Providence by Leigh Hays

Rebekiah Kearns’s passion is photography—erotic images of sex, love, and the boundaries between them. Still wounded by the death of her best friend, she’s locked her heart away and forges her only meaningful connections through the lens of her camera. Lindsey Blackwell never stops. Her work as a wealth management consultant takes her all over the world, and she just doesn’t have time to make a relationship work. Women always end up asking for more than she can give. When Rebekiah receives a huge inheritance, all she wants to do is get rid of it, but Lindsey has other ideas. Their professional relationship quickly turns personal when Lindsey agrees to pose for Rebekiah. With every click of the shutter, Rebekiah finds it harder and harder to keep Lindsey in focus without getting too close.

I found this book to be fascinating and is one that I will want to go back and read again. I found about halfway through the book that there was an interesting dynamic going on between the main characters as well as their families. The relationships were very atypical. Lindsey's family is from money with her mom being a senator. They were not very close, but Lindsey had others around her that became her surrogate family. The same with Rebekiah. Her parents died when she was young and she had been raised by a family friend, showing a different family dynamic. I found this very interesting and will love looking into it again further.

I found the relationship between Rebekiah and Lindsey to be excellent, with both of them having come from heartbreaks in their past. There is a timidity with Lindsey, but at the same time she is drawn to Rebekiah and her photography. I enjoyed the light BDSM and control that each of the characters fought for. The story felt real and gritty and very passionate between the two. I very much enjoyed it.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

When Rebekiah walked into Walker & Blackwell all she wanted to do was give away an inheritance. Then she took one look into Lindsey Blackwell's eyes and thought I can wait a few weeks.

Instant attraction. It does not mean it has to be given into. It's there. It's acknowledged. It can be ignored. Looking can't be wrong. As long as I don't give in and cross any lines. Well...what would it hurt to cross the line a little?

Those thoughts could come from either Rebekiah or Lindsey as they both were thinking along those lines. Rebekiah does not do relationships. She only sleeps with friends. She still has not gotten over Emma who left her with all kinds of money and pain. She just found her photography again, she does not want any complications.

Lindsey likes her life organized. A partner was just fired and she just had to take on all of his cases. She spends most of the year traveling and does have time relationships - just ask any of her last partners.

Now if they could just stop thinking about each other.

I think this is the first time I have read a book about a place and a scene I am so intimately familiar with. Providence (Bold Strokes Books, 9781635556216, 2020) written by Leigh Hays takes place almost in my backyard. I have been to many of the places Hays writes about so it was kind of weird and funny at the same time. I had to keep reminding myself that no I did not see Rebekiah or Lindsey there at any time. (hand to head emoji insert here - I can be such a goober!)

I like this story on so many levels. If you are one of my rainbows, you already know that I am going to applaud the BDSM scenes. They are well written and thought out. Kudos to Hays. The sex scenes are all hot and explore many different interests which I love. Variety is the spice of life and love. Reading this already makes me want to read another Hays book (laugh).

The background for the main characters has just as much depth and sincerity. I can relate to both main characters and Hays does not drown us in the issues, but is gives us enough to feel and connect to the MCs. The interactions between Rebekiah and Lindsey are raw and I think I like this most of all. I know this is written, but it feels unscripted and once again I give credit to Hays for this technique.

Love sometimes does not come easy for us and Hays shows this, but man she makes it look worth it.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.