I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Not Safe For Work by LA Witt. A bit of a power flip – the wealthy CEO client is the sub and the not-in-charge architectural modeller is the Dom. I liked it.
Tag: BDSM (Page 4 of 5)
I’m over at Dear Author with a review of His Contract by Rebecca Grace Allen. A widowed Dom and a broken submissive meet in a bar… A patchy start but I ended up enjoying it.
I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Craving Flight by Tamsen Parker. The unusual setting and modern marriage of convenience hit all my buttons and it was free so it practically begged me to read it.
Why I read it: I enjoy this author’s books so I bought it on release day. Charlotte Stein and I follow each other on Twitter and chat occasionally. I think she’s lovely. If I didn’t think I could be objective about her books, I wouldn’t review them. But readers may wish to take the foregoing into account.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) It was just a prank I didn’t want to be a part of. I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all Johann Weir. You wouldn’t know that he sells literature for a living. He has these wild eyes—eyes that light something up in me—and he must be twice as big as I am, with strong, warm hands. Hands I try not to imagine everywhere.
He scares me. And thrills me.
But now the deed is done, and I have to face the consequences. He says he just wants to hold me here until the police come, but it’s been hours and I’m still here.
Chained to a pipe in his back room like a prisoner.
The only person I have to talk to is Johann, and I tell him dark, shameful secrets—secrets that involve the metal around my wrist and him standing over me. But I can’t stop. I need him to know everything. I need him.
Johann has his own secrets—ones he wants to tell me too. And more than anything, I want to listen. And maybe, before he sends me away, he’ll punish me.
Just a little.
Just enough.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): As is most often the case with auto-buy authors, I didn’t bother reading the blurb. When I saw someone excitedly tweeting about it, I took a skim and saw “chained to a pipe like a prisoner” and thought – oh, this must be some sort of sexy game. Um, not so much. The book begins in a dark place. It doesn’t stay there long and Han’s actions after his initial blunder (blunder is not the right word – what he did was way worse than a blunder), are honourable. It is also true to say that all of the sexual contact in this book is entirely consensual. In fact, Rosie is the aggressor in the sense that she has to actively persuade Han to do anything at all. Once the doing gets going, the tables turn, but Han does not make a sexual move without Rosie’s enthusiastic consent. Which is all to the good because his first actions did not make me warm to him. Picking up a woman and chaining her in your basement is not cool. It is so far beyond not cool, I can’t fully describe it. Yes, he initially isn’t thinking clearly and yes, his plan (such as it was) was merely to “restrain” her until the police arrived (her friend was about to set fire to precious first editions in his antiquarian bookshop and Rosie was ‘helping’ her by not actively stopping her) but, let me make this clear: it is not cool to pick up a woman and chain her in your basement*. Continue reading
Why I read it: One from my TBR. I was in the mood for something immersive and, after checking at the back to make sure it had a happy ending (it does) I dove in with a happy sigh.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) After a tumultuous year, Sophie Scaife’s relationship with her boyfriend and Dom, billionaire media mogul Neil Elwood, is hotter and happier than ever. His sizzling Dominant side pushes Sophie to new and challenging heights of submission and erotic exploration as she follows her Sir’s every whim. But with his daughter’s impending wedding and a milestone birthday turning Neil’s thoughts toward settling down, Sophie faces a much different future than she’d planned.
Caught in a conflict between her new wealth and her desire for independence, Sophie fears she’s becoming just another Fifth Avenue trophy wife. With her fashion journalism career over and her new effort as a writer uninspiring, Sophie has to work harder than ever to prove her intentions to Neil’s family and friends.
Sophie isn’t the only one struggling to adapt to her new lifestyle. When private jets and designer labels threaten her bond with Holli, Sophie finds herself walking a fine line between the world she now inhabits and the past—and people—she fears she’s left behind. After a shocking revelation divides her loyalties, Sophie is in danger of losing her best friend or fracturing the trust of the man she loves.
Warning: Series Spoilers follow
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I really love this series. There is something very comforting about reading a book about characters you already know (provided the ending is happy). The usual set up stuff is not really required because the reader already knows the characters. There’s a brief recap to help people catch up but it’s familiar territory right from the start.
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I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Bad Behavior by KA Mitchell. Beach finally gets his book and oh my, what a book he gets. Warning: My squee levels were high with this one.
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