Review: A little jewel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 29, 2013
I who spend my time complaining that the M/M BDSM novels I read are always full of clichés, their characters are cardboard cut-outs and their stories are too linear, I cannot complain about any of these failings this time. In fact, the author chose a difficult theme and she presented it with virtuosity.Premise:This is the story of Steve Stanhope, a submissive whose ex kept prisoner in his own home, abusing and mistreating him; so Steve had to flee down a cliff where he could have broken his neck (only way to escape). Steve then moved to live in the United States for years. At the beginning of the story, he has just returned to live in Australia, where he meets Master D (Donato Rossi), or Don for short, an American Master. Given his very bad experience, Steve is now very wary of the D/s and BDSM lifestyle.Following the accidental death (motorcycle accident) of his sub Alex, who was traveling in the States with Julius (on Julius' bike), Don went to Australia to claim his inheritance. He inherited a part of Julius' house (that is also Alex's house) and a hotel (Paradiso, also belonging to Fred) that Julius had left to Alex. Don mourns his sub's death and suffers from the fact that this death revealed that Alex was cheating on him with Julius. But Don still believes in the D/s and BDSM lifestyle.There is also Gabriel, a young man who believes he has it in him to become a slave 24/7 overnight and asks Don to train him.Story line: The story begins with Steve dressing up as Stevie Nicks, renamed for the occasion Stevie Tricks. In his drag queen show, "Stevie" forces Master D to go on stage where he makes fun of him. Don does not know what to do with this transvestite who ridicules him. I confess that if I listened to myself at the beginning of this story, even if the drag show is funny, I would perhaps not have continued reading because I didn't find Steve very nice to mock a man he didn't even know. As for Don, I found him stiff, full of himself and without any sense of humour. I know it was intended by the author, who was trying to portray believable characters. But when you start reading a novel and the two main characters will also appear unsympathetic one than the other, it is not always tempting to read more. To stop reading would have been very unfortunate, because the author gives us a little gem, realistic and thought-provoking.We gradually discover, along with Don, the full horror of what Steve lived and what his moron of ex, named Julius, considered to be Domination/submission, but he should call abuse and torture. We learn that Steve had to see a psychologist for several years in order to successfully regain his self-confidence and believe himself worthy of the interest of his fellows. Even if he gets better, Steve does not want to make a commitment again in a D/s relationship for fear of reliving what Julius made him lived.Because the other owner of Don's inheritance is Steve, the two men are forced to work together to put the house in good condition, first with the intention of reselling it, but then, as the two men fall in love with each other, with the intention to keep and make it a kind of kinky inn where Doms and subs will come to learn the tricks of the D/s' and BDSM's trade.As for Gabriel, Don agrees to train him, but Steve tries to convince the young man that it is not that easy to become a full-time slave. In a very interesting scene, Steve dominates Gabriel. While giving Gabriel everything he hoped in a scene, Steve offers him a particularly unattractive view of D/s. However, Steve also encourages Gabriel to discover himself and the world first before thinking about becoming the archangel Gabriel to his Master. Gabriel first ignores Steve's warnings, but he will eventually act on his advice.Gradually discovering what happened to Steve and Don, we see them changing psychologically, as well as in their perception of the D/s and what they want to do with it. That was not a story of love at first sight, far from it, not for the main characters and not for us, readers. Instead, Steve and Don learned to gradually appreciate, trust and finally love each other. We come to love them too.If you are looking for a Harlequin's style of romance or an erotic novel, you are likely to be disappointed. If you hope to find a BDSM scene every three pages, you may not find your account also. But if you want a story that will make you worry for its main characters, hoping to see them recover from the evil spell which struck them both, get over their bad past and become happy, this novel is for you. As a bonus, you will have gain a story that will make you think about what really matters in life as a whole and especially in a D/s relationship.A few quotations"He kissed me again [...] This time ... as if he was trying to suck the life out of me." "A lot of people are drawn to BDSM because in the safety of a scene, they can admit to desires and emotions they feel uncomfortable expressing otherwise.""I like you the way you are. Raw. Natural. Perfect.""Remember, being kinky is not a sin. Forget what your therapist said. Unless they've had firsthand experience, they don't know what the f$%? they're talking about. Don't ever be ashamed of what we do.""Anything that is in here with consent is anyone's business but our own.""Each blow now seems like a gift, a promise of more to come, a kiss.""And if reading about one man is good, reading about two must be better. True?"