For Desire Alone

For Desire Alone - Jess Michaels
"Behind their passion lurks a dark truth that could destroy their love.

Mistress Matchmaker, Book 2

A mistress should never be foolish enough to fall in love with her protector, nor trust him with her financial future. Mariah Desmond did both, and now her dearly departed protector has left her with nothing.

Forced to seek another protector, she’s determined that this time, she’ll lead with her survival instinct—not her heart. But when she attends one of Vivien Manning’s infamous parties, the familiar face of her late lover’s best friend throws her for a loop.

A painful past taught John Rycroft that he’s not fit to be anyone’s knight in shining armor. His soft spot—make that a hard spot—for Mariah is precisely why he’s kept his distance. Yet the sight of her flirting with a bevy of men vying to become her next lover makes something inside him snap.

As John hauls her bodily away from her suitors, Mariah’s indignation melts away in the heat of the sizzling sexual chemistry. She quickly finds it isn’t easy to navigate John’s stormy emotional waters. Especially when his abusive father’s quest to get his son back under his thumb puts her life in danger.

Product Warnings
Contains intensely sexy scenes of two people falling into bed (a lot) and in love"

My Thoughts:

I've previously read the first book in this Erotic series by Jess Michaels which I loved. This follow-up book did not disappoint either. We're introduced to Mistress Mariah Desmond who has lost her former protector in a fire and discovers to her surprise that he left her with nothing. She contacts her friend, the famous Mistress Vivien Manning to find another protector. But her former protector's best friend, John Rycroft has always wanted her and they get evolved in a complicated, passionate and emotional affair.
“How could you not tell me?” she whispered. “You were supposed to be my friend.”

He jolted. “Is that what you think?” he asked, flattening his palm against her back and molding her against him even closer. She stared up at him, eyes wide in the firelight, breath short. Everything between them shifted in that moment. She recognized that he wanted her. Better yet, he saw no resistance to that in her trembling body or wide-eyed stare. In fact, he saw a faint flicker of her own desire mirrored in there. Unexpected and glorious.

I really liked them both. I liked that Mariah was so comfortable in her sexuality and so passionate too. She was someone who really put herself completely into situations and really cared for people around her. She wanted to give her protectors what they needed. She's a more mature and experienced woman and I liked that. There's a womanly strength to her that I really took to.

John Rycroft was a very... closed off hero for most of the book. His emotions and his private life are something he keeps to himself, because of a very tough childhood. He's been estranged from his family for years. I liked that he was mysterious because of this, and I loved seeing him open up to Mariah, slowly but surely, and in the end find his HEA with Mariah. Their love scenes were really hot and we get their first sex scene almost from the first chapter.

This is my second Jess Michaels book and I just love her writing. She writes characters I come to care about...

"For a long time, they leaned against the wall, foreheads pressed together, breathing matched. They were one body, bound by the passion they’d shared. Mariah didn’t think she’d felt so close to a lover before. As if he sensed those deeper thoughts, John kissed her cheek with such gentleness that it brought tears to her eyes and withdrew from her."

This is such a well-written story, so I don't want to spoil too much of what happens... But I highly recommend reading this series.

Books in the series:
[bc:An Introduction to Pleasure|13561883|An Introduction to Pleasure (Mistress Matchmaker, #1)|Jess Michaels|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332788479s/13561883.jpg|19136953][bc:For Desire Alone|15718635|For Desire Alone (Mistress Matchmaker, #2)|Jess Michaels|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345651642s/15718635.jpg|21390187][bc:Her Perfect Match|15718644|Her Perfect Match (Mistress Matchmaker, #3)|Jess Michaels|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352848002s/15718644.jpg|21390197]