Giving In

Kylie Breckenridge’s brother, Carson, is dead, and she doesn’t think she can move on the way that Joss, Carson’s widow and Kylie’s best friend, did in Letting Go. Carson was Kylie’s only family, and the only one who truly understood their deeply abusive childhood. Kylie bristles at the demeanor of her temperamental and pushy new boss, Jensen—who has a troubled past of his own—but he challenges Kylie in ways that bring out the best in her, even as she struggles to accept not only Jensen’s sexual dominance but any intimacy at all. The often repetitive narrative lacks depth: descriptive passages are rare, conflicts are easily resolved, and the issue of dominance and submission is very toned down. Still, there’s an appealing sweetness at the core of Kylie and Jensen’s relationship, particularly in the sacrifices Jensen makes to help Kylie feel safe and cherished. The romance simmers rather than sizzles, which may surprise fans of Banks’s raunchier books. (May)