Review + GIVEAWAY: Locked (The Alpha Group, #1) by Maya Cross

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Summary:

"The bar Sophia Pearce is in doesn’t look like much. The wine is bad and the decor worse. But when a sudden attack of curiosity leads her to sneak past security and into the back room, she discovers something unimaginable. The most lavish party she’s ever laid eyes on, in the most unlikely of places.

But that’s nothing compared to what comes next, to the man she meets back there. Sebastian Lock. Gorgeous, commanding, and radiating charm, he is exactly the sort of silver-tongued rake Sophia has sworn to avoid. Unfortunately, he doesn’t care much for her promises.

Every instinct tells her to run, but the chemistry between them is as inescapable as gravity. Soon, he’s opening her eyes to a whole new world of pleasures, pleasures she never thought she’d enjoy.

There’s just one problem. Sebastian is more than he seems. Between the famous company he keeps and the almost paranoid secrecy of his employers, he’s a puzzle Sophia can’t quite solve, and his insistence on keeping things casual forces her to confront the demons of her past.

Can she learn to trust again? Or will Sebastian’s privacy tear them apart?

Contains light BDSM, including spanking, restraint, and anal play "

 Rating:

 Review:

A copy of this book was provided my the author in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost I have to say - Was there ever a more perfect adult romance cover?? So pristine, elegant and beautiful. Not to mention the pose - intense and wicked. Love the models! The colors and everything adding up making it the sexiest cover ever! Just makes you want to look at it so enchanting and fascinating. As soon as I saw it I wanted to read this.

So the book begins with Sophia Pearce with her best friends in a random bar. It would be a classical night of getting drunk if she it hadn't begun to take an interesting course. Led by her overpowering curiosity and the mystery of the back room with security she sneaks in there to find something unexpected - an extravagant party with (clearly) rich men and their escorts.
Already at this point I knew this will turn out to be an amazing book. Who doesn't love some inrigue right at the beginning?And then comes Sebastian..

"At first glance he seemed confident and charming, the sort of guy I saw every day around the office. But behind that roguish charisma lay something dangerously alluring; a potent strength that seemed to beckon to my very core. It was intimidating, arousing, and more than a little distracting."

Interesting is a small word to describe their conversation. I kept imagining them with a small smile of amusement and a little arch of a brow, picking at one another, playing a game, trying to get a taste of the personality and exploring what would be the outcome of this. They are both very intelligent and smooth in talk with a touch of sarcasm on Sophia's part and that made it highly enjoyable. You don't see this kind of easy flow so often.

And the whole book went with a kind of easy plot-flow. There wasn't any jumping around, the events made sense but they were not predictable. Especially what happened after... Well, lets just say that no one was expecting to find Sebastian spanking his secretary later in the office, let alone Sophia, but that was just the beginning. Beginning of Sebastian awakening the curious and sexual woman in Sophia that wasn't so vanilla as she thought.

I liked Sophia, she's a lawyer struggling with many let downs in work, but she's the kind of woman that got a lot of experience out of life and wasn't a fool anymore. She's strong and assessing of everything and not full of resentment because it's a hard life. I got the impression that she takes it all in stride but never being the weak person that gives up or is scared of a anything, especially one intimidating man. What I like more about her is, well lets call it - the detective side of her. She likes to explore the mystery and investigate whatever makes her curious. I actually enjoyed the times when she was at work and didn't find the lawyer stuff boring as I expected. And don't forget her sarcasm and funny lines. Always great in a character.

"At some point, it occurred to me that I'd left my shoes behind. Just like Cinderella, I thought. Although I'm not sure if the story traditionally contains quite so much masochism."

Furthermore, I love that she didn't submit to Sebastian's request for a casual fuck with her as one of his many women. She explained she doesn't do that, she needs an exclusive relationship. And she confronts him when he's wrong or she doesn't agree with him, never being mushy-wushy because the hot guy is actually interested in her.

"I was still wary. I'd been fooled before by men like him. For some of them, the challenge was even more fun than the victory itself. This could all just be part of the game."

She doesn't even accept a date until much later after thinking it through. And that's amazing, what I love best about her! She's careful! And not demanding, only seeking as much trust and time as she can get for a normal relationship.


Sebastian is a very persuasive character and Sophia is someone worth persuading. The intelligent, intimidating, HOT (of course) man was sort of a little enigma. He didn't reveal much about himself making him a very mysterious and puzzling man which in turn I liked. What I liked even more, as Sophia did too, was that in spite of it all he was very honest! He said right away that he doesn't do exclusive relationships and why and why he was so interested in Sophia.
And Sebastian Lock(or Keys in other times. I like the obvious play with the last name) was a Dom. And he saw that Sophia was possibly submissive and we all know that Doms like to bring out the hidden submissiveness in women.

And oh maaaaaan, wasn't that hot or what?

"With the last of my resistance bleeding away, everything began to take on a new dimension. The ropes that I'd struggled so hard against became excitng in their strength. My blindness, once terrifying, now amplified every sensation. I was no longer afraid to discover what wicked secrets Sebastian had planned; I was excited."

But the ending brings trouble. Can Sophia really trust Sebastian? When she finally gets burned, what will happen now?

Now, the problem that I had with this book, or better said a longer novella, is just that. It's more of a novella rather then a book. I didn't know that at the beginning but did know that it was a trilogy. Yes, I'm used to novellas, but it bugs me a little because I always want more!

But the bigger problem is a small, and I point out this SMALL, similarity with Fifty Shades-like books. The rich hero, working-class herroine, him being a Dom and her a new sub and some other things and that just bothers me. This book shouldn't be any similar to Fifty Shades. It's just offensive, for this book because it's so much better than FS. And I dislike when authors sometimes, maybe even unintentionally, do this when most are much more talented. For example, the herroine here is miles away better.

And that's why it's 4.5 stars. But all in all, this series is something to look out for, a new fascinating erotic romance trilogy that will continue making us curious about the next step it will take. I recommend this for everyone looking for a romance story that is both fun and new, not much emotional, but something to keep you at your toes trying to figure out how will this strange relationship work when nothing is clear about the impending future.
Just who is Sebastian Lock?

 GIVEAWAY TIME:

 The author was kind enough to offer one epub of mobi file of the book to random commenter.

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