Quinn's Need Brings Closure

OK Folks, here it is (I feel like a drum roll might be in order)… the second book in the Whispering Pines Ranch series by SJD Peterson… Quinn’s Need… finally… I really needed to read this… in fact, I was waiting for it from the moment I finished the final page of the first book in the series.

I finished SJD Peterson’s first book, Lorcan’s Desire, and was struck by my need for closure. For days, I mulled Lorcan’s story over and ached for his true HEA which I was certain he hadn’t yet found. (CLICK HERE to read that review)Well, Quinn’s Need gave me the closure I was looking for - just not exactly how I'd imagined it. In this beautifully crafted love story, Peterson gives readers realistic love – not the glossed-over-everyone-smiles kind – that you feel deep in your heart. Every page is dripping with desire, honor, and sacrifice and, of course love.

The book opens with Lorcan returning to Whispering Pines after a year away. Though he’s been in a relationship with his best friend Jess, Lorcan still hasn’t gotten over his feelings for Quinn. Though each man has dealt with their break-up in their own way, neither is truly willing to close each other off from their lives. Even Jess is aware, and accepts, Lorcan’s love for Quinn. And they’ve even managed to find happiness with one another. But when they inherit Jess’s family ranch, their return to Whispering Pines stirs up a lot of old feelings. The tension running throughout even the most beautiful of scenes is palpable.

Quinn had sulked for months – Peterson’s description of his scowling creates a vivid image of the lonely man - before he found an outlet for his misery at the local “leather daddy” club, The Push. There Quinn can dominate others to gain control over his own feelings of weakness – not necessarily the right reason for participating in bdsm – until he meets up with a sub that comes to mean something to him. Quinn comes to realize he doesn’t whip subs for mutual pleasure but rather beats on them simply because he can. When Ty leads Quinn towards discovering the true world of bdsm, Quinn learns how to fulfill himself and care for another person. Quinn's Need balances erotically charged scenes with multi-faceted depth so that each scene, sexual or otherwise, seems necessary.

When there’s accident, Quinn uses his newfound self-discovery – recognizing he needs to be the man he is meant to be – and becomes someone Lorcan can rely on. They strike a delicate balance and things seem nearly perfect. It almost seems possible for Quinn, Lorcan, and Jess to develop into a relationship until more twists lead readers in another direction.

At its basic level, this is an erotic story of forbidden desires. But then you begin peeling away the layers of desires, sacrifices and honor to realize that Peterson’s books are an emotional journey. The characters are depicted with all the realism of a true human with all their idiosyncrasies. In Quinn’s Need, readers encounter unexpected twists that challenge your beliefs and yet leave you with a satisfying ending. By the end, I had my closure.

RATING: 5 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries 

This book was given to us through NETGALLEY. Many thanks.