Title: Yield
Series: Bay Area Professionals 05
Author: Mickie B Ashling
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Length: Novel (227 pages)
ASIN: B07JGVC7N5
Publisher: Mickie B Ashling (13th November 2018)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 4.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: A promising encounter takes a dark turn.
Captain Sami Soros and Father Jay Blackstone cross paths at a major European hub. When systems shut down due to a cyber-attack, flights are delayed and the resulting chaos is unprecedented.
After having served three tours in Afghanistan, recently discharged Sami struggles with his new civilian status. Emotionally depleted, and dangerously edgy, he views most of his fellowmen with utter contempt.
Jay is returning to his parish in San Francisco after a month-long retreat meant to shore up a crumbling vocation. All vestiges of spirituality melt away when he sets eyes on Sami.
They begin a clandestine affair fueled by a shared addiction to extreme forms of BDSM. Their relationship goes off the rails, and Jay reaches out to Rino Duran, a former seminarian. With the help of Dr. Ethan Marshall, Rino’s full-time Dom, the established couple attempt to separate truth from lies to give Jay and Sami a shot at happiness.
Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: Yield is the fifth book in the Bay Area Professionals series by Mickie B Ashling. I have loved reading this series, it is complex and a total emotional rollercoaster. To say that is an intense read is an understatement and in my mind is the most intense, as well as being the best book in this series.
Although I’ve been enjoying this series, I can’t say if I am completely sold of Ashling’s writing to put them into my authors I must read list. I find BDSM a little hit and miss. I’m not sure why, I suppose the easiest explanation is the some authors can write the emotions of the D/s couple really well, while others just write what feels like a soft porn. I personally don’t like long sex scenes in books, because romance isn’t all about smut, and Ashling nailed this well. There is a lot of depth to the stories and the characters, even some of the minor characters have their little side stories going on at the same time. However, everything comes together in a nice, neat package by the end (which is essential in my mind).
Despite being the fifth in this series, Yield works fine as a standalone book, although there are direct ties to the previous book in the series, Forged in Trust (that one, I think, is the most titillating book in the series).
As I said, this is an intense read. It covers an insanely broad range of issues including rape, PTSD and abuse. The MCs, Sami and Jay, are also sit on the more extreme side of kinks compared to previous MCs in this series. The characters are so bloody complicated I don’t think I can do justice with describing them here. I don’t want to get into too much detail because spoilers, ick, and also I don’t want to be writing a ten page review.
Captain Sami Soros has served three tours in Afghanistan, leaving his physically and emotionally drained. He has a lot of issues to deal with mentally as he attempts to fit into the world outside of the military. Father Jay Blackstone is a clergyman who has been questioning his vocation, but he also has a slew of mental demons to contend with as well. The depth of these guys is astonishing. They are almost like they are two sides of the same coin. They have opposing world views, which is fundamental to their very different career paths. Yet, while their philosophies are very different it is almost as if, as they work through their demons, their kinks and get help from their friends, their beliefs are essentially the same once they are boiled down. The issue is, that it is a very rocky road to get there.
As I said, I enjoyed the story, the character and plot development and the intensity of pretty much everything. However, I have to say, as someone not totally keen on BDSM romance, I think I need to take a break from it for a while before I find another one to read.