Review of Laid Open (Brown Family #4.5) by Lauren Dane
Laid Open is book 4.5 in the series Brown Family.
Presenting Erin Brown with tickets for Fiji, Ben Copeland and Todd Keenan tell her she needs nothing but a few bikinis and sunscreen for some time to relax. The three of them need time away from their son just to be together.
Days in the sun and surf and a hut filled with passion consume them. Until Erin's past surprises her and she not only needs her two men to lean on, but Ben and Todd also need to lean on each other to get her through.
Warning: This novella contains themes of BDSM and graphic scenes of sex between men.
A return to Erin, Todd, and Ben was nice. Characters a fan of the series know and love, and those readers will love to see them take time for themselves to relax and focus on their relationship for a little while.
Todd's dominance was the same as in Laid Bare, and the way Ben backed that up when the focus was on Erin was hot, but Ben always deferred to Todd, especially when it was just the two men. I enjoy reading about Dom/sub relationships. The dynamic is interesting to me, especially with the added element of a third person. The sexual relationship among the three of them is a perfect mesh of what they all enjoy. It's satisfying to see it work so well.
Ben's description of how society views him in relation to the legally married Erin and Todd was heartbreaking, but a relationship like theirs is simply not the norm and not readily understood by a majority of the population. No one would guess Ben is part of the relationship, and that sets him on the periphery outside their home. I wish that wasn't the case as I know people who are polyamorous, and there's nothing wrong with it if the relationship makes all parties happy. The three characters in this novella are exceptionally happy and want nothing more than to spend their lives together. That's a beautiful thing.
Erin's past creeping up on her and her subsequent grief nearly brought me to tears. The emotions had depth, and it let me inside the heads of the three characters to feel what they felt. It was well done and stirred all kinds of emotions as the story progressed. I enjoyed that aspect very much.
Again with Lauren Dane the description of locations was a problem, and I don't think she described the characters at all. This was released three years after Laid Bare, and it's not good to rely on readers' memories of previous books to hold on to descriptions. This is something she does often. Sometimes readers only need basics as a reminder, but there should be something. I remember, but I read Laid Bare two months ago.
Dialog was great. It was smooth, full of emotion, and at times seductive. It's the best dialog so far in the series. Lauren Dane's skills improve with each book.
I enjoyed this novella. It was a nice nod back to the relationship that started the series.
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