That's What I'm Talking About

Emily Bartwell is a gamer and programmer who learned the hard way how misogynistic the gaming world could be. She left her old life behind and went underground three years ago to become Phoenix, the most mysterious and talented game developer currently working, and someone whom everyone assumes is male. Under the constant fear of being outed, she keeps mainly to herself and has strict self-discipline, creating an image of the person she wants others to see.

Fox Mullins is a fiction writer and freelance journalist. After chasing his story for years, he is on Lyra Island to find and out the mysterious Phoenix. He's more perceptive than most and is determined, making him a very dangerous man. Of course, he's also fallen for his neighbor Emily and will do anything to get her into his bed. 

Okay… I’m not going to lie… Going Under is absolutely a hot mess of passion filled fun time! Fox and Emily have that instant attraction that drives them to reach new heights sexually. Free to explore their deepest kinks and desires, they allow their true selves out during sex, maintaining their faked facades at all other times. While their sexual play is intense and out of this world, it isn't sex for the sake of sex. It's about breaking down walls, earning trust, and setting secrets free. It's cathartic, emotionally satisfying, and amazing. 

Ms. Kennedy does an incredible job developing the characters of Emily and Fox, giving both the dual natures needed to keep up with their secrets and games. The reader has the advantage of seeing both characters’ true natures and the motivations behind the secrets, which allowed me to empathize with both sides. It was heartbreaking as the pair fell in love while simultaneously kept the other at arm’s length. And the ultimate anger that leads to the inevitable outing of the truth on both sides was extremely painful to read. I honestly thought there was no way I would feel love between the pair by the end of the book when there was so much hate. But the author did a wonderful job bringing around both characters and allowing them to embrace their fears and grow. 

Going Under is exactly what an erotic romance should be: passionate, sensual sex that brings the characters together, helps them grow, and eventually fall in love. Ms. Kennedy surprised me with the direction she took the book, ultimately leading to a better story because of it. Going Under is one I’ll be reading again and again.

My Rating: A

Copy of book provided by author.