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Sex Sells #4
Turning the Tables
If there’s one thing Lee can’t stand, it’s a submissive pretending to be a dominant. When the man in question is the most stunning submissive he’s ever set eyes on, it’s obvious that something has to be done.
Turning the tables on a man who’s spent years pretending to be someone he’s not isn’t easy. Teaching a man, who spends every day struggling to hold his own against the dominants that surround him, that submission isn’t a weakness, is even harder.
Can Jacob Neilson learn to submit? Would the other owners of SKIN Designs accept it if he did? And, most importantly of all, can Lee hold everything together when it all threatens to fall apart?
Can the man who’s given the other partners hell over playing where they work really risk the future of SKIN Designs over a temp?
Turning the tables on a man who’s spent years pretending to be someone he’s not isn’t easy. Teaching a man, who spends every day struggling to hold his own against the dominants that surround him, that submission isn’t a weakness, is even harder.
Can Jacob Neilson learn to submit? Would the other owners of SKIN Designs accept it if he did? And, most importantly of all, can Lee hold everything together when it all threatens to fall apart?
Can the man who’s given the other partners hell over playing where they work really risk the future of SKIN Designs over a temp?
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2012
1 person is currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Kim Dare
160 books1,513 followersKim is a thirty-three year old bisexual submissive from Wales (UK). First published in 2008, she has since released almost 100 BDSM erotic romance titles ranging from short stories to full length novels. Having worked with a host of fantastic e-publishers, she has just moved into self publishing.
While she has occasionally ventured towards other pairings, Kim's first love is still, and probably always will be, Male/Male stories. But, no matter what the pairing, from paranormal to contemporary, and from the sweet to the intense, everything she writes will always feature three things - Kink, Love and a Happy Ending.
While she has occasionally ventured towards other pairings, Kim's first love is still, and probably always will be, Male/Male stories. But, no matter what the pairing, from paranormal to contemporary, and from the sweet to the intense, everything she writes will always feature three things - Kink, Love and a Happy Ending.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 29, 2013
This was some big 'ol silly BDSM fun! Well, maybe not silly, but... Yeah silly. But it was hot with great sex and sexy men. Not too short, not too long. You don't necessarily have to read the other books in the series, but it does help a bit.
Recommend if you enjoy M/M BDSM D/s romance in novella format, light on the angst, moderate kink and aren't looking for anything too deep.
Recommend if you enjoy M/M BDSM D/s romance in novella format, light on the angst, moderate kink and aren't looking for anything too deep.
November 23, 2012
Similar to the premise of the third book, but with a fascinating twist, this book asks the question what happens when you are ashamed of what you need sexually and are suddenly confronted with the option of finding out what it would be like to give in and discover what it’s like to get what you want? Jacob, out as a gay man but closeted as a sub, has pretended to be a Dom for many years, just so he can fit in with the other Doms who run the company. When he runs into Lee, a man who is years younger than him, his temporary personal assistant, and definitely a Dom, the battle of wills begins. The resulting inner struggle and external expression of Jacob's way out of the closet is hard and about much more than Jacob's sexual needs.
Like anyone hiding in the closet, afraid to be who he is, Jacob is a conflicted character. Worse than trying to hide, he is actively pretending to be someone else. The constant need to think about how he reacts so nobody finds out he is "weak" grates on his nerves and increases his stress almost beyond endurance. His temper tantrums relieve some of the pressure, but they are not the solution. Jacob faces not just needing to be honest with himself, but admitting it to his friends. Since he believes his job depends on being a Dom, this is an extremely hard process.
Lee is a young Dom, but he sees through Jacob's act in a second. He is also very attracted to his temporary boss, and determined to help him be who he was meant to become. His patience is amazing, and his support unwavering. He gives Jacob what he needs first, thinking of himself comes second. Of course, he does hope that helping Jacob find himself will lead to a permanent relationship, but he can't be sure until it happens. He balances on knife's edge, so to speak, and does it beautifully. I think he needs the adrenaline just as much as Jacob!
These two men have to fight for their love, and it makes for a suspenseful, exciting story. As in the other books in this series, the psychological struggle is as intense as what happens in the scenes. If you like stories about men who struggle with who they are and those who help them become true to themselves, and if you enjoy hot BDSM scenes that are as much about submission and the emotions it causes as about the physical activities, you will probably like this novella as much as I did.
NOTE: This book was provided by Resplendence Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Like anyone hiding in the closet, afraid to be who he is, Jacob is a conflicted character. Worse than trying to hide, he is actively pretending to be someone else. The constant need to think about how he reacts so nobody finds out he is "weak" grates on his nerves and increases his stress almost beyond endurance. His temper tantrums relieve some of the pressure, but they are not the solution. Jacob faces not just needing to be honest with himself, but admitting it to his friends. Since he believes his job depends on being a Dom, this is an extremely hard process.
Lee is a young Dom, but he sees through Jacob's act in a second. He is also very attracted to his temporary boss, and determined to help him be who he was meant to become. His patience is amazing, and his support unwavering. He gives Jacob what he needs first, thinking of himself comes second. Of course, he does hope that helping Jacob find himself will lead to a permanent relationship, but he can't be sure until it happens. He balances on knife's edge, so to speak, and does it beautifully. I think he needs the adrenaline just as much as Jacob!
These two men have to fight for their love, and it makes for a suspenseful, exciting story. As in the other books in this series, the psychological struggle is as intense as what happens in the scenes. If you like stories about men who struggle with who they are and those who help them become true to themselves, and if you enjoy hot BDSM scenes that are as much about submission and the emotions it causes as about the physical activities, you will probably like this novella as much as I did.
NOTE: This book was provided by Resplendence Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 24, 2012
Check my stats. I read three times more books than I rate simply because I like to promote books I like, especially if I feel fellow readers might not come into contact with them or not read them because other people see them differently and rate them badly.
If I don't like a book, I usually don't rate or review it, recognising that it may be someone else's cup of tea and don't want to infuence them. Hence, I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel this book made some fundamental writing mistakes that I feel need to be stated. Of course, I may be in the minority here and that's fine.
Normally, I love Kim's books (see my last blog post!). But TTT not only didn't do it for me, the dynamics didn't ring true. The submissive Boss is a difficult character to pull off and make it feel real. There are only a few books that attenpt to capture it and rarely do they make me believe it can happen and be healthy. "Uneven" is one that gets close, but it deals with a very specific type. I acknowledge the fact that there is no one "true" scenario in a BDSM relationship, nevertheless the writer has to sell me on the one they're trying to portray.
For starters, I feel the story should have started earlier. Then we could have seen how the other Doms treat their subs in the office atmosphere to get a better idea of why Jacob was so desperate not to be seen as being anything but in control. We were told he was afraid of being outed often enough, but we never saw why. Even if Jacob had considered the different pairings and the type of men in them more than just the "Peter Ingram is all Dom" being the only evidence offered. In any case, the latter just came across (in this story) as an insensitive brute who sensed something was going on but never talked about it.
Secondly, all the talk about being a Dom or a sub got stale after a while. Do guys think in those terms? Or would it be more in terms of being in control or losing control. Losing respect, being admired for being strong. Admitting to having unmet needs. The continual labelling of the relationship as Dom/sub made it seem like "play" rather than real.
Next, we were told repeatedly that Lee loved Jacob, but we were never told why or shown it. The story flips to his POV at times, but the only feeling I got was all centred around the Dom/sub label and nothing for Jacob as a person. His taste in food, clothing, what he drove, how he drove it. If Lee really loved Jacob as a person, we would see how he related to all these aspects of Jacob's life not just his submissiveness. I didn't see any reason for the younger man to love him. We're told he wanted to grab him and kiss him senseless, but why? I never saw Jacob do anything that would provoke this reaction.
I might have believed the story more if there had been a scene where Jacob secretly dreamed of having a collar around his neck. If he really is a submissive, wouldn't he have envied what Floyd and Carl had?
When he yelled at someone, did he secretly wish someone yelled at him just like that? If so, why? Excusing this as being just because he's submissive is a cop out. What was Mary like? Did she mother him? Protect him from everyone else.
Like with all Kim's writing, there were scenes that moved me. Usually when they were interacting in private and sex was involved... Lol.
But to reiterate, the main problem was that Jacob's fear of being "found out" didn't ring true. I can appreciate the fact that it's difficult to depict a situation where the person viewing the scene doesn't understand the scenario, and therefore doesn't get what dominance and submission is about beyond the labels, but by not showing the scenes at all, the reader has nothing to back up the premise that underpins the book.
Possibly the book is a victim of a restricted word count.
One book I feel where this issue could be explored more thoroughly is if Kim ever decides to write Hamilton's story in her avian shifter series.
From what I can gather about the submissive boss dynamic, the person needs an outlet outside of work where he can let go. In many vanilla heterosexual relationships this is the norm. Many men, even in they don't realize it, are under the control of their wives inside the house even if that never shows in public. They are happy with this setup. It doesn't mean they have to rant and rave as bosses or that they are pussy-whipped at home. Some are very good bosses, but by the time they get home, they have had enough. That's the psychological form.
Kim's Jacob exhibited the different dynamic where the boss felt he needed to be punished. This can get into a whole different mindset where his past must be explored. Unresolved guilt questioned. Early abuse checked for. Kim, being British, has possibly seen this dynamic with Members of Parliament being caught with their pants down being whipped by a Domme in high heels and scanty leather.
Is it because they have a true pain kink or are deeper psychological issues involved? Is it that after caring for other people at work they need to feel someone cares for them and they are the centre of someone else's attention? Some of Joey Hill's books explore this theme in an m/f environment. Translating this to m/m, with the Dom being younger, (possibly - but not in this case) physically weaker, holding a lesser rung on the corporate ladder is the tricky thing.
Dom/sub relationships are very much about the tight links that bind people together. During scenes, the total focus is on the other person. In an age where there may be thousands of virtual or fleeting relationships, having one that is one hundred percent focussed can be the true need.
If I don't like a book, I usually don't rate or review it, recognising that it may be someone else's cup of tea and don't want to infuence them. Hence, I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel this book made some fundamental writing mistakes that I feel need to be stated. Of course, I may be in the minority here and that's fine.
Normally, I love Kim's books (see my last blog post!). But TTT not only didn't do it for me, the dynamics didn't ring true. The submissive Boss is a difficult character to pull off and make it feel real. There are only a few books that attenpt to capture it and rarely do they make me believe it can happen and be healthy. "Uneven" is one that gets close, but it deals with a very specific type. I acknowledge the fact that there is no one "true" scenario in a BDSM relationship, nevertheless the writer has to sell me on the one they're trying to portray.
For starters, I feel the story should have started earlier. Then we could have seen how the other Doms treat their subs in the office atmosphere to get a better idea of why Jacob was so desperate not to be seen as being anything but in control. We were told he was afraid of being outed often enough, but we never saw why. Even if Jacob had considered the different pairings and the type of men in them more than just the "Peter Ingram is all Dom" being the only evidence offered. In any case, the latter just came across (in this story) as an insensitive brute who sensed something was going on but never talked about it.
Secondly, all the talk about being a Dom or a sub got stale after a while. Do guys think in those terms? Or would it be more in terms of being in control or losing control. Losing respect, being admired for being strong. Admitting to having unmet needs. The continual labelling of the relationship as Dom/sub made it seem like "play" rather than real.
Next, we were told repeatedly that Lee loved Jacob, but we were never told why or shown it. The story flips to his POV at times, but the only feeling I got was all centred around the Dom/sub label and nothing for Jacob as a person. His taste in food, clothing, what he drove, how he drove it. If Lee really loved Jacob as a person, we would see how he related to all these aspects of Jacob's life not just his submissiveness. I didn't see any reason for the younger man to love him. We're told he wanted to grab him and kiss him senseless, but why? I never saw Jacob do anything that would provoke this reaction.
I might have believed the story more if there had been a scene where Jacob secretly dreamed of having a collar around his neck. If he really is a submissive, wouldn't he have envied what Floyd and Carl had?
When he yelled at someone, did he secretly wish someone yelled at him just like that? If so, why? Excusing this as being just because he's submissive is a cop out. What was Mary like? Did she mother him? Protect him from everyone else.
Like with all Kim's writing, there were scenes that moved me. Usually when they were interacting in private and sex was involved... Lol.
But to reiterate, the main problem was that Jacob's fear of being "found out" didn't ring true. I can appreciate the fact that it's difficult to depict a situation where the person viewing the scene doesn't understand the scenario, and therefore doesn't get what dominance and submission is about beyond the labels, but by not showing the scenes at all, the reader has nothing to back up the premise that underpins the book.
Possibly the book is a victim of a restricted word count.
One book I feel where this issue could be explored more thoroughly is if Kim ever decides to write Hamilton's story in her avian shifter series.
From what I can gather about the submissive boss dynamic, the person needs an outlet outside of work where he can let go. In many vanilla heterosexual relationships this is the norm. Many men, even in they don't realize it, are under the control of their wives inside the house even if that never shows in public. They are happy with this setup. It doesn't mean they have to rant and rave as bosses or that they are pussy-whipped at home. Some are very good bosses, but by the time they get home, they have had enough. That's the psychological form.
Kim's Jacob exhibited the different dynamic where the boss felt he needed to be punished. This can get into a whole different mindset where his past must be explored. Unresolved guilt questioned. Early abuse checked for. Kim, being British, has possibly seen this dynamic with Members of Parliament being caught with their pants down being whipped by a Domme in high heels and scanty leather.
Is it because they have a true pain kink or are deeper psychological issues involved? Is it that after caring for other people at work they need to feel someone cares for them and they are the centre of someone else's attention? Some of Joey Hill's books explore this theme in an m/f environment. Translating this to m/m, with the Dom being younger, (possibly - but not in this case) physically weaker, holding a lesser rung on the corporate ladder is the tricky thing.
Dom/sub relationships are very much about the tight links that bind people together. During scenes, the total focus is on the other person. In an age where there may be thousands of virtual or fleeting relationships, having one that is one hundred percent focussed can be the true need.
April 29, 2013
Really only the length on these keeps them from 5 star ratings (mostly). Great story - and I felt for Jacob. I appreciated the attempt to set out the masochist and submissive as two things because the pain part, for Jacob, seemed to be entirely related to grounding and calming him and that's how I feel so I could relate. I did have a hard time picturing Lee as this young 20 something because his attitude just seemed older. I kept wishing we'd meet his family or something as, for a kid this young to be this confident and assured, he must of had a hell of an upbringing. I liked the interactions and I understood Jacob's fears to a degree - but I'm not sure he didn't work himself into the tizzy because I seriously doubt any of the other 3 give a fig about whether he's a Dom or a Sub. I get how he didn't want to be perceived to have lost power - but not how he made the leap that all of it fits. I gave him a break though thinking perhaps it was also his upbringing - because those who fear loss of control really struggle against the submissive side of them due to this. Many more than others.
November 24, 2012
What can I say, I adore Kim Dare, and this book was a perfect end to the Sex Sells series. It was perfect.
October 19, 2017
Me encantó😍
November 25, 2012
Most of this book is about Jacob who felt like he had to adopt a dom persona in order to be successful in the business environment of SKIN Inc. in which all the other three founding partners are doms.
Then entered Lee, a temp staff who makes Jacob yearning for the very things he had been suppressing.
The things that baffled me a bit was that how did Jacob, who I presumed, should be entranced in Dom/Sub lifestyle since both in his friend and his businesses were deeply immersed in, seemed to have little understanding of how Dom/Sub relationship works.
What I liked about this book,
What I don't like, was that we hardly know the physical descriptions of the MCs. I don't know if it was done in the previous books or not but for sure I don't think we know much about Lee's background other than he had Italian mother and he likes to cook.
The book ended somewhat in an open manner.
Then entered Lee, a temp staff who makes Jacob yearning for the very things he had been suppressing.
The things that baffled me a bit was that how did Jacob, who I presumed, should be entranced in Dom/Sub lifestyle since both in his friend and his businesses were deeply immersed in, seemed to have little understanding of how Dom/Sub relationship works.
What I liked about this book,
What I don't like, was that we hardly know the physical descriptions of the MCs. I don't know if it was done in the previous books or not but for sure I don't think we know much about Lee's background other than he had Italian mother and he likes to cook.
The book ended somewhat in an open manner.
January 7, 2013
I love this book! Kim Dare's fourth (and *sniffle* final) book in her "Sex Sells" series is outstanding! This one focuses on the last partner, Jacob, at the SKIN advertising agency. It's sweet, poignant, and sexy as hell as Jacob learns to conquer his fears and insecurities (with the help of wonder-dom Lee); and learns to proudly embrace his submissiveness even while surrounded by his Super-Dom business partners/friends.
Kim Dare has ALWAYS shown the emotional courage it takes to be a true submissive. To paraphrase one of her stories: "Natural subs are erotic, doormats are not". She has always shown the respect a true sub deserves from his/her dominant, and how important fulfilling a sub's needs are to a caring and loving dominant.
I highly recommend you read this series in order. I'll definitely be re-reading these stories again and again. ENJOY!
Kim Dare has ALWAYS shown the emotional courage it takes to be a true submissive. To paraphrase one of her stories: "Natural subs are erotic, doormats are not". She has always shown the respect a true sub deserves from his/her dominant, and how important fulfilling a sub's needs are to a caring and loving dominant.
I highly recommend you read this series in order. I'll definitely be re-reading these stories again and again. ENJOY!
December 13, 2012
Jacob is a man who requires a certain level of respect to do his job. Rolling over and appearing weak will not work so he has suppressed his own desires.
Lee knows precisely who he is and what he desires. Can he persuade Jacob that he can let go of what he doesn't need to control and still be the capable man he is?
My main gripe: Dare writes interesting, complicated characters and I really prefer when they are more fully developed. It's like peeping through a window with the curtains drawn except for just that one sliver--I want them drawn back, slowly and completely.
Lee knows precisely who he is and what he desires. Can he persuade Jacob that he can let go of what he doesn't need to control and still be the capable man he is?
My main gripe: Dare writes interesting, complicated characters and I really prefer when they are more fully developed. It's like peeping through a window with the curtains drawn except for just that one sliver--I want them drawn back, slowly and completely.
December 14, 2012
The title Turning the Tables was appropriate, because I did expect another cookie cutter story in this series. All four of the partners being rich, successful, and powerful Doms. But this story had a little twist that I appreciated. I didn't actually like the characters as much as I did in the last book. Well, that's not precisely true. I liked Peter in the last book and Lee in this book.
August 12, 2013
It was a very nice, engaging read, I especially liked the contrast between the D/s dynamic on the job and in private. It was the first longer read for me by Kim Dare and I hope she will write more of them.
May 24, 2014
i loved this one...jacob realising he's not a dom...and lee was so caring..will definitely read this one again x
January 14, 2024
Bello libro de una lenta construcción de un SUM que no puede aceptar su lugar por temor a que sus compañeros lo consideren menos y dejen de respetarlo.
Lee reconoce y se enamora de su jefe y siendo un DOM con todas las letras le hace entender poco a poco a Jacob, con no poco cachondeo en el medio, que su lugar en la relación es otro, un SUM con todas las letras.
Me encantó el personaje de Lee. Super DOM como a mi me gusta.
HEA para esta pareja.
Lee reconoce y se enamora de su jefe y siendo un DOM con todas las letras le hace entender poco a poco a Jacob, con no poco cachondeo en el medio, que su lugar en la relación es otro, un SUM con todas las letras.
Me encantó el personaje de Lee. Super DOM como a mi me gusta.
HEA para esta pareja.
January 5, 2020
2.5 stars
Want to read
August 26, 2021Where can I find this? I can't locate it through any of the links. Publisher website seems to have disappeared.
November 28, 2016
Normally I love Kim Dare's work but not this time. A lot of scenes and no story.
August 2, 2016
Okay. This one ended up surprising me. Because despite a few counts against that possibility, I really loved this story.
To start off with the most simple of issues, the protagonists’ names are switched around frequently at first – which is disorienting at best but actually also misleading these cases. Still, this peters out eventually and the rest is clear, I think.
Then there’s the question of how on earth Jacob can have such a skewed and sad idea of D/s when he’s spent twenty years closely connected to people who practise the lifestyle in what we must assume are the “right” ways. I still don’t quite see it. I suppose he must have been so intent on keeping up his charade that he neglected to pay attention to anything other than how to project dominance. It’s still a stretch, but by the end of it all I was happy to let go of my disbelief in favour of just enjoying the offering.
One of the big issues that other readers seem to have had with the story lies in how Lee determines that Jacob is in fact submissive, despite the latter’s efforts to portray a dominant persona, and how Lee refuses to budge on that conviction.
Usually that would bother me, since acceptance of someone else’s self-definition is supremely important; telling someone you know them better than they know themselves easily borders on disrespect. So I had reservations even going into this story. Except they fizzled almost immediately.
Because Lee is actually correct. And because Jacob is aware of it, and truly desperate for what Lee wants to give to him. With that it becomes more of a rescue mission. Of course it helps that Lee is respectful at all times. He certainly doesn’t have any hang-ups about underestimating subs or treating them as lesser somehow.
In fact, this ties in to what I love most about this story: it’s adorable. And it is adorable despite Jacob being such a prickly jerk half the time, because we can see him through Lee’s eyes – and Lee adores him and adores him even harder when Jacob pulls up his defences and struggles against himself. And bit by bit I ended up more feeling sorry for Jacob than irritated with his tactics, until I just wanted to join in on Lee’s impulses to hug the stuffing out of him. (Well, almost.)
And the way the conflict is resolved? That’s a great scene that once more tied the entire series together (gotta love an author who creates finite series like this one).
Sure, some of the previous protagonists don’t come away as unblemished as one would have wished, but I blame the surprise effect for that. In the end it’s just as it should be, with speeches given and actions performed by the right people at the right moment in exactly the right words and ways.
So I am completely happy now, and somehow these two guys morphed into my favourite couple of the bunch. Which is saying something.
God, I love it when an author sneakily circumvents my reservations. <3
To start off with the most simple of issues, the protagonists’ names are switched around frequently at first – which is disorienting at best but actually also misleading these cases. Still, this peters out eventually and the rest is clear, I think.
Then there’s the question of how on earth Jacob can have such a skewed and sad idea of D/s when he’s spent twenty years closely connected to people who practise the lifestyle in what we must assume are the “right” ways. I still don’t quite see it. I suppose he must have been so intent on keeping up his charade that he neglected to pay attention to anything other than how to project dominance. It’s still a stretch, but by the end of it all I was happy to let go of my disbelief in favour of just enjoying the offering.
One of the big issues that other readers seem to have had with the story lies in how Lee determines that Jacob is in fact submissive, despite the latter’s efforts to portray a dominant persona, and how Lee refuses to budge on that conviction.
Usually that would bother me, since acceptance of someone else’s self-definition is supremely important; telling someone you know them better than they know themselves easily borders on disrespect. So I had reservations even going into this story. Except they fizzled almost immediately.
Because Lee is actually correct. And because Jacob is aware of it, and truly desperate for what Lee wants to give to him. With that it becomes more of a rescue mission. Of course it helps that Lee is respectful at all times. He certainly doesn’t have any hang-ups about underestimating subs or treating them as lesser somehow.
In fact, this ties in to what I love most about this story: it’s adorable. And it is adorable despite Jacob being such a prickly jerk half the time, because we can see him through Lee’s eyes – and Lee adores him and adores him even harder when Jacob pulls up his defences and struggles against himself. And bit by bit I ended up more feeling sorry for Jacob than irritated with his tactics, until I just wanted to join in on Lee’s impulses to hug the stuffing out of him. (Well, almost.)
And the way the conflict is resolved? That’s a great scene that once more tied the entire series together (gotta love an author who creates finite series like this one).
Sure, some of the previous protagonists don’t come away as unblemished as one would have wished, but I blame the surprise effect for that. In the end it’s just as it should be, with speeches given and actions performed by the right people at the right moment in exactly the right words and ways.
So I am completely happy now, and somehow these two guys morphed into my favourite couple of the bunch. Which is saying something.
God, I love it when an author sneakily circumvents my reservations. <3
January 31, 2016
I read the entire Sex Sells series, and wasn't very impressed with any of them, so I'm just going to write one review for all four.
#1 - Sealing the Deal - while I found this one to be probably the most interesting of the four, it still gave me the impression of being misleading. Hudson is supposedly an expert Dom, yet he fails, on several occasions, to accurately read Toby's body language. He also fails to listen to Toby's subtle cues, then becomes angry when he realizes Toby was too overwhelmed by everything that was going on to enter into a binding contract. The very idea that a Dom would even suggest having a potential submissive sign a contract while there was sexual contact occurring merely reinforced the idea that Hudson was not a competent master.
#2 - Waking Up Naked - Again with the "Doms who are bad at their jobs" thing. Carl is new to everything, including sex. He's unsure, off balance, and insecure, yet Miles, again a supposed expert Dom, fails him on so many levels, it's actually quite sad. He makes it a rule that he and Carl won't spend a night together until Carl can trust him, and he can trust that Carl won't run off in the middle of the night. So how does Miles build trust? Well, he gives Carl a scene (only Carl's second BDSM scene), then takes his virginity...then leaves. Yup. No after care whatsoever. Because fuck Carl, I guess.
#3 - Learning the Ropes - Peter is a lot better at this Dom thing than Hudson and Miles, but Floyd is a cowardly asswipe. There's very little communication, and that was just frustrating, and then Floyd's little scheme of taking pictures during a scene without Peter's consent.....ugh. I just can't.
#4 - Turning the Tables - Lee and Jacob. Oh, lord. I liked Lee. He's what I would consider a good Dom. Patient and caring, but stern, and not easily manipulated. Jacob, on the other hand, is a narrow minded, judgmental, self-loathing prick.
There ya go. Have fun.
#1 - Sealing the Deal - while I found this one to be probably the most interesting of the four, it still gave me the impression of being misleading. Hudson is supposedly an expert Dom, yet he fails, on several occasions, to accurately read Toby's body language. He also fails to listen to Toby's subtle cues, then becomes angry when he realizes Toby was too overwhelmed by everything that was going on to enter into a binding contract. The very idea that a Dom would even suggest having a potential submissive sign a contract while there was sexual contact occurring merely reinforced the idea that Hudson was not a competent master.
#2 - Waking Up Naked - Again with the "Doms who are bad at their jobs" thing. Carl is new to everything, including sex. He's unsure, off balance, and insecure, yet Miles, again a supposed expert Dom, fails him on so many levels, it's actually quite sad. He makes it a rule that he and Carl won't spend a night together until Carl can trust him, and he can trust that Carl won't run off in the middle of the night. So how does Miles build trust? Well, he gives Carl a scene (only Carl's second BDSM scene), then takes his virginity...then leaves. Yup. No after care whatsoever. Because fuck Carl, I guess.
#3 - Learning the Ropes - Peter is a lot better at this Dom thing than Hudson and Miles, but Floyd is a cowardly asswipe. There's very little communication, and that was just frustrating, and then Floyd's little scheme of taking pictures during a scene without Peter's consent.....ugh. I just can't.
#4 - Turning the Tables - Lee and Jacob. Oh, lord. I liked Lee. He's what I would consider a good Dom. Patient and caring, but stern, and not easily manipulated. Jacob, on the other hand, is a narrow minded, judgmental, self-loathing prick.
There ya go. Have fun.
May 26, 2014
I really enjoyed this series. Kim Dare's books are always nice reads, but I get frustrated with very short pieces. This series has a very pleasant length that allows for character developement and I've enjoyed each and every one of the four books.
March 9, 2015
what Happens in the Office Stays in the Office
... Unless you're lucky enough to bring it home with you!
Kim Dare has the ability to embed romance into kink... In just the right measure!
Thank you!
... Unless you're lucky enough to bring it home with you!
Kim Dare has the ability to embed romance into kink... In just the right measure!
Thank you!
February 4, 2017
04.02.2017 Re-read
2013 Read
3.5 Stars
2013 Read
3.5 Stars
December 12, 2012
Rating 3.5 to 4
November 28, 2012
3.75 stars
March 6, 2015
Can not get into it.
March 14, 2015
3.5 Stars
A sub pretending to be a Dom? Nice change of plot. Liked it.
A sub pretending to be a Dom? Nice change of plot. Liked it.
November 7, 2023
No me canso de esta serie, de verdad.
January 19, 2018
A quick read before bed. The story was ok. It definitely had potential to become more. Overall I liked the characters, especially Lee. Jacob was so deeply hidden that not even love seemed to have a chance at breaking the ice.
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