Awakening by Elene Sallinger

I actually did not expect to like this one as much as I thought I would. This was a really surprising and erotic read- ahem, especially towards the end. Holy wow, Evan. But beyond that, Awakening by Elene Sallinger is essentially a story about Claire's journey to find herself as well as her freedom to love and desire. I've read plenty of BDSM books before but this was the first time that I've come across such a different kind of book. It was more emotional and heartbreaking because Claire never realized what she wanted or needed out of a man. After coming out of an "abusive" relationship, she has become a rather 'skittish' woman. But thanks to Evan, the second main character of this book, she was able to change and re-discover herself all over again.

Hmm, where do I begin? Although Evan was essential to Claire's development as a character, I was rather frustrated with him at times. Instead of trying to move on, he was stuck between the past and the present because he was never over the death of his wife. Yes, it was sad, but he was always feeling guilty and angry over his newfound feelings for Claire. This, of course, made me want to hit him over the head because he was hurting her. But besides that, Evan was really the perfect man for Claire. Instead of getting straight to the sex, they actually spent a lot of time getting to know each other before doing the deed. They were friends before they became lovers. And oh, you will be surprised at how smoking hot they are together.

In the end, I'm glad that he was able to help her throughout her self-discovery because it made him realize his true feelings for her. Claire was already falling in love with him but it broke her heart, and mine, when he rejected those feelings. Besides being emotional, Awakening was an inspirational and deeply moving read. For those of you who are fond of this genre or anything erotic romance-related, I definitely recommend and urge you to check out this book. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Elene Sallinger for providing and giving me permission to read this ARC.

Rating: ★★★★☆