Author: Sara Cate
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: September 2, 2025
Format: Paperback
Pages: 371
Rating: 3/5
Spice: 3/5
Genres: BDSM, romance, dark romance, smut, erotica, contemporary romance
Content Warnings: power imbalance, possessive behaviors, grief, explicit sexual content, kink elements, emotional manipulation, morally grey love interests, alcohol use
While I enjoyed reading this book, it was not what I was expecting. I found myself empathizing with Camille, Jack and Bea in ways that never crossed my mind initially. It was interesting to see how the characters developed throughout the story. Specifically, Jack and his sister Elizabeth since the tension was so strong between them. While this book is labeled as a stand-alone, reading the prologue and seeing the involvement of other characters throughout the story created an inner sense of FOMO, especially at the beginning. The family tree at the beginning made me feel like I was missing out on some important information with the other characters (Julian, Elizabeth, Phoenix, Jack’s parents, etc.) and I found myself asking, “who are these people?” I’m sure that was an intentional tactic.
Camille’s character was one of a kind. I view her as a lotus flower floating in the murky waters of Jack St. Claire. She was warm, anxious, chaotic, and quite dramatic. She was also a very nosy nancy. Camille had no sense of boundaries and was very intrusive, but her heart was always in a good place. She was deeply warm-hearted and her connections with Jack and Bea were instant and effortless. Although she’d never worked as a nanny, she gave it a shot and developed a lifelong connection with a group of strangers—Jack and Bea, and his siblings and friends. I will say, there were moments when she didn’t use her judgement as much as she could have, but, it’s fiction, not real life, right?
Jack’s character was cold, rigid, and emotionally unavailable. Not only did he give Camille the cold shoulder, but he treated his daughter, Bea, this way as well. He was totally wrapped in grief, which everyone processes differently. However, he wasn’t the only one who’d loss someone near and dear to them. Camille experienced loss as well; but it didn’t stop her from creating a loving relationship with a stranger and his child, who was desperate for an affectionate connection from her only living parent. As Camille pointed out in the story, Jack was like a ghost in his own home.
As the story began to unfold, so did Jack and Camille. I found it ironic that Jack strongly emphasized the importance of boundaries and self-control, but when it came to Camille, he lost it every time. He’d crave control, gain it, then become so engulfed that he ended up losing it… every time. But you know what they say, “too much of a ‘good’ thing can become a bad thing.” In this case it wasn’t bad, but he also couldn’t abide by his own rules. Camille was just too irresistible, clearly.
I rated this book a 3/5 because the spice did not deliver in the way that I expected it to. Moreover, when it came to the spicy scenes, the writing was a bit short and straight to the point, for lack of better words. I wanted a more thorough description. I wanted to be able to fully visualize the scene in my head as I read. I wanted to feel the heat! But unfortunately, I didn’t get that from the scenes here. I also believe there were more scenes of tension-building than actual spice, in my opinion. I will say, their physical interactions reflected the progress Jack was making throughout his stages of grief. You could tell when he was fighting his feelings for Camille, thinking that he’d betray Emmaline by doing so, but when he finally gave himself permission to move on, it was a beautiful scene.
There’s great power in allowing oneself to experience a soft, passionate connection with another being.
All in all, this was a pleasant read. I’d compare it to Fifty Shades of Grey in terms of spice, intimacy and connection. Although there were bits of BDSM, it felt more like a romance novel than smutty dark romance. I enjoyed following the development of the main characters. The tension-building scenes were great, but they went on for a few chapters too long, which made me grow mildly impatient. Characters from the Salacious Players Club series were included in this story, however, it wasn’t difficult to follow the along. I didn’t feel lost with them included, but I did wish I knew more about them all before reading this novel.
Curious for more? Indulge in the full story on amazon: The Good Girl Effect by Sara Cate
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