This book has a lot of things going on in it! First of all, Ian... the main character has grown up rich and when he discovers that he's about to be inducted into a powerful secret society, he panics and bolts. His disappearance worries his friend and this is the point at which Pat becomes involved. Pat is a federal officer... and he's immediately worried about Ian's disappearance. He works through the details with Ian's best friend and roommate and they discover Ian at an old cabin.

Here is where things begin to get a little wild! Ian's father is very high up in a secret organization that seems to control a lot of what happens in the world. Ian is panicking when he meets Pat... but he feels enough of a connection with the man that they begin to work together to try and infiltrate the Gilded Grail. Carrington goes into great detail about the Guild and the way it's run... there are a lot of secrets and layers to unravel in the story!

If you like a book that has insta-love and attraction then this story will work for you. Pretty much from the moment the two main characters meet, they are attracted to one another. What's clear early on is that both of them are interested in an exchange of power during sex. I hesitate to call it BDSM, although that's how the author refers to it. I felt as though the relationship bordered on abusive at times... although I think I got what the author was aiming for. So, if you're in it for a safe/sane/consensual BDSM story...then this may not be the book for you.

There's a lot of love between Ian and Pat and it only grows as they begin to try and come up with a plan to take down the Guild. The problem is that the guild is very powerful and has all the bases covered in terms of technology. They're next to impossible to take down. In order for them to make any headway, Ian has to delve deeper into the world of the Guild.

There is some well-crafted character development in the story, although I would have enjoyed less conversing ... I felt as though the author was trying to reveal most of what was going on in the character's minds through dialogue rather than action. Personal preference. I really liked one of the supporting characters named Javi... he was a treat. I loved how original he was... and he was hilarious!

Sometimes, I found the sex scenes to be over-the-top, but I'm sure some people will enjoy them! Each to their own! ( )