Heat by Jamie K. Schmidt

 Style and seduction collide in Jamie K. Schmidt’s Heat—sure to please fans of Fifty Shades of Grey—as the world’s best-dressed men and women shed their clothing . . . and their inhibitions.

On the run from her abusive fiancé, ER doctor Mallory Bryant arrives at her sister’s Connecticut resort desperate for a place to restore balance to her life. But Couture is more than a haven for the rich and fashionable. Beneath its elegant facade is an erotic playground where dominants and submissives play out their fantasies. At first, Mallory is wary of Max Spencer, the martial arts trainer acting as her bodyguard—until he introduces her to passion so intense she wants nothing more than to surrender to his touch.

As one of Couture’s most skilled doms, Max enjoys taking Mallory to the limits of pleasure. It’s a dangerous proposition, and as their sensual games draw them into a relationship beyond the boundaries of pupil and master, Max starts spiraling out of control. But when Mallory’s violent past catches up with her, Max knows what he must do: draw her closer than ever before, even if it means risking a surrender of his own.

I read an advertisement about this book and they mentioned if you liked Fifty Shades you would love this book.  I found nothing about this story to be similar to Fifty Shades, but I did love the book. It was very well written, great plot and a cast of characters that are not only wonderful to read about, I am really hoping the author will write a book about Colleen and Chase to let us know what happens to them. 

Mallory is an ER doctor who is engaged to a real jerk, David.  He is a drug addict and he has hit her before but one night he went too far and she ran for her life.  Living in motels for a while she finally relents when the money is gone and asks her sister Colleen if she can stay at her very rich fashion house mansion.  Mallory realizes after being there that half of the mansion is for fashion, the other half is for a sex club. 

Max is the sexy Dom that Colleen asks to be Mallory’s bodyguard till they can figure out how to get her to press charges against David.  Of course he will agree to do this, nothing he won’t do for Colleen and he needs the money to help pay his father’s nursing home bills.  He is also a fashion designer who needs the extra money to support his line of clothing.  We get to see into Max’s childhood and it helps explain why he was so willing to help Mallory, but he was also attracted to her at first sight. 

Colleen is Mallory’s rich sister.  She was involved with a football player Chase years ago but he was found cheating on her.  She then married a rich older man and people assumed she was just a gold digger, but she really did love her husband.  After his death she wanted to put his money to good use so she set up Couture to serve as a fashion house for young new artist and a sex club because everyone should explore their sexuality.  She was happy to take in her sister but she had one rule, Mallory and Max couldn’t get together because that could be seen as prostitution and she didn’t want to be shut down by the police.  Of course people won’t keep their mouth shut and someone will see them together and force Colleen’s hand with this rule. 

I so enjoyed this book for many reasons.  Mallory while being a victim never let herself stay there in that role.  We were able to see her progress to the strong woman she used to be and reclaim her life, even going face to face with David at the end of the story.  I love how Max’s story played out with his family and we were able to see the softer side of this sexy man and his role of protector he served with all women but especially Mallory.  Colleen was the big sister everyone wanted, she was funny, free spirited and she didn’t fly off the handle at every little thing.  They, along with the other characters, had created a family and I fell in love with them.  The story moved fast, I could hardly put the book down once I started reading it.  It grabbed my attention on page one and not all books can accomplish that with me.  There are plenty of hot scenes in there that are very well written and serve a purpose to the story and that impressed me as well.  I would highly recommend this book.