Review: Emotionally wrenching
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2014
Reviewed by BookAddictfor TheRomanceReviews.comMs. Dalton does it again. Her BDSM-themed books are emotionally wrenching and move me to tears.In PINCH ME, Laura is attacked and nearly beaten to death. When she comes to in the hospital, she is scared and is suffering from amnesia. This is something which must be completely frightening. To not know who you are and what is going on is beyond difficult. What is also hard are the people who are not recognized, specifically loved ones. Rob is Laura's fiancé and he struggles throughout the book as the one she can't remember. This is utterly heartbreaking.Ms. Dalton does an excellent job of infusing this story with emotions filled by being lost, frustration, longing, heartbreak and sorrow. The turmoil Laura experiences as she regains some of her memory back while others remain stubbornly elusive is very well describe. Incorporating the senses of smell and sound to aid Laura in her quest to find herself again is also well done.Laura is an admirable character both before and after her terrifying experience. She's spunky and determined. However, Rob is the one who really won me over. His devotion and love for Laura leaves him with a much battered heart. While she starts to remember others, he is depressingly left behind. This begs questions of how important was Rob to Laura. Rob starts to wonder if maybe their relationship wasn't as wonderful as he believed. Maybe she didn't really love him as much. All of these doubts make for an engaging and complex storyline.The BDSM in this story is light. This is because her kinky friends are trying not to overwhelm her. What I find interesting is if certain items are "touchstones" to help jog her memory, wouldn't her collar be such an item? While I understand the reasons to keep her in the dark, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if she was given her collar right at the beginning. Still, it's interesting to watch how an entire group of friends dance around a taboo topic which is so integral to their life. Discretion is not easy.What brought this story down for me a bit is the suspense part. To figure out the attacker was relatively easy. It was predictable once a piece of information was presented. When it comes to suspense, Ms. Dalton's writing style is a bit weak. Her conflicts are best when they are relationship or situational based. When it comes from needing to solve a "mystery", it just doesn't work for me. Still, this is an element of the story which made Laura's recovery interesting. This kinky story is recommended to those who enjoy angst and love conquers all themes.