The Dark Garden: A Novel [Paperback]

Eden Bradley (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 29, 2007

If you loved Fifty Shades of Grey . . . get ready to enter The Dark Garden.

A deliciously potent tale of one woman’s quest for self-discovery.

Rowan Cassidy likes to be in charge—especially in her personal life. As a mistress at Club Privé, the most exclusive bondage/S & M club on the West Coast, Rowan can live out her dominant fantasies safely, and with complete control—until the night Christian Thorne walks in. Self-confident and sophisticated, he’s a natural dominant if Rowan’s ever seen one. Yet she can’t stop thinking about him and imagining his touch.

Christian has returned home, hoping to break free from his dissatisfaction and malaise—and discovers the cure in Rowan. He’s dying to get his skilled hands on her and watch her surrender, to unlock the mystery of her that captivates him. Determined to be her master, he makes Rowan a daring proposition: give herself over to him for thirty days.

Rowan finds Christian’s offer terrifying—and impossible to resist. But abandoning herself to Christian’s power might be more than she can handle. . . . Or it might be the realization of her true nature and the dark garden within her. There will be only one way to find out. And once the game has begun, there’s no turning back.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This riveting tale of complex relationships takes readers from California's BDSM clubs to private playrooms where they discover an alternate lifestyle of pleasure and pain...[an] amazing novel..."
Top Pick! --RT Book Reviews

"THE DARK GARDEN is a masterpiece..." --Author Larissa Ione

"...done with taste and elegance... The combination of two strong leads and fiery passion had me hooked from the page one."
--Author Mandy M. Roth

"THE DARK GARDEN is the most beautifully written BDSM novel this reviewer has ever read. Ms. Bradley has a masterful touch to make pain the ultimate reading pleasure."
5 Hearts! --Love Romances and More

"The Dark Garden is a riveting tale of sensual awakening and self discovery... if you are in the mood for a contemporary romance so erotic, so titillating, you will clench your thighs look no further."
--A Romance Review

From the Author

The Dark Garden was my first full-length novel, and I loved the opportunity to explore the ideas behind BDSM in a longer format. As someone who has been involved in the BDSM community for most of my adult life, I love being able to open this world to people who may be unfamiliar with it.
 
Rowan was a particularly fascinating character to write-there's so much of me in her. And Christian Thorne is my perfect dominant-the kind of man who will spank you until you cry, then wipe your tears away. I fell in love with his creativity as an artist, and the scene where he draws Rowan, stopping to touch her, to feel the lines of her naked body, came to me before I'd even written the first page. He still makes me shiver. :)
 
The secondary characters were also fun to write-April and Decker's relationship serves as such a contrast to Rowan and Christian's. April was meant to be nothing more than Rowan's friend, appearing on the page as a sounding board for Rowan's relationship with Christian. But there was something about April's sweetness that spoke to me, and demanded in her gentle way to have some of her own story. And Decker...he was a bit bossier about it, but that's his way.
 
The title of this book actually came to me first, which is odd for me-I almost always get the characters, then create the story around them. But the first thing I heard in my head was Rowan saying about her experience with Christian: "It's as though I've unlocked the gate and walked into this dark, secret garden inside myself, and it's more beautiful and lush and varied than I could ever have imagined."
 
I hope you enjoy reading her journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780553589733
• ISBN-13: 978-0553589733
• ASIN: 0553589733
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eden Bradley writes dark, edgy erotica and erotic romance for Bantam/Delta, Harlequin Spice and HQN, Berkley Heat (as both Eden Bradley and Eve Berlin), and Samhain Publishing. Two of her books have been Romantic Times Top Picks, and her novel FORBIDDEN FRUIT was profiled in Cosmopolitan Magazine's Red Hot Reads column in 2008. More recently her BDSM book THE DARK GARDEN hit the top paperback fiction charts in the UK.

As someone who has been involved in BDSM practice for much of her adult life, she relates in particular to her BDSM and kink stories, infusing them with her own truth about kink practice from her life experiences.

Eden has appeared regularly on Playboy Radio's 'Night Calls' and the Hollywood In the Flesh readings. She loves art, shoes, tattoos, reading smutty books, chocolate and sex, of course, not necessarily in that order.

You can visit her websites: www.EdenBradley.com www.EveBerlin.com or her group blog www.Smutketeers.com .

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Sexy! June 4, 2007

By Kristi Ahlers

Format:Paperback

Rowan Cassidy needs to be in control of her life as an adult. Perhaps because she didn't have control when she was younger. A past experience has left her shaken and more determined never to find herself submissive or in her way of thinking...weak. So when Christian Thorne walks into Club Prive a BDSM club she attends. She can't ignore the fact that although he is a dominate he speaks to her in ways she shouldn't be listening. Then he offers her a dare. Be under his dominance for thirty days. It's too much and yet she finds herself saying yes. She wants this in the deepest parts of her soul. But is she going to survive this encounter?

Christian wants Rowan deep down in his artist soul. There is something about her that pulls at him. Perhaps it's the secret she holds so close, or maybe it's the inspiration she brings out in him. Whatever the motivation he wants her for himself. He dares her to let him dominate her for thirty days. But will this be enough for him? After all this is a test for him as well. He has never been so captivated by a woman before. Together they will explore all the sensual treats their bodies and minds will revel in as well as test the boundaries of comfort. But will there be a happy ending for these two after their agreement is over?

This was an unabashedly sensual read with two very strong and compelling leads testing their boundaries. Christian and Rowan are perfectly matched each having their own issues but each willing albeit grudgingly at times stepping outside the save zone. Ms. Bradley has done a wonderful job of bringing to life the lifestyle of BDSM proving it's more then tying a person up. The secondary storyline between Decker and April is an added bonus and equally sensual. This story is not for the faint of heart and does obviously include a great deal of BDSM elements as this is the theme of the story. This is a fine title and one that I highly recommend. Dark has never been so very sexy.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A sensuous romp through self-discovery May 29, 2007

By Librarianista

Format:Paperback

Ms. Bradley is a fresh new voice in literary erotica whose story tells of the journey of Rowan, a woman who lives the life of a Mistress at an exclusive BDSM club. But Rowan is a woman of secrets, who writes luxurious tales of the freedom to be found in submission in her private journal. When Christian Thorne challenges her to explore that hidden side of herself--she finds it's a proposition she can't refuse.

What lies beneath the surface for both of these characters is more erotic, and more daring, than either of them could possibly have imagined. I highly recommend a look at Ms. Bradley's lush descriptions and wonderfully faceted characters--I especially enjoyed the secondary romance of Decker and April.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Bradley Penned The Ultimate BDSM Novel! July 14, 2007

By Janalee Ruschhaupt

Format:Paperback

The embrace of leather upon my skin, the vibrant sounds of chains ringing in the air, stretching my body taut and the kiss of pain are the things that remind me the most that I am a bottom, and you Sir, are my top.

Rowan Cassidy has been perfectly happy being a Mistress, a top. Into her life walks Christian Thorne, another top who will challenge her to be his bottom for thirty days. Christian is everything that scares Rowan: Handsome, overly confident, and most of all, she desires him like a moth to a brilliant flame. She is not a bottom at least that is what she tells herself...

THE DARK GARDEN is by author Eden Bradley. This BDSM novel is an elegant portrayal of the inner workings and sexual play encompassed in submission and dominance, and yet this book is much more than that. It is about the overcoming of one's fears, relinquishing those uncertainties to learn, love, and empower. The secondary characters only enhance this book further. Everything about THE DARK GARDEN worked to perfection.

THE DARK GARDEN is the most beautifully written BDSM novel this reviewer has ever read. Ms. Bradley has a masterful touch to make pain the ultimate reading pleasure.

Rowan's life will forever change and alter when Christian sets his sights on her. Her orderly world could come crumbling down when she takes the role of a bottom (submissive). Christian will open her heart, as well as old wounds. Can she survive this sexual dominating experience, then go back to being a top? Will Christian have the patience and understanding Rowan will need?

If you have shied away from BDSM books because of the contents, you will be amazed at how Ms. Bradley weaves the BDSM into this erotic romance effortless. She does it in such a way that you forget about the BDSM elements, losing yourself to the beauty of the characters and the personal problems they face.

Reviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2007
Courtesy of Love Romances and More