The Stroke of Twelve by Kim Dare

 

The Stroke of Twelve worked for me. Devon is wondering rather aimlessly through life, and Mr. Templeton helps him find direction.

I loved that we see a bit of both sides, so we know how Mr. Templeton is feeling a bit as well as seeing Devon's side of it.

I had a few issues with the whole structured time thing at first, but as things progressed I understood more of the purpose.

Under normal circumstances, I think a Dom and sub should negotiate, but for a fantasy? It worked for me to have the Dom dictate things and then ask if there was a problem with what was said. He got agreement before they went to the next step.

Here is the blurb:

On the stroke of twelve Devon belongs to him for one hour. One hour that will change the course of his life forever.

Free of responsibility and provided with an independent income, Devon Ashford floats through life thinking only of where the next party might be. When a note orders Devon to present himself at Templeton, Crawford & Associates at noon on Wednesday, he’s curious enough and bored enough to follow the order.

He doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives, but it’s not to be told that on the stroke of twelve, he’ll belong to the stern man on the other side of the desk for exactly one hour. He doesn’t expect anyone to command him to strip for an inspection. Nor does he expect to follow the orders of a stranger. He certainly doesn’t imagine he could like doing that enough to go back for more.

Whatever he expects, Devon’s about to discover that what happens at the stroke of twelve could change the course of his life forever.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: There isn't much bondage, and only a little discipline. But, there is a suspension scene that more than makes up for it.  3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. Tons of it. 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Some, not much. 1 of 3
• Extra Point: Yes

As for the writing elements, it was more of a narrative than a plot, but it was perfect. Pacing was mostly fine, prose and dialogue were well done, character development was perfect.

• Book Rating: The Stroke of Twelve: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 8 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5 . 

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Top BDSM books of 2010

 

On the BookSeriesReviews site I restricted myself to books published in 2010, and I'm going to give myself the same restrictions over here. This list comprises the books published in 2010 that I've read and reviewed. Clicking on the numbered titles will take you to my review of that book. Clicking on the book images will take you to Amazon's page for that book (or the publisher's page if it's not available at Amazon).

1. As She's Told by Anneke Jacob

As She's Told wins hands down. Anneke Jacob managed to create an extreme BDSM tale that was an incredible read. It is the story of how far you can take a 24/7 relationship. One where there are no negotiations, no safewords -- consentual non-consent. Ms. Jacob managed to get the emotions and the mental stuff just right. And the physical stuff was... Wow.

2. Deviations: Safe Words (Deviations book 5) by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne

I fell in love with Noah and Tobias from the first book in this series, and I've enjoyed their journey through the five books in the Deviations series. I'm hoping for a sixth book.

If you are interested in this series then you should start with the first book, Deviations: Submission.

3. Owned And Owner by Anneke Jacob

Anneke Jacob gave us consensual-nonconsent total ownership in As She's Told.  In Owned and Owner she explores the same types of things, but this time with non-consent. It's a fantasy, written on another world so we don't have to deal with the legalities of owning humans on this world. And the world-building on this other world is pretty interesting. But it is the ownership, and the level of BDSM attained, that is the story here.

It's almost a hetero version of What Worse Place Can I Beg In Your Love?, without the twist at the end. The key points are there - caged when your owner doesn't have time for you, no understanding of the language being spoken around you, used as a sexual object, never treated as a person. One of the biggest points in both books is that, because it's a different planet and different life form, the "pet" is not just treated as an animal, but is actually seen as an animal... a lesser life form.

Both of Ms. Jacobs' works made it so high in the ratings in part because of mental explorations. Sure, the physical parts are important (and well written), but it's the mental gymnastics, the thought processes involved in these scenarios that engaged me.

4. Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

Remaining on the non-consent theme, Kitty Thomas gives us the story of a woman kidnapped and then systematically trained to subservience.  Comfort Food is a deeply disturbing book -- one I couldn't put down, and one I highly recommend if you enjoy the psychology behind being owned by someone -- the psychology of what it takes to get you from independent personality to someone who is completely and totally owned - physically, mentally, emotionally.

This is not a blow-by-blow book. There is very little sex, and very little of the typical BDSM type of activities. There is punishment, but it's not the norm: chicken noodle soup becomes punishment.  Rather than the physical acts being the focus, the psychology of what is happening is the focus.

Comfort Food is a very well written book, enough so that I've wondered if this might be a mainstream author who wanted to stretch her creative wings a bit and chose to do so under a pen name. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened -- Pam Rosenthal gave us Carrie's Story and Safe Word under the pen name Molly Weatherfield. And let us not forget Ann Rice and A.N. Roquelaure.

5. Duck! by Kim Dare

It's no secret that I enjoy a good urban fantasy, and Duck! is in this list because of a mixture of the D/s and the detailed worldbuilding Ms. Dare builds for us.

I loved the descriptions of shifting from human form to bird form and back again. I enjoyed the experience of coming back to human form -- the need to hear words in order for the human part of the brain to come to the forefront again.  Then, later, sex right after coming back from bird form, when the human wasn't entirely in charge just yet, the idea of that hawk brain taking control while in a human body. Yum.

The D/s is pretty complete in the story, and that combined with a retelling of The Ugly Duckling - it's just an all around charming story with a very satisfying ending. I would love for Ms. Dare to explore this world some more, as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

6.  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.   The BDSM is both tender and harsh. And we see both extremes - extremely tender, and so harsh that blood flows from a whipping.  The Dom is a caring Dom, I would almost go so far as to call him a Service Dom. He does the cooking - he's the nurturer.  Ms. Moon is working on a sequel, entitled Claiming Eden, and I will grab it as soon as it's available.

7. Deep in the Woods by Annabel Joseph

As a side note, If Annabel Joseph's Comfort Object had been released in 2010 it would be pretty high on this list. But, it was released in 2009.

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 enjoyed the physical parts of the book, but I also enjoyed the mental journey. Parts of the book were hard to read, the emotions that were stirred up weren't always pretty. But that's okay, because the ending was very satisfying. And we get to see the couple again, in the future, in Fortune (look down a few spots, it's on the list, too).

8. Master of the Abyss by Cherise Sinclair

Master of the Mountain was released last year, and was an enjoyable book. Master of the Abyss is a stand-alone sequel, and was a very nice read.

I loved that Kallie was this strong woman capable of handling herself in just about any situation, and that she didn't argue too much with herself over her desire to submit to Jake.

And I loved that Jake showed her respect while he Dominated her. He didn't let her get away with anything, he was quick to give punishments when needed... but he didn't expect her to be okay with something just because he said so.

The two characters seemed to be opposites at first glance, but they worked great together once it started happening.   

9. 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.

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.

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.

10. Willing Victim by Cara McKenna

Willing Victim isn't really BDSM, it's a couple who enjoy rough sex and fantasy rape play.  There is a safe word, and the Top is very careful about staging things so the fantasy is there but it doesn't go too far.

The couple starts out just a little rough and then work their way up to some pretty rough stuff. Nothing that leaves marks, but still, some of it gets intense. 

The nice thing about this particular story and situation is that Flynn is a boxer. Laurel watches him get punched in the face by people who weigh more than twice her weight, so she doesn't have to hold back when she slaps him or hits him -- she can fight back full force without worrying about hurting him, and without worrying about actually getting away from him. And he's strong enough, and in control of himself enough, that it's safe to do that -- he can control her without actually hurting her.

Handcuffs and Headlocks (Rawlings Men book 3) by Kim Dare

 

Handcuffs and Headlocks is the third book in the Rawlings Men series. These are stand alone books, and I think you can probably read them in any order you wish. I've linked to my reviews of the first two books in the series at the bottom of this review.

With each book in this series it has felt like the beginning of the story, where we're left to fill in the rest of the story as the book ends. Each couple manages to discuss and come to a likely resolution to their biggest issue, but there is so much more the author could have explored within each story. She goes to all of the trouble of creating such interesting characters, and then she doesn't tell the whole story.  Or it doesn't feel like she does, anyway.

Here's the blurb for Handcuffs and Headlocks:

Undercover police officer Ed Rawlings isn’t just good at his job—he’s bloody fantastic at it. But there is such a thing as being too good at playing pretend. When reality refuses to come back, even when he’s off duty, something has to change for the hyperactive submissive. Could a no nonsense master be exactly who he needs to help him make those changes?

Derby FitzGerald doesn’t do pretend. Losing track of reality when you’re teaching martial arts would be bound to get very painful, very quickly. But maybe there’s such a thing as taking life too seriously too. Could a confused cop be precisely the right person to remind him of that?

The story mostly worked for me. I liked both characters and could see where the author was taking things. I was also pretty happy with the resolution we were given at the end. Though, as I said, I would have loved for her to give us more of the story.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Not really. 0 of 3.
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. Sort of. 2 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism: Just a touch. 1 of 3.
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements -- the plot was unique, pacing was fine, prose and dialogue were fine, and character development was well done for the length of the story.

• Book Rating:Handcuffs and Headlocks: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 3 of 10
• Heat Level: 1 of 5

1. Handcuffs and Leather (my review)
2. Handcuffs and Glory Holes (my review)
3. Handcuffs and Headlocks
4. Handcuffs and Trouble (Nov 24)

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Ellery's Duty (Thrown to the Lions book 3) by Kim Dare

 
Ellery's Duty is the third book in the Thrown to the Lions series. I've read the first two books, but that was before I was reviewing BDSM books over here. I enjoyed both of the earlier books, though I would consider all of the books in this series as BDSM lite.

The first two books of the series involve a submissive human who volunteers to be "thrown to the lions". This basically means they are cuffed and blindfolded and taken to a home with a lot of men wearlions, and then they are "used" for an hour or so (with a safeword) before being returned to the chauffered car and then returned to the office that originally made the arrangements. The purpose of this, we learn, is so that the werelions can learn how to be with a human without damaging the human. The men are paid rather well for this.

We meet Kefir in the first two books. He's a rarity among the lions, not very dominant at all. He never joins in when the other lions are enjoying the "sacrifice".

In the third book, one of the human Doms decides that he wants to see for himself how the submissive men are being treated when they volunteer to be thrown to the lions, so he submits himself.

You can see where this is going... right? Here's the blurb:

As a well-respected dominant, Ellery has been watching the subs from the local leather bars disappear into the lions’ den for far too long, and he’s not convinced that everything is as fine as they all claim it is. He’s determined to find out what really happens in there. If the only way he can do that is to volunteer to be thrown to the lions himself, so be it.

Kefir’s never worked out what the other lions find so interesting about the human sacrifices who visit their den, but this new man is unlike any other human he’s ever met, and Kefir’s captivated. Can the smallest lion in the pride claim a man like Ellery as his pet—is that even the way Kefir wants to think of his human mate?

While all three books are written as stand alone books, I think that you should read at least one of the first two books before reading the third, so you can get an idea of how the Lion/Human relationship is supposed to work, as opposed to the way it works out in Ellery's Duty.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: None. 0 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: Yes. 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: No. 0 of 3 
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements, the plot fits in with previous plots and gives a nice twist to the series. We also get an idea of who the next book will about, and that also promises to be an interesting plot twist. Pacing is fine, prose and dialogue are fine, character development is well done, and world building continues to be creatively written with this series.

If you enjoy Urban Fantasy and also like M/m erotica then this series might be a good match for you. If you enjoy BDSM lite then that's another plus. If you want your BDSM to be a bit more hardcore then you'll likely be a bit disappointed. 

• Book Rating: Ellery's Duty: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 3 of 10
• Heat Level: 2 of 5

Remember, the heat level here is how I personally saw things, and the lighter stuff doesn't really work for me all that much. If you prefer D/s without a lot of the other elements then your heat level will be higher than mine.

1. Ryland's Sacrifice
2. Marrick's Promise
3. Ellery's Duty
4. Cameron's Pride (Dec 8th)

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Handcuffs and Leather (Rawlings Men book One) by Kim Dare

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Duck! by Kim Dare

 

Duck! is a nice urban fantasy retelling of the Ugly Ducking, with a few twists along the way.

Raised among humans, Ori Jones only discovered he was an avian shifter six months ago. Unable to complete a full shift until he reaches his avian maturity, he still can’t be sure of his exact species.

But with species comes rank, and rank is everything to the avians. When a partial shift allows the elders to announce that they believe Ori to be a rather ugly little duckling, he drops straight to the bottom rung of their hierarchy.

Life isn’t easy for Ori until he comes to the attention of a high ranking hawk shifter. Then the only question is, is Ori really a duck—and what will his new master think when the truth eventually comes out?

I love it when an author trusts me to figure things out on my own and doesn't feel the need to hand feed every little thing to me. And Kim Dare trusts the reader to figure out that a boy who had gone from foster home to foster home, often being returned to the social worker after extreme bouts of clumsiness and broken things, would expect to be sent away for breaking things as an adult, too.

As for the story, I was wanting an Urban Fantasy read, but none of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors have anything new out, and nothing from the debut authors really appealed to me. Then, I read the blurb for Duck! and figured I'd give it a try, mixing BDSM with Urban Fantasy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This one works.

I loved the descriptions of shifting from human form to bird form and back again. I enjoyed the experience of coming back to human form -- the need to hear words in order for the human part of the brain to come to the forefront again.  Then, later, sex right after coming back from bird form, when the human wasn't entirely in charge just yet, the idea of that hawk brain taking control while in a human body. Nice.

The BDSM is... at first thought I want to call it BDSM lite. When in reality it's the S&M and B&D aspects that aren't very big, because the D/s is huge. There is also a lot about the difference in a bully and a Dom, but it's shown by experience, not shoved down our throats. Again, the author gives the information within the story and trusts the reader to figure it out.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: None. Well, other than writing lines for punishment. Which was actually the perfect way to handle the situation... but still... no "discipline" in the normal BDSM sense of the word. And very little bondage.  1 of 3.
• Dominance and Submission: Yes, quite a bit.  3 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism: Just a touch. There is one really nice scene where Ori is made to fly in the traditional type of a BDSM scene.  1 of 3. 
• Extra Point: The D/s is a big part of the story and a major part of the plot, but I'm not adding the extra point.  

As for the writing elements: the plot is wonderful and well thought out, and I love the plot resolutions. The pacing was mostly good. Prose and dialogue were excellent, with the author taking the time to use words that an Avian society would be more likely to use. Character development was excellent, and world building was perfect. Seriously, world building was put together with the kind of detail you don't always see in Urban Fantasy Erotica, and I'm impressed.

• Book Rating: Duck!: 9 of 10
• Intensity Rating: 5 of 10  (1+3+1)
• Heat Level: 4 of 5

How can I have an Urban Fantasy in the Realistic BDSM category? Well, it's an Urban Fantasy, but the actual BDSM is realistic and does not really change because both men happen to be bird shifters. There is no "I can damage you horribly because you'll heal" stuff.  There are a few small exceptions, where things are a bit different because they are shifters, and for that reason I've also listed Duck! in the Fantasy BDSM category - one exception is the time they have sex when the hawk mind is still in control even though the human body has shifted back into being. That was pure fantasy, and it was a rather nice one, at that.

All in all I enjoyed Duck! and would enjoy more stories from this universe.

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Handcuffs and Glory Holes (Rawlings Men) by Kim Dare

 

Handcuffs and Glory Holes is a nice little short story involving a submissive in an abusive situation at the start of the story. I'm not really a fan of romantic short stories, a romance for me means you have to spend the time to get to know one another - you know, the details, not just the overall impression. Short stories, by definition, don't allow much time for getting to know the details.

But, as short stories go, Handcuffs and Glory Holes manages to give us a nice beginning to a relationship. Will the relationship last? Maybe. Probably. But even if it doesn't, I think both people will be better off for having been together for however short or long they are together.

What I really enjoyed about Handcuffs and Glory Holes that you don't normally get in a short romance is that both people have a chance to prove themselves to the other early on, they aren't operating on blind faith. It bugs me when people who have just met move in with each other or make a huge commitment in some other way - but I wasn't bugged about the way things progressed with our couple.

I would have loved to see this story stretched out into a longer story, I felt like we just saw the first two chapters of what could have easily been a 15 or 20 chapter book. The ending was satisfactory, but not satisfying.

Here's the blurb:

Police Sergeant Conrad Rawlings likes glory holes. As a dominant who’s never learnt how to feel casual about even the most fleeting hook up, he’s learned to cherish the complete anonymity they provide. Still, when he hears a cubicle door open as he leaves the back room of a club, he can’t quite help looking over his shoulder.

Submissive Willis Evans doesn’t know why his master ordered him to make sure the stranger from the glory hole sees his face before he leaves the club, but he knows the price for disobedience. Willis does as he’s told. The moment their eyes meet, he can’t help but hope he’ll be allowed to see the other man again.

They are going to meet again, but it won’t be under conditions either of them could predict. Willis’ master has a plan—one which could easily break them both.

As for the elements of BDSM:

• Bondage and Discipline: None. There is abuse that is supposed to be discipline in the beginning, but I will never consider abuse as discipline. So, there is no bondage and there is no discipline.
• Dominance and Submission: We begin with a submissive who doesn't understand he's in an abusive relationship.  There is some D/s, but not really all that much.
• Sadism and Masochism: None.

As for the story elements: the plot is a good one - too bad it was used on a short story. The pacing actually has a few issues, which is rare for a short story. Prose and dialogue were both good. Character development is very well done, especially considering it's a short.

Heat Level: 2 of 5
Book Rating: Handcuffs and Glory Holes: 7 of 10

There are no BDSM scenes, though there is some sex. Handcuffs and Glory Holes is a touching story with the idea of kink, but without any actual kink.