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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
If you enjoyed "Fifty Shades of Gray," you'll love "The Submissive" by Tara Sue Me. I enjoyed this book mainly because although it did seem similar to fifty shades, there were also striking differences. I liked that the main character Abigail/Abby was a librarian as am I. I liked that Abby seeks out Nathaniel and the dominant relationship he has to offer rather than being sought out by him. I liked that Abby is strong in her convictions about what she wants out of life but is also willing to submit herself to Nathaniel to satisfy her curiosity about the BDSM lifestyle.
Throughout the book, I was wrapped up in the blossoming relationship between Abby and Nathaniel as well as the clumsy first steps done such as meeting the family and going out on a first date which while normal in regular relationships is heightened by the unconventional relationship they have behind closed doors. Although the relationship has its share of ups and downs, in the end, both Abby and Nathaniel are better people for it and come to a point of mutual love and understanding of both themselves and each other.
The book was well written and had me entranced from start to finish. I was excited when I found out this was the first in a trilogy and am now currently reading book two in the series (The Dominant) written from Nathaniel point of view about t
Throughout the book, I was wrapped up in the blossoming relationship between Abby and Nathaniel as well as the clumsy first steps done such as meeting the family and going out on a first date which while normal in regular relationships is heightened by the unconventional relationship they have behind closed doors. Although the relationship has its share of ups and downs, in the end, both Abby and Nathaniel are better people for it and come to a point of mutual love and understanding of both themselves and each other.
The book was well written and had me entranced from start to finish. I was excited when I found out this was the first in a trilogy and am now currently reading book two in the series (The Dominant) written from Nathaniel point of view about t
Not a complete waste of time because it entertained me for the three hours it took to read, but only a very mediocre story and very mediocre erotica. But others have said it better than I have...
content note: stalking from afar,
Decent male dominant /female submissive erotica romance. Another rich businessman in the vein of various others, but Nathaniel West as a character seems a more humane human being, willing to go to therapy and work on his own issues within this first book in the series.
Some impact play (riding crop, bare hand), anal play and anal sex, as well as emotional distress.
I’ll probably read the others in the series when I have a chance to, although the preview of The Dominant at end of this one seems like it is merely his perspective on what occurred during The Submissive.
Decent male dominant /female submissive erotica romance. Another rich businessman in the vein of various others, but Nathaniel West as a character seems a more humane human being, willing to go to therapy and work on his own issues within this first book in the series.
Some impact play (riding crop, bare hand), anal play and anal sex, as well as emotional distress.
I’ll probably read the others in the series when I have a chance to, although the preview of The Dominant at end of this one seems like it is merely his perspective on what occurred during The Submissive.
Book received for free at BEA from the publisher.
Best erotica I have read. Note: I did not say the most shocking. I said the best. This is not BDSM for the shock value, like some that I have read. This is a tale of a Dom and sub working together to figure out what works for them.
The romance is well done. The characters are fully fleshed out and likable, despite their flaws. Nathaniel is your usual tortured soul. Abby has one scene in which I didn’t really get what she was thinking. The BDSM elements are realistic. The plot is well crafted, the beginning, middle and end flow naturally. Even though it shares some elements with the much read, 50 Shades of Grey, the uber rich Dom and the lifestyle associated with that kind of money, this is a much, much better book..
I do find it curious that most of these books involve a billionaire Dom, Are poor people not kinky? What about the middle class? Hmmmm… anyway if you do like erotica, I’d recommend this over many of the others that are out there.
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Best erotica I have read. Note: I did not say the most shocking. I said the best. This is not BDSM for the shock value, like some that I have read. This is a tale of a Dom and sub working together to figure out what works for them.
The romance is well done. The characters are fully fleshed out and likable, despite their flaws. Nathaniel is your usual tortured soul. Abby has one scene in which I didn’t really get what she was thinking. The BDSM elements are realistic. The plot is well crafted, the beginning, middle and end flow naturally. Even though it shares some elements with the much read, 50 Shades of Grey, the uber rich Dom and the lifestyle associated with that kind of money, this is a much, much better book..
I do find it curious that most of these books involve a billionaire Dom, Are poor people not kinky? What about the middle class? Hmmmm… anyway if you do like erotica, I’d recommend this over many of the others that are out there.
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adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“All of life is faith. Just because something has a label doesn't mean it's always going to match the inside. Trust me. Sometimes it takes more faith to believe the label.”
I'm definitely in between giving it a 3.5 or 4 *
I enjoyed it but I wasn't fully satisfied with it, but I kind of was satisfied with it. I just felt like something was missing.
Going into the book, I knew this book was the inspiration idea where 50 Shades of Grey comes from.
I don't like to compare it but as I have read 50 shades of grey before this book, I can't help but compare the similarities. Who do I love more, I'm sorry Mr Grey but me love Mr West.
What shock me was the plotline went straight in.
There was no warning or warming up, we go straight into the Dominant and Submissive scene.
Which took a while for me to get used to and in the beginning, I thought that was just it for the storyline, a whole lot of sex. However, thank god that it gradually builds up to a more focused plotline on the chemistry, relationship, problems and romance.
After a while, it got quite frustrating in just seeing Abigail's POV. It felt like there was no emotion or answers coming from Nathaniel. I want more of him, his feelings, his thoughts and his POV.
It is understandable we get the focus on Abby and how she feels about the relationship and her role.
Over time, the book gets fluffier, emotional and heartbreaking. of course it just gets spicier.
I wanted more side characters scenes.
I love when we get to Abby's feelings. It was truly heartbreaking.
Towards the end, I swoon, I fell in love.
The character development wasn't strong and I wonder if it will progress over the series.
I am excited to see where this goes, the secrets we are going to learn and please Nathaniel's POV.
“We could have slept anywhere and I wouldn’t have cared. His arms were the heaven I never wanted to leave.”
I'm definitely in between giving it a 3.5 or 4 *
I enjoyed it but I wasn't fully satisfied with it, but I kind of was satisfied with it. I just felt like something was missing.
Going into the book, I knew this book was the inspiration idea where 50 Shades of Grey comes from.
I don't like to compare it but as I have read 50 shades of grey before this book, I can't help but compare the similarities. Who do I love more, I'm sorry Mr Grey but me love Mr West.
What shock me was the plotline went straight in.
There was no warning or warming up, we go straight into the Dominant and Submissive scene.
Which took a while for me to get used to and in the beginning, I thought that was just it for the storyline, a whole lot of sex. However, thank god that it gradually builds up to a more focused plotline on the chemistry, relationship, problems and romance.
After a while, it got quite frustrating in just seeing Abigail's POV. It felt like there was no emotion or answers coming from Nathaniel. I want more of him, his feelings, his thoughts and his POV.
It is understandable we get the focus on Abby and how she feels about the relationship and her role.
Over time, the book gets fluffier, emotional and heartbreaking. of course it just gets spicier.
I wanted more side characters scenes.
I love when we get to Abby's feelings. It was truly heartbreaking.
Towards the end, I swoon, I fell in love.
The character development wasn't strong and I wonder if it will progress over the series.
I am excited to see where this goes, the secrets we are going to learn and please Nathaniel's POV.
“We could have slept anywhere and I wouldn’t have cared. His arms were the heaven I never wanted to leave.”
I suppose it's worth starting off this review with the notation that I knew this was formerly a Twilight fanfic published under the same title and same penname. I also knew that this was the story that "inspired" Fifty Shades author E.L. James, so before anyone starts foaming at the mouth about how this is another knock off of "Fifty Shades" - it's not. This came first.
I have not read the original fanfic to compare, though I arrived to read this in a way that was completely blind - didn't really know what to expect from it. I was surprised to find how sparse this narrative was as a whole. It made for a quick read, and somehow it didn't really put my nerves on end with content, but...I left this novel just utterly baffled by its portrayal. That was not something I expected to feel after finishing this novel.
I didn't enjoy it. I thought the characters lacked development and were very unrealistic, the surrounding cast didn't have many dimensions to them nor did they add to the story, and it felt like there should've been more to the story than there was. I understood in certain places that this was to have something of a darkly humored coating with respect to a BDSM relationship. You have the shy librarian (Abby) and the domineering jerk of a businessman (Nathaniel) who engage in a dom/sub sexy time rendezvous. There are shackles, collars, whipping, and quite a few other things that would have some people's jaws dropping to the floor with respect to sexual content, but...for me this was just a weird read and I felt it creeped me out in certain places with the disconnect in its narrative. It wasn't sexy, it wasn't even romantic, it was just...weird the whole way through. Abby's so passive to the point of where she wants to use the "safe word" but knows that'll terminate the relationship and she doesn't speak up when she's obviously hurting. Her internal voice and the fact that she talks to herself in several notations also bothered me. Nathaniel's so blunt, cold, and fierce a good measure into the book, and then suddenly becomes emotional when Abby nearly leaves him after he dismisses their "making love" for the first time. Other events happen to where they eventually have a coming of terms, but I found that after a certain point, I just didn't really care anymore. I wasn't invested in their relationship and by the end of the book, I was glad to be done with it, not necessarily in a way where I was upset with it, but just feeling like the whole book didn't draw me into the story it was trying to tell.
I think I've read better erotica novels than this, and while I can't say that there weren't certain sparks to the narrative that could've lead to something more, it fell flat with respect to the underdeveloped, cookie-cutter characters, sparse narrative, and genuinely unfulfilling romantic/erotic context.
Overall score: 1/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher NAL Trade.
I have not read the original fanfic to compare, though I arrived to read this in a way that was completely blind - didn't really know what to expect from it. I was surprised to find how sparse this narrative was as a whole. It made for a quick read, and somehow it didn't really put my nerves on end with content, but...I left this novel just utterly baffled by its portrayal. That was not something I expected to feel after finishing this novel.
I didn't enjoy it. I thought the characters lacked development and were very unrealistic, the surrounding cast didn't have many dimensions to them nor did they add to the story, and it felt like there should've been more to the story than there was. I understood in certain places that this was to have something of a darkly humored coating with respect to a BDSM relationship. You have the shy librarian (Abby) and the domineering jerk of a businessman (Nathaniel) who engage in a dom/sub sexy time rendezvous. There are shackles, collars, whipping, and quite a few other things that would have some people's jaws dropping to the floor with respect to sexual content, but...for me this was just a weird read and I felt it creeped me out in certain places with the disconnect in its narrative. It wasn't sexy, it wasn't even romantic, it was just...weird the whole way through. Abby's so passive to the point of where she wants to use the "safe word" but knows that'll terminate the relationship and she doesn't speak up when she's obviously hurting. Her internal voice and the fact that she talks to herself in several notations also bothered me. Nathaniel's so blunt, cold, and fierce a good measure into the book, and then suddenly becomes emotional when Abby nearly leaves him after he dismisses their "making love" for the first time. Other events happen to where they eventually have a coming of terms, but I found that after a certain point, I just didn't really care anymore. I wasn't invested in their relationship and by the end of the book, I was glad to be done with it, not necessarily in a way where I was upset with it, but just feeling like the whole book didn't draw me into the story it was trying to tell.
I think I've read better erotica novels than this, and while I can't say that there weren't certain sparks to the narrative that could've lead to something more, it fell flat with respect to the underdeveloped, cookie-cutter characters, sparse narrative, and genuinely unfulfilling romantic/erotic context.
Overall score: 1/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher NAL Trade.
Αν και ερωτική λογοτεχνία, το απόλαυσα αρκετά. Ήταν απλά καταπληκτικό. Για πρώτη φορά μετά από πολύ καιρό ξενυχτησα για να διαβάσω ένα βιβλίο. Ήταν άκρως εθιστικο.
Η πρωταγωνιστρια ήταν δυναμική κρατώντας συνεχώς την κατάσταση στα χέρια της και ο πρωταγωνιστής, αν και κυρίαρχος και αυταρχικος, δεν έχανε ευκαιρία να δείξει την ευαίσθητη και γλυκιά πλευρά του. Διαθέτει χαρακτήρες λογικους, με αντιδράσεις κυρίως καθημερινές και νορμάλ, χωρίς να φτάνει στα όρια του παραλογισμου. Εντάξει μιλάμε για μια ιστορία όπου η φτωχή βιβλιοθηκαριος γίνεται υποτακτικη ενός πλουσιοπαιδου και αυτό είναι αρκετά ουτοπικο από μόνο του. Όμως με βάση αυτήν την ιστορία οι αντιδράσεις των χαρακτήρων ήταν ρεαλιστικές και σωστές. Δεν ξέρω πως να το εξηγήσω αλλά έχει γραφτεί έτσι ώστε άνετα πίστευα ότι όλο αυτό μπορεί να συμβεί.
Το προτείνω σε όποιον θέλει ένα ωραίο love story και δεν τον ενοχλεί οι έντονες σεξουαλικες σκηνές.
Η πρωταγωνιστρια ήταν δυναμική κρατώντας συνεχώς την κατάσταση στα χέρια της και ο πρωταγωνιστής, αν και κυρίαρχος και αυταρχικος, δεν έχανε ευκαιρία να δείξει την ευαίσθητη και γλυκιά πλευρά του. Διαθέτει χαρακτήρες λογικους, με αντιδράσεις κυρίως καθημερινές και νορμάλ, χωρίς να φτάνει στα όρια του παραλογισμου. Εντάξει μιλάμε για μια ιστορία όπου η φτωχή βιβλιοθηκαριος γίνεται υποτακτικη ενός πλουσιοπαιδου και αυτό είναι αρκετά ουτοπικο από μόνο του. Όμως με βάση αυτήν την ιστορία οι αντιδράσεις των χαρακτήρων ήταν ρεαλιστικές και σωστές. Δεν ξέρω πως να το εξηγήσω αλλά έχει γραφτεί έτσι ώστε άνετα πίστευα ότι όλο αυτό μπορεί να συμβεί.
Spoiler
Εκτός από το τέλος. Αποκλείεται να λύνονται όλα τόσο εύκολα. Αν και ευτυχώς κάθισαν και μίλησαν και δεν αποφεύγαν ο ένας τον άλλον. Ή το χειρότερο που γίνεται σε τέτοιες περιπτώσεις, που ο ένας παρεξηγειται με τον άλλον και δεν τον αφήνει να τελειώσει την πρόταση του. Εδώ συναντήθηκαν. Συζητησανε και στο τέλος αποφάσισαν να το πάμε αργά, το οποίο και έκαναν.Το προτείνω σε όποιον θέλει ένα ωραίο love story και δεν τον ενοχλεί οι έντονες σεξουαλικες σκηνές.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have a lot to say about this book. I had some problems with some aspects of it, but they can easily be over looked.
This is what 50 shades of grey should have been. This is a far better representation of a BDSM relationship.
Though the plot twist was still a liiiiitle creepy for my taste, it's one of the things I am capable of over looking.
This is what 50 shades of grey should have been. This is a far better representation of a BDSM relationship.
Though the plot twist was still a liiiiitle creepy for my taste, it's one of the things I am capable of over looking.