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Touch Me Not
In an alternate universe, where gender is less important than how dominant a person is, Jake Alric is the odd man out. While other subs spend their days trying to find their one true mate, Jake goes out of his way to avoid dominants. He's seen the dark side of soul bonds, and all he wants is to be left alone to tend his small Montana cattle ranch in peace.
When an oil company starts buying up land all around town, Jake comes under increasing pressure to sell. A chance encounter brings him into contact with one of his potential mates, Henry Waterstone, son of the man trying to buy Jake’s ranch and a handsome dominant who pushes buttons Jake didn't know he had. For the first time Jake is tempted by the true pleasure of being a submissive. But as Jake and Henry grow closer, a new player in the oil company rises up and threatens to sever their fragile connection. Suddenly the person Jake was most afraid to find becomes the one he’s most terrified to lose.
When an oil company starts buying up land all around town, Jake comes under increasing pressure to sell. A chance encounter brings him into contact with one of his potential mates, Henry Waterstone, son of the man trying to buy Jake’s ranch and a handsome dominant who pushes buttons Jake didn't know he had. For the first time Jake is tempted by the true pleasure of being a submissive. But as Jake and Henry grow closer, a new player in the oil company rises up and threatens to sever their fragile connection. Suddenly the person Jake was most afraid to find becomes the one he’s most terrified to lose.
145 pages, ebook
First published September 16, 2013
7 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Genna Donaghy
12 books31 followersGenna is a recent transplant to Oregon from central California and is continually amazed by the sheer amounts of rain and people who obey the speed limit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 18, 2013
**3.5 Stars**
This is Genna Donaghy’s debut novel and I really enjoyed this book and it certainly had me hooked right from the start, it’s an interesting concept and my depraved mind would really like to see her explore this world more, she certainly has me intrigued!
There is nothing conventional about this book, and Genna Donaghy has created a world, not divided by male and female, but by those that are dominant and submissive, where the doms holds all the power and natural subs are helpless but to obey, and instead of the usual attraction that forms a relationship we instead have mated pairs and finding your true life partner can only be achieved through touch, not easy, especially when only a handful of the population can be your true mate. This is similar to a shifter story where the pair need to bond, with the whole mating process, mind speak and a connection on a whole other level, but without the shifter part.. I know it sounds a bit vague but this is a whole new concept to me, paranormal meets BDSM and neither are what you think they are but it worked and I loved it!
With a BDSM label and a society where dominants and submissives thrive, you would think… as I did, that this book would be all about the sex and the lifestyle, well it’s not… there is actually very little sex in this book and the D/s part is very subtle, you won’t find any whips, bondage or toys, what this book is really about is power and the dynamics of the relationships between a sub and dom… good and bad!
Jake Alric’s life is turned upside down when Waterstone’s start buying up local properties for the mineral rights and Jake’s ranch is one of their targets and as a submissive Jake has no rights, especially if one of the doms the company keep sending round to see him turn out to be his mate, he would lose everything he holds dear… his free will and his land.
I loved Jake and he pulled on my heart strings right from the start, he is a submissive but not a conventional one as determined by this alternate world. Instead of actively looking for a mate like other subs and wanting to submit, he is constantly battling his own bodies natural urge. In his head he relives the nightmare of seeing his submissive Mother broken by his bullying dom of a Father, it is those memories that fill him with fear of having a dom, hating the thought of helplessness and putting the control of his life in the hands of another.
Playing the good Samaritan and helping a drunk turned out to be Jake’s worst nightmare, because as it turned out, the man was his mate and running out on him before he came to his senses took all his strength as the call to submit was strong. Henry Waterstone is the enemy in Jake’s eyes, the son of the man trying to force him from his ranch and playing every dirty trick in the book to achieve it… Only Henry has no idea about the underhand tactics of the man in charge of operations and this part of the book gets pretty intense, I had my heart in my mouth on more than one occasion!
Henry is a very strong and powerful dom, he hadn’t been looking for his mate but now he had found Jake there was no way he can pull back, but he has no need for a sub to kowtow to him, Jake is everything he wants, a sub but still strong willed and compelling him to submit would only break him. Henry also see’s the fear in Jake, so he fights his natural urge to claim and dominate and instead he uses his charm, restraint and patience to try and get to know the man that already has such a hold over him.
If I’m honest, really I would have liked to have seen the relationship developed more the other side of the mating, they went through so much to finally be together and then we only have a glimpse of them in their true D/s relationship, I just wanted to see them explore the dynamics more. Also the beginning didn’t sit quite right with me, Henry is controlled, powerful and restrained, so after getting to know him in the book, I felt the drunk Henry Jake rescue’s at the beginning was totally out of character with the all powerful dom I came to love.
Personally I prefer my BDSM with a little more bite, but for those that like light the lighter side of the genre then this book is perfect for you. Ms. Donaghy did a great job of keeping me engrossed in the action and the emotional development of our two MC’s… I will definitely be reading more from this author and hope she continues with this world she has created… Great debut novel!!!
This is Genna Donaghy’s debut novel and I really enjoyed this book and it certainly had me hooked right from the start, it’s an interesting concept and my depraved mind would really like to see her explore this world more, she certainly has me intrigued!
There is nothing conventional about this book, and Genna Donaghy has created a world, not divided by male and female, but by those that are dominant and submissive, where the doms holds all the power and natural subs are helpless but to obey, and instead of the usual attraction that forms a relationship we instead have mated pairs and finding your true life partner can only be achieved through touch, not easy, especially when only a handful of the population can be your true mate. This is similar to a shifter story where the pair need to bond, with the whole mating process, mind speak and a connection on a whole other level, but without the shifter part.. I know it sounds a bit vague but this is a whole new concept to me, paranormal meets BDSM and neither are what you think they are but it worked and I loved it!
With a BDSM label and a society where dominants and submissives thrive, you would think… as I did, that this book would be all about the sex and the lifestyle, well it’s not… there is actually very little sex in this book and the D/s part is very subtle, you won’t find any whips, bondage or toys, what this book is really about is power and the dynamics of the relationships between a sub and dom… good and bad!
Jake Alric’s life is turned upside down when Waterstone’s start buying up local properties for the mineral rights and Jake’s ranch is one of their targets and as a submissive Jake has no rights, especially if one of the doms the company keep sending round to see him turn out to be his mate, he would lose everything he holds dear… his free will and his land.
I loved Jake and he pulled on my heart strings right from the start, he is a submissive but not a conventional one as determined by this alternate world. Instead of actively looking for a mate like other subs and wanting to submit, he is constantly battling his own bodies natural urge. In his head he relives the nightmare of seeing his submissive Mother broken by his bullying dom of a Father, it is those memories that fill him with fear of having a dom, hating the thought of helplessness and putting the control of his life in the hands of another.
Playing the good Samaritan and helping a drunk turned out to be Jake’s worst nightmare, because as it turned out, the man was his mate and running out on him before he came to his senses took all his strength as the call to submit was strong. Henry Waterstone is the enemy in Jake’s eyes, the son of the man trying to force him from his ranch and playing every dirty trick in the book to achieve it… Only Henry has no idea about the underhand tactics of the man in charge of operations and this part of the book gets pretty intense, I had my heart in my mouth on more than one occasion!
Henry is a very strong and powerful dom, he hadn’t been looking for his mate but now he had found Jake there was no way he can pull back, but he has no need for a sub to kowtow to him, Jake is everything he wants, a sub but still strong willed and compelling him to submit would only break him. Henry also see’s the fear in Jake, so he fights his natural urge to claim and dominate and instead he uses his charm, restraint and patience to try and get to know the man that already has such a hold over him.
If I’m honest, really I would have liked to have seen the relationship developed more the other side of the mating, they went through so much to finally be together and then we only have a glimpse of them in their true D/s relationship, I just wanted to see them explore the dynamics more. Also the beginning didn’t sit quite right with me, Henry is controlled, powerful and restrained, so after getting to know him in the book, I felt the drunk Henry Jake rescue’s at the beginning was totally out of character with the all powerful dom I came to love.
Personally I prefer my BDSM with a little more bite, but for those that like light the lighter side of the genre then this book is perfect for you. Ms. Donaghy did a great job of keeping me engrossed in the action and the emotional development of our two MC’s… I will definitely be reading more from this author and hope she continues with this world she has created… Great debut novel!!!
September 19, 2013
This book has an absolutely fantastic, original premise. The setting is an alternate universe where your status in life does not matter if you are born male or female or how much money you have. It has to do if you turn out to be dominant or submissive, which you develop at puberty. And each person has several mates somewhere in the world, and they find their mates by direct skin to skin contact. Cool, huh? But the author didn't, in my opinion, use this great idea to it's full potential. We basically got half of a story about a stubborn sub rancher, hoping to keep his ranch from being bought out from under him by a big corporation, that just so happens to be owned by the father of his newly found mate. The story was interesting and I enjoyed the interaction between the MCs, but I had a HUGE problem with how the story ended. It didn't end in a cliff hanger as much as it ended with so many loose ends! I was greatly annoyed. I'll list them under a spoiler tag, if you are interested.
I'm afraid I just can't recommend this story as it is written now. Maybe the author plans a sequel or a series at a later time? Maybe I'll be able to get behind that because I really do love this idea.
I'm afraid I just can't recommend this story as it is written now. Maybe the author plans a sequel or a series at a later time? Maybe I'll be able to get behind that because I really do love this idea.
September 18, 2013
Review written for Hearts on Fire Reviews - 3.5 stars
This was a very sweet story by a first-time author. I don’t recall ever reading anything quite like it. It is current time, but alternate universe where men and women are either dominant or submissive, each looking for their true mate. A lot of detail goes into the how’s and why’s of this set up. When true mates touch, the bond begins, and once this happens, there is pretty much no going back. There are relationships between non-mated couples, but if one of their actual mates comes along, they have no way to fight that bond, leaving the other person left out. If they have a child, that child becomes like a bastard child. If mated couples are split up, they eventually suffer from sickness.
Anyhoo, Jake is an unmated guy who grew up watching his father rather cruelly dominate his mother to the point where she perished. So, he is in no hurry to be mated to any dom, thinking he will lose all free will, in addition to the ranch he loves and runs almost single-handedly.
Unfortunately, there is a company in town that has been attempting to buy up the land for the mineral rights, pretty much forcing other ranch owners to give up their land. With Jake being a sub, he would be easily controlled if that company could find his mate and thereby have the land transferred.
Even more unfortunately, Jake helps a drunk guy to a hotel after a night in the bar, and quickly realizes Henry as his potential mate. So, he takes off running. Henry is also the son of the guy who runs the company taking over the land. So there are a few complications involved here.
Henry has not looked to hard for his mate, afraid he would end up with a super submissive easily controlled mate. When he realizes he has met his mate and then sees he is not so easily pushed around, he makes it a point to win Jake over without using his dom powers of coercion. This takes time, and some distractions get in their way, but they get everything together when it counts.
These guys made a really sweet couple, but not in the sugary sweet over the top way. I liked that Jake wasn’t a pushover, and that Henry didn’t want him to be. They take things slowly, not even having actual sex until the epilogue. You don’t miss it though, as there is enough going on here to keep you occupied without it. Despite the dom/sub theme, the BDSM aspect of this is extremely light. This was a quick, easy and smooth reading story nicely done for a first timer who I’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing more from in the future.
June 19, 2014
4.5 Stars
This was my first foray into the "everyone on Earth is either a sub or a dom" trope (Yes, it actually exists! XD), and you know what? I really, really enjoyed it!
The reason that I liked this as much as I did is because Ms. Donaghy had such fantastic world building. The setting that she created was just so fascinating. This novel takes place on a Earth were everyone is either a dom or a sub. A dom has the power to command subs, and depending on how strong he is, other weaker doms to do his will. There only weakness is that they cannot live long if they do not find their mate, and once they do, their health and strength depends on their sub. A sub has healing and nurturing powers which they give to their dom. This is just the basic dynamics between a mated dom and sub. Ms. Donaghy does a tremendous job in explaining all the minute facets of the interactions between doms and subs that you understand everything that is going and without leaving you scratching your head and wondering what the hell is going on in this fantastical world. However, at the same time, she does not bog you down with details that leaves you in tears of boredom and feeling like you are reading a textbook. This was fantasy world-building done right!
The development of the relationship between Jake and Henry was beautifully done, and it was slow burn. Jake, having seen the bond between a dom and his or her mated sub go rotten and have the dom take complete and total control over the sub's will, has left him feeling understandably weary and unreceptive to the notion of finding a dom and mating with him. Therefore, he does whatever he can to push Henry away from him and refuse to bond when he founds out Henry is a potential mate. Henry, knowing that he could use his dominant powers to exert his will over Jake and force him to bond, refuses to do so because he likes Jake's feistiness and wants a mate who is with him willingly, not because he was forced. I just loved Henry; he was such a doll. He was the perfect man to show Jake that not all doms are absolute control freaks who don't care about what their subs want. He shows Jake that the partnership between a dom and a sub can be equal, regardless of the power dynamics. It was amazing to see Jake's cold façade melt and realize that Henry will be a kind, caring, and compassionate mate.
There was hardly any on-page sex in this one, but the romance was done so well that I didn't really miss it. And the last scene in the epilogue was SO. DAMN. HOT that it more than made up for any lack of sex previously in the book.
I did feel that the bad guys in this book were slightly OTT evil, but I did enjoy the drama they brought. There were also some loose ends that could've used some tying, but I got a very sweet HEA that just made my heart melt, leaving me with warm, fuzzy feelings when finishing this book.
This was my first foray into the "everyone on Earth is either a sub or a dom" trope (Yes, it actually exists! XD), and you know what? I really, really enjoyed it!
The reason that I liked this as much as I did is because Ms. Donaghy had such fantastic world building. The setting that she created was just so fascinating. This novel takes place on a Earth were everyone is either a dom or a sub. A dom has the power to command subs, and depending on how strong he is, other weaker doms to do his will. There only weakness is that they cannot live long if they do not find their mate, and once they do, their health and strength depends on their sub. A sub has healing and nurturing powers which they give to their dom. This is just the basic dynamics between a mated dom and sub. Ms. Donaghy does a tremendous job in explaining all the minute facets of the interactions between doms and subs that you understand everything that is going and without leaving you scratching your head and wondering what the hell is going on in this fantastical world. However, at the same time, she does not bog you down with details that leaves you in tears of boredom and feeling like you are reading a textbook. This was fantasy world-building done right!
The development of the relationship between Jake and Henry was beautifully done, and it was slow burn. Jake, having seen the bond between a dom and his or her mated sub go rotten and have the dom take complete and total control over the sub's will, has left him feeling understandably weary and unreceptive to the notion of finding a dom and mating with him. Therefore, he does whatever he can to push Henry away from him and refuse to bond when he founds out Henry is a potential mate. Henry, knowing that he could use his dominant powers to exert his will over Jake and force him to bond, refuses to do so because he likes Jake's feistiness and wants a mate who is with him willingly, not because he was forced. I just loved Henry; he was such a doll. He was the perfect man to show Jake that not all doms are absolute control freaks who don't care about what their subs want. He shows Jake that the partnership between a dom and a sub can be equal, regardless of the power dynamics. It was amazing to see Jake's cold façade melt and realize that Henry will be a kind, caring, and compassionate mate.
There was hardly any on-page sex in this one, but the romance was done so well that I didn't really miss it. And the last scene in the epilogue was SO. DAMN. HOT that it more than made up for any lack of sex previously in the book.
I did feel that the bad guys in this book were slightly OTT evil, but I did enjoy the drama they brought. There were also some loose ends that could've used some tying, but I got a very sweet HEA that just made my heart melt, leaving me with warm, fuzzy feelings when finishing this book.
"I know we'll have more good days than bad ones," Henry thought, and Jake felt the absolute certainty behind it. "We'll make a happy life together."A definitely enjoyable, fun, slow-burn read with some captivating world-building and wonderful MCs.
Jake smiled, his eyes slipping closed. Make a happy life? His already was.
October 9, 2013
This book was enjoyable. Overall it was a quick read and kept my attention (except a few things mentioned below). I was red something different and this was it. It's a light read but had lots of tension which I loved and couldn't get enough. I would have liked to read more about them in the early stages when Jake was still fighting against his bond. I loved that part.
I will read another book in this world setting, and hope it has a few of the issues I had below worked out. This is mm romance and not bondage or anything extreme. It's very much, IMO like wolf shifters except instead of shifting they doms or subs. It's different and that's what was great about it. I highly recommend it for a sweet, fun read.
I want to give it four stars but I just had too many issue with it to go with more than 3.
Below are my comments as I read and what didn't work for me. This is all just my personal opinion as always.
I'm not sure what to think. Only 5% but the world seems abusive physically and emotionally and the dims all seem like sadistic bullies and not people.
The opener was also slow for me and not clear exactly why he has mind powers over cattle. I'm just left feeling confused but gonna stick with it.
This book sometimes uses words if consider odd or not fitting the context. Like This book used the word shaddup. Shut the fuck up would have been more fitting or just shut up. He was really mad and angry and annoyed and drunk so saying that seemed odd and more playful then what it said he was feeling. Hard to buy into the inner feelings he thinks about when the dialogue has a whole different tone to it. IMO at least.
Overall chapter one was good and picked up a lot.
Cliche - look in mirror and describe yourself - check
Cliche - masturbate in shower while fan taxing about mate - check
I hate masturbating scenes especially the overused shower ones. This had me rolling my eyes and pulled me out of the story. :( possibly the least sexy shower masturbating scene ever. It's in a musty rent by the hour motel and there is hair covering the bottom and grime on the walls and just disgusting. Not sure how he could feel clean after this cause it is described nastily.
Plus it just wasn't believable. He had just woken up and he feels like shit. His mates abandoned him, he's extremely hungover, headache and groggy, and apparently aching for his mate but he stand in the dirty shower masturbating? Puh-lease.
inconsistency - Henry questioning twins about who he left the bar with because he too drink to remember. They say they don't know when they left Henry was alone. Then a page later they say they saw jake leave a few minutes before they saw Henry leave. Not sure how they saw this if they were already gone.
He has a phone call with his dad in chapter two. I read it five times and cannot figure out who spoke which line. The story is interesting but i feel like it would be a lot better with content editing.
At 11% Henry thinks his sub-father met his Dom-mother. Later on his dad is then the Dom. Again I long for an editor.
They are standing together fully clothed and kissing while they jack each other off. Then they climax and touch each other some more and then straighten clothes to go to a meeting. Um what happened to all the come and stuff? It just magically disappeared?
cliche - you almost died now I can admit I love you
Cliche - sex in hospital bed (and he thinks the hospital floor isn't the cleanest place to kneel? The floor of a very expensive private hospital isn't clean? Compared to last place being outside a barn? Or the rent by the hour motel? But no the hospital has a dirty floor... That makes sense
what happened to the dog?! It's left inside Grants house then shit happens and the dog never mentioned again. Apparently it's been inside grants house alone for days. They hired ranch hands to fill in but couldn't get the dog? Really? And what happens to the dog when they flying all over? I hate when books have animals and then just forget about them when they're no longer convenient for the plot or the characters new rich lifestyle.
The sex did nothing for me. It never seemed right. Like it tried too hard and it just seemed odd and the sex dialogue wasn't good. I had to skim the sex stuff and even then it felt like a chore. The sex parts felt like replicas of scenes of read 100 times before.
I will read another book in this world setting, and hope it has a few of the issues I had below worked out. This is mm romance and not bondage or anything extreme. It's very much, IMO like wolf shifters except instead of shifting they doms or subs. It's different and that's what was great about it. I highly recommend it for a sweet, fun read.
I want to give it four stars but I just had too many issue with it to go with more than 3.
Below are my comments as I read and what didn't work for me. This is all just my personal opinion as always.
I'm not sure what to think. Only 5% but the world seems abusive physically and emotionally and the dims all seem like sadistic bullies and not people.
The opener was also slow for me and not clear exactly why he has mind powers over cattle. I'm just left feeling confused but gonna stick with it.
This book sometimes uses words if consider odd or not fitting the context. Like This book used the word shaddup. Shut the fuck up would have been more fitting or just shut up. He was really mad and angry and annoyed and drunk so saying that seemed odd and more playful then what it said he was feeling. Hard to buy into the inner feelings he thinks about when the dialogue has a whole different tone to it. IMO at least.
Overall chapter one was good and picked up a lot.
Cliche - look in mirror and describe yourself - check
Cliche - masturbate in shower while fan taxing about mate - check
I hate masturbating scenes especially the overused shower ones. This had me rolling my eyes and pulled me out of the story. :( possibly the least sexy shower masturbating scene ever. It's in a musty rent by the hour motel and there is hair covering the bottom and grime on the walls and just disgusting. Not sure how he could feel clean after this cause it is described nastily.
Plus it just wasn't believable. He had just woken up and he feels like shit. His mates abandoned him, he's extremely hungover, headache and groggy, and apparently aching for his mate but he stand in the dirty shower masturbating? Puh-lease.
inconsistency - Henry questioning twins about who he left the bar with because he too drink to remember. They say they don't know when they left Henry was alone. Then a page later they say they saw jake leave a few minutes before they saw Henry leave. Not sure how they saw this if they were already gone.
He has a phone call with his dad in chapter two. I read it five times and cannot figure out who spoke which line. The story is interesting but i feel like it would be a lot better with content editing.
At 11% Henry thinks his sub-father met his Dom-mother. Later on his dad is then the Dom. Again I long for an editor.
They are standing together fully clothed and kissing while they jack each other off. Then they climax and touch each other some more and then straighten clothes to go to a meeting. Um what happened to all the come and stuff? It just magically disappeared?
cliche - you almost died now I can admit I love you
Cliche - sex in hospital bed (and he thinks the hospital floor isn't the cleanest place to kneel? The floor of a very expensive private hospital isn't clean? Compared to last place being outside a barn? Or the rent by the hour motel? But no the hospital has a dirty floor... That makes sense
what happened to the dog?! It's left inside Grants house then shit happens and the dog never mentioned again. Apparently it's been inside grants house alone for days. They hired ranch hands to fill in but couldn't get the dog? Really? And what happens to the dog when they flying all over? I hate when books have animals and then just forget about them when they're no longer convenient for the plot or the characters new rich lifestyle.
The sex did nothing for me. It never seemed right. Like it tried too hard and it just seemed odd and the sex dialogue wasn't good. I had to skim the sex stuff and even then it felt like a chore. The sex parts felt like replicas of scenes of read 100 times before.
September 19, 2013
3.5 stars bumped up to 4. Very good debut novel with an interesting world. I'm really hoping the author continues in this verse because there were a few loose ends and I want to see some of the minor characters get their HEA!
January 19, 2015
3.75 stars and I might round up....
Well, I'm trying to be stricter in my scoring since goodreads has no half stars and I tend to round up rather than down, but I definitely liked this book. Yup, actually I'm going for the rounding up after all!
This reminded me of Ricochet BDSM Universe which I've given 5 stars based on my memory of reading it on it's release in 2012 and being awestruck enough to stalk the author Xanthe Walter for more ever since (still waiting by the way!).
Touch Me Not is in a contemporary setting but with a paranormal effect in that the world is split between these sort of psychic dominant's and submissive's and they can form a connection that makes their powers stronger; but not with just anyone. So they all exude submissive calming healing vibes or dominant forceful obey me vibes and if two types (doesn't matter what sex they are) "recognise" each other by touch they can go on to bond fully through intercourse and time etc. I'm stressing this fact because I had this book in my TBR pile for a while and I had no idea there was such a strong fantasy element in this book or it would've got read sooner. Actually, as I'm recalling the story for this review I'm feeling I might even nudge up from 3.5 stars to 3.75 stars! It has quite a striking world building and though there were the odd iffy moments (occasional seemingly callous phrasing and disjointed portrayals, probably made from being a new author) it was very well done overall. And there was even an actual plot too! Aside from the one mentioned in the blurb there's a mystery involving the powers and I think definite space for sequels as well as though it's in no way a cliffhanger there are both characters and storylines that could be followed on.
I look forward to reading more by this author, especially in this world setting.
Well, I'm trying to be stricter in my scoring since goodreads has no half stars and I tend to round up rather than down, but I definitely liked this book. Yup, actually I'm going for the rounding up after all!
This reminded me of Ricochet BDSM Universe which I've given 5 stars based on my memory of reading it on it's release in 2012 and being awestruck enough to stalk the author Xanthe Walter for more ever since (still waiting by the way!).
Touch Me Not is in a contemporary setting but with a paranormal effect in that the world is split between these sort of psychic dominant's and submissive's and they can form a connection that makes their powers stronger; but not with just anyone. So they all exude submissive calming healing vibes or dominant forceful obey me vibes and if two types (doesn't matter what sex they are) "recognise" each other by touch they can go on to bond fully through intercourse and time etc. I'm stressing this fact because I had this book in my TBR pile for a while and I had no idea there was such a strong fantasy element in this book or it would've got read sooner. Actually, as I'm recalling the story for this review I'm feeling I might even nudge up from 3.5 stars to 3.75 stars! It has quite a striking world building and though there were the odd iffy moments (occasional seemingly callous phrasing and disjointed portrayals, probably made from being a new author) it was very well done overall. And there was even an actual plot too! Aside from the one mentioned in the blurb there's a mystery involving the powers and I think definite space for sequels as well as though it's in no way a cliffhanger there are both characters and storylines that could be followed on.
I look forward to reading more by this author, especially in this world setting.
April 10, 2014
An intriguing idea that ultimately devolved into a standard m/m shifter romance trope, with dom/sub taking the the roles of alpha/omega. There was good world building, a touch of danger, a smidgen of angst and some genuinely tender moments, all in all an enjoyable read.
August 28, 2014
2.5
Unmet potential with quite an amount of lose ends makes this book a frustrating, dissatisfying read. Pity.
Unmet potential with quite an amount of lose ends makes this book a frustrating, dissatisfying read. Pity.
November 26, 2016
3.5
Обычно даже не начинаю книги с таким низким рейтингом, но эта меня приятно удивила наличием сюжета.
Изначально я взялась за "Touch Me Not", потому что хотела чего-то похожего на Ricochet, но, как оказалось, единственное, что роднит эти два романа - общая идея о мире, в котором все люди делятся на домов и сабов. При этом здесь на самом деле BDSMа-то и нет, а сила, которой обладает каждый Дом, скорее напоминает волшебство.
Обычно даже не начинаю книги с таким низким рейтингом, но эта меня приятно удивила наличием сюжета.
Изначально я взялась за "Touch Me Not", потому что хотела чего-то похожего на Ricochet, но, как оказалось, единственное, что роднит эти два романа - общая идея о мире, в котором все люди делятся на домов и сабов. При этом здесь на самом деле BDSMа-то и нет, а сила, которой обладает каждый Дом, скорее напоминает волшебство.
January 26, 2025
What a completely intriguing and fascinating world Genna Donaghy has created in her debut novel. A world where people are separated into Dominants and submissives. Gender makes no difference, only power is important here, leaving the subs with no authority of any kind and little, to no, protection under the law. This makes it twice as hard for a sub to make a living without having a Dom-mate. Once a Dom and sub find each other and mate, each of them strengthens the other's inherent power, and a sub keeps a bonded Dom healthy and sane. I found this whole idea to be extraordinarily interesting as I've not seen another author create a world such as this.
Jake is a submissive, but he'll be darned if he advertises the fact. Being a loner and using aggressive type body language, Jake can fool most people, and that's all he cares about. He has no interest in finding his mate, which in this world is discovered through touch on skin of a Dom to a sub, somewhat like shifter stories. Going into town for a drink after Dom's from the Waterstone corporation were sent out to try to convince Jake to sell his land, again, he ends up taking pity on a Dom who has passed out on the street corner. Getting him settled in the motel across the street is one thing, having him reach out and place his hand on Jake's neck, triggering the possibility of them being mates, is a whole other thing. Until the binding ceremony is done, through sex, Jake can still run away. Once the binding is done, he is physically incapable of refusing an order from his Dom-mate. See what I meant about interesting?
Henry Waterstone wakes up in a dingy motel room, with a hangover from hell, blurrily aware that someone important is slipping out the door. When he finally figures it out and runs outside, his potential mate is gone. Tracking Jake down doesn't take too long, but when Henry is faced with Jake pointing a rifle at him, he is somewhat taken aback. Luckily for Jake, Henry seems to recognize that ordering Jake to put it down won't start their relationship off on a good foot. Unfortunately for Henry, Jake makes it very plain he doesn't want a mate, and Henry can see how terrified Jake is around a Dom. So, Henry makes the difficult decision to leave, making sure Jake has a way to contact him, but not pressuring him.
Now the story took an interesting turn. I had assumed (bad of me, I know) that as this was the author's debut novel, the rest of the tale would be about Henry trying to win Jake, Jake resisting, etc. until the happy ever after. Well, there certainly was some of that, but there was more going on in this rural area, driven by the acquisitions manager for Waterstone, someone who did not report to Henry. There was betrayal, murder, and some pretty intense Dom to Dom aggression.
I really enjoyed this story. The world building was creative and unique. If you're thinking that this is going to be a BDSM book, then you might want to look elsewhere for something to read. This world is inhabited by Doms and subs, but it's all about a power structure, with each individual having their own amount and type of power which gives them their designation in the order of things. Jake and Henry were each, individually, extremely strong in their own ways, but together, they were almost invincible. Their love story was good, but not the entire focus of the book. I thought the writing was very good and I would love to see more of this world from Genna Donaghy.
NOTE: This book was provided by Loose Id for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Jake is a submissive, but he'll be darned if he advertises the fact. Being a loner and using aggressive type body language, Jake can fool most people, and that's all he cares about. He has no interest in finding his mate, which in this world is discovered through touch on skin of a Dom to a sub, somewhat like shifter stories. Going into town for a drink after Dom's from the Waterstone corporation were sent out to try to convince Jake to sell his land, again, he ends up taking pity on a Dom who has passed out on the street corner. Getting him settled in the motel across the street is one thing, having him reach out and place his hand on Jake's neck, triggering the possibility of them being mates, is a whole other thing. Until the binding ceremony is done, through sex, Jake can still run away. Once the binding is done, he is physically incapable of refusing an order from his Dom-mate. See what I meant about interesting?
Henry Waterstone wakes up in a dingy motel room, with a hangover from hell, blurrily aware that someone important is slipping out the door. When he finally figures it out and runs outside, his potential mate is gone. Tracking Jake down doesn't take too long, but when Henry is faced with Jake pointing a rifle at him, he is somewhat taken aback. Luckily for Jake, Henry seems to recognize that ordering Jake to put it down won't start their relationship off on a good foot. Unfortunately for Henry, Jake makes it very plain he doesn't want a mate, and Henry can see how terrified Jake is around a Dom. So, Henry makes the difficult decision to leave, making sure Jake has a way to contact him, but not pressuring him.
Now the story took an interesting turn. I had assumed (bad of me, I know) that as this was the author's debut novel, the rest of the tale would be about Henry trying to win Jake, Jake resisting, etc. until the happy ever after. Well, there certainly was some of that, but there was more going on in this rural area, driven by the acquisitions manager for Waterstone, someone who did not report to Henry. There was betrayal, murder, and some pretty intense Dom to Dom aggression.
I really enjoyed this story. The world building was creative and unique. If you're thinking that this is going to be a BDSM book, then you might want to look elsewhere for something to read. This world is inhabited by Doms and subs, but it's all about a power structure, with each individual having their own amount and type of power which gives them their designation in the order of things. Jake and Henry were each, individually, extremely strong in their own ways, but together, they were almost invincible. Their love story was good, but not the entire focus of the book. I thought the writing was very good and I would love to see more of this world from Genna Donaghy.
NOTE: This book was provided by Loose Id for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
October 29, 2017
NEW RELEASE of previously published book. I was provided with an ARC by the author in return for an honest review
This was a pretty good story by a new-to-me author. I'd probably call it closer to 3.5 stars because it was a bit incomplete. I'm not a fan of AU but this was our world, just with a twist, where people are born with either Dominant or submissive natures. It also requires recognizing a destined mate through skin to skin touch, which does not always occur. When it does, the bond includes a mental one. Doms age quickly and can die young without a mate and subs also provide healing powers. The level or strength of dominance and submission can vary. There's no BDSM and on-page sex is minimal, which suits the page count.
Jake is a sub, who owns and runs his ranch alone and resists finding or attaching to a Dom-mate. He had bad experiences in childhood that make him fear the connection. Henry's father's company is in the area pressuring Jake to sell his ranch to get access to oil. Henry comes to check up on things, and of course they find out they are supposed to be mates. Jake resists and Henry pursues, but carefully. Then an outside, unexpected danger to Jake, Henry and the company appears.
It was an engaging and intriguing storyline, fairly well written with easily understood world building. The characterization was fair but there was too little background information, especially for Jake, considering the effect it was shown to have. The two major secondary characters were fleshed out pretty well, too. There were still some plot details that remained unresolved at the end. The antagonists simply dropped out of the story after the climactic events and we're left guessing what happens to them.
There is a second book coming, according to the authors notes at the end, so perhaps more information will be included there. So I did round up my rating, as I would like to find out what happens with Grant. It's a fast read and worth spending a couple of enjoyable hours reading.
This was a pretty good story by a new-to-me author. I'd probably call it closer to 3.5 stars because it was a bit incomplete. I'm not a fan of AU but this was our world, just with a twist, where people are born with either Dominant or submissive natures. It also requires recognizing a destined mate through skin to skin touch, which does not always occur. When it does, the bond includes a mental one. Doms age quickly and can die young without a mate and subs also provide healing powers. The level or strength of dominance and submission can vary. There's no BDSM and on-page sex is minimal, which suits the page count.
Jake is a sub, who owns and runs his ranch alone and resists finding or attaching to a Dom-mate. He had bad experiences in childhood that make him fear the connection. Henry's father's company is in the area pressuring Jake to sell his ranch to get access to oil. Henry comes to check up on things, and of course they find out they are supposed to be mates. Jake resists and Henry pursues, but carefully. Then an outside, unexpected danger to Jake, Henry and the company appears.
It was an engaging and intriguing storyline, fairly well written with easily understood world building. The characterization was fair but there was too little background information, especially for Jake, considering the effect it was shown to have. The two major secondary characters were fleshed out pretty well, too. There were still some plot details that remained unresolved at the end. The antagonists simply dropped out of the story after the climactic events and we're left guessing what happens to them.
There is a second book coming, according to the authors notes at the end, so perhaps more information will be included there. So I did round up my rating, as I would like to find out what happens with Grant. It's a fast read and worth spending a couple of enjoyable hours reading.
August 13, 2014
Wow, what a great book! I loved the alternate universe, it was a very interesting twist with the Doms and Subs. I look forward to reading more by this author and definitely more on this world.
November 26, 2013
This review can be found at The Blog of Sid Love.
3.5 stars
Jake Alric is a natural born sub who’s scarred by the memory of how a dom can abuse the sub they mate with. He lives his life with his head down and just wants to be left alone. He doesn’t want to mate with a dom because if he does, the ranch and his mind and body becomes his dom’s property but now Jake’s peaceful existence is threatened by an oil company trying to buy his land or take it by force. When Jake helps a drunk Henry Waterstone, he learns that the man is not only his mate but one of the executives of the oil company. Both their lives have just gotten more complicated beyond neither of them wanting to mate. Someone’s greed is screwing the ranchers’ over and it doesn’t take long before Henry and Jake to get sucked into the middle of it but when this happen, will their fledgeling, but incomplete, bond make things better… or worse?
I’m a big lover of fantasy and AU settings so reading this story was a real treat. The whole concept set around a world filled with subs and doms was just fascinating. Mixed with the abilities, mates and how it all comes together made this a really great premise. I loved the fact that, for a person to find their mate, they’d have to touch. The whole story centralizes on the concept of how a dom is supposed to protect their sub and a sub has the ability to strengthen and heal their dom (and sometimes others) but how some doms abuse the gift they’ve been given. It’s a very, very interesting concept and definitely unique. I both applaud and praise the author for creating such a world.
The characters were a great addition to the story as well. Jake is a strong sub but he’s stubborn. He’s set in his ways and refuses to mate because he’s seen the more evil side of how a dom treats a sub and he won’t live like that. Jake’s will is very strong, though, and Henry definitely has his work cut out for him when trying to prove to Jake he’s not like those other doms. Henry is the very definition of a dominant – strong, confident, almost arrogant. It was amusing but sweet to see him try to win Jake over and I absolutely adored his ways of breaking Jake’s notions of what a dom should and should not do.
While this story holds a unique premise, I found that it ended with a lot of open-ended questions. The conflict was a little predictable but when all is said and done, I’m still left with questions related to the side characters. What will happen to Ezra now? What about the other ranchers’ properties? I enjoyed the story and the characters but I just felt like it ended before the whole story could be settled even though most of the issues with the main characters are addressed. Beyond that, I wished we could have gotten to know both Henry and Jake a little better before they professed their love because I didn’t exactly feel it.
With that said, this was definitely a good story. Very different than I’ve read before as the author took the general role of BDSM – doms and subs – and made a whole world out of it, each with their own abilities. But most of all, I liked the issues both characters brought to the table. There’s a sequel in the works and I’m really looking forward to it (and secretly hoping it’ll be about Grant and Ezra!).
3.5 stars
Jake Alric is a natural born sub who’s scarred by the memory of how a dom can abuse the sub they mate with. He lives his life with his head down and just wants to be left alone. He doesn’t want to mate with a dom because if he does, the ranch and his mind and body becomes his dom’s property but now Jake’s peaceful existence is threatened by an oil company trying to buy his land or take it by force. When Jake helps a drunk Henry Waterstone, he learns that the man is not only his mate but one of the executives of the oil company. Both their lives have just gotten more complicated beyond neither of them wanting to mate. Someone’s greed is screwing the ranchers’ over and it doesn’t take long before Henry and Jake to get sucked into the middle of it but when this happen, will their fledgeling, but incomplete, bond make things better… or worse?
I’m a big lover of fantasy and AU settings so reading this story was a real treat. The whole concept set around a world filled with subs and doms was just fascinating. Mixed with the abilities, mates and how it all comes together made this a really great premise. I loved the fact that, for a person to find their mate, they’d have to touch. The whole story centralizes on the concept of how a dom is supposed to protect their sub and a sub has the ability to strengthen and heal their dom (and sometimes others) but how some doms abuse the gift they’ve been given. It’s a very, very interesting concept and definitely unique. I both applaud and praise the author for creating such a world.
The characters were a great addition to the story as well. Jake is a strong sub but he’s stubborn. He’s set in his ways and refuses to mate because he’s seen the more evil side of how a dom treats a sub and he won’t live like that. Jake’s will is very strong, though, and Henry definitely has his work cut out for him when trying to prove to Jake he’s not like those other doms. Henry is the very definition of a dominant – strong, confident, almost arrogant. It was amusing but sweet to see him try to win Jake over and I absolutely adored his ways of breaking Jake’s notions of what a dom should and should not do.
While this story holds a unique premise, I found that it ended with a lot of open-ended questions. The conflict was a little predictable but when all is said and done, I’m still left with questions related to the side characters. What will happen to Ezra now? What about the other ranchers’ properties? I enjoyed the story and the characters but I just felt like it ended before the whole story could be settled even though most of the issues with the main characters are addressed. Beyond that, I wished we could have gotten to know both Henry and Jake a little better before they professed their love because I didn’t exactly feel it.
With that said, this was definitely a good story. Very different than I’ve read before as the author took the general role of BDSM – doms and subs – and made a whole world out of it, each with their own abilities. But most of all, I liked the issues both characters brought to the table. There’s a sequel in the works and I’m really looking forward to it (and secretly hoping it’ll be about Grant and Ezra!).
June 6, 2015
3.5 stars
This was a very interesting story, I absolutely loved the premise here. In this alternate universe pairings are not divided into gender and sexual preference or orientation, but into dominants and submissives. You can have voluntary relations ship, and even marry whomever you choose, but these relationships will automatically be dissolved if one of the partners meet one of their true mates.
True mates are hard to find - only a handful of people will be able to fulfill this for a person and the only way to find them is through touch.
Jake is a sub, who owns his own ranch - a rarity in a society where doms own everything, including their subs - and he is NOT looking to be mated, thank you very much.
A big corporation is moving in to the area, trying to gain the mineral rights over the lands and they want Jake's property.
Henry, a powerful dom, is overseeing the operations of obtaining the mineral rights in the area and is not looking to be mated either. But when he accidentally stumbles upon his mate, he is not going to accept rejection.
I enjoyed both of the MC's and their 'mating dance' with one another. The strong connection between them, made it a very interesting read. INterestingly enough, there was hardly any sex in the story, which surprised me, considering the premise this story was built upon. But it didn't suffer from it.
There was a very interesting world built here, and I would have loved to have known more. Unfortunately, I felt that I was left with too many loose ends and holes in my knowledge, which is why I cannot rate it any higher...
I don't know if the author plans a sequel, but if she did, I would read it and hope that the story brought me the answers I was left without in this one.
This was a very interesting story, I absolutely loved the premise here. In this alternate universe pairings are not divided into gender and sexual preference or orientation, but into dominants and submissives. You can have voluntary relations ship, and even marry whomever you choose, but these relationships will automatically be dissolved if one of the partners meet one of their true mates.
True mates are hard to find - only a handful of people will be able to fulfill this for a person and the only way to find them is through touch.
Jake is a sub, who owns his own ranch - a rarity in a society where doms own everything, including their subs - and he is NOT looking to be mated, thank you very much.
A big corporation is moving in to the area, trying to gain the mineral rights over the lands and they want Jake's property.
Henry, a powerful dom, is overseeing the operations of obtaining the mineral rights in the area and is not looking to be mated either. But when he accidentally stumbles upon his mate, he is not going to accept rejection.
I enjoyed both of the MC's and their 'mating dance' with one another. The strong connection between them, made it a very interesting read. INterestingly enough, there was hardly any sex in the story, which surprised me, considering the premise this story was built upon. But it didn't suffer from it.
There was a very interesting world built here, and I would have loved to have known more. Unfortunately, I felt that I was left with too many loose ends and holes in my knowledge, which is why I cannot rate it any higher...
I don't know if the author plans a sequel, but if she did, I would read it and hope that the story brought me the answers I was left without in this one.
February 11, 2014
Написано оч. хорошо, но автор создала на редкость омерзительное социальное устройство общества. Не знаю, насколько у нее это осознанно получилось, но половина упомянутых пар состоит в насильственных отношениях. И абьюз сабов в том мире норма.
В какой-то степени торчат уши омега-верса - в той части, что у сабов нет полноценных человеческих и гражданских прав, и что относятся к ним скорее как к забавным зверушкам, хотя в авторское намерение это, по ходу, не входило. То есть я ее мир восприняла как антиутопию, в которой сабу сразу проще застрелиться, чем выжить.
По самому тексту есть несколько вопросов, но у меня такое чувство, что это начало серии, поэтому меня оборванные сюжетные линии не напрягли.
В какой-то степени торчат уши омега-верса - в той части, что у сабов нет полноценных человеческих и гражданских прав, и что относятся к ним скорее как к забавным зверушкам, хотя в авторское намерение это, по ходу, не входило. То есть я ее мир восприняла как антиутопию, в которой сабу сразу проще застрелиться, чем выжить.
По самому тексту есть несколько вопросов, но у меня такое чувство, что это начало серии, поэтому меня оборванные сюжетные линии не напрягли.
September 18, 2013
I'm positively impressed in Genna's Donaghy début novel.
Here we have a light bdsm romance between Jake, strong willed sub, and Henry, a strong willed Dom with extra strong Dominant mental will.
The whole concept of "Dom/Sub universe" was unique, I liked the whole idea. I liked both MC's, Jake mostly because of his strong will. His deeper need to be his on man, even if being a sub he wished to be free. The main idea is about having a mental power over a Sub. So yeah the concept was interesting.
Here we have a light bdsm romance between Jake, strong willed sub, and Henry, a strong willed Dom with extra strong Dominant mental will.
The whole concept of "Dom/Sub universe" was unique, I liked the whole idea. I liked both MC's, Jake mostly because of his strong will. His deeper need to be his on man, even if being a sub he wished to be free. The main idea is about having a mental power over a Sub. So yeah the concept was interesting.
December 7, 2018
There were so many damn plot holes you’ll think this is the surface of the Moon.
Seriously. Too many to count.
Hated how Jake because so submissive at the end even though he kept saying he was always going to remain strong.
What happened to Ezra? To the poor sheriff? To the younger brother Jake abandoned when he was a kid? What happened to his parents? How come the twins were apparently “interested” in the Sheriff just out of nowhere? What happens with Henry’s brother? What happened to what’s-his-face, the evil dominant guy? What happened to his submissive?
I honestly thought this was part one since there were so many holes I thought the author made a 2nd part to explain them.
Also I skipped all (2 1/2??) the sex scenes. They dint even made my nipples tingle.
Seriously. Too many to count.
Hated how Jake because so submissive at the end even though he kept saying he was always going to remain strong.
What happened to Ezra? To the poor sheriff? To the younger brother Jake abandoned when he was a kid? What happened to his parents? How come the twins were apparently “interested” in the Sheriff just out of nowhere? What happens with Henry’s brother? What happened to what’s-his-face, the evil dominant guy? What happened to his submissive?
I honestly thought this was part one since there were so many holes I thought the author made a 2nd part to explain them.
Also I skipped all (2 1/2??) the sex scenes. They dint even made my nipples tingle.
July 6, 2017
Fascinating universe
I love books set in alternate universes, and this one was extremely interesting and different from anything I'd read before. Instead of male/female being the most important division in the culture, dominant/submissive is the key dynamic to understanding relationships.
When you add a fun love story to this set up, the result was a great read.
I love books set in alternate universes, and this one was extremely interesting and different from anything I'd read before. Instead of male/female being the most important division in the culture, dominant/submissive is the key dynamic to understanding relationships.
When you add a fun love story to this set up, the result was a great read.
November 7, 2017
I enjoyed this story best of the ones from this author. It's more of an alpha/omega situation than dom/sub. Jake is fiercely independent and cares deeply about his ranch. The man whom he thought would be an enemy becomes his protector, and Jake also helps save them both.
Typo: ticced (involuntary muscle movement) is spelled with a k.
Typo: ticced (involuntary muscle movement) is spelled with a k.
June 7, 2017
Love this book. It's one of my comfort reads.
April 27, 2018
Interesting Alpha/omega world building. Lots of action. Needed just a tad more relationship development. Several plot holes.
October 29, 2013
3.5 Stars
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review
Jake Alric really wants to be left alone. He doesn’t want to find his dominant, he wants to tend to his cattle ranch and be left in peace. Too bad for him the oil company is sending dominants to try and force Jake into selling his land. Just maybe one of them will be his potential mate. Subs don’t really have much legal control of anything once they enter a relationship. If the oil company had a dominant that worked for them, they could control Jake’s land. Jake goes to the bar to wallow in his problems. He gets too drunk to drive home and notices a dominant falling down in front of the bar. Almost in the street. Jake goes to help him and gets him a room at the motel across the street. Jake did a good job of allowing no skin contact between the two of them, but they accidentally touch and are potential mates. Jake can’t bring himself to leave and sleeps next to the man, who’s name is Henry, all night. Henry awakes in a strange place and sees his potential mate running out the door. Henry phones in his cousin for help. His wallet and phone had been stolen the previous night and he has no way to track down his mate. His potential mate. Henry has to take care of some business but is finally able to make it out to the ranch of his potential mate. Despite feeling hugely attracted to each other, Jake wants nothing to do with Henry. Especially when he learns he’s Henry Waterstone, of Waterstone Oil.
Jake is a strong sub who needs a strong dominant as a partner. Henry is a strong dominant, but Jake also spent his childhood watching a strong dominant break the will of sub. Jake is afraid all relationships will be as bad as his parents’ was. Henry is willing to woo Jake to get a relationship with him. He spends time with Jake and talks to him as opposed to simply forcing his submission. Henry wants Jake to want him. Amidst the budding relationship between Henry and Jake, the local ranches are still being bought up. The kicker is, Waterstone Oil merely wants the mineral rights and has been leasing them from the owners of the ranches. While investigating the purchases, Henry manages to get himself caught by a very unscrupulous couple with an eerily strong dominant willing to do terrible things. Rescuing Henry and saving the local ranches may be the hardest thing Jake ever has to do.
This book was fun. It’s not the first book I’ve read with the premise we’re all born either dominant or submissive and gender doesn’t matter, but it was very well done nonetheless. I felt the bad guy was suitably creepy. I like that it was a bad couple and the badness of one or both members was left in question. Did a good sub marry a bad dom or vice versa? Or did two bad people hook up and become a bad force to be reckoned with? I also like the secondary characters didn’t have their stories wrapped up in a nice bow. It leaves the possibility of sequels open. I would certainly read them.
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review
Jake Alric really wants to be left alone. He doesn’t want to find his dominant, he wants to tend to his cattle ranch and be left in peace. Too bad for him the oil company is sending dominants to try and force Jake into selling his land. Just maybe one of them will be his potential mate. Subs don’t really have much legal control of anything once they enter a relationship. If the oil company had a dominant that worked for them, they could control Jake’s land. Jake goes to the bar to wallow in his problems. He gets too drunk to drive home and notices a dominant falling down in front of the bar. Almost in the street. Jake goes to help him and gets him a room at the motel across the street. Jake did a good job of allowing no skin contact between the two of them, but they accidentally touch and are potential mates. Jake can’t bring himself to leave and sleeps next to the man, who’s name is Henry, all night. Henry awakes in a strange place and sees his potential mate running out the door. Henry phones in his cousin for help. His wallet and phone had been stolen the previous night and he has no way to track down his mate. His potential mate. Henry has to take care of some business but is finally able to make it out to the ranch of his potential mate. Despite feeling hugely attracted to each other, Jake wants nothing to do with Henry. Especially when he learns he’s Henry Waterstone, of Waterstone Oil.
Jake is a strong sub who needs a strong dominant as a partner. Henry is a strong dominant, but Jake also spent his childhood watching a strong dominant break the will of sub. Jake is afraid all relationships will be as bad as his parents’ was. Henry is willing to woo Jake to get a relationship with him. He spends time with Jake and talks to him as opposed to simply forcing his submission. Henry wants Jake to want him. Amidst the budding relationship between Henry and Jake, the local ranches are still being bought up. The kicker is, Waterstone Oil merely wants the mineral rights and has been leasing them from the owners of the ranches. While investigating the purchases, Henry manages to get himself caught by a very unscrupulous couple with an eerily strong dominant willing to do terrible things. Rescuing Henry and saving the local ranches may be the hardest thing Jake ever has to do.
This book was fun. It’s not the first book I’ve read with the premise we’re all born either dominant or submissive and gender doesn’t matter, but it was very well done nonetheless. I felt the bad guy was suitably creepy. I like that it was a bad couple and the badness of one or both members was left in question. Did a good sub marry a bad dom or vice versa? Or did two bad people hook up and become a bad force to be reckoned with? I also like the secondary characters didn’t have their stories wrapped up in a nice bow. It leaves the possibility of sequels open. I would certainly read them.
February 18, 2017
Interesting new series
I thought that this was an interesting take on the fated mate trope. While the terms dom & sub were used, I'm not sure that I fully understand how different this is from the more typical alpha/omega pairing. Maybe just because of the dom/sub titles, I was expecting some form of BDSM, but (again like the alpha/omega stories) the dom is just genetically more agressive than the sub with some kind of psychic extras. Similarly, the sub is less aggressiv and has the ability to psychically calm, and sometimes heal.
I will definitely be reading Grant's book as soon as possible.
I thought that this was an interesting take on the fated mate trope. While the terms dom & sub were used, I'm not sure that I fully understand how different this is from the more typical alpha/omega pairing. Maybe just because of the dom/sub titles, I was expecting some form of BDSM, but (again like the alpha/omega stories) the dom is just genetically more agressive than the sub with some kind of psychic extras. Similarly, the sub is less aggressiv and has the ability to psychically calm, and sometimes heal.
I will definitely be reading Grant's book as soon as possible.
February 23, 2017
Exceeded my expectations, the only point that had me irked was I wanted more explanation into Skinner's sub's abilities were.
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September 10, 2015This is a very creative take on the mate mythology, without getting werewolves/vampires involved, and an interesting take on the dom/sub relationship dynamics. I'd give this author 5 stars just for her imagination alone, but that isn't necessary because she's also a great writer and I enjoyed this from the start to end. This is a well thought out story between two men who go against the norm for the society/world that was created. Both Jake and Henry weren't looking for their other half, for understandable reasons, but both were truly lonely and perfect for each other. I never questioned why these two should be together and I can normally find something that makes me think there’s a better person out there for at least one of the MCs. I generally like more sex in my stories, but given Jake's past and aversion to being touched, it made sense that there wouldn't be and I accepted that in the context of this situation. The sex that is there is decent, though it could’ve been hotter and/or more explicit. The story starts with a bang, making you see just how cruel the world can be for those like Jake, and never lets up. He is a very sympathetic character. The storyline that runs concurrent to the love story is fraught with suspense and intrigue, but it tied in well to the plot. My only real issue is price: it was too high. However, the premise and sample were so good that I decided to allow myself to get robbed and I can’t say I regret it, though it annoys me. I hope to see another book in this world, hopefully reasonably priced (I suggest no more than $3.99), and expect there to be as there were loose ends, unrelated to the MCs, to be tied up. Hence, I highly recommend this story if you've got $5.99 lying around and you're looking for a great read for a promising writer. Kudos.
January 17, 2015
This was a really interesting premise. Unfortunately, I wasn't as wowed by the plot as I was the idea of it. To be honest I'm not even sure what this one needed to make it better. Maybe a second book in the series would help to better explain the universe and actually go into detail about Jake and how he's finally actually healed from his past fears.
Complete side note. Anyone else find it funny that Jake's real last name was LaBoeuf? Cause he's a cattle farmer, get it? Just me? Okay, I thought it was funny. Though for a man with a french last name you'd think he'd be able to pronounce the name of his french cattle.
Sure, I'd recommend anyone looking for an unconventional take on a modern d/s relationship with one head strong sub and his very respectful dom.
Complete side note. Anyone else find it funny that Jake's real last name was LaBoeuf? Cause he's a cattle farmer, get it? Just me? Okay, I thought it was funny. Though for a man with a french last name you'd think he'd be able to pronounce the name of his french cattle.
Sure, I'd recommend anyone looking for an unconventional take on a modern d/s relationship with one head strong sub and his very respectful dom.
July 17, 2016
1st read June 29, 2014
Yep, just as good the second time around.
I loved the original premise of this book. Jake and Henry live in an alternative universe where dominants rule the world and subs are almost second class citizens. Jake, who is a sub, is running a ranch and staying far away from the corporate doms who are taking over the town because with one touch the bonding process can start and Jake is terrified of having his independence taken from him. One accidental touch with Henry and his world is turned upside down. Henry is such a wonderful character, he does want Jake, but he is okay with making the relationship work for both of them.
Yep, just as good the second time around.
I loved the original premise of this book. Jake and Henry live in an alternative universe where dominants rule the world and subs are almost second class citizens. Jake, who is a sub, is running a ranch and staying far away from the corporate doms who are taking over the town because with one touch the bonding process can start and Jake is terrified of having his independence taken from him. One accidental touch with Henry and his world is turned upside down. Henry is such a wonderful character, he does want Jake, but he is okay with making the relationship work for both of them.
October 24, 2013
It's safe to say that I'll be looking forward to the next book by this new author. I finished it at one go, and with my busy schedule that's saying something. Usually I'm steering away from stories with instalove because they tend to be unrealistic (come on, can a person really fall in love and decide to spend the rest of his life with that one special someone, in a span of a day or two), but in this case it felt quite possible and real.
Give it a try! ^^
I hope that this book will turn out to be a series. ;)
Give it a try! ^^
I hope that this book will turn out to be a series. ;)
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