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    Naked: The Blackstone Affair Part 1
    Naked: The Blackstone Affair Part 1
    Naked: The Blackstone Affair Part 1
    Audiobook3 hours

    Naked: The Blackstone Affair Part 1

    Written by Raine Miller and Shane East

    Narrated by Grace Grant

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The first book in the bestselling Blackstone Affair trilogy! Naked desire. Secret Satisfaction. An affair you’ll never forget.

    The first book in the bestselling Blackstone Affair series

    Naked desire. Secret satisfaction. An affair you’ll never forget.

    Brynne Bennett has left scandal in her past and is living the good life. An American grad student at the University of London and part-time photographic model, she’s getting back on track with lots of hard work and focus on a career in art conservation. When London businessman Ethan Blackstone buys her nude portrait, he wants to possess more than just her image. He wants Brynne in his bed, serving him in every way possible. He has no trouble voicing his desires, and he isn’t taking no for an answer.

    At first his dominant nature captivates her, but it isn’t clear if the force of his powerful desire will ultimately awaken or dispel the demons Brynne is carrying inside. There are secrets on both sides of this relationship—huge ones. Can Ethan erase the scars of Brynne’s past so that she can reveal her true self to him? Or will the shadows cast by Ethan’s own mysterious former life destroy their chance at happiness?

    Naked is the sizzling, unforgettable story of what happens when a strong woman meets the one man powerful enough to strip away all her defenses, leaving her standing naked and perfect before him.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateApr 30, 2013
    ISBN9781442366367
    Naked: The Blackstone Affair Part 1
    Author

    Raine Miller

    Raine Miller is the New York Times bestselling author of the Blackstone Affair series: Naked, All In, and Eyes Wide Open. She lives in California with her husband and two sons.

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    Reviews for Naked

    4/5

    263 ratings21 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Loved it, can't wait to read book 2. Ends on a cliffhanger and you have to read book 2 to know what happened to her
    • 5/5
      HOW DID I NOT FIND THIS SERIES BEFORE NOW! Ethan Blackstone is definitely at the top of my book boyfriend list AND listening to Shane East narrate him is just ?. I loved every book in the series!!
    • 4/5


      Well shit!!!
    • 2/5
      Blackstone is gorgeous but I am afraid you can't rely on beauty alone without a story ...
    • 5/5
      Loved this book. Can wait for the next one. Definitely sexy scenes but still has a good story!
    • 4/5
      I purchased a copy after hearing some of my friends rave about it. I didn't read a lot of the reviews, but nothing really stood out that warned me away from this either, except for the typical "if you loved 50SoG/Bared to You you will love this" phrase. Now that I have read it, I can see what all the fuss was about. Some reviewers claim this book has BDSM undertones or they just throw the word BDSM around whenever the hero is a dominating figure. In this book, Ethan Blackstone doesn't have "a Red Room of Pain", no dungeon, he doesn't frequent "clubs", he's never had a submissive, and he doesn't live the lifestyle. He's just very knowledgeable about how to draw certain responses from the women he's with. He likes his sex rough when he's worked up, but he's also capable of being very sweet, tender and in control. So don't worry that kinky sex, cuffs, blindfolds, Yes Sirs, ropes or anal plugs will make an appearance in any of the three books. They don't.

      Ethan was flawed, but not to the point that he had difficulty functioning within a relationship. He was a former war hero turned security specialist to the rich and famous as well as foreign dignitaries and the Royal family. There were no throngs of past conquests *cough* exes parading through the book to heighten the angst and drama, and he never hurt Brynne physically. Brynne was not the lip-biting, childish heroine either. She had a job she took seriously as well as her studies, and she wasn't a naive dimwit. In short, I loved that the hero wasn't your typical rich, spoilt socialite, but he was someone who made it his job to keep others safe, and he had a family he got along with and adored. Together this couple had chemistry in spades, and if you love a lot of hot, sweaty sex, you will definitely get that in this book (and the rest of the trilogy too).

      Another thing I enjoyed about this story was the suspense that was sort of the catalyst for it all. I was intrigued, and that was one of the other reasons I kept on reading. Told in Brynne's first person POV, you get a good feeling for her character very quickly. It took some getting used to, but it lent the story a haunting and vulnerable quality. The story moves pretty quickly, from their first meeting to their first (of many) sexual encounters before we find ourselves at the end. It was sexy as hell, but it also felt very rushed. As if the intention of all that sex and sweet words was to force us into feeling enough for the characters just in time for the shoe to drop. I hate to disappoint, but I was neither surprised nor did I feel inclined to side with Brynne.

      Overall, I enjoyed this first installment. And since it is a series, there's no room to really judge the plot or the character arc/development. This will definitely be an ongoing process for the both of them, so I look forward to seeing how they will develop. Would I recommend this? Yes.

      My final rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4
    • 3/5
      There are 5 books in this series



    • 4/5
      I'm so glad that a salesperson at Barnes and Noble recommended this series to me. The story is reminiscent of 50 Shades of Grey, but even though Ethan is dominant, he isn't quite as intensely sexual. There are heavy emotions between the two main characters, but the deep secrets they hide from each other threaten their relationship. My only complaint about the book is that in making the story a short, very quick read, the author glossed over some details that would have made this story more enjoyable. As a result, I feel a little cheated.
    • 4/5
      I'm so glad that a salesperson at Barnes and Noble recommended this series to me. The story is reminiscent of 50 Shades of Grey, but even though Ethan is dominant, he isn't quite as intensely sexual. There are heavy emotions between the two main characters, but the deep secrets they hide from each other threaten their relationship. My only complaint about the book is that in making the story a short, very quick read, the author glossed over some details that would have made this story more enjoyable. As a result, I feel a little cheated.
    • 5/5
      This series is about Ethan Blackstone the Sexy, Dominant, Protective, Billionaire and Brynne the American Beauty. Together they deal with their haunting pasts and inevitable romantic feelings towards one another.

      These books have it all... angst, romance, sexual encounters, and suspense. I found myself in love with Ethan from chapter 1 of book one and the love just continued to grow.

      The third book was my favorite, Ethan let his guard down and took things to the next level with Brynne. In this book there was a surprise death that left me shocked. The mystery had me on the edge of my seat and the romance left me in fantasy land.
      If you like a hot read with a solid story line... This one is for you!!
    • 3/5
      In this genre, it can be challenging to find a book that's not the literary equivalent of a porn movie (all sex, no plot but plenty of insipid dialogue & implausible situations). In the interest of brevity, I think there's a few plot devices we can generally assume : the guy will be alpha, sex will quickly follow their first meeting, there will be deep, dark secrets in both main character's pasts & our couple will face danger before achieving HEA.

      With that out of the way, here's a few reasons why this book rises above the average (in my humble opinion).
      Brynne, thank God, is not a weeping spineless "heroine" who should not be let out of the house unsupervised. She's smart, passionate about her studies & sassy. She has no problem letting the guy know when he's out of line. Yes, she's had a traumatic past but is taking steps to remedy that instead of wallowing. Also, when they have an argument, she doesn't becomes an unreasonable, melodramatic harpie unwilling to negotiate a compromise.

      Ethan is intense, overprotective & attempts to be controlling. But he's also bluntly honest about it & his background in security & military experience make it understandable. He's also charming & funny instead of being a Heathcliff wanna-be. I really appreciate authors who include genuinely humorous dialogue between the moments of high drama. It adds to the story & likability of the characters.

      The sex is hot. 'Nuf said.

      Our main characters start out interesting & the author slowly reveals their backgrounds so we come to gradually understand & know them as they get to know each other. I've read the first instalments of some of the other trilogies out there & wouldn't pick up the sequel(s) if someone gave it to me for free. I liked these people & that's a must if the reader is going to care enough to shell out for the next book. For this one, I will.
    • 1/5
      I have no words to tell you how disappointing and boring this book is.
    • 4/5


      Wtf? Now I have to wait for the next one. Ugh! Will definitely read the next one.
    • 1/5
      This one didn't work for me. The book is really short (could be a novella, actually) and there was no build-up, no real character development that made me care about the characters or their issues. I didn't find the situation believable, and there were so many sex scenes in this short story that I actually started skimming them. It had a 50 shades feel but without any of the depth or quirkiness, almost like it was just bones with no flesh. :(
    • 5/5
      Naked by Raine Miller(Book #1: The Blackstone Affair Trilogy)Source: NetgalleyRating: 5/5 starsWhew . . . .what a way to start a trilogy!! Raine Miller’s Naked is the first book in The Blackstone Affair trilogy and is also one smoldering read that had me turning pages almost faster than I could read. Brynne Bennett: American, grad student, part-time model, a woman with a sordid past and, the object of Ethan Blackstone’s attention. Brynne moved to London to separate herself from her painful past and build a life of her own outside of scandal and heartache. In the time since she left home, Brynne has become fiercely independent as well as confident and successful. Other than reminders of her past, very little shakes Brynne or her confidence.Ethan Blackstone: British (yummy!), intimidating, committed, successful, protective and, a man who will not under any circumstances accept “No” as an answer. Especially if that answer is coming from Brynne Bennett. After seeing Brynne (and most of her nude body) at an gallery opening, Ethan decides she belongs to him and confidently explains the situation to the young woman as he drives her home from the opening. Though Brynne is somewhat taken aback by Ethan’s incredibly forward manner, she cannot deny her intense and instantaneous attraction to him and agrees to “date” Ethan Blackstone. Oh, my!!In this first installment of the trilogy, I found Ethan to be overwhelming in the most delightful way and his confidence, protective nature, and sex appeal are off the charts. One can clearly see - even in the small amount of time they have known one another – that Brynne is beyond important to Ethan. He is fiercely protective of Brynne and understands her past is something that can come back to haunt and hurt her at any given moment. Just as Brynne begins to truly trust Ethan and open up to him about her background, a phone call comes through that shatters what the two lovers have begun to build. The Bottom Line: WOW!! Ethan Blackstone is one smokin’ hot Brit and his story is fascinating to say the least. His intensity and connection to Brynne is so strong and so swift as to be almost unbelievable. BUT, Raine Miller has made me a believer by creating a rock-solid character who absolutely practices what he is preaching. Add to this the fantastically hot naughty bits and Ethan’s colossal screw-up at the end and I was left absolutely beside myself and completely impressed with the exit Brynne made!! On to book two . . . which I bought and began reading immediately after finishing book one :)
    • 3/5
      A love story on speed, it moved too fast, and for me, totally skipped over the actual falling in love part of the story. I hate that feeling of missing out on what everyone else sees. All these rave reviews, and here I am with a lost look on my face, going "that's it?"
    • 4/5
      You can find this review at My Favorite Things (heffroberts.blogspot.com)Naked by Raine Miller is a romance involving two people with traumatic pasts who almost instantly fall for each other so intensely it is surreal. I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Raine Miller for my introduction to Ethan Blackstone AKA David Gandy. He is the epitome of classic, gorgeous, aplha male. Having such a gorgeous visual in the back of my mind while reading is very enjoyable. Brynne is fragile but capable and has been doing just fine with her life until Ethan. He awakens more than just lust and longing in her, the strength of the emotions he evokes trigger the return of her nightmares. But even with the night terrors, she has never felt more safe or loved. Ethan is the perfect match for her needs.Ethan has a few secrets of his own. He is former Special Forces and has the scars to prove it. Brynne has seen the scars but has decided not to enquire about them just yet, she has her own secrets and understands the need to not share.I think my favorite quote from this book is..."He's far too beautiful to have to resort to his hand for an orgasm."The fact that we learn he overheard her and Benny saying that...I laughed my behind off!"I heard what you and Clarkson said, by the way-about me and my hand." He tapped his ear. "High-tech security gadgets in my line of work."I noticed this on my re-read and it made me think of the third book so i decided to add this to the review..."The intimacy was off the charts and I could not have looked away if I'd wanted to. I needed my eyes wide open."
    • 5/5
      At first glance this may seem like yet another FSOG contemporary romance but it is far from it. It is alittle bit short but it tantalises and draws you into Brynne and Ethan���s whirlwind of torments quickly and never relinquishes its grip until the final page.
    • 1/5
      Many of my friends liked this one a lot, so my expectations were high. Sadly, this book didn’t work for me. At all.

      This is a short book and that should’ve probably given me the first clue – things progressed way to fast for my taste. There was too much sex at the beginning without much emotional connection just to be followed by love declarations after a couple of days – definitely not my cup of tea. Sex early on is fine, but I absolutely can’t stands declarations of love after seeing each other maybe 4 times and the main characters claiming that this one is forever after a short amount of time. It’s so damn unrealistic in my eyes (sue me, I’m a pessimist) and didn’t work for me in this book at all.

      What also bothered me a lot was that it was so utterly predictable that everyone probably could’ve written a rough outline of the story after reading the Prologue. If you already tell me at the beginning of your book how this will play out (and let’s be honest there was only one way this could play out in a typical romance novel) then why should I read the whole damn book?

      A glimpse in the future is fine, but not one that will instantly let me know the whole plot and even worse, that plot I worked out is actually true. So a) give me a glimpse that will not tell me the plot or b) don’t give me any hints. But the way this one was written took every last bit of expense pout of the book.

      Last but not least the sex… Oh boy where do I start? I like the occasional erotica but the sex in this book was just… I wish I could think of an appropriate word... Just give me a second… Ah, yes! The sex was extremely horrible. And if the first three meetings of the main characters consist of sexual action, then the sex better not be that bad. Sadly it was that bad. My to favorite worst lines are probably: “his pummeling cock" and "I sobbed at the image of him mounting me"

      I’m not even sure where to start with all the things seriously screwed up about this. There’s no erotic image portrayed, although I suppose that might be an issue of personal taste. But really, pummeling, sobbing and mounting? I can’t get over it.

      And I’m sorry to say, but this book held, without question, a few of the worst sex scenes I’ve EVER read. Sadly I already bought the second book, so I’ll mostly likely suffer through that one as well.
    • 3/5
      ABOUT THE BOOK: Brynne Bennett is living the good life. An American art student at the University of London and part-time photographic model, she’s putting her life back on track with school and lots of hard work. When ultra successful London businessman, Ethan Blackstone, buys her nude portrait, he isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. He wants Brynne in his bed and makes plans to keep her there no matter what. His dominant nature captivates and ensnares despite the demons she carries inside her. But there are secrets in this relationship. Huge ones. Can Ethan free Brynne from the past that has marked her? Will Brynne let him or will the specters tormenting her resurface to destroy them both…REVIEW: WOW, this piece left me speechless. It’s in both a good and bad way. I like the premises of this story and, holy hell, it was hot as hell. The emotions of the character drew me through the book, and the backgrounds are so damn intriguing that I had to keep turning the page to learn more.That being said, I was getting a bit frustrated by a few different things, many of which proved distracting. With the story, I felt as if I kept being thrust outside of the character’s head and I finally figured out it was mostly due to be told how she was feeling, instead of figuring that out on my own through the writer’s words. Some of the grammar seemed off at times as well and in the beginning; I was more than a little taken back with how fast they moved to unprotected sex. It was all a bit much, but I’ve heard so many good things about this book, that I decided to put on.I wasn’t disappointed that I did and of course now, I’m racing to get to the next book. I do wish this piece could have been longer and it may have helped with the instant-love of this book. However, I do think readers will eat this piece up and the good news is, they will be able to do such in a matter of hours. Nicely done and I give it 3.5 out of five stars for a job well done.
    • 4/5
      About:When I saw the blurb for Naked: The Blackstone Affair Book 1, it immediately reminded me of the Fifty Shades of Grey series. As I read Naked, I definitely saw the similarities to Fifty Shades; rich, dominating man who is after a shy, submissive girl.In this first book, Brynne Bennett is an American studying art in London who poses nude to help pay the bills. Brynne has a mysterious past and sees a therapist on a regular basis.Successful, rich, London businessman Ethan Blackstone purchases one of her nude portraits one day and as soon as he sees Brynne, he has to have her. Literally. Ethan is an ex-military hottie who likes to dominate and runs his own elite security business. He's got his own secrets and dark past.My thoughts:I have to say, I found Naked to be highly readable and dare I say it, I think the writing here is better than Fifty Shades. This book is told from Brynne's POV.Oh Ethan! Swoon worthy Ethan. For the most part I liked both Ethan and Brynne's characters. The sexual tension sizzled, sex scenes were hot, the character development was good and the storyline was interesting. There's a supporting cast of characters that add just enough to the plot. I actually read this book in one sitting. Author Raine Miller does a great job with Ethan. I like my heroes to dominate, and he does it well. I also like that he's got a Shakespeare quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream tattooed on his back. "No more yielding but a dream."I liked that Brynne is smart, independent and runs to clear her head. I also like the London backdrop."I forged ahead and crossed over onto the Thames path that followed the great river. My iPod helped too. Music had a way of resetting the brain. With Eminem and Rhianna battling out lying for the sake of love in my ears, I kept a steady pace and admired the architecture I passed on my route. The history in such and ancient city as London was vast, yet it contrasted with the bustling, modern world player in a perfect balance. Duality. I loved living here."p. 12, digital edition quote may differ from final copyI have two qualms though. First off, Ethan claims he never, ever allows females into his bedroom for sex. However, a few days after meeting Brynne, guess what? He allows her in his bed for hot, dirty sex. I felt that was rushed, I wish the author would have dragged it out just a bit. It would have been better if Ethan and Brynne would have waited a while longer before he ravaged her in his sacred bedroom. I was glad however, that Brynne was not a virgin. I'm tired of the virgin heroines in romance novels. Like I mentioned before, Naked: The Blackstone Affair Book 1 reminded me a bit of 50 Shades, but without the bondage and spanking. These two have some great vanilla sex, Ethan isn't into whips and chains, but he is possessive.My second qualm is a biggie. Unprotected sex on the first date. Ethan wants to go well, raw. Brynne agrees, hey, she's on the pill, so why not? Ethan swears he's clean, he gets tested on the regular. Brynne claims she's clean too. Um, how about saying "No glove, no love Ethan!"I could have overlooked the rushed sex, but I can't overlook the lack of common sense on part of both these characters.Naked ends on a cliffhanger when Brynne and Ethan have a serious confrontation as a big secret comes to light.You can't finish this book without wanting to read the next in the series, at least I couldn't.This is a juicy contemporary romance and despite the few misgivings I had with the characters actions, I enjoyed it overall. Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, such as these books, I am under no obligation to write a positive review.