Review of Tainted by Jamie Begley

Synopsis: Kaden Cross had it all: money, fame, and women, but he lost it all in one night. One night that would forever change him. Forced from obscurity and into the limelight as the lead singer of the band Mouth2Mouth, Kaden returns to the lifestyle that almost destroyed him. The last thing he wanted was to find a sexy drugged out redhead waiting for him in his bed. Finding out that she’s the victim of a sex slave ring, puts Mouth2Mouth in peril, because the only way to save the woman he’s started to love, means denying her the one thing she wants the most. Freedom.

Sawyer has had one dream her whole life, to escape the smothering love of her mother and a life of poverty. Her goal was just within her grasp when her world is turned upside down. Kidnapped and drugged, she is given to a man she knows nothing about except that he holds her life in his hands.

One night, and two lost souls with tainted lives, find a love strong enough to reveal a secret that just might kill them all.  

 

4 Stars!

 

Review: Sawyer's story definitely has some very tense moments. She and Vida are, unfortunately, caught between two very dangerous men, and this has led to Sawyer being kidnapped and forced into a sex slave ring. She is kept pretty drugged up, at first, but she then wakes up in the bed of Kaden Cross, lead singer of Mouth2Mouth. He is pretty upset with her being there, as his life is drastically different from even five years ago, at the height of his fame.

 

Kaden, and his security team, along with the rest of the guys in the band, feel like Sawyer is safer as long as she stays with them. The men that had previously captured her are not very happy about this, however, so Sawyer is constantly in danger of being taken, so she is watched, or guarded, very heavily. Sawyer does not appreciate this very much, as she has spent her life feeling like she was imprisoned and smothered by her mother because of the area that she grew up in. This unlikely crew sets off on the rest of the Mouth2Mouth tour.

 

Kaden and Sawyer definitely have an attraction to one another, but Kaden has to basically teach Sawyer what he likes from his women. He is ready to commit to her, but she is not really sure about what he wants from her - or if she can give him what he wants, once she does find out. Kaden likes how down to earth Sawyer is, and how she is so unaffected by his fame or his wealth. The tragedy that he experienced five years ago left a pretty bad taste in his mouth regarding fame and wealth, too, so I think he appreciates this about her.

 

I think where I struggled with this book was how easily Sawyer seemed to just accept Kaden's bedroom preferences, even though she had no prior understanding or knowledge of it. There is a definite BDSM element to his preferences, so be warned if that is not something that you enjoy. The scenes were well written, and the two of them have some definite chemisty; her capitulation just seemed sudden when she was previously trying to stay strong and hold out. Kaden also includes another person, at one point, without mentioning it to Sawyer or even asking her if she was okay with it...and she just goes along with it. It just felt really quick and not necessarily authentic to her character. Sawyer had been repressed her whole life, so it is understandable that she would want to try new and different things, but it didn't feel like that is how this was addressed. It was more along the lines of "oh, this is happening and everyone is just going with it, even though no one is talking about it at all".

 

Sawyer and Vida's stories are not over, however, so I can't wait to read more. This author does such a great job of weaving her many different series together, so I'm sure I'll see more of them.