Review: "Relinquishing Control" by JJ Arias
A perfect conclusion to a perfect series
Since September of last year, JJ Arias has treated us to two almost perfect sapphic romances with the first two books in her Dominion trilogy. This series focuses on the women of the fictional Dominion Talent Agency, an agency of queer women representing queer women in entertainment. In Losing Control, she gave us the slow-burn forbidden romance between straight-laced Adriana and her rock star client Roxy. In Fighting for Control, she gave us a juicy enemies to lovers romance between the combative Lola and her arch rival Carmen. Now, she’s concluding the series by focusing on the head of Dominion Talent Agency, the sexy Ice Queen Natalia, in Relinquishing Control. And what a conclusion it is. This book has everything readers have come to expect from JJ Arias: a beautifully told love story that is equal parts steamy and heartfelt.
As the head of Dominion Talent Agency, Natalia Flores takes no prisoners. She has built her agency from the ground up and turned it into a force to be reckoned with in an entertainment industry still dominated by men. Within the office, she commands her agents and assistants with an iron fist, demanding perfection from them. However, when one of her clients demands that she secure the rights to a book for her next movie, she meets her match in Professor Samantha “Sam” Reyes. Sam is smart, attractive, and unaffected by Natalia’s normal tactics. Unable to take “no” for an answer, Natalia decides to get to know Sam and see if she can wear her down. Little does she know, though, that soon sparks will fly and Sam will help her realize that there is so much more to her than being the solitary and unapproachable Ice Queen. That is, if she can learn to let go.
Like many sapphic romance readers, I am a massive fan of Ice Queens. I’m a sucker for a dominant woman who knows what she wants and just takes it. Natalia Flores might be one of the hottest Ice Queens I have ever read. Not only is she drop dead sexy, but the way she commands and dominates her environment and those around her is incredibly swoon-worthy. There’s also great depth to her character. For all that she has achieved, there’s still a vulnerable core to her. She believes that, despite all her achievements, she’s not worthy of someone’s love and affection. She believes that no matter what, anyone who gets close to her with either hurt her or be hurt by her. So, she has taken her natural Capricorn tendencies and cranked them up all the way to eleven, turning herself into the career-focused woman with no time for personal relationships. She has turned herself into someone incapable of letting others in and trusting them.
If there was ever a perfect partner to help Natalia figure this out, it’s Professor Samantha Reyes. She is fully capable of and in fact relishes verbally sparring with Natalia and keeping her on her toes. This leads to chapter after chapter of flirtatious banter that ramps up the sexual and romantic tension between them. Using dialogue as a way to build tension has always been a staple of JJ Arias’ writing and the banter in this book is some of her best work ever in that regard.
Sam’s unwillingness to back down from Natalia plays a massive role in how their relationship develops when things get serious. Throughout the second half of the story, Natalia tries again and again to push Sam away, saying that Sam will soon tire of her and want someone better. Still, Sam stays. She doesn’t accept what Natalia says about herself, continues to push back against Natalia’s negative self-talk, and refuses to walk away from their relationship. It’s exactly what Natalia needs, someone who won’t let her devalue herself and will continuously remind her of how great she really is.
This is part of the reason that their relationship feels like one of the most mature I’ve ever read. The way Sam treats Natalia once her walls are down feels so perfect. She never pities Natalia for having chosen a solitary, work-centric life or for the trauma that led her to choose it. She never treats Natalia as broken and in need of fixing. Instead, she sees Natalia for the beautiful and strong woman that she is. Understanding Natalia’s trust issues, Sam never pushes her to go at a pace that Natalia is not comfortable with. It makes for a beautiful love story and one that any reader, no matter their relationship status, can take something away from. I especially appreciate how, in creating Sam for Natalia, JJ clearly shows Natalia's determined and hard-working nature is not a bad thing that needs repairing. Capricorns are going to Capricorn and that’s okay.
I also really liked how a large part of Natalia’s arc in Relinquishing Control is her accepting that she has created a found family around herself that she can trust. It can be hard sometimes to recognize that the people you’ve chosen to be around you are family. It’s even harder when you’ve spent your life thinking you’re all by yourself and that you cannot rely on anyone. It’s heartwarming to watch Natalia slowly figure out that she is not alone and that she does have a family of friends and co-workers who she can count on. It’s even more heartwarming if you’ve read the previous two books in the series. By the end of Relinquishing Control, you can’t help but see the Dominion Talent Agency as a found family of people who truly love each other.
Lastly, the spice in this book is superb. In fact, there is one sex scene that is definitely the longest and possibly the steamiest I have ever read. Natalia and Sam have great chemistry in the bedroom and it is so satisfying to read. Additionally, just like her other romances, JJ Arias expertly uses these sex scenes to develop both Natalia and Sam’s characters and their relationship.
Relinquishing Control is, in my opinion, JJ Arias at her best. The sex scenes, the main characters, and the relationship between them, and the overall story are phenomenal. All in all, it makes for a perfect end to an amazing series and makes me super excited to see what she comes up with next.