Reasonable Doubts (Rod and Cane Society #5) by Cara Bristol

 Widow Liz Davenport assumes when she begins to date, her new man will be like her late husband--a member of the Rod and Cane Society and an experienced disciplinarian who can provide her with loving guidance she requires to feel grounded and secure. So why is she attracted to Grant Davis, an ex-Naval JAG officer who works for her nemesis and has never spanked a woman in his life?
Events in his recent past have forced Grant to take stock of his life and try some new things. But spank a woman? He’s never considered that before, but with Liz’s coaching he’s willing to try.
But when the past collides with the present, will he be able to step up and become the disciplinarian Liz needs?

I don’t typically like to jump into a series this far along without reading the previous books, but I was assured that Reasonable Doubts could be read as a standalone, so I took a chance on it. Boy am I glad I did because I loved this book. While I may have known a bit more about Liz had I read the previous books, not doing so did not affect my enjoyment of this book at all. I never felt lost when previous incidents were mentioned – at least no more than you would when two of your friends are talking about a situation you weren’t a part of. In all actuality, Ms. Bristol does a great job of providing the pertinent details about past events so that I felt I had an adequate understanding of the events and how they affected Liz and Grant.

Liz is a successful attorney with her own practice. She has a great group of friends and enjoys her life. But as a widow, she misses the Domestic Discipline relationship she had with her husband and his firm hand when she needed it. While it’s been a couple of years since her husband passed, she’s hesitant to enter the dating scene because she needs a partner who is ready to take on the responsibilities of an HoH and not someone she has to train. And yet she finds herself drawn to a man who is clearly not a spanker. Against her better judgment, she agrees to go out with Grant and finds herself willing to help introduce him to the world of DD so that they can spend more time together. Hallelujah!

I loved the interactions and chemistry between Liz and Grant. The two definitely feed off of one another’s energy and attraction and they complement each other immensely. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Grant learn about DD and how his opinions regarding the lifestyle changed as his relationship with Liz progressed. His self-acknowledgement of his inner caveman tendencies proved to both amusing and sexy. Reasonable Doubts was a great book and while it was absolutely enjoyable as a standalone, I do plan to go back and read the earlier books in the series so that I can find out the stories from the motley crew of misfits that made up Liz’s girl posse. 

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Cara Bristol continues to evolve, adding new subgenres of erotic romance to her repertoire. She has written spanking romance, contemporary romance, paranormal, and science fiction romance. No matter what the genre, one thing remains constant: her emphasis on character-driven seriously hot erotic stories with sizzling chemistry between the hero and heroine. Cara has lived many places in the United States, but currently lives in Missouri with her husband. She has two grown stepkids. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading and traveling.