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Gilded Lily #1
Training Amy
When Amy starts her new job at a book shop she has no idea what kind of merchandise her two bosses have stored in a private back room for select customers. She's never been allowed back there. One night, when she's closing shop alone she decides to take a look. Big mistake. Brad and Eric (her bosses) catch her snooping around. They don't tolerate rule-breakers and Amy must be punished. Will her secret desires plunge her deeper into their world? Or will she run back to the safety of her normal life and the dull boyfriend who has a dark side of his own? Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find BDSM theme and content dubious consent, bondage, spanking, toys, anal play, and menage m/f/m and m/f/f.
170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2010
57 people are currently reading
844 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 14, 2012
Oh....my....god......Not 'oh my god' because of the subject matter (BDSM) but because of the "written by a 15 year old" style of writing. This was 'recommended' by a friend who thought I may like it as I couldn't be arsed to waste my brain cells on 50 shades of dullness..... I'm weeping now as I think of the innocent little brain cells that committed suicide after being used to read this dross. The writing - awful; the style - awful; the story - awful; I think you get my drift. I'm confused as to how this has got such a high rating. BDSM fans - you deserve better!!! What also annoyed me was the subliminal insistence that all 'subs' have something 'wrong' with them (inability to relate somehow, a traumatic event in earlier life, inappropriate coping mechanisms), whereas the doms didn't. I know nothing about subs and doms, but surely that can't be true? This review will probably pique the fans of Anne O'Connell; I'm sorry, but I'm not going to read another of her works again, I'm sure there are better authors of BDSM fiction out there. Now....where did I leave that butt plug.....??
November 15, 2017
Wow
This was quite interesting and so hot. Amy found what she wasn't looking for in Eric and Eric found Amy to be his perfect match bit of course the exes are always a problem. I really enjoy the drama as well. Can't wait to see what happens next.
This was quite interesting and so hot. Amy found what she wasn't looking for in Eric and Eric found Amy to be his perfect match bit of course the exes are always a problem. I really enjoy the drama as well. Can't wait to see what happens next.
November 19, 2012
Training Amy by Anne O’Connell
It started off promising with a funny and the words a woman NEVER wants to hear when it comes to sex… "Babe, don't leave me like this. It will only take five minutes, I promise." Unfortunately because of the DAMN question marks all over my copy it went down hill from there. If that were the only problem I had with this story I might have overcome it however I felt that the writing was choppy and didn’t move from scene to scene seamlessly. There was some M/F/M and F/F in this story but it was primarily M/F.
Amy is a 21 year old college student looking for a job to pay off her loans and hopefully move out of her parent’s basement. She applies at a book store and is interviewed by the two owners Eric (38 yrs old) and Brad (42 yrs old). I mention the ages because they are important to me as the story progresses.
She is hired and starts settling in at the store and liking it more everyday especially because she is attracted to Eric. Amy finds it easy to talk to him and he finds her fresh and interesting if a bit naïve especially about some of their specialty shelves on Erotica. Amy’s never read any until Eric loans her a couple of books including ‘Story of O’ which she devours in one long night of self pleasure.
There are a couple of rooms in the back of the book store that she is NOT allowed to enter. These rooms are for their specialty clients, Dominate looking clients, who look more and more interesting to Amy as they filter in through the weeks. You know what they say about curiosity…well nothing drives you to look more than someone telling you not to! This was too quick for me. The rest of the story moved this quickly from one scene to another.
And now to the ages…which mattered to me because Amy is so very young sexually speaking and not I believe worldly. Eric is a nice guy sure but at 38 I would think he would see Amy as too young for this quick vanilla to BDSM change. That’s a big age gap made bigger in my mind because of the sexual dynamics in their relationship. There are a couple of dungeon scenes that just didn’t make sense to me and the story just ended too quickly with some details I though needed closure.
It started off promising with a funny and the words a woman NEVER wants to hear when it comes to sex… "Babe, don't leave me like this. It will only take five minutes, I promise." Unfortunately because of the DAMN question marks all over my copy it went down hill from there. If that were the only problem I had with this story I might have overcome it however I felt that the writing was choppy and didn’t move from scene to scene seamlessly. There was some M/F/M and F/F in this story but it was primarily M/F.
Amy is a 21 year old college student looking for a job to pay off her loans and hopefully move out of her parent’s basement. She applies at a book store and is interviewed by the two owners Eric (38 yrs old) and Brad (42 yrs old). I mention the ages because they are important to me as the story progresses.
She is hired and starts settling in at the store and liking it more everyday especially because she is attracted to Eric. Amy finds it easy to talk to him and he finds her fresh and interesting if a bit naïve especially about some of their specialty shelves on Erotica. Amy’s never read any until Eric loans her a couple of books including ‘Story of O’ which she devours in one long night of self pleasure.
There are a couple of rooms in the back of the book store that she is NOT allowed to enter. These rooms are for their specialty clients, Dominate looking clients, who look more and more interesting to Amy as they filter in through the weeks. You know what they say about curiosity…well nothing drives you to look more than someone telling you not to! This was too quick for me. The rest of the story moved this quickly from one scene to another.
And now to the ages…which mattered to me because Amy is so very young sexually speaking and not I believe worldly. Eric is a nice guy sure but at 38 I would think he would see Amy as too young for this quick vanilla to BDSM change. That’s a big age gap made bigger in my mind because of the sexual dynamics in their relationship. There are a couple of dungeon scenes that just didn’t make sense to me and the story just ended too quickly with some details I though needed closure.
Want to read
July 5, 2012Oh Glass...I´m calling you...
October 2, 2011
Why I waited so long to read this book, I'm not sure. It was spectacular for me. It turned me on big time and afterwards, I really wanted a good flogging. I also wanted to read the next book in this series. Doesn't look like Brad and Kali has been written yet. There are several other books that look good.
In this story, Amy is a 21 year old looking for a job. She's going to school to finish her Business degree and is stuck living at home with parents that are pretty boring, if you ask me. Her boyfriend Paul is an asshole. If he was that terrible in bed, she should have dumped him a long time ago. Boring sex for the rest of your life is unacceptable.
Working for Eric and Brad was a god send for her. This is where the story becomes interesting. I have to say, I was hot for Brad. Eric was great, but really, Brad and his drill Sergent ways made me melt. He's a bit young for me at 42 but still a decent age. Yummy. Kali's pretty hot too. I'd sub for her. This book store they run with private rooms is awesome. I wanna work there! Amy is seduced into the BDSM lifestyle. I'd say this is a decent gateway book. The BDSM wasn't intense. The cage with the dildo on a stick was HOT! Then well, a menage with two hot male Doms would have me once again in happy happy land. I'm hoping the next book will have Eric, Brad and Kali topping Amy. I'd be wanting to kick Amy to the curb and taking her place. Sigh.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy the kinkier side of life. This was a short hot one.
In this story, Amy is a 21 year old looking for a job. She's going to school to finish her Business degree and is stuck living at home with parents that are pretty boring, if you ask me. Her boyfriend Paul is an asshole. If he was that terrible in bed, she should have dumped him a long time ago. Boring sex for the rest of your life is unacceptable.
Working for Eric and Brad was a god send for her. This is where the story becomes interesting. I have to say, I was hot for Brad. Eric was great, but really, Brad and his drill Sergent ways made me melt. He's a bit young for me at 42 but still a decent age. Yummy. Kali's pretty hot too. I'd sub for her. This book store they run with private rooms is awesome. I wanna work there! Amy is seduced into the BDSM lifestyle. I'd say this is a decent gateway book. The BDSM wasn't intense. The cage with the dildo on a stick was HOT! Then well, a menage with two hot male Doms would have me once again in happy happy land. I'm hoping the next book will have Eric, Brad and Kali topping Amy. I'd be wanting to kick Amy to the curb and taking her place. Sigh.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy the kinkier side of life. This was a short hot one.
June 13, 2016
Perhaps as an author myself as well I saw what the author of "Training Amy" was trying to allow her readers to understand. However, also as a former Master Dominatrix I could see that this book was solely based on imagination and perhaps a little bit of internet research.
The characters were a bit on the stereotypical side, with almost all four main characters being hollow, empty dominating entities that were there for one purpose only, to punish.
Although the main character gave me a bit more of "a feel" as to who she was and what she felt at the moments of her 'punishment' I still only was able to connect with the author's characters on a very general level, the steamy scenes not capturing that little area in the dopamine section of the brain that makes you feel those tingles below the waist.
The painful subject was made to do things a real domme would know better than to do especially the scenes where 'butt play' came into the main screen. Again, this is probably due to me knowing 8 years worth of session does and donts.
A bit more depth and detail could have brought one of the Domme's in this book to life, but the other was not going to happen at least for me. As for the naive Amy, she could have been a bit more passionate about her encounter, perhaps showing the reader that the weaker side of her was also somewhat that of a real person, not just your stereotypical submissive.
Overall, good read.
-Dez Marie
The characters were a bit on the stereotypical side, with almost all four main characters being hollow, empty dominating entities that were there for one purpose only, to punish.
Although the main character gave me a bit more of "a feel" as to who she was and what she felt at the moments of her 'punishment' I still only was able to connect with the author's characters on a very general level, the steamy scenes not capturing that little area in the dopamine section of the brain that makes you feel those tingles below the waist.
The painful subject was made to do things a real domme would know better than to do especially the scenes where 'butt play' came into the main screen. Again, this is probably due to me knowing 8 years worth of session does and donts.
A bit more depth and detail could have brought one of the Domme's in this book to life, but the other was not going to happen at least for me. As for the naive Amy, she could have been a bit more passionate about her encounter, perhaps showing the reader that the weaker side of her was also somewhat that of a real person, not just your stereotypical submissive.
Overall, good read.
-Dez Marie
August 26, 2011
Most definitely a moderate level of BDSM but takes far more into consideration re: the relationships of the characters. Amy was a college student needing work and finds it in a book store she loves. What she doesn't know is that the two owners are Doms and ultimately she runs amok of their rules. She then learns about their way of disciplining her and gives her a very mild and non-painful introduction to BDSM. But there is also an ex-boyfriend who is a pure schmuck, an ex-girlfriend of one of the store owners who is deeply troubled and who was jettisoned nearly a year previously, but who seems to be bent on blaming Amy for the demise of her affair with Eric. Amy makes some important discoveries about herself--she had previously used pain to overcome emotional numbness--and realizes that no matter what anyone thinks, including her parents, she is free to choose how she deals with her life, her love relationships, and her most demanding inner needs. This is a very emotional book but it also has characters that are kind, generous, helpful and loving. All the BDSM aspects of the story are safe, sane, and consensual. It is really a very good read.
August 2, 2014
I love this book! I don't know how many times I've read it but I can't get enough. I really want my own play room and I blame this book for making me want that! Amy is a cute slightly bratty sub that doesn't know she is a sub or really anything about bdsm until she starts working at a bookstore. She then starts picking up on different things to do with her bosses and certain aspects of their business. One night she gets caught snooping and has to deal with the punishment. *fans self* Eric is a dom that has been hurt in the past but tries to take a chance on something with Amy. The rest you will have to read for yourself. This book has a quick paced story line and really you don't want to put it down. If you are easily offended or don't like reading about spankings with objects other than a hand, cages, butt plugs or the like then you may not want to read this book. I will say this though, it is a super hot book, and you end wanting those things just as much as Amy!
June 29, 2012
This book is HOT HOT HOT! Ouch! For those who like it hot with a good story behind it, check this out! Can't wait for Switched (Book 2) to come out!
January 1, 2015
Jeeeez what a silly old book, could of been written by an overly horny teenager!!!
October 15, 2017
I read this at the request of a friend who is writing their own story that is in the genre of S&M erotica.
When my friend asked me to read their manuscript and I said I have no point of comparison they gave me this book which apparently is on Amazon's list of bestsellers for S&M erotica.
Why I ask?
I guess if you like that genre I can see why because the book read easily so maybe if you're into this style it may be a favorite but I was not sold.
Perhaps it is just me but the story was about people with stalkers and co-dependency problems and they all seemed to live with this as if it were totally ok. These people mind you were also totally ok with being abusive with each other and demeaning each other sexually.
Which I think is what the genre is about.
Which is not OK with me, which is probably why I just didn't get it. Maybe if that's your thing you will like these sort of books.
I doubt I'll be reading any more of them.
Sorry but I could not give it more than a star, it just didn't even make sense to me.
Oh and the sex scenes were not stimulating, perhaps it's because I was concerned for these peoples safety and there was no foreplay? if there was I did not see it.
Being humiliated and chained up does not equate to foreplay for me. Sorry.
When my friend asked me to read their manuscript and I said I have no point of comparison they gave me this book which apparently is on Amazon's list of bestsellers for S&M erotica.
Why I ask?
I guess if you like that genre I can see why because the book read easily so maybe if you're into this style it may be a favorite but I was not sold.
Perhaps it is just me but the story was about people with stalkers and co-dependency problems and they all seemed to live with this as if it were totally ok. These people mind you were also totally ok with being abusive with each other and demeaning each other sexually.
Which I think is what the genre is about.
Which is not OK with me, which is probably why I just didn't get it. Maybe if that's your thing you will like these sort of books.
I doubt I'll be reading any more of them.
Sorry but I could not give it more than a star, it just didn't even make sense to me.
Oh and the sex scenes were not stimulating, perhaps it's because I was concerned for these peoples safety and there was no foreplay? if there was I did not see it.
Being humiliated and chained up does not equate to foreplay for me. Sorry.
December 27, 2017
I've recently moved into a D/s lifestyle and am soaking up literature. Eh. She's immature, and he pushes way too fast for a dom. There's no endless talking or figuring it out beforehand. Just pick her up and toss her into a cage and call it a day. Eh.
April 20, 2025
A deliciously kinky read. Nice a short so you get to the good bit quickly but it never feels rushed. The depiction of kink is also a lot more accurate and respectful of the community than any other I have ready from main stream publishing. Well worth a read
October 17, 2017
This book is a good example of the BDSM lifestyle. It's tastefully done and pays a lot of homage to it's roots. It's not super extreme, but has enough heat to keep you thoroughly engrossed.
October 10, 2016
So.... The BDSM community better not hear about this book :D They are gonna be really angry. Nothing was realistic. She took the first punishment all the while thinking "I need to do this, I can't lose my job" That's a perfect start to a BDSM relationship. Subs apparently all have mental problems. And more importantly, those mental problems can be solved with BDSM. Eric, man, what have you been doing, living in BDSM lifestyle with a schizophrenic woman? And why both their exes have serious issues? That Paul guy especially, he wasn't portrayed as a stalker type at first. Eric was already cheated on by his ex, why was she so weak to cheat on him even by coercion, and it wasn't even a real coercion, I am sure if she said no with meaning that domme wouldn't go through with it. And apparently Eric was ok with it because the woman is a domme and so she has some power over the sub girl naturally. His ex was also a sub so what was the problem with that? Whatever... Nothing made sense in this book anyway. It at least was short and ended quickly.
November 16, 2015
DNF @38%
I couldn't take it anymore. I had to stop after Amy, a newly hired book store employee, goes and looks into the forbidden room. She isn't in any kind of consensual relationship with any of her bosses at this point. Her boss finds out and orders her to strip naked and get into a cage as punishment. Fearful, she complies, and two hours on display turns her on.
There is so much wrong with this from both ends. You don't order your employee to strip naked and get into a cage for disobeying your store rule.
And Amy's reaction, even if she didn't have the courage to disobey, she decided to stay after that. Seriously?
I have nothing against BDSM, but I think this book grossly misrepresents it.
There were warning signs before this. The author went to a lot of effort to advertise 3 erotica novels for a couple pages. One of them I knew (Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice--I was so disgusted with this book I had to drop it), the other I had to look up (The Story of O--the excerpt was horrendous and I am glad I never picked it up). I was not impressed. The character was turned on by these books and wanted more? Forgive me if any of you disagree with me, but in my opinion those books are trash and are an insult to the BDSM genre.
As for the quality of writing for this book, it was kind of low-grade. The author has a poor sense of pacing (the fact that I had no qualms about stopping the story to look up those books should tell you how unengaged I was), bland prose, horrible description (we're missing out on the five senses), and, God, the punctuation! How could the author publish this without reading a grammar book first? Punctuation isn't difficult, but you need to put in some effort and have some motivation. I would think someone, who wants to publish their work professionaly, would want their content presented in the best light for the reader. Also, when you know the rules of grammar, you can break them on purpose for a much richer prose.
I won't read this author in the future for the quality of writing and for misrepresenting the material.
I couldn't take it anymore. I had to stop after Amy, a newly hired book store employee, goes and looks into the forbidden room. She isn't in any kind of consensual relationship with any of her bosses at this point. Her boss finds out and orders her to strip naked and get into a cage as punishment. Fearful, she complies, and two hours on display turns her on.
There is so much wrong with this from both ends. You don't order your employee to strip naked and get into a cage for disobeying your store rule.
And Amy's reaction, even if she didn't have the courage to disobey, she decided to stay after that. Seriously?
I have nothing against BDSM, but I think this book grossly misrepresents it.
There were warning signs before this. The author went to a lot of effort to advertise 3 erotica novels for a couple pages. One of them I knew (Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice--I was so disgusted with this book I had to drop it), the other I had to look up (The Story of O--the excerpt was horrendous and I am glad I never picked it up). I was not impressed. The character was turned on by these books and wanted more? Forgive me if any of you disagree with me, but in my opinion those books are trash and are an insult to the BDSM genre.
As for the quality of writing for this book, it was kind of low-grade. The author has a poor sense of pacing (the fact that I had no qualms about stopping the story to look up those books should tell you how unengaged I was), bland prose, horrible description (we're missing out on the five senses), and, God, the punctuation! How could the author publish this without reading a grammar book first? Punctuation isn't difficult, but you need to put in some effort and have some motivation. I would think someone, who wants to publish their work professionaly, would want their content presented in the best light for the reader. Also, when you know the rules of grammar, you can break them on purpose for a much richer prose.
I won't read this author in the future for the quality of writing and for misrepresenting the material.
July 29, 2011
47680 – Purchased at Smashwords.com
Okay, I really liked this one! In fact I was left wanting more!! I understand the author is going pick up the story with some of the other chars in the book, but I was left wanting more of Amy and Eric. The ending seemed a bit cut off because I never got a feel for how Eric about his ex at the end... So the only negative was I was left feeling incomplete. Well and that it was all from one point of view but I like to better understand each character… not that it’s a bad thing to only see it from one side.
For as young as Amy was she took well to a new scene and it really came across with her absolute trust in Eric. The age gap was a bit of a struggle for me and I thought it might be an issue but never became one between the chars.
I’m not sure how I feel about Kali in regards to Eric, and kept waiting for the shoe to drop. The scene that Kali created in Eric’s dungeon cut a little close to my hot button of betrayal… not a big fan of physical or emotional betrayal and it just walked too fine a line for me and made me dislike Kali a little for it. I loved her up to that point…
One scene I really enjoyed was where Brad and Keli were giving their support to not only Amy, but especially Eric so that Eric could take care of Kali when he brought her home after a traumatic event. I liked that the author didn’t give us the “robot stick figure” characters for doms. She showed them as human and I could feel the compassion that Eric was struggling with to give Amy what she needed even when he found it difficult. Made me like and respect the character of Eric even more. Dom’s are humans and have feelings and it was refreshing to read.
Okay, I really liked this one! In fact I was left wanting more!! I understand the author is going pick up the story with some of the other chars in the book, but I was left wanting more of Amy and Eric. The ending seemed a bit cut off because I never got a feel for how Eric about his ex at the end... So the only negative was I was left feeling incomplete. Well and that it was all from one point of view but I like to better understand each character… not that it’s a bad thing to only see it from one side.
For as young as Amy was she took well to a new scene and it really came across with her absolute trust in Eric. The age gap was a bit of a struggle for me and I thought it might be an issue but never became one between the chars.
I’m not sure how I feel about Kali in regards to Eric, and kept waiting for the shoe to drop. The scene that Kali created in Eric’s dungeon cut a little close to my hot button of betrayal… not a big fan of physical or emotional betrayal and it just walked too fine a line for me and made me dislike Kali a little for it. I loved her up to that point…
One scene I really enjoyed was where Brad and Keli were giving their support to not only Amy, but especially Eric so that Eric could take care of Kali when he brought her home after a traumatic event. I liked that the author didn’t give us the “robot stick figure” characters for doms. She showed them as human and I could feel the compassion that Eric was struggling with to give Amy what she needed even when he found it difficult. Made me like and respect the character of Eric even more. Dom’s are humans and have feelings and it was refreshing to read.
July 16, 2011
This one is really a 3 1/2 *. It's the first book by Anne O'Connell that I've read and while I enjoyed her writing style and the characters were pretty well developed, the story was basicly one I've read many times before,kind of a cookie cutter theme.
Amy (h), 21, in college and still living at home with her parents, is in need of a job. She goes to an interview at a bookstore called By The Book. During the interview the owners, Eric (H) and Brad, ask all kinds of questions and by the end, she feels she bombed the whole thing.
Eric and Brad feel like she'll be a good fit, to the bookstore at least. The more time Eric spends with her the more he likes her and feels that she's a sub, only she doesn't know it yet. Eric and Brad are both Doms and not only do they own the bookstore but also deal in "speciality furniture" and are part owners of a BDSM club.
As Eric and Amy get to know eachother and start to date, he introduces her to the BDSM lifestyle. It's just what Amy needs, though a recovered "cutter" she still needs pain to help her let her emotional pain out when things get to heavy for her (IMO, to me that means she not really recovered but oh well,this is fantisy after all).
Through in a few secondary characters....Kali, a Domme ( so you can have the f/f scenes)Brad the older Dom (so you can have the double pen scenes) and some crazy ex's on both sides to liven things up and you have a pretty good erotic story. I'll look for more from this author. =)
Amy (h), 21, in college and still living at home with her parents, is in need of a job. She goes to an interview at a bookstore called By The Book. During the interview the owners, Eric (H) and Brad, ask all kinds of questions and by the end, she feels she bombed the whole thing.
Eric and Brad feel like she'll be a good fit, to the bookstore at least. The more time Eric spends with her the more he likes her and feels that she's a sub, only she doesn't know it yet. Eric and Brad are both Doms and not only do they own the bookstore but also deal in "speciality furniture" and are part owners of a BDSM club.
As Eric and Amy get to know eachother and start to date, he introduces her to the BDSM lifestyle. It's just what Amy needs, though a recovered "cutter" she still needs pain to help her let her emotional pain out when things get to heavy for her (IMO, to me that means she not really recovered but oh well,this is fantisy after all).
Through in a few secondary characters....Kali, a Domme ( so you can have the f/f scenes)Brad the older Dom (so you can have the double pen scenes) and some crazy ex's on both sides to liven things up and you have a pretty good erotic story. I'll look for more from this author. =)
December 26, 2014
Maybe the only good thing about this book was it's plot. Everything else including the writing and the details weren't even tolerable.
One of the problems was that the book was too short for such a plot . You can't even portray a good beginning with that number of pages and the author wanted to push all the details of a very complex bdsm threesome and possibly foursome ! relationship with a traumatized sub and physco exes and family drama . A good , safe and sane BDSM relationship needs a lot of talking getting prepared and developing trust between the couple . Eric and Amy literally jumped in to a relationship and then they added Brad all of a sudden . The character of Brad in the book is way too vague and we know next of nothing about him. And the same story goes for Kalli .
It seems that in this book the characters do something and then think about if they want and like it or not. This is not acceptable in any type of relationship.
When there is a sub with issues likes Amy's there has to be even more talking , getting to know each other and being careful.
All in All this book had a good general plot but this plot needs branching and a lot of polishing. It was like the author was in a hurry to finish the book all through the story.
Ms Connell I need to tell you that one good book is better than ten bad ones.
One of the problems was that the book was too short for such a plot . You can't even portray a good beginning with that number of pages and the author wanted to push all the details of a very complex bdsm threesome and possibly foursome ! relationship with a traumatized sub and physco exes and family drama . A good , safe and sane BDSM relationship needs a lot of talking getting prepared and developing trust between the couple . Eric and Amy literally jumped in to a relationship and then they added Brad all of a sudden . The character of Brad in the book is way too vague and we know next of nothing about him. And the same story goes for Kalli .
It seems that in this book the characters do something and then think about if they want and like it or not. This is not acceptable in any type of relationship.
When there is a sub with issues likes Amy's there has to be even more talking , getting to know each other and being careful.
All in All this book had a good general plot but this plot needs branching and a lot of polishing. It was like the author was in a hurry to finish the book all through the story.
Ms Connell I need to tell you that one good book is better than ten bad ones.
September 6, 2011
This one was pretty good, but not really good. I can't say what would have made it really good.
I thought it was kinda helpful/coincidental that both Brad and Kali recognize that Amy is retreating and recommend the pain as a way to bring her out of it. Not that she hadn't already experienced the pain... this freak-out was brought on by an admittedly stressful situation. What would have happened if they weren't there?
The second freak-out session that led to the menage, I didn't get it. I mean there had been no discussion about menage, and all of a sudden after she comes out of her freak-out, she's asking for them both at the same time... and she hadn't really given an outward indication she was interested in Brad, too.
I'm glad they found each other... they seemed well matched, and Eric really seemed to care for Amy. He doesn't push her into his lifestyle... it's always a choice. I'm not sure they could have had a relationship that didn't include his lifestyle, but then I think Eric had already picked up on enough about Amy to know she might be interested.
Ultimately, it was more a HFN... there was maybe an implicit commitment to each other, but we still weren't really sure if it was going anywhere long-term by the end.
I thought it was kinda helpful/coincidental that both Brad and Kali recognize that Amy is retreating and recommend the pain as a way to bring her out of it. Not that she hadn't already experienced the pain... this freak-out was brought on by an admittedly stressful situation. What would have happened if they weren't there?
The second freak-out session that led to the menage, I didn't get it. I mean there had been no discussion about menage, and all of a sudden after she comes out of her freak-out, she's asking for them both at the same time... and she hadn't really given an outward indication she was interested in Brad, too.
I'm glad they found each other... they seemed well matched, and Eric really seemed to care for Amy. He doesn't push her into his lifestyle... it's always a choice. I'm not sure they could have had a relationship that didn't include his lifestyle, but then I think Eric had already picked up on enough about Amy to know she might be interested.
Ultimately, it was more a HFN... there was maybe an implicit commitment to each other, but we still weren't really sure if it was going anywhere long-term by the end.
July 8, 2012
This was the first BDSM erotic novel that I ever read & I nearly avoided the whole genre after reading this book.
Amy was a really irritating character. The writing style & 'voice' given the character by the author didn't help either. Aside from that Amy was essentially abused by the Doms in the book. True BDSM is all about 'safe, sane & consensual' power exchange but that didn't happen in this book. After reading a multitude of other BDSM erotica & non-fiction since, I would have to guess that the author has no real knowledge of the lifestyle at all. The sex scenes & BDSM scenes brought tears to my eyes rather than titillation as Amy was taken advantage of by supposedly 'experienced' Doms.
Another part of the plot that concerned me was the fact that Amy was unable to use her safeword due to her psychological issues. Any experienced Dom would refuse to play with an unsafe partner & what was portrayed in this novel was unsafe sexual practice in my opinion.
Originally posted on Amazon.com
Amy was a really irritating character. The writing style & 'voice' given the character by the author didn't help either. Aside from that Amy was essentially abused by the Doms in the book. True BDSM is all about 'safe, sane & consensual' power exchange but that didn't happen in this book. After reading a multitude of other BDSM erotica & non-fiction since, I would have to guess that the author has no real knowledge of the lifestyle at all. The sex scenes & BDSM scenes brought tears to my eyes rather than titillation as Amy was taken advantage of by supposedly 'experienced' Doms.
Another part of the plot that concerned me was the fact that Amy was unable to use her safeword due to her psychological issues. Any experienced Dom would refuse to play with an unsafe partner & what was portrayed in this novel was unsafe sexual practice in my opinion.
Originally posted on Amazon.com
October 28, 2014
Loved this book! It's funny because I usually don't read a lot of short books and especially singles. I love series. But for some reason after reading Comfort Food I'm all of a sudden into BDSD. Surprisingly I read the first two books of 50 Shades first but it was Comfort Food that got me hooked. And I have no idea why.
There was just so much going on as far as relationships in this book. I liked the fact that Eric and Brad weren't too much. They didn't take advantage of Amy. They all actually really became friends which I loved. And even though the relationship between Eric and Amy went a little fast, it wasn't too fast. He wasn't overly possessive from the beginning. I felt like they had more of a normal relationship even though it was dom/sub. I liked their relationship and how it developed. I don't want to give anything away. It was just an awesome book. =)
There was just so much going on as far as relationships in this book. I liked the fact that Eric and Brad weren't too much. They didn't take advantage of Amy. They all actually really became friends which I loved. And even though the relationship between Eric and Amy went a little fast, it wasn't too fast. He wasn't overly possessive from the beginning. I felt like they had more of a normal relationship even though it was dom/sub. I liked their relationship and how it developed. I don't want to give anything away. It was just an awesome book. =)
August 10, 2011
Hmm - a hot little book, about Amy, still finishing school, and her finding a job in a bookshop owned by Eric and Brad; and there is a locked room which piques Amy's interest.
I enjoyed the by-play between these three, and the dominance subtly shown by both men. Amy's eventual submission is well-drawn out - and an extremely good reason for her accepting the pain Eric gives her. Although there is one menage, only Eric becomes her Master.
There are a couple of horrid ex's who play the villains, but all told, it was quite an enjoyable story.
Only one thing puzzled me - I presumed Amy was a twenty-something, but Eric was 38 and Brad 42 - so why the big age gap? Or do we just assume that more mature men are better Doms??
I enjoyed the by-play between these three, and the dominance subtly shown by both men. Amy's eventual submission is well-drawn out - and an extremely good reason for her accepting the pain Eric gives her. Although there is one menage, only Eric becomes her Master.
There are a couple of horrid ex's who play the villains, but all told, it was quite an enjoyable story.
Only one thing puzzled me - I presumed Amy was a twenty-something, but Eric was 38 and Brad 42 - so why the big age gap? Or do we just assume that more mature men are better Doms??
March 11, 2011
Hot, steamy romance! This was a bit longer than I had thought but I really enjoyed the story. I thought it well written and I will be looking into more books from this author.
I liked how the author actually kept me guessing! When I thought I had something figured out she'd totally go the other way. I really like it when the novel isn't as predictable as I thought it would be. Although I liked the book, I thought the ending was pretty abrupt, hence only 4 stars. I would have liked to see things resolved between Amy and her parents more than what we saw. I will be waiting on the next book, I really liked Kali!
I liked how the author actually kept me guessing! When I thought I had something figured out she'd totally go the other way. I really like it when the novel isn't as predictable as I thought it would be. Although I liked the book, I thought the ending was pretty abrupt, hence only 4 stars. I would have liked to see things resolved between Amy and her parents more than what we saw. I will be waiting on the next book, I really liked Kali!
May 15, 2011
Loved it! Abrupt ending though, I was reading it, and turned the page on my kindle and was like "What its over?" I would have wanted to see what happened to Amy and her parents, whether they continued fighting or agreed to disagree, and I differently have wanted to see more development between Amy and Eric. All in all a good story with lovable characters (besides Paul and Emily they were both a**holes maybe they should hook up, but then their would be little a**holes so never mind!)
I am now a lover of Anne O'Connell's work and can't wait to read more!
I am now a lover of Anne O'Connell's work and can't wait to read more!
June 28, 2011
Just delightful. Great dialogue. Humor. Good character development. Enough plot to be engaging (such that I'm eager to read follow-up book). I think what I liked best is the friendship that the four characters have -- 2 Doms, 1 Domme, and a brand-new on the scene sub. I've not read Anne O'Connell before but will be looking for more of her titles. What a surprise!
November 9, 2015
This was a 2.5 star for me but I always round up. Amy goes to work for Eric & Brad at their book store. She, of course, ends up going into the locked store room they told her was off limits. They also have a business selling BDSM furniture, toys, etc. This could have been a really good story but it was written as if the author was a teenager. I never felt connected to the characters.
August 10, 2012
I enjoyed this read was a little predictable (that's not always a bad thing) but was also shocked at some parts (the scene with Kali OMG). I was attracted to the main character's brad was a fav of mine :) the book was a quick easy read that I didn't put dwn, finished in 1 go.
December 4, 2015
I do not understand what the bad reviews are about especially if you do a bit of research about the author first. It was hot and sexy in all the right places with just the right amount of suspence. I will be reading more for this author!!
December 10, 2012
This book could have been so much better. The premise was good and the characters were interesting. The dialogue and the writing was painful at times. The few scenes in the book where the lead characters explore the BDSM scene were interesting. Overall I would say this book was just "ok".
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