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lifeinthebooklane's review
2.0
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 but that may change without warning as I remember more things that annoyed me!
This was good enough that I finished it but it isn't a book I would re-read and I would only recommend it to others if they were looking for a book featuring a hard-core sadist. I'm going to start with the negatives first, there weren't many but they did impact the reading experience, and one was almost enough to make me DNF this. There are positives, and enough of them to keep me reading, so this wasn't all bad.
Problem #1 - Tell and Not Show.
I don't make mental images as I read, in truth, I very much struggle to build any stable or detailed mental image. I connect with a book and its characters through emotion, sadly this book was hugely lacking in demonstrating emotions or feelings of any depth.
After having spent, at most, 15 hours together over 3 days the couple already had "strong" feelings for one another. That is despite never having shared a single thing about their everyday life, hopes, and dreams. Not one single thing. Not even their real names. They had both given pseudonyms and whilst they had spent some time chatting, very little of it was not part of a scene situation.
Within days of meeting again, 3.5 years later, they were declaring their love, whilst still not having spent any credible time together that would show if they were compatible out of the bedroom/play scene. This was LUST not love. And at no point did the author ever genuinely shows me it was anything else.
Problem #2 - Lack of realism
Tyler is a sadist and enjoys inflicting immense pain on Viv. That level of pain and masochism isn't my thing BUT that wasn't where my issues lay. It was how quickly Viv allowed a stranger to take her to the very edge of her limits. Maybe it is realistic of those who play seriously in BDSM clubs but it just didn't feel so. Having read articles by those who do play to that level the overwhelming advice is that you have to know and trust your partner. Having only spent a very short amount of time together that wasn't possible. The author did put some safety measures in place and that, along with acknowledging that this is fiction, not a how-to manual, allowed me to let this one go.
Problem #3 - Political Views
Despite some very hard-core scenes of Sado-masochism, the element that very nearly had me DNF'ing this book had absolutely nothing to do with BDSM. It was, in fact, something that absolutely had no place in a romance book!!!!! And that was the author pushing her Pro-Gun views.
As a reader who doesn't even live on the same continent, one who has lived over 50 years without the need of a gun, it was a very unnecessary and unwelcome addition to a book. If I had to once more read about the foolishness of leaving guns only in the hands of "bad guys" I think I might have screamed louder than Viv when she was being punished.
No, just NO!!!!!! Dear Author when you included your very much not needed gun law views in this book it spoilt my reading experience. I've read plenty of books where the heroine and or hero own, carry and even use a gun. That doesn't bother me in the least because I'm reading a work of fiction. What I don't enjoy is repeatedly having the author's political views rammed down my throat akin to a sub being face fucked.
To add insult to injury that damn scene that pushed me to the edge actually served no purpose other than to push the author's dislike of some states not allowing you to carry a gun. Sheesh if you're going to bang on about guns so much at least have a need for them in the plot. All the "gun" parts could have been cut from the story and it would have made absolutely ZERO difference to the plot.
OK, now I have that little rant off my chest I can focus on the positives.
Positive #1 - Genuine communication.
Some readers complain that negotiation and talking before a scene isn't sexy. I don't particularly enjoy feeling as though the sub has been railroaded into something, their wishes have been ignored or we have a mind-reading Dom who doesn't need to listen to the sub. So I appreciated that this was a couple who talked. Even the rather horrendous sounding punishments Viv was subjected to had been negotiated and agreed on as a couple and so were fully consensual. The author also, through inner monologue, told us how much Viv needed Tyler to carry through on these punishments.
Positive #2 - Compromise.
Tyler wanted 24/7 ownership, Viv wanted sexual submission only. Massive kudos to the author that she wrote a genuine compromise. Too often it seems that the sub/heroine is just railroaded into what the Dom/hero wants, so I was most pleased with the direction this book took.
Positive #3 - Not holding back.
Whilst I didn't find most of the BDSM scenes hugely sexy, as the level of pain inflicted went beyond the level I enjoy reading about, it was extremely well executed. The author didn't soften things, didn't pull her punches, to make this more mainstream. I have to respect that.
The focus on this is very BDSM/scene focused, so I didn't feel as though I got to really know Tyler and Liv as people. I would also have liked Liv to have had a friend she actually spoke to during the book and there was a distinct lack of support characters for me. Any conflict was resolved quickly and easily, so overall it's a low angst read. There are scenes involving play with other people, including oral sex.
This was good enough that I finished it but it isn't a book I would re-read and I would only recommend it to others if they were looking for a book featuring a hard-core sadist. I'm going to start with the negatives first, there weren't many but they did impact the reading experience, and one was almost enough to make me DNF this. There are positives, and enough of them to keep me reading, so this wasn't all bad.
Problem #1 - Tell and Not Show.
I don't make mental images as I read, in truth, I very much struggle to build any stable or detailed mental image. I connect with a book and its characters through emotion, sadly this book was hugely lacking in demonstrating emotions or feelings of any depth.
After having spent, at most, 15 hours together over 3 days the couple already had "strong" feelings for one another. That is despite never having shared a single thing about their everyday life, hopes, and dreams. Not one single thing. Not even their real names. They had both given pseudonyms and whilst they had spent some time chatting, very little of it was not part of a scene situation.
Within days of meeting again, 3.5 years later, they were declaring their love, whilst still not having spent any credible time together that would show if they were compatible out of the bedroom/play scene. This was LUST not love. And at no point did the author ever genuinely shows me it was anything else.
Problem #2 - Lack of realism
Tyler is a sadist and enjoys inflicting immense pain on Viv. That level of pain and masochism isn't my thing BUT that wasn't where my issues lay. It was how quickly Viv allowed a stranger to take her to the very edge of her limits. Maybe it is realistic of those who play seriously in BDSM clubs but it just didn't feel so. Having read articles by those who do play to that level the overwhelming advice is that you have to know and trust your partner. Having only spent a very short amount of time together that wasn't possible. The author did put some safety measures in place and that, along with acknowledging that this is fiction, not a how-to manual, allowed me to let this one go.
Problem #3 - Political Views
Despite some very hard-core scenes of Sado-masochism, the element that very nearly had me DNF'ing this book had absolutely nothing to do with BDSM. It was, in fact, something that absolutely had no place in a romance book!!!!! And that was the author pushing her Pro-Gun views.
As a reader who doesn't even live on the same continent, one who has lived over 50 years without the need of a gun, it was a very unnecessary and unwelcome addition to a book. If I had to once more read about the foolishness of leaving guns only in the hands of "bad guys" I think I might have screamed louder than Viv when she was being punished.
No, just NO!!!!!! Dear Author when you included your very much not needed gun law views in this book it spoilt my reading experience. I've read plenty of books where the heroine and or hero own, carry and even use a gun. That doesn't bother me in the least because I'm reading a work of fiction. What I don't enjoy is repeatedly having the author's political views rammed down my throat akin to a sub being face fucked.
To add insult to injury that damn scene that pushed me to the edge actually served no purpose other than to push the author's dislike of some states not allowing you to carry a gun. Sheesh if you're going to bang on about guns so much at least have a need for them in the plot. All the "gun" parts could have been cut from the story and it would have made absolutely ZERO difference to the plot.
OK, now I have that little rant off my chest I can focus on the positives.
Positive #1 - Genuine communication.
Some readers complain that negotiation and talking before a scene isn't sexy. I don't particularly enjoy feeling as though the sub has been railroaded into something, their wishes have been ignored or we have a mind-reading Dom who doesn't need to listen to the sub. So I appreciated that this was a couple who talked. Even the rather horrendous sounding punishments Viv was subjected to had been negotiated and agreed on as a couple and so were fully consensual. The author also, through inner monologue, told us how much Viv needed Tyler to carry through on these punishments.
Positive #2 - Compromise.
Tyler wanted 24/7 ownership, Viv wanted sexual submission only. Massive kudos to the author that she wrote a genuine compromise. Too often it seems that the sub/heroine is just railroaded into what the Dom/hero wants, so I was most pleased with the direction this book took.
Positive #3 - Not holding back.
Whilst I didn't find most of the BDSM scenes hugely sexy, as the level of pain inflicted went beyond the level I enjoy reading about, it was extremely well executed. The author didn't soften things, didn't pull her punches, to make this more mainstream. I have to respect that.
The focus on this is very BDSM/scene focused, so I didn't feel as though I got to really know Tyler and Liv as people. I would also have liked Liv to have had a friend she actually spoke to during the book and there was a distinct lack of support characters for me. Any conflict was resolved quickly and easily, so overall it's a low angst read. There are scenes involving play with other people, including oral sex.
booklvrkat's review
2.0
If you aren't ready to read about a TPE, then do not start with this book. This takes you to the edge and back several times, and it's dark. It's very well written, but I didn't personally connect with the characters. I think it might be how it started. I felt like I'd missed the first part of the story since the author starts the story on the characters third "scene" together. And if you forget that scene you will be reminded of it. Again, the story and writing is good, I just didn't get involved as much as I wanted to.
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