To Serve and Submit

Marja Duology #1

by Susan Wright

Between domination and subservience exists a realm of sensual fantasy unlike any ever dreamed.  Marja was born a child of the fens, young, beautiful, and free. Her days were spent working with her poor family and communing with the ethereal olfs—the playful spirits of the land—until Lexander, a procurer for the pleasure house of Vidaris, comes to her small village and purchases her from her father.   At Vidaris, Marja is schooled as a slave in the arts of seduction and carnal delight. Though frightened at first, Marja grows to love her master and discovers her nature as a true submissive. But when Lexander grants Marja her freedom, she finds herself swept away in a raging torrent of betrayal and intrigue that threatens her beloved land. And Marja will have to use all her strength, skills, and cunning to survive in the war that is about to engulf them all...

Genres: Fantasy, Erotica, Romance, BDSM, Fiction, Paranormal, Travel

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2006

About the author

See also S.L. Wright

Susan Wright (aka S.L. Wright) is a USA Today Bestselling author of more than two dozen novels and nonfiction books. She writes New Adult Contemporary Romance novels, as well as Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Science Fiction and Star Trek novels, and has been published by Pocket Books, Penguin Group, St. Martin’s Press and Kensington.

Reviews

[Witch · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I trudged through this until page 263, where I stopped. I know I could have finished it, but I just didn't want to waste my time.

There is no depth to any of the characters, and the only one I felt I "knew" was the narrator herself, Marja, who was naive as hell. Marja's transition into a pleasure slave was too brief to be interesting, and the "love" between her and Lexander is based on hardly anything. Don't get me started on Silveta either. Marja's devotion to Silveta was just so unbelievable considering Silveta turned out to be such a moron--complaining about everything and turning out to be this weakling. Blegh, cause I'd follow such a leader.

Also, Susan Wright, as a writer? She describes everything with simple sentences that lack any passion needed to make a novel memorable. I've read similar quality on FanFiction.net which is ironic, because Wright's other novels are Star Trek novels.

The only part of this book I liked was the olfs. I'm still not sure what they are, but I liked them.

[Iben · Rating 1 out of 5]

I began reading this book in 2010 i think and gave up, or at least put it aside because I allways finish my books. Then a couple of days ago (fall 2011) I decided it was time to get it over with, so I got it out again, and what I can say is that I was right the first time, this book doesn't deserve to be read.

Okay, how best to describe why it was that bad, let's start with: "What is wrong with this girl?!" I don't think I have ever read a book where I said this as much (yeah I talk to my books ;) deal with it). Marja is a girl sold by her father to a man who trains pleasureslaves. You might think that this would make a good book, a girl who has to escape or fend for herself trying to outrun the title of pleasureslave, but you would be wrong. Marja is a very weak girl. She not only accepts her father's desicion without complaint, she is extremely thankfull to her him. And the reason she gives that this was good for her and maybe not so much for others: "it speaks to my submissive nature". Everytime she said that I was about to rip the book apart.
On top of this the book has the biggest cliche ever: Marja falls in love with her master, who of course is sorry for all he has done to her and others. Oh come on just give me something to work with here!
Anyway Marja has to help a nobelwoman, Silvia. Silvia is supposed to be this strong, independed and selfsacrificing woman, but she can't do anything by herself. If she was left to her own devices she would sit and wallow in her own guilt and sorrow.
And the only two ways Marja can think of helping her is, either having her master deal with the problem or having sex with someone.
Marjas master is incrediably annoying, he has moodswings all the time for no reason at all. A third of the time he sais: "I don't deserve you, you must leave me and live your life", then he loves her fiercely and it seems he will never let her go. And then he gets angry with her, for the smallest things, where he often has no idea what has happened.

Susan Wright also took it upon herself to create some spirit creatures. In my opinion this was a waste of time. These make no sence and we never really find out what they are. They just seem to be fond of Marja and Silvia and love to do everyting Marja asks of them.


The language is very dull and repeding. And everytime anyone wants to say "it is" they say "tis". I never realised I could get so worked up over language (I mean sure it is important but still if the plot is there I can deal), but it really drove me nuts.

So I would not recommend this book to anyone unless you are looking for something to tear apart.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thumbnail review: Imagine if Kushiel's Dart was significantly trimmed and most of the kinky sex bits were removed, and set in a pseudo-Norse world where the Norse had held their settlements in North America.

If you're looking for smut, be warned; the cover and back cover blurb make promises the story doesn't keep. The naughty bits, except for two scenes, aren't very detailed at all. If your main reason for buying this book is erotic, you will be disappointed.

While the adventures in this book are fast-paced, the quality of the narrative would be improved if the characters didn't make a number of obvious mistakes that land them in hot water. There's a roughly 30-page detour around two-thirds of the way into the book that takes place because the main character does not see what the author has made plain to the reader for quite a long time.

I found Marja and her world intriguing. However, I didn't find Lexander to be a compelling character, and found Marja's romance with him to be the weakest point in the book - a problem, since it's also one of the driving forces of the narrative. I might read the next book if it tells me more about where Lexander comes from, and the wider world they live in.

[Stephanie Krause · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The story wasn't awful, but I didn't care for Ms. Wright's writing at all. I think sometimes the word choices were awkward, and I am otherwise unable to describe what I didn't like about it...

I am plowing through the sequel, but I think I will be pleased to be done with this pair of books. :-\

[Lover of Fantasy Novels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should have known better than to trust a friend's, with a knack for enjoying destructive relationships, book recommendation.

My god was I bored with the whole plot, it really wasn't all that interesting and to be frank I've read better erotica in fanfiction pieces. Truthfully, I think the author has a craving for consensual nonconsenual sex in reality-pray that she takes care of this itch before writing her next fictional piece- but chose to focus on sexually humiliating the protagonist just to be edgy. I swear this book was nothing more than one big mess of "Who all can rape the protagonist?"

This book is a worthless read that makes you question what else could have been done with the time spent reading it. In fact, I tried giving the 1/4 finished book back but friend swore it got better so I trudged along with a small glimmer of hope...worst decision of my life!

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion this book started strong but weakened as it progressed. I knew it was going to be a raunchy BDSM-themed fantasy novel, and I am pretty much always OK with that, but I wasn't sure what kind of vibe I was supposed to get from this. The narrator starts off as allegedly being "the perfect submissive" but then oddly there isn't a lot of BDSM that goes on with her plot line beyond being bound in pretty poses. Then by the end she demands a kind of equality with her Master that seems to defy the notion of being a perfect submissive. . . but what do I know? Even with the title it wasn't really more than just a raunchy fantasy novel, the BDSM element is beyond mild, so those looking for more might well spend their time looking past this one.

[Nelleywelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had loved this book as a late tern not knowing anything much. I have the decided to read it again as I'm much much older. And if you are to just take it to face value you would be pretty upset. You got to travel back to when you believe the vikings were still roaming and the very bare things of life were people believed that their were spirits in every living aspect that Gods were the wind and rain. It was an easy read and everyone has their own view on life this was the view from someone who was naive and her view on life was shaped by another person and many human traffickers may think just like her but in a modern way.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may have been the craziest book I have ever read. You would think with the title, subject matter, and the cover it would be smut but it really wasnt. There was a little bit but nothing to write home about. Seriously who thinks to write a whole story based on willing sex slaves? Hmmm Don't ask me, I was weird enough to read it...

[Makenzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I originally picked up this book due to its illustrious title. Overall, the book was seductive and mildly arousing at parts but never got so detailed or dirty that I would refer to it as smut. As far as the storyline goes, if you enjoy magic and romance set in an older time period that you will enjoy the story. It started out slow and took me a while to get used to the language (olfs for elfs), unusual names of characters and lands. But once I got past that I genuinely enjoyed the storyline and push/pull romance between Marja and Lexander. I do wish there would have been more character development as I feel like we were left out to knowing more about the characters. Some of the scenes felt dragged on while others were extremely short and could have used more detail. Overall it was a good read but nothing I would particularly go out of my way to continue the series.

[Jyvur Entropy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Look at that cover. Let’s not be coy; we all know why I picked this book up. So wtf is my smut? No graphic sex or even graphic BDSM training scenes. All the good stuff is glossed over. Then the protagonist gets raped and I was just over it. I didn’t pick this up for some emotional hard-hitting story. I had a more...ahem...physical affect that I was after. I didn’t get it. At all. Why the fuck this erotica cover has an actual book in it? Don’t put smutty pictures on stories with more character arc than graphic sex. I picked this up for the smut!

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent blending of the relationship between master & servant in an earthly fantasy setting. Enjoyed the conflict between the people of the land spirits (olfs) vs. those followers of krshna. I don't know enough about history to provide any definite correlations but overall it reminded me of an ancient british / celt/ clan allegory. I really enjoyed it, though i am not a regular fantasy fiction reader.

[Shaqela · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t as bad as I was led to believe. It’s by no means amazing either. Some parts were tough to get through like her proclamation of her “submissive nature” phase. Also the book cover and title are very misleading. I originally thought I was about to get some spice but it’s a very beginner friendly romance novel. If you’re into Vikings and not wanting a lot of in-depth romance then you may enjoy this book. There’s a fair amount of action and betrayal.

[Layla Szczepaniec · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most exciting and erotic novels i have ever read. I love the Norse-like fantasy world it is set in and the characters. Very spicy.

[Crystal Sarakas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book when I came across it, enough that I bought it and the sequel at the same time.

From the jacket:

Marja was born a child of the fens, young, beautiful, and free. Her days were spent working with her poor family and communing with the ethereal olfs-the playful spirits of the land-until Lexander, a procurer for the pleasure house of Vidaris, comes to her small village and purchases her from her father.

At Vidaris, Marja is schooled as a slave in the arts of seduction and carnal delight-and discovers her nature as a true submissive. But when Lexander grants Marja her freedom, she finds herself swept away in a torrent of betrayal and intrigue that threatens her beloved land. And Marja will have to use all her strength, skills, and cunning to survive in the war that is about to engulf them all.


It sounded promising, a promise upheld only by the first couple of chapters. I love books that hint as luscious worldbuilding, and am fascinated by the concept of 'pleasure slaves.' So Marja is taken to Vidaris and her training commences ... and my enjoyment begins to wane.

The writing is fine, but moves too quickly, dipping into Marja's 'transformation' from fey child-woman to sensual, passionate pleasure-slave with no real depth or development. Then the story moves into the real plot - that of Lexander sending Marja away, where she is thrust into a series of events that leave her assisting one woman who tries to reclaim control over her land.

Unfortunately for the author, the story and characters bear too much resemblance to Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series, with her submissive heroine who embarks on a quest to save a land. Compared to Carey's fascinating world and unforgettable characters, that resemblance means that Wright's story comes out very much on the bottom, and not in a good way.

[Kyle Belote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people will not like this book for the simple fact that sex plays a huge part in the MC's life. Let me set the record straight: this isn't book porn. There is a story that happens to have sex in it. Sometimes it's a paragraph summary, and sometimes it's more. The book is in first-person narration, and for me, I typically hate and despise this type of style–a personal preference. The book is well-written, far better than the typical crap getting published today. Many famous authors just phone it in after they made a name for themselves, and people gobble it up. They are buying a name, not characters or stories. For me, this author has found a new fan, and that's saying a lot coming from me as I am quite selective. I expect a certain level of quality in writing and story, and she delivered. Well done, Susan Wright.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

All i want to say is if you have read Kushiel's Dart then you will like this book. It is real simmilar to Kushiel's Dart in plot. They are different enough from each other in my opinion to make them each there own, but when i read one, i am reminded of somthing simialr in the other. They both have girls turned into sex slaves, and politics, war, and the heroine saving the day plots. I hope this does not deter anyone from reading any of these books. I really liked them both.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

somehow, Wright manages to write this without being gratuitously sexual or crude. She finds a way to tastefully give pleasure slaves voices and fears and desires. And also, Wright is not afraid to make her heroine submit (that's the best word I can think of, even though I'm really not just talking about in the bedroom). This main character has an amazing survival instinct that calls to the reader in ways that pride couldn't.

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is by no means a masterpiece, however I was pleasantly surprised how complete the story was around the sex scenes. What I'd originally picked up because the cover was gorgeous turned out to be an actually enjoyable book. Found it on a used book shelf in Barnes and Noble, think I'll be keeping this one.

[Allegra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly cute story. It's packaged as erotica but most of the sex isn't particularly graphic, and there isn't that much of it. Marja, the main character, agrees to become a sex slave because she wants adventure. She winds up entangled in a fight over who is going to rule her homeland. The plot meanders a bit, but I might pick up the second book.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fantasy takeoff on a nordic viking adventure with lots of sex thrown in. A bit dull in places. The hero and heroine are not very convincing. Not worth a read excepting for the novelty of the offering which is definitely different from most of what I have read.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story wasn't terrible, and the Norse - like fictional setting/mythology had some promise, but the characters were mostly transparent. I gave it a shot, but reading this was enough. No sequel for me.

[Bkwyrm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up in disgust. Bleh. Like Jacqueline Carey without the interesting world, interesting characters, or interesting sex.

[Seloy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Considering how much I like dark fantasy... I didn't like this one.

[Christine Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me over a week to read. But,I am glad I finished it. Was intriguing .

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

wasn't quiet sure about this one but halfway through & reminds me of other fantasy novels I like the way the author brings you into Marja's world very good

[Alli · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was well written, I'll give it that. I've definitely read worse books, but it just wasn't that interesting. Very slow, somewhat boring.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 2 out of 5]

2

[Rachel Clifton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gah! Couldn't get through it. It looks and sounds like such a good read...but saddly, not worth it.

[Jessica Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book! Exciting and interesting at once. I really like the main characters too.

[Keith Rotert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drawn out