Vow of Silence, Chronicles of Surrender series, by Roxy Harte

 

We've met Dr. Psycho / George on many occasions in this series, and we finally see things through his eyes.

With Garrett and Thomas and Celia gone, George is running things now. There are changes, and I'm not sure I like the changes he made, though I understand the need for them. But that's life. Things change, whether you want them to or not.

Meanwhile, his personal life has all kinds of things going on, and we finally learn why he chose to stop being a practicing psychiatrist.

I'm pretty sure Roxy Harte is starting another long series arc with this book, and it's one I look forward to following along. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, though I suppose one part of the story was sort of tied up for the end of the book.

Here's the blurb:

Is love enough to sway destiny?

George Kirkpatrick is reeling from the loss of his friend and boss, Garrett Lawrence, the owner of Lewd Larry’s Fetish Fantasy Nightclub. He finds solace in the arms of a very vanilla woman…until a female from his past returns to further complicate his life.

Lin Kuan, a renowned San Francisco metal sculptor, met George Kirkpatrick under false circumstances. She believes she's dating a psychiatrist, not a sadist. Too late she discovers she's in love…and is determined to change him.

Gigi Marconi seeks penance in pain, but not for the life she ruined. Will the vow she made as a child destroy her before she has a chance to face the truth? Or will the love of the man she once betrayed be her salvation?

There were a few things that didn't exactly work for me, the "very vanilla" woman's reactions to a few things seemed off. But that doesn't mean it couldn't have happened that way, just that it's not how I would have expected it to work out, I guess.

Vow of Silence is a dark book. Much of what happens isn't BDSM between people who happen to have that particular kink. It's BDSM as practiced by people who have been wounded in some way emotionally, and who deal with those wounds by searching for physical and mental pain, or by giving physical and mental pain to others. That's not to say the sex and the scenes aren't hot and inventive and well described, because they are. And most of the scenes are consensual. But there were times I felt guilty for enjoying the submissive's pain, if that makes sense. Which it doesn't, because it's a fictional story and fictional characters. But the author created the story and characters well enough that I felt guilt, so I guess that's saying something.

BDSM elements:

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

As I finished the book I would have expected that I would give the intensity level a 10 of 10, because the BDSM is quite intense. But once I started breaking it down, the relationships don't have a strong punishment component. And the D/s, while present, is quite shaky for most of the book. So, while the BDSM is intense, the sum of the parts is only going to be an 8 of 10. It does get the extra point, because the main theme is strongly related to BDSM.

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was different and interesting. It was not nicely tied up at the end, we will have to wait for the next book for that, I assume.
• Pacing was fine
• Prose and dialogue were fine, though I expected the voice to change more than it did between characters.
• Character development was well done.

Vow of Silence is easy for me to rate - it was an entertaining read, and the Heat Level says all that needs to be said about some of the scenes.

• Book Rating: Vow of Silence: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 8 of 10
• Heat Level: 5 of 5

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, though I don't see a mention of a title or when we may see it.

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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Dom/sub by Roxy Harte & B.D. Dark

 

Dom/sub is two stories, one written from the perspective of the Dom, and the other written from the perspective of the sub.

The first story is one that many long term couples who explore a BDSM lifestyle have to come to terms with. In the beginning it's all about pushing limits, finding boundaries and then going beyond those boundaries. It can be quite a rush. But eventually you reach boundaries that you really shouldn't cross, eventually you can't find that rush anymore because you've crossed every sane boundary you can find. The story does not give us the solution to the problem, it just points out that the problem can exist.

The second story is one of loss, one I personally had a hard time reading. Not because there is anything wrong with the story, but because we're currently dealing with some health issues my husband is having. The idea of losing him is one I've had to deal with, one I probably haven't dealt with as well as I should. There is a good ending for the young lady in the story... or rather, the promise of a new beginning. I guess that's the best one can hope for sometimes.

Here is the blurb:

Domination and submission, yin and yang, two halves that make a perfect whole. This duet of stories walks the razor's edge of the real BDSM scene.

Dominance, by B. D. Dark
A man indulges in his long-held secret desire to exercise power and control over a woman. He meets his perfect match in Kim, another newbie to the scene, who wants to give herself to a master. Together they experiment, pushing sexual boundaries to the limit. What is his role as a Dom? Should he end the torture even if his submissive begs for more?

Submission by Roxy Harte
Julia is the grieving submissive of Master Jasper. After two years, three months, and eighteen days of crying she decides enough is enough and decides to get laid, even if it means nobody is going to get hurt. What she doesn't expect is to be set up by her friends on a blind date with a professional Dominant who goes by the name of Lord Draco. The question is, how far is Julia willing to go for pleasure...and pain?

Publisher's Note: This book contains very explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: BDSM, including anal sex, bondage, clamps, domination/submission, exhibitionism, hot wax, ropes, and spanking/flogging.

BDSM elements:

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

I want to state that, even though the book is going to get a 10 of 10 for an intensity level, some of this is based on things that are talked about and not really fully described. 

As for the writing elements, both plots were good. Pacing was good, prose and dialogue were good. Character development in the first is not explored very well, but it's not that kind of story. Character development in the second is much more fully explored. 

• Book Rating:Dom/sub: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 10 of 10
• Heat Level: 4 of 5

There are descriptions of some fairly hard core BDSM practices in Dom/sub, though they are talked about more than described in the first story. The second story has one complete scene that is very hot, if you like that kind of thing. Which I do.

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