The Last Girl by Kitty Thomas

 

Kitty Thomas' writing style appears to be pretty straightforward and minimalistic when you first begin reading her stories, but she can really pack an emotional punch. Comfort Food haunted me for days, my thoughts going to the psychology of submission way more times in a day than can be considered normal by any stretch of the imagination. By looking at a relationship that begins as non-consent and turns into consent, it sheds a whole new light on a relationship that begins consensually and gradually gets edgier and edgier. What I'm going around the bush to try to say is that her writing makes you think.

The Last Girl is another non-consent story, and with the addition of a vampire who has powers a mere mortal man does not, the story has some extra twists and turns.

Here is the blurb:

Six years ago strangers broke into Juliette’s house; she was home alone and only thirteen. She kept her eyes closed, praying that if she didn’t see anything, she wouldn’t be killed. No one harmed her. In fact, one of the thieves protected her. Now Juliette’s dreams are haunted by him.

Christian has waited to take her, resisting the urge each night. It always ends badly with human pets. They’re too fragile. The longer he can wait, the better, because the moment he takes her, the clock on her life starts ticking down.

Then she’ll be gone forever.

I both liked and disliked Christian, which I'm pretty sure is how I was supposed to feel. He is a monster and he makes no apologies for it. He is honest though, even when it isn't convenient to be, and I always respect that in a person.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism: He is certainly sadistic, and she has some masochistic tendencies, but not on the level of his sadism. 2 of 3 
• Extra Point: I've gone back and forth on this one. It is an extreme book, and the D/s play is a major factor throughout. However, it is not consensual, and in my mind BDSM by definition is consensual. But, if I don't give it then that puts the intensity level at an 8, and it's more intense than that. So, yes.

As for the writing elements, the plot is exceptional and has an unexpected and satisfying ending, something I had no idea was possible throughout most of the book. Pacing was fine, prose and dialogue were well written, character development was exceptionally well done, and world-building was detailed and interesting.

The Last Girl is a 10 of 10 for me, and the heat level a 4 of 5.

• Book Rating: The Last Girl: 10 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 9 of 10
• Heat Level: 4 of 5

One final note, the author has her own warning about not condoning "behavior done to another human being without their consent". I'll add my two cents to that and say non-consent can be hot in a fiction book (or in role play with your husband), but it has no place in real life.


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Angel and the Assassin by Fyn Alexander

 

I read Angel and the Assassin in preparation for the second book, Angel and the Assassin 2: Be Brave.

Here is the blurb for the first book in this series:

Kael Saunders loves to dominate handsome, masculine men like himself. Being in charge is his way of life whether it be in his work with the Secret Intelligence service, his personal life, or in the dungeon. The last thing he expects when he is out on a hit is to fall in love with Angel, an eighteen-year-old boy desperate for the love and guidance of a Daddy. Yet Angel also has a passion for being spanked and restrained. Two very different men find love in a world of skilled assassins, Bosnian terrorists, and dungeon play.

I'll get the controversy out of the way first: I have no issues with what grown adults choose to call each other in a consensual power exchange relationship. If they want to call each other Sir, Master, Daddy, pet, slave, sub, boy... I don't care. If you've got a problem with the Daddy honorific then you may want to skip this one. If you can substitute Daddy with Master then you should be fine.

There are a lot of situations where I'd have problems with a thirty plus year old Dom taking on a barely legal young man in any sort of slave relationship - but the set up for this relationship made it okay for me. Angel had been wanting this, had magazines about it, had dreamed of finding his own leather daddy. And Kael was responsible with the power he was given. I didn't agree with everything he did, but that's okay. Overall I thought he was a responsible Dom who was worthy of the trust he was given.

Now for the fun stuff... Fyn Alexander writes hot sex and great D/s. It was tender, it was rough, it was harsh, it was sweet. There was communication. And did I mention the sex was hot?

One of my pet peeves is when conflict involves a lack of communication, and that carried the story for a brief period of time. It didn't annoy as much as it normally does though. For these two particular characters the lack of communication was plausible. Plus, it didn't last too terribly long. Had it stretched out much longer it would have caused a problem.

I want Kael's dungeon. Seriously.  And I wouldn't mind being under his flogger, either. There is a flogging scene in this one that has to be one of the top three or four descriptions of a good flogging that I've ever come across.  Yum.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: 2 of 3 
• Extra Point: Yes

As for the writing elements:

• There were a couple of plots, all of the nicely done, and all of them worked well together.
• Pacing was perfect.
• Prose and dialogue were well done. 
• Character development was exceptional.  

The heat level on this one is easy - it's a five of five hands down. 

• Book Rating: Angel and the Assassin: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 9 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

I'm about to open up Angel and the Assassin 2: Be Brave and I can't wait to see what happens next. Will there be color in the apartment? How much will Angel have grown up? How much farther will things go in the dungeon now that the pair have been together a while?

 

Three Wishes by Sean Michael

 

Three Wishes looks to me to be the beginning of a new series, and if the next book is as good as this one? I'm sold.

The three fantasies here are:

1. A man who wants to be forced to accept body mods - tattoos and piercings. He's stipulated a few guidelines, but for the most part he doesn't want to be able to chicken out, so he wants to be forced into it. I loved this fantasy. Great Master, perfect level of D/s... it just flat out worked for me. And I'm not a huge body mod fan.
2. A couple who are looking for more edge play, so they've come to the island where they've requested experts be brought in for cutting, flogging, breath play, etc. One thing each day, the first day is the sub's fantasy, the next day is the dom's fantasy, then the sub's again, the dom's again, and then something that is for both of them. Everything is done to the sub while the Dom sits in a comfy chair and watches. I liked where the author was taking this, but felt that it was cut short and we missed seeing more than half of the fantasy. I loved the ideas, and was disappointed that we didn't get to see more.
3. And finally, someone with a medical fantasy who wants to be forced to submit to enemas, speculums, etc. This one had a twist that worked out great, and I enjoyed this fantasy as well.

There is also some drama going on with the three people who own the island, but I'm not going to say much about that. Well, except that I'm looking forward to the next book.

I think I've told you pretty much what the blurb says, but just to be thorough, here's the blurb:

James, Guard, and Damien run an island where your fantasy, no matter how kinky, how perverse, will come true for you. It's a lot of work, but they're dedicated to making it work for their clients. If only they could make their own three-way relationship run as smoothly.

In Three Wishes, the men bring in three different couples for their special services. Handsome model Benji is tired of being perfect, and he wants to make his body his own. Thor, tattoo artist and piercer, as well as Dom, is just the man to do it. Will Benji find what he's looking for?

Meanwhile, Alan and Roman are a long-time sub/Dom couple looking to have a few outside Masters give Alan all the things that Roman can’t. Will their relationship survive Alan's strong reaction to one of the Masters?

The last couple to visit the island are Quinn and Pierce. Quinn has a medical fetishes he’s embarrassed to tell his lover Pierce about even though Pierce is a doctor. So he’s going to get it out of his system in this safe environment. At least that’s the plan...

Don't miss out on these fantasies come true.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 2 of 3.  Nothing too drastic here. Light punishment and some decent bondage when necessary, but neither of of these elements is really the focus.
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3. Yum.
• Sadism and Masochism:  3 of 3 - though we don't get a blow-by-blow of each thing done, there is a good bit of edge play. And we get Doms who aren't afraid of taking a sub right to the limit of what they are capable of handling.
• Extra Point: Yes.

As for the writing elements: I enjoyed all of the plots, which are really just the three fantasies. The pacing was great. Prose and dialogue were fine. Character development wasn't terribly in-depth but it was okay as we were given enough so we understood what made each person crave their particular fantasy.

• Book Rating: Three Wishes: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 9 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

I thoroughly enjoyed Three Wishes -- the story idea is a great way to bring in special fantasies and edge play... things that aren't done on a daily basis but that can be done in a safe environment with people who know what they are doing. I'm also intrigued by the drama going on with the island's owners, and while I probably have a good idea of how that's going to end up in the long run, I think I'm going to enjoy seeing it play out.

Finding Sanctuary by DC Juris

 

I am flabbergasted. In a good way. Finding Sanctuary kept me up much later than I'd planned on staying awake. Just when I thought I had an idea of how things were going to go, an extra kink got thrown into the mix, so to speak.


Towards the beginning of the story I had issues with someone making the kinds of decisions that were being made here, seemingly overnight. Or over a couple of nights. But the more character development we were shown, the more it became apparent that this man had been through years of therapy and was having his 'a-ha moment' sort of all at once. All of that work in therapy leading towards this one weekend where everything falls into place. Even at that, it was probably still a little too much for the short period of time the book spans. But it was written well enough, and convincingly enough, that I was fine with it.

Here's the blurb:

Finding Sanctuary is the story of Vincent, a typical, average guy who has begun to unravel. He has a respectable, mainstream life, with a solid job, nice girlfriend, comfortable house—all the material trappings. What, then, is causing this restlessness, these blackouts? The first revelation is that his best friend Eric is also his heart’s desire. But then Eric invites him to a weekend at a BDSM playhouse ... There Vincent will confront his fears and test the limits of his sexual boundaries. Eric has his needs, too—needs that conflict with Vincent’s. Will their fragile new bond survive the weekend? Will Vincent find the sanctuary he so fervently desires?

Another of my pet peeves is the submissive who is "broken", and who must be fixed. But while it seems so for a short period of time, that's not what is going on here. This is a man who has every reason to be broken, but who is not, he's just finally acknowledging his needs. It's not that he needs to be fixed, it's just that he needs to accept what his body has been trying to tell him for some time. He's worked on his issues, worked to fix himself. Sure, he needs a little help from his friend to figure everything out, but it's not his friend, or some Dom, "fixing" him... they are just helping him figure it out. Helping him deal with and understand his feelings.

There weren't that many editing issues, but the few there were just happened to hit on those things that especially annoy me.  For instance: Dominate is the verb, Dominant is the noun. 

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: 3 of 3 
• Extra Point: Yes

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was the relationship storyline, and while I had issues with it at first, by the end of the book I was mostly fine with it.  BDSM is such a diverse thing, and everyone has such different things that can turn them on - seeing to it that everyone gets their needs met is a pretty important part of a BDSM relationship, and this one is no different. 
• Pacing was fine.
• Prose and dialogue were well done. 
• Character development was very nice. 

The Intensity Level of 9 of 10 might be a touch misleading, as there are some pretty intense BDSM practices explored in Finding Sanctuary. But these intense experiences aren't treated as "oh, look how extreme we are being". Instead, the author helps us to understand why the submissive wants this done to him, and helps us understand the feelings and sensations. For instance, watersports aren't treated as a way to humiliate, or as something gross.The experience isn't seen as being extreme, just something to experience.

I do take issue with the fact that someone who is flogged until he bleeds can wake up the next morning and have something on his mind besides the part of is body that was flogged. But, again, I'm willing to allow for the fantasy a bit.  I am easily giving Finding Sanctuary a 9 of 10. The character development was well done, the relationship(s) were mostly believable, and the scenes were well written. And Hot. With a capital H.

• Book Rating: Finding Sanctuary: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 9 of 10  (from BDSM Elements above)
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

DC Juris is a new author for me, and one I'll be paying attention to in the future. I would love to be able to check back in on these two characters in a few months, to see how they are doing. To see how they are incorporating the lifestyle into their relationship during the week, and to travel with them to the playhouse a few times on the weekend to check in on that situation, as well.

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Fortune by Annabel Joseph

 

We first met Ryan in Deep in the Woods, he was a fun guy and a pretty serious dominant. And a great friend.

We get to know him a whole lot better in Fortune.

Here's the blurb:

Kat doesn’t know whether or how to end her six-night-a-week party habit, not to mention her unhealthy addiction to meaningless sex. Then an accident lands her in the hospital. She wakes to find a menagerie of origami figures—and a gorgeous neurosurgeon—beside her bed. The complexity of the paper creations is nothing compared to the complexity of dark-eyed, authoritative Ryan, who seems determined to give her life some direction. Trouble is, Kat’s just as determined to resist his efforts to tame her wild side.

With persistence, Ryan draws Kat into his world of dominance and submission, where quiet commands and lengths of rope awaken needs and desires she never knew she possessed. But Ryan’s intimate, erotic shibari sessions frighten Kat as much as they excite her, for each simple knot requires infinite trust and inspires complicated emotions.

Then a family crisis tests their love and threatens to snap the fragile ties that bind them. Will fortune ever smile on this unlikely couple, or will fate tear them apart?

Normally I have a problem with Doms who spank someone before the whole "consent" talk happens. But in this case it was okay. Kat did consent to it, in her own way... and she never would have had the conversation if she hadn't already experienced some kink first.

The whole set up worked for me. The "vanilla" woman who is really submissive and a touch masochistic but never realized it. Authors have to be careful with that or it doesn't work. Annabel Joseph made it work. Quite well.

The cranes were almost a character within the story. A powerful presence. The character development in general was powerful, and to make origami cranes have enough of a presence to qualify as a character... it takes a skillful author.

I appreciated the levels of consent in place throughout the book. I also appreciated the way the BDSM was integrated into real life. And the way the relationship progressed. This is a love story, a romance. Sure, it's between a Dom and a sub. But it's also between a doctor and a translator. A man and a woman.

And I loved the way Kat's family was integrated into the story. Even the painful parts.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Yes, but the bondage was artfully done. 3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. And it was very realistically done. 3 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism: Oh yes.  2 of 3
• Extra Point: Yes.

There is one group scene between friends, an extended version of what happened in the first book. An M/M/f/f scene. And it's hot. Capital H. Hot.

As for the writing elements: The plot worked. Nicely. The pacing was well done. Prose and dialogue were skillfully woven together. Character development was most excellent.

• Book Rating: Fortune: 10 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 9 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

Both of these books can be read as stand alone books, but both books are excellent, so you may as well read the first book first, then read the second.

1. Deep in the Woods
2. Fortune

Deep in the Woods by Annabel Joseph

 

Deep in the Woods is a charming story of healing, growth, and love, all wrapped up in a nice warm D/s relationship that happens to have a Sadist and a Masochist in it.

I like that the book doesn't span just a few weeks before we see a HEA, we have a few large jumps in time, so we get to see them grow over time.

Here's the blurb:

Sophie finally finds the courage to reenter the Atlanta BDSM scene after extricating herself from an abusive relationship. At a local munch, she meets Dave, a funny, laid-back erotic photographer. When she sees him again later at a dungeon, Sophie is surprised by her strong attraction, and nervous about starting a new relationship, but Dave eases her fears. They embark on a sexy, thrilling D/s relationship and Sophie finds healing and fulfillment in Dave’s arms.

But Sophie is still haunted by nightmares of her past. On a dark night in the woods with Dave and his friend Ryan, frightening memories overtake her. She knows that in order to move on, she must uncover the tragedy that haunts her subconscious.

Sophie’s quest for answers brings her face-to-face with her previous tormentor. She finds herself once more in the deep woods, not only fighting for answers…but also for her life.

I only had one issue with the book: It was bothersome that Sophie wasn't honest with her therapist - a year in therapy sounds good, but with her therapist not understanding what happened and why she was in therapy to begin with, I'm not really sure how that could have helped too much.

It is good that Sophie found someone who wouldn't take advantage of her again, because I wasn't convinced that Sophie was healed in the "she won't ever let that happen again" way of being healed. However, by the end of the book I do believe she was healed where it concerns the memories and getting beyond them.

There were a lot of things I liked about Deep in the Woods. I liked that Dave teaches her martial arts so she can defend herself. I like that he insists she keep up with her therapy appointments, and that he keeps her in contact with her family. I liked that he went slow with her at first, but that once he was sure she was ready for it, he didn't go easy on her. I also loved the menage scenes in the book. Yum.

Deep in the Woods speaks to the fears of many submissives -- what happens if the Dom you are in a relationship with gradually takes you deeper and deeper until you are in an abusive relationship -- but, as with the story of the boiling frog, it's done gradually so that you don't realize it? For submissive men or women who want to be in a 24/7 relationship, that's a scary thing. (As someone who has been around for a while I'll say that if you have those worries then your biggest red flag will be a Dom who tries to take you away from your friends. If your lifestyle friends think something is wrong - listen to them, don't get defensive. Okay, I'll get off of my soapbox and get back to the review.) We don't see the abusive relationship, we just see the aftermath of it, and that's enough. I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed reading about the abuse, just seeing it in flashbacks was painful for me.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Yes to both. Not too heavy on the bondage, but there are a couple of punishment scenes that are quite yummy. 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. Deep in the Woods is a good example of a D/s relationship that works.It's 24/7 without being over the top 24/7. She doesn't have to say Sir every time she speaks to him, only when he's using his "Dom voice". They find a nice balance of D/s and real life.  3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: He's a sadist, she's a masochist. They work well together. 3 of 3
• Extra Point: Yes, the BDSM is woven nicely into the story.

As for the writing elements: the plot is original and well done, the pacing was good, prose and dialogue were nicely done, and character building was excellent.

Book Rating: Deep in the Woods: 9 of 10
Heat Level: 5 of 5
BDSM Intensity Level: 9 of 10

Deep in the Woods is a nice little romance with enough plot twists to keep it interesting, and is written by someone who gets the world of BDSM. Annabel Joseph manages to get the physical stuff right, and the mental/emotional stuff right.


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A Russian Bear by CB Conwy

 

A Russian Bear is a fun book that follows along as a BDSM newbie is shown the ropes by a Dom with a lot of experience. Sounds familiar, but it's different than most books that follow along that path.

Mischa has a one scene policy, but he's used to taking home experienced subs. He's got a bit of a reputation as a hard player, so the only subs who go home with him are experienced and ready for hard play. The subs who go home with him know the rules and don't have to be taught anything, they are just in it to see how far they can be taken.

When Mischa starts showing Tom the ropes, Tom doesn't know those rules. He submits once the Dom stuff starts, but the rest of the time he's himself -- no pretenses, no twink stuff. It catches Mischa off guard, but it's a welcome change, and things progress nicely.

Here's the blurb:

To Mischa, life is simple. Doms are Doms and subs are for fucking, flogging, and bossing around. Until he meets Tom, that is. Tom is deeply offended when the stranger in the bar takes him for some kind of slave boy. Well, offended and more than a little excited by the thought of surrendering to Mischa. Mischa being Mischa, their meeting results in Tom losing his virginity in a way that's hotter than even his wildest fantasies.

Mischa is drawn to Tom and makes another appointment. And then another, initiating Tom to every kink Mischa knows. They aren't scenes, of course, because Mischa has a "one boy, one scene" rule. But then again, Tom isn't exactly like his usual boys, and Mischa finds himself falling in love, though nowhere near ready to admit it. Luckily, Tom isn't exactly your stereotypical slave. Life is good -- until Tom gets attacked, and Mischa has to fight harder than ever to make Tom realize that he isn't going anywhere.

At about 80% through the book I was prepared to give A Russian Bear a 10 of 10. But then I got to Chapter 10 and the bottom fell out. Without giving spoilers, it's like the author suddenly realized there was no major conflict, nothing trying to pull her men apart, and that just wouldn't do. So she put it into the story, and it's all in the last 15% of the book. If I had stopped reading at the end of Chapter 9 my rating would have been 10 of 10. But I didn't, so the book gets a 9 of 10. I should drop it farther, but the first part of the book was really good, so I'm only knocking off a point instead of the two or three that should probably be knocked off.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Decent amount of bondage, not much discipline needed, since Tom flows into his submission so nicely. There is some punishment, it's just not a big part of their relationship.  2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. Lots of both.  3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Yep, lots of that as well. And it's pretty well described. 3 of 3 
• Extra Point: I have one more point I can give if the BDSM fits together nicely, works well with the story. It does.  1 of 1

As for the writing elements, the plot is mostly following the relationship from beginning until the couple is well on their way to a HEA, and it works well, right up until the author decides to throw a wrench into the works. The pacing was mostly good with a few minor issues. Prose and dialogue are very well done, and character development is excellent.

• Book Rating: A Russian Bear: 9 of 10
• Intensity Level: 9 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

A Russian Bear is a beautiful story of two people coming together. The BDSM is artfully done, and the relationship flourishes as a result of the intellects of the parties as well as their kinks. The last fifteen to twenty percent of the book is unfortunate, but the first eighty percent or so is a very nice story.