Burn (A Hammer Novel) by Sean Michael

 

I have loved some of the books in Sean Michael's Hammer series... and then there have been some I haven't cared for as much.

Unfortunately, Burn fits into the latter category.

As the story opens we are introduced to two men who seem to have been friends for a while. Marshall comes to a bar for an annual get-together amongst friends after a really bad day at work (he's a firefighter) and Dave realizes Marshall is not in a good place at the moment, so he takes him home and pretty much offers sex as a way to get him out of his head.

The problem is that Dave is a Dom, and Marshal is not a submissive. In fact, at first it appears Marshall is a bit of a Top. So we have a Dom trying to slowly introduce the lifestyle to someone without actually explaining much of it to him, and without giving him a safeword. He does eventually give him a safeword, but in my opinion, too much happened without one.

Here's the blurb:

Marshall and Dave grew up in the same neighborhood. They’ve mostly lost touch as they've gotten older, getting together just once a year with a bunch of other old friends for a game of football. This year, firefighter Marshall is late, and when he does show up Dave can tell the man has not had a good day. When Dave suggests they leave the gang and go back to Marshall's place for some decompression time, Marshall jumps at the chance and, later, at Dave.

Things don't all go smoothly for the two men, though. Dave is into BDSM, a member of The Hammer Club, and he thinks he could use his skills to help Marshall relieve the stress and guilt the man carries over not being the perfect hero. Marshall thinks needing that kind of help is sick, though, and when he enjoys what Dave does to him, he's convinced there must be something wrong with him.

Can Dave figure out how to convince Marshall that kink is not sick at all, but a way to keep sane as well, or is their relationship doomed?

What we end up with is a close relationship where they occasionally play around with very light BDSM.  I had no problem with the day to day relationship, these men were great together. It just felt as if the way Dave introduced his kink to Marshall was a bit dishonest. I appreciate that the author didn't make everything work out perfectly in some of the middle parts of the book, because I can see all kinds of problems that can result from springing BDSM on your partner without warning them first. Or without giving them a safeword.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 1 of 3 - no discipline at all; one scene where someone is handcuffed to the bed
• Dominance and Submission: 1 of 3, sort of. When Marshall has a bad day he eventually submits just to see if it will help - but other than that he's pretty adamant about not submitting.
• Sadism and Masochism: 0 of 3 
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements -- the plot is the movement of the relationship, pacing had some issues, prose and dialogue were Sean Michael's trademark stilted sentence structure, and character development was fine with Marshall but not so much with Dave.

As for the stilted sentence structure... I enjoyed it at first, several dozen of Sean Michael's books ago. But when almost every character of Sean Michael's talks in the same manner... I don't know, I guess it's starting to not work for me anymore. Or maybe it's just that this story didn't work, and when I read one of his stories that I do like it will be okay again.

• Book Rating: Burn: 6 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 2 of 10
• Heat Level: 2 of 5

More often than not I enjoy Sean Michael's books and stories... but Burn just didn't work for me. If you prefer BDSM lite then the story might work for you.

Hidden Heart (Tales of Amaranth book 3) by Thom Lane

 

I find myself conflicted. I enjoyed the telling of the story, I liked the author's voice, which is technically the slave's voice, since it's first person told entirely from the viewpoint of the slave. But I'm not so sure how I feel about the story.

So many of the "true slave" fantasy stories are written to glorify slavery, and the author does not do that here. In this world the animals are treated with more respect than the slaves. In fact, it seems that the animals are worth more than the slaves.

Tiffin works during the day mucking out horse stalls and doing other rather strenuous labor in the barn area. Punishments are swift, and just about every free person carries a whip or crop or switch, and can use it on any slave they see.

I believe that Hidden Heart is the third book in this series, and I have not read the previous books in the series. I'm not sure that I want to, either. It isn't because the book was badly written, because in fact the prose and dialogue were skillfully woven into a nice telling of the story. It's just that the story left me feeling bad about the places humanity has been. And is still in, in some places of the world. The slaves here aren't even treated particularly bad -- they are treated to a hard days' work, but the slave masters, the main people over them, seem to be pretty fair with them. They don't punish just for the sake of showing they can, but only when there is an infraction. There is talk of a whip or strap touching them to remind them, but pain seems to be meted out for a reason in most cases.

Still, being a slave because you choose to be, and being a slave because you have no choice in the matter... those are different fantasies. Also, being an indentured "body slave" who loves his master is still different from being the slave of a castle who must work in the barns every day.

Here's is the blurb:

Tiffin is a slave boy, branded and chained, trained to serve and eager to please. That’s all he knows; his past life is a mystery, wiped from his mind. Sold to a grim fortress and facing a bleak future, he seeks comfort where he can find it, in the arms and at the feet of Sergeant Zander. He’s happy to give over control of his body to that dominant, delightful man -- but someone else keeps stealing into his mind, taking over.

Tiffin doesn’t know how or who. All he knows is how much trouble he’s in, and how much worse it’s going to get...unless Zander can help him discover what's going on, before he literally loses his mind.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Strong BDSM theme and elements, male/male sexual practices, master/slave.

You can see there is another plot working through the story, and it's a pretty good plot. This plot is not the main intention or the main purpose of telling the story, but it does add some interest.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 3 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: 3 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: Pain is given for punishment, not for enjoyment. 0 of 3 
• Extra Point: No. It's true the D/s is a huge part of the story, but this is actual slavery, not really BDSM.

As for the writing elements: the various plots have interest and are well told, there are a few pacing issues but it's not a major problem, prose and dialogue were both skillfully written and weave together nicely, character development was also well done. I'm not quite as sure about world-building - I would think I had a handle on this world and then something would feel like an anachronism in it. However, since this is the third book in the series and I haven't read the other two it's hard for me to say much about it. Some of those apparent inconsistencies would probably make sense if I'd read the previous books in the series.

• Book Rating: Hidden Heart: 8 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 6 of 10
• Heat Level: 3 of 5

I would be interested in another book written by this author that takes place in a different series or a different world, but I don't believe I'm interested in reading other books in this particular series. This is a skilled author who apparently understands what it means to be a slave, and does a very good job of explaining it. This particular world just didn't work for me.

The ability to evoke strong feelings about characters and worlds and situations... that shows skill. So this isn't a case of bad writing, just a case of this world and this story not resonating well with me.

1. Healing Heart
2. Dark Heart
3. Hidden Heart

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The Emperor’s Wolf by J. C. Owens

 

The Emperor’s Wolf starts out with a man in slavery to a woman he is pretty much disgusted by. But years of painful training have taught him to accept her touch, and to kneel before her, and to avert his eyes so she won't see the hatred in them. We thankfully don't see much interaction between these two, and we just get the barest of details to let us know why he is acquiescing to her, and how he went from being a solder to being favorite harem slave.

And then, well, the blurb does a good job of explaining what comes next:

The echoes of a war four years' past still resounds in the minds of those who endured it. Jaden longs to search for his sister, though he is bound in the fetters of slavery. When he is given to the very man who conquered his country, he is caught up in his own hatred, yet fascinated by the mystery of his new master, the Emperor of Tranaden, who all say is demonic, without mercy. Trapped in the snare of his master’s beauty, Jaden begins to realize that there is much more beneath the surface...

Dersai is Emperor to his fingertips, he is used to command and being obeyed. He will sacrifice anything to see his country safe. Beneath, he is well read, highly intelligent and far sighted in how he views others. Yet, Dersai has an inner demon, a demon that kept his kingdom free and safe from conquerors; only in his dreams can he imagine one strong enough to love him. Now his slave may be the only one who can set him free.

Let me be clear that this is not BDSM. It is a slave who is sold and traded and bartered for. And then later, there are elements of fantasy, and the D/s aspects all fade into the background and go away.

I enjoyed the fantasy elements, and I enjoyed a few of the scenes.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline:3 of 3, though it is only for a short period of time
• Dominance and Submission: 2 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism:0 of 3
• Extra Point: No

As for the writing elements, the plot was nice, pacing had some issues, prose and dialogue were fine, character development was very well done, and world-building was creative and detailed.

• Book Rating:The Emperor’s Wolf : 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.

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Journey To The Dark Side by Marty Rayne

 

Journey To The Dark Side is a fun little short story about a male FBI agent and what I think is likely a city or county female detective, chosen for this role because she has experience with the world of BDSM, and the serial killer is targeting male submissives. The FBI agent who is chosen for the role of submissive is selected because he has the body, the profile, that the serial killer seems to be attracted to. He has no experience with the lifestyle, and is certainly not a submissive.

He's got five hours to learn how to be a submissive before his first public appearance.

Here's the blurb:

Serial killer Dante is targeting submissive males who frequent a fetish club, The Dark Side. Detective Monica Street is determined to end the killer's reign on the community and needs help. Enter sexy FBI Agent Jared Keller, who has the looks and ability Monica is looking for. And what's the best way to catch this killer? Draw him out by playing in the world of domination and submission. Only alpha-male Jared gets more than he bargains for as he is engulfed by Mistress Monica, whippings, and the trappings of a psychotic serial killer.

I liked that the author took the time to make the scenario believable. The reason this particular FBI agent was chosen, the personal connections that allowed for the FBI to be called into the case, the reason Monica was so familiar and had such skill with the lifestyle and yet was not a Domme. Sometimes I feel like an author has the idea for the scenes they want, but they can't figure out how to make the setup work for the scene. I didn't feel that with this story, Marty Rayne made the set up work for the story line.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: We are told that punishment spankings happen when they are in the club, but we aren't given descriptions of them. 0 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: All D/s is done for the purpose of appearing undercover in a BDSM club. 0 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: None. Other than what the Serial Killer does, and that's not BDSM, it's just sick. 0 of 3 
• Extra Point: I'm going to give it the point, because the story happens in a BDSM club, and there is a lot of lifestyle stuff going on around them. And because Jared has to deal with the collar and leash, even if it is only for show.

As for the writing elements -- the plot was interesting and fairly involved for such a short story, pacing was fine, prose and dialogue were fine, character development was well done.

• Book Rating: Journey to the Dark Side: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 1 of 10
• Heat Level: 2 of 5

Journey To The Dark Side takes place in the world of BDSM, but it isn't really about BDSM. It's about catching a serial killer who is targeting submissives. It's still a nice romance, was well written, and was an enjoyable read.

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Cruel to be Kind by Stephanie Vaughan

 

Before beginning the review of Cruel To Be Kind, can we all just pause for a moment to admire the cover? I'm not wired as a Domme, but the idea of topping this particular guy does something for me. To have all of that power at your beck and call? Wow.

Here's the blurb:

Steve Eriksson is a regular guy. He likes basketball and beer. He works hard in his family's construction and restoration business. Steve’s normal life is about to change. Because he's about to meet Megan.

Professional chef Megan Mussina returns to her home town looking for some peace and quiet. A place to put her life back in order after the disaster of a relationship gone publicly wrong. A new man in her life is the last thing she wants. Until she meets Steve.

From the first they share an overpowering physical attraction. Steve is just the sort of powerful, successful submissive man Megan never knew she needed. And Megan knows the one thing Steve never knew he craved. Sometimes, you've got to be Cruel to be Kind.

I love the way Megan seduces Steve into it, the way she takes control, and the care she has for him as she pushes his boundaries. She isn't really cruel, she seduces him with her power, but not with cruelty. It's a catchy title, but not the way she really treats him.

BDSM elements:

• Bondage and Discipline: 1 of 3
• Dominance and Submission: He's new to this, so it's the very beginnings of D/s for him. 2 of 3
• Sadism and Masochism: None. 0 of 3 
• Extra Point: Yes. The book is about Steve submitting to a woman for the first time, and realizing that while he's not sure about what Megan is doing, that he needs it.

As for the writing elements -- the plot is a good one, pacing was fine, prose and dialogue were well done, and character development was nicely done and much appreciated. 

• Book Rating: Cruel to be Kind: 9 of 10
• BDSM Intensity Level: 4 of 10
• Heat Level: 4 of 5

My biggest complaint? Cruel To Be Kind ended too soon. I wanted to see how far she was going to take him. I wanted to experience a much more intense scene. That's not to say it was a bad ending, it was a perfectly good ending. I enjoyed the characters and story though, so I greedily wanted more.

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Ratings at a Glance

 
I've created a page, linked in the top right hand column, with all of the books I've rated listed in order of the ratings I've given them. I've conventiently named it Ratings at a Glance. Logical and to the point, that's me. If you are looking for your next book to read, I hope that page can help point you in the right direction.

You may have noticed there haven't been any reviews on this blog in about two weeks. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo, and I've already blown past the 50,000 word goal. I'm probably about seventy percent of the way through the book, so reaching the goal doesn't mean I'm through writing.

I haven't stopped reading all together though -- I've read Play of Passion by Nalini Singh (and reviewed it), and I'm currently reading Magic at the Gate, the fifth Allie Beckstrom book by Devon Monk.

In the hopefully near future I have several short stories to review over here, and then I'm probably going to jump back into Roxy Harte's Chronicles of Surrender series. I've read the first couple of books, long long ago. I understand she has re-edited the older books and placed them with a new publisher, and that there are new books in the series as well. I enjoyed the first couple of books, so I'm looking forward to diving into this series again.

So I am still here, and will once again be as active as usual in the near future.