Review: Dark and excellent Novella
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2013
It's important to read part 1 - Ultimatum before embarking on this one.It really feels like Gemma James is getting into her stride with this one. For a novelette this is really very good. In short stories there's often not enough time to properly tell the story or develop the characters but that's not the case here.I feel like we're really getting to know Kayla well. Her daughter's new treatment still isn't working and her only hope now is one last final and very expensive trial and she throws herself at Gage's feet for his help. He agrees to help but she must agree to fully submit to him and to give up her safeword. Now Gage can do whatever he likes to Kayla and she will submit and accept - her daughter's life depends on it. And he really does unleash the sadist within.Taking away the safeword is a cardinal sin in the BDSM world and it really makes me doubt Gage's motivations and sanity as a dominant. He's cruel and possessive and any perceived minor misdemeanour by Kayla is met with much more severe punishment than the poor girl deserves. Her despair is absolutely palpable - after a difficult life, her fear for her daughter's life and her helplessness is the driving force behind her actions and she will accept anything that Gage throws at her just for a small chance at saving her.There's far more afoot here than we could possibly have realised after reading Ultimatum and things are not as clear-cut as we once thought. Gage almost showed a kinder, gentler side to himself in this one but it was a momentary glimpse and his anger towards the end at something beyond Kayla's control pushes him over the edge and strips away any humanity we'd seen before as his anger consumes him and he takes things much too far.We're left with everything up in the air at the end of this one - nothing is as it seems and I can't wait for Retribution, the final instalment in this fascinating trilogy, to give us all the answers.4.5 dark stars