Title: Catalyst
Authors: SL Armstrong & K Piet
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Buy Link: Catalyst
Genre: M/M Contemporary, BDSM, Kink/Blood Play
Length: Novel (80000 words)
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
A Guest Review by Cole
Review Summary: This book tackles a subject that many readers are probably afraid to approach with a ten-foot pole (blood play), but does so in a way that had me swept up in the lives of two characters who are trying to reconcile their quickly spiraling fetishes into a loving and ultimately stable relationship.
** This review might be seen as having spoilers **
BLURB
After a near-fatal accident, Logan Walker seeks help to control the compulsive blood fetish that almost cost his submissive’s life. Help happens to be in the form of an athletic, smart psychologist by the name of Dr. Kasper Bromley. Kasper, though, soon finds himself swept up in the fantasies Logan came to him to control. Reluctantly throwing his ethics to the wind, Kasper submits himself to Logan, gambling his career, his future, and his heart on this intriguing man and the lifestyle he offers. But when Kasper’s desires outpace Logan’s, the young doctor is swept down into a whirlpool of sex and sadism that even Logan’s love may not be enough to rescue him from.
REVIEW
Before I jump headlong into what I will tell you now is going to be a review of a fantastic book, I first want to talk about the specific kink that this story is built upon. Blood play is something that I’ve never been interested in reading, and frankly scares me outside of a vampire story. But, having read and loved SL Armstrong and K. Piet’s previous book The Keeper (reviewed here by Tj), and after being asked by Anke since we have similar reading tastes, I decided that of the authors in this genre, I felt I could trust this subject in the hands of these two authors, who show a great deal of compassion and understanding to their characters. The reason I even bring this up, before getting on to the review, is that I think this is a fascinating and wonderful book that many people might discount from the subject alone. If you like to read BDSM in general, but aren’t sure about Catalyst, I’m here to tell you not to be afraid and to take a chance. This reader is happy that he did.
Catalyst tells the story of Logan, an accomplished Dom whose cravings for blood have recently crossed the line into negligence to his latest sub, ultimately putting him in the hospital after Logan’s haze of lust at the taste caused him to slip and nick an artery with his sterile razor. The story starts in the office of Dr. Kasper Bromley, a psychologist, with a hesitant and slowly building dialogue between patient and practitioner. Logan came for help, finally telling himself that his cravings are sick and he can go no further. Since the incident only a month or so prior, Logan has only been able to come by pricking his own fingers and drinking the blood. The harder he tries to resist, the quicker he seems to fail at his self-imposed limits.
Kasper, for all that his money, education, and connections may seem, is not a happy man. He has done everything in his life to please other people, mostly his father, who even in death seems to hold a hand over his son’s decisions. Yet, even with this knowledge, Kasper continues to believe that he is content, if not happy, with his life. It takes his new patient, Logan, to show him a world where submission can mean a break from the daily rigor of keeping his life in constant control. The more Logan tells him of the culture, the more Kasper’s fantasies of submission spiral away from him. The more he fantasizes of Logan, however, the less he is able to hide from Logan’s steady and watchful gaze. Logan can see that they’ve crossed a line somewhere, but now the only blood he craves is Kasper’s. Unable to keep his rigid conformity, Kasper unleashes his deperation to please and their roles reverse. Now Kasper is the student, and Logan sets out to teach him everything he knows. Ultimately, however, their lives are moving in different directions. While Logan is slowly coming to balance his cravings for blood, Kasper’s desire to please at whatever cost is affecting the trust that Logan has implicitly placed in his care, as his doctor. With that trust breached, their relationship is set up for failure, and Kasper seems hell-bent on pushing his limitations further than humanly possible.
The most beautiful aspect of this novel are the characters, Logan and Kasper. To deal with a topic such as blood play in a contemporary setting and for the fetish not to come across as a glorification or purely for shock and awe, the reader needs to feel a connection to the characters and understand why this fetish is important to them. The understanding that is implicit in the writing of this book shows that the authors gave these characters the care that they deserved, and because of that I felt for them and cared about their growth. Logan starts to learn this early on as an aspect of his therapy with Kasper. Why does drinking blood make him feel powerful? Is it really a sickness, or is it a fetish like any other that happens to have a higher risk? For all of Logan’s hangups at the beginning of the story, he really is quite a healthy man. He first felt the taste of blood as he lost his virginity and bit into his lover’s neck as they came. That association, of blood with release and reward, fueled his fantasies and over the years became a full time addiction. One thing cannot go without the other. Kasper, on the other hand, is a very repressed man. In fact, he has repressed his repression, living in a safe world and inside a safe mind. The passion that is fueled by his conversations with Logan give him the oppurtunity to relinquish the control that he has so tightly bound himself to during the 37 years of his life. The problem that Logan soon begins to understand, is that Kasper cannot trade a habit of control with an addiction to submission without first dealing with that repression. The consequences of shifting those feelings onto a fetish that can be dangerous are an absence of limitations, and an absence of limitations is asking for trouble.
The way the authors delved so deeply into these two men is what really pulled the story together. I really felt like I understood them, could even relate to them, though their behavior could be seen as extreme. Also, the authors allowed the characters to set the pace of the story. They dropped into the lows that were needed to realize the potential of their relationship. The authors didn’t shy away from dark and heavy scenes to show Kasper’s desperation, or Logan’s need to understand it. Perhaps the reason I felt that the story delved so deeply into the characters inner thoughts was that the story rarely breaches into the outside world. The bulk of the book deals with scenes between just the two of them, though often they are public scenes at clubs. The insular feel of the story worked well in this case, and because their interactions were almost always between them alone, almost every scene dealth with sex in some way. The book was full of it (and it is HOT), because that was the way Logan and Kasper got to know one another, and later, how they worked through their problems. A side effect of this depth in the characters interactions is that the love and care for each other (though it is often deep below the surface) is obvious. Not only did I want to cheer for them, but they cheered for each other, especially Logan. It is nice to see that the characters you are cheering for really and truly care for one another. It is one thing to read about an Alpha Hero stepping in front of a bullet for someone, but it is a much more difficult and loving gesture, I think, to read about regular, flawed men slogging through the hard times with someone, coaxing them to be a better person. I appreciated that level of devotion between them.
The only reason that this story did not get a five star rating from me is that I had to suspend belief when Kasper, in one scene, finally throws caution to the wind. He has spent decades wrapping himself up in an “agreeable” life and he puts his whole life at stake by becoming involved with a patient. It was given consideration and Kasper warred between his career and his desires often before that point, but I still felt like he would refuse more than he did. Other than that, this book was a wonderful read, though admittedly dark. Still, though, I came out on the other side happy that I had read it and eager to pass along a spledid review to you. This book is admittedly not for everyone. The scenes are always in some BDSM context, and they are often pretty heavy. The scenes, however, are handled with care and I never felt that the trust I had freely given to the authors in reading about this subject matter was betrayed, which I have felt before. More than anything, I appreciate the authors for that. Highly recommended.
Hi Cole
I’ve been waiting for this book to be reviewed here since the blurb had me hooked from the beginning, but I wasn’t sure about the darker aspects. From your very thorough review I think it’s more a psychological exploration and character development, and that’s something I appreciate greatly. So thank you, I’ll have a go at this now!
You’re right, and it is quite in depth. I appreciated that as well, and it is ultimately, what helped the blood fetish make sense to me. If the kink had been there for kicks, it wouldn’t have been for me.
I hope you like it 🙂
Hi Cole,
boy, did I like it! I didn’t think the blood play very disturbing, rather the psychologist/ client – relationship. Also I think a few times things were solved too easily. Then again, the book was already long, so there had to be cuts…It was a very, very intense read, though, and right up my alley. Thanks again.
Hi Feliz,
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it! Though it made me uncomfortable, I didn’t really have a problem with the patient/doctor relationship, because that and the power struggle inherent were what the whole problem was, and they worked through it as best as they could.
You’re right though, it is a very intense book! I’m really happy you liked it 🙂
Hi Cole,
I was eagerly awaiting your review, as I was rather ambivalent towards this book. Thank you for your in-depth analysis, it’s highly appreciated 😎 Now I will put it on my TBR and will keep you informed! Have a wonderful evening!!
Anke.
Thanks again Anke, for asking me to review this 🙂 I’m very happy that you did, as it turned out to be a great book! Now, I hope you like it as much as I did, or what whole, Anke and Cole like the same books thing will go right out the window 🙂
Hi Cole,
Don’t think so 😎 ! Nevertheless there’s a free-book-thing on GR, which I entered; I will wait ’til Sunday buying 😀 Once again thank’s for reading and I am happy that this was a much better experience than some previous books 🙂
Thanks Anke 🙂 I saw that book giveaway, Good luck!
Ok I am sold off to buy…
Hi Suzi,
Have a wonderful time reading 🙂
This sounds good! I was intrigued starting back with the authors’ interview, and am even more intrigued after yours and Jen’s reviews. I’m going to look into it. 🙂
Yes, Val! I remember the interview as well (or was it a profile?) and that’s when I first saw the book and thought, wow, do I or don’t I? I really wanted to, but I was scared 🙂 I won’t deny it.
I liked Jen’s review as well, which is what helped me not to be so afraid, I suppose. I really trust Jen’s reviews for BDSM books.
If you decide to read it, I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did 🙂
I’ve been interested in this story but have been a little wary with the topic. Blood play isn’t my thing but I really like what I read in the excerpt. I’ve had it on my wish list at ARe and almost bought it last night. Glad to see it got a good review. I’ll probably be getting it this weekend to read on my vacation next week.
Yes, that is the same way I felt. I’m glad to hear that you’re going to read it. It might be a bit heavy to read on vacation, but then again, I suppose it depends on the vacation 🙂 The kink isn’t really heavy, but the emotion in the characters and relationship is.
Enjoy!
Hi Cole, you’re one of my favorite reviewers here and I trust your reviews and bought books based on your reviews, but I think I’m gonna have to pass on this. I can’t seem to handle BDSM, so I know I can’t handle blood play. (Truthfully, I have never even heard of it before!! I know, I live under a rock, I guess).
Hi Hope,
First of all, thank you. I’m happy that you’ve liked my reviews and enjoyed the books that I have. 🙂
There’s nothing wrong with recognizing your limits! Which is the main reason why I wanted people to know that this book is no darker than any other BDSM book (where BDSM is a large subject). So, if you don’t really like BDSM in general, this one isn’t for you. That’s the whole problem Kasper has. He thinks that a good sub has no limits and can do more and take more. But, with no limits, how far will you go? Until you’re dead?
So, yes, you’re probably right in not reading this one. I’ve heard a bit about blood play, but have never read it outside of a paranormal. I’ve heard more about knife play, which is more of the illusion of danger/cutting, rather than the actual cut/blood.
Dark read does not scare me as long as there is light at the end of the tunnel. Is there?
Hi Hellga!
Yes, there is a bright, shiny light awaiting the reader at the end 🙂
Thank you, Cole!
This definitely buys it for me 🙂
Cole,
Thank you so much for this amazing review! All of us at Storm Moon Press are so very happy that you enjoyed the book so much and were able to take so much away from the story!
The content is admittedly dark, but we wouldn’t put the characters (and the readers) through the emotional wringer without that light at the end of the tunnel. We’re glad that the happily ever after ending appeals to readers. It’s one of the things we enjoy giving for our erotic romances!
Thanks again for such a lovely review. We’re flattered and we hope that everyone else enjoys it as much as you did!
~K. Piet
(on behalf of Storm Moon Press)
—
PS: Oh, and just so everyone knows — just in case — Kasper in the story is a psychologist, not a psychiatrist. He didn’t attend med school, so he can’t prescribe medications, and he also isn’t accountable to the AMA as far as any ethical infractions go. We just didn’t want to open up that particular can of worms while we had so many OTHER proverbial cans open. Not to say there isn’t another ethics board he could have been dragged in front of, but we wanted him to avoid that hurdle. ^_^
We’re also currently having a 20% off sale at both ARe (All Romance Ebooks), Amazon, and the Storm Moon Press website. For those of you who would like to buy it, those are certainly options to lower the price for you right now! Thank you for all your interest!
Thanks for commenting!
About Kasper: I suppose I was confused because (1) I always get those mixed up, and (2) I thought that Kasper had prescribed Logan Trazodone and Prozac. But thank you for pointing that out! I’ll make a correction in the post.
Also, thanks for writing a wonderful book with SL Armstrong. I enjoy your books together and I hope you’ll both continue to write many more.
Thanks again!
Hey, Cole,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the story and took so much away from it. We were both quite attached to Kasper and Logan by the end of their journey. 🙂
Yes, Kasper prescribes the medications, but he isn’t the one who writes the prescriptions. He works in an office group and had one of the psychiatrists in-house write it for him.
I also have to wonder why people keep using ‘Danielson’ as my last name. XD
I hope we continue to write books you enjoy!
Sincerely,
S.L. Armstrong
Oh man, I’m so sorry. I have no idea why I do that. I always do though! I’m going to have to look up SL Danielson so I know who that is. Maybe I’m combining names, IDK. Aha! I remember now — I am reading another book for review at the moment by that author.
Ahh, now I see about the prescriptions, that makes sense.
Again, thank you for writing a beautiful story. As long as you both keep writing, we’ll keep reading 🙂 Thanks!
Re: Kasper being a psychologists as opposed to a psychiatrist… I know this may sound nitpicky but since you brought it up…
The AMA is a professional organization (like the Screen Actors Guild) and only about a third of U.S. medical doctors are members. Both psychiatrist and psychologists are licensed by the state and while the licenses grant different privileges, they both contain similar restrictions when it comes to fraternizing with patients and both carry similar criminal and civil liability.
So Kasper being a psychologists as opposed to a psychiatrist is of little distinction when it comes to the level of jeopardy he was putting himself in… but it sounds like from the story synopsis, jail time or a law suit were the list of his concerns. 😉
The story sounds interesting… I am putting it on my to-read list. Thanks for the review Cole. It was excellent as always. :2thumbs:
Hey Diane 🙂
I suppose the reason that these different distinctions seem murky is that they (mostly) didn’t make it into the story. Since the story is so insular, we never meet Kasper’s colleagues, only a few of this friends, who are purely social contacts. Therefore, the looming threat of what would happen if anyone found out about their relationship and the consequences of that secret being revealed are mostly described as a loss of authority and respect, which Kasper cling to. His friends are all of a certain social circle, all quite wealthy professionals (they’re pretty much yuppies) who love their creature comforts and have a certain code of ethics everyone is assumed to follow. I think that possible jail time or a law suit would give Kasper something to punish himself with. He would embrace them, in a way, if that makes sense. But the loss of respect and the shame that comes with it is much more demeaning to him. It would symbolize that he’d lost everything, especially in front of his friends, the people he compares himself against. I suppose that is why, in the long run, the distinction is a small one, because no matter the actual consequences of his actions, the fallout would be the same. I’m am still glad to be learning all of this though, it helps put the story into a little bit more context. Thank you!
Thanks again Diane and I really hope that you like this story 🙂
Cole, you knocked that review out-of-the-park!
:happydance:
I too looked this book up after SLA mentioned it. I almost past by this review but I knew someone put time into a review and deserved to be heard.
You pulled me in,prefaced it just right… I honestly like these psychological dramas. Sure sex plays a major role, but it drives the psychological transformations in these books. Thanks for the info on the positive ending. I need my fiction to go with the heavy subject of addiction/personal growth. My TBR pile is currently falling down around me, but sometimes I crave an intense transformational story. So I’ll mark this in the possibilities list.
Thanks Cole :bravo:
Lol, thank you Reggie!
Thanks Reggie! That’s why I really wanted to write a paragraph up front. If I hadn’t been introduced slowly by other reviews and reader opinions, I would probably have never agreed to review this book, much less read it.
If you like really intense and in depth psychological dramas and stories of great growth, then this book is definitely for you. I love stories like this as well, though I can’t read too many of them because I become so personally involved. But yes, this one is a great choice for the next time you feel like getting into the nitty-gritty of a characters emotions. I think one of the most wonderful ways the authors do this is through their dialogue, which often read like a play to me. I think you’ll like this one 🙂
I’m glad that you read this review anyway, even though you didn’t think it might be a book for you. That’s the reason why I love this site, the readers really care about the reviewers and the work they put into a review. It makes me feel loved :blush:
I loved this book too, Cole. I agree with you wholeheartedly about the blood-play. It’s not my thing at all and yet I felt these authors handled that side of the book with sensitivity. I also really liked the way the story slowly changed focus between the characters.
Great review :).
Thanks Jen!
I did too. I liked that what I thought was going to be a novel only about blood play soon became about so much more.
I also loved that the authors allowed the characters their own time to come to their own conclusions. It seemed to take them forever, but it wasn’t rushed, just as it would take a very long time for someone to understand an addiction in real life. I appreciated that.
It’s always nice to talk about a book with another reader that loved it, so I’m glad you commented Jen. I read your review also and loved it. It was, ultimately, what made me feel better about reading this book, and I’m very grateful that I did. I would have missed out on a good story 🙂
mmm Interesting book but not sure it´s my thing 😕
Thank you for your review 😎
Hi Helena!
You gotta know your limits 🙂 No, seriously, this story isn’t for everyone. But thanks for reading the review and commenting 🙂
Hi Cole,
thanks for this great review. I also thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Keeper’ and plan on reading everything this team of writers has written/is going to write.
This one will go to the top of the pile. I am usually quite intrigued by subjects that have the potential of being too much, especially if written by an author I like.
Patricia
Hi Patricia!
So, you like to read things that push the boundaries a bit, hmm? The first thing that came to my mind when I read that comment was that documentary called Crash, about people who have sex in car accidents… 😮
I’m hope you enjoy the book 🙂
Fortunately (!) I had not heard of that documentary. That might push even my boundaries. 😀
Hi Cole: Ooh, another awesome review, so thank you!
Definitely appreciate your being so in depth about the plot and characters since this is a on-the-fence book for my TBR pile. I’m familiar with the kink and definitely enjoy it in fiction when it’s treated correctly (I hate wallpaper kink content), but the set up of patient/professional wasn’t really grabbing me. (seemed like an ethical horror story waiting to happen) However after reading the review, the characters do sound appealing, and I like dark concepts, so I might give this one a shot.
Cally,
I’m glad you brought this up:
I had this same feeling as well when I went into the book, but it quickly moves in a different direction entirely. Once the decision is made and their relationship is underway, it doesn’t take long for them to just accept what they’ve done and they don’t moan and whine over it after that.
I hope you like the book if you decide to read it 🙂
4.75 stars? Seriously????
If that book was called A Cautionary Tale On How Not to Behave as a Therapist or in a BDSM Setting I could’ve understood the rating but apparently this was meant as a serious romance. I can’t even begin to list all the things that were wrong with how the characters behaved and it’s not because kink freaks me out. Usually I’m like if it floats your boat, I’m fine with it but this mess …
That was one of the most awful books I’ve ever read.
Hi Enny,
I suppose I don’t see that those things are exclusive. I thought that the moral of the story was a cautionary tale about Kasper’s profession and the BDSM community at large, which is a rather serious subject.
Was it that the characters didn’t make the right choices? I suppose I didn’t find it a mess because, while I would never do any of these things, I understood why the character did. You’re right that it doesn’t have anything to do with the kink, which is why I suppose I fell that it isn’t about how a reader might feel about the kink but how they feel about the characters. Is that why? If you can’t like the characters then you almost always can’t like the book…
I suppose if I hadn’t liked the characters then I wouldn’t have like the book either, but I still wouldn’t think the story was a mess, just that I didn’t like it. Like you said, whatever floats your boat.
I was completely freaked out by how wrong everything in this book was and it wasn’t because the more extreme bdsm or because I didn’t like the characters. I actually liked Logan and Kasper even though I thought they were completely misguided, the poor things.
Both in psychotherapy and bdsm there are a lot of very strict rules and they exist for a good reason. In both settings someone is very vulnerable and at the mercy of another person. If that trust gets betrayed, the consequences can be horrible. In this book so many of these rules were broken and that’s not something I’m comfortable with.
Another thing that bothered me was the way the characters behaved. The patient starts to engage in bdsm again and suddenly he’s in control of his urges and the therapist has one session and becomes completely unglued? That’s simply not very credible in my opinion.
But it certainly is a very interesting book that evokes very strong feelings – both negative and positive ones.
Thanks for coming back and replying Enny 🙂 I really want to know what you thought because most of the time when people say how much they didn’t like a book they don’t say why, which isn’t really very helpful. So thanks for coming back to clarify!
You are definitely right about this, which is why I appreciated that this book looked at those breaches of trust seriously, IMO. I’ve read books where they weren’t given due consideration and they weren’t worked through to the other side and given time for the trust to be regained, and I felt like it was in this book.
This is something that bothered me at first until I slowed down and looked at the timeline. Because almost all of the scenes take place in Kasper’s office it seems like it happens very quickly — which, you’re right, is implausible — but made sense after I realized that it actually happened over a series of months, from what I can remember around 4 to 6. That seems like way more time consideration than I would expect.
Anyway, we all take different things from books and we all identify with different characters in different ways, so there is no wrong way to look at it. Thanks for coming back and letting me know what you meant when you first commented 🙂
No way should this be even 2 stars. awful. Why is this plethora of crap accepted so well on this site? “slightly nicked his artery”? Let’s talk jail time, duh. Oh, yeah, lose the license to practice too. what a crock. By all means you guys, keep plumbing the dregs of society and call it romance. No wonder I am finding less and less books to read in this genre…they all seem to be trying to outdo themselves in the freak category.
Hi SusiQ,
I guess I’m a little unsure what exactly you’re talking about, other than the fact that you really didn’t like this book. I’m assuming that you read it, though you didn’t specifically say so.
Instead of going through your comment point by point, I suppose I’m just curious why you hated it so bad? You didn’t really say anything other than saying it was crap and calling it negligent and they are “freaks” and “the dregs of society”.
I don’t care if someone doesn’t like a book. But if you’re going to spend the time writing a comment, say why. I mean, I’m truly curious. Why?
Is it the specifics of the story? The community? The characters? Their actions? The kink itself? When I write a review, I first base my review on the quality of the story (the writing, the characters, etc.) and only after do I factor in how I responded to it. I am only one person. Yes, sometimes I think I might be representative of a large number of readers, but not always and never everyone.
On the other hand…
I’m going to try to forget that you insulted the site and it’s reviewers… not to mention those in the BDSM community. You should be more careful about speaking so hatefully. Rail on the book all you want, but please don’t do it to people.
SusiQ
I just noticed your comment in which you seem to denigrade the entire M/M community and the guest reviewers on this site. BTW I don’t see any mention of “romance” in the genre – You’ll see that Cole defined this book as M/M contemporary, BDSM, Kink/Blood play.
I haven’t read this book so I have no idea about its content, however I am concerned that you have insulted all of the reviewers on this site.
As readers we all have different tastes and while some books may not be exactly on a topic I would want to read, I would never dream of insulting a reviewer who is only doing his/her job.
If you don’t like the reviews on this site or if you feel that we rate “crap” highly I’m surprised that you continue to visit. The reviewers are not paid for this job and do it voluntarily and they should certainly not be subjected to insults by anyone. We treat everyone politely on this site and expect the same consideration and manners from visitors.
As I said, I have not read this book but I never second guess the guest reviewers since a review is a personal opinion.
I would appreciate it if would be polite to the reviewers if you do visit again, whether or not you agree with their reviews. Thank you for your consideration.
Since you find M/M books not suited to your taste you may wish to look at Ellora’s Cave new line and I’m enclosing some information I received today from EC. I hope these books are more appropriate for you.
“Presenting Blush: The Softer Side of Romance
Now, Ellora’s Cave presents a third line: Blush is our line of more traditional-style romance. With less explicitly described sex than our Romantica and Exotika titles. Blush books have three levels of sensuality:
Sweet Romance (kisses only, no sexual content)
Suggestive Romance (love scenes are not explicitly described in graphic terms)
Sensual: (may have explicit love scenes and graphic terms, but not erotic level or frequency)
Blush still features kick-ass heroines, dashing alpha heroes, and exciting adventures in genres from historical to futuristic. Although we are releasing new Blush titles weekly, the older books in this line were previously published under our Cerridwen banner.”
Hi Wave,
Very well said! I have to admire Cole, as he managed to answer in a very polite, restrained manner to the last posts.
Thanks Anke for your support.
I have only banned two people from this site in the years since it’s been open and that’s because of rudeness to the guest reviewers. I will not tolerate it. If someone doesn’t like a reviewer’s opinion on a book they can discuss it politely and agree to disagree. We pride ourselves on being able to discuss issues without resorting to insults, and I won’t tolerate unwarranted attacks on the reviewers just because someone may not like a book that the reviewer loves or vice versa.
I sense that SusieQ no longer likes the M/M sub genre so I have left her a list of new themes at Ellora’s Cave which I hope will better suit her taste.
Thanks for the support, Anke 🙂
SusiQ
This site is open to people around the world with different thoughts, languages,and cultures. We remain who we are by accepting that we are all different and worthy of respect and courtesy. We agree to disagree all the time.
You might take the time to read Victor J. Banis’ post on Courtesy.
We love our reviewers and appreciate their work and time.
:big love: :kiss:
Please help us to continue to be a place of openness and respect for all who participate.
Thanks :thanks:
Well said, Reggie 🙂 I think that what most of us love about this site and the community that has grown here is how accepting and courteous we are to one another. That kind of cohesion of ideals and thoughts, along with healthy debate, make this a place that is truly unique on the internet, where people seem to love to hate on one another. That’s what I love, anyway 🙂
Cole
:help: I can’t seem to get that. :biglove:
to work!
So. :sendlove:
I’ll send the
:bananadancer: to you because you ROCK!
The :jump: dude is pretty cute though too!
This was a controversial book. I wonder if the publishers are getting flack too?
…Maybe you better
:crouch:
:love you:
LOL, Reggie. Thanks for coming back and posting 🙂
By the way, I asked SL Armstrong and K Piet, (who also published this book under their co-owned publishing company Storm Moon Press) about whether they’ve received more negative responses to this book than they might have their other books. It seems like they have gotten good and bad reviews and comments across the board, on all their books, just like all authors. So, it seems that the response is pretty average.
I’m paraphrasing here, but she also spoke of the fact that they made a very clear point to list the content within the book in the blurb, so that readers wouldn’t be surprised and arrive at an activity or practice they would be uncomfortable with.
I think they did a pretty good job myself. In fact, I think I was over-cautious myself, after having seen how far the book goes. It wasn’t as far as I expected, and is much more of a psychological story than about the kink.
Anyway, I digress. Once again, thanks for your support. Love you too Reggie 🙂
Reggie, He is verrrryyy Cute!! I just want to squeeze his little cheeks some times. Uh, that would be the ones on his face. :blush:
Cole-
Excellent review of this book! The only reason i decided to get over my initial thought ” that’s blood ick” was My enjoyment of The Keeper ,tipped the scales to the why not?
These are great authors and I have very much enjoyed the books that have so far. I thought you did an awesome job describing the various emotions and healthy boundaries that these two men tried to keep for themselves and each other.
I felt the BDSM aspect of the book was handled well – also as cole states previously “I’m paraphrasing here, but she also spoke of the fact that they made a very clear point to list the content within the book in the blurb, so that readers wouldn’t be surprised and arrive at an activity or practice they would be uncomfortable with.”
I felt that was very clear what contents of book involved – I found no surprises.
I wold like to echo what anelka said to you in response of earlier posts “Very well said! I have to admire Cole, as he managed to answer in a very polite, restrained manner to the last posts” An extremely professional response that got the point across without igniting the conversation.
I enjoyed multiple things about the review for this book , but I think at the end where you made this statement really resonated with me “The scenes are always in some BDSM context, and they are often pretty heavy. The scenes, however, are handled with care and I never felt that the trust I had freely given to the authors in reading about this subject matter was betrayed, which I have felt before. More than anything, I appreciate the authors for that. Highly recommended.”
Thank you for the time,and noticeable consideration used to write this review.
Hi Duhaunt,
Thanks for taking the time to write such an in depth comment! A lot of what you said was what was very important to me in my reading of this book: (1) the way that the BDSM and the blood play was handled with such care and attention to the psychological aspect; and (2) the fact that the trust I placed in the authors hands was treated with care, also. I’ve had problems before with that. On one occasion I read a book that ended with a severe breach of trust that the characters had to work through a whole sequel to get over. They are now released as one book, I presume so that the reader doesn’t feel like they went through an emotional ringer without an HEA. It still bothered me, and made it very difficult for me to read BDSM in any context for quite a while. So, I appreciate when authors treat the subject with care, understanding, empathy for the characters, and a desire to grow and learn about the subject matter along with the reader.
Wow, I just kept writing and writing 🙂 I’m sure you can see that it’s a subject that matters to me. I like to feel that, as a reader, I am valued and respected by the author.
Again, thanks for your wonderful comment 🙂
Cole, thank you for such a great review. This book is not for me, but having read several other books by these authors I am sure they did a great job and the right readers will love it.
Thanks for replying Sirius 🙂 It’s good to recognize your limits! Or your preferences, either way 🙂
Yeah, otherwise I will have nobody to blame but myself for what I will be feeling when reading.