One Cut Deeper by Joely Sue Burkhart

I can't believe that this book is written by the same author as QUEEN TAKES KNIGHTS because I loathed the latter, whereas this book has rocketed up the ranks to join some of my other favorite romance novels of all time. ONE CUT DEEPER is criminally underrated, and while I get why because of the content, it's still a damn shame to see something so erotic and so intense go unappreciated by an audience.

ONE CUT DEEPER is about a woman named Ranay Killian. She's a submissive and a painslut, and she just got out of a bad relationship. It wasn't abusive, but the dynamic was toxic and led her to do some behaviors that were bad for her well being. Charlie MacNiall is the attractive owner of a king shepherd who has been bringing his dog to the vet clinic where she's been working for the last year. One day, he asks her to dog sit his king shepherd, but he has an ulterior motive-- he's seen something in her that he also has inside him, and he wants to see her up close and personal.

Charlie is a sadist, and he's also been burned by past relationships. He's interested in the dark stuff, like blood and knife play, and Ranay is only too willing to play along if it pleases him, since she gets off on pain and loves the highs it brings to submission. The only problem is, her shiny new relationship might come with a dark side. A serial killer has been targeting women-- submissive women, like her-- and the authorities have reason to think it might be Charlie.

EVERYTHING about this book was so, so good. I loved the suspense. I loved the development between the two characters. I loved all the effort the author spent getting inside Ranay's head to explain why she liked pain and what being submissive brought to her. The development of the hero was excellent as well, and he was the perfect blend of edgy and hot. The sex scenes were also fantastic. Great dirty talk, some pretty hardcore but still erotic scenes of edgeplay, and in case that wasn't enough, this is also a great romantic suspense with tight plotting.

I seriously can't say enough good things about this book. It's one of my new faves, seriously.

4.5 to 5 out of 5 stars