A review by booksabrewin
The Words to Bind by P. Stormcrow

5.0

Luna is new to the BDSM community. She has had a few experiences but they weren't the best. However, she decided to give it one more shot before she threw in the towel and resigned herself to a life of dissatisfying sex. She attends a munch and joins a community of like-minded individuals that are more than willing to help her along as she learns the ins and outs of BDSM. Along the way she comes face-to-face with an attractive dungeon monitor/trainer named Jacob. From the moment she lays eyes on him she can't fight her desire to have him as her Dom. However, the ghosts of Luna's past threaten to make it a bit more difficult for her. Skittish and green she befriends other community members and forces herself to push past her reservations to see whether her role as a natural submissive is what she truly desires.

Luna was delightful as a character. While the mousy characters are usually a huge cringe-fest for me, Luna was able to be shy without making it so that it was unnatural. She had her own way of opening up and being herself and I found a lot of similarities between my own personality and hers. I loved every facet of her character even down to the fact that she was honest to a fault. I detest liars and lying. All-in-all, Luna was a breath of fresh air that was long overdue for me.

Jacob, I had wished was a bit more developed. While Luna was very firm in her creation, Jacob was a bit lackluster. Don't get me wrong. I loved him as the male protagonist. I just wish there was a bit more substance to him than just being a dungeon monitoring submissive trainer. A bit more of his background would have probably solidified him a bit more. That being said, he was no Christian Gray. He was respectful, always requested consent, and stern when he had to be but with a light tone that bother brokered no argument but also seemed to have an air of request rather than demand. He was a stellar Dominant.

I am also as green as Luna is in the BDSM community. I can recognize her skittish disposition and reservations as a lot of the same I do. I have a friend who is a Dom who I discussed the book with after completing it and he also confirmed just how accurate and well depicted the community is as a whole. I have also had a fear that since I am inexperienced that I would be seen in a negative light within the community. But this book made me feel like that couldn't be further from the truth. This is the book that deserves all the hype that 50 Shades got. It's informative while also maintaining that fantasy love story that everyone hopes to have.

If you are curious about the real world of the BDSM community, I would suggest reading this book over any other you may find saturating the market. The author weaves a world of fantasy straight out of real life and will leave you panting for more.