dnf @50%

In my head I started to list the things I didn't like and then switched gears and wanted to list the things I did like... and came up blank. Which... can't be. It's not a bad book. But I didn't find a single thing I liked at this point. (Except one scene that made me go further and read one more chapter.)

I didn't like the characters. Sterling, the sub is really petulant and I think Owen is too, in a different way. I dunno who Owen is looking for, coz no one seems to be good for him and Sterling is not that different from the others who came before him. Sterling wanted to be a Dom, but upon seeing Owen in a club, he instantly changed his mind, which I found too swift. He explained it later and it made sense, but I expected more struggle.

I didn't like the relationship development, if it can even be called a relationship, because they had an arrangement at best. Despite that, Sterling was already in love after like 2 sessions. But they weren't even in a normal D/s relationship yet. Sterling was still learning and Owen had to relearn some things. They both struggled with this dynamic from what I've seen. So how Sterling fell in love that fast is a mystery to me. I also didn't find and ounce of chemistry between them. It didn't sizzle, didn't burn, didn't even tingle.

I didn't like the writing. It's, good, great even, but it didn't work for me. Mostly because my native brain couldn't comprehend the overly long sentences. I had to read them 2-3 times to make sense of them. And it was exhausting.

I thought this book was written as a serial, in that case the tiny time jumps would have made sense, but it's not a serial. A few days here, a couple of weeks there. Which means we skipped over some - in my opinion - important things. As a BDSM book which happens to have a main character who is completely new to this world, I would have expected to see everything on page. From the moment he first knelt in front of Owen, to the first time he got a plug shoved up his ass. There were plenty of on page punishing though (spanking, fingering, nipple play with clamps, ball gag, wax play? etc), but I expected to see the exact process how he got from doing the easiest thing to the hardest that required trust. I thought I would see each step. And here is why I'm conflicted: that was all just expectation on my part, but in the end this current scene was too much for me. What with the wax and the nipple clamps. I like BDSM more without toys. Blindfold and some bondage is okay but anything more makes me uncomfortable. Why not use your own hand? It's perfectly capable. But that's just me being picky.

I'm not sure what I was waiting for, but it didn't come.

Edit: one more thing I forgot momentarily. If felt like they were putting on a show. Like they were doing this BDSM thing for others not themselves. Owen was worried about his reputation as a Dom, and Sterling desperately wanted to be up on display at the club.

This book was recommended to me by someone in a 24/7 D/s relationship. And I'm so glad I read it. Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow have managed to make me, pure Vanilla with only the faintest traces of kinky swirls, understand the Dom/sub relationship a little better. And honesty compels me to admit to a degree of yearning for the type of connection described between Owen and Sterling. *sigh* ( )

This was another re-read for me after over a year. I had to bump it up to 5 stars. I don't remember why I gave it 4 to begin with, but the second read was definitely 5! Fuck yeah M/M BDSM! Love that shit. :)

Recommended if you like kinky BDSM M/M play between consensual adults who eventually fall in love. *sigh* ( )

I really enjoyed this book!

When reading BDSM books, I am often disappointed. Some books almost feel cartoonish, as if the author really doesn't understand the spirit of the culture. You know the books, it's "oh spank me, spank me!" in the sex and there is no mention of the psychology behind it. When I read those books I don't feel any tension, I am not squirming with the intensity and confusion.

One author to seems to get it right in the f/f work is Cherise Sinclair. I can now add Jane Davitt to that list for m/m.

I loved the care and protection that Owen gives Sterling, but at the same time there are actual rules that Serling must follow.

If the BDSM world is something you are curious about, then this is a good book to try.

There is no humiliation (definite hard limit for me), and I didn't feel any of the play sessions were too extreme. ( )

This was another re-read for me after over a year. I had to bump it up to 5 stars. I don't remember why I gave it 4 to begin with, but the second read was definitely 5! Fuck yeah M/M BDSM! Love that shit. :)

Recommended if you like kinky BDSM M/M play between consensual adults who eventually fall in love. *sigh* ( )