Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Rob Daniels is determined to prove to himself that his brother Alex got it wrong. Alex believes he found love through BDSM; Rob is certain that’s not possible. He even makes several visits to a London club to prove his point. But when he attends the grand opening of Secrets, Rob gets a shock, one that has him fleeing, vowing never to return—until he does… and runs into the brick wall that is Dom Vic Prentiss. As first meetings go, theirs is a disaster.

 

The more time he spends around Rob, the more convinced Vic becomes of two things—one, something is eating away at Rob, and two, he’s looking for something. Every instinct tells Vic to help him, but trying to unlock the secrets hidden in Rob’s mind requires a key. All Vic has to do is find it. Because maybe then he’ll get to see the real Rob, the man who’s scared to let go….

 

Book Review

I mentioned in my review of book one in this series how happy I was to see the former series, ‘Collars and Cuffs’, come full circle with Eli and Jarod taking over a BDSM club, Secrets, in London. Now with ‘An Unlocked Mind’ this exciting writing duo is bringing another thread from C&C into this world. Rob is Alex’s younger brother and Alex was featured in ‘An Unlocked Heart’, book one in the C&C series. In that particular novel Rob was a repugnant little sh*t who made Alex’s life far more difficult than he needed to. To say I was excited to watch Rob’s evolution is a mild description for what I felt.

“Tears trickled down his cheeks. I am such a fuckup. He ruined everything good he wanted in life by being a little prick. Anger and jealousy had driven him to create a schism between him and his brother. And now Rob was alone....... Alex hadn’t done anything wrong. All he’d done was find love. Love. What must it be like to love someone like that?”

I was thrilled with the direction the authors took this story as it really could have gone many ways. Vic is a remarkable reader of people and I don’t believe anyone else could have begun to understand Rob, except Vic. Rob views himself as scum. In fact, he can’t remember a time when he ever liked who he is. The regret he feels over what happened with Alex, even though it was their mum who made it worse, continues to torment Rob. He has so much anger and hatred - directed within - that he’s just a ball of boiling emotions. When he and Vic meet, Vic is positive Rob is buried in a closet, perhaps not even aware of his feelings. What Vic is sure about is that no one has ever treated Rob with kindness or believed in him.

Rob surprised me at almost every turn. He is so much more than he believes he is, or can ever be. I was amazed at how quickly Rob took the difficult task of looking inside and admitting to his feelings. Even more incredible is that he then admits them to Vic; that Rob is turned on by some of the things he sees at Secrets and that Rob wants Vic as more than just a friend. It is him realizing he finds the BDSM club stimulating and that he wants to partake of that lifestyle that has him realizing he is just like Alex, and that’s what originally scared him.

“Rob took a good, long, searching look at himself. The old Rob was a jealous, spiteful, petty person whose sole outlook was what was in it for him. In only two months, Vic had shone a spotlight on that Rob, forcing the truth to come out. Rob hated that person. He never wanted to be him again.”

The dedication from the authors at the beginning said this book was for all of us who thought Rob Daniels was an irredeemable little sh*t (I was one) and they hoped to change our minds.  They certainly succeeded where I am concerned. I’d like to believe that Rob would have made it through all of his issues eventually, even if he’d never met Vic. But I don’t think he would have. Rob needed Vic but it was glaringly obvious how much Vic needed him too. I adored seeing Rob and Alex’s dad stepping up to the plate again, and watching Alex and Rob’s hesitant steps back to being brothers was heartwarming.

Ms. Wells and Mr. Williams, you have outdone yourselves with ‘An Unlocked Mind.’ It is far more than I ever expected it to be and not only did I fall for Vic - which was kind of guaranteed since I’m a bit of a wench when it comes to the tall, strong, quiet type - but I fell hard for Rob, the cheeky bastard. Their romance was beautiful to watch. Thank you. I’m looking forward to more books and I can’t wait to see who the next story will be about.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 316 pages/110546 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-December-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $17.99 paperback, $17.99 bundle, $17.47 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/an-unlocked-mind-by-kc-wells-and-parker-williams-9140-b