The Auction by Kitty Thomas

 

The Auction is set on another planet, far in the future. Humans have seeded this planet, and the species that lives there allows them one city in which to live. If they leave the city, the monsters kill them.

Human females are auctioned off when they turn 18. We are shown that it's not such a different idea than the dowries of old, the main difference being the money goes into the city's coffers. Most girls have someone buy them and set them free, a family member or boyfriend. Some are bought for the purpose of being owned, but society tries to ignore that when it happens. I liked the build up, the thought processes that went into building this society, this world.

Here is the blurb:

Belle Walker lives in a strict society where women are treated as property, sold to the highest bidder soon after their eighteenth birthday. But the auction isn’t the only danger. Though she’s never seen them, she knows monsters live outside the city. These creatures have allowed the humans a small area to inhabit with the promise to leave them in peace as long as they never cross the boundary. On the day Belle is sold, one of the monsters breaks that promise and enters the city, intent on having her as his own.

Kitty Thomas, as a general rule, focuses more on the psychology behind slavery and submission than she focuses on the physical. Tender Mercies was the exception, where she gave us a lot more description of the physical acts. But with The Auction, she gives just enough for our imaginations to take hold and finish the picture in our own way. I appreciate that, I really do, but sometimes I could do with a little more description.


BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: 1 of 3
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was predictable but that was okay, I enjoyed the process of getting there.
• Pacing was fine
• Prose and dialogue are always very well done when Kitty Thomas is writing.
• Character development was superb
• World-building went above and beyond for such a short story, describing not only the physical aspects but the general rules of society.

I've gone back and forth on a rating and I'm settling on a 9 of 10.

• Book Rating:The Auction: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 6 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

I recommend The Auction even if you aren't normally a sci-fi fan. Sometimes, taking us to another world allows an author to give us non-consensuality in a way that is hot without pushing our squick buttons. It's far enough from our reality to allow our inner conscience to keep quiet, and close enough to our fantasies to allow our libido to enjoy it. Kitty Thomas has once again done an excellent job of giving us a non-consensual relationship that ends up working for both people, and letting us travel along the thought processes from beginning to end.

The Prince's Boy Volume One by Cecilia Tan

 

We are warned at the beginning that this story was written as a serial, and thus it has something exciting in every chapter. I did find this to be the case, but it wasn't a problem for me. Not all of the titillating bits were my thing, so I still found that the enjoyable bits (for me) were mostly spread out enough that I wasn't on sensual overload.

As for the story, I must warn that this is Volume One, so it ends on a cliffhanger. I went looking and discovered the rest of the story is being given out one chapter at a time over at Circlet Press. It looks like there are another few weeks left until we reach the end of the story, so I'll be checking in on Wednesdays for a while, I suppose. Yes, the story is that interesting.

This is fantasy... a world where there are kings and whipping boys and magic. And, of course, there is more than one kind of magic, with one being seen as good and one being seen as bad -- Day Magic and Night Magic. The world building is very well done, I felt the rules of this world were well defined and I had no confusion about what was and was not possible.

Some of the BDSM activity is consensual, some is not. The story is a good one, the characters are well developed. I went looking for the next installment more for the story than the sex, though I will also say that there are areas that the sex carries the story, so that isn't the case throughout.

Here's the blurb:

In a fantasy world where male/male lust fuels Night Magic, Prince Kenet lives a sheltered life. Isolated from the war that threatens the kingdom, he and his whipping boy Jorin are of age, but still sneak forbidden pleasures in their bed at night. When a dark mage tries to bespell Kenet into sexual submission, the prince and his boy are thrust into the world of intrigue, sex, and war.

Volume One of The Prince's Boy collects chapters 1 through 56 of this wildly popular gay erotic web serial by Cecilia Tan. Begun on July 29, 2009, chapters were posted weekly, following the adventures of Prince Kenet and his whipping boy, Jorin. Drawing on complex themes of dominance and submission, the need for secrecy in a world where homosexuality is not accepted, and the intertwining of sex with magic, Tan weaves a complex, sex-filled adventure that is part  "Three Musketeers" and part  "Claiming of Sleeping Beauty."

I'm not sure I agree with the last part, as I don't really see it as all that similar to either the Three Musketeers or the Beauty series, but that's okay. It's an enjoyable story with interesting plot lines and good reasons to throw in a lot of sex with elements that include various BDSM type activities.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Most is not consensual, 3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: A decent amount is consensual, sort of,  3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: There is a good bit of pain, but most of it is not really enjoyed in a masochistic way, 1 of 3 
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements plot pacing prose dialogue character development world-building

• Book Rating: The Prince's Boy Volume One: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: The pain and subjection is intense at times, but the sum of the parts is only a 7 of 10 
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

Cecelia Tan has done a good job of creating an interesting world with intriguing characters.  I am looking forward to seeing where the story takes us next.

Chronicles of Surrender series by Roxy Harte

 

I read the first three books in this series years ago. And I loved them. So when the new ones came out, my intention was to read the first three books again, before reading the next two. However, trying to fit time to read five books in... I just kept putting it off, until I finally realized it wasn't going to happen. So I spent an hour skimming through the first three books, slowing down for the really good parts -- the peppers, the kitty cage, the final scene before... well, that would be a spoiler.

There is no way to review the books without giving spoilers. The characters change and grow so much during the series that they are barely the same people they were at the start. That's a good thing, though. In real life our experiences change us. It's supposed to work that way.

If you, like me, read the first three long ago then I highly recommend you buy the next two books in the series.

If you've never read any of the books, then... wow. This is a great series. At first it's about kink, and power exchange. Then it's about some of the different, well, flavors, of that kink. Different Doms do things different ways. And sometimes a Dom has to alter things to make sure a submissive's specific needs are being met. As feelings start to enter the equation, things change. So many different kinks are explored, the mental parts just as much as the physical parts. It ends up being about how to make a relationship work, how to do the kink and have a somewhat normal life, too. It's 24/7, and certainly in the ball park of TPE, but the day to day stuff is not so over the top that it could never actually work that way.

Some of the books in the series get a 10 of 10 from me, others get an 8 of 10. The series as a whole gets a 10 of 10.

BDSM elements:

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

Simply saying that the sum adds up to a 10 of 10 for the intensity doesn't really say enough about the ways the BDSM is handled in this series. Some of the aspects are handled very creatively, some are cut and dried, some are gentle and tender, some are incredibly harsh, and some are tender and harsh at the same time.

As for the writing elements:

• The plots in most of the books are exceptionally well done. There were a few things that made me stretch a bit for the believability factor, but the series as a whole is good enough to forgive those parts.
• Pacing is fine.
• Prose and dialogue are nicely woven together.
• Character development has depth and interest for not just the main characters but a few of the secondary characters as well.

The Chronicles of Surrender books are romance books at heart, though a few of the books head off into the spy and intrigue stuff and that takes precedence over the romance here and there. I didn't feel the BDSM was over the top, though some people may be uncomfortable with a few of the scenes. I think we are supposed to be uncomfortable with a few of them, and I also think the author does a good job of explaining why the intensity, and why those particular kinks, are a turn on for the characters.

• Series Rating: Chronicles of Surrender: 10 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 10 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5 

The books in this series are:

1. Sacred Secrets
2. Sacred Revelations
3. Unholy Promises
4. Echo Of Redemption
5. Cries of Penance

It looks like there is a new book soon to be released in this series, titled Vow of Silence.  It appears this is Dr. Psycho's book, and the warnings have me more than a little bit interested.
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Where he Belongs by DC Juris

 
Where He Belongs is short. At not quite five thousand words, I'd say it falls under the extremely short heading.

Here's the blurb:

Vance and Raine had the perfect little life, until their shared sassy sub, Andrew, threw a hissy fit and left them. But the big, wide world turned out to be far too lonely, and Andrew is back, wanting to come home. Vance is willing -- he knows he'll always do anything he must to keep Andrew -- but Raine isn't. Raine's heart still hasn't mended, and he's going to need some convincing before he lets Andrew back in. Fortunately for Andrew, Vance has a plan.

For such a short story, we learn a surprising amount about what happened before, so we know why these three characters are where they are in this brief moment in time we are shown. There is one surprise twist thrown in, and just enough of a scene to get us interested. It's a nice short story.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 1 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: This story is primarily about a relationship that has broken up, and whether it's possible for it to get back together. There is some D/s, enough so we know that in a functioning relationship it would be front and center... but what we see is mostly just people talking. 1 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: 0 of 3 
• Extra Point: 0 of 3

As for the writing elements: the plot is simple enough for such a short story and there is even an unexpected twist thrown in, prose and dialogue are both fine, character development gives us more than one would think in such a short story. 

I'm giving Where He Belongs an 8 of 10 for several reasons. One being that I think it was too short. Even just another thousand or two thousand words could have shown us enough to have knocked the enjoyment factor so much higher.  It's a perfectly good plot with perfectly good characters and I want to see more than the 30 or 45 minutes of their lives that we got to see.

• Book Rating: Where He Belongs: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 2 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

I loved Finding Sanctuary by DC Juris, if you haven't read this author before I would recommend Finding Sactuary over Where he Belongs.

 

Club Mephisto by Annabel Joseph

 

Club Mephisto is a relatively short read of a TPE couple when the Master goes out of town and, because his slave completely fell apart the last time he had to leave her behind for a week, he leaves her in the care of another trusted Master while he is gone.

Here's the blurb:

Molly is a 24/7 slave dedicated to serving her Master. When her Master’s business calls him away on a weeklong trip, he arranges to leave her in the care of Mephisto, the owner of a thriving local BDSM club. Molly is both excited and scared to be given over to Master Mephisto. His power and mysterious intensity have long compelled her from afar.

Molly finds herself immersed in a world of strict commands, pervasive sex, and creative torments. Over the course of a week, Mephisto strips away privileges Molly took for granted, and forces her to understand and acknowledge the depths to which she can be made to submit. But a surprising conversation the last day threatens Molly’s worldview, as does the strange closeness that develops between them. As the time of Master’s return draws near, Molly finds herself deeply and inexorably changed.

Publisher's Note: this BDSM fantasy novel depicts "total power exchange" relationships that some readers may find objectionable. This work contains acts of sadism, objectification, orgasm denial and speech restriction, caging, anal play and double penetration, BDSM punishment and discipline, M/f, M/m/f, M/m, orgy and group sexual encounters, voyeurism, and limited circumstances of dubious consent.

I was actually a tiny bit disappointed that more conversation didn't happen between Molly and her Master at the end. But the door isn't shut on that forever, so it's possible that conversation happens after we are no longer privy to the story. The story was still a very intense one, and was very well written.

I loved seeing Molly, a seasoned slave, struggle with trying to learn the ways of a different Master, and struggle to try to learn the lessons he wanted her to learn while in his care. Especially since it seemed her Master had wanted her to learn these lessons while away from him.

Ms. Joseph has once again delved into the realm of consensual-non-consent, which can be very hot when the Dom or Master is responsible with this much power. That is very much the case here, and it worked for me. Very much so.

BDSM elements:

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

As for the writing elements: There were a few sub plots that worked well even if one of them wasn't tied up as neatly as I'd have liked at the end, pacing was perfect, prose and dialogue were well done, and character development was perfect for the length of the story.

• Book Rating: Club Mephisto: 10 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 10 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

This is intense BDSM on all levels, so if you're looking for the kindler, gentler stuff, this one's probably not for you. If you are looking for full out TPE though, then you'll enjoy Club Mephisto.

Surrender & Whips by Justus Roux

 
Surrender & Whips is two stories, the first is titled Surrender, the second is titled Whips.

Here is the blurb:

Surrender - Something is missing from Adam and Liz’s relationship. When Adam represents an unusual client and must observe her lifestyle he finds what his and Liz’s relationship needs.

Whips - Skye and Arnet love their Master beyond words, yet they are finding it harder to deny their growing feelings for each other.

Surrender gives us an all-knowing seemingly omnipotent Domme who knows better than Adam what he needs in bed. I have known Doms who could get it right a good bit of the time, and I've got some Domme friends who also seem to be pretty good at some aspects of this... but surrender stretched the believability factor for me. It was a decent story, but the main plotline just didn't work for me.

The main scenes are told with Adam as voyeur, watching the action and not experiencing it. All of the scenes also seemed to be designed to show the "omnipotent Domme", how she knew better than the men under her what they needed.

Whips had a nice fantasy setting. Not fantasy as in vampires or fairies, but fantasy as in the way the two submissives lived -- submissive to a rich man who had a house full of servants, so all they had to do was be available for his sexual whims. No housework required.  The story had promise, but it stretched out longer than it should have, and the ending didn't feel very satisfying to me. Others may feel differently, but it just didn't work for me.


BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 2 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: 1 of 3
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements plot pacing prose dialogue character development world-building

• Book Rating: Surrender & Whips: 7 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 5 of 10
• Heat Level: 2 of 5

 

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.

.

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

Review: My Two Doms by G.G. Royale

 

My Two Doms is the story of a woman who falls in love with two men. When they find out, she uses emotional blackmail to force them to like each other and get along with each other enough for her to "keep" both of them. The kicker here is that the men are Doms and the woman a submissive. Do you see the problem?

I don't know any Doms who would have gone along with this. I know some who may have been talked into it if approached in a different way... but none who would allow for the emotional blackmail approach.

I realize that when not in a scene they were all equals and Haley had every right to "fuss" at Gregory and Jason as she did (even if she came off whiny at times, another annoyance). However, most Doms, by definition, tend to have control issues. And they tend to balk when someone tries to control them, especially if they feel they are being put into a corner. 

Here's the blurb:

Haley has been seeing two very different doms, and they both made her happy in their own way. Gregory...older, calm, and willing to show her off. And Jason, a possessive and fiery younger man.

When the two men finally meet up, Haley realizes she doesn’t want each man on separate nights anymore; she wants both of them together! But the two doms are so different -- and so often at each other’s throat -- that she doubts she can have what she desires. Will a surprise weekend together help the men bond or just cause more conflict?

There were a lot of reasons the story didn't work for me. First off, I didn't really like Haley all that much. She seemed... shallow. She didn't know either man very well, so how could she have known she loved them so much? And to expect an environmentalist to get along with someone who works for an oil company? She should have known ahead of time that was a huge stumbling block, but didn't even realize it until the men started asking where the other worked.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Bondage is creatively done and fairly well described. No real punishment scenes, just quick discipline, mostly. 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes and no. Within the scenes she is mostly submissive, but still plotting even during a scene. 1 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Yes, and it is well done and fairly accurately described. 2 of 3. 
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements, the plot didn't work for me, as I couldn't suspend belief enough. Pacing was fine, prose and dialogue were well done, character development was also fairly well done (even though I didn't like the main character very much).

• Book Rating: My Two Doms: 6 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 5 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

I enjoyed the BDSM scenes within My Two Doms, and felt that the author did a fine job with the mechanics of writing. However, the characters and plot just didn't work for me.

As an explanation for the labels I've used, which may seem contradictory to the story explanations: There is no action between the two male Doms, they both focus exclusively on the female submissive. Also, while kitty and pony play are both talked about, there is no actual kitty or pony play, so I didn't label it as such.

Beyond Eden by Kele Moon

 

Beyond Eden grabs you on the first page and doesn't let up until you reach the end. The depth of the characters, the knowledge of how BDSM relationships can work, there are many reasons why Beyond Eden worked for me.

I'll start with the blurb this time:

Three lifelong friends find themselves tangled in a web of love, pain and dangerous secrets in this erotic Garden of Eden tale. Tall, dark and handsome Danny Carlow has always gotten whatever he wants except for the two he wants more than anything—his best friends, lovers Paul and Eve. Determined, he waits like a snake in the grass, poised for the right moment to offer them a temptation too delicious to resist. Artist Eve Everton makes the painful decision to leave her true love Paul for the siren call of New York City. Ten years later, with her life in shambles, she returns. When Paul’s waiting arms aren’t available, Eve falls for Danny’s charm and finds herself a willing accomplice in the dangerous games Danny plays. Former college football star Paul Mattling is now a successful attorney with a bright future ahead of him. But behind those brilliant blue eyes are secret desires for a taste of the forbidden. Will he play it safe or give in to Danny and Eve and bite the apple? Reader Advisory: Not for the faint of heart, the pain in this story is vivid and real, the emotions even more so. Haunting and poignant, Beyond Eden presents a darker side of BDSM. You might gasp. You might cry. You might find yourself reading it again and again.

The blurb is right that we see some of the darker parts of BDSM. But you should know that it's balanced out by showing some of the lighter parts of BDSM. There is one scene where the sub gets cracked up by something and the Dom tries to remain strict and then finally can't manage it, and he cracks up mid-scene, too. These things happen sometimes, it was nice to see it written into the book.

But the darker stuff is certainly there.... I expected to see the physical stuff, but wasn't prepared for the emotional stuff. Beyond Eden made me cry.

I had a few problems with Danny's Dominance, but those things actually just made him more human. All in all he's a good Top, and a responsible Master, one that deserves the trust he is given. He deeply cares for Paul and Eve, and the author did a great job of showing the depth of his commitment to both of them. I love that he cooks for them and takes care of them in so many ways.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Yes. 3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: If I could give it a 4 of 3 then I would.   3 of 3
• Extra Point: Yes. 

As for the writing elements -- the plot was predictable, pacing was mostly okay with a few issues here and there, prose and dialogue were well done and included several humorous laugh out loud moments. Character development was stellar. Seriously, the character development carries the book.

There were more editing issues than there should have been. Editing issues are an annoyance that can pull you right out of the fantasy as you are reading. Even with the typos, the pacing issues, and the predictable plot, Beyond Eden still gets a 10 of 10 from me. Did I mention the fully developed characters? And the accurate descriptions of BDSM play and BDSM relationships?

• Book Rating: Beyond Eden: 10 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 10 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

According to the author's website there will be a sequel called Claiming Eden. I look forward to its release.

Soft Focus by Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine

 

Soft Focus is the first book I've read by these authors, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The blurb looked promising, and a friend recommended it, so I gave it a try. Here's the blurb

Ethan Bouwer has always been the adventurous sort. A freelance nature photographer, he travels the globe and writes erotica on the side whenever things get a bit slow. Hunting for a topic for his next writing project, he stumbles upon a man named David Turner and the taboo world of BDSM. His curiosity piqued, Ethan discovers that David Turner and his beautiful partner Kiyoshi are coming to town for a convention. Ethan makes arrangements for them to meet, but little does Ethan know that he is about to embark on a safari into a world more wild and untamed than anything he has ever encountered before.

I'm a bit conflicted about Soft Focus. I liked the characters and the setting, but there was one element of conflict that seemed to be more of an afterthought, like the authors thought there wasn't enough of a storyline so they needed to complicate things with an outside antagonist. I could have done without the outside antagonist, in my opinion it took more away from the story than it added to it.

The BDSM descriptions are handled well, I appreciated the relationship between David and Kiyoshi. The authors did a good job of showing the give and take that happens in some lifestyle relationships. I also appreciated the way the third person was added in, though there were parts of it that I wasn't comfortable with.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Some bondage, and some threats of discipline. 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: It is talked about more than it is shown. 0 of 3.
• Extra Point: Yes

As for the writing elements, the plot is decent for a menage BDSM story, pacing had some issues, prose and dialogue were fine, and character development was well done. 

• Book Rating:Soft Focus: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 6 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

Soft Focus is a story of three very different men coming together, while one of the men learns about the world of BDSM. The story shows more of the D/s aspects than the physical aspects, though there are enough physical things shown to keep from being a complete tease. I would have liked to see more action, and I wouldn't mind seeing a follow up book as these characters figure out how to make a relationship work.

 

Vampire Mistress (Vampire Queen Book 5) by Joey W. Hill

 

I chose not to read Vampire Mistress when it first came out because I was aware that Vampire Mistress would give us the first half of a story that would be completed in Vampire Trinity. I waited for Vampire Trinity to come out, so I could read the entire story once I started it.

Unfortunately, I'm not attached enough to these characters that I feel the need to read Vampire Trinity right away. I have an ARC of Venom that arrived this morning, and I'm going to read it, and possibly a few other books, before I begin Vampire Trinity.

Some of Joey W. Hill's books work for me in just about every way possible (Rough Canvas, for instance). Others just don't. And there were some word choices this time that jolted me out of the story, things like "not ungently", where I have to do the math and remember that a double negative cancels itself out so she saying it was done gently. This showed up several times in the form of "not un_____ly", and each time it annoyed me and pulled me out of the story.

Here's the blurb, then I'll talk about what worked for me and what did not.

Sometimes desire can work three ways...

In May 2010, Joey W. Hill returns to the dark and seductive landscape of her Vampire Queen novels as a desperate woman finds herself trapped between the desires of two men, each with his own mission of the night.

Gideon Green is a hardcore vampire hunter. But in the past year, his only family, his little brother, became a vampire queen’s servant – and then a vampire himself, giving Gideon a different view of the vampire world. Since Gideon’s sole purpose for over a decade has been killing vampires, the violence that has scarred his soul now haunts his conscience.

Then he crosses paths with a sexy BDSM night club owner, Mistress Anwyn. Their connection is immediate and intense, but she has a silent partner--the vampire Daegan Rei. When Anwyn is viciously attacked and turned by a rogue vampire, Gideon and Daegan join to protect her through a dangerous transition. As the bonds between the three of them draw tighter, Gideon faces an unbelievable truth...that the path to meaning in his life may be found in surrendering to the desires and needs of two vampires.

I think I'm going to start off here by talking about the writing elements:

The pacing was terrible. Way more telling than showing, and so much contemplation and inward searching I was tempted to start glossing over those paragraphs. I think there was possibly more contemplation and psych type stuff than there was action or dialogue. One of Ms. Hills strengths is her ability to show emotions, and have her characters deal with a whole lot of crap and then come out okay on the other side. But it wasn't there for me with Vampire Mistress. Based on the reviews on Amazon I think I'm in the minority, but... there it is. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, and there were times I almost set it aside to read something else.

The dialogue was good, no problems with that. Like I said, it was the inner searching stuff that had problems, and there was just so much of it. But prose was... a bit too wordy at times. I know authors are supposed to really describe everything, and give us all five senses as much as they can. But some of the descriptions were overdone for me.

Character development, for Joey W. Hill, wasn't all that good. I usually fall in love with her characters, and I did not. I like them, but not enough to feel the need to pick up the next book right now. For another author I would have said character development was okay but not great.

World-building is pretty consistent with other books in this series, and it's well done.

The plot was, well, it was predictable. It's a good plot, and a nice way to have a BDSM menage with a male Dom, female switch, and male sub/slave. The characters are strong, each with their own issues to deal with (of course), and they mesh nicely with the story.

I feel like I've talked only about what I didn't like, so I'll point out what I did like: the world building, the conflict expressed between vampire and the vampire's humanity, the camaraderie that Gideon and Daegan find when they begin to find the things they have in common instead of focusing on their differences. I loved that the first time this really happens, for something other than Anwyn, was when they were talking about weapons.


BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Yes, though not all of the bondage is done with a BDSM purpose. We see the promise of some discipline towards the end, but until that scene it's not really a part of the story. I'm wavering between a 1 and 2, but I think it's a  2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes, but it's complicated. And the submission isn't given (for most of the story) because the person wants to submit, but because... well, I don't want to give spoilers, but he submits (or rather, believes he submits) for reasons other than that of a man who wants to submit, so I can't give it a 3. The Dominance is certainly there, but the submission parts need some work. 2 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Not really.  0 of 3
• Extra Point: No

I'm going to have to give Vampire Mistress a 7 of 10. I plan to read Vampire Trinity at some point, and I hope that it makes me feel better about Vampire Mistress than I feel at this time.

There are a couple of really nice (i.e. hot) scenes, but overall the Heat Level is only a 2 of 5 for me.  All in all, I was really looking forward to Gideon's story, and I find myself disappointed by what I've read of it so far. I have been such a fan of Joey W. Hill that it pains me to give a bad review, but I've gotta be honest. So...

• Book Rating:Vampire Mistress: 7 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 4 of 10
• Heat Level: 2 of 5

1. The Vampire Queen's Servant
2. The Mark of the Vampire Queen
3. A Vampire's Claim
4. Beloved Vampire
5. Vampire Mistress
6. Vampire Trinity

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A Well-Trained Pup by Dominic Ridler

 

A Well Trained Pup takes us from shortly after puppy play training is started all the way to a completely trained puppy. The story is a good one, not as rough as some puppy stories, certainly rougher than others, though. Pup is trained at a nice pace, so that she's ready for the next steps as they come to her. She's trained and humiliated and thoroughly used, but no one is terribly harsh with her (with one exception). However, we see other puppies* being treated harshly when pup is at the parties, and that adds a nice flavor to her experience. It also really helps the heat level.

The language used to tell the story is simple. At times it felt like the rhythm of a preschool reader, but I think that since the "pup" is telling the story, we're getting simplified language because that is how she is thinking at the time.

As a side note, I tried to figure out why pup refers to her Master, her Trainer, as E. No name, just an initial. Other men in the story have names, why not the man she is closest to?

A Well-Trained Pup give us M/f,   M/m,   M/m/f,   F/m/m,  MMMM/f, and lots of other configurations. There are a few canings, nice use of a tawse, some hand spankings, a little bit of face slapping, puppy tail butt plugs, a cage, sleeping in baskets, and lots and lots and lots of sex.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Some discipline, some bondage. 2 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes, mostly in the context of puppy play, but there are also a few interactions that are more of a typical D/s type. 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism:It's not a huge part of the story, but it crops up a few times - primarily as we see other characters interacting with each other. 2 of 3 
• Extra Point: Yes, the puppy play is an intrinsic part of the story.

As for the writing elements, the plot is mostly just the story of a girl being trained to be a puppy - not that that's a bad thing, its a perfectly good story, but there are no other plots thrown into the mix. Prose and dialogue had some issues, but I think the author was trying to give us the simple talk of someone who is submerged in the role of a puppy. Character development was sufficient for the story, but could easily have been fleshed out a bit more.

• Book Rating: A Well-Trained Pup: 7 of 10
• BDSM Intensity: 8 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

I don't know if the author intends to keep telling the story or not. The ending was satisfying, but it was also one that would easily lend itself for another book in order to give us the story of the next chapter in pup's life, so to speak. If a sequel is written to A Well Trained Pup, or another book written in this universe, I would be interested in reading it.


* Just to be clear, when I say "pup" or "puppy" or "puppies", I'm talking about the human variety, not the true canine variety. No actual dogs are involved.


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Forty-Eight Hour Burn (The Service Club) by Tonya Ramagos

 

Forty-Eight Hour Burn is a fun little story with lots of yummy domination and submission, hot menage sex, and mild punishment. 

It's one of those HEA stories that moves too quickly into HEA to be believable, but it's still a hot little story.

Here's the blurb:

Georgia knows what Gavin and Randy expect in return for their touch. She’s primed and willing for the sacrifices to feel the fire these roughened, firefighter cowboys offer. Only one thing prevents her total surrender. When they ignite a burn in her that takes her to the edge of orgasmic insanity, she might change her mind.

All it takes is the right woman to have a cowboy bucking to please. Georgia is that woman for Randy, and he’s aching hard to bring on the pleasure. With only forty-eight hours to convince her to stay, he stands to lose a lifetime of crazed heaven.

Gavin figures himself a reasonable man. Fueled by desires for Georgia, he’s made it clear the erotic pleasures he plans to show her. In return, he demands total submission. Compromise isn't an option, especially when he believes she’s in danger from demons associating with him unleash.

BDSM Elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Some bondage, not a lot. A few discipline scenes, none of them very rough - mostly orgasm denial and very little physical punishment. 1 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. Two very dominant and very hot men, and one very willing submissive. 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: None. They want to dominate her only where it involves giving her pleasure. 0 of 3

My intensity level is a combination of those three things added together, which gives us a 4 of 10 - I have one more point to give, based on how well the BDSM works with the story, and I'll add that point in for an intensity level of 5 of 10.

The heat level is a 4 of 5, they have really hot sex.

As for the writing elements, Ms. Ramagos does manage to put a bit of a plot into the mix, and if this is part of a series then I see a bit of a story arc being placed as well. The pacing was fine, prose and dialogue were fine, and character development was good.

• Book Rating: Forty-Eight Hour Burn: 8 of 10
• Intensity Level: 5 of 10
• Heat Level: 4 of 5

Not sure if I'll get the second book in the series or not. I'll read the blurb when it comes out, and will likely wait to read some other reviews before I make that decision.

As She's Told by Anneke Jacob

 

As She's Told is the story of how far you can take a 24/7 relationship. One where there are no negotiations, no safewords. We start out with the basic power exchange conundrum: If there are negotiations, then it's just a game. The submissive isn't really giving up true uncontested power, he or she is just negotiating to get what they want. A true power exchange would not have negotiations. Actual slaves don't get to negotiate.

In real life, most of us need to negotiate our hard limits, though the fantasy of not being able to do that is occasionally there. I realize there are some people who eventually get to the place where they give up all of their hard limits, but that generally happens as a process, and takes a dozen or more years. As She's Told takes place over a less than two year period of time, and by the end she is pretty much totally objectified. I don't think I'm giving spoilers by saying that, as the blurb pretty much says the same thing:

Take two caring, thoughtful individuals with some highly unusual sexuality, let their paths cross, and watch how far their obsession takes them. That's the essence of this story about an intense bdsm relationship: extreme, loving, creative, steeped in imagination, embedded in the real world. What emerges is a passionate, private sexual reality, in which the balance of power tips only one way.

Maia and Anders want nothing less than total power exchange, without games, negotiations or safewords. Any pretence is out of the question; for both of them the power relationship has to be as genuine as it is absolute, but Anders is more than aware of the risks to inexperienced Maia if she should be wrong about what she can handle. Early on, he steers a careful line between games and gobbling her up. His ownership is established step by step through conditioning, painful consequences, humiliation and constant bondage, and before long, Maia finds walking away has become inconceivable.

Anders keeps his slave increasingly 'like an animal on a very short tether' something to which she struggles to adjust, in a continuous state of terror and joy His love of technology takes some interesting turns, particularly around orgasm control, teasing and denial. The intensification of Maia's enslavement is balanced by the pair's affection, sense of humour and intelligent conversation, and by the real world of work and friends. Some of these friends become integrated into the meage one way and another, and help Anders create the setting in which Maia's uttermost submission can flower. Graphic BDSM content.

I appreciate the levels of consent that Anders keeps in place, even when Maia does not want those layers in place. While I would not want this for my life, the fantasy of it is still hot, as well as interesting on an intellectual level. And I really enjoyed hearing, feeling, and exploring the psychology of what happens to Maia as she gets farther and farther away from being a human, with the basic rights and expectations that humans have.

I also appreciated the character building that shows us that this is truly Maia's choice to be an actual slave, and that if her opinion about what happens to her were to be inquired about then it would not work for her. The whole point is that she not have a say in anything. At all. We see her struggling to accept the things done to her, see some anger at some of what is done to her, see her punished when she doesn't immediately obey. It's a very believable set up.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Oh, yes. A 3 of 3. Much bondage, both the leather and metal variety as well as the technology kind. (Think electric butt plug at a crowded music festival, so you can't get more than a foot and a half away from your master without being shocked. In public, where you can't react like you've just been shocked. That is technological bondage.) Maia is in constant bondage of one sort or another for at least a year and a half of the book. Even when she is at work she is in a corset type harness under her clothes, and, later, much more.
• Dominance and Submission: Yes, taken farther than most books take it - As She's Told is in the same ballpark as Carrie's Story, and Mr. Benson, and Story of O. Possibly even the Beauty series, though As She's Told is reality and Beauty was fantasy, as much of what was done in the Beauty series would kill someone. Still, it's the same basic emotional intensity.  D/s is 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Yes, also taken to the extreme. 3 of 3

As for the writing elements, the plot is an excellent plot - the story of how far you can take a 24/7 power exchange that, by design, allows for no negotiations or limits. This is a very long book, and there are some pacing issues, but not so much that I'm going to take any points off. The prose and dialogue are excellent, as is the character development.

As She's Told is one of those books that I will eventually need to read again. It's even one that I may pull out and read through parts of when my wonderful husband is out of town and I need... assistance.

There is one thing that bothered me, made the believability tough on me, and that revolves around female orgasm denial. Our Maia must have clitoral stimulation in order to orgasm, so her Master locks her clit up with no access to it in order to keep her from orgasming. Most women I know (who I talk to about these things) can orgasm in at least two of the three main ways we woman orgasm: clitoral, vaginal, anal. And I know someone who has been trained to orgasm when the side of her throat is stroked a few times and then her Master orders her to come. The body adapts, nerve endings re-route themselves. Just as your hearing gets better when you lose your sight for an extended period of time - if you shut down access to the nerves in the clitoris then the body will move those resources elsewhere. So while the orgasm denial worked for me at first, eventually it no longer worked for me because my body would have long since found another way. Especially since  by that point she wasn't being punished for orgasms, if she could have one she was welcome to it, Anders made it his responsibility to keep them at bay, not hers. (Select the spoiler text to view it.)

Even with that though, I'm not going to knock any points off. I'm going to give As She's Told a 10 of 10. Easily a 10 of 10.

Book Rating: As She's Told: 10 of 10
Heat Level: 5 of 5
BDSM Intensity Level: 10 of 10

Would you enjoy As She's Told?

• If objectification bothers you, then no. You would likely not. The objectification is extreme. And we see it from the Tops' point of view as well as Maia's point of view. It worked for me, but I realize there are some people who will have a serious problem with it.
• If not having a safeword bothers you, even if it is the submissive's choice to not have a safeword, then... maybe, maybe not. There are opportunities for safewords - nightly, then weekly, then monthly, then every six months, and eventually they are working towards yearly -- if you want out, here's your chance, if not then there is no chance until the next scheduled chance.
• If true punishments bother you, the kind that leaves marks that stay for weeks, or that involve putting the submissive in the cold basement in a small metal box for the better part of a day, then you probably wouldn't enjoy As She's Told.
• If you hated Carrie's Story and Safe Word or just couldn't deal with Story of Othen you won't enjoy As She's Told.

If, on the other hand, you enjoyed those books, enjoy the psychology behind objectification, enjoy punishments that are true punishments, and have a thing for pretty much constant bondage that there is absolutely no way to get out of, then by all means get As She's Told and devour it. It's a very well written, brain candy sort of book as well as... ummm, other kind of candy...  sort of book. Not one you want to read in public, unless you want to embarrass yourself.