Under Contract

by Lee Hawke

Trigger Warning: This book contains extensive BDSM themes as well as depictions of implied non‑consent, sexualized violence, and abusive power dynamics within the world‑building. While written as dark romance erotica, many readers have found the content intense, extreme, and disturbing. This story is set within an elite society that uses people for entertainment without regard for their autonomy or well‑being. Please proceed with caution & within your comfort level.

Premise: Alice is a normal, boring young woman who leads a normal, boring life - that is, until a handsome stranger approaches her and Alice is convinced to do things she could never have imagined.

The intrigue and mystery unfold as she learns more about the stranger and the world in which he lives, but being with this man is more dangerous than she thought possible, and soon she begins to wonder if her series of bold moves will be her undoing as she gets swept deeper into his world.

372 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2024

Reviews

[Brianne Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Hawke’s novel asserts itself within the extreme erotic fiction landscape as a work of strong psychological impact, deliberately focusing on exploring the boundaries of consent and control within a ruthless elite society. The text's fluidity develops through the drastic transformation of the protagonist, Alice, who leaves her ordinary routine behind after being drawn by a handsome stranger into a vortex of extreme and unimaginable experiences. The prose adopts a tight, dark, and highly mysterious tone, making it ideal for portraying a narrative universe dominated by heavy BDSM themes, abusive power dynamics, and psychological violence designed for a mature and cautious audience. I valued the raw honesty in charting the escalating danger surrounding the protagonist, whose series of bold choices risks leading to her ultimate undoing within a world that treats individuals as mere tools for entertainment. This reading deeply enriches the dark romance genre because it makes no effort to sanitize the gray areas of toxic bonds, instead highlighting their disturbing nature and the absolute lack of autonomy for those involved. It represents a choice directed exclusively toward readers who wish to engage with intense, explicit, and intentionally provocative psychological suspense

[Linda Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Please read the trigger warnings although I did and they need to be more explicit. This is an intense book. While it says it is about BDSM, it is about sadists. Alice meets a man who targeted her for his "club". These rich people have a "club" where they humiliate, torment, even imprison, and torture young people for a period of time. Typically the "guests' are targeted by choosing young people who are desperate for money or something else, are curious about the lifestyle, and will not be missed. Supposedly, they have a safe word, but in the whole book, it was not used once. Of course, in most situations, it was even not phyusically possible.
If you like extreme stories, this is your book. While I enjoy books incorporating consensual BDSM or power exchange, this book was hard for me to read. I kept waiting for the tide to turn and this "club" to get their just desserts. Only one person does. There is no HEA.
I do not like to ppost bad reviews as I feel authors work hard at their craft. The book was well wroitten with interesting character growth. But as a reader, you need to be aware, this is not a romance, it is a book about extremely rough sex.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. Read this now! Detailed storyline. Read the trigger warning if that might bother you. Couldn’t put it down. Graphic at times. Storyline moved at a good pace and was easy to follow along with. Character interaction was interesting to read about. Characters in the club certainly got more than they bargained for. This was definitely my kind of story. Absolutely recommend this phenomenal story!!!!

ARC provided via Pen Pinery
https://penpinery.com

[The_first_last_page · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not able to complete this read. The grammatical errors pulled me away from the story and I couldn’t look past them anymore. The concept of the story sounded intriguing and the pictures for each chapter was a nice chance from my normal reads.

ARC provided via Pen Pinery
https://penpinery.com