GRR Review Falling Hard: Billionaires in Disguise: Lizz by Blair Babylon

Falling Hard is about coming-of-age and self-discovery. However, the beginning was really really slow.  FMC finally acknowledged her needs, and it had an emotional depth that went beyond typical BDSM romance titles without falling into "god complex" tropes. But the odd beginning was just weird.

Lizzy, Georgie, and Rae are best friends in college, with Lizzie and Georgie being hostesses at a super-exclusive club called Devilhouse, hosted by someone simply called "the Dom". When Rae is was roofied at a frat party, the intrepid pair rescued her and got her to spill her troubles... and solve it by introducing Rae to "the Dom" and perhaps get a job at the Devilhouse. There, Lizzy met "Mr. Smolder(ing eyes)" and "Theo" the nice guy, and Lizzy wanted to bonk Theo but Theo only want to do relationships. Lizzy was hoping to feel something as she hadn't felt anything after some prior injury. She believes herself to be incapable of orgasm, and the only one who drove her close was 'the Dom'. Mr. Smolder turned out to be Mannix, who's looking for a sub in a D/s relationship, and when Lizzy threw herself at 'the Dom', hoping to be his sub, he instead pointed her to Mannix... 

Lizzy's self-exploration was very good as what made her tick was revealed gradually. There is some pain play involved (reader discretion is advised) but nothing too graphic. It is about pushing buttons, both the mental hurt and the physical hurt that somehow unlocked her brain to be able to experience the climax. Theo was the honest ethical guy, a lawyer and a prosecutor, wanting to do the right stuff but not always able to. Mannix, on the other hand, is an ex-NFLer and a bit of a stalker / security guy who wanted Lizzy for himself before she offered, but he's too honorable to take her without permission. There is a bit of a triangle as Lizzy knew Theo is the safe bet, but she wanted to get burned, to feel the pain with Mannix. And that emotional trauma, which may not be love per se, was what makes this BDSM relationship shine, well beyond the physical acts, but what made each character tick.

My main complaint here is we don't know what makes Mannix tick, and the other characters, like Rae and the Dom are in their separate books so they are mostly a tease here.

WARNING: This book ends on a cliffhanger

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman seeking her big O found her release with with a harsh dom, while shying away from a gentle guy

Tropes: BDSM, triangle, cliffhanger

Overall Rating:  4/5