Perfect Zero

The Long Leash #1

by Ryoko21

In an attempt to break up a ring of human traffickers known as The Long Leash, Ezekiel Price goes undercover as an Owner to try to get close to the head of the ring and shut it down. Along the way, he picks up broken Assets and tries to rehabilitate them, without blowing his cover.

Zeke picks up his first asset, a combat-trained operative called Zero, who's finished with killing. Zeke struggles to turn this former-killer into a sensual lover, while also trying to adjust to his role as an Owner.

Words:54866 complete

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Science Fiction, Romance, Abuse, Smut, Dark

165 pages, ebook

First published September 29, 2015

About the author

You can view most of my writing for FREE, NO SIGN-UPS at My Website or on Archive Of Our Own.

Reviews

[annob [on hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit Jan 2022: The moment I finished the 5 books currently in this series - 900k words! - I immediately started to re-read the first two books. Because despite their flaws; some spelling errors and the plot structure issues in book 4... I adore the characters and their journey. It's a not a perfect story but oh so enjoyable. So I had to come back and raise my rating accordingly.



AO3 fan art created by 'Marner'. It captures the first glimps of Zero and the mood of the opening chapters perfectly. Adore it!

Original review:
Nice MM slave-fic set on a space ship. I devoured it in no time and liked most of it, only a few passages that didn't quite captivate me. The steamy parts were a surprise turnoff, but got an explanation later in the book. Unusual for me, the anti-steam didn't detract from my enjoyment. In fact, I'm immediately on to the next book in the series.

This is a serial story so there was no HEA ending in this book, but it does stop at a place in the story that makes a decent ending for those who don't want to read on. I liked the writing style, but be aware there are a few missing words/typos here and there.

Published on ArchiveOfOurOwn.org.

[Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. An original slavefic in which agent Zeke buys combat asset Zero and attempts to turn him into a pleasure asset. Zeke's one year undercover mission is to break the inter-space slave trafficking ring called 'The Long Leash.'

I enjoyed the story, it is well-written with an interesting plot although I did find some of the detail confusing. Zeke and Zero make for an intriguing couple; Zero has been previously used as a killing machine and Zeke is determined to earn Zero's trust.
Art by Marner

"Killing… It’s what I’m trained for. It’s all I’m good for,” he says, and he looks so miserable that I can’t let it stand. If the choice is for me to use his body or break his soul, then I’ll take his body every time. But I’d really prefer to do it without harming him irreparably.

[Joseph Tonlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable!

(If you find it enjoyable too, perhaps consider tipping the author with a coffee 😄 https://ko-fi.com/ryokotwentyone )

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Liked the character depth and detail a great deal. Zero was quite perfect as the initial asset - and Zeke is entertaining. The only thing I wished was in pacing. The book paced ok but I, like Zero, just wanted Zeke to hurry the fuck up!

[Selen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good slavefic.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad! Could have been a bit dirtier ;-)

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

SciFi slavefic with a caretaker Dom

Interesting Science Fiction slave fiction where an agent (experienced in BDSM) goes undercover and purchases slaves to break up a (an extremely abusive) slave ring. The first slave is a combat-trained clone, and the sympathetic new owner has to break him of his inbred and incredibly reinforced habits of refusing to ask for assistance and extreme hyper-vigilance to only tracking down threats (preventing any significant personal relaxation).

The author does a good job of using a few scenes of basic BDSM D/s techniques to break down the uber-focused (and self-denying) slave mind, with of course some steam thrown in as well.

[Grayson Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. The entire series is fantastic, but this is the story that pulled me in. The world and character building are wonderful, and I really have come to care about what happens to Zeke and Zero.

[Delicious Cupcake · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD, I LOVE ZERO

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it it’s a really good book. I love the character development in and more

[Kirmizi]

I binge read this series today, and can't wait for the new chapter.