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leelah's review against another edition
1.0
There was an idea, really interesting idea,but completely wasted at the end.
Rory and Tate met under unusual circumstances. Both are from Tophet and both came to Beulah, idyllic, utopian city-state in search for better life. Tate crossed the border illegally and running from police, he crashed into Rory and knocked him down. In crime-free Beulah those who break the law have choice to either admit the crime and go through the restitution program for several years or go to trial and risk life sentence. And nobody choose trial. For Tate restitution means that he will have to go through medical procedure of installing bio-chip in his head that acts like character adjustment and doing house chores for a guy he knocked out for seven years. Very soon he realized mistake he made because chip makes him obedient- a slave who only lives for his master's praise. Rory gets crash course on Beulah judicial system even before he began his new job as assistant for Justice Lowell- he will have to live in the same house with the man who attacked him and he's not happy with these arrangements at first. But Tate is really attractive and sweet and he looks at him like he is everything he ever wanted, so Rory decides to give into him and starts relationship with him.
Triggers:
I'll tackle this first because I just want to get over it. And let me be straight- this is not bad in terms of rating, it affected me, but it wasn't the only; it wasn't even the biggest reason for my rating.
Spoiler
I don't shy away from dark themes; I read both authors before and I buy Lisa Henry's work by default because she dips into dark waters just enough for my taste. On top of that, Riptide actually has really great warning option on their website and I use it always before purchasing. My point is this:I knew what to expect, I was warned.But, I personally had really, really hard time with this book. Of all non-con situations in books, I think this one is the most... vile I ever read. I'll explain: So, chip works this way- rezzy (people with chips) are completely dependent of master- they crave for his praise. They feel good when master is pleased and they feel bad when he is not pleased. But that need for praise is chemical, involuntary reaction of their body, it's described like hunger, they would do anything for him. Their minds, though, are intact. Chip has no effect on consciousness, so they are aware of everything. They can't say anything because chip hurts them, so they are in constant fight with what chip makes them want and what they want. Tate is not even gay, but Rory is and Tate wants to please him! This is snippet of scene when Tate and Rory have sex for the first time:
Rory looked up at him, his dark eyes huge and his black
eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t like it?” he asked and sat back
on his heels. He kept his hand wrapped around the base of
Tate’s cock, and Tate couldn’t help but thrust into it, and what
was more, he didn’t know if that urge was because of the chip
or because of his own need.
“No! I do, I do, of course I do. I . . . love . . . everything you
want to do to me.” That’s a lie, oh God, it’s all a lie. Help me.
Don’t touch me, help me.
This entire premise of chip made me so damn uncomfortable. There is no outright violence or gore or anything... but, jfc pass me the bleach. Chip makes his body do things, but in his mind he screams no. This is not even non-consent in my mind- It's like a sexual act with kid or someone else vulnerable who doesn't have capacity to give or not give consent. It's not even mind control because his mind is still his, but he can't vocalize or express his will in any way. This entire scene made me feel dirty, with a terrible feeling in my gut... There is this Mivacron myth if anyone ever read about it- Mivacron is skeletal muscle relaxant used for anesthetic purposes during surgery. So, there is this urban legend that when Mivacron was first tested on patients, so many of them died from heart attack, but those who survived surgery after paralytic effects of relaxant would wear off they said they can feel everything, the pain and every cut and they screamed inside, but couldn't move or say anything - Mivacron is powerful relaxant but has no anesthetic effects. It's a terrible to imagine and this entire premise of chip reminded me of that because it's a truly horrible. I blame my brain. :\
Plot:
This is actually the main reason for my rating. And plot failed in two ways imo:
Lowell- So,Tate is of course being all obedient per chip's conditioning, and Rory says to Lowell that Tate is being all nice....Lowell says to him: "He is playing you, he is pretending." This is the part I lost all my respect for plot. Lowell is a villain- I get it. He lied on purpose, but what is his purpose? I loved dystopian setting at the beginning because Beulah had that futuristic society feel- progress is directly proportional to restriction of human rights and free thinking. Yes, chip is bad and evil to us, but Lowell at the beginning believed in that shit, he thought chip fixed them and made them better for Beulah, he was this complicated bad character because he was charismatic and nice to his employees and he was passionate about restitution program... But all that was wasted and Lowell became just villain we read so many times about- he knew that chip is bad and he used it to fuck boys. From rehabilitation through restitution ideology we come to fucking using position of authority. Yawn. Boring... Why put it into dystopian setting then? Why put this story in Beulah?
Rory - I had a same feeling I had with [b:Strain|18460726|Strain (Strain, #1)|Amelia C. Gormley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1378456748s/18460726.jpg|26114046]- at some point plot became a servant of kink. They are behaving like slaves, but chip makes them happy to serve. What, suddenly every "criminal" is into domestic discipline and that's not suspicious? Folding your socks is highlight of his day and you don't find that strange? We know that chip is not perfect- Tate actually manages to say few words before his nose starts bleeding- if that's not a sign something is wrong, I don't what is. Tate cried after sex, Aaron's face is contorted in pain...Rory, just came to Beulah and he is really uncomfortable with rezzy arrangements- he has to live in house with a criminal, yet he doesn't inform himself about chip. He doesn't even read Tate's papers until Alexandra tells him about her suspicions. There is actually a resistance group fighting against restitution and Rory never heard of it, before he finally gets that something is iffy about the whole thing...after well scenes and scenes of humiliation and fucking... Basically, we had to read Rory being stupid and blind so Tate and Aaron would go through a lot of humiliation and torture scenes with monster butt-plugs and other stuff- like I said, plot in service of kink. -__-
Romance- Hmm... I liked the challenging idea of romance between Tate and Rory having their circumstances in mind, but I didn't like white picket fence ending. Aaron for example deals with ptsd but Tate is all sunshine. It's true Rory was a..."good master" :shudder: but Tate was sexually used by other, disgusting people as well and the fact that his consciousness was intact during his ordeals I would expect he came out of it at least little bit mindscrewed...but no, he is completely unaffected. I'm glad he kept his shit together, but it would be more believable if he at least have nightmares about it. :\
This turned into TL, DR...Sorry.
kylek's review against another edition
I tried to like this. I really did, but I just couldn't. Got halfway through and just gave up. Also it made me uncomfortable. Icky.
evil_jj's review against another edition
3.0
This is one disturbing book. I'm not sure there could be much that's more terrifying than being locked inside your own mind, not only unable to stop people from doing whatever they want with you, but unable to even show that you don't want it. I had trouble putting this down last night before bed, and I'm pretty sure I had a nightmare about it! There's just something so creepy about a squeaky clean, too perfect society masking such a dark and horrific secret.
I would rate this story 4 stars if it weren't for the ending that completely didn't fit. I found it a bit ironic that a book demonstrating that perfect happiness is too good to be true would end with a totally contrived, too perfect ending. It's creepily happy in the same way that the citizens and rezzies of Beulah were, but I don't think it was meant to be, which is why it doesn't work. I saw it coming and hoped I was wrong, but I knew most readers would be wholly unsatisfied if the book ended realistically. I also thought Rory was too slow figuring out things weren't right. Hell, I was creeped out by Aaron in the beginning and he was supposedly normal! I think I'd have run screaming after one hour of being in Beulah. Ultra perky people freak me out.
So to sum up, I loved the majority of this book and found it intriguing but was disappointed by the ending. If you don't mind suspending your disbelief in a big way for the sake of getting an HEA, you'll probably love Bliss.
I would rate this story 4 stars if it weren't for the ending that completely didn't fit. I found it a bit ironic that a book demonstrating that perfect happiness is too good to be true would end with a totally contrived, too perfect ending. It's creepily happy in the same way that the citizens and rezzies of Beulah were, but I don't think it was meant to be, which is why it doesn't work. I saw it coming and hoped I was wrong, but I knew most readers would be wholly unsatisfied if the book ended realistically. I also thought Rory was too slow figuring out things weren't right. Hell, I was creeped out by Aaron in the beginning and he was supposedly normal! I think I'd have run screaming after one hour of being in Beulah. Ultra perky people freak me out.
So to sum up, I loved the majority of this book and found it intriguing but was disappointed by the ending. If you don't mind suspending your disbelief in a big way for the sake of getting an HEA, you'll probably love Bliss.
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
Dictionary.com defines Beulah as “the peaceful land in which the pilgrim awaits the call to the Celestial City”, in John Bunyan’s {1628–88} Pilgrim’s Progress. Sounds like a pretty great place, right? In Bliss, the city-state of Beulah plays as large a role as any human character. And, as many of us found out at an early age, say, the first time the kid next to you in the sandbox told you he had a piece of chocolate and it was really, really good, you have to eat it. Only it wasn’t chocolate, it was something a stray cat left there the night before, but you found out the hard way that if it seems too good to be true, it almost always is.
In my opinion there is no such thing as a perfect book. In the case of Bliss, Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau come pretty darn close. Here’s what I didn’t like: the chip which is implanted in the brains of the offenders makes it seem like they are always happy, always willing to do what their “master” wants. This takes away their ability to say no. Non-consensual sex is bound to be the outcome of this, and I have a problem with that. The way Ms. Belleau and Ms. Henry dealt with the aftermath was well done and enabled me to get right past that to really love this book.
Rory James grew up in Tophet, a neighboring city to Beulah. Tophet is poverty, pollution, and crime ridden. Everyone who can get out tries to do so, but becoming a citizen of Beulah is almost impossible. Rory did it by applying for and accepting a job as the personal assistant to a Justice in Beulah. Tate Patterson went about it as an illegal immigrant who entered Beulah to commit a robbery and then go home. His motivation was pure, but it was still a crime.
There are no jails in Beulah. Crime is virtually unheard of. When someone is accused of a crime, they always accept a plea deal to enter the Rehabilitation through Restitution program. In doing this, they agree to have a chip implanted in their brains, ostensibly to suppress violent tendencies and to live with and serve the victim of their crime in any way asked of them, including sexually, for seven years.
When Tate “assaults” Rory by slamming into him while running from an attempted robbery, he, like those before him, accepts the plea deal. He quickly realizes that the chip does much more than suppress his criminal inclination. It makes him unable to refuse any order his master gives him, no matter what it is. Rory is gay and Tate is straight, but the chip makes Tate seem happy and willing to have sex with Rory. It makes him appear to enjoy it.
Any effort made by the offender to tell anyone the true purpose of the chip or voice their real feelings results in excruciating pain for the criminal. They usually can’t remember much to tell anyway, as most of their memories are wiped away. Tate is different in that he has flashes of memory, both of his life prior to coming to Beulah and of his time at the re-programming center. He seems to want desperately to overpower the pain to talk to Rory, who is developing real feelings for the man he thinks of as the real Tate.
The amazing skill with which Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau develop these characters and let them reveal and see just the tiniest glimpses of truth, which enable them to realize all may not be as it appears, is a beautiful thing. I loved Rory and Tate! I wanted to see them triumph over the evil and prove that appearances ARE deceiving.
The secondary characters are as loveable and loathsome as they are intended to be. Rory’s boss is just the polar opposite of what he initially appears to be. It is rare that a bad guy is written to be as bad as this one and doesn’t read like too much of a caricature. This man felt real, and I wanted him to get the same treatment he had inflicted on so many others.
Bliss had all the ingredients in just the right measurements to make a delicious read. I read it in one sitting and would happily have had more. Riptide Publishing is keeping its stellar reputation alive by continuing to publish great quality, well-written books by amazingly talented authors. This is one I strongly recommend for everyone.
In my opinion there is no such thing as a perfect book. In the case of Bliss, Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau come pretty darn close. Here’s what I didn’t like: the chip which is implanted in the brains of the offenders makes it seem like they are always happy, always willing to do what their “master” wants. This takes away their ability to say no. Non-consensual sex is bound to be the outcome of this, and I have a problem with that. The way Ms. Belleau and Ms. Henry dealt with the aftermath was well done and enabled me to get right past that to really love this book.
Rory James grew up in Tophet, a neighboring city to Beulah. Tophet is poverty, pollution, and crime ridden. Everyone who can get out tries to do so, but becoming a citizen of Beulah is almost impossible. Rory did it by applying for and accepting a job as the personal assistant to a Justice in Beulah. Tate Patterson went about it as an illegal immigrant who entered Beulah to commit a robbery and then go home. His motivation was pure, but it was still a crime.
There are no jails in Beulah. Crime is virtually unheard of. When someone is accused of a crime, they always accept a plea deal to enter the Rehabilitation through Restitution program. In doing this, they agree to have a chip implanted in their brains, ostensibly to suppress violent tendencies and to live with and serve the victim of their crime in any way asked of them, including sexually, for seven years.
When Tate “assaults” Rory by slamming into him while running from an attempted robbery, he, like those before him, accepts the plea deal. He quickly realizes that the chip does much more than suppress his criminal inclination. It makes him unable to refuse any order his master gives him, no matter what it is. Rory is gay and Tate is straight, but the chip makes Tate seem happy and willing to have sex with Rory. It makes him appear to enjoy it.
Any effort made by the offender to tell anyone the true purpose of the chip or voice their real feelings results in excruciating pain for the criminal. They usually can’t remember much to tell anyway, as most of their memories are wiped away. Tate is different in that he has flashes of memory, both of his life prior to coming to Beulah and of his time at the re-programming center. He seems to want desperately to overpower the pain to talk to Rory, who is developing real feelings for the man he thinks of as the real Tate.
The amazing skill with which Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau develop these characters and let them reveal and see just the tiniest glimpses of truth, which enable them to realize all may not be as it appears, is a beautiful thing. I loved Rory and Tate! I wanted to see them triumph over the evil and prove that appearances ARE deceiving.
The secondary characters are as loveable and loathsome as they are intended to be. Rory’s boss is just the polar opposite of what he initially appears to be. It is rare that a bad guy is written to be as bad as this one and doesn’t read like too much of a caricature. This man felt real, and I wanted him to get the same treatment he had inflicted on so many others.
Bliss had all the ingredients in just the right measurements to make a delicious read. I read it in one sitting and would happily have had more. Riptide Publishing is keeping its stellar reputation alive by continuing to publish great quality, well-written books by amazingly talented authors. This is one I strongly recommend for everyone.
haunted_by_humans's review
1.0
The premise sounded so interesting but the writing itself just didn’t live up to my expectations. The characters were all so dull and the plot felt completely hollow.
dc7's review
5.0
"Bliss" is a controversial book. It's a disturbing dystopian thriller featuring non-con and rape. Yet it's also a romance. It's a contradictory mix - and I liked it. A lot.
For those of you who want the high-stakes dystopian romance minus all the non-con, I can highly recommend "In His Command" by Rie Warren and "Wireless" by L.A. Witt. If you want the whole, gritty package, "Bliss" might be the book for you. Just don't expect a lot of romance upfront - it's all pretty dark and twisted.
I was worried that the non-con here would put me off as I had read in other reviews that it's pretty extreme but it didn't. It actually made the book refreshingly unpredictable - I had no idea where the authors were going to go with this and that's something you don't often get in romance. The ending was extremely satisfying. It was perfect.
If you want a twisted, disturbing, high-stakes, tropey romance then "Bliss" is the right book.
For those of you who want the high-stakes dystopian romance minus all the non-con, I can highly recommend "In His Command" by Rie Warren and "Wireless" by L.A. Witt. If you want the whole, gritty package, "Bliss" might be the book for you. Just don't expect a lot of romance upfront - it's all pretty dark and twisted.
I was worried that the non-con here would put me off as I had read in other reviews that it's pretty extreme but it didn't. It actually made the book refreshingly unpredictable - I had no idea where the authors were going to go with this and that's something you don't often get in romance. The ending was extremely satisfying. It was perfect.
If you want a twisted, disturbing, high-stakes, tropey romance then "Bliss" is the right book.
calila's review
3.0
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It's written well but the subject matter is tough. I don't buy the romance in it at all. I feel bad for both characters, they were both victims.
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