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The Understudy
Is there a future in playing stand-in to a slave?
Sarah Gladstone was thrilled to be offered her first real acting job at the Berks Summer Playhouse. She never expected to be working with theatre legend Geoffrey Hart. The charismatic actor quickly brings her under his spell, not to mention his control, as he initiates her into the dark delights of BDSM. He offers her far more than physical pleasure; they share a level of intimacy and trust beyond anything Sarah could have imagined.
According to the rumours, though, Geoff's heart is taken. Renowned actress Anne Merrill, his long time partner and submissive lover, has severed their relationship and Hart has escaped to the Berkshires to lick his emotional wounds. With her youth, inexperience, and girl-next-door persona, Sarah knows that she can't compete with the glamorous theatre veteran. She fears that she's just a substitute for the real object of Geoff's affections. As he draws her deeper into his intoxicating games of dominance and submission, Sarah wonders if she's willing to settle for the role of understudy in this perverse passion play.
Sarah Gladstone was thrilled to be offered her first real acting job at the Berks Summer Playhouse. She never expected to be working with theatre legend Geoffrey Hart. The charismatic actor quickly brings her under his spell, not to mention his control, as he initiates her into the dark delights of BDSM. He offers her far more than physical pleasure; they share a level of intimacy and trust beyond anything Sarah could have imagined.
According to the rumours, though, Geoff's heart is taken. Renowned actress Anne Merrill, his long time partner and submissive lover, has severed their relationship and Hart has escaped to the Berkshires to lick his emotional wounds. With her youth, inexperience, and girl-next-door persona, Sarah knows that she can't compete with the glamorous theatre veteran. She fears that she's just a substitute for the real object of Geoff's affections. As he draws her deeper into his intoxicating games of dominance and submission, Sarah wonders if she's willing to settle for the role of understudy in this perverse passion play.
- GenresErotica
59 pages, ebook
First published April 18, 2011
14 people want to read
About the author
Lisabet Sarai
181 books218 followersTwo decades ago LISABET SARAI experienced a serendipitous fusion of her love of writing and her fascination with sex. Since then she has published nearly one hundred erotic titles, including the classic RAW SILK. She edited the acclaimed anthologies SACRED EXCHANGE and CREAM and is currently responsible for the altruistic erotica series COMING TOGETHER PRESENTS.
Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre. She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com). Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh
Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre. She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com). Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 2, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.
Reviewed for For Whom The Books Toll
4, Scorching
Is there a future in playing stand-in to a slave?
Sarah Gladstone was thrilled to be offered her first real acting job at the Berks Summer Playhouse. She never expected to be working with theatre legend Geoffrey Hart. The charismatic actor quickly brings her under his spell, not to mention his control, as he initiates her into the dark delights of BDSM. He offers her far more than physical pleasure; they share a level of intimacy and trust beyond anything Sarah could have imagined.
According to the rumours, though, Geoff's heart is taken. Renowned actress Anne Merrill, his long time partner and submissive lover, has severed their relationship and Hart has escaped to the Berkshires to lick his emotional wounds. With her youth, inexperience, and girl-next-door persona, Sarah knows that she can't compete with the glamorous theatre veteran. She fears that she's just a substitute for the real object of Geoff's affections. As he draws her deeper into his intoxicating games of dominance and submission, Sarah wonders if she's willing to settle for the role of understudy in this perverse passion play.
My Review:
Sarah Gladstone is very happy to have been offered a summer job as understudy at Berks Summer Playhouse. What she didn't expect was to be working with theater legend Geoffrey Hart. The actor immediately notices Sarah and quickly has her doing things she never imagined. She's fascinated with Geoffrey's ability to master her and she does everything he asks. But she doesn't know why.
Sarah's friend Adele, tells her there are rumors about Mr. Hart and a well known actress, Anne Merrill have been in a relationship together, that's she's his slave.
When Sarah learns Anne has ended her relationship with Geoffrey, she feels his heart is still with Anne. Sarah fears she is only a stand in while he's at their small town theater, in his heart. Can an inexperienced, young woman make herself more than just a substitute?
First, I'd like to mention that The Understudy appeared in an anthology called Master Me.
I really liked The Understudy by Lisabet Sarai. Once again she created an engaging world for her characters to live. Geoffrey and Sarah have a lot of sexual tension between them that is so thick you can cut it like butter. Geoffrey is self assured, handsome, kind, talented and hurting. I think he is truly fond of Sarah. Sarah is full of energy, confident, and a little mystified that she follows Geoffrey's orders. I like how Ms. Sarai gave Sarah the inquisitiveness to want to know more about BDSM and do a few things she might be uncomfortable with. Great character depth is created in a short amount of time in The Understudy. The storyline has lots of emotion, some action, a few surprises, and a few secondary characters that help the progress of the plot. I would love to read more about Geoffrey and Sarah in another book. This is a great length for a book when you want something steamy to read but don't have a lot of time.
Reviewed for For Whom The Books Toll
4, Scorching
Is there a future in playing stand-in to a slave?
Sarah Gladstone was thrilled to be offered her first real acting job at the Berks Summer Playhouse. She never expected to be working with theatre legend Geoffrey Hart. The charismatic actor quickly brings her under his spell, not to mention his control, as he initiates her into the dark delights of BDSM. He offers her far more than physical pleasure; they share a level of intimacy and trust beyond anything Sarah could have imagined.
According to the rumours, though, Geoff's heart is taken. Renowned actress Anne Merrill, his long time partner and submissive lover, has severed their relationship and Hart has escaped to the Berkshires to lick his emotional wounds. With her youth, inexperience, and girl-next-door persona, Sarah knows that she can't compete with the glamorous theatre veteran. She fears that she's just a substitute for the real object of Geoff's affections. As he draws her deeper into his intoxicating games of dominance and submission, Sarah wonders if she's willing to settle for the role of understudy in this perverse passion play.
My Review:
Sarah Gladstone is very happy to have been offered a summer job as understudy at Berks Summer Playhouse. What she didn't expect was to be working with theater legend Geoffrey Hart. The actor immediately notices Sarah and quickly has her doing things she never imagined. She's fascinated with Geoffrey's ability to master her and she does everything he asks. But she doesn't know why.
Sarah's friend Adele, tells her there are rumors about Mr. Hart and a well known actress, Anne Merrill have been in a relationship together, that's she's his slave.
When Sarah learns Anne has ended her relationship with Geoffrey, she feels his heart is still with Anne. Sarah fears she is only a stand in while he's at their small town theater, in his heart. Can an inexperienced, young woman make herself more than just a substitute?
First, I'd like to mention that The Understudy appeared in an anthology called Master Me.
I really liked The Understudy by Lisabet Sarai. Once again she created an engaging world for her characters to live. Geoffrey and Sarah have a lot of sexual tension between them that is so thick you can cut it like butter. Geoffrey is self assured, handsome, kind, talented and hurting. I think he is truly fond of Sarah. Sarah is full of energy, confident, and a little mystified that she follows Geoffrey's orders. I like how Ms. Sarai gave Sarah the inquisitiveness to want to know more about BDSM and do a few things she might be uncomfortable with. Great character depth is created in a short amount of time in The Understudy. The storyline has lots of emotion, some action, a few surprises, and a few secondary characters that help the progress of the plot. I would love to read more about Geoffrey and Sarah in another book. This is a great length for a book when you want something steamy to read but don't have a lot of time.
June 8, 2011
The Understudy is a novel about a young girl’s entry into the world of BDSM. Ms Sarai gave the book a keen air of realism and her hero was so magnetic that within pages I was drawn in. Probably, if you are anything like me, you too will be wishing you’re the heroine being handled and mastered so expertly and exquisitely.
Sarah isn’t the star of the show literally speaking, she is the understudy; however, she is the star of this book, and, it seems, the star of hunky A-lister Geoffrey Hart’s fantasies about domination. The plot moves quickly, probably a bit too quickly to be hugely realistic, but who cares, Hart is such a great alpha male that you can see why Sarah falls over herself, and his lap, to please him.
The sex scenes are hot and bountiful, the characters well matched, and steam rises from the pages!
I enjoyed the secondary characters too, they made the stage and the back screen scenes come to life. I adored the confusion Sarah feels about this new way to have a relationship which appeals to her so much, and the outcome, also, is very satisfying.
“He turned those dark eyes on me and I felt suddenly faint. They were the eyes of a predator sizing up his prey.”
“My biceps ached from gripping the bed and my inner thighs felt as though I had spent half a day on the StairMaster” – Yay!! Fab night then :-)
“I want you to look through my toys and chose the two that you’d most like to try.” Oh, yes please!
A great story, beautifully written and full of well-crafted descriptions. The BDSM has a nice air of unpredictability and combined with the realisation on the heroine’s part meant it was a book I didn’t want to end. I highly recommend it if you like a modern tale of D and s.
Sarah isn’t the star of the show literally speaking, she is the understudy; however, she is the star of this book, and, it seems, the star of hunky A-lister Geoffrey Hart’s fantasies about domination. The plot moves quickly, probably a bit too quickly to be hugely realistic, but who cares, Hart is such a great alpha male that you can see why Sarah falls over herself, and his lap, to please him.
The sex scenes are hot and bountiful, the characters well matched, and steam rises from the pages!
I enjoyed the secondary characters too, they made the stage and the back screen scenes come to life. I adored the confusion Sarah feels about this new way to have a relationship which appeals to her so much, and the outcome, also, is very satisfying.
“He turned those dark eyes on me and I felt suddenly faint. They were the eyes of a predator sizing up his prey.”
“My biceps ached from gripping the bed and my inner thighs felt as though I had spent half a day on the StairMaster” – Yay!! Fab night then :-)
“I want you to look through my toys and chose the two that you’d most like to try.” Oh, yes please!
A great story, beautifully written and full of well-crafted descriptions. The BDSM has a nice air of unpredictability and combined with the realisation on the heroine’s part meant it was a book I didn’t want to end. I highly recommend it if you like a modern tale of D and s.
December 19, 2011
3.5 Stars
Originally reviewed at The Forbidden Bookshelf
This was a short but satisfying read about a legendary theater actor and the understudy he meets at a summer playhouse in Massachusetts. Geoffrey Hart has decided to take a leave of absence from his thriving theatre company in New York to lick his wounds after a nasty breakup. It’s rumored that he had a dominant/submissive relationship with a famous actress that ended badly.
Upon arriving he spots Sarah Gladstone and immediately assesses her as being a natural submissive. Sarah is a recent graduate with a Master’s degree in theater and ambitions to become a star on Broadway. She is as attracted to Geoffrey as he is to her and he wastes no time in establishing their D/s relationship. During her journey into submission, Sarah falls in love with her sexy Armenian/Italian lover. But she is gripped with fear that he is still in love with his last submissive. What’s to become of their relationship once the summer season is over?
The descriptive love scenes contained light to medium BDSM elements. As Sarah was new to the lifestyle, Geoff introduces her to it slowly. The reader is only given brief recounts of heavier BDSM scenes. This was a really enjoyable novella with likable characters and an unconventional romance. The Understudy gets 3.5 Stars.
Heat level 3/5 flames
Originally reviewed at The Forbidden Bookshelf
This was a short but satisfying read about a legendary theater actor and the understudy he meets at a summer playhouse in Massachusetts. Geoffrey Hart has decided to take a leave of absence from his thriving theatre company in New York to lick his wounds after a nasty breakup. It’s rumored that he had a dominant/submissive relationship with a famous actress that ended badly.
Upon arriving he spots Sarah Gladstone and immediately assesses her as being a natural submissive. Sarah is a recent graduate with a Master’s degree in theater and ambitions to become a star on Broadway. She is as attracted to Geoffrey as he is to her and he wastes no time in establishing their D/s relationship. During her journey into submission, Sarah falls in love with her sexy Armenian/Italian lover. But she is gripped with fear that he is still in love with his last submissive. What’s to become of their relationship once the summer season is over?
The descriptive love scenes contained light to medium BDSM elements. As Sarah was new to the lifestyle, Geoff introduces her to it slowly. The reader is only given brief recounts of heavier BDSM scenes. This was a really enjoyable novella with likable characters and an unconventional romance. The Understudy gets 3.5 Stars.
Heat level 3/5 flames
September 27, 2015
The story was a sweet awakening of a young woman's desire to be submissive. I truly enjoyed the pace of book as well as the underlying plot. A well known actor summers at the Young Woman's theater and identifies her immediately as tending towards submission. (She's the Understudy.) While dominant, he respects her boundaries and doesn't push too hard. All too often these types of situations can quickly escalate out of realistic. Lisabet does a great job of keeping up the tension and developing the submissive.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews