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The Collectors

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Laura owns what might be the world’s most extensive collection of BDSM lesbian erotica, but that’s as close as she’s gotten to the world of her fantasies. Until, that is, her friend Adele introduces her to Adele’s mistress Jeanne—art collector, heiress, and experienced dominant. Nothing in Laura’s reading prepares her for the powerful reaction she has to Jeanne or how completely she is captivated by this sensual new world. With Jeanne’s first command, Laura’s life changes forever.

But even the most commanding mistress can’t always control a willful submissive, and Adele’s jealousy challenges Jeanne’s dominance and Laura’s place in their world. What Jeanne and Laura learn about themselves on their erotic journey will either drive them apart or change the very nature of their lives.

204 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2011

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183 people want to read

About the author

Lesley Gowan

2 books2 followers
Lesley Gowan has published several novels and many stories under a different name and in a different genre. The Collectors is her first book length work of erotica.

aka Anne Laughlin

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5 stars
40 (23%)
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41 (23%)
3 stars
59 (34%)
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23 (13%)
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8 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for lov2laf.
714 reviews1,107 followers
March 5, 2019
Laura's fantasized about being a submissive for the last ten years, amassing a rare collection of BDSM books in the process. Through a friend, she's introduced to the BDSM world and taken on by Jeanne, a dominant. As a submissive, she must give herself 100%, asking no questions and denying nothing that is asked of her. Once that door is opened, as intense as it is, it's a roller coaster ride Laura never wants to leave. As a reader, all we can do is hang on.

This is an unabashed look into a version of BDSM. I have to say, though this book is technically written well, I didn't care for this story or version of BDSM at all. I'm no BDSM expert but I enjoyed "Owning Regina" by Lorelei Elstrom and "At Her Feet" by Rebekah Weatherspoon much more.

My aversion is completely personal and actually might be a positive for other readers out there so I'll tell you why I didn't care for the book.

First off, there are multiple sex partners and swapping of sex partners. Once a submissive agrees to the terms, any dominant can have their way with her, doing what they like, as long as it's at the consent of the main dominant...which occurs 99% of the time. This is not a turn on for me.

As an aside, most of the sex sessions occur with a group of people present, and when they're not actually swapping partners, the other doms are watching a sub be dominated. Both the doms and the subs heavily rely on voyeurism in their sex play.

The BDSM scenes are these marathon long torture sessions half of the time. Again, I'm no expert, but I was fatigued just reading about the endurance of these sessions. Often they would occur day after day. Does this happen? Does the body not need to recover? Would you even be able to move the following day?

This book definitely not only goes into fantasy in the respect of BDSM but also into the setting of which the story is written. Jeanne is extremely wealthy, not sure why as it's never explained, but her house is set up like a fortress, practically. There are waiting rooms, rooms to be "prepared", secret rooms, a full set of dungeon equipment, and a staff to carry out certain actions. Jeanne also has a separate property, a mansion with a lake and a full on dungeon that can accommodate a whole party of people. This might be liked by some but it made the story even more fantastical and cold for me.

As for the characters, I didn't like any of them much, least of all Jeanne and Laura. We find out that Jeanne is the head of "The Society" creating all of the rules, vetting the doms and submissives. There are hints that she genuinely likes Laura but we get no insight into her other than she doesn't want to be questioned, is always in control, and likes to be heavily involved in and the head of this BDSM world. For Laura, I found her to be kind of like a puppy dog doing whatever is asked and then, on the flip-side, being completely callous at times. Even though the story is in first person I really didn't know anything about her except that she loved pain and submitting in a sexual context. She's a "true masochist" as Jeanne calls her. I never warmed up to either character.

This is supposed to be a love story of sorts between a submissive and her dominant but that I didn't even believe. Laura gets passed around to other dominants and she even admits herself that if Jeanne didn't claim her, she could find herself going for at least some of the others. I felt more like Laura was in love with the idea of being a sub than being a sub to Jeanne. The perks of Jeanne were that she was wealthy with everything at her disposal and obviously a seasoned dominant. She SAYS she loves Jeanne but does she really?

Half way through the book, I just wanted it to end. The irony being that I followed the story all the way through to have it SUDDENLY end, abruptly. I was actually searching my ebook to see if maybe I had a bad version of the story. It couldn't just end like that, could it? It did.

So, what's good about the book? Uh, it's erotic...like on steroids. Sex scenes take up about 70% of the book (at least it felt like it). Now, you might want a shower after or feel disturbed, depending on your sensibility, but it doesn't lack erotica. It's a fantasy expressed in written form.

Some of you might read my review and think, "FANTASTIC!". lol...but, not for me. Because the book is technically written well and dislike of the book is down to personal preference I'm giving a higher rating than I normally would.
Profile Image for Astralnature.
40 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2016
One of the worst BDSM books I have ever read.
Clarification, the sex didn't suck but EVERYTHING about the relationship and people in this story is not only unrealistically wrong, but also unhealthy and abusive.
BDSM is not some new secret club with only the doms making the rules and in charge of oversight. Everyone has a voice, most especially subs. In fact, an important rule in BDSM is safety, physically and emotionally for both the doms and subs. The sub can ALWAYS say no without any punishment or repercussion, but not in this book.
The dom is emotionally abusive, threatening a withdrawal of love and attention, or more specifically to break up with the sub if she ever says "no" or "I don't feel comfortable with this." I have been through an abusive relationship and that is exactly what this is, eroticized. I almost couldn't finish the book, I was so filled with horror at what the dom was doing, and the book is so short that that says something.
There is no safety, no safe words, no communication, no consent, no rules, no openness, nor any true group self-regulation. Apparently this is someone's fantasy written down and should not under any circumstances be imitated without actually following the most basic of BDSM rules.
Profile Image for D. Leigh.
Author 27 books212 followers
March 16, 2011
Don't dismiss this book because it deals with BDSM. It is true there is a lot of racy sex and some scenes that will make you grimace. But there is also a lot of skillful character development and story-telling. The story is a personal journey for both the narrator and the dom she meets. It has great depth and a very surprising sweet ending. I downloaded it with four other books and left it for next to the last because my expectations were not high. (I didn't recognize the author, and didn't know it was Anne Laughlin - "Veritas" - writing under a different pen.) Then I started it and couldn't put it down. When I finished, I found myself thinking: "Huh. I really liked that." It immediately went on my "read again" list.
Profile Image for Tara.
783 reviews373 followers
January 4, 2016
Nice to read a bdsm book that isn't glitterkink. I liked seeing Laura reconcile her desires with her identity. I would have liked to see more of what Jeanne was thinking, but there still seemed to be some growth in her character too. I would live to see a follow-up about these two.
Profile Image for maani.
35 reviews3 followers
February 27, 2020
3.5/5

This book was interesting, but really gripping. I thought the characterisation was done relatively well. I don't know how much of the sex scenes were 'pleasurable' but suffice to say, if you're more into a clear cut dom/sub dynamic in sex scenes, this may be enjoyable (see next para for more info re: this). Laura was an interesting main character and I enjoyed Jeanne as her [love interest (?) not really a love interest] dominant. They had a decent dynamic, and there were plenty of fleshed out side characters too. I do wish the story had a bit more depth regarding some of the plot events though. It bothered me on a reading level (and maybe a personal level too) that Laura is kept in the dark about a lot till the very end. It worked on a technical level in that it kept the suspense high, but on the other hand, it made me feel a bit frightened for Laura's own safety - this culminated in a moment where Laura finally broke a rule about and only then did Jeanne understand that there could be a safety issue with all that was happening.

Another concerning matter for me was that consent doesn't seem to go both ways - Laura HAS to consent to whatever Jeanne asks of her, and Jeanne never gives her an out beyond "if you're not up for it, you're out of this relationship." Take that as you will, but it read as a tad abusive to me because here was no discussion of limits or boundaries at any point. I couldn't fully be on board with Laura and Jeanne's arrangement even though they work it out in the end. It wasn't about but the sheer lack of explanations, rules, and verbally hashing out what Laura might be comfortable with instead of going full out and just carrying on with scenes to test her limits. I also felt like the arc with left a lot to be desired, though the ending was wrapped up in a satisfying enough way that I didn't feel too much like I was left hanging. All in all, an entertaining and short read, and I'd definitely read it again, but more out of curiosity and because I enjoyed the writing style.
Profile Image for Kay.
19 reviews
August 16, 2025
I have had this book on my shelf for a little over five years now. I was in the mood for something spicy 🔥 and decided to finally pick it up. To be clear, this story is a lesbian BDSM erotica. It follows a young grad student named Laura as she is introduced to the fetish community by a fellow classmate named Adele. Laura is a collector of lesbian BDSM literature but has unfortunately never partaken in any scenes in real life. Adele invites Laura over to meet her mistress Jeanne; a fine art collector with all the money and resources necessary to support her lifestyle. Over time, jealousy ensues as Jeanne takes a liking to Laura and Adele fears losing her place as Jeanne's primary in "the Society".

The story reads very much like a novella, staying in Laura's POV the entire time. I thought it was spicy enough but there definitely were some things that bothered me, specifically regarding limits and safe words. Those things are BDSM 101 and any responsible Dom would know to run through them, especially with someone new to the scene. The ending also fell flat. I kept hoping the author wouldn't leave us hanging, but with only a few pages left I realized that would very much be the case. As a reader, I felt as though I was the sub being denied closure. 😑

This book isn't very long (137 pages). I would still give it a chance as it did have some really good angst. I also enjoyed seeing Jeanne in Dom mode 🥵 I totally understand why she had the girls fighting for her attention. I recommend it as a quick weekend read or perhaps a few chapters here and there before bed. I personally enjoyed settling down with it and a glass of wine after work.🍷
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Clare Devereux.
139 reviews19 followers
September 24, 2024
The Collectors by Lesley Gowan: Laura is introduced to Mistress Jeanne and The Society by Adele, whom she met in class. Laura is new to the world of Dominance and submission/slave but her heart definitely wants to play. The book tells about her growth as a submissive/slave. We learn nothing of Laura's history. We learn Laura has a deep attraction to BDSM/S&M though she has never stuck her toes in the water of experience.
There is a falling out and we as the readers get to find out how she, as a novice, navigates through all of her discoveries about herself and the women who she is now a part of. I liked how the life stories intertwine rather than being separate plots. It was one I couldn't put down. It is well worth the read. The scenes are not harsh if that is a problem. They may have had a bit more bite but they were good.

The Collectors par Lesley Gowan : Laura est présentée à Mistress Jeanne et à The Society par Adele, qu'elle a rencontrée en classe. Laura est novice dans le monde de la domination et de la soumission/esclave, mais son cœur veut absolument jouer. Le livre raconte son évolution en tant que soumise/esclave. Nous n'apprenons rien sur l'histoire de Laura. Nous apprenons que Laura est profondément attirée par le BDSM/S&M bien qu'elle n'ait jamais mis les pieds dans l'eau de l'expérience.
Il y a une rupture et nous, lecteurs, découvrons comment elle, en tant que novice, navigue à travers toutes ses découvertes sur elle-même et sur les femmes dont elle fait maintenant partie. J'ai aimé la façon dont les histoires de vie s'entremêlent plutôt que d'être des intrigues séparées. C'est un livre que je n'ai pas pu arrêter. Il vaut la peine d'être lu. Les scènes ne sont pas dures, si c'est un problème. Elles auraient pu avoir un peu plus de mordant, mais elles étaient bonnes.
117 reviews
April 23, 2020
This was a wild ride. The author made a few very interesting choices here:

1. The main character collects lesbian BDSM novels. This has no real impact on the story, except for the fact that she admits that most of them are very unrealistic. The author then goes on to write a very unrealistic lesbian BDSM novel of her own. Bookception!

2. So, there's this secret lesbian BDSM society. It's called "The Society".

3. In The Society, all the dommes may have BDSM sex with any submissive in the society, at any time, without their consent. Most of them have one submissive that they like especially and that they've brought into the society. This is their Primary. Yes, that's exactly how it works.

4. The love interest is a domme who repeatedly guilts and shames the main character into doing things she doesn't want. This is all Very Sexy.

5. There are no safe words.
213 reviews2 followers
March 15, 2020
Disappointing

A book is judged by two things. Its beginning and its ending. Thr begining gets you hooked. I was hooked. However the ending is how the reader will feel after reading the book. I saw the ending coming and was so fisappointed i skimed the last two chapters. The ending was tragic and devasting. If i wanted to feel like that i dont need to read about. I live it. I read to make myself feel better not to make myself sad or worse.
1 review
December 12, 2024
A good short read, but there are various issues with the relationships in the story as others have pointed out. The lack of communication given to Laura was unrealistic especially as considering her status as a complete novice to bdsm in practice. It felt somewhere in between a fanfic and an actual book, I wish the ending had something more at the end but didn’t leave feeling particularly disappointed.

It’s a book I’ll probably have forgotten I’ve read and will read again.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
82 reviews2 followers
June 23, 2019
Super quick read. I found it engaging if a little unpolished. The ending seemed very rushed and I was surprised there wasn’t a sequel as it really was just over in a few pages without much to wrap it up.
Profile Image for Kevin Wilson.
226 reviews9 followers
November 30, 2025
Not great. Interesting that this seems to have come out in 2011 months before 50 Shades. A comparably dissatisfying read.

Side note, but you are not prepared for how centrally the "mute maid" trope figures in this novel.
3 reviews
September 6, 2019
Thrilling

Amazing and thrilling story. Not sure how I feel about the abbrubt ending, though, but all the same it was a great read.
Profile Image for Daniela Filipa.
38 reviews
July 31, 2025
Probably the best lesbian BDSM book I have ever read. It’s not for everyone though.
Profile Image for Kirian.
162 reviews2 followers
September 22, 2025
A well written book, BUT not a good BDSM book (no real consent, all or nothing mentality in the 'lifestyle/relationship' etc.
Profile Image for S.B. (Beauty in Ruins).
2,675 reviews244 followers
November 25, 2011
Wow, a BDSM novel with both a head and a heart, this grabbed me early on and refused to let go. I loved the development of the different relationships, and the discussion of love merged with a desire for submission. The contrast between the experienced but uneasy Adele and the far more confident newbie, Laura, provided a great perspective.
12 reviews
November 27, 2011
Engrossing and hard to put down! If you're coming from the lez romance genre, want more sex... but think this couldn't possibly be your cup of tea... I guarantee you'll find this surprisingly hot and there will still be plenty here for you to like if you enjoy power play. Sequel?? :)

Profile Image for Patrizia.
56 reviews
June 5, 2013
first reading on the subject ... liked the humour mostly.
Profile Image for StudReada.
8 reviews3 followers
June 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this book...would like to read more. Is there going to be a sequel!?!?!
Profile Image for Cydney.
40 reviews6 followers
April 4, 2017
I have to say, I felt very conflicted about The Collectors. I was very pleased to see the intensity of BDSM elements that was portrayed. I also enjoyed how Laura's enjoyment from the pain and servitude was explained.

My primary issues were how the Society functioned as a whole and how Jeanne treated Laura. There was a severe dearth of communication involved and it made their relationship and play come off as very unhealthy and dangerous, especially given Laura's newness to everything. Any time the two did communicate, it felt like Laura was walking on eggshells. The total lack or scarcity of any real discussion prior to play, talk of safe words, or delivery of aftercare left me feeling uncomfortable with everything.

And as for the Society, speaking as someone involved in the kink community personally, I had difficulties with many of their practices. There are certainly Master/slave agreements where slaves are shared with others, but not without plenty of communication beforehand and agreeing to the situation.

Finally, the ending felt cut short before really being given closure on everything. I was glad to see Jeanne and Laura's relationship shifting somewhat near the conclusion, but I wanted to know how the events that occurred prior turned out and some further sign of where the two would go from there.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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