Synopsis
Connection begins after the kicker of a cliffhanger following Domination. This isn’t the little happy ending Monica was expecting – she and Jonathan wouldn’t be riding off into the sunset together! Monica knew they were never destined for that, but no one warned her about the pain. No one told her how much it would hurt, so much so that she would risk everything for him.
Monica would do anything to make it right, anything! Even kill for him! She deserves her happily ever after, and she knows they can survive it all.
Told in joint POV between Monica and Jonathan.
Genre
- BDSM
- Romance
- Erotica
Book Setting – time and place
Los Angeles and New York
The storyline, in general terms
Original novellas: Sing, Coda, Dominance. Connection begins after the dramatic conclusion of Jonathan lying on the grass, from what appears to be a panic attack to a much more severe heart attack. We learn very quickly that Jonathan is dying and needs a heart transplant, but his chances of getting a match are slim, even with all his power and money.
The general storyline revolves around Jonathan’s need to keep Monica close, while his parents and sisters wish she didn’t exist. As we move through the novellas, it begins to be about Monica’s strengths versus Jonathan’s weaknesses. They are both obsessed with his condition, but their communication is everywhere. With Monica’s career taking off, Jonathan sat at home waiting to die in ten or twenty years. Fear is taking over their relationship.
“You suck at not falling in love with me.” He laughed and sat back, looking out the window as he undid his belt.
C.D. Reiss – Connection Book 3.
By the time we get to Dominance, Monica and Jonathan have a lot of healing to do, and it’s cute seeing them married as parents and accepting that Jonathan can still be himself. Initially, when I read the books, I was disappointed that I had to read the extra bits to get the complete picture, but it was worth it!
What did I like about the book?
It made me cry! I cried so much reading this book! This whole series has had me in a chokehold for months. It got me out of a profound reading slump, and I don’t think I will ever recover. I loved how the characters had grown and developed but supported each other. I felt Monica’s character development in this book was terrific and a nice mirror to Jonathan’s weakness.
“You are my reason to live. Fuck.” His lips moved in a litany of fucks that had no sound. They were made of breath and panic. – Jonathan.
CD. Reiss – Connection Book 3
The ending! I love their happy ending! I loved that she could have him and her career. I loved this series! Monica has been one of my favourite protagonists to read. I loved her sarcasm and sass (maybe it’s the British in me) and how she protected Jonathan. Even willing to kill for him. I enjoyed the few twists in this novel.
What would have made it better?
Oh, I adored it! Especially the ending, however, there was a lot of Jonathan and Monica talking about ‘this had happened, that had happened, but we were not reading it in real time! I would have loved a book following the aftermath of the trauma. How they dealt with or didn’t and how they learnt to be this new couple, but that’s not what we got. We got two people just agreeing with each other without compromising.
Jonathan lost his dominance; I would have loved half a book showing that side of their relationship, how they worked with this sudden vanilla guy. Instead, we got Monica talking about it and Jonathan backing her up in internal dialogue. I wanted more of that version of Jonathan. When I read the book extras, I thought it might help, and it did, but I wouldn’t say Jonathan had necessarily lost himself; he just was scared. He wasn’t a different person like Monica described, but we could call her an unreliable narrator.
Her friends disappear; they never seem to be mentioned after book two. It became about his sister and her career. It would have been nice to conclude their stories and connections.
What didn’t work for me in the book?
I was glad Jessica got what was coming to her, but I felt it was a sidelined and an afterthought.
I also felt that when he got his dominance back, it was like he had something to prove to himself, not Monica, and I found that scene where he hurt her quite intense. There are no triggers here, but he is telling himself. ‘She’s mine; I don’t need her permission’. I get the whole BDSM thing, but when she cried, it lacked the compassion he’d had in previous moments, even with her inner dialogue telling us that she loved him more.
I’m not sure how I felt when he said, ‘You cry when I tell you, you can cry,’ there’s being dominant, and then there’s being a controlling arse. It didn’t sit right with me.
Will I read another book by this author?
I want to read all her books, but I’m unsure if I will ever get over this trilogy enough! I like the collection in paperback so that I can reread it in two years! Honestly, I wish I could read it for the first time again! I’ve been walking around in a fog all week! I could talk about this book all day! I plan on listening to audiobooks next year.
Suppose you would like to know more about CD. Reiss or check out her books, please visit her website: https://cdreiss.com/.
Star rating: 5 stars
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