Review: Intriguing concept
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 13, 2011
"Sex is only dirty when it's done right."- by Woody Allen -4 1/2 stars.Our heroine, Laurel White, sees a man abusing his girlfriend on the street. The hero, Michael Flynn, comes out of the blue and is helping the woman. He intimidates her boyfriend. Laurel is rather impressed by Flynn and is running after him and offers him lunch. She is kind of outspoken and expresses an interest in him. There seems to be something about Flynn...not charisma but energy. Laurel had hit an emotional wall in the last couple years and being so close to all that aliveness feels very good and magnetic. She craves something different, something new. Flynn is a bit wary; he tells her she may not like what he loves, but she's welcome to come watch him fight. Flynn boxes in informal fights; there are really no substantial rules to those fights and Flynn likes exactly THAT. Naturally Laurel shows up for the fights and is rather fascinated and kind of spellbound.I am definitely on this not-for-everyone-book wave right now. Seriously, when I added Willing Victim to my 'Mount Pile' I was thinking "Are you out of your ever lovin' mind?" to consider reading such a story. Now I am glad I did. Very much so. Yeah, I think the sex in Willing Victim is really dirty and it's done right. This was such an elightening trip on the darker side of sexuality.The sex in Willing Victim is so incredibly hot. Frankly, sometimes I felt like an intruder, a voyeur. It felt kind of weird. I keep telling myself that as long as it is consensual it's alright to play mind games and to indulge yourself into role playing. Even though I was rather out of my element here I have to admit that those fantasies can be very tempting, intriguing, and fascinating after all. Willing Victim is about fantasies and verrry hot and rough sex. It's not an in-depth study of multilayered and complex characters. And just think of this story as a prolonged novella - Willing Victim is about half the length of a regular novel. If you accept those facts I'm rather convinced that one can 'enjoy' such a story.What I especially liked was the fact that the author didn't end the story with a promise of everlasting love. Even though there was not an outspoken "I love you" they will continue to see each other and there is a happy ending. But I'm really glad that there wasn't a lover's oath because that would have been too cheesy and not really realistic. The H/h met to explore this rougher side of their sexuality. Flynn and Laurel didn't want a fluffy, sweet, and shy sexual encounter. The characters are really likeable and very outspoken. I liked that. And the essential about Willing Victim is that the sex scenes are very well written and steamy hot and intriguing!The author advises readers who are sensitive about rape - even in a simulated and absolutely consensual capacity - not to read this story. Well, maybe this sounds kind of strange but when I was reading Willing Victim the concept of rape never entered my mind. Not at all. Laurel had a 'safe word' and I had to look at it like a different type of BDSM. I appreciated the fact that the author 'showed' the reader that Flynn immediately stopped whatever he did when Laurel used her safe word. I really liked that too. However I had a bit a hard time to face the fact that a woman can get off when her lover calls her 'b**ch' and 'forces' himself on her in any way. That felt odd. But that's the beauty of books, isn't it? It is fiction and I could indulge myself in a concept that I honestly think isn't suitable in real life - at least for my humble self. I know that there are people out there who love such a 'lifestyle' and I won't judge them. Each to their own...Highly recommended to readers who want to explore the darker side of sexuality!