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Taking Charge
Book by Vaughan, Stephanie, Austin, Lena
308 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2005
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 1, 2012
Sweet stories with likeable characters
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"Cruel to Be Kind" by Stephanie Vaughan – 6/10
PROS:
- Woman who’s not described as being model-beautiful but is still sexy and confident. One male character even calls her “Manly Megan” at one point, but Steve thinks she’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen.
- Hot sex, but I can’t really compare it to other m/f erotic romances because this is the first I’ve read.
CONS:
- I never got the feeling that Steve was truly under Megan’s control. She orders him to do certain things, sure, but he never submits in a very deep way. It’s almost like he’s just so attracted to her that he’s willing to do whatever he has to in order to get her into bed. Steve even takes complete control of the final love scene, calling her “Mistress” but not even letting her go when she tells him to, deciding instead that he knows what’s best for her.
- Steve and Megan make up too quickly after he does something really hurtful to her. He apologizes and offers an explanation, but she never voices her own feelings about what he did to her before accepting the apology and welcoming him back with open arms.
"Black Widow" by Lena Austin – 6/10
PROS:
- The sex is hot and the romance is sweet and giddy.
- Informational/explanatory descriptions of the BDSM world, which I found particularly useful because I’m not into the lifestyle. If you participate in the scene, you’re likely to find them elementary and superficial, but I found them interesting.
- Amusing epilogue. A bit long-winded, but overall pretty funny and sweet.
CONS:
- The characters speak to themselves out loud when the thoughts could be conveyed by narration, which makes the writing seem amateurish at times. Example: “Oh, yeah. I’ve got to call Brad before he goes to work. Coffee. Need coffee.”
- No condom the first time (or any time) they have sex? Really? I understand that some women think birth control is foolproof and thus don’t see the need to wear protection to prevent pregnancy, but what about STDs?
- After the characters’ big argument, Calder leaves rather prematurely. If he’s the Dom all the other characters think he is, I would expect him to push and assert himself a little more before leaving. Granted, his absence inspires the emotional, angsty period of separation they must endure before getting back together, but his reaction to their argument strikes me as contrived.
Overall comments: This is the first m/f erotica I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. The sex is good and the characters are likeable. These aren’t the most amazing stories I’ve ever read, but there’s a decent enough plot woven in with each of the romances.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"Cruel to Be Kind" by Stephanie Vaughan – 6/10
PROS:
- Woman who’s not described as being model-beautiful but is still sexy and confident. One male character even calls her “Manly Megan” at one point, but Steve thinks she’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen.
- Hot sex, but I can’t really compare it to other m/f erotic romances because this is the first I’ve read.
CONS:
- I never got the feeling that Steve was truly under Megan’s control. She orders him to do certain things, sure, but he never submits in a very deep way. It’s almost like he’s just so attracted to her that he’s willing to do whatever he has to in order to get her into bed. Steve even takes complete control of the final love scene, calling her “Mistress” but not even letting her go when she tells him to, deciding instead that he knows what’s best for her.
- Steve and Megan make up too quickly after he does something really hurtful to her. He apologizes and offers an explanation, but she never voices her own feelings about what he did to her before accepting the apology and welcoming him back with open arms.
"Black Widow" by Lena Austin – 6/10
PROS:
- The sex is hot and the romance is sweet and giddy.
- Informational/explanatory descriptions of the BDSM world, which I found particularly useful because I’m not into the lifestyle. If you participate in the scene, you’re likely to find them elementary and superficial, but I found them interesting.
- Amusing epilogue. A bit long-winded, but overall pretty funny and sweet.
CONS:
- The characters speak to themselves out loud when the thoughts could be conveyed by narration, which makes the writing seem amateurish at times. Example: “Oh, yeah. I’ve got to call Brad before he goes to work. Coffee. Need coffee.”
- No condom the first time (or any time) they have sex? Really? I understand that some women think birth control is foolproof and thus don’t see the need to wear protection to prevent pregnancy, but what about STDs?
- After the characters’ big argument, Calder leaves rather prematurely. If he’s the Dom all the other characters think he is, I would expect him to push and assert himself a little more before leaving. Granted, his absence inspires the emotional, angsty period of separation they must endure before getting back together, but his reaction to their argument strikes me as contrived.
Overall comments: This is the first m/f erotica I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. The sex is good and the characters are likeable. These aren’t the most amazing stories I’ve ever read, but there’s a decent enough plot woven in with each of the romances.
June 16, 2012
These two stories in this collection are pretty good examples of Fem/Dom fiction. Not too dark. Rather light in tone, particularly, in the second story, "Black Widow." I definitely recommend this book to anyone who isn't on the 50 Shades bandwagon.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews