PROFESSED by NICOLA RENDELL :: REVIEW

‘I’ve never needed anything. Ever. I’ve never felt this deep, sinking desire inside me. I’ve never felt exposed and wide open and fucking freaked out. Nothing is so consequential as to be needed. Nothing is so important as to be loved.’

Fancy a hot, passionate and sexy student/teacher romance? Well, Professed will satisfy you in every way possible and then some. It’s an easy addictive well written erotic read that hits all those spots when you’re in the mood for something a little spicy. A chance meeting at a masked secret society party – attendance by invite only – leads to all kinds of surprises when Yale student Naomi falls into the sights of an enigmatic masked man.

‘They say a woman who does what I just did is a whore, a slut, a sinner. Let them say it. I don’t believe that at all. Never have, never will. Screw the world that sees only whores and virgins, bad girls and good. I’m all of it. And proud.’

Neither knows who the other is until all hell breaks loose over an intense physical attraction. This is pretty much an insta love story but to be honest it didn’t bother us as in some ways it was meant to be as such. For all intents and purposes the forbidden became the awakening. It did take us a little while to get into this story but once hooked, well, we pretty much inhaled it.

“I need you to understand something. She’s the thing I’ve always been looking for. She’s the thing I dreamed about and never understood. I never knew what love was until I found her.”

Over the top, yeah sure, but it’s never pervy, rather it really was quite sweet at times and Ben was quite the reluctant romantic whose view on love changed epically as his views on philosophy and entire way of life thus far was challenged by Naomi. The erotica element added to a story that begins with extreme physical lust ultimately leading to an all-encompassing love.

‘I think this is love. It must be love. It feels like getting mugged. It’s fear. It’s helplessness. It’s all of me right in her hands.’

Ben and Naomi’s love had not only the forbidden in ‘profession’ but also had quite the age difference, yet as readers we never really felt that to be an issue as we completely connected to them and their love story. Oh and the sexual chemistry was off the charts with one encounter in the woods resulting in freezer time for two. Temptation is strong in this one and who knew what fun you could have with a sharpie…wink wink…..

‘I want to devour her. I want to ruin her. I want to fucking vandalize her.’

Professed has fabulous thrills, spills and excitement, of that there’s no question. Yet it also has a beauty to it that’s threaded through the story. The individual back story of Naomi and where she’s come from was lovely and the inner musings of Ben quite funny and entertaining. This book is our first by Nicola Rendell but we’re sure to move onto Confessed now which is about Naomi’s best friend, Lucy who herself was fabulous.

‘Old souls are a real thing.’