ARC Review: Meridian by Kirby Crow

Posted May 22, 2016 by Dale

Blurb:

Grant Baines runs a specialty-tour company with his sister, Andie. The tour part is ushering frat boys around the Gulf of Mexico in his charter yacht. The specialty is that he’s an ex-military psychologist who does favors for the government. When Grant is asked to spend a week evaluating traumatized FBI advisor Matty Sawyer, he agrees, thinking it will be just another babysitting assignment.

Grant is more relaxed in a bondage playroom than he is going on a date, so he’s amazed at how strongly he’s attracted to the damaged but brilliant man who arrives in his town. Grant’s job is to assess Matty’s stability to return to the FBI after Jaeger Koning— Matty’s former lover— is charged with multiple assassinations.

Knowing Matty’s past poses a danger to his family, Grant is determined to keep his distance, until Matty reveals a submissive side that Grant finds impossible to resist.

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My Review:

A COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR IN RETURN OF AN HONEST REVIEW

I was intrigued about this book when I first saw it and couldn’t wait to read it. I was so happy when I got an ARC for it!
I started it and the characters, the setting and the writing – so basically everything – drew me right in. And then I thought the author would go somewhere with the story I didn’t like. So I put it aside to get back to it later. (And I still could bite myself in the arse for that!!) Because not even 5% later Ms. Crow did what I hoped she would do but obviously didn’t think she would or I would have kept on reading. (Sorry, trying to be vague to not spoil anything!)
If I’ve learned one thing or, rather was reminded about it, it’s that sometimes I shouldn’t throw in the towel too soon.

Okay, now to the book itself. As I said before the characters and the setting made it easy to get into the story immediately. I really liked Grant and his family and was curious about Matty.
Kirby Crow created two fascinating characters that I really, really wanted to know more about. They were fully flashed-out characters each with their own little (and sometimes bigger) flaws, that made it so easy to relate to them.
I LOVED the dynamic between the two of them!

Meridian features a BDSM-relationship without any toys or a play room and it’s still a believable BDSM-relationship. They don’t need toys for Grant to be a “convincing” Dom or Matty an “authentic” sub. It’s obvious in the way they engage with each other and that made this relationship and this part of the story so refreshing.
The chemistry between these two is undeniable from the start and I was turning the pages so fast I didn’t realise how much time had passed.

Matty’s back story added mystery and suspense to the story. I wasn’t really sure whether to trust Matty or not at the beginning. But that changed fast when I first met Jaeger. And even though Jaeger is the villain in this story I found him strangely fascinating. I mean he’s a psychopath and I really didn’t like him for what he did, but there was something there that at the same time made me wonder about how he became that way and I think it would be interesting to get his POV.

With Meridian Kirby Crow wrote a fantastic story that is at times romantic and the next second making your heart race a mile a minute. The mystery and suspense keep the reader turning the pages to find out what happens. And I loved how Ms. Crow wrapped it all up in the end.
Definitely recommended! And I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.