Review: Worthwhile read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2014
Here is a prime example of a book in desperate need of a good editor.  I’m going to leave that statement for the moment, but I’ll come back to it, because it’s important, and it’s not a statement of how bad the book is, it is a suggestion of how much better it could be.  This is a 3.5 star book that could easily be a 4.5 star book.The quick thing you will discover, upon starting this book, is that it is erotica not porn, and especially not heterosexual-male aimed porn.  The difference between porn and erotica is that erotica is written as if it were real life, and porn is straight fantasy.  Few straight porn stories ever mention STD’s or condoms.  In erotica, the use of condoms is almost de rigueur.  This story is erotica that appears to be more targeted to a female audience.  Physical sadism is light, mental sadism is non-existent, and the masochism is judicious.  Domination is the theme, but even that is moderated, not only by a safe word, but by rules of engagement.The story moves along well, although a lot of the serious “action” does not take place until the second half.  It’s easy to get involved with the characters, Emily and Jake, and I liked both.  It’s a tale of more than just sexual exploring, it is also about caring.  For example;“As hard as I was on her the first time; as sneering and mocking as I was, I never put her in danger.  But there were people out there that would; there were people who would damage her, if not her body, then her mind.  I’d seen enough in the world to know that there existed people that would take the lust she felt and shape it into self-loathing; forcing her to humiliate herself for the sake of pleasure; cheapening the strength of her submission, changing it to something base and perverted, all under the label of control and dominance.”As you can see, her mental health is important to him, not just the use of her body, and this theme is consistently reinforced.  This is not The Story of O.  And she does not see herself as a piece of sexual meat.  She is a strong willed, capable person who happens to enjoy elements of domination and masochism in her sexual life.As I said, the book needs an editor.  I am a lover of the semi-colon, but even for me, there were too many times when a semi-colon was used in place of a simple period, and there were a few other punctuation and grammar errors.  They don’t spoil the book, but they are distracting.  Some books are so badly written that no editor can save them, but this is not one of those.  Perhaps Tara Crescent can find a volunteer editor, because the story is too good to be left in this condition.  Rounding up, I give it 4 stars.I am posting this review after having read 90 percent of the book, so it is not colored by the ending.  Will Emily find true happiness in this relationship?  Only her Magic 8-ball knows for sure.