A review by crystalisreading
The Principle of Desire by Delphine Dryden

4.0

This was a cute, short little BDSM erotic romance. Third in possibly my favorite BDSM erotic romantic series so far, simply because the geeky characters feel so real to life (All my friends are geeks too. Yes, we do play D&D and board games. Alas, no kinky club.). They are, especially in this book, realistically imperfect. I was pleasantly surprised that scruffy, slightly chubby Ed was the hero of the story; Dryden manages to capture exactly how appealing of a partner he could be. Ed is charming and sweet and patient and eager and happy-go-lucky and logical and curmudgeonly and very likable. Beth is likeable too, in a more elegant and reserved way. I loved the dynamic between them, and how it grew from initial awe and submission to a very playful give and take. Switch relationships don't seem to get addressed in this genre as much as straight sub/ dom relationships, so having two characters who both appeared to lean towards switch was a fun and fascinating new dynamic for me. I liked the idea that they were playmates exploring what they both enjoyed.
Some people complained about Beth's past relationship intruding into her story with Ed, but I felt like that was a realistic dynamic too. Relationships aren't neat and tidy. Sometimes it takes awhile to sort out why one person didn't make you happy and another person does. I loved how Ed was patient and respectful. He's a winner. As was this story. A good book for starting the year off.
I'd love if Dryden would write more stories in this setting/ with this geeky group of characters. I've tried other erotic romances by her, but not loved them like I have these. Geeks for the win!