Taking It All (Surrender Trilogy #3) by Maya Banks

Chessy and Tate have been married for several years. In the beginning, their relationship was everything she wanted. Passionate. All consuming. She offered her submission freely and Tate cherished her gift with a tenderness that made her feel safe. Content. Wanted. And loved beyond all measure. But as the years have gone by, Tate has become more immersed in making his business the success it has become, and Chessy has taken a back seat to his business obligations. Growing unhappier with the status of their once blissful marriage, Chessy knows that something has to give. Or they stand to lose it all

Tate loves his wife. Has always loved her. Providing for her has always been his number one priority. But lately she’s seemed unhappy, and he’s worried. Worried enough that he arranges for a night together that he hopes will reignite the fire that once burned like an inferno between them.

But a business call at the wrong time threatens everything. Chessy’s safety, his concentration, his wife’s faith in him as her husband, a man sworn to love and protect her above all else. Gutted with the realization that he’s going to lose her—has already lost her—he readies for the fight of his life. Whatever it takes, he’ll get her back. And prove to her that nothing is more important than her love. And that if she’ll allow him to prove himself one more time, he’ll take it all. Everything. But he’ll give far more back. Himself. His undying love.

Type: Erotic Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

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Sometimes a book just hits you at the right time and it really speaks to you. That was Taking It All for me. When I read this one--yeah I'm way late posting my review I just couldn't finish it up at the time--life had been way beyond awful. It'd been hard and I'd been feeling kind of at my wits end. Heart sick and stretched thin. So when I picked this one up as a distraction I wasn't thinking it would hit me quite so strongly but it did because I really related to Chessy and her struggles. Our struggles were different ones but the way she was feeling for so much of the book I could relate to in an incredibly strong way. Loving something or someone but it just not working and not knowing what to do. So it wasn't an easy read but it was one I really felt for in the end.


Taking it All wasn't the average romance. There was a lot of risk in this storyline. A marriage is on the bring of failure, two people who love each other deeply but have lost themselves about to lose everything, a devastating mistake that could finally end everything. It was not an easy read and completely gripped my heart as Tate and Chessy struggled through life and trying to save their future together.

Alright so these two. Chessy was wonderful. Lord she about gutted me. She's sweet and desperate for something to change. She's a heroine I was pretty proud of. She didn't back down from tackling difficult moments. Stood up for herself when shit went down. Was forgiving--sometimes a little too forgiving I thought-- and just a stand up woman doing her best. And I loved everything about her.

Tate was the risk of the book. He spent a lot of the book fucking things up royally. I mean. I don't think I've ever seen a hero fuck up quite as badly as Tate. The two are in a BDSM relationship and he pretty much breaks every thing that's inherent in that type of relationship and it actually gets Chessy hurt. That's just not something that's addressed in many BDSM reads but can easily happen in real life. It would be pretty easy to give up on Tate. But at the same time I really felt for him even with all of his screw ups. He loved his wife but got caught up in work. In becoming a success at all costs and providing for their family financially. And didn't realize he'd lost sight of his marriage. He definitely hit rock bottom and it wasn't pretty to watch at all.

The two together. Lord but they made me ache. When things are going good they're so good together. The chemistry and love is there. There's steam and heat that's very nice but really not the focus of this story. But when things are bad. They really are devastating. Not just to the two of them but to their friends as well who were watching it happen and for the most part feeling helpless. They very much took care of Chessy but I would have loved to see some extra bits of them with Tate. Helping him through even though he'd screwed up since they were his friends as well. But rock bottom. I got it why they weren't there and he needed to figure it out on his own.

While it wasn't the perfect read--once again there was too much repetition for me and some editing blips--the story itself worked for me. I would have loved just a little more at the end and some time with them actually working on the relationship and trust more before getting past their hurdle and back together. Forgiveness was given a little too easily for me but at the same time I was so happy to see them getting past the awful and being together again. It's definitely a read that had me fully engaged and seriously invested in these two. Even months later I still feel for them and have their story pop into my mind which is really such an amazing thing.

Have you read a marriage in crisis romance?

What did you think about it?

For those who read BDSM have you read one where things go wrong between the main couple?

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More Banks on herding cats!

Whispers in the Dark (KGI #4)--4 stars

Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5)

After the Storm (KGI #8)--DNF

Letting Go (Surrender #1)--3.5 stars

Giving In (Surrender Trilogy #2)--4 stars

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