Review: BONDS OF DESIRE Movingly More than Menage
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 2, 2013
E-Galley provided via NetGalley for review on my blog from which this is excerpted. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions herein are my own unless otherwise noted.I was impressed with Lynda Aicher's skills at dissecting psychological, emotional and sexual desires and needs. It started early on with the way she describes Tyler's feelings, humiliation, embarrassment and interactions when he is injured. The way it feels to get pain killing meds was particularly apt.I also liked how she describes sensations; it's a great way to provide atmosphere and put the reader into a place. For example, she describes the smells of rainy weather: "The fresh scent of wet cement floated through the room."I like the characters too -- each has internal conflicts and external issues as well.There's a lot of hot, wet mess in here, emotionally and sexually.Sometimes the mess feels a little slow and the solution obvious. Allie is either sexually naive to a fault, or just plain sexually numb. She doesn't understand how a "gay" guy could be drawn to a woman? How is it possible she had never heard of bisexuality?This is a very interesting and real look at sexual assault under the guise, of BDSM. Someone being physically abusive to the point of rape and not allowing a sub to say stop is not BDSM it is rape or assault or abuse.  And Lynda doesn't sugarcoat it.In exploring these themes in the context of a BDSM club and menage, Aicher moves past some of the preconceptions about what erotic romances novellas should do.  She successfully writes a portrait of a relationship and a journey towards wholeness and not just a "dirty" book. There were a few typos in my e-galley but they were probably caught.  I recommend the series and this book in particular. It stands alone if you don't need to understand the friendships and relationships between the supporting characters.