Review: Another great book in the Mine! series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2012
The more of this series I read the less I understand BDSM relationships. OK, that's not entirely true. What I find is that there are as many varieties of BDSM lifestyles as there are people who practice them, and Liz Borino's THAT'S A WRAP is another piece of the puzzle.If you've read the first two books in the Mine series, ACTION and CUTAWAY, you know that Steve and Zach are a director and actor on a popular series called Ben's Life, and Dom and sub in their private lives. Josh, formerly a slave to Steve's friend Peter, is now living with Steve and Zach. Trying to meet Josh's needs forces Steve and Zach to re-examine their own roles with each other. Josh wants both men to be his Doms. One of the most heartbreaking scenes is when Steve forces Josh to cut his long hair despite Josh's very emotional reason for wanting to leave it long.Steve and Zach become switches, which is interesting in that it could cause them to lose the identities that put them together in the first place. I did not like the character Josh at first, but that may be because I just don't "get" the slave mentality or needs. Josh kind of grew on me through the book, though, and even though I still can't identify with him I can see his part in the development of the story. I think it was that "cut your hair or else" scene that put me square in Josh's corner.As if they don't have enough to deal with, the show both men work on is about to be cancelled if they can't increase viewership by a large margin, so they go on tour with other cast members. Steve is not allowed to tell the other cast members why they are on tour, which creates a lot of tension for him since he feels that is dishonest.Then another monkey wrench is thrown at Steve when his mother's drug abuse catches up with her and she is found unconscious in the squalor of a drug house with a thirteen-year-old daughter named Sunshine that Steve has never known about. Rather than allow her to go into the foster care system Steve brings her home and the question becomes whether Steve and Zach can provide the kind of stability his sister requires without giving up their lifestyle. And how does needy Josh fit into this ever changing picture?This is a well-crafted story that is plot-driven, with characters who may be different from any characters you've read about before. Ms Borino is a story developer who knows where her characters come from and where they are going. The reader is along for the ride. I hope this is not the last story in the series because I want to know what happens to Josh, Sunshine, and, of course, Steve and Zach. Too many loose threads at the end to just let it... end, right, Ms. Borino? This is an excellent look at BDSM lifestyles, but you really do need to read the series in order to fully enjoy THAT'S A WRAP.