The Nora Theory

Ward Willing by Amanda Richardson is the third book in the Ravaged Castle series, which is a series of kinky contemporary interconnected standalones. The series follows a group of brothers with a troubled past, each one with their own story and love interest. Ward Willing is the story of the oldest brother Liam and his much younger ward, Zoe.

When college professor and billionaire Liam’s best friend dies in a tragic accident, he is left as the guardian to his best friend’s teenage daughter, Zoe. He takes care of her until she gets to college, when their relationship starts to change and an innocent crush morphs into something irresistible.

Naturally, this romance features a significant age-gap relationship, with a BDSM element. It’s told from both Zoe’s and Liam’s perspectives, and the dual POV is something that works so well in these kinds of contemporary romances because the readers can see how hard the characters are falling for each other from inside their own heads.

I fell in love with this book from the first page. Not even the first page of the story, but the dedication. As soon as I read, “For all the girlies who are *independent* but sometimes need someone to spoil you, reward you, and call you a good girl”, I was hooked. And the rest of the book did not disappoint.

Zoe and Liam’s story is so unspeakably hot, and while it is a BDSM romance, Liam is a different kind of Dom. Liam is a Pleasure Dom, meaning he exerts his care and control through pleasure instead of pain. Not that there’s anything wrong with pain, but it’s a well-represented territory within the world of BDSM romance and it’s nice when authors branch out into other facets of dominance.

Not only is Liam a little different from your BDSM hero, but he’s also very well-endowed in a realistic fashion, to the point where it is sometimes a problem for the couple. It’s fun to read an accurate representation of what it’s actually like. Zoe is a bratty heroine, who loves to push his buttons, and it creates a wonderful banter. She also has a very realistic feeling journey through navigating college, finding herself, and her eventual career. Everything about this is romanticized, obviously, but it stays firmly grounded in something that feels very real and accurate.

This book features lots of tension and is at times very emotionally intense. Both characters are dealing with grief, and their complicated relationship and the feelings involved there make this a well-rounded story.

Oh yeah, and if you are a pop-punk emo kid in your soul, this book is for you. If you have ever screamed Scotty Doesn’t Know by Lustra, there is a scene in this book that will send you straight to heaven.

Ward Willing is one of my favorite smutty books I’ve read in a while. It reminds me of what made me fall in love with the genre, the forbidden, the focus on female pleasure, and the over-the top-fun.

Everything about this book is a perfect mix of deviously kinky and strangely comforting. It is the best contemporary romance of the month and is definitely in the running for a spot on my 2024 favorites list.

Spice: 4

Writing: 5

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