Review: A gentle foray into erotic BDSM
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 13, 2012
I requested a copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.I'm giving this 4 stars because honestly I could not put it down, I fought sleep to finish reading this and let me tell you, that doesn't happen very often.Whilst reading I had one thought that repeated through my head... I can relate to this woman. That's not to say our stories are the same, but I understood where she was coming from.After 22 years of marriage, a marriage that provided her with very little intimacy and no sex in the later stages Cali is understandably frustrated and her self-esteem is at an all time low. She believes that she must be lacking if she could not entice her husband to have sex with her. What Cali craves is a man who can take the lead in the bedroom and give her the pleasure that she hasn't been able to get before. So she secretly joins a BDSM club in the hopes of finding someone who can give her what she needs. Here she meets Jake, the co-owner of the club and one of its Doms. Jake is supposed to give her another interview before deciding which of the clubs Doms would be best suited to introduce her to the club, but there is something about Cali that draws him to her.For me this story felt natural. The progression of their relationship from Dom/Sub to something a little bit more wasn't instantaneous, their feelings about this was something they both tried to hide from the other. Their reservations about opening up and trusting each other outside the Scene were valid and added to the depth of the story.The BDSM content in this was just right for Cali, it was an introduction to a world she was curious about. A world that she slowly begins to embrace. If this had gone full hardcore BDSM from the beginning it would have, should have, had Cali running screaming for the hills and probably a fair few readers too. I have read a few erotic novels that feature BDSM and sometimes I think they try too hard, they go to extreme and I get the feeling they are going for the shock factor, or they don't go hard enough and you find the Sub really just wants to have her hands tied while her partner pleasures her. This starts out fairly gentle with the BDSM aspect slowly increasing as Cali gets used to the experiences, each time pushing her a little further.If you are expecting hardcore BDSM then don't read this.If you are expecting degradation and punishments then don't read this.If you are looking for a gentle foray into the world of BDSM then this could be the book for you.If you read and enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey then this could be the book for you.