"Submit to him fully and let go of all of her lingering inhibitions."
I was sitting in my car in the garage—yes, that sacred 45 minutes before I go inside and become Mom again—when that line hit. And I just... sat there. Engine off. Neighbors probably thinking I'd lost it. But honestly? After a day of negotiating with a seven-year-old about why we can't have ice cream for breakfast and convincing a toddler that pants are not optional, hearing about a woman whose biggest problem is whether to fully surrender to her billionaire boyfriend felt like the escapist fantasy I desperately needed.
When Your Romance Novel Is 90% Bedroom, 10% Everything Else
Let me be real with you. This is book three in the Submissive series, and by now Tara Sue Me has established exactly what she's delivering: Nathaniel West, CEO with control issues (the sexy kind), and Abby King, the woman breaking through his carefully constructed walls. The "training" in the title? It's not a metaphor. This is an erotic romance that leans hard into the erotic part.
And look—I'm a mom of three. I've read the back of shampoo bottles for entertainment. Sometimes you don't need a complicated plot with seventeen subplots and a murder mystery. Sometimes you need two attractive people figuring out their relationship through... unconventional methods. That same unapologetic approach to intimacy shows up in Lover Avenged, though J.R. Ward wraps it in vampire mythology instead of boardrooms.
But here's where I have to be honest. Some listeners came for psychological depth and left disappointed. The complaints I've seen basically boil down to: where's the actual story beyond the bedroom scenes? And that's fair. If you're expecting Nathaniel's "painful past" to unfold in some grand, emotionally devastating revelation... temper those expectations. The emotional beats are there, but they're not exactly groundbreaking. You're getting exactly what the cover promises—no more, no less.
Angelica Lee Made Me Care Way More Than I Expected
The narration situation here? Actually really solid. Angelica Lee and William Sharpe take turns, and the dual narrator setup works beautifully for a romance like this. You get inside both heads without that jarring thing where one narrator tries to do a deep masculine voice and it sounds like they're gargling gravel.
Angelica Lee especially—she performs Abby with this vulnerability that made me genuinely sympathize with her. Which is saying something, because on paper, Abby's biggest conflict is "my billionaire boyfriend is too emotionally guarded." (Cry me a river, Abby. I'd take emotionally guarded over someone who leaves wet towels on the bed.) But Lee makes you feel Abby's uncertainty, her desire to be enough for Nathaniel. The character differentiation between them is solid—you always know who's speaking without checking.
William Sharpe brings the controlled, commanding energy Nathaniel needs. Not over-the-top, not cartoonishly dominant. Just... authoritative in a way that makes you understand why Abby's drawn to him.
Can You Survive 10 Hours of This?
At 10 hours and 21 minutes, this is a commitment. I finished it over about a week and a half—school drop-offs, nap times (when Sophie actually cooperated), and yes, multiple sessions in my parked car. The pacing works for multitasking because honestly, if you zone out during a scene, you can usually catch back up. The plot isn't twisty enough that missing a few minutes will leave you confused.
Is that a compliment? I'm genuinely not sure. It survived my chaotic listening schedule, which is high praise in my world. But it also means this isn't a book that demands your full attention every second.
The romance between Nathaniel and Abby does build—their intimacy deepens, trust develops, walls come down. If you've read the first two books, you're invested in seeing them work through his issues. If you haven't... honestly, start at the beginning. This one assumes you already care about these people.
Listen If You're Hiding From Your Kids Right Now
This is for the mom hiding in her bathroom with AirPods in, pretending she's still "using the facilities" while the kids bang on the door. This is for anyone who wants romance that's explicit without being clinical, with a narrator who makes you root for the characters even when the plot is thin.
Skip it if you need substantial plot beyond the relationship, or if you want to be surprised. You know exactly where this is going from page one.
Made me feel things during car time. Worth it though.
