The Dom's Hostess (Island of Love #1) by Michelle Love

The Dom's Hostess (Island of Love #1) Reviews

• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on iBooks today (3/17/2019)! 🎁
  
  Blurb:
  Astor Christakos needed a vacation from the reality of being the CEO of a high-powered investment company.
  
  Nova Blankenship had been offered a new job.
  
  That's how they both found themselves at the newest tropical island resort opened by billionaire Galen Dunne: Nova as a hospitality hostess, Astor as an entitled guest who had to have things his way or else.
  
  The practicing Dom hadn't met a suitable Sub in some time, and Nova could use a man's hand to smooth out her rougher edges. And so Astor's hunger began to sizzle for the young, succulent hostess.
  
  Though she protested and argued that she could not and would not be tamed by him or any man, Astor took her on as a challenge.
  
  But who would end up owning whom in the end?
• 
  Stephanie Bolen

  Enjoyed the angst
  
  The way he talked was awkward. I get that English is probably a second language but, the way he speaks isn't like a non-native speaker it's like a space alien trying to communicate. It's just off putting. And having him become more human just rings fake. The focus on the physical is shallow and some of the aspects of the kink are so poorly done I rolled my eyes. The inspection isn't about losing weight, it's about visual preference piercings, body hair and getting used to being nude. A real Dom would never suspend her on a bathroom hook with a belt. It would bite into her wrists and might come away if she jerked down. Safety one of the tenets. Suspension is done in a way that doesn't risk injury. I love that he suffered.
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/17/2022)! 🎁
• 
  Jacqui Reads Van

  I loved this story. Astor Christakos, a rich Greek CEO, is a man committed to his job and really does live to work. He is persuaded to take a holiday at his friends’ resort in the Caribbean by his Galen Dunne, his good friend.
  Nova Blankenship is hired on to be a hostess on the island and she is very excited at the opportunity. She has always worked in the hospitality field and is saving her money so she can get her college degree.
  
  Astor ends assigned to work for Astor as his hostess. She is used to dealing with bad-tempered people. She tries very hard not to take him seriously, but she does give him a bit of tough love. He is difficult and determined to work rather than relaxing.
  
  He was once a practicing Dom, but he has drifted away from the BDSM scene and has not trained a submissive in years. Astor asks her to be his Sub. She initially turns him down but ultimately, she does want him, however she can get him. Their relationship is only for the summer, it’s not like they are going to fall in love or is it??
  
  Astor can be tender, and he shows his feelings to Nova but does have trouble communicating this. Nova knows his feelings as she watches his personality soften.
  
  This is book does end with a happily ever after and shows the characters for next book in the series, as Galen can't take his eyes of a new maid, Ariel Pendragon.
  A nice read and I do recommend.
  
• 
  T Nelson

  HEA
  Standalone
  B D SM scenario
  A DOM invites a vanilla into the lifestyle, becomes completely obsessed with thoughts of her during their 3 month contract. When he leaves at the end of their agreement, she discovered he left her with a part of himself but circumstances keep her from telling him. While apart, he cannot get her out of his mind like he thought he would and decides to surprise her with his return. He is the one in for the surprise.
• 
  K

  This is a fun, spicy, summery read, that I genuinely had fun reading, despite the snarking that's about to follow. I loved the setting, I enjoyed Nova, but I did not care for Astor.
  
  Astor is 100% unlikable, really mean, judgmental, disrespectful, and unpleasant. He had no personality aside from being a workaholic, being a world famous pool designer (??), and being a Dom, which as it turns out is only a plot point while they're trying to fight the initial attraction, because it doesn't even end up playing in role in their dating or sex life, so I don't know why that had so much focus for like the first 10% of the book or so, enough for the author to be using The Dom in the title. The first time they have sex, he wants to inspect her to see if anywhere on her body needs to be more toned, which I absolutely hated.
  Then he proceeds to gaslight her for their summer of love, and no redeeming qualities have been revealed except for now he can force himself to say please and thank you, which absolutely shocks Nova as well as all the staff and employees he encounters, since no one's ever heard him say it before.
  
  After she finds out she's pregnant, she exclaims to the doctor, "We had one slip up. One!" On the contrary, there's actually only a single sex scene in this book where they use a condom, so the pregnancy was very much to be expected!
  
  There's an Irish character, Galen, the owner of the private island where this book takes place, that the author has decided to write all his dialogue as if in his accent, like truncated words and writing "ya" instead of "you," which is cumbersome to read. Mercifully, sometimes the author forgets about it and spells words normally, although sometimes it even happens with an instance of "ya" and "you" in the same sentence, so I don't know if it was intentional or not.
  
  Time passes, baby Mia comes, Astor shows back up for another summer. He shows up a changed man, with shorts and a T shirt on (what a horror for a billionaire! what an act of bravery!) so that Nova could "witness the change she'd made in [him]." Next he hits Nova with a "that's not my problem" when it's explained that she never received his message (that he sent through a third party and delivered to another, separate third party) to contact him so of course this is Nova's fault they haven't spoken. Then he hits her with a "where's my hug?" Charming!
  
  Nova is understandably rattled about his surprise reappearance, and since she's working, she can't run off with him, prompting him to think, "I couldn't believe she'd dismissed me that way." Nova apologizes to him for not being able to leave work to talk to him (which he thinks the gal who works the front desk should give Nova, the assistant manager at this point, permission to do since she never gave Nova the message from him ???) and he thinks, "At least she'd given one." (an apology) "I just kept walking, mad at her and myself." Again, charming!
  
  Trying to get back into the adoring, infatuated eyes of the readers, the author now gives Astor the wonderful line: "Women are the most incomprehensible creatures on the planet." I can't wait to see if we have a redemption arc of some kind because he is *seriously* unpleasant.
  
  However, that redemption arc certainly won't be starting now during their reuniting, because as they're discussing what their goodbye and following year was like, Nova tells Astor she's a changed woman these days. He replies, "I can see that. You certainly have a lot more hostility than I remember. And you're lacking that empathy you had so much of, too." Way to sweep her off her feet, Astor! If she didn't want to hug or kiss you before, I'm sure this will be the panty-melting line that gets her there.
  
  Their reunification continues to go pear-shaped as Nova tries several times to leave the bungalow Astor is staying in with Galen (because he assumed he'd be staying with Nova), repeatedly asking him to stop touching and kissing her, and even him saying, "Stop fighting me. Give me what I want" doesn't work. What a shock!
  
  He wonders, "Why? What more could you have done, Astor Christakos?" Galen helps to calm Astor down by reminding him that women are overemotional and "take longer to get over these things than men do."
  We even get to hear further remarks about what a deeply romantic and personal thing he's done by wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and he laments that because Nova didn't even comment on this all-important new look, maybe "[he doesn't] really know her the way [he] thought he did."
  
  Finally he changes out of his heroic T-shirt and shorts and back into a linen suit, "looking more like the man [Nova had] come to love," according to Nova's narration.
  
  Astor surprises Nova with a proposal, she surprises him with his daughter. Miraculously, he is not mad like Nova assumed, and instead is really disappointed with himself for throwing away her phone number last summer and basically telling her he'd never be with her. Hooray! That's what he deserves to feel! And we all live happily ever after.
  
  Overall, a very fun read, and definitely got me in the summer mood. No follow-up if Nova was still going to go to college, or if Astor was going to permanently live on this private island with her, but all's well that ends well.
• 
  Catie Busen

  DNF at 77%
  
  so you’re telling me that on a resort island catering to a BDSM club personnel will allow you to bring your three month old child and live there while working.
  I DNF at 77% when she immediately said yes to his marriage proposal. They both pissed me off. She was naïve and extremely childish and he came off as this big Dom yet cried the whole time she was gone.
• 
  Kis Baadsgaard

  mm
  
  Not the best I ever read but it did finish it. It needs some emotions from the mp, I cut not feel them, to bad because the story was good
• 
  Shari Montgomery

  Astor and Nova
  
  I love this book. Michelle this is the first time I read anything you wrote. I am hooked. Keep it up.
• 
  Symantha

  I wanted more BDSM
• 
  Majo Torres

  2.5
• 
  Kathy

  BDSM,bossy, demanding
  
  From being a vanilla girl to learning about his world of bdsm can she learn to love it. A short romance with a touch of bdsm. I enjoyed the short tale.
• 
  Mel_the_introvert

  Not the best I ever read.
  For me it lacked depth into the characters and storyline.
  But in saying that, I did finish it. 2.5⭐️
• 
  Kaye

  💣💣ONE SENSATIONAL TREAT💣💣
  Explosive! Michelle unleashes one thrilling delight, igniting sparks hotter than an erupting volcano, riding on wings of euphoria and wrapping this baby up sleek, shiny and tight. Heated glances and rising temps, baring the adorable quirks and defying bents, disclosing the explosive ups and agonizing downs, breathtaking in it's simplicity and rousing in it's depth, molding our characters in ways they could never have envisioned. Limitations are amplified and exploited, laying out all the fervent facts, feels and fiascos, spinning the high octane passion with such exuberance and precision, keeping you riveted and frozen to your seat. The magnetism, attraction and chemistry collides with such intensity, exposing deep emotions, drawing our characters closer, binding them to one another perfectly. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and qualities that add diversity, transforming into amazing personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Remarkable job Michelle, thanks for sharing this awesome little gem with us.
• 
  Denise

  Nova is excited to start her new job as a hospitality hostess at the exclusive Paradise Resort. She has always worked in the hospitality field and is saving her money so she can get her college degree. When she is assigned to work for Astor Christakos, a rich Greek CEO, she can immediately tell she has her work cut out for her. He is obviously difficult and used to getting his own way. He also seems determined to work instead of relaxing. It will take all her skills to ensure he doesn't waste his time in paradise.
  
  Astor has agreed to spend the summer at Galen Dunne's island resort. His family its worried that he takes no time off for himself and he knows Paradise Resort is private and beautiful since he designed the pools and personally supervised their construction. Once a practicing Dom, he has drifted away from the BDSM scene and hasn't trained a submissive in years. It doesn't take much time spent in the company of his personal hostess, Nova, for him to decide she would be a perfect sub for him. Now he just has to convince her. But who will end up dominating who?
  
  I read this book as part of a box set that was given to me as an ARC by the author. My review is voluntary.
• 
  Aliama

  This is the first book in the Island of Love series. Astor is a workaholic and his family is worried about him not taking any time for himself to relax and have fun. His friend Galen Dunne offers him a summer of sand, sun and relaxation at Galen’s new resort on his private island. It’s there he meets Nova, his personal hostess, and he finds himself drawn to her. As a Dom who hasn’t trained a sub in quite a while, he tries to entice Nova to become his for the summer. Nova, not wanting to be tamed by any man, especially the arrogant Astor, tries to deny the sizzling chemistry between the two of them. Will Astor be the one tamed or will Nova end up heartbroken and alone with her secret?
  
  I received this book as part of a boxed set and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
• 
  Deborah Roussety

  wow this was such a hot read !!!!!!
• 
  Anais

  Nova and Astor ,
  They were enjoyable.
  I liked it.
  It was sexy ,sort and sweet.
• 
  Ann Jacobs

  Son's Hostess
  
  Michelle did an awesome job. I fell in love with Astor & Nova. Once I started reading I didn't want to put the book down. I can't wait to start the next book.