Ashley Black

hmmmm.....huh?, hmmmmm.......Well now, this was an interesting read. (sarcastic understatement here) A little rough in spots, due primarily to poor editing /proofing, but all in all was worth reading. I've already installed the next book in the series "Unhinged".

I personally have never read a book like this one. My normal erotic BDSM fare leans towards male Doms and female subs, and I have only seen the reverse mentioned in those stories peripherally. This was the dynamic in this particular series. I can't honestly say that it was any sort of a turn on for me though.

I have become increasingly intrigued by the growing BDSM movement. I understand that it was always there, but just on the fringe of the things. With the release of novels such as "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the "Crossfire" series, there has been an upsurge of interest in BDSM, forcing it into the mainstream. As previously mentioned, the majority of the D/s relationships in the books I've read to date have been male tops to either/or female/male bottoms, sometimes both at the same time (another book at another time). For me, this is the first book that the primary relationship was the reverse. I can't say as I liked it or really understood it. For whatever inexplicable reason, I can see and understand a woman wanting to be dominated and controlled by a certain type of man. I do not see a submissive woman as being weak or wrong-minded in any way. In fact just the opposite, I see her as being strong in admitting that this is what she wants, and brave in that she seeks it out and is courageous enough to give up control to another. Particularly in the eye of the feminist woman can be and have it all movement, in which females have gone out of their way to prove they need one's help, let alone a man, to accomplish her goals.

Why is then that I'm having such difficultly with the a female dominant and a male submissive. As I sit here and try to reason this out, I find that I have no problem with a female dominating another female. However, I find I can't seem to get past viewing a male submissive as weak. I'm further confounded by the fact that I have no issue with a male submitting to another male. I am truly confused and bordering upset/angry with myself for feeling this way. I will admit to the fact that I've never really given any kind of thought to male submission, so perhaps it is simply the newness and unfamiliarity of it that has me feeling this way. I sure hope that this is the case, as I've never considered myself as being very judgmental about anything.

The other thing to be considered here is the specifics of this particular D/s relationship. This relationship is being conducted under rather strange circumstances. You have an established male submissive who has entered into a contract with an inexperienced female dominant. When I say inexperienced, I'm not talking about merely being a novice here, but someone who hasn't EVER had ANY kind of BDSM experience. In addition, Victor or "V" in the book, isn't merely a garden variety sub. He is seriously into masochistic and sadistic stuff. The kinds of practices that I've read that have always made me uncomfortable. Things like breath play, fire play and other sorts of serious risky stuff. He also wants to be VERY securely gagged, restrained, SEVERELY beaten/whipped (like bruised and bloody beaten) and also wants to be physically and verbally humiliated. He has a list of taunts and insults to be used against him. For example, he wants to be told that he is talentless, useless and will literally go insane like his mother. He wants to be made fun of in regards to his looks and even his bodily functions. It is very extreme.

While writing this review I've come to a decision. I'm going to seek out more books of this nature, so that I may look further into my feelings about it. I find I'm curious to explore my reaction to this whole scenario. I'm hoping by familiarizing myself with this sort of D/s relationship I will discover if it is merely the newness of it, the extremity of this particular relationship, or if I truly have a problem with it. Of course no one can help how they feel about something, but I for one do not want to think of myself as someone who is close-minded and/or judgmental towards others for any reason. I guess I'll be doing a bit of self discovery here, good thing you are never too old to learn something new about yourself, or to change how you view something.… (mehr)