2013 Clitorides Award winner--Best BDSM story. I was surprised, because I wrote this as a romance. After all "50 Shades of Grey" is a romance. If D/s and BDSM offend you, this story will not work. BDSM is an important part of some of the character's lives. That said, it is not their entire existence. For those of you still reading, I hope you learn to love Sheila and Sean as much as I do. Odd pairings can make the strongest bonds.
Size: 443 KB (84,787 words)
Genre: Drama
Sex Contents: Some Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, mt/Fa, Fa/ft, Consensual, Romantic, Reluctant, Lesbian, Heterosexual, BDSM, DomSub, MaleDom, FemaleDom, Spanking, First, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Petting, Double Penetration, Slow, Workplace
Review by smokeaknz [other reviews by smokeaknz]
Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
I write this as the fourth chapter has been posted. I do not like to write a review until a story is fully developed, and I know (or perhaps I simply hope) this one has a long way to go, yet I had to write now. Why?
Because this story deserves to be read by everyone with any sense of romance. The author suggests that those with an aversion to BDSM may wish to avoid it, but I think he is wrong. At least so far in this story the BDSM is not the point: the people are the point.
I admit to a personal aversion to first person point of view: can you believe that this story is totally written from the first person POV, shifting regularly to give the story from at least three people's perspective. Because the author wishes us to really feel the strength of the interplay, some scenes are described by one person, then again by the other. Thus some quotes are written into the story twice, once when he says it and once when she hears it, or vice versa. Somehow, in this story this construction is not irritating, but instead is perfectly natural and gives us real insight into the characters.
So far the BDSM is more hinted at than exposed in sweaty detail. Yet detail is very much this writer's stock in trade. The musical details, the dance details, the food details, the clothing details, all contribute hugely to the enjoyment the true connoisseur of well written prose will experience.
Admittedly there are a few peccadillos: the occasional dropped word, a misuse of an apostrophe when the word is actually a plural. So tech quality is only a 9. Most good authors on this site would struggle for a 6 or 7, this one is a true 9. I offer no teasers or spoilers: you NEED to read this story.
An update after Chapter 9: There is more bondage in the past few chapters than showed at the start of the story. Having said that: it is very classy, and quite brilliant, if intense. Live with that. Read the story anyway. If you don't know about bondage, study this story closely: you will learn. If you already know about bondage, you will appreciate true artistry in the scenes. This is a great story.
