Enslave: The Taming of the Beast [Paperback]

Cathy Yardley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

A desperate beauty enslaved . . .

Nadia Bessonova's career-criminal father has deadly enemies—and to save him, his devoted daughter is willing to make a bargain with the devil himself. She will surrender completely, body and spirit, to the dangerous Dominic Luder, and submit to his every whim.

A tormented beast enthralled . . .

Haunted by inner demons and hiding away in his dark, secluded manor, Dominic is mesmerized by his sensuous prisoner who inflames his bestial lust. But Nadia is no mere plaything. At once fearful, willing, and wildly passionate, she brings his most breathtaking erotic fantasies to life—and thaws his cold, wounded heart.

A perilous path to a happy ending . . .

But Nadia never dreamed she'd become slave to her own desires in a savage game of seduction and revenge. And now that he has tasted ecstasy, will a jealous, magnificent beast be able to relinquish his prize?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cathy Yardley has always been entranced by fairy tales and now spends her time giving them her extra special touch. This multi-published author enjoys movies, video games, cooking, and plotting world domination (just kidding, she hates to cook). When not writing, she spends time in her beautiful San Diego home with her husband and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avon Red; Original edition (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061376094
• ISBN-13: 978-0061376092
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #777,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A few random facts about me:

I am a fiction addict.

I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.

I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don't so much read as devour.

I am an out of the closet foodie.

People who follow me on Facebook can attest: I am a foodie-blog whore. Love Smitten Kitchen. Adore Pioneer Woman Cooks. Bake my own bread on a weekly basis (because the recipe is so frickin' easy, a chimp could do it -- and it tastes phenomenal. I am a walking infomercial for this bread. ) Total Top Chef freak.

I am a geekgirl.

I love the San Diego Comic-con, or "The Con" as they call it.

I was part of the SCA -- The Society for Creative Anachronism -- and briefly sponsored my own mini army. I learned to speak some Japanese from anime.

I have a near encyclopedic knowledge of character actors and obscure movies. I have been called to settle bar bets.

I have a more-flirtatious-than-appropriate relationship with Excel spreadsheets. When I used to work at a day job, if I wore lipstick they assumed I was going on an interview. To this day, an entire marketing department lives in fear of my memory.

I love being an author.

Love writing. Love promoting. Love everything about it. And I love hearing from readers. Email me, anytime, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I didn't care for the characters. They weren't interesting. There were a lot of sex scenes, but they lacked emotional draw., February 24, 2010

By 

Jane (Chicago, IL, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Enslave: The Taming of the Beast (Paperback)

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I wasn't thrilled. I wasn't drawn to the characters. The story was ok but could have used more depth. There were many sex scenes which were ok, but I wasn't drawn in emotionally. There was one event which didn't make sense to me. Dominic and Nadia like and enjoy each other, but he decides to return her to her home. This causes Nadia to feel rejected. He ends up taking her back, but I found it unnecessary. It was an illogical source of conflict. The Jelena story was a little more interesting, but again I wasn't drawn into the characters enough to enjoy it.

A minor problem: the cover picture is wrong. Dominic has a disfigured face. Cover guy does not.

STORY BRIEF:
Dominic is disfigured with scars on his face and body. Alexis had something to do with causing them when he broke up with her a few years back. She wants him dead and has a contract out on his life. He lives in a remote fortress-like home. Mikhail steals Dominic's car and sells it. Dominic comes to Mikhail's home threatening violence. Mikhail's daughter Nadia offers herself to Dominic saying she will live with him and do anything he says. He is intrigued and takes her home. He requires that she always be naked. They have a lot of sex which includes bondage, spanking and sex toys.

A second story is about Nadia's sister Jelena. She married a wealthy older man Henry. He pays a monthly allowance to Jelena and also to her father. Jelena asks for more money to help Nadia which Henry refuses. Jelena knows Henry will probably divorce her for someone younger and leave her with no money. She takes steps to get money and power. She uses sex to make this happen. There are several Jelena sex scenes in the book which include 2 women, 2 men with 1 woman, and rear door activity.

DATA:
Story length: 243 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious words. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 16. Total number of sex scene pages: around 67. Setting: current day Nevada. Copyright: 2009. Genre: erotic romantic suspense.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Beauty and the Beast" Modernly Retold, February 9, 2010

By 

I. H. "Literature Lover" ((USA)) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Enslave: The Taming of the Beast (Paperback)

Forgetting the fact that "Beauty and the Beast" told in the many different ways (culturally) has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, this book by Cathy Yardley is really good. Told with and in an excellent voice, composition, and new detailing, "Enslave" gives an erotically modern retelling of the story most of us have known since childhood. It isn't a story that is told with heavy emotions or incredible depth, but it does have a view that is by far spicy, sweet, charming, and interestingly nice in all the right ways.

Centered around three main characters this story begins similar to the old "Beauty and the Beast" in where the first main character, a Russian beauty, named Nadia Bessonova's father has stolen "the Rose" from the Beast. That "beast" being Dominic Luder who is an ex-criminal, killer, and mobster. It is because of that Dominic has come to brutally collect from the patriarch Bessonova, whose main course in life has been to steal, cheat, lie, and cast off his daughters through any means productive for him (such as marriage and sex). Bravely, Nadia makes the decision to go with Dominic so that she can buy her family sometime. While in captivity, she learns about satisfying lust and that Dominic is more than she expected. She learns that he is a trapped person who has created a prison as safety, and he learns through his regained lust and reopened vision how to trust and care for another again. However, as a new twist to the tale, the sister of Nadia, Jelena, comes to narrate the distressful and empowering attempt of helping her sister. With each narration you see every character grow and change (Nadia being the least to have to change) as their experiences happen to them.

In a nutshell, this book seriously won't let you down. However, that is all based upon the fact of your liking a "good" erotica and tale mixed together as one.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intriguing erotic take on "Beauty and the Beast", October 10, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enslave: The Taming of the Beast (Paperback)

The Bessonova family patriarch is a career criminal whose prime employment is stealing cars though selling his daughters either as mail order brides as he did Irina when she was eighteen or even whoring them out is not beneath him. His three daughters Nadia, Jelena and Irina love and hate their father though they appreciate living in Vegas and not Kiev.

However, Papa Bessonova purloins the wrong vehicle as the owner is dangerous Dominic Luder, who wants an arm and a leg literally from the thief as he did papa's partner Roddy. Even with Papa's wife carrying Dominic does not give a pregnant pause for what he will do to the thief who should have researched who owned the car. Her father may be afraid of the beast, who seeks to teach him a lesson, but courageous yet fearful Nadia offers her body willingly to the beast in remittance; he accepts her offer as he plans to tame the beauty.

This is an intriguing erotic take on "Beauty and the Beast" that begins gloomy as readers meet an unlikable family especially father and a seemingly despicable beast. When Nadia leaves with Dominic, the story line takes off as they battle for supremacy until love levels the paying field. The other sisters also come a long way baby as married Jelena finds her craving and Irina moves on after being dumped for the replacement teen. Although dad is a worthless dreck from start to finish, fans will enjoy the taming of the beast.

Harriet Klausner