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Groomed
Old-fashioned discipline was Charlotte's dream. But now it's fast becoming her nightmare.
It's 1999 and Charlotte and Connor have just got the internet at home. One night, Charlotte comes across an intriguing forum. It consists mostly of women posters whose husbands discipline them when they misbehave. In other words, they're living Charlotte's dream!
Charlotte's marriage is in trouble. Work and family pressures have pushed her and Connor apart. The forum posters claim domestic discipline makes marriages closer, more intimate. Charlotte wonders whether introducing the old-fashioned discipline she yearns for can bring her and Connor closer together too.
But Connor doesn't take to the lifestyle and the failure frustrates Charlotte and drives them even further apart. In desperation, she seeks out a disciplinarian through the forum to satisfy her needs. He seems caring, thoughtful and is willing to take things slowly, allow time to build trust.
But there's a missing backpacker who just might have a connection with the same disciplinarian.
Can Charlotte trust this handsome man she's met on the internet? And how will it affect her marriage to Connor? Can she ever get the discipline she craves?
Publisher's This book contains disciplinary scenes. If this is offensive to you, please do not purchase.
It's 1999 and Charlotte and Connor have just got the internet at home. One night, Charlotte comes across an intriguing forum. It consists mostly of women posters whose husbands discipline them when they misbehave. In other words, they're living Charlotte's dream!
Charlotte's marriage is in trouble. Work and family pressures have pushed her and Connor apart. The forum posters claim domestic discipline makes marriages closer, more intimate. Charlotte wonders whether introducing the old-fashioned discipline she yearns for can bring her and Connor closer together too.
But Connor doesn't take to the lifestyle and the failure frustrates Charlotte and drives them even further apart. In desperation, she seeks out a disciplinarian through the forum to satisfy her needs. He seems caring, thoughtful and is willing to take things slowly, allow time to build trust.
But there's a missing backpacker who just might have a connection with the same disciplinarian.
Can Charlotte trust this handsome man she's met on the internet? And how will it affect her marriage to Connor? Can she ever get the discipline she craves?
Publisher's This book contains disciplinary scenes. If this is offensive to you, please do not purchase.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2018
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 3, 2019
This is difficult for me to rate because I really do have mixed feelings about it. Below is what worked for me and what didn't work for me.
What Worked:
1) Writing: Ms. Leigh can write and, in a genre in which so many can't, this is no small praise. Her sentences are detailed; her world-building (different countries, multiple family members and friends) is relatively complex for this genre; her characters have distinct motivations and personalities; the plot has some weight to it (that is, this is more plot with some erotica rather than erotica with plot). I thought the most interesting aspect of this books was the multiple temporal locations (we see Charlotte and Connor in .
2) Social Media Postings: These were spot on and, thus, quite comical. I've read DD blogs and Ms. Leigh really captured the tone of them -- you would never think from reading them that any of these couples ever fought or that the H (most blogs are written by the h) is ever less than perfect.
3) Theme: The dangers of the internet are, unfortunately, still with us and Ms. Leigh did a good job of high-lighting this problem.
What Didn't Work:
1) Mystery: TBH, I thought this was pretty obvious
2) Erotica/Punishments: There are very few erotic scenes and the one well-described spanking was actually an incident of domestic violence. Connor spanks Charlotte when he is angry and has no control. Now, she's wanted a real spanking, but, here, I really found the author's views on this incoherent. Are we supposed to think it's great that Charlotte has finally gotten what she wanted, even under these circumstances? And, if we're supposed to think it's problematic (which it is), how then are we supposed to understand Charlotte's ?
3) But the real problem is Charlotte and Connor's relationship. On the one hand, I liked how the conflicts between them were more believable (a child from a previous marriage, an interfering ex) than the over-the-top problems characters in this genre usually experience (kidnappings, mafia, murder). Sometimes, it's nice to read about something that is rooted in real life and not say, about the dom who is 6'4", wealthy, and a special ops agent. But it was absolutely impossible to be invested in them at any stage of their relationship for three reasons: A) We don't see their relationship develop so have no idea what drew them together; B) Neither is particularly likeable (Connor is unassertive to the point of apathy and Charlotte is very immature) and both talk to each other so venomously that we wonder why they stay together at all; and C) When they .
3 stars
Note: I adhere to the ratings system as laid out by Goodreads: 2 stars = it was okay; 3 stars = liked it; 4 stars = really liked it; 5 stars = it was amazing. I gave this book 3 stars because I kept reading even though I had no interest in the couple. I do not think that every book I read is "amazing;" further, I think that it cheapens the rating system to always assign 4 or 5 stars. If a book really earns the 4 or 5 stars (and I realize that this is, to some degree, subjective), I'll give them -- but it certainly shouldn't apply to every book. Ymmv, and everyone should enjoy/rate these books as they wish.
What Worked:
1) Writing: Ms. Leigh can write and, in a genre in which so many can't, this is no small praise. Her sentences are detailed; her world-building (different countries, multiple family members and friends) is relatively complex for this genre; her characters have distinct motivations and personalities; the plot has some weight to it (that is, this is more plot with some erotica rather than erotica with plot). I thought the most interesting aspect of this books was the multiple temporal locations (we see Charlotte and Connor in .
2) Social Media Postings: These were spot on and, thus, quite comical. I've read DD blogs and Ms. Leigh really captured the tone of them -- you would never think from reading them that any of these couples ever fought or that the H (most blogs are written by the h) is ever less than perfect.
3) Theme: The dangers of the internet are, unfortunately, still with us and Ms. Leigh did a good job of high-lighting this problem.
What Didn't Work:
1) Mystery: TBH, I thought this was pretty obvious
2) Erotica/Punishments: There are very few erotic scenes and the one well-described spanking was actually an incident of domestic violence. Connor spanks Charlotte when he is angry and has no control. Now, she's wanted a real spanking, but, here, I really found the author's views on this incoherent. Are we supposed to think it's great that Charlotte has finally gotten what she wanted, even under these circumstances? And, if we're supposed to think it's problematic (which it is), how then are we supposed to understand Charlotte's ?
3) But the real problem is Charlotte and Connor's relationship. On the one hand, I liked how the conflicts between them were more believable (a child from a previous marriage, an interfering ex) than the over-the-top problems characters in this genre usually experience (kidnappings, mafia, murder). Sometimes, it's nice to read about something that is rooted in real life and not say, about the dom who is 6'4", wealthy, and a special ops agent. But it was absolutely impossible to be invested in them at any stage of their relationship for three reasons: A) We don't see their relationship develop so have no idea what drew them together; B) Neither is particularly likeable (Connor is unassertive to the point of apathy and Charlotte is very immature) and both talk to each other so venomously that we wonder why they stay together at all; and C) When they .
3 stars
Note: I adhere to the ratings system as laid out by Goodreads: 2 stars = it was okay; 3 stars = liked it; 4 stars = really liked it; 5 stars = it was amazing. I gave this book 3 stars because I kept reading even though I had no interest in the couple. I do not think that every book I read is "amazing;" further, I think that it cheapens the rating system to always assign 4 or 5 stars. If a book really earns the 4 or 5 stars (and I realize that this is, to some degree, subjective), I'll give them -- but it certainly shouldn't apply to every book. Ymmv, and everyone should enjoy/rate these books as they wish.
March 21, 2018
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR
What can I say about this story? Well, it is very different, it is dark, and took me, as the reader, down a road I wasn’t sure at first where it was leading. Eventually, it becomes harrowing, a matter
of life and death, and yes, stupid actions and blind faith was almost this young woman’s undoing.
Take Charlotte, mid-thirties, married to a divorcee with a teenage son, dealing with the headaches of a whiny and controlling ex-wife, inlaws that aren’t supportive and living so far away from her family. Both she and her husband, Connor work jobs, but so much of his money goes to child support.
The marriage, while only a couple years into, is in a lull, by the time they both get in from work, have dinner, which he cooks, exhaustion is a factor, and their sex-life is in the toilet. The wife has secret fantasies about spanking that she has never shared and plays around on the computer in a spanking forum. She reads all these wives are posting about the DD and D/s marriages, and she is envious to the point of jealousy. But how can she approach Connor and take Mr. Vanilla and have him meet her fantasy needs?
The plot starts in 1999 and brings out so many issues, from sharing in forums and chat rooms, to how to be open and honest in a relationship. I will be the first to admit; I don’t like the way Charlotte acts and treats Connor, the name-calling, cussing him out, the temper-tantrums and nasty attitude to get what she wants. Even when Connor eventually gives in and tries to give her what she wants, she becomes worst, thinking she can make him be what she wants. Basically, she tops from the bottom, but he draws a line in the sand.
“You need to want me for I am, who you married, not for what you think you want to turn me into.”
Then a young Brit come to Australia and shares in the chat room she is meeting up with a disciplinary she meets on a forum, but then she goes missing. Eventually, months pass by and Charlotte starts putting two and two together, drawing a timeline and starts asking questions. Could this young girl be the same girl that is now missing? Charlotte is so unhappy with her marriage that she decides it is the answer, to meet a disciplinary person to give her what she wants. How will she find what Becca did?
The story contains lots of conversations in a Spanking Sheila's chat room by various people. It also shows how some people consider DD relationships to be abusive and are very judgmental. It also brings out the right and wrong way of having an open and honest discussion with a spouse about DD. Making demands and then wanting to control everything backfires. But so does sneaking off to meet a stranger and destroying your marriage.
A marriage and trust are shattered because of seeking out an outsider to fulfill a fantasy. Was it worth it all? What happens when Charlotte and Connor see each other years later? Maybe you can have a do-over!
What can I say about this story? Well, it is very different, it is dark, and took me, as the reader, down a road I wasn’t sure at first where it was leading. Eventually, it becomes harrowing, a matter
of life and death, and yes, stupid actions and blind faith was almost this young woman’s undoing.
Take Charlotte, mid-thirties, married to a divorcee with a teenage son, dealing with the headaches of a whiny and controlling ex-wife, inlaws that aren’t supportive and living so far away from her family. Both she and her husband, Connor work jobs, but so much of his money goes to child support.
The marriage, while only a couple years into, is in a lull, by the time they both get in from work, have dinner, which he cooks, exhaustion is a factor, and their sex-life is in the toilet. The wife has secret fantasies about spanking that she has never shared and plays around on the computer in a spanking forum. She reads all these wives are posting about the DD and D/s marriages, and she is envious to the point of jealousy. But how can she approach Connor and take Mr. Vanilla and have him meet her fantasy needs?
The plot starts in 1999 and brings out so many issues, from sharing in forums and chat rooms, to how to be open and honest in a relationship. I will be the first to admit; I don’t like the way Charlotte acts and treats Connor, the name-calling, cussing him out, the temper-tantrums and nasty attitude to get what she wants. Even when Connor eventually gives in and tries to give her what she wants, she becomes worst, thinking she can make him be what she wants. Basically, she tops from the bottom, but he draws a line in the sand.
“You need to want me for I am, who you married, not for what you think you want to turn me into.”
Then a young Brit come to Australia and shares in the chat room she is meeting up with a disciplinary she meets on a forum, but then she goes missing. Eventually, months pass by and Charlotte starts putting two and two together, drawing a timeline and starts asking questions. Could this young girl be the same girl that is now missing? Charlotte is so unhappy with her marriage that she decides it is the answer, to meet a disciplinary person to give her what she wants. How will she find what Becca did?
The story contains lots of conversations in a Spanking Sheila's chat room by various people. It also shows how some people consider DD relationships to be abusive and are very judgmental. It also brings out the right and wrong way of having an open and honest discussion with a spouse about DD. Making demands and then wanting to control everything backfires. But so does sneaking off to meet a stranger and destroying your marriage.
A marriage and trust are shattered because of seeking out an outsider to fulfill a fantasy. Was it worth it all? What happens when Charlotte and Connor see each other years later? Maybe you can have a do-over!
March 23, 2018
WOW! Excellent read! I believe it handled the whole self discovery of a need for spanking, and the consequent need to share this with a partner. It covered the emotional turmoil of a "vanilla" trying to understand this need and the "spankee/spanko" dealing with the rejection. I think its wonderful that a warning has been put out there (through this book) about the dangers of the internet and the chatrooms...this is so important. We have this false sense of security when in actual fact the internet is the least secure place to be. I loved the suspense as Charlotte tried to find Becca's kidnapper and above all else, I loved that Charlotte and Connor has there happy ending.
March 17, 2018
Groomed is about the struggles of a young wife who wants to be spanked but is too afraid to tell her partner about her yearning. I liked Connor and Charlotte just fine, but there were plenty scenes where I did shake my head about all the things Charlotte did to get spanked, and then there were scenes where I felt so sorry for Charlotte because her frustration was so palpable. If you want to read a different spanking book then you cannot go wrong with this one.
April 2, 2018
I liked this book a lot, though, Charlotte acted like a teenager at times. I believe the book stated she was 36, but regardless she was very immature at times. Otherwise, it was very entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews