If you loved Fifty Shades of Grey . . . get ready to enter The Dark Garden.
A deliciously potent tale of one woman’s quest for self-discovery.
Rowan Cassidy likes to be in charge—especially in her personal life. As a mistress at Club Privé, the most exclusive bondage/S & M club on the West Coast, Rowan can live out her dominant fantasies safely, and with complete control—until the night Christian Thorne walks in. Self-confident and sophisticated, he’s a natural dominant if Rowan’s ever seen one. Yet she can’t stop thinking about him and imagining his touch.
Christian has returned home, hoping to break free from his dissatisfaction and malaise—and discovers the cure in Rowan. He’s dying to get his skilled hands on her and watch her surrender, to unlock the mystery of her that captivates him. Determined to be her master, he makes Rowan a daring proposition: give herself over to him for thirty days.
Rowan finds Christian’s offer terrifying—and impossible to resist. But abandoning herself to Christian’s power might be more than she can handle. . . . Or it might be the realization of her true nature and the dark garden within her. There will be only one way to find out. And once the game has begun, there’s no turning back.
Review
** "This riveting tale of complex relationships takes readers from** California* *'s BDSM clubs to private playrooms where they discover an alternate lifestyle of pleasure and pain...[an]****amazing novel..."
Top Pick!** --RT Book Reviews
** "THE DARK GARDEN is a masterpiece..."** --Author Larissa Ione
** "...done with taste and elegance... The combination of two strong leads and fiery passion had me hooked from the page one."**
--Author Mandy M. Roth
"THE *DARK** ***GARDEN__ is the most beautifully written BDSM novel this reviewer has ever read. Ms. Bradley has a masterful touch to make pain the ultimate reading pleasure."
5 Hearts! --Love Romances and More
** "The Dark Garden is a riveting tale of sensual awakening and self discovery... if you are in the mood for a contemporary romance so erotic, so titillating, you will clench your thighs look no further."**
--A Romance Review
From the Author
The Dark Garden was my first full-length novel, and I loved the opportunity to explore the ideas behind BDSM in a longer format. As someone who has been involved in the BDSM community for most of my adult life, I love being able to open this world to people who may be unfamiliar with it.
Rowan was a particularly fascinating character to write-there's so much of me in her. And Christian Thorne is my perfect dominant-the kind of man who will spank you until you cry, then wipe your tears away. I fell in love with his creativity as an artist, and the scene where he draws Rowan, stopping to touch her, to feel the lines of her naked body, came to me before I'd even written the first page. He still makes me shiver. :)
The secondary characters were also fun to write-April and Decker's relationship serves as such a contrast to Rowan and Christian's. April was meant to be nothing more than Rowan's friend, appearing on the page as a sounding board for Rowan's relationship with Christian. But there was something about April's sweetness that spoke to me, and demanded in her gentle way to have some of her own story. And Decker...he was a bit bossier about it, but that's his way.
The title of this book actually came to me first, which is odd for me-I almost always get the characters, then create the story around them. But the first thing I heard in my head was Rowan saying about her experience with Christian:**** "It's as though I've unlocked the gate and walked into this dark, secret garden inside myself, and it's more beautiful and lush and varied than I could ever have imagined."
I hope you enjoy reading her journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.