Review: BDSM, for beginners
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2014
Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.Lisa is a Brit living in France. She works in PR as a contracted employee, moving from employer to employer to put out their PR fires. She loves her job and is good at what she does, but after getting burned by a relationship with her boss at her old firm, she is hesitant to commit not only to a new firm, but to a new man as well. She is seeking some excitement in her life, preferably of a sexual nature. She’s been to a fetish club once but found that she’s not really into the public thing, not to mention she really can’t risk that type of behavior in public due to the job. When a friend suggests setting her up with another friend who happens to be a Dom, Lisa is intrigued and all too willing to give it a try.Olivier is a sexy as all get out Frenchman. He’s rich, talented (he’s a painter), and hot as hell. But he too is still getting over a bad breakup and is unwilling to commit to anyone. He likes to take on one submissive at a time, getting the benefit of sex without strings attached and he likes to keep it private. When his friend Mimi introduces him to Lisa, it all seems to make a whole lot of sense; the two each have what the other is looking for.The chemistry between Lisa and Olivier is certainly hot and the sex scenes are well done. The plot itself is a little contrived and predictable, we can kind of see the direction it is going to take early on. And while the sex scenes were certainly hot, Olivier came off as simply Alpha male, not exactly a Dom. He had formal training as a Dom, however it really felt as though it was simply slap and tickle with Lisa. This type of BDSM relationship might be fine for some that don’t read this genre regularly, however those that do may find it almost funny.This is the second book in the Studies in Seduction series, however it can be read as a standalone. The characters from the first book are mentioned in French Blue, however it is unnecessary to have read the first book in order to understand their place in the second.While the book itself was well written, I can’t help but think I’ve read this book somewhere else in a different incarnation. I certainly enjoyed it, but unfortunately it is one of those ones that is easily forgotten as I move on to the next. I’d say it is a solid three and a half stars. It’s a fun, easy read, maybe as a quickie at the beach or on vacation.