Mercy by Sara Cate is the fourth book in the Salacious Players’ Club series, but it’s the first Sara Cate book I ever bought and the whole reason I got into this series. The whole Domme/bratty sub with age gap spoke to me and I just knew this was something I needed to read. I decided to read the series in order, and I’m glad I did. While each book can be read as a standalone, the characters from the other books make appearances and it’s more meaningful to have read their stories first. At the bare minimum, I’d suggest reading Praise before you read Mercy for context. Mercy is all about Beau and Maggie, while Praise is about Emerson, Beau’s father, and Charlie, Beau’s ex-girlfriend, and the complex nature of these relationships features heavily in Mercy.
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Mercy by Sara Cate (Salacious Players’ Club Book Four)
🥭🥭🥭🥭.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
(you can find my rating and spice system here)
POV & Tense: Dual POV, first person, present tense
Genre: MF Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Tropes/Themes: Age Gap, Secret Relationship, Mistaken Identity, Sex Club, Exploring BDSM, Toys, Pegging, Domme/sub, Brat
Mercy by Sara Cate (Salacious Players’ Club Book 4)
Synopsis:
Even though she’s an equal partner running a sex club, Maggie doesn’t consider herself kinky. But the Salacious Players’ Club quiz tells her otherwise… She doesn’t feel like a Domme, but the more she steps into the role, the more empowered she becomes.
Beau has always resented his father. For the divorce. For stealing his ex-girlfriend. But especially for owning a sex club. Directionless and unable to hold down a job, he takes the quiz which declares him a sub and a brat—and sets him up with a much older woman who happens to be his dad’s colleague.
My Review:
While Mercy is a sexy book, it’s equal parts emotional journey and kink. For me, that’s the best of both worlds. I loved the character arcs for both Maggie and Beau and the extensive use of toys.
Without a word, he drops to the floor. And if I thought he looked beautiful a moment ago as he submitted to me verbally, it doesn’t hold a candle to the way he looks when he’s kneeling for me.
Two ‘Vanillas’ Exploring BDSM
There’s something wholesome about the idea of two self-described vanilla lovers exploring BDSM together. Neither Maggie nor Beau thought the world of kink would hold any interest for them, but they were both wrong. I feel like they could open up and give things an honest try because they were both new to the scene. I loved how encouraging and supportive Maggie and Beau were of one another.
And it’s not so much about the warmth in my belly or the moisture in my panties, but something else. A tenderness. The all-consuming desire in my chest to protect him, nurture him, keep him. Make him mine. “Crawl to me,” I say.
No Shame
Exploring their respective Domme/sub roles was an eye-opening and empowering experience for both Maggie and Beau, directly affecting both character arcs.
Maggie grew up in a very conservative environment where sex was taboo, and young women were expected to save themselves for marriage. Accordingly, Maggie has spent her life ashamed of sex and not enjoying her sexual experiences. Stepping into her Domme role has Maggie seeing herself in a whole new light, reframing her formative experiences with sex, and leaving her feeling appreciated and sexy.
For Beau, although he may have entered the realm of BDSM with a ‘this is stupid’ attitude, his opinion quickly changes upon meeting Maggie. Being submissive offers him freedom from his thoughts and choices, being punished absolves him of guilt, and he forms a deeper understanding of himself, the world, and his father.
He has the ability to look so cocky one minute and then innocent and desperate the next. As if he needs something he’s too afraid to ask for. Like a puppy that’s been kicked too many times.
Final Thoughts:
There’s beauty in stories that show characters coming into their power and growing. There is one scene I especially LOVED (but I can’t tell you what it is because SPOILERS, but it’s in chapter 35). I can’t wait to dive into the two remaining books in this series (but I will probably wait until the New Year because I want to read smutty holiday books right now 😉).
The Salacious Players’ Club series by Sara Cate
Check out my other reviews for this series:
Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
Sara Cate has an impressive backlist of deliciously steamy contemporary romance novels (and there are more on the way).
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