Review: "Perfect Alignment" by K.B. Alan

When Emma gets pulled over for speeding, the last thing she expects is for the cop to decide that his handcuffs would look a lot better on her than they do on his belt. Maybe her plan to own her sexuality by wearing a BDSM necklace wasn't her best idea. Then again, seeing the heat in the man's eyes as he orders her out of her car, maybe it was the best idea she's ever had. Drew can't believe the risk he takes when he makes a move on the speeder in the convertible, but she's damn near irresistible. When their encounter turns into an amazing afternoon of play, he knows he has to keep seeing her, even if it goes against all the rules he's set for himself. Neither Emma nor Drew is in the right place to start a relationship, so they agree to keep playing as long as they're having fun together. And they are having a lot of fun together, especially when Drew's best friend comes to town. Two men, one woman, and a sailboat. A recipe for pleasure, but how do Emma and Drew keep their hearts from wanting more than their practical lives are willing to deliver?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

A hard book for me to review. I know a lot of people will be bothered by the opening chapter, where Emma goes off with Drew for some erotic fun. That didn't bother me so much.  I just had to let myself look at this as a fantasy read, not something meant to be seen as realistic, and once I was able to get into that mindset, I could roll with what some might see as an absurd situation.

There were definitely some interesting scenarios depicted here, both with Emma and Drew and then later with Drew's friend.  Again, nothing I had a problem with, but nothing that really floated my boat, either.  Mostly I found myself getting bored.  I put this book aside a few times and had a hard time finishing it.  I think part of the problem was that I didn't really feel much emotion or love between Emma and Drew.  The author wrote about the passage of time, saying that they enjoyed dinners and movies together, but there weren't  any real details given.  A lot of tell but no show, I guess.

I also didn't understand Drew's reluctance to have a more public relationship with Emma.  I understand why he wouldn't want his work colleagues to know he was into the whole BDSM club scene, but still, taking Emma out on a real date wouldn't have revealed anything of that private side of his life.  It just seemed like a wrench thrown into the plot that didn't really need to be there.

Anyway, despite my struggles with this book, I was very happy with the resolution Drew and Emma were given at the end!

My rating: 2.5 stars