White Collared is a FOUR part erotic suspense series based around a murder within the close-knit BDSM community. Kate is a law student interning when she is brought onto this case and her life is flipped upside down and she just might like it!
Thoughts on Kate Martin?
Catherine: Kate made for an intriguing lead female character. Her interest in the unknown piqued at all the right moments, and I genuinely loved he continued uncertainty of "WHICH GUY?" It seemed so real, and not as cut & dry as most books make romance out to be. Her darker past gave such an opportunity for growth within the series, and I truly enjoyed watching her grown from a shy, yet intelligent law student to the confident woman she is today.
Rachael: Kate Martin was a young romantic girl in book one. She seemed to be entranced with the idea of her boss, Nick, loving her. It was then I wanted Kate Martin to have a relationship with Nick. He seemed so gentle and kind and perfect for the sweet young law student Kate was. Kate's dreams of having both Nick and Jaxon having a ménage à trois helped me to see that "Kate Martin" indeed had a past and that it was not as cut and dry as just getting into trouble. As the book progressed I started to see that "Kate Martin" was the front she put out for the public to see, but it wasn't who she truly was.
Thoughts on Nicholas Trenton?
Catherine: Honestly, I started off as TEAM NICK. You have a handsome, successful professional - what is there not to love? When you are having a rough moment in your life - he shows up with hot cocoa and donuts. There is no pressure from this purely vanilla man to do anything more than be there for you.
Rachael: Catherine nailed it! I started off with Team Nick too as I didn't trust Jaxon at all. Nick had been so upfront with his feelings with Kate once he opened up to her. I can totally see why Kate had had dreams about being with Nick. He exudes the female "dream" of a smart and powerful man, a lawyer a partner in the firm, makes good money, is caring, and would rescue a damsel in distress. He had told Kate he was a strictly vanilla man and was not into the "kink." To tell you the truth, Nick was my pick for book boyfriend as he seemed the perfect for the Kate Martin.
Thoughts on Jaxon Deveroux?
Catherine: I prefer to call him Jax. :) He is all consuming. Possibly murdered his wife? Yep. But, sexy none the less. While hating him for what everyone assumed he did, my hatred was reiterated when he showed an immediate interest in Kate. Seriously guy, is your wife's body even cold yet? Needless to say, I wasn't waving my TEAM JAX flag proudly. With that being said, I still had it hung! With each layer that was peeled back from this man caught my attention more and more. His attention to detail with those he cared about was admirable. One of my favorite moments of that was when he got Kate a chair in the initial meeting.
Rachael: Oh Jaxon Deveroux. Just the mention of his name brings tingles up my spine in pleasure and in distrust. For the life of me I couldn't TRUST that Jaxsn didn't kill his wife. I don't know if it was because of of his "sins of omission" to both Kate and his Lawyer Nick. Jaxon Deveroux is a man of passion. He declared his Dominance early on to Kate by taking her on a his "Sub." As the book continues on we learn about Jaxon. His life is not what it seems and his layers of who he really is seem to be leading me up to believe that he indeed is a murderer.
Honestly, would you have stepped up to volunteer to act as Jaxon's sub to solve the case?
Catherine: If I was single and Kate's situation - yes. Curiosity would have killed this Cat.
Rachael: Heck NO! That man scared me. His power, his devotion to his life style, and the fact his wife was just murdered would have thrown me off. As much I started to Love Jaxon because of his tenderness towards Kate I would have gone as far "acting" to be his Sub. No sex involved. Not even the Vanilla kind! To me Jaxon intrigued me, but a cloud of doubt still lingered in my mind.
What wristband would you have worn?
Catherine: I would have to sport the switch one... I couldn't commit to Sub or Dom... both seem like fun positions to be in, so I would need to be able to alternate. ;)
Rachael: The kink has always intrigued me. I have such a smart mouth I have a feeling I would be on the side of a sore behind 24/7 if I were a Sub. With that said; I couldn't be a Dom either. I need a man to throw me down and show ME he is in control too! I guess I would have to say that I would have to be a green wristband. If not that then I would be the a black one one day and a white the next!
What are your initial reactions when you were introduced to the BDSM community?
Catherine: Personally, I have always held an open mind with individual sexual preferences. I knew very little of the in's and out's of this community, and Shelly approached the topic in such a way that was erotically informative. :) I was not left with unanswered questions about topics approached, and yet it didn't feel like I was googling what certain things meant. I am not sure you could give that skill set to many : ABILITY to write an EROTICALLY INFORMATIVE romance. Shelly killed it!
Rachael: Holy Fruitcake Batman! People actually get off on doing this kind of stuff!?!? That was Rachael's introduction to the BDSM lifestyle. I just didn't get it really after reading FSOG. I liked the idea of a kinky vanilla relationship, but never really understood it! Then I met Shelly Bell who introduced me once again to the BDSM world, but unlike my FSOG experience I actually understood WHY people like Jaxon needed to live his lifestyle the way he did. Shelly took the time out to explain and introduce us into the world of BDSM and not just the cutesy stuff. All of the hard core stuff too! My husband and I have our own relationship which is private and beautiful, but I have an open mind about people and their lifestyles After reading about different types of relationships described in Shelly's books this was VERY eye opening for me and not in a bad way. I think the BDSM community is a misunderstood community by the public because of ignorance, or to put it nicely a lack of information about how people enjoy their own sexuality! With this said Shelly Bell "eye smacked" me into opening my eyes to a VERY WELL WRITTEN, informative, and erotically romantic side of the BDSM community. I agree with Catherine your books left me ties You KILLED IT!
YES OR NO: Were you correct in your assumption of the ending?
Catherine: No. While I was correct on certain aspects of the story, the BIG ending took me for a spin! Bravo Shelly, Bravo!
Rachael: There is no single answer to that question! That 's a "does this dress make me look fat" question! My head told me Jaxon wasn't a murderer, but my heart belonged to JAX and to Nick. I was torn! The way this book ended was nothing short of a complete and utterly shocking ending; where in my mind all fears were transformed into 7 different shaded of beautiful and understanding love!
Without spoilers, how would you describe this book to someone who asked?
Catherine: An incredibly suspenseful murder mystery that is tied up (pun intended!) in the close knit BDSM community. Shelly doesn't shy away from the kink in the four part serial. HOT HOT HOT. Every page will leave you wanting to know more. This is not a book I would suggest to the easily blushed or weak-hearted. I would also strongly suggest that you set aside some time to read it in it's entirety. You will NOT be able to put it down once you start!
Rachael: As I reviewed this book I came up with new words because words alone could not describe how amazing well these books were put together! With the ending of each novella I was tired up in knots over how the next novella would begin and end. So here it goes: Shelly Bell's "White Collared" Series is a must read, eye opening, heart confusing, faith building, trust promoting, erotically sexual , mysteriously arousing novel that will leave your stomach tied up in knots (all puns included) and more than a few changes in panties required! It is well written, informative, mysterious, and will leave you guessing who did what for what reason until the very last page! I enjoyed these novellas so much that I "tricked" my Kindle into what time it was so I could actually get the download on EDT instead of my own time zone! Now that the series is complete, you will not be able to tear your eyes away for long, so prepare yourself with all of your "belongings" before you start reading and be ready for a few cold showers just to cool yourself off!
Rating?
Catherine: Series in it's entirety would receive a HUGE BLINKING STAR-STUDDED FIVE FROM THIS GAL!!! Hands down a recommendation to anyone I know who enjoyed Cynthia Sax's Seen Trilogy!
Rachael: Shelly Bell gets from me; a had me tied up in knots until the very last page, well deserved, 5 eye smackingly, erotically steaming stars from this simple girl who is utterly enthralled with how Ms. Bell has turned this simply vanilla girl's thoughts around and having me embrace her White Collared Series begging for MORE! I highly recommend this series to anyone who has an open mind, loves a lot of mystery, and has an open heart to put more than one person into it for all different kind of reasons!
All I have to say is that this book will have you screaming Mercy, wanting more because of our Greed in natures, waiting Revenge for those who were wronged, and in the end knowing Passion rules all!
Catherine: Rachael: I loved your use of the titles there!!!
How does Jax differ from Jaxon?
Rachael: Jaxon is who the world sees. He is the Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist. He is the rich business man who is "normal in ever way." He is the Husband of the late Alyssa Deveroux. Jax is one sexy Dominate who must have total submission from his Sub. He is the person that drove me insane in this book. His Dominance had me wanting to be his Submissive not because I would enjoy the pain with pleasure, but because of his heart and soul. I LOVED Jaxon, but truly I was in LOVE with JAX!
Catherine: I really enjoyed aspects from Jax and Jaxon! The well mannered Jaxon who offers a chair and the dominant, yet loving JAX who offers a collar! Both sides offer something to the relationship and both offer a different side to the love he feels for her.
Same Question applies to Kate Martin:
Rachael: I saw Kate Martin as a pill popping, anxiety filled, sweet girl with a troubled past. When Kate turned into Katerina Martini Jax's Submissive; I saw a woman with a past, but a strong woman. She might be a Submissive, but not in her work. Katerina was my favorite character in this book. She made me realize how important it is to investigate the truth, to never give up hope, and that being wrong doesn't been you have to hide and bury yourself in guilt or hide from who you are.
Catherine: Rachael, you said it so well. Kate was shy and lacked confidence. When it came to Katerina, her desire to prove his innocence or guilt was so strong that all her KATE insecurities were washed away.
Would you be able to get over the betrayal of your friend?
Rachael: The serious betrayal of a friend is found in many different forms in this book. Every character betrayed their friend in one way or another. I find that in certain circumstances that betrayal can be the ending of one life only to start anew. Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting.
Catherine: You made such a great point. I find that I used to hold grudges so much longer in previous years. But, I have learned that in order for ME to heal from it, I must forgive. And since my anger won't change the betrayal, it really is a waste of energy. The amount of betrayal in this book was intense to say the least. So, I will side with you and say that Forgiveness does not equal Forgetting.
Let's show our girl, Shelly Bell some LOVE:
"Don't you have an article on this?" I love him for this. I love Nicolas for his blunt manner of speech. Similar to Hawke in the way of being blunt - but oh so different. His eyes sparkle. "I've never said I love ice cream." He shovels the sweet treat into his mouth with a boyish glee. "But I do. Very much." His lips curl upward. Let's talk about my feelings in regards to my jellybean billionaire. First, I was #TeamNicolas for a large portion of this series. Even when it was obvious that Hawke was her person. Nicolas has something about him that calls to my soul. Or maybe it is just the love for jellybeans that he and I share. When I finally converted to the dark side and joined #TeamHawke, I fell for Nicolas on an entirely different level. His loyalty to Hawke and the protective vibe he had with Bee was beyond sweet...sprinkled with the perfect amount of sarcasm. Hawke plans this perfect scenario for Bee - everything she has always wanted - and offers her the grand gift of proving to everyone she is not who they think... and Bee makes me SO STINKIN PROUD in her reaction and her realizations that none of that matters. She has her man, she has her true friends (even if they are terrible...hehe) her Mom and she has her life. That is all that matters. Bee, Nicolas and Hawke were bound to have a fun dynamic once they got together, and they don't let me down with the asking of him to be the best man: 
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