A review by vailynst
A Good Student by Elliot Mabeuse

3.0

Connor and Emma began their relationship as a teacher and student. Light interactions lead to lingering conversations that lead to a declaration of a public secret: Connor is a writer & poet. His main topic is sex and he specializes in BDSM. They're drawn to each other, taking elicit chances & sharing the rush of frenetic sex. Emma willfully fights their burgeoning attraction, and Connor pushes her beyond her boundaries to make her face her true desires. He revels in her fierce submission to his demands and she finds acceptance in the very thing she's tried to write off as wrong.

Spoiler

There are several scenarios and thoughts that are written in a rich and stark voice. It's nice to read an erotic story from a purely masculine viewpoint. Awkward story voice changes in the first half of the book, a few repetitious sex scenes that drains the tension Mabeuse builds, and bits of superfluous descriptions were distracting. I liked the idea of the lesson Connor throws Emma into at the museum but the philosophical thread felt forced into the story. The story about Hermes and how he wanted Emma to surrender herself to him as though he was Hermes was a great concept in itself.

That's it. Mabeuse has a explicitly sensual story voice that can totally immerse the reader into his story but it seems like he added extra details to make the work more brilliant when it's already great. Instead of making it shine brighter, that bit of extra dulls the brilliance that's already there.