Sir... by LJ Langdale

Lydia Johnstone has spent her entire adult life orchestrating every interaction, manipulating every relationship, maintaining absolute dominance in every room she enters. The brilliant masters student in behavioral science knows exactly how to exploit weaknesses, and ensure she's always three steps ahead. It's how she's survived. It's how she's thrived. Then she meets Professor James Matthews. British. Brilliant. Utterly unbreakable. From their first confrontation in his behavioral science seminar, Lydia recognizes something she's never encountered before: a mind that matches hers, a will that cannot be bent, and eyes that see straight through every calculated defense she's constructed. Their collaboration on groundbreaking trauma research should be purely academic. Professional. Bounded by the rigid parameters that define every aspect of Matthews' controlled existence. But as late nights in his office blur into intellectual intimacy, as his methodical approach to understanding human behavior begins to transform how Lydia understands herself, the boundaries between professor and student, researcher and subject, begin to fracture. But this isn't a simple story of a student falling for her professor, nor a professor taking advantage of his student. SIR... is a dark academia romance that explores the psychology of power, the neuroscience of desire, and the profound intimacy that can exist when two people risk everything to be truly seen. It's about trauma and healing, control and surrender, the spaces between strength and vulnerability where genuine connection becomes possible. For readers who crave: Intelligent, psychologically complex characters Authentic D/s dynamics with emotional depth Dark academia settings with genuine intellectual discourse Slow-burn intensity that builds to devastating emotional intimacy Romance that challenges conventional power dynamics Stories where vulnerability is the ultimate act of courage

Adult • Romance/Contemporary • Romance/Erotica • Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense/Psychological Thrillers

Content Warning: This book contains explicit sexual content within a D/s dynamic, psychological dominance and submission, discussions of childhood abuse and trauma (including physical abuse and attempted trafficking), PTSD from a school shooting, and complex power dynamics within an academic setting. While the relationship between the main characters is consensual between adults and carefully negotiated, it exists within a professor-student framework that some readers may find problematic. The story explores trauma responses, emotional manipulation, and the psychological aspects of control and surrender. This is a dark romance with mature themes intended for adult readers.