Book Review: Letting Go by Maya Banks

Letting Go (Surrender Trilogy #1)

By Maya Banks 

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: Publisher

Summary: Josslyn found perfection once, and she knows she’ll never find it again. Now widowed, she seeks the one thing her beloved husband couldn’t give her. Dominance. Lonely and searching for an outlet for her grief and wanting only a brief taste of the perfection she once enjoyed, she seeks what she’s looking for at an exclusive club that caters to people indulging in their most hedonistic fantasies. She never imagined that what she’d find is the one man who’s long been a source of comfort—and secret longing. Her husband’s best friend.

Dash has lived in an untenable position for years. In love with his best friend’s wife and unwilling to act on that attraction. He’d never betray his best friend. And so he’s waited in the wings, offering Joss unconditional support and comfort as she works past her grief, hoping for the day when he can offer her more. 

When he finds her in a club devoted to the darker edges of desire, he’s furious because he thinks she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Until she explains in detail what it is she wants. What she needs. As realization sets in, he is gripped by fierce, unwavering determination. If she wants dominance, he is the only man who will introduce her to that world. He is the only man who will touch her, cherish her…love her. And the only man she’ll ever submit to.

Review: I don't know how she does it, but Maya Banks does not disappoint, no matter what genre she's writing in. I absolutely loved her Breathless series, so I couldn't wait to dig into the first book in her Surrender Trilogy!

Three years after her husband passed away, Josslyn is still struggling with living without him. But on the anniversary of his death, Joss is determined to pick herself up and discover a life she's always wanted but her husband could never give her: The live as a submissive. Finally moving on from her husband, though, means releasing his best friend, Dash, from his obligation to always be there to comfort her. Joss decides to visit an exclusive club that indulges the fantasies she's always wanted, only to find a very angry Dash who drags her home as soon as he sees her. Little did she know, Dash has loved her ever since he met her, even after she married his best friend. And he's determined to be the only one who will be her Dominant. Can Joss finally move on from her husband, to his best friend for that matter, without feeling the regret and loss that has consumed her for the past three years?

From the summary, I knew there would be a lot of emotion mixed in with the heat and passion of the relationship Joss and Dash were going to have. How hard would it be to move on from the love of your life to his best friend? It's already hard enough for Joss to try to move on without feeling guilty. She's just such a good person, which I think really made me like this book. Joss had her own insecurities and since Carson was gone, she didn't have that rock to remind her to be confident and sure of herself. Instead, she's all alone and has to learn how to let someone else in. Well, let Dash in. 

From the way they described their relationship, it seemed that Dash and Joss were super close for the three years after Carson's death. The only problem, though, was that to me they were kind of strangers and didn't act like close friends would, even if they were crossing over the border of friends. Maybe it was because Joss was so scared and had never looked at Dash with any romantic interest, but it seemed like they should have acted more friendly and close than they actually did. Though that could also just be Dash's more serious personality, which I wasn't too huge of a fan of, but it still worked out for Joss. 

While it wasn't my favorite of Maya's books, Letting Go was a good story that involved both passion and emotion. Dash and Joss had to trust not only each other, but themselves as well when it came to moving on from losing someone so close to them. I'm definitely looking forward to the second book about Carson's sister, Kylie. She's had an emotional, damaging past as well and I can't wait to see how Jenson enters her life and convince her to finally give in…