Steel Dominance
4.5 stars

This is book three in the Steamwork Chronicle series and is the best in my opinion. Again, I am in awe that this author can build a world of make believe and futuristic into something that makes sense. How is that even possible? I am not going to question it and instead be thankful that I discovered this amazing author.

This book has a little of everything in it to entice everyone. There is of course the typical BDSM, kink, mechanical toys, and HOT steamy moments (I literally had to fan myself and look around to make sure that there wasn’t anyone looking over my shoulder). In this book we meet Sophia and Theo. Sophia is a master puzzle solver and scholar who is responsible for solving a puzzle of utmost importance. She is feisty and my favorite from the series. Theo, we met in Iron Dominance. He is tasked with finding out who is behind a murder and also keeping Sophia safe while she solves the puzzle. Sophia is used to being independent so being reliant on a man for protection is both baffling and infuriating.

This book is fraught with suspense and conspiracies and in typical Cari fashion we are presented with the dichotomy of dominance and submission. Add in some mechanical toys, and some of the hottest scenes and it is a winner. ( )

I honestly believe Cari Silverwood cannot write a bad book. This is the 3rd book in her Steampunk series and my favorite by far. I loved Sofia, I was immediately drawn to her, she is a wonderful charactor whose personality and strength shine through. That is one of the things I enjoy so much about Cari Silverwood's novels - her charactors are real, they have depth, their hope and desires feel real to the reader, there is real romance, not just sex, although the sex is pretty awesome too. ( )

3.5/5
Very interesting concept, but I couldn't feel the chemistry between the two main characters. Loved the steampunk details though - truly beautiful! ( )

Reviewed at http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-nix-steampunk-bdsm-review-s...

This trilogy has been one of the most fascinating BDSM series that I have come across. Shying away from the BDSM-club trope, Cari Silverwood blends BDSM with Steam-Punk in an erotic suspense novel that blew me away. None of these books are easy reads; they are complicated, innovative tales that are unlike anything that I have read in the erotic genre.

The world building within this trilogy is the most complicated thing to get your head around as a reader. It is set in a world where clockwork machinery is used to make most everyday of objects (and some not so every day in the shape of a clockwork crocodile!). It is this that makes the world strange, a little bit different, but at the heart of it, as with the others in this series, this is a very sexy love story. Although this is a series, I would say that you only actually need to read the first in the series to be able to read this one. I don’t believe that it works as a standalone, as it is far too complicated, but the second in the series feels very different to both this and the first. In this, our hero and heroine are searching for the truth about an ancient artefact during a period where this very action puts them in perilous danger.

I loved the concept. Sophia, an intelligent woman who was put into position because of her inate ability to solve puzzles, was to be smuggled into the country of Byzantium disguised as the sex slave of Dankyo, a warrior who serves as her protector. I loved Danyko in the first book and he didn’t disappoint in this one! He was introduced to Dominance through the events of book one (which I highly recommend), knows he wants someone to Top but hasn’t found that special someone. Of course, then he sees Sophia in her see though harem outfit and his little brain starts thinking for him. I loved seeing him straddle the line between fantasy and reality. He had to pretend to be her master but he wanted the role for real and he did struggle to reel himself in so she wouldn’t run a mile. He was just so fricking dreamy. When she finally admitted that she wanted him as much as he wanted her he blossomed as a character. He transformed from a slightly smug, playful man who completely owned his sexuality to a Dom who could completely own her sexuality without suppressing her character. The things that man could do with some rope....*swoon*.

Cari Silverwood writes awesome female characters. They are completely sexually submissive but ultimately they are quite feisty women. The lead role in the plot to find the clockwork warrior wasn’t Dankyo’s; it was Sophia’s. She was a woman who was willing to do whatever she had to to get to that statue. She was willing to be someone’s slave, be made to crawl on her hands and knees and be brought to orgasm in a room full of strangers. As long as it got the job done, she was happy to do it. She was also a woman who could admit to her sexuality. Dankyo forcing her to submit, being watched, being spanked; these were all things that she wanted to do. This strength of character is seen throughout the book not least in the scenes where someone makes attempts on her life. I just really enjoyed her character!

There is A LOT of sex in this book. From the scene where Danyko has to take her to the orgy at the beginning of the tale (which is sinfully hot) right through to some MFM and FF action, there really is something for every taste. I think the scene where Sophia first independently submits to Danyko is my favourite but the mechanical vibrator scene is one to look out for too! This is a BDSM book at heart; there is spanking with hands and belts, anal play, FF action, ménage action, restraints, sex-toy play, some lovely water scenes and some fantasy play. I loved it.

This book is a great addition to the series. A BDSM book with a fantastic amount of world building, its unique Steampunk twist has made it a series that will remain on my keeper shelf. With a dreamy Dom acting as the Master to a very willing slave, this is a book that cranks up the heat with every single page turn. I recommend that you read it with a very cold drink ..... ( )