⭐⭐⭐
We'd like to start by saying that BDSM is totally not our genre.
Pain is not sexy to us. We picked this book more on a whim than anything else;
and we must confess we were surprised. It doesn’t convert us to BDSM, but the
author has managed to write cringe-worthy acts without making them torture. Little
wonder that it is Winner, Lesbian Erotica, 2011 Lambda Literary Awards.
The book, as it says in the blurb, is the story of Liv, a
switch, with bottomless sexual hunger that she has dubbed The Void. She tries
to fulfil the hunger with SM acts performed on her, but it always returns.
During one search for curbing The Void, Liv is serviced by Cassandra, a
legendary Dom. Liv ends up having a crush on Cassandra after this, so when
Cassandra reaches out to her with an offer for Liv to become her submissive,
Liv gladly takes the opportunity. The rest of the book details the steps
towards Liv becoming Cassandra’s submissive, L.
What really works in the book is that the author narrates the
story through Liv’s perspective. Her thoughts and emotions are detailed through
every step, every act showing her willingness and excitement for what is
happening. In fact, there are times when the author has got into practically a
lyrical vein with the emotional reactions making it almost a regular romance. However,
since we do not comprehend this world, we could not develop any sort of
positive emotion about Cassandra, who only seemed to want a plaything and recapture
her past time without an iota of real emotion (despite the best efforts of the author
to make her vulnerable and giving). Nope, give us regular people with their
love and loving any time. (Confession: we actually had to take a break from
this book and this world and read a couple of romances in between to get
stabilised).
If you are at all in the BDSM lifestyle or genre, this is a
great book to get ahold of. If romance floats your boat, steer clear of this
because despite some sort of loose romantic elements, this is certainly not
romance.
The rating is for the author’s ability to wax eloquent about
arousal and emotions rather than the story or the BDSM elements.
⭐⭐⭐
