Julia’s never been to a wedding quite like the one she’s at. Instead of a church, she’s in a richly appointed lodge in the Colorado Rockies. Instead of a the typical vows, there’s a much more master/servant vibe. And instead of a ring, there’s a collar.
Hackles raised, Julia is all set to make a stink when Marcus and self-assured dominant silences her with a few pointed words and a very appropriate threat – that if she keeps acting like a brat he’ll turn her over his knee and give her the spanking she deserves. Shocked, Julia rails against the perceived inequality in her friend’s relationship. How she’s giving her new husband all the power. Marcus corrects Julia’s misconceptions about BDSM and makes her an offer.
One week.
One week under his tawse and his hand to see what her friend finds so appealing. One week to discover for herself what real BDSM is about.
Julia accepts. Not just because she wants to be a better friend, but also because she’s curious. And even more, there’s a part of her that’s turned on.
Sometimes you’re in the mood for a little kink and this book delivers that in spades. Seriously, the portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle and scene is hot, sexy, and real. There was discussion about boundaries and those boundaries were respected. I absolutely loved how many times during the book care was taken to get consent. Verbal consent.
Both the doms and the subs were looked after. There were people watching to make sure that safe words were being respected. That nothing went too far. That everything was Safe, Sane, and Consensual.
This is good BDSM.
Very good BDSM.
Much to my surprise, I liked the characters. Even the alpha male dominant Marcus. Mostly because he wasn’t an asshole. He was an alpha. There’s a difference. I really enjoyed Julia’s journey and her desire to stay true to herself. Julia proved that submissives are often people who are dominant in their professional lives who want to give up control in their private lives. It’s a truism I’ve found in real life. The book also went out of its way to hammer home one major fact… that the Submissive is the one who has the ultimate control. They set the limits. They get to decide what is okay. The submissive has the ultimate power.
Even better, many of the problems were solved through talking and not sex. The sex was hot. Don’t get me wrong. But the fact that the relationship was built on more than just hot, sexy funtimes was awesome.
I did have a bit of a quibble, though. Not enough to lower a star. But enough that I should mention it. The story is set in Colorado (my home state) and parts of it are in Denver. And there is no actual local color. In addition, the author is clearly not an American because they use British spellings, slang, and phrasing. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book, but I did notice it.
As an aside, I do feel that if fic writers are essentially forced into having their works Brit-picked/American-picked, published authors should do the same.
I liked this book and how BDSM was handled so much that I went out and bought the next book in the series. Seriously, it’s that good.
Five enthusiastic stars.
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