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books4everafter's review
1.0
dnf @ 23%
Not sure what happened to my original review. But this was absolutely horrible.
Not sure what happened to my original review. But this was absolutely horrible.
lovetolovebooks's review
5.0
“I’m not your Sir, girl. I’m your Master. Your salvation. I’m the one who will make all your naughty dreams come true. The one who will keep you safe. Treasure you. Push you to the brink of all you can endure and savor every frantic cry. Every tear. Every precious gift you shower upon me. And by God, I’ll give them back to you tenfold.”
The thing I love about BDSM romances is that the story line feels so unique every time. A Dom is unpredictable, so that makes the sexy scenes an utter delight to read. With BDSM romances, for me, it is easier to feel the heat and connection between characters. There has to be an unbelievable amount of trust between two (or more) characters. The line of open communication and trust is a heady and sexy thing. If it is done right, a BDSM romance will feel raw and passionate.
Julianna has to be one of the most mouthiest subs I have ever read. I adore reading about bratty subs, but Julianna isn’t trying to be bratty. Her mouth just runs away from her a lot. We begin reading about Julianna and how much she is yearning for her dream Dom to show up and own her. She is feeling unfulfilled and lost without that sense of belonging, but oh boy does she finally find him!
Mika is a widower who lost his wife years ago to an inoperable brain tumor. He has watched Julianna from the shadows since the day she brought in her application to the club, and he is struggling with his grief for his wife and the overwhelming desire to take Julianna in hand. But they finally meet, and not in the best of circumstances, and the story takes off from there.
I admired the relationship between Daddy Drake, Trevor, and Julianna. There were so many levels to explore there. At times there was a serious tone (Daddy Drake knows how to deliver a punishment) and other times there was a teasing playful tone that I found adorable.
Unfortunately Daddy Drake is gay, so while he can mentor her in how to be the best submissive, he cannot fulfill other desires and wants. This poor girl is so sexually deprived when we are first introduced to her. She has been on a strict no orgasm rule for the past two months (since the last time Mistress Sammie played with her) and she has got sex on the brain all the time. It doesn’t really stop either. Once she gets some relief, she is right back to thinking about it.
“It was as if I were back to a time when my heart no longer ached, a time when I was complete. I lost my grip on reality, sweet one. I couldn’t fight the longing and the tormented hunger for you anymore. The demand to fell you beneath my hands-just to touch you, feel your hot flesh beneath my fingers-was too much. I lost control. I lost my ability to resist my overpowering need for you. When I plunged my fingers deep inside your pussy, I knew I could never walk away. I had to claim and own you. You are simply too perfect.”
Positives:
-I appreciate the author taking the time to know the ins and outs of BDSM so she could give us an authentic Dom/Master instead of a controlling man posing as a Dom (she gave a good example of one of those too). The author has a good grasp on the core beliefs of BDSM and it shows in her writing.
-The angst. Good lord the angst. Jacob knows how to build up the chemistry, desire, and passion. I was a squirming mess by the time Mika and Julianna finally hit the sheets. Loved every second of that torture.
-And while we are on the subject of hitting the sheets, Jacob had me in blush mode almost the whole time. To say I enjoyed it is an understatement. ;)
Negatives:
-There is a scene early in the book where a sexual assault/attempted rape occurs. This did not bother me, but it might trigger someone who was not warned so I wanted to be sure to put that out there.
-The word “slut” is used many times (mostly as a term of endearment), but it is a small trigger for me. I do not appreciate it when it is said outside of a scene, even if it was meant as a pet name. I’m fine hearing it/reading it when the characters are in a scene (example “Are you my good little slut? Come for me slut.”) but when it is spoken during every day dialogue it throws me and triggers me a little (example Mika had brought Julianna some breakfast in bed and said “Food, slut. Let’s eat food.) Again this is just a personal preference, and I know many who would enjoy this dynamic.
“I will claim you today as a man. Today we are lovers. Equals. I don’t want you holding back anything you feel. I will give you no commands to follow. Don’t keep any desires or needs locked inside you, love. Let them go. Show me, tell me what you want. I ache to explore you, to please the woman inside the submissive. No holding back or allowing your submissive side take over. I want you to take your fill. Don’t get me wrong, I desire your submission. God, I crave it. But our first time together we’re simply two people exploring and fulfilling desires. You’ll want to give, it’s who you are, but I want you to take as well. Take what you want, what you need. Do you understand?”
Final thoughts:
I found this couple’s story to be multidimensional. I got to see Mika deal with his grief and ultimately letting go so he could embrace this new love in his life. I got to see Julianna finally come into her own as a submissive and deal with some not so pretty scars her past left on her mental and emotional health. And I got to witness these two flourish together and become a true pairing. It was beautiful, and all in 225 pages.
4.5 but rounding up to 5 stars.
The thing I love about BDSM romances is that the story line feels so unique every time. A Dom is unpredictable, so that makes the sexy scenes an utter delight to read. With BDSM romances, for me, it is easier to feel the heat and connection between characters. There has to be an unbelievable amount of trust between two (or more) characters. The line of open communication and trust is a heady and sexy thing. If it is done right, a BDSM romance will feel raw and passionate.
Julianna has to be one of the most mouthiest subs I have ever read. I adore reading about bratty subs, but Julianna isn’t trying to be bratty. Her mouth just runs away from her a lot. We begin reading about Julianna and how much she is yearning for her dream Dom to show up and own her. She is feeling unfulfilled and lost without that sense of belonging, but oh boy does she finally find him!
Mika is a widower who lost his wife years ago to an inoperable brain tumor. He has watched Julianna from the shadows since the day she brought in her application to the club, and he is struggling with his grief for his wife and the overwhelming desire to take Julianna in hand. But they finally meet, and not in the best of circumstances, and the story takes off from there.
I admired the relationship between Daddy Drake, Trevor, and Julianna. There were so many levels to explore there. At times there was a serious tone (Daddy Drake knows how to deliver a punishment) and other times there was a teasing playful tone that I found adorable.
Unfortunately Daddy Drake is gay, so while he can mentor her in how to be the best submissive, he cannot fulfill other desires and wants. This poor girl is so sexually deprived when we are first introduced to her. She has been on a strict no orgasm rule for the past two months (since the last time Mistress Sammie played with her) and she has got sex on the brain all the time. It doesn’t really stop either. Once she gets some relief, she is right back to thinking about it.
“It was as if I were back to a time when my heart no longer ached, a time when I was complete. I lost my grip on reality, sweet one. I couldn’t fight the longing and the tormented hunger for you anymore. The demand to fell you beneath my hands-just to touch you, feel your hot flesh beneath my fingers-was too much. I lost control. I lost my ability to resist my overpowering need for you. When I plunged my fingers deep inside your pussy, I knew I could never walk away. I had to claim and own you. You are simply too perfect.”
Positives:
-I appreciate the author taking the time to know the ins and outs of BDSM so she could give us an authentic Dom/Master instead of a controlling man posing as a Dom (she gave a good example of one of those too). The author has a good grasp on the core beliefs of BDSM and it shows in her writing.
-The angst. Good lord the angst. Jacob knows how to build up the chemistry, desire, and passion. I was a squirming mess by the time Mika and Julianna finally hit the sheets. Loved every second of that torture.
-And while we are on the subject of hitting the sheets, Jacob had me in blush mode almost the whole time. To say I enjoyed it is an understatement. ;)
Negatives:
-There is a scene early in the book where a sexual assault/attempted rape occurs. This did not bother me, but it might trigger someone who was not warned so I wanted to be sure to put that out there.
-The word “slut” is used many times (mostly as a term of endearment), but it is a small trigger for me. I do not appreciate it when it is said outside of a scene, even if it was meant as a pet name. I’m fine hearing it/reading it when the characters are in a scene (example “Are you my good little slut? Come for me slut.”) but when it is spoken during every day dialogue it throws me and triggers me a little (example Mika had brought Julianna some breakfast in bed and said “Food, slut. Let’s eat food.) Again this is just a personal preference, and I know many who would enjoy this dynamic.
“I will claim you today as a man. Today we are lovers. Equals. I don’t want you holding back anything you feel. I will give you no commands to follow. Don’t keep any desires or needs locked inside you, love. Let them go. Show me, tell me what you want. I ache to explore you, to please the woman inside the submissive. No holding back or allowing your submissive side take over. I want you to take your fill. Don’t get me wrong, I desire your submission. God, I crave it. But our first time together we’re simply two people exploring and fulfilling desires. You’ll want to give, it’s who you are, but I want you to take as well. Take what you want, what you need. Do you understand?”
Final thoughts:
I found this couple’s story to be multidimensional. I got to see Mika deal with his grief and ultimately letting go so he could embrace this new love in his life. I got to see Julianna finally come into her own as a submissive and deal with some not so pretty scars her past left on her mental and emotional health. And I got to witness these two flourish together and become a true pairing. It was beautiful, and all in 225 pages.
4.5 but rounding up to 5 stars.
maria_nanci's review
4.0
Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book!
Julianna has been a member of Genesis (BDSM club) for years, helping out as needed and waiting for a Dom to claim her. She's the only un-collared sub at Genesis, which causes her plenty of embarrassment and self-doubt. After Julianna is attacked by a new club member, Mika comes to her rescue. It turns out that Mika looks very familiar to Julianna because she's been dreaming about him for quite some time. Mika is a bit of a ghost - very few people know he exists. Julianna believes that Mika is the Dom for her, but Mika has some heartbreak from his past that won't let him easily move forward with Julianna. Ultimately, a life-or-death situation helps them over that hurdle and their relationship progresses.
I was wondered if this would be similar to other BDSM-themed books I've read, but it was better! There was so much depth to these characters and I feel like the author did an amazing job of explaining the lifestyle. There was a lot of discussion and communication between the characters, so it wasn't a lot of (crazy hot!) sex scenes and a storyline lacking substance. Overall, everything about this book was more than I expected.
Julianna has been a member of Genesis (BDSM club) for years, helping out as needed and waiting for a Dom to claim her. She's the only un-collared sub at Genesis, which causes her plenty of embarrassment and self-doubt. After Julianna is attacked by a new club member, Mika comes to her rescue. It turns out that Mika looks very familiar to Julianna because she's been dreaming about him for quite some time. Mika is a bit of a ghost - very few people know he exists. Julianna believes that Mika is the Dom for her, but Mika has some heartbreak from his past that won't let him easily move forward with Julianna. Ultimately, a life-or-death situation helps them over that hurdle and their relationship progresses.
I was wondered if this would be similar to other BDSM-themed books I've read, but it was better! There was so much depth to these characters and I feel like the author did an amazing job of explaining the lifestyle. There was a lot of discussion and communication between the characters, so it wasn't a lot of (crazy hot!) sex scenes and a storyline lacking substance. Overall, everything about this book was more than I expected.
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