// REVIEW \\ Sparks

SPARKS (Special Agent BDSM #1)
by C.P. Mandara

An intriguing opening to the series.

There are a few points I feel I need to make before I get onto the actual review of the book. Firstly this ends in a cliff-hanger and I know there are at least 3 more books in the series. The romance aspect (hopefully) builds later through the series, though there is plenty of action and attraction in this book. However I would describe the content of this particular instalment as erotica, really, really good erotica with a few little mind-f**ks dropped in for fun.

The book is written first person and entirely from Lois’ point of view. Much as I love dual point of views, there are secrets being kept that necessitate the single in this case. ‘Lois’ (and is that really her name?) is a complex character, and whilst we know her surface motivations there are so many other reasons that drive her actions. Some we can guess at, others will no doubt be revealed at the relevant time. It was harder to get a complete picture of James, and again it is clear he has many secrets behind that rock steady facade.

I can understand why the author chose to end the book where she did, it does make sense to break the story at that point and it is possible to read Sparks as simply an erotic encounter and to take the story no further (though you would be left with questions). However, despite being engrossed by the story a couple of times I did feel as though we weren’t making enough progress. The vast majority of the book revolves around sexual scenes, mainly ‘training/preparing’ Lois to (pretend to) be a sexual slave. However the cleverness of the writing, particularly in the mental power plays and the inner thoughts of Lois, lifts this out of being simply erotic porn and into being a really good story.

On balance I thought this was a great opener and am itching to read the rest of the series. I do recommend this book.

AMAZON US / AMAZON UK / BOOKBUB / GOODREADS

SYNOPSIS

“I am going to break you.

That’s the whole purpose of this exercise. From the moment the door inside that room closes, I am not going to be Mr. Nice Guy. I am going to do everything in my power to hear you scream, and I won’t stop until I hear you beg for mercy. Do you wish to proceed on that basis?”

Today my name is Lois Reeves. I have an appointment with my new boss, James Leverett, this morning because my next assignment requires that I assassinate one of the biggest gangsters in the world. This is a suicide mission that is almost guaranteed to get me killed, but I have to accept it. To refuse would mean death – and not just mine. This guy who I’m about to kill is lining up everyone I hold dear, and preparing to take them out one by one. This is every assassin’s worst nightmare, and this is the hell within which I now live.

Excerpt
At least the first task of the evening would be easy. Opening up my right palm to reveal the treasure hidden within, I grinned to myself. There nestled inside my hand was a set of car keys. Sporting the familiar three triangle emblem, they were the keys to a Mercedes saloon. When I landed on the floor, on my knees in front of him, I didn’t actually think he’d shoot me, but it wasn’t worth taking the risk. It also gave me ample opportunity to land heavily against him and whip his keys out of his pocket. I’d had a feeling I might need them, and my hunch had proved correct. Opening the car was going to be a cinch. Everything after that would be a bastard, but at least the car would be relatively painless. 
Pressing my ear to the door, I listened for sounds of movement outside. I gave it a minute, but in that time I heard nothing. Maybe James had decided I wasn’t much of a threat with my arms tied, and had finally gone to bed. It was time to find out. 
Pulling the door lever down sharply, to minimise the resulting squeak, I paused and listened intently. It was still deathly quiet. Good. Then I pulled back and… nothing. What the hell? My jaw dropped. He’d locked me in! How had I missed that? Geez, I was slipping. No wonder there wasn’t a sound to be heard. The man had nothing to worry about. I was locked in a room with my hands tied up. How much trouble could I be?
Urrghh. Next time I came on assignment I was going to hide my lock picking kit in an internal cavity. Honestly. Biting my lip in frustration, I did a few deep yoga breaths to get some perspective on the situation. In through the nose and out through the mouth. In through the nose, sod that. What was I thinking? Where did I need to be? Outside. Were there any other exits out of the room? Yes. There was a window. Was it locked? I ran over to check. No. Fan-bloody-tastic. This could still work.

C.P. Mandara is a USA TODAY BestSelling Author