Follow Me Always

The blistering-hot third installment to Hardt’s bestselling Follow Me series (after Follow Me Under) is an erotic tour de force. Complicated billionaire Braden Black has a penchant for BDSM, but there’s one line he will not cross: erotic asphyxiation. When his girlfriend, influencer and photographer Skye Manning, begs for him to break this hard limit, it damages their relationship and sends both to do some much-needed soul-searching: Skye struggles with self-confidence, believing that she’s only managed to achieve professional success because of who she’s dating, and seeks a therapist to help her understand her submissive desires, while Braden confronts his difficult past. Along the way, Skye and Braden attract a stalker who’s obsessed with destroying their relationship, adding a plot twist with depth and feeling. Hardt has a talent for creating multilayered characters, and her plotting is top-notch and believable, moving from Boston to New York City to Skye’s tiny hometown of Liberty, Kans. Hardt’s skillful characterizations make it easy to empathize with Skye’s self-doubt and understand Braden’s pain. This sexy, sensitive story scorches the pages. (Aug.)