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

If you haven't read the first four books in the Deviations series then you probably shouldn't read this review. There are no spoilers for book five in the review, but there are some discussions that will be a give-away to what happened in earlier books. To read the review for the first book in the series, Deviations: Submission, click here.

Book five of the Deviations series, Safe Words, takes us on the further adventures of Tobias, Noah, and Phantom. The action picks up soon after the end of the fourth book, Deviations: Bondage, and we get to see a much more relaxed household than we've seen in previous books. No one has to be anywhere at seven or eight in the morning anymore, and there are no more phone calls about cows who are close to giving birth at three in the morning, either.

I think it's possible that I allowed myself to over-anticipate Safe Words. Even if you received what you wanted on Christmas morning, there is still a let down Christmas afternoon because all of the anticipation is gone. That's a little how I felt when I reached the end of Safe Words. Also, without knowing whether this is now the planned final book, or whether the authors have a few more Deviations books up their sleeves... well, I hope to see these characters some more. Or at least some of the characters from this world. How hot would a book from Bradford and Nikki's point of view be? But I should stop with that and review Safe Words, yes?

We get to see Tobias finding his way as a bit of a mentor at the club, and he even takes on a little of what Bradford has been doing -- playing matchmaker when he sees two people with complementary kinks. There is also some of the spontaneity I was hoping for, where Tobias is sitting at his desk and decides he's tired of sitting there and tromps off to find his boys for an intense scene.

Also, see that scalpel on the cover? That's a hard limit of mine. Always has been, and until I read this book, I assumed it always would be. When an author (okay, authors) can write a scene with scalpels and make it so intense that it makes me rethink my hard limits, that's some pretty good writing. Not that I'm going to ask my husband to cut me, just that now I'm obligated to read the scene to him and then have a conversation about it.  That only happens two or three times a year, and I read a lot of books.

Here's the blurb:

In Safe Words, which picks up where the Deviations series left off, Tobias, Noah and Phan are all working on finding their place, both at Bradford's club and in their personal lives. They're all living together, and Tobias has taken on the roll of full-time Dom, which he loves, but finds incredibly challenging.

While Noah finds comfort in the new state of things and is looking forward to deeper submission, Phan is finding it harder to strike a balance. Too many changes happening too fast are making Phan act out, and neither Tobias nor Noah are sure how to deal with it. Life is not perfect for Bradford, either, as he discovers new feelings for his sub Nikki. Can Tobias help his friend, manage his job teaching the other Doms, and his relationships with Noah and Phan, or will the house that he's built for himself fall down around their ears?

The drama/conflict isn't quite as big as the blurb makes it out to be, but that's okay. The guys communicate too well to have things about to fall down around their ears, and that's part of why I like the series as much as I do. Yes, there are issues that come up. Being a couple is hard, being a threesome would be exponentially harder... throw in the 24/6  power exchange dynamic and it just further complicates things. Though, in some ways I suppose it simplifies it, too. (And yes, I wrote 24/6 and not 24/7. Not a typo.)  

BDSM elements:

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

As for the writing elements: The plot is pretty much what you expect it is going to be if you've read the previous books. Pacing is fine, prose and dialogue are good, character development continues to be exceptionally well done.

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

I hope this is not the last we see of these characters. If the authors have no where else to go with Tobias, Noah, and Phan then I wouldn't mind seeing books about some of the people in the club.

1. Deviations: Submission
2. Deviations: Domination
3. Deviations: Discipline
4. Deviations: Bondage
5. Deviations: Safe Words

Deviations: Bondage by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne

 

Deviations: Bondage is the fourth book in the Deviations series. I've been re-reading and reviewing the series in preparation for book five, Deviations: Safe Words.

Much of what happens in book four was emotionally uncomfortable for me. I knew I didn't like some of it when I read it the first time, but when I read it this time I realized why I didn't like some of what happens: I'm not a big enough person to have been able to make some of the decisions that Noah makes. I would like to think I could have, but in reality.... nope, not at all sure I could have.

However, even though emotionally I had my own personal issues with what happens, physically... wow.  The BDSM is not "same stuff different book". It's just not.

So much changes from the beginning of Deviations: Bondage to the very happy ending that I'm not really sure how to talk about it without giving spoilers. Which I'm not going to do.  So here's the blurb:

In Deviations: Bondage, Tobias and Noah fulfill the most ambitious addition to their new contract by moving in together. The proximity, coupled with the depth of their committed partnership both in and out of the playroom, has them redefining boundaries and creating new dynamics as Master and sub. An unexpected and emotional turn of events forces Tobias and Noah to make life-altering decisions.

Can Tobias manage the intensifying emotional and physical demands on him as Master and lover? Can Noah reconcile his career path with his committed partnership and his submissive lifestyle? Will Phan and Bradford finally find what they need with the help and support of their friends? The last book in the series is full of surprises, intense scenes, hot sex and plenty of love and devotion among the men of Deviations.

The authors did say that book four was the final book of the series. I am so happy that they've changed their minds and are giving us a fifth book. I love these characters.


BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Some bondage, some discipline. Honestly though, not a whole lot of either in the fourth book. 2 of 3.
• Dominance and Submission: Yes.  3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Well, yes... but we aren't given the blow by blows of it. Not to the extent we were given in previous books. 2 of 3.
• Extra Point: Yes.

As for the writing elements, the plot is an extension of plots that began in book one, though you don't realize it when you read the first book for the first time. It's a nice plot, and it works well with the personalities of these particular characters. Pacing does have a few issues in the fourth book, but not any big problems. Prose and dialogue were again very well done, with some nice comic moments woven into the story.  Character development was, again, full of depth and details and was just all around exceptionally well done.

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

1. Deviations: Submission
2. Deviations: Domination
3. Deviations: Discipline
4. Deviations: Bondage
5. Deviations: Safe Words






.

Deviations: Discipline by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne

 

I'm re-reading the Deviations series in preparation for the release of the fifth book, Deviations: Safe Words.

Deviations: Discipline is the third book in the Deviations series, and this series must be read in order. You'll see the reading order for the series at the bottom of this post.

Deviations: Discipline picks up shortly after the events of Deviations: Domination. Tobias and Noah are still seeing each other on weekends and occasionally during the week. We see some more of them interacting outside of a scene - the Dom/sub rules of no eye contact are still there, and Noah still uses the Sir honorific as he should, but they are relaxed with each other, teasing and cutting up and just being with each other some more. There are still scenes with formal speech, don't worry that they are going soft on each other, but watching them in the down time is nice, too.

There are also some things with Phan that I hated the first time I read the series. Now that I know what happens in the fourth book I thought I could enjoy the drama of some of it. But I still hated it. Not that it's not well written, just that it's a twist that made me very uncomfortable. Totally out of my comfort zone. Not the BDSM, but the emotional pain and the depth of despair felt by...  well, without giving spoilers, just know it's not something I felt comfortable with the first time and I didn't care much for that twist the second time, either. 

Here's the blurb:

Tobias and Noah explore their relationships more deeply than they ever have, not just with their own dominance and submission, but with their friends. As Noah helps Tobias through the loss of someone dear, he finds Tobias helping him, too, leading him through some intense sexual games, breaking down the last of Noah’s fears, and helping him face his biggest one. The cage.

Meanwhile, Tobias’ ex-lover, Phantom, becomes close friends with Noah as they discover and try to resist the simmering sexual tension between them. Their teasing turns to real support when Phantom reaches the breaking point thanks to the lack of a master in his life, something he desperately needs.

While Bradford works to become that master, Tobias and Noah go to Paris, where they see the sights, go to sex clubs, and re-negotiate their contract. Returning from Paris to their own lives brings then all sorts of new difficulties, from deciding whether they should live together to trying to figure out just where Phantom belongs in their ever-changing relationship. 

Since the blurb mentions the cage, I'll say that I felt it was almost anti-climactic. Tobias took him far enough to say he'd done it, but not (in my opinion) as far with it as he should have. I would like to see it revisited in a later book, once the other limits have been pushed beyond, to go back and take this on again, at a different level. 

The blurb tells us that Tobias has to deal with the loss of someone dear. It is a big loss, one that made me cry. A lot. Further proof of the depth of character development in this series.

The trip to Paris is incredible.  The guys had an extended period of time together in book two, during the Christmas holidays, but Paris is so much better. And the club they go to was... wow. Not something they would want to do on a regular basis, I don't think. But for the one time they went, as a way to stretch themselves and test their power exchange further, it worked.

Tobias and Noah also explore the whole fantasy thing a great deal more in book three, and some of it is spontaneous now. That happens once you get to know each other, and if you're both really in sync with each other. I like the way it worked out, the way it was woven into their sex and scenes.

The negotiations for the new contract are a nice set up to lead us into book four, Deviations: Bondage.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: You know, I don't think there was much bondage in this one. There is some, but very little. There is still plenty of discipline. It's very close to being a 2 of 3 for this category, but I think it just barely makes it to being a 3 of 3. If I round up. Which I'm doing.
• Dominance and Submission: With these two there can be nothing else. 3 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism:  Again, with these characters in this series, it's a given. 3 of 3.
• Extra Point: Yes.

As for the writing elements, the plot continues to move us forward. The characters are growing and changing and dealing with the things life throws at them.  Pacing has no issues whatsoever. Prose and dialogue are skillfully done, and character development is stellar.

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

Luckily, I have Deviations: Bondage waiting for me to pick up as soon as I finish typing up the review for Deviations: Discipline. Then I have to wait a few weeks (I think) for Deviations: Safe Words. 



1. Deviations: Submission
2. Deviations: Domination
3. Deviations: Discipline
4. Deviations: Bondage







.

Deviations: Domination by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne

 

I'm re-reading the Deviations series in preparation for the release of the fifth book, Deviations: Safe Words. Deviations: Domination is the second book in the Deviations series, and this series must be read in order. You'll see the reading order for the series at the bottom of this post.

Noah's training process began in the first book, and it continues in the second book. In many ways the first book is better for me, because I love to see someone being trained to a new Dom, learning what is expected of them by that particular Master. But I also enjoy watching relationships progress, especially when the Dom continues to push limits and doesn't just get comfortable with reaching a certain goal. I love the second book because Tobias works through that and continues to push and challenge and demand. I also love that the two of them spend more time learning about the non-Dom and non-sub aspects of each other.

Here's the blurb:

In this sequel to Deviations: Submission, Dom Tobias and Sub Noah are back, learning more about each other and their relationship, testing the boundaries of what they can and cannot handle, both together and apart. Tobias works at becoming more comfortable and finding his balance as a full-time Master again. Meanwhile, his work brings out the true submissive in Noah, who faces some of his greatest fears, and his greatest secrets, confessing to Noah about a terrible time in his past. He's not the only one who has a rough time. Tobias breaks down and shows Noah he's not all dominance, too, which sends shockwaves through their romance, leaving them to wonder if they can keep it together. With a deep exploration of the BDSM scene, secondary characters who shine, and a romance that has the reader rooting for these men from the start, Deviations: Domination is one book you can't miss. 

As you can see, there is quite a bit going on in Deviations: Domination. Many things that aren't even hinted at in the blurb, and I'm not going to spoil them in the review, either. Suffice it to say that human emotions are complex, and the authors manage to do a good job of showing this, with the main characters as well as with several of the secondary characters. 

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: Yes. Both. 3 of 3.
• Dominance and Submission: Very much so. 3 of 3.
• Sadism and Masochism:  Yes, though not entirely done in the same manner as book one. 3 of 3
• Extra Point: Yes.

As for the writing elements: the plot continues to move forward nicely, throwing several twists into things here and there. The pacing is nice, prose and dialogue are skillfully done, and character development continues to be exceptionally well done with layers upon layers of depth.

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

 

1. Deviations: Submission
2. Deviations: Domination
3. Deviations: Discipline
4. Deviations: Bondage
5. Deviations: Safe Words (due out in September 2010)






.