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Eidolon
Freelance tech journalist Lily Foss wears many masks. No one knows the "L. Foss" who reviews the latest Eidolon robotic companions is also "codemonkkey," whose program cost the Eidolon manufacturer a lot of money. No one knows she can't sleep at night. No one even knows she's a woman, and all of this secrecy makes fulfilling her desires as a sexual submissive next to impossible. Not even the newest Eidolon can replace a living, breathing Dominant.
Lily pins her hopes on the rumor that her best friend and fellow programmer Finley used to tie up his old girlfriend, but after a night with him falls apart, all she wants is a Dom who won't ask for her heart—or her real identity. Then a chance meeting gets her the business card of a high-class escort named the Stranger who specializes in domination. His commanding presence and guaranteed discretion seem like the perfect solution.
But Lily isn't the only one who wears a mask or the only one trapped between fantasy and reality, past and present, pleasure and pain. When the masks come off, Lily will have no choice but to face the horrifying truth.
Lily pins her hopes on the rumor that her best friend and fellow programmer Finley used to tie up his old girlfriend, but after a night with him falls apart, all she wants is a Dom who won't ask for her heart—or her real identity. Then a chance meeting gets her the business card of a high-class escort named the Stranger who specializes in domination. His commanding presence and guaranteed discretion seem like the perfect solution.
But Lily isn't the only one who wears a mask or the only one trapped between fantasy and reality, past and present, pleasure and pain. When the masks come off, Lily will have no choice but to face the horrifying truth.
280 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2015
1 person is currently reading
519 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Duvall
12 books58 followersRuby Duvall began writing out of spite for otherwise wonderfully written romances that nevertheless didn’t quite satisfy. Her addiction to the happily-ever-after began as a teenager, and she wrote her first story at fifteen before moving on to fanfiction and then original fiction. Though she grew up in the Midwest, she now lives with her husband and two children in Seattle. When she’s not writing, she reads, enjoys video games, and bakes.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2016
I'm at 70% and I'm torn about whether to continue or give up.
I'm not a BDSM fan, but this was rec'd by someone (can't remember who!) who suggested that it was a fresh take on the fetish. Usually, BDSM scenes just leave me cold - here's some people getting turned on by some stuff I don't really find hot, blah blah. But the scene I'm reading right now is making me really, really angry...
I don't like either of the male leads, so that's not good, but I don't generally like male leads in BDSM books. I just... I get it, it's all about consent and everything, but still, I don't like men who get turned on by hurting or humiliating women. I just can't get past thinking they're assholes. Not abusive, because they do have consent, but... assholes. To me.
But in this current scene, the lead with a personal relationship with the female lead is going over all the reasons why she deserves to be punished, and they're reasons from their relationship, reasons that I'd want to be discussed and debated and fought over by two adults of equal power, but, no, instead she's being punished like a misbehaving child when really, as far as I'm concerned, she has nothing to even apologize for, and... I just don't like it. At ALL.
So, well-written in terms of making me care about the situation, I guess, but I just don't trust that the woman will, when she's untied, give the men the yelling at they so RICHLY deserve. She says she doesn't want a 24/7 relationship, so then why the hell is the man bringing shit from outside the current scene in to berate her with. I guess that's what I'm feeling - the scene doesn't feel like physical abuse, because she's consented, but if she doesn't want a 24/7 relationship, then it feels like emotional abuse for him to be "punishing" her for something she did outside of the scene.
So... I don't know. I might try to skim in case this resolves better, but right now I'm pretty turned off.
ETA: And I'm not really sold on the scifi setting, either. It's set well in the future, but a lot of the technology seems identical to today. The two big differences are robots that are almost human-like---- and self-driving taxis. But most cars are still driven by humans, phones are still the same, internet the same, typing the same, webcams the same, doors with keys still the same, etc. Too big a change in one area to not be matched by big changes in other areas, to my taste.
ETA2: Finished it. Feelings didn't change. Grrrr. I liked the writing style, but I just couldn't get past the personalities/behaviour of the leads. I think I may be okay with BDSM erotica, but have trouble with BDSM romance. I just can't get behind a romantic relationship when one of the characters seems, to me, to be abusive and the other one seems, to me, to be spineless and weak.
I'm not a BDSM fan, but this was rec'd by someone (can't remember who!) who suggested that it was a fresh take on the fetish. Usually, BDSM scenes just leave me cold - here's some people getting turned on by some stuff I don't really find hot, blah blah. But the scene I'm reading right now is making me really, really angry...
I don't like either of the male leads, so that's not good, but I don't generally like male leads in BDSM books. I just... I get it, it's all about consent and everything, but still, I don't like men who get turned on by hurting or humiliating women. I just can't get past thinking they're assholes. Not abusive, because they do have consent, but... assholes. To me.
But in this current scene, the lead with a personal relationship with the female lead is going over all the reasons why she deserves to be punished, and they're reasons from their relationship, reasons that I'd want to be discussed and debated and fought over by two adults of equal power, but, no, instead she's being punished like a misbehaving child when really, as far as I'm concerned, she has nothing to even apologize for, and... I just don't like it. At ALL.
So, well-written in terms of making me care about the situation, I guess, but I just don't trust that the woman will, when she's untied, give the men the yelling at they so RICHLY deserve. She says she doesn't want a 24/7 relationship, so then why the hell is the man bringing shit from outside the current scene in to berate her with. I guess that's what I'm feeling - the scene doesn't feel like physical abuse, because she's consented, but if she doesn't want a 24/7 relationship, then it feels like emotional abuse for him to be "punishing" her for something she did outside of the scene.
So... I don't know. I might try to skim in case this resolves better, but right now I'm pretty turned off.
ETA: And I'm not really sold on the scifi setting, either. It's set well in the future, but a lot of the technology seems identical to today. The two big differences are robots that are almost human-like---- and self-driving taxis. But most cars are still driven by humans, phones are still the same, internet the same, typing the same, webcams the same, doors with keys still the same, etc. Too big a change in one area to not be matched by big changes in other areas, to my taste.
ETA2: Finished it. Feelings didn't change. Grrrr. I liked the writing style, but I just couldn't get past the personalities/behaviour of the leads. I think I may be okay with BDSM erotica, but have trouble with BDSM romance. I just can't get behind a romantic relationship when one of the characters seems, to me, to be abusive and the other one seems, to me, to be spineless and weak.
October 8, 2015
So, I don't usually do reviews, because they're not my thing, but since this is a brand-new title and I liked it, I'll give it a try. (Gotta support indie authors!)
Without spoiling too much, because I don't like that in reviews I read, the romance elements in this book are stronger than the sci-fi ones. I wasn't disappointed by the SF subplot, but I definitely feel the romance (and the sex scenes, whew!) was the more-fully-realized of the two story arcs.
Some of that may be because I found Finley more appealing and interesting than Declan; some of that may also be because the romance is tied up more neatly at the end. While it's clear there's plenty of untrodden road left for sequel(s), we aren't left hanging without resolution to our love story, which comes down in the plus column for me because cliffhangers in romance series can get on my nerves when they're handled poorly. I'm okay with both HFN or HEA endings, but a little closure, please!
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a steamy read with likable characters and a SF edge.
Without spoiling too much, because I don't like that in reviews I read, the romance elements in this book are stronger than the sci-fi ones. I wasn't disappointed by the SF subplot, but I definitely feel the romance (and the sex scenes, whew!) was the more-fully-realized of the two story arcs.
Some of that may be because I found Finley more appealing and interesting than Declan; some of that may also be because the romance is tied up more neatly at the end. While it's clear there's plenty of untrodden road left for sequel(s), we aren't left hanging without resolution to our love story, which comes down in the plus column for me because cliffhangers in romance series can get on my nerves when they're handled poorly. I'm okay with both HFN or HEA endings, but a little closure, please!
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a steamy read with likable characters and a SF edge.
June 11, 2016
A hot and very saucy tale......
December 13, 2016
Eidolon is concise when it needs to be but lush where it counts. It also managed to hold my rapt attention for two days despite the fact that I: a) have only a passing interest in BDSM literature, b) have little interest in heterosexual scenes, and c) have never read a romance novel before. The near future setting didn't require loads of exposition while still allowing Duvall to play with some light sci-fi elements: androids, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars. The twists (one semi-predictable and slowly-dawning by design, the other a genuine surprise) made the entire book come together like a puzzle box in the end. And the sex—yes, the straight BDSM scenes that probably shouldn't hold my interest—was so beautifully rendered that I have to confess the book made me blush. Brava.
January 21, 2016
Overall, it is a very good read. Aside from a few grammatical mistakes here and there, the writing flows very well. At first I was a bit confused as the contents and the title didn't seem to match but eventually it all made sense. So good job overall.
I love the way Lily and Declan were gradually opened up to us readers. Lily especially.
Most often in these kinds of books, the sex gets repetitive so kudos for keeping it entertaining and keeping the sex and play from looping.
I believe this is one of the better BDSM related books out there. Keep of the good work!
I love the way Lily and Declan were gradually opened up to us readers. Lily especially.
Most often in these kinds of books, the sex gets repetitive so kudos for keeping it entertaining and keeping the sex and play from looping.
I believe this is one of the better BDSM related books out there. Keep of the good work!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews