The Charade Ecstasy

A nightmarish morning after has Ciarra Storm awakening naked in bed with a male corpse. There is blood everywhere and she is holding what appears to be the murder weapon. The obvious conclusion is impossible for her to believe, but more details in the hotel room and during her get away seem to point in the same direction.

Strangely, the succeeding situations all funnel her to Zygoman’s Ecstasy Island. An unexpected opportunity to take over a stranger’s identity and travel voucher virtually falls into her lap. There is a twist to this good fortune. Kitty Carmichael, her new persona, is meant to take a vacation on the island while being treated to a thorough exploration in the delights of bondage and submission. While this was not the type of escape she was initially hoping for, she does find herself distracted from immediate concerns under the firm but relatively gentle direction of Shawn Thorenson.

Unfortunately, all is not well in paradise. Another murder occurs and again all clues lead to Ciarra.

Ms McKade continues our exploration of Ecstasy Island and furthers our acquaintance with the ever so dominant Thorenson brothers. Shawn is the youngest and the one who appears to have the lightest hand in comparison to Tor and Terrance. His protective instincts and possessive reactions to the heroine were well displayed in the story. Indeed, the uncharacteristic intervention on behalf of Ciarra made for interesting situations between the brothers. It was also fascinating to hear their philosophy behind BDSM as explained by Shawn in various scenes throughout the book.

Readers will experience the same befuddlement that Ciarra does as she awakens to a horror of a situation. The details of her escape were inspired and her subsequent sexual odyssey will certainly keep readers attention firmly glued to the story. Futuristic gadgetry and the various facets to the seductive backdrop of Zygoman bring us a creative world in which there seem to be few carnal boundaries.

The actual villain was made fairly obvious as the story progressed but one was still curious as to how the various details would be linked together. The elaborate conspiracy was brought to a very satisfying conclusion.

This can be read as a stand alone book but is richer for having read its predecessor, The Game. Readers should be aware that there are scenes with ménage a trois, f/f, and of course BDSM.

August 2006