Review: More realistic recognition of BDSM abuse - and how to heal without losing your submissiveness
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 9, 2013
I've always been a big fan of the hurt/comfort theme where one MC is abused. I guess I like the White Knight (WK)swooping into the rescue. I don't much care if that Knight is rescuing a fair maiden or another Knight - so long as there is rescuing I am all good. But I want that WK to help facilitate the recover of the partner. I don't want him to overwhelm or dictate or chart a path that is not in the best interests of the damaged character. At the same time I don't like to see BDSM used as a cure for what ail's ya...and here I really thought it was best of all of it.Both characters have strength even though Peter may appear weaker. There were times I had a hard time buying into his acceptance of things but then the author would redeem that thought by an action and I was swept away again. This went slow - appropriately so - and I felt really started to address the issue of what you do with a submissive who is damaged - because, contrary to some beliefs - he or she is still a submissive (or may want to be) so how do you heal while dealing with that limitation?Here it is largely structure, re assurance, and re education. All things a good therapist would suggest. In fact here Peter has a therapist with a realistic schedule...and I actually liked that most of those sessions remained private from the reader - because the book is really about the relationship and not necessarily all facets of his recovery in depth.About 1/3 of the way in I kind of lost the connection but re gained it by 1/2 way - not sure why except to say it was something underlying, some incongruity that just nagged at me that I couldn't place. What was later revealed actually explained much of it but I still felt too distant at that point. I suspect the whole age thing was a piece of it - I don't mind age gap but when it feels too much like a chasm I have a hard time overcoming. I thought Peter would end up relying a lot on Thomas and, let's face it, being 30 years older that may not end well and I just wanted a bit more to see where Peter went himself outside of his submissiveness to build a life that could go on after Thomas was gone. Morbid I know. Oh well. Otherwise exceptional and very well done!