the Wilde by Maryn Blackburn

Skye Hartley doesn't need a man. After her ex went to jail, she filed for divorce, got an education, raised their kids to adulthood in the cobblestone house her father restored, and made herself a life. Nevertheless, Curtis Wilde, the actor who was her childhood crush, charms the socks--and panties--off her. Three days later, both of them sated and sore, he abandons her.

The depth of Skye's anger and hurt surprises her. Though Curtis phones for months, she won't speak to him. He arrives unannounced, asking for five minutes to explain: Once the newness wore off, he wanted what he always wanted yet was far too ashamed to ask for. "FemDom," he tells her, then makes a hasty exit before Skye can react.

Intrigued, Skye learns more while nurturing her grudge and taking his calls. They do not discuss his need or their tryst but come to genuinely like each other, bonding over the difficulties of parenting well. When Curtis comes to cheer her up after a call during which she's blue, Skye is willing to give him another chance--and everything he deserves.

Buy Links

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Rachael – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 Stars
The synopsis and cover snagged me for this book. I liked the thought of the book being about an older couple and exploring the BDSM side of things.

Although admittedly almost the entire first half left me bored. It was once Curtis comes back and we start to finally see some of what he desires that made the book interesting.

At times I felt like Skye went from knowing nothing to acting like a Domme that had been doing it for years, which was a bit hard to believe since she was so hesitant and nervous about the whole spanking thing to begin with.

I also felt like this book almost should've been billed as romance instead of erotica.... It certainly had erotic moments, but the heavy, heavy amount of unneeded details (like who her kids are dating and what her house looks like down to the stained carpet and faded drapes) made it feel like a more classic romance novel to me. The erotic parts were more about him getting his spankings than the actual sex since it was actually pretty bland in terms to how much was described and detailed. However, I'm pretty sure that's just because I mostly read erotic books and have come to expect much more graphic scenes.

However, all in all, I liked the characters, they felt real and had their own lives to deal with while trying to make room for this new person and new experiences. The writing style wasn't bad at all, I just think there could have been massive cuts to scenes that didn't help move the plot along or help further the character development.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I found this to be a highly enjoyable read. It is (in my opinion) very gentle BDSM. This is partly because the female lead isn't a practicing Domme when the relationship starts, so the journey is travelled by both parties. That they were older, and whilst having some experience of life, were actually both quite private, moral people made it quite distinctive from many novels in the genre. It was by turns sweet, and also seductive.

I can see myself reading this again; it is in some way life affirming and very appealing. Thank you Ms. Blackburn.

Maryn Blackburn is a reformed suspense writer whose "try something different" attempt at erotica threw open the floodgates. Her first efforts were fan fiction – read her long enough and you can guess who – but she soon preferred original characters. Her erotica short stories, published under various pseudonyms, have appeared in several anthologies and magazines. Brick by Brick is her first published novel.

She lives in the Great Lakes region with her husband, adores their two kids, and drives the requisite minivan yet refuses to consider the Golden Retriever that goes with it. To her relief and pleasure, her life is ordinary, including such traditional pursuits as sewing kickass Halloween costumes, amassing an impressive clutter collection, baking bread and making home-cooked meals, wondering how her ass got so big, and writing explicit fiction.

Her stories most often feature realistic portrayals of characters exploring their sexual interests and their own limits – often with a celebrity thrown in to screw things up. Once a fangirl...

Connect with Maryn

Loose Id  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Taming the Wilde by Maryn Blackburn to read and review.