I don’t know why I love marriage in trouble stories so much, but I do. Possession, a fake marriage in real trouble, is a nice twist on the trope. Possession is a book that I probably wouldn’t have read from a different author, but Anders takes all the elements that usually make me wary and deals with them very well. This is a kink heavy erotic romance with damaged man who is solely responsible for the marriage being in trouble. Really good kink is hard to write, and everyone circling around a damaged man to heal him is something I see too much in real life to want to read a whole lot of it in my fiction.
Zion Mason is a movie star, and has been attending Camp Haven, a queer friendly kink camp for years “anonymously” as Zed. He’s kept his kink life and his public persona separate until he massively slips up and a video of him engaged in a spanking scene with a woman who looks a lot like his new wife surfaces. His new wife, Twyla Hernandez, is not amused. Their fake, PR driven marriage was supposed to improve her career, not destroy it. Twyla is furious and hurt that her career is a burning dumpster and Zion’s career will bounce back if he lies low for a minute. Determined to confront him, she finds Camp Haven.
As a young, plus sized Latina in Hollywood, Twyla hasn’t felt free to explore her interest in kink. When given the opportunity to let her imagination run free at Camp Haven, Twyla fairly quickly abandons her plan to confront Zion. She re-centers her priority from Zion to herself and that’s the key to this whole book working. Zion has to grapple with his baggage himself while Twyla volunteers for spanking, floggings, and a kidnapping fantasy.
CW: Death of a parent in past, child abuse by neglect in past, statutory rape in past, past grief, threat of public exposure.
I received this as an advance reader copy from the author. My opinions are my own, honestly and freely given.
