Review: Power Exchange by AJ Rose
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2012
Favorite Quote: "It takes more courage to kneel before someone, than to stand beside them."Detective Gavin DeGrassi finds himself reluctantly intrigued when a brutal murder of a dom takes him into the world of BDSM. With the help of experienced Dom and psychologist, Ben Haversin, Gavin begins to divulge deeper into the world and is forced to acknowledge his own increasing desires; for the life and Ben. When more victims are discovered, Gavin jumps in head first and begins an emotional journey that pits him against his most challenging adversary-himself. However, Gavin and Ben have come under the scrutiny of the killer and if Gavin doesn't solve this case soon, he and Ben may be the next in line for death.Power Exchange is a steamy male/male erotic romance that pits our protagonists against a vicious serial killer while delivering a good balance between the romance and the mystery. I enjoyed the unfolding journey of a novice entering into the world of power exchanges and D/S relationships. AJ Rose does a nice job of presenting Gavin and Ben's evolving relationship-addressing Gavin's concerns and tentative overtures in a realistic fashion. With a steady pace, we are able to follow along and submerge ourselves in Gavin's life fully with no uneasiness that sometimes occurs when reading erotic romance.Gavin DeGrassi immediately inspires trust and affection. A legacy detective, he works homicide and enjoys it. We see that Gavin is a submissive personality right off the bat as his family, partner, and wife attempt to push him into situations he is not comfortable with. Unhappy and confused, it's inevitable that Gavin will seek someone who can provide the structure and praise he so desperately is seeking.Ben is a Dom and a shrink. Attractive and soft spoken, he is the grounding that Gavin needs in his life. He is brought onto the case as a consultant and when he and Gavin meet, the sparks fly. Their attraction leaps off the pages and Rose provides a nice subplot that allows Gavin and Ben to eventually act on their attraction without reprisal.I liked that Gavin isn't portrayed as being broken or suffering from a major trauma and Ben isn't his savior. In fact, Rose repeatedly stresses, through Ben, that those suffering from trauma or abuse need professional counseling and/or therapy and a D/S relationship is not and should not be construed as an alternative. That has always been a sticky point with me concerning other BDSM books. When a traumatized heroine or hero is taken by a Dom who uses sex and bondage to treat them. If the trauma is debilitating, then they need professional treatment, not orgasms.The romance and sexual scenes are off the charts. Rose doesn't hold back in allowing us to not only see the actual scenes but the emotions our protagonists are feeling. Again, I liked how gentle Ben was with Gavin. While Ben freely admits to wanting Gavin as his sub and wanting to dominate him sexually in many, many ways, Ben doesn't seek to humiliate or control Gavin beyond the bedroom. He wants to provide Gavin with an escape from his normally frantic life and job. Contracts are fully explained, as is each aspect of his training. I really felt a connection between these two that went beyond a sexual one.Secondary characters round out the story, providing a stable base in which to build Gavin's character and the plot. Gavin's family is a normal cop family and very much a part of his life. His brother Cole plays heavy in the storyline and I hope Rose decides to write his story. Meeting the various characters that are part of the BDSM scene and mystery investigation and seeing their scenes and reading their thoughts is informative and, admittedly, HOT.The mystery is quite interesting though easily solved. I found myself identifying the villain early on and a little put out by Gavin's detecting skills. Or lack of them, as it may be, which definitely lowered my grade. One point of contention is that weeks pass and you don't realize until is it mentioned in passing. At one point, I thought only a week or so had passed and come to find out it had been over a month. I was also disappointed with a major character who is taken out of the story early on and never brought back in. I expected more from them and the sub plot they were involved in as they have a major impact on Gavin's life.The ending wraps up everything neatly though roughly in a climactic finale and we are left with a nice epilogue that deals well with the aftermath.Overall Rating: C+