Restraint by Teresa Noelle Roberts

 

Restraint is a very intense short story - seventeen pages that grabbed me, disturbed me, surprised me, sickened me, and made me think.

To say that blood is not my thing would be an understatement. But even at that, the story grabbed me. And then when the twist came, it made what had come before a little easier to deal with. I don't want to spoil, so I'll give the blurb and then talk about it from there:

Luke's a top who loves to dance on the edge of safety with hot men who crave knives and cutting with their kinky sex. Playing such potentially risky games, Luke's control needs to be as steely as his handcuffs, as honed as his blades. Adorable, inexperienced Ethan tests all Luke's self-restraint - but Ethan is more than he appears, and Luke may be the one who's being tested.

If you are into blood play then this is the short story for you. If you are into cutting but not really the blood then it will probably still be okay. If cutting and blood play are a squick for you then unless you get into the psychology of edge play, you'll probably want to skip this one.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Bondage but no discipline. 1 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Some. 1 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Since I can't give a 10 of 3 here, I'll give as high as I can - 3 of 3 
• Extra Point:  Yes

As for the writing elements, the plot sneaks up on you and is a good one, pacing is fine, prose and dialogue are both well done, character development isn't terribly important in this very short story, but we learn more about our character than we realize while reading the story. 

This is a very well written short, and even though I don't enjoy blood play, I appreciated the story and the descriptions of what was going through Luke's head as he worked.

• Book Rating: Restraint: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 6 of 10
• Heat Level: 2 of 5

The intensity level is misleading, because this is extreme edge play, where everything is consensual, but safe and sane  aren't part of the equation. The heat level describes how it affected me personally - if you're into cutting and/or blood play then this is probably going to be a 5 of 5 for you.

Restraint is the first piece I've read by Teresa Noelle Roberts, but I will certainly be sure to check out anything else I see written by her to see if I might be interested.