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aahlvers's review
1.0
This started out with an independent career woman who I rather liked which is why the path this novel took irritated me so very much. The way the main character was introduced to an alternative lifestyle felt like coercion bordering on force and her desperation to keep an uncaring boyfriend made me cringe. The BDSM scenes might have been hot if they had been negotiated ahead of time by consenting parties instead of something she had to endure to keep her lover from leaving her. All of this combined made me sure the main character would end up with Andrew and so the ending was not where I wanted this story to go. I really, really wanted her to dump David in the most unpleasant and demoralizing way possible. In fact the hope that would happen is what kept me reading long past the time became uncomfortable with this read.
gabriellecarolina's review
2.0
A shorter, better written 50 Shades where the scandal he likes a little biting is blown out of proportion, followed by an insecure young woman surrendering her sexual independence for the chance of a cardboard male "hero" loving her.
Please, please, please, romance authors, stop writing these books! I hate that this thought process plays out in books! It makes me sad, very, very sad!
Please, please, please, romance authors, stop writing these books! I hate that this thought process plays out in books! It makes me sad, very, very sad!
tsukikomew's review
3.0
This review was posted at Tsuki’s Book Blog on September 22, 2013.
I have this major issue with long serials. Inevitably the first part is all set-up with little story or explanation so I can't justify spending money on a part that does nothing for the story. I would rather see part one and two combined just so there was a little something to bring the reader in. While this serial suffers with this problem, let's summarize it first.
Meet Grace. She's some hot theater manager who has been sleeping with David for six months. David is perfect but she knows he doesn't love her...yet. David invites her to 'the dining club' one weekend and the reader is introduced to sexy-time club through the eyes of David's something. Amber wants David but doesn't view Grace as a threat. Grace doesn't know about Amber so...yeah. David takes Grace to the house and explains the Dining Club is some big sexual test. Each week she'll sit at a table with him and some 'expert' on sex. She'll be tested and if she goes through and comes back the next week then she moves to the next level.
Seems simple enough right? WRONG! I had to read that explanation three times to understand exactly what was happening. David felt the best way to explain would be to get her sexually frustrated, bite her, and then go 'oh yeah this is a test and if you can't hack it then we're done. No pressure though." What a dick! Seriously who does that to a girl. "Oh yeah I'm not satisfied with you as you so I'm going to turn you into something else sexually then we'll be good".
That's a pet peeve of mine in erotic romances. A lot of times the guy is super-dominant or inclined to that effect. The issue is it becomes about molding the woman to being what he wants. The woman may be inclined to submission or even embrace it but so rarely does the man have to do any adapting. I can't speak to this serial since I've only read part 1 of 8. I just hope it has some of David adjusting. She was so surprised and hurt to be told she wasn't enough as she was. Maybe he needs to change in order to deserve Grace.
Also I didn't care for Amber's section. It was short but at the end of the day it was irritating. I was confused by the sudden switch to her and very little was told about her. Is she David's submissive? Lover? Booty Call? Who is she to David? Basically I just found it annoying and the brief sexual scene between them to be tasteless. If he is sleeping with Amber without having come clean to Grace then it is ridiculous for Grace to even attempt the test. She's been lied to for months! Seriously what is up with this?
It's sort of a flat start to a serial but I'm going to see where it goes. At this time I have five of the eight parts. I will be looking for the final three parts. This is a short serial (only 8000 words per section) so it is a quick read. Problematically they are each .99 to 1.99 in price. That would be sixteen dollars for a Harlequin Superromance size (about 300 pages) mass market. The price isn't all that cost-effective for the average buyer. If you have a chance, check it out though.
3 Stars (For an Average start)
Published by Hatchette Digital
August 20, 2013
35 Pages
Provided by--NetGalley
I have this major issue with long serials. Inevitably the first part is all set-up with little story or explanation so I can't justify spending money on a part that does nothing for the story. I would rather see part one and two combined just so there was a little something to bring the reader in. While this serial suffers with this problem, let's summarize it first.
Meet Grace. She's some hot theater manager who has been sleeping with David for six months. David is perfect but she knows he doesn't love her...yet. David invites her to 'the dining club' one weekend and the reader is introduced to sexy-time club through the eyes of David's something. Amber wants David but doesn't view Grace as a threat. Grace doesn't know about Amber so...yeah. David takes Grace to the house and explains the Dining Club is some big sexual test. Each week she'll sit at a table with him and some 'expert' on sex. She'll be tested and if she goes through and comes back the next week then she moves to the next level.
Seems simple enough right? WRONG! I had to read that explanation three times to understand exactly what was happening. David felt the best way to explain would be to get her sexually frustrated, bite her, and then go 'oh yeah this is a test and if you can't hack it then we're done. No pressure though." What a dick! Seriously who does that to a girl. "Oh yeah I'm not satisfied with you as you so I'm going to turn you into something else sexually then we'll be good".
That's a pet peeve of mine in erotic romances. A lot of times the guy is super-dominant or inclined to that effect. The issue is it becomes about molding the woman to being what he wants. The woman may be inclined to submission or even embrace it but so rarely does the man have to do any adapting. I can't speak to this serial since I've only read part 1 of 8. I just hope it has some of David adjusting. She was so surprised and hurt to be told she wasn't enough as she was. Maybe he needs to change in order to deserve Grace.
Also I didn't care for Amber's section. It was short but at the end of the day it was irritating. I was confused by the sudden switch to her and very little was told about her. Is she David's submissive? Lover? Booty Call? Who is she to David? Basically I just found it annoying and the brief sexual scene between them to be tasteless. If he is sleeping with Amber without having come clean to Grace then it is ridiculous for Grace to even attempt the test. She's been lied to for months! Seriously what is up with this?
It's sort of a flat start to a serial but I'm going to see where it goes. At this time I have five of the eight parts. I will be looking for the final three parts. This is a short serial (only 8000 words per section) so it is a quick read. Problematically they are each .99 to 1.99 in price. That would be sixteen dollars for a Harlequin Superromance size (about 300 pages) mass market. The price isn't all that cost-effective for the average buyer. If you have a chance, check it out though.
3 Stars (For an Average start)
Published by Hatchette Digital
August 20, 2013
35 Pages
Provided by--NetGalley
chelsea_jack's review
2.0
Received ebook from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
This is the first part in a longer story. I don't love that format for erotica, but maybe it could work? In the hands of the right author?
I liked Grace, really didn't like David (his activity at the Dining Club while in a relationship with Grace, without her knowledge, was a big deal breaker for me), and didn't find the sex particularly hot. On the latter, I think the way in which the pain/pleasure theme was written just didn't do it for me - different strokes and all that.
See http://toeachtheirownreviews.blogspot.ca/ for my reviews, and a longer review of Desire available on October 14th.
This is the first part in a longer story. I don't love that format for erotica, but maybe it could work? In the hands of the right author?
I liked Grace, really didn't like David (his activity at the Dining Club while in a relationship with Grace, without her knowledge, was a big deal breaker for me), and didn't find the sex particularly hot. On the latter, I think the way in which the pain/pleasure theme was written just didn't do it for me - different strokes and all that.
See http://toeachtheirownreviews.blogspot.ca/ for my reviews, and a longer review of Desire available on October 14th.
atlantiareads's review
2.0
I found "Desire" to be frankly...a book that pretty much had no point other than getting a reader to the actual Dinning Club. Grace was introduced as the character new to David's world of "extreme" sexual pleasures, as in BDSM.
Grace and David did have chemistry, but personally in 35 pages I didn't feel as if I had nearly enough time to connect with the characters. The one thing I think that could have improved "Desire" was if the novella followed the storyline of the synopsis. And by this I mean this book could have been a lot better if Grace had gone through the first test required to see if she can handle David's sexual life and love. But instead the reader barely got a glimpse of this couples life let alone their sex life.
I do plan to read part two solely because I want to see if the way this story is written improves at all in the next book.
Grace and David did have chemistry, but personally in 35 pages I didn't feel as if I had nearly enough time to connect with the characters. The one thing I think that could have improved "Desire" was if the novella followed the storyline of the synopsis. And by this I mean this book could have been a lot better if Grace had gone through the first test required to see if she can handle David's sexual life and love. But instead the reader barely got a glimpse of this couples life let alone their sex life.
I do plan to read part two solely because I want to see if the way this story is written improves at all in the next book.
supera710's review
3.0
I received a copy of Desire courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a review.
I'm not sure how I feel about books that are split into short stories, but still costing the same as a regular ebook. I feel ripped off if I were to buy it vs getting it for free to review. That being said, I thought Desire sounded intriguing. I'm sure many can relate to trying new things in order to keep someone you love, but the Dining Club would've just pissed me off. Grace wants to keep David, and keep him happy, so goes with him to test herself by doing trials in sexual experiments. The downside is, if she fails, she will lose David. I'm not sure David is really worth keeping, IMHO, because that's not quite what love is. David is a miniplulator. There's other ways to introduce someone into 'new' experiences, and certainly not after 6 months of a what Grace thought was a committed relationship. Grace does well tho, and goes on to her next trial.
I'm not sure how I feel about books that are split into short stories, but still costing the same as a regular ebook. I feel ripped off if I were to buy it vs getting it for free to review. That being said, I thought Desire sounded intriguing. I'm sure many can relate to trying new things in order to keep someone you love, but the Dining Club would've just pissed me off. Grace wants to keep David, and keep him happy, so goes with him to test herself by doing trials in sexual experiments. The downside is, if she fails, she will lose David. I'm not sure David is really worth keeping, IMHO, because that's not quite what love is. David is a miniplulator. There's other ways to introduce someone into 'new' experiences, and certainly not after 6 months of a what Grace thought was a committed relationship. Grace does well tho, and goes on to her next trial.
jonetta's review
4.0
Grace, an up and coming theater director has been in a relationship with David for six months. He invites her for a weekend getaway to a private club, the Dining Club.
This first installment is pretty intriguing. For a short story, it's well written and totally mysterious. I'm very curious, enough to grab the next installment. I like Grace and David is an enigma at this point.
Job well done in 32 pages.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley)
This first installment is pretty intriguing. For a short story, it's well written and totally mysterious. I'm very curious, enough to grab the next installment. I like Grace and David is an enigma at this point.
Job well done in 32 pages.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley)
rosepetals1984's review
2.0
I'll give Marina Anderson's "Desire", the first installation of "The Dining Club" serial novel, the benefit of the doubt. It intrigues me enough to continue, and the writing is much better than many serial novels of its type, but I'll admit I'm not taken by the story yet, because it's not vetted enough in its beginnings.
I'll admit the way that I personally read a serial novel is much like my experience trying out a TV drama (or TV show in general) for the first time - the pilot has to have enough to hook me, even when I may not know much about where the story will go. For example, in the ABC series "Revenge" - Emily Thorne (real name: Amanda) is a young woman who takes on another name to get revenge on the family she holds responsible for her father's death - the Graysons. It gives you a character to identify, a palpable conflict, a motivation to move against said conflict, and something of an ending to leave it standing on its own, but yet giving a branch point to move into something that adds to the conflict.
A serial novel in its initial turns that's done well usually has my utmost respect because it's very difficult to fit these elements in - the pressure's to keep the reader pulled in for the next installation. Matter in point, people who do this well know how to economize their words to fit in a limited space, but give the reader enough to gain and hold their interest through the narrative. Anderson does a great job with the turns of natural dialogue in this work and setting up the scenario, but I'll admit I wasn't necessarily pulled into the characters and their motivations here. It wasn't as threadbare as some titles of this genre I've picked up, but it wasn't developed as much as it could've been for stakes and conflict.
Grace and David are the couple we start following in this story, and I'll admit neither one of them really stood out for a beginning. For an erotic story, I think conveying intimacy (not just physical intimacy) is important in terms of the character experience. I got the measure that Grace is happy with her life and she loves David, but is thrown by the fact that he's unsatisfied with their sexual relationship. That may be all well and good for conflict, but given David's personality, he comes across as a shallow jerk, and it's difficult to see what Grace sees in him, and he to her given his brash reactions. Grace is hurt by him uprooting to take her to this well-to-do club called "The Dining Club" to explore their sexual options, but somehow - I'm still trying to find what the story was in this particular beginning. I think it could've been much stronger than what it was, despite me being pulled along by the flow of the dialogue and the descriptions.
I have up to part five of this respective series, and I bought this off Amazon so that I could have an idea of where this began. I think the start could've been a bit stronger, but I'm willing to see where it goes from here.
Overall score: 2/5 stars
I'll admit the way that I personally read a serial novel is much like my experience trying out a TV drama (or TV show in general) for the first time - the pilot has to have enough to hook me, even when I may not know much about where the story will go. For example, in the ABC series "Revenge" - Emily Thorne (real name: Amanda) is a young woman who takes on another name to get revenge on the family she holds responsible for her father's death - the Graysons. It gives you a character to identify, a palpable conflict, a motivation to move against said conflict, and something of an ending to leave it standing on its own, but yet giving a branch point to move into something that adds to the conflict.
A serial novel in its initial turns that's done well usually has my utmost respect because it's very difficult to fit these elements in - the pressure's to keep the reader pulled in for the next installation. Matter in point, people who do this well know how to economize their words to fit in a limited space, but give the reader enough to gain and hold their interest through the narrative. Anderson does a great job with the turns of natural dialogue in this work and setting up the scenario, but I'll admit I wasn't necessarily pulled into the characters and their motivations here. It wasn't as threadbare as some titles of this genre I've picked up, but it wasn't developed as much as it could've been for stakes and conflict.
Grace and David are the couple we start following in this story, and I'll admit neither one of them really stood out for a beginning. For an erotic story, I think conveying intimacy (not just physical intimacy) is important in terms of the character experience. I got the measure that Grace is happy with her life and she loves David, but is thrown by the fact that he's unsatisfied with their sexual relationship. That may be all well and good for conflict, but given David's personality, he comes across as a shallow jerk, and it's difficult to see what Grace sees in him, and he to her given his brash reactions. Grace is hurt by him uprooting to take her to this well-to-do club called "The Dining Club" to explore their sexual options, but somehow - I'm still trying to find what the story was in this particular beginning. I think it could've been much stronger than what it was, despite me being pulled along by the flow of the dialogue and the descriptions.
I have up to part five of this respective series, and I bought this off Amazon so that I could have an idea of where this began. I think the start could've been a bit stronger, but I'm willing to see where it goes from here.
Overall score: 2/5 stars
readermonica's review
1.0
The Dining Club is a series of very short novellas that are around 34 pages each. The story is set in England and is an introduction to the burgeoning relationship between Grace, a theater director, and David a successful business man with a very specific sexual bent. Although this story is well written, it is a bit outside of what I enjoy reading. The sexual interactions between David and Grace quickly move from simply erotic to a darker more physically aggressive form of sexuality that isn't my cup of tea. If you are not opposed to a man causing actual pain mixed in with the "pleasure" that he gives his partner this may be alright for you, but I found the encounters somewhat disturbing. This series seems to be broken up into 8 very short novellas that are $1.99 each, so it may be best to wait until the publisher bundles them all together to make one decent size book.
dedicatedreader's review
2.0
https://dedicatedreaders.wordpress.com/
As part one of the dining club series this book promises lots of sex in a fifty shades kind of manner. If you love erotica then this is definitely your kind of book. You should really get a copy of this book.
A very short book, we learn of the story of David and Grace. The two are already dating when we are introduced to them and in orgasmic passion. David seems like the type of guy who will get anything he desires and in short this means a man who loves control while grace seems to be that sweet girl from across the street.
I really cannot go much into characterization as we did not get to learn a lot about the characters.
Spoilers!
I did not like the fact that David was sleeping with someone else and that the author explained it to us but on another note I guess she was just trying to portray a real guy in the real world huh!
End of spoiler!
Nevertheless I do recommend this book to ya’ll out there who love erotica coupled with subtle dominance with just very few pages to read. The book continues in the next book I hope to read soon enough…
Having gotten a free copy to read for a honest review I have to say this book is a 2 stars for me.
As part one of the dining club series this book promises lots of sex in a fifty shades kind of manner. If you love erotica then this is definitely your kind of book. You should really get a copy of this book.
A very short book, we learn of the story of David and Grace. The two are already dating when we are introduced to them and in orgasmic passion. David seems like the type of guy who will get anything he desires and in short this means a man who loves control while grace seems to be that sweet girl from across the street.
I really cannot go much into characterization as we did not get to learn a lot about the characters.
Spoilers!
I did not like the fact that David was sleeping with someone else and that the author explained it to us but on another note I guess she was just trying to portray a real guy in the real world huh!
End of spoiler!
Nevertheless I do recommend this book to ya’ll out there who love erotica coupled with subtle dominance with just very few pages to read. The book continues in the next book I hope to read soon enough…
Having gotten a free copy to read for a honest review I have to say this book is a 2 stars for me.