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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I found this book through Amazon as part of a free-Kindle e-book give away they were running. Any time that I receive a free book from Amazon, I question how good the content is. It just seems to be a trend where authors want you to read the first book for free, then buy the rest of the trilogy/series. That being said, I'm glad this was free.
The plot, without giving spoilers, is basically "Fifty Shades" and lacks almost any originality. The characters are archetypes that rarely say or do anything that would be unconventional. The scenes that deal with sex are "ok," perhaps average. There just fails to be any real substance to the book itself.
It was a very quick read, but that's because from start to beginning it is very predictable. It was a decent quick, free read. But I wouldn't recommend that anyone actually pay to continue on with the series.
The plot, without giving spoilers, is basically "Fifty Shades" and lacks almost any originality. The characters are archetypes that rarely say or do anything that would be unconventional. The scenes that deal with sex are "ok," perhaps average. There just fails to be any real substance to the book itself.
It was a very quick read, but that's because from start to beginning it is very predictable. It was a decent quick, free read. But I wouldn't recommend that anyone actually pay to continue on with the series.
I must first note that I received this book via the goodreads giveaway. With that being said, I must say that I enjoyed the book. I was hesitant at first, because I assumed it was a Fifty Shades knock off. They are similar, but The Submissive holds its own (especially after finding out that this book was published before). Abby is the one who takes the initiative by applying to be Nathaniel's submissive, a rich CEO with a Julia Roberts Pretty Woman no kissing allowed rule. Alas, you hope that Nathaniel realizes his love for Abby when he breaks his own cardinal rule. Abby also has a BFF who is quite unlikable at first, but she grows on you during the course of the book, and her side romance is cute as well. I wanted to know more about Nathaniel's backstory, so it is reassuring to find that this book is a part of a trilogy, so hopefully I will get more answers. Overall, an enjoyable, well written, fast read. I'll be sure to check out the rest of the series when I have a chance.
I don't even know what to say about this. It's just a lot more of the same thing we've already read...A LOT. If you're looking into reading this book then I assume you know what your getting into. It's like 50 Shades, maybe a little better written, but it's really nothing particularly interesting or new.
fast-paced
Abby is a romantically and sexually unfulfilled librarian. Through somewhat unclear circumstances (which are revealed later in the book) she applies to be a sexual submissive to the powerful, handsome, and controlling Nathaniel West's. Abby has never done anything like that before, but even though she struggles at times, Nathaniel is pleased with her performance and they have pretty hot sex when they get together at Nathaniel's country house on the weekends. Abby begins to have more romantic feelings and she thinks Nathaniel might too, but can they be more than just master and submissive?
I had a very difficult time getting into this book. I didn't necessarily believe that a quiet, shy librarian who had never explored any type of submissive relationship before would apply to be a submissive and then be accepted (as I said above all is eventually revealed about this). I also struggled with the vastly different power dynamic between Nathaniel and Abby. There were times when I felt like she was being taken advantage of, but, that said, she was never a shrinking violet and she stood up for herself when appropriate.
This book definitely suffered from annoying friend syndrome. Every scene involving Abby's best friend Felicia made me want to strangle Felicia with Abby's collar. While the other supporting characters (mostly Nathaniel's friends and family) served their purpose of being a sounding board and showing a softer side of Nathaniel, they still got on my nerves and I wished they would go away.
To a better topic, let's talk about the sex scenes. I loved the sex scenes in this book. They were the perfect blend of hot, fun, and the dominant/submissive style. Honestly, of all the romance/erotica books I've read I would say these were probably my favorite sex scenes ever. All that said, I did have a difficult time getting into the sex scenes at first. In my opinion part of what makes sex scenes in books great is the suspense and there was no suspense here; Abby spent weekends at Nathaniel's house and they obviously had sex, no question about it. The lack of interaction outside of the bedroom also made it hard for me to like and relate to them as a couple, which also made it hard to get into the sex scenes (I am such a girl).
Finally, a word about this being Twilight fan fiction. As I said in my review of Beautiful Bastard I've never read Twilight so I can't really say if this is just Twilight just with lots of dominant/submissive sex. From what I know about Twilight it seems like Nathaniel and Abby's personalities at the core are similar to Edward and Bella's personalities, but a moody dominant man and an insecure woman wasn't revolutionary in Twilight. From what I know I also think there are similarities with their family and friends as well, but so what? Every inspiration comes from somewhere and Tara Sue Me seems like she's taken an inspiration and made it her own.
I received an electronic galley of The Submissive in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are, as always, my own.
This review first appeared on my blog: http://justacouplemorepages.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/book-review-the-submissive/
I had a very difficult time getting into this book. I didn't necessarily believe that a quiet, shy librarian who had never explored any type of submissive relationship before would apply to be a submissive and then be accepted (as I said above all is eventually revealed about this). I also struggled with the vastly different power dynamic between Nathaniel and Abby. There were times when I felt like she was being taken advantage of, but, that said, she was never a shrinking violet and she stood up for herself when appropriate.
This book definitely suffered from annoying friend syndrome. Every scene involving Abby's best friend Felicia made me want to strangle Felicia with Abby's collar. While the other supporting characters (mostly Nathaniel's friends and family) served their purpose of being a sounding board and showing a softer side of Nathaniel, they still got on my nerves and I wished they would go away.
To a better topic, let's talk about the sex scenes. I loved the sex scenes in this book. They were the perfect blend of hot, fun, and the dominant/submissive style. Honestly, of all the romance/erotica books I've read I would say these were probably my favorite sex scenes ever. All that said, I did have a difficult time getting into the sex scenes at first. In my opinion part of what makes sex scenes in books great is the suspense and there was no suspense here; Abby spent weekends at Nathaniel's house and they obviously had sex, no question about it. The lack of interaction outside of the bedroom also made it hard for me to like and relate to them as a couple, which also made it hard to get into the sex scenes (I am such a girl).
Spoiler
Besides the sex my favorite part was how after the big thing that tests Abby and Nathaniel as a couple we get to see them reconcile and then we get to see how they rebuild and grow their relationship. I absolutely loved that the book just didn't end with them getting back together, but let us see them together, figuring things out.Finally, a word about this being Twilight fan fiction. As I said in my review of Beautiful Bastard I've never read Twilight so I can't really say if this is just Twilight just with lots of dominant/submissive sex. From what I know about Twilight it seems like Nathaniel and Abby's personalities at the core are similar to Edward and Bella's personalities, but a moody dominant man and an insecure woman wasn't revolutionary in Twilight. From what I know I also think there are similarities with their family and friends as well, but so what? Every inspiration comes from somewhere and Tara Sue Me seems like she's taken an inspiration and made it her own.
I received an electronic galley of The Submissive in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are, as always, my own.
This review first appeared on my blog: http://justacouplemorepages.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/book-review-the-submissive/
I enjoyed this book a lot. It felt very familiar to Fifty Shades of Grey and reading through some of the reviews it seems there is a backstory with this book and the other one, but honestly, I don't really care to much to dig into it anymore. There was A LOT of very similar things. And as much as I liked this book, there were some things that were missing for me.
It starts right off at the beginning. It makes absolutely no sense how or why Abigail King is in Nathaniel West's office. I found myself asking so many questions...who, what, when, where, and why. We find out some of those questions as they go on and for sure why about 75% of the way in.
This book desperately needed his POV in my opinion. Why does he seem to flip/flop with his feelings? We hear from everyone around him that he seems to be very taken with Abby, but there really isn't a lot we see from him. I'm a huge fan of dual POV and it would've changed the book for me if we had his.
I enjoyed Abby. She was really strong and a good submissive considering she had no training. She was a little insecure at times, but I guess that's to be expected.
I'm also very intrigued by Nathaniel. I'm not sure what in his past is causing him to feel or behave the way he does. I know his parents dies, but nothing about that would've caused him to be this dominant who tries to shield himself and not get into any relationships. I'm really hoping we get more about him in the next book.
It starts right off at the beginning. It makes absolutely no sense how or why Abigail King is in Nathaniel West's office. I found myself asking so many questions...who, what, when, where, and why. We find out some of those questions as they go on and for sure why about 75% of the way in.
This book desperately needed his POV in my opinion. Why does he seem to flip/flop with his feelings? We hear from everyone around him that he seems to be very taken with Abby, but there really isn't a lot we see from him. I'm a huge fan of dual POV and it would've changed the book for me if we had his.
I enjoyed Abby. She was really strong and a good submissive considering she had no training. She was a little insecure at times, but I guess that's to be expected.
I'm also very intrigued by Nathaniel. I'm not sure what in his past is causing him to feel or behave the way he does. I know his parents dies, but nothing about that would've caused him to be this dominant who tries to shield himself and not get into any relationships. I'm really hoping we get more about him in the next book.
Review to come. Not sure what I feel about this one. I thought I was starting to like Nathaniel, but then he just turned ridiculous.
The Nitty Gritty: Its a spanking good time as a timid librarian finds her way through the dark and salacious world of BDSM. Just a simple tale of a submissive trying to find her way.
In The Submissive we meet mild mannered librarian Abby King. Seriously this is the worst characterization of a profession that I have ever seen, but that is neither here nor there.
Back to my review.
Something is simmering below the surface however. Abby has a desire to put her sexual pleasure in the expert hands of Nathaniel West, billionaire CEO and sought after Dominate. Ms. King offers herself up as his latest submissive, and she enters the mysterious world of whips, chains and diamond encrusted collars.
She spends one weekend with him before she consents to being his submissive. While this works for her sexual kicks, Abby finds she needs more in the emotional department and Nate isn't ready for that sort of thing ( as if we didn't see that one coming). She falls further down the rabbit hole before she realizes that Nate maybe beyond saving and her own heart might need repair after her trip on the whipping post.
Opening Line: “Ms. King," the receptionist said. "Mr. West will see you now."
What's The 411: The Submissive started off as Twilight fanfiction. I actually read the entire trilogy on fanfiction.net. Don't judge me, I was bored and waiting for NaNoWriMo to start.
And I have to admit that The submissive was a better written book than Twilight ever could have hoped to be. And that's really saying something.
The Submissive is also the book that E.L James liberally ripped off for her garbage 50 Shades series. Though how James managed to corrupt what started out as a good story into what it ended up as is beyond the laws of nature and someone should ban her from publishing ever again. Though she does give me hope for my literary endeavors.
I am all for fanfiction. I really am. I have 13 stories on fanfiction.net myself. But I would never take one of my stories on FF and turn around and sell it as my own original work. I just think that is dirty and underhanded. And its just as bad as if Tara had kept Abby as Bella and Nathaniel as Edward. Which is basically what she did, but she just changed their names. The mannerisms and characterizations as exactly the same as Twilight. Apparently Stephanie Myers doesn't have a problem with this book nor 50 Shades of Grey. Which doesn't mean much to me because I hated Twilight as well.
I just find it abhorrent as a budding author that someone could rip off another's work and get a book deal. While I am spending every waking moment pouring myself into creating my own stories, characters and settings, then writing said novel only to worry myself sick trying to shop it around to agents and publishing houses as I pray for a book deal.
Something is broken in that system and I hope someone is looking to fix it.
The Good: The sex scenes were actually sort of inspiring. After trudging through the yawn worthy sex in 50 Shades. I mean good lord how many times can we read about a gasp or how big he is before we just want to grab a pint of ice cream and curl up with a stack of Jackass DVDs just to watch something intelligent. In The Submissive the sex is actually note worthy. Tara actually takes the time to give us different sensations and experiences with each sexual encounter. Its not just the same thing over and over again in different locations.
There is a bit of a story here. Its pretty hard to find, but if you click your heels three times and wish for a storyline you can find it. So its a little better than actual porn. Not much, but there it is. Though the book doesn't claim to be an actual story. It tells you right on the cover that Abby is seeking out a role as a submissive. So all we expect is some good sex and better spanking. And that's what Tara delivers.
The Bad: Tara didn't bother trying to hide the source of her characters Its painfully easy to see Bella and Edward in the title roles. Abby is a self proclaimed clumsy oaf with a tendency to compare herself to everything and everyone and find herself coming up short. I am so tired of female characters with self esteem issues I'm going to jab a sharpened pencil in my ear if I have to read another book with that sort of female lead. Its just feeding the machine of low self esteem for women.
The first punishment scene is a tad brutal and since we don't to see Nate response and how he feels about it we are left with the dark hole that Abby falls into after her fist punishment. We are meant to see the BDSM world through her eyes as the submissive, but I wish there could have been some sort of discussion between Nate and Abby afterwards so we aren't left with a bad taste in our mouths. REading that scene as squares we only see a severe beating. Not the psychology behind it. Though this trilogy does a good job of introducing us to the actual psychology behind the BDSM lifestyle. Thanks to that hack EL James there are a lot of ignorant people out there and maybe this series might clear up a few things.
Not that Nate is anymore of a man to run after than Christine is. Both men suck, and I would run from them like my name was Flo Jo.
My Final Say: If you are wanting something to read to pass the time between True Blood seasons and you are having steam vamp/werewolf sex withdrawal. Yeah I meant that pun. Then this is a viable option, but only if Game of Thrones is on hiatus as well.
In The Submissive we meet mild mannered librarian Abby King. Seriously this is the worst characterization of a profession that I have ever seen, but that is neither here nor there.
Back to my review.
Something is simmering below the surface however. Abby has a desire to put her sexual pleasure in the expert hands of Nathaniel West, billionaire CEO and sought after Dominate. Ms. King offers herself up as his latest submissive, and she enters the mysterious world of whips, chains and diamond encrusted collars.
She spends one weekend with him before she consents to being his submissive. While this works for her sexual kicks, Abby finds she needs more in the emotional department and Nate isn't ready for that sort of thing ( as if we didn't see that one coming). She falls further down the rabbit hole before she realizes that Nate maybe beyond saving and her own heart might need repair after her trip on the whipping post.
Opening Line: “Ms. King," the receptionist said. "Mr. West will see you now."
What's The 411: The Submissive started off as Twilight fanfiction. I actually read the entire trilogy on fanfiction.net. Don't judge me, I was bored and waiting for NaNoWriMo to start.
And I have to admit that The submissive was a better written book than Twilight ever could have hoped to be. And that's really saying something.
The Submissive is also the book that E.L James liberally ripped off for her garbage 50 Shades series. Though how James managed to corrupt what started out as a good story into what it ended up as is beyond the laws of nature and someone should ban her from publishing ever again. Though she does give me hope for my literary endeavors.
I am all for fanfiction. I really am. I have 13 stories on fanfiction.net myself. But I would never take one of my stories on FF and turn around and sell it as my own original work. I just think that is dirty and underhanded. And its just as bad as if Tara had kept Abby as Bella and Nathaniel as Edward. Which is basically what she did, but she just changed their names. The mannerisms and characterizations as exactly the same as Twilight. Apparently Stephanie Myers doesn't have a problem with this book nor 50 Shades of Grey. Which doesn't mean much to me because I hated Twilight as well.
I just find it abhorrent as a budding author that someone could rip off another's work and get a book deal. While I am spending every waking moment pouring myself into creating my own stories, characters and settings, then writing said novel only to worry myself sick trying to shop it around to agents and publishing houses as I pray for a book deal.
Something is broken in that system and I hope someone is looking to fix it.
The Good: The sex scenes were actually sort of inspiring. After trudging through the yawn worthy sex in 50 Shades. I mean good lord how many times can we read about a gasp or how big he is before we just want to grab a pint of ice cream and curl up with a stack of Jackass DVDs just to watch something intelligent. In The Submissive the sex is actually note worthy. Tara actually takes the time to give us different sensations and experiences with each sexual encounter. Its not just the same thing over and over again in different locations.
There is a bit of a story here. Its pretty hard to find, but if you click your heels three times and wish for a storyline you can find it. So its a little better than actual porn. Not much, but there it is. Though the book doesn't claim to be an actual story. It tells you right on the cover that Abby is seeking out a role as a submissive. So all we expect is some good sex and better spanking. And that's what Tara delivers.
The Bad: Tara didn't bother trying to hide the source of her characters Its painfully easy to see Bella and Edward in the title roles. Abby is a self proclaimed clumsy oaf with a tendency to compare herself to everything and everyone and find herself coming up short. I am so tired of female characters with self esteem issues I'm going to jab a sharpened pencil in my ear if I have to read another book with that sort of female lead. Its just feeding the machine of low self esteem for women.
The first punishment scene is a tad brutal and since we don't to see Nate response and how he feels about it we are left with the dark hole that Abby falls into after her fist punishment. We are meant to see the BDSM world through her eyes as the submissive, but I wish there could have been some sort of discussion between Nate and Abby afterwards so we aren't left with a bad taste in our mouths. REading that scene as squares we only see a severe beating. Not the psychology behind it. Though this trilogy does a good job of introducing us to the actual psychology behind the BDSM lifestyle. Thanks to that hack EL James there are a lot of ignorant people out there and maybe this series might clear up a few things.
Not that Nate is anymore of a man to run after than Christine is. Both men suck, and I would run from them like my name was Flo Jo.
My Final Say: If you are wanting something to read to pass the time between True Blood seasons and you are having steam vamp/werewolf sex withdrawal. Yeah I meant that pun. Then this is a viable option, but only if Game of Thrones is on hiatus as well.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was recommended this series, and again made the decision to read at least the first one to give it a try. Very quickly I needed more. If you're looking for the perfect D/S relationship book, THIS is the one to dive into! Toss your Fifty Shades and Replace it with Submissive. It's got the D/S hook, it's smutty, it's cheesy, it's instalove, it's complicated, it's fun. When you want to read a D/S book because you're interested in how things could be in the community or because you're in the community, this is the way to go. It has an equal amount of instalove, D/S, and romance. A sweet balance of sweet and spicy. But if you're going to start this one, be prepared to read more of the series.
10/10 Instalove
9/10 Romance
<10/10 Series
10/10 Instalove
9/10 Romance
<10/10 Series