Wednesday 16 September 2015

Spotlight and Review: The Ties That Bind by Christina Mandara[+giveaway]



Title: The Ties That Bind
Genre: Dark Erotica, BDSM, Suspense









Will Mark Matthews accept Redcliff’s terms for his daughter’s release, surrendering both body and mind to the enemy? Petal’s sanity depends upon the fact, for in the sixth and final book of Pony Tales she is to discover that the fate in store for her at Albrecht is not a pretty one.

Shipped off to Leyland Forbes in a steel cage, the pony-girl will have to endure all sorts of imaginative bondage and BDSM at his palatial manor, as her body is photographed intimately by several of the world’s top photographers. As the day progresses she will find herself taken out to dinner in chains, before being cleverly and expertly divested of her virginity.

Trouble awaits when she returns to the stables, however. One of the trainers has taken a monstrous dislike to her and intends to prove his superiority, both in the dungeon and beyond.

Escape is beginning to seem like an impossible dream…

Content
warning:  M/f, F/f, M/M, kinky underwater bondage, dub-con, non-consensual sex.






I was a bit thrown because I started with book 5, but it was an interesting… experience. Let me tell you now that this one is not for the faint of heart. The sex is crazy and it was strong non consent vibes and sexual torture. Getting over that, it was well written and engaging.
The things that I really didn’t enjoy were:
1.       This didn’t have a HEA or even a HFN. I also don’t think the author is writing another novella or something with the characters from this story so you’ll be left wondering. I so hope I’m wrong though.
2.       The spelling mistakes and the editing of the ARC. Those drove me nuts and I hope there aren’t there in the finished product.

I don’t know what to say about the heroine, Jenny/Jennifer, besides that she was stubborn and kinky. The guy, Mark, is kinky, powerful and really intense.  The tow of them together are explosive and you can really feel the chemistry. All in all if you like dark erotica you should really try this.




PG EXCERPT
“She’s been screaming her head off for an hour, Michael. Can
I knock her out, or at the least move the woman somewhere far, far away,
preferably underground?”
There was a long sigh at the end of the telephone receiver
and it was clear that the owner of the voice was in a testy mood.

“K, darling. It’s unlike you to be so squeamish. What’s up?”

The blonde on the other end of the receiver sighed again.
Michael’s voice was not one of sympathy and it was clear that her sentry duty
was far from over. “Your son is putting muddy footprints all over my brand new,
silver travertine tiles. He’s already necked most of the alcohol in the house
and has now taken my remote control prisoner.” She added a little growl for
effect, to let him know she was not at all pleased by the turn of events.

There was a slight pause as her complaints were considered
before all of them were rebuffed as she had expected.

“You have a cleaning lady who will be in first thing
tomorrow to clear up the footprints and any other mess he might leave, paid for
by me I might add, and I’m more than happy to get you a delivery of whatever
tipple might take your fancy. Of course, you realise you can’t drink anything
with her in the house and nor can you watch TV, so I fail to see your point.”
The voice had taken on a bemused tone. “It’s the screaming that’s getting you
down, hmm? And here I thought you enjoyed that sort of thing.”

The blonde heard a burst of uncharacteristic laughter erupt
from her handset and nearly fell over from her position, leant casually against
the granite kitchen countertop. As it was, several cookbooks fell to their
demise and a jar of chrome utensils quickly followed suit.

“K, dear, are you OK? It’s nearly all over now. We’ll have
him right where we want him in just a couple of days. The girls are in place,
and there’s the added bonus of having both Isabelle and Jennifer as an incentive to get Mark to co-operate. I think the
man has a conscience, but we’ll find out shortly, darling.”

“What are you planning to do with them?” Scuttling around on
the floor, she banged shiny serving spoons, spatulas and ladles back into their
container, loud enough to create pretty impressive backing for a drum and bass
album.

“Something diabolically nasty, what else? I want to watch
him squirm and I want him to know exactly what I’m capable of. When you take on
someone of Matthews’ calibre, you make sure he understands you the first time,
because there’s no way you’ll get hold of him a second time.”
The banging stopped abruptly and a smile flittered across
K’s face, her bright red lips uplifting in sudden comprehension. “Oh goody, we
get to play with them, too?”

Michael Redcliff cleared his throat and smiled to himself.
“Yes, dear, that was the plan. Have you cheered up a bit now?”

“A little,” she admitted, her voice having taken on a soft,
dreamy quality and her thoughts were suddenly whisked to far more pleasurable
pastures.

“Good.”

“But what about the damn screaming,” she groaned, coming
back to earth firmly with a bump.

“Do you have your cell phone handy?”

K finally managed to get herself upright and set the utensil
jar safely back on the counter. She pulled the receiver away from her ear and
looked at the phone as if it had sprouted purple fur and claws. Rolling her
eyes, already wondering where this was leading, she put the handset back to her
ear. “Of course I have a cell phone, but I’m on the home phone at the moment.
You want me to call you from my cell?”

“No darling. I want you to record the delightful Isabelle’s
screams. A little bit of sobbing and begging wouldn’t go amiss, either. Let’s
stir Matthew’s up and get him a little jumpy. Make the recording around a
couple of minutes in length and then send it to me. I’ll need to deliver it from
an untraceable account. We don’t want to give the boy any ammunition he can
use.”

“OK, give me ten minutes and I’ll get it to you. Out of
curiosity, though, why aren’t you keeping her at yours?”

“Ahh, that’s because there’s always the chance that Matthew’s
may be really stupid and have the authorities come barging in here. I’m the
only link he has. He doesn’t know that you’re my sidekick. You won’t even be up
for consideration. He gets very protective of his staff, I hear, and has gone
to some great lengths to ‘save’ them in the past. It helps that he’s got a soft
spot for Isabelle and a hard one for my daughter.”

“But Isabelle isn’t one of his girls, is she?”



“She is now.”






Christina Mandara was born in the UK, but has spent most of her life travelling the world. She speaks three languages and has been chiefly employed in the fields of finance and travel. Her favourite city is Sydney and her favourite holiday destination is the south of France.

She loves keeping fit and enjoys running, cycling and water sports. Think surfing or sailing. She's a big fan of BDSM in all of its glorious forms, and her favourite item in the toy closet (a box simply isn't big enough) is her riding crop.
In her spare time she's usually cuddled up with a good book, exploring the countryside, or baking in the kitchen. In fact, she loves her kitchen so much, she's one of the few woman who wouldn't mind being tied to it! Her first and foremost love is writing, however, and more often than not you'll find her on a laptop spinning tales of romance, erotica or dark, paranormal fantasies.  






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Christina is generously running a giveaway during The Ties That Bind book tour and giving away the following:

First Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card

Second Prize: A signed copy of 'The Riding School,' with signed bookmark

Third prize: A black flogger and fridge magnets



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