“Masters of the Universe have a new mistress—a protagonist who learns to wield power in the excessive, fascinating cultures of Wall Street and BDSM-for-hire. BOW DOWN.” —WEDNESDAY MARTIN, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Primates of Park Avenue and Untrue
EDGE PLAY by Jane Boon National Leather Association's Pauline Reage Novel Award, WINNER
Amy Lefevre’s second language is risk. A gorgeous young investment banker, she navigates Wall Street’s toxic culture with ease—until the stock market collapses.
Amy starts investigating the failed deals her boss engineered. Drawn to a treacherous ride on the edge, will her efforts to expose him cause her to lose it all?
Amy’s best friend is a dominatrix with an take over her elite S&M dungeon, catering to the pervy needs of millionaires and billionaires and learn the true nature of power.
EDGE PLAY is a universe beyond Fifty Shades of Grey and The Big Short , set in the most elite, twisted circles of Wall Street mega-power and S&M. Amy Lefevre dives into an underground realm of Big Swinging Dicks only to find that, in this arena, the women wield the whips and the men submit.
“ Edge Play explores obsession and ambition with a fetishist's eye for detail. From the sleek Syren latex to the sexy Louboutins, to power moves found in both the dazzling hustle of high finance and the darkness of the dungeon, this book delivers.” —LILY BURANA, Author of Strip City
“This is such a fun book! Smart, sexy, and full of surprises. It's also full of stingingly authentic details of Wall Street and the BDSM culture simmering just below it. It's a New York where everyone wants to come out on top, and power is a skill that can be learned.” —JO WELDON, Author of The History of Leopard Print and The Burlesque Handbook
Jane Boon lives in Los Angeles and New York City with her husband, Norm Pearlstine. She studied technology and policy at MIT and later received a Ph.D. in industrial engineering. Jane has written for publications like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Time.com, McSweeneys.net, and TravelandLeisure.com. Jane enjoys improv and playing dress up, including the time she wore a corset, garters and thigh-high stockings as a dominatrix in the Fox TV series, Gotham. EDGE PLAY is her first novel.
Often, books about the BDSM scene are either completely sensational or overly clinical. Edge Play is a story about a real Woman's journey from the halls of financial power in Wall Street to the realm of fantasy in Syren Latex as part of an upscale and private Dungeon. Along the way, Amy learns that there are aspects of her personality, as Catherine the Dominatrix, that she was not previously aware of. Aspects that repel and attract, and give her a pathway to change, and take control of her life.
It's a feminist revenge story, with fast-moving, pervy energy. Highly recommended
If you liked Billions, only you wished there were more dungeon scenes, you'll love Edge Play. There's financial intrigue straight out of The Big Short, and a savvy, sexy dominatrix bringing her Wall St clients to their knees. The book's a classic bonkbuster, with lots of plot and smut
I truly enjoyed the book! The story kept me on the “edge” of my seat. The vivid description of characters made it easy for me to picture each person and relate to their experience. I loved how the story sheds light on the struggle of women in the male dominated finance industry. The emphasis on personal growth totally captured my attention. The main character went through a rollercoaster of emotions that led her into a path of self-empowerment and finding her voice. An extra bonus was the unexpected romantic development. In a nutshell, a book that has something for everyone and won’t disappoint. Highly recommend!
A few weeks back, I picked up Edge Play, the novel by Dr. Jane Boon. I had seen a few promos for it on Twitter. It was billed as a "cross between The Big Short & 50 Shades of Grey".
Of course, the latter book above has a polarizing reputation (and perhaps that's being charitable), but I dove in anyway. To my surprise (and delight), I immediately felt enveloped into the world Jane created, led by the introduction and examination of her wonderful protagonist, Amy.
Jane's writing has a wonderful way of bringing you in Amy's headspace so you are feeling everything she is going through, from the crushing career news at the outset to the anxiety of the outrageous proposition from her best friend (Erika), to the euphoric highs and debilitating stressors of her adventures as a new dominatrix.
The pacing and characterization of the story is excellent, and Jane excels at painting an evocative picture of both of the story's primary milieus. I was sucked into the story to the point where I finished it in one day and night.
Oh, and lest I forget to mention, there are scenes in Edge Play that are S-T-E-A-M-Y. And without giving any details away, as far as the action goes, I believe there is something in there for everyone whose tastes run a bit left of center.
And as I found myself turning to the final page I felt the perfect combination of the story reaching a satisfying conclusion but also wondering if there are further adventures are in store for Amy. Time will tell...
EDGE PLAY is a novel that weaves the high-powered world of Wall Street with the underground world of BDSM. It will take you through the sleek halls of power and wealth, and down into dark dungeons of Dominance and submission. It’s about a culture of toxic masculinity - and one woman’s empowering embrace of femininity as she seeks revenge on the men who did her wrong. And it’s very, very hot.
Amy Lefevre is a young, talented investment banker in a male-dominated world. Her hard work and grit allows her to rise in the corridors of power. She is also gorgeous, and her growth in business is matched by her exploration of her erotic desires. Jane Boon does a great job of moving the story along while wrapping it around hot, throbbing scenes of sexual desire. This a revenge story - that never forgets it’s erotica.
Amy strives and succeeds - until the market crashes. She is plunged into a crisis, and begins to understand the men who she admired are the dicks who screwed her over. Without a job she explores her options. One route is offered by her friend, Ericka. Ericka has a secret life as a Dominatrix - and offers to train Amy in her profession.
So Amy Lefevre becomes Mistress Catherine Lachance. The scenes of Amy learning her newfound craft are really hot. She delights in her power, seeing proud men brought to heel. The guys standing tall in the boardroom are now kneeling, cringing at her feet. The smirk of power is wiped away from their faces, replaced with a look of hunger and humiliation. The men who used to bark orders are now breathlessly waiting to be commanded.
Boon writes a book that operates on a couple of different levels. It plays on duality. The bright lit hallways of Wall Street - and the darkness of a BDSM dungeon. The book is split into sections - Correction, Crisis, and Consent - that offer their own double meaning. But through the exploration of toxic masculinity, the depiction of a woman’s revenge, her growth - it never forgets to keep the action sexy, steamy, and not a little kinky.
I have a unique understanding of the world she describes. I’ve worked on Wall Street. And I’ve walked down the stairs into those underground dungeons. I’ve been intoxicated by wealth - and overwhelmed by the power of a woman to bring me to heel. All I can say is that Jane Boon describes both worlds very well. I spent the day reading this book, and my senses were aroused and my desires inflamed. Highly recommended.
This whip smart novel takes on Wall Street and gives its boys club the spanking it deserves. Boon has a knack for describing power plays in the boardroom and in the bedroom through the eyes of her investment banker turned professional dominatrix, Amy Lefevre. There's a bad boss, lots of sex, plenty of pervy fun and a woman in the middle, making sense of it all. A fast-paced, sexy read where the women come out on top.
Amy Lefevre is trapped in her Wall Street job. She's second in command to a pig who makes her do all his work and hide his sleazy affairs. When she starts pushing for more authority and questioning some of his deals, he fires her at the height of the recession. Broke and unemployed, she winds up working for a girlfriend as a dominatrix in an upscale dungeon. The kinds of men who'd been thwarting her on Wall Street are now naked, at her feed, pleading for mercy while she whips them. She's thrilled by this turn of events. A billionaire showers her with jewels and flies her around on his Gulfstream. Men give her thick envelopes of cash in gratitude. All the same, she worries about getting caught.
There's a lot of psychology in Edge Play. Amy learns about the S&M underworld and what drives people to take pleasure in suffering. But at core, it's a revenge fantasy. Amy learns things in the dungeon that she uses to take down her old boss, bringing his rotten behavior to light. Toxic masculinity gets punished, in more ways than one.
"Edge Play" is simply one of the finest novels I've read in recent years and I would unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone who simply loves a well-crafted, well-written story with terrific, three-dimensional characters you truly come to love (or love to hate) with some absolutely fascinating, finely observed insights into the world of high finance right around the time of the Great Crash of 2008 and of the world of high-end kink and dominatrixes in upscale Manhattan.
Even if neither of those worlds have innate appeal to you, though, I would still highly recommend "Edge Play" due to the quality of Jane Boon's writing, her keen and sympathetic observation of human nature, and her skill in keeping and intriguing plot (and a number of equally compelling subplots) constantly moving forward, without ever feeling rushed or contrived.
Absolutely my favorite book of 2020 so far and one I sincerely hope finds the wide readership and appreciation it so richly deserves.
A thoroughly entertaining and fun read. Edge Play takes you behind the scenes of the 2008 mortgage meltdown and into the dungeon of Mistress Erika where wealthy men indulge their kinky side. Lots of gratuitous sex and glamour. Thought provoking as well. Rich in delicious details.
While I applaud efforts to normalize alternative lifestyles and BDSM, I thought this book was disappointingly one dimensional, unsexy and dull considering the subject matter.
On a superficial level, Edge Play can be read as a response to EL James´ 50 Shades of Grey. Jane Boon´s debut novel is certainly written with stronger prose, more compelling characters, and a more nuanced portrait of a segment of the BDSM community in New York City.
Still, in both novels, readers are left with one undeniable fact: billionaires are fucking weird.
When entering Boon´s story, however, imagine entering a theater instead of a novel: these characters resemble real life, but are heightened, and they are performing within the dramaturgy of kink.
Edge Play unfolds during the financial crisis of 2008, a time which is eerie to revisit given the current experience of our ongoing global health crisis due to covid-19 (at least one economist recently stated that some industries, such as food service, are only just beginning to recover financially, 13 years later). Amy Lefevre is a hardworking woman on Wall Street striving to keep her integrity amidst a world of toxic masculinity (is that redundant?) who care little for the consequences of their greed and corruption. A Cassandra-like figure Ignored by her boss--who plays an important roles towards the novel's conclusion, Amy ends up terminated and with little money to pay her student loan debts or her current bills. The Big Swinging Dicks, of course, not only stay employed, but make a killing while the rest of us suffer.
Enter Erika, a college friend who curates a gallery in Chelsea, Manhattan. Or….so Amy thought.
In reality, Erika is a high-end dominatrix, providing specialized scenes for wealthy men (the "Big Swinging Dicks", looking for someone to “sub” (as in substitute) for her while she goes to Switzerland for a couple of month with a specialized individual client. As the pressure of bills continue to mount in Amy´s life, and no one is returning her phone calls with a job interview, Amy reluctantly steps into a new pair of stiletto heels and assumes the role.
Edge Play is fantasy, so of course some aspects of Boon´s fictional narrative may be frustrating to real-life members of the kink or BDSM community. As drama and character, however, the men and women populating the novel are far more compelling and nuanced than most popular novels within the genre (including James´ series).
One dimension that Boon captures effectively is the link between sex and power, not just in BDSM but in all relationships. Amy´s “role plays” at the George Hotel early on, for example, provide a kind of foreshadowing of the kinds of psychological tools she´ll need to utilize in her role as a dominatrix.
Also, refreshingly, Boon does not portray Amy as immediately skilled in her new role. Far from it. She is reluctant, curious, naive. She has a difficult learning curve, and she ultimately offers a sigh of relief towards the end of the story when she accepts a new opportunity in her career within banking and the financial sector. This imbues the story with more verisimilitude that this protagonist, like each of us, is far from perfect. She maintained Erika´s dungeon for a time (with help from a number of key players), but ultimately discovered that continued to walk along this wild side is not for her.
Another dimension I appreciated in Boon´s novel is her understanding of a phenomenon endemic to many New Yorkers, and perhaps most especially people who work in the financial sector. I call it wealth porn. So many of the characters in Edge Play are obsessed with not only money and power, but status--the roles we are able to inhabit (or appear to exist within) because we live at this address on 5th Avenue, or fly our own private Gulfstream. Perhaps another way to read her novel is as a satire of money, and the spiritual emptiness most of the characters in Edge Play experience despite their material possessions?
Ultimately, Boon´s novel is definitely an enjoyable read, stimulating thought and provoking at least a reframing of how we experience relationships. Whether our proclivities tend towards kink or not, what is the interplay between power in our intimate relationships? And do we have spaces to safely explore these, flip these scripts? Edge Play is a fun, sexy drama, cloaked in a fresh leather corset stuffed with hundred dollar bills.
With the click of 5-inch stilettos, the perfect smokey eye, and the steamy gleam of stainless-steel dungeon equipment we begin our journey with Amy, the brilliant yet inhibited main character in Jane Boon’s debut novel. Actually, we first meet this soon-to-be dominatrix when she’s a successful financial wiz with no love or lust life to speak of. Using Wall Street culture a la 2008 crisis as the backdrop against which Amy enters this elite kink community, Boon brings us to the edge of power in its many forms- money, gender, sex- which is fundamentally what this smart, erotic book explores.
The tensions between these contradictory, often complementary forces are as complex as the clamps Amy places on some of her clients. Like the effects generated by these constraints, both pleasure and struggle are explored in this novel about a young woman’s sexual coming of age and the contours of the New York City S & M scene and some of its players. I identified with Amy, thanks to Boon’s adept use of social terms, fashion trends, and hot restaurants from the time to authentically ground the story from a time not that long ago. The author also does a beautiful job of revealing the gendered ache of a woman who is punching far above her weight but not getting rewarded for it. This is, until she transforms into Catherine, a deeply appreciated and lavishly renumerated wielder of fantasies for the very Wall Street men who have screwed her out of a job.
With punchy humour, dramatic developments in Amy’s personal and professional life, and carefully recreated kink scenes that are tasteful yet tingling inducing, this book is a wonderful read. It will appeal to a wide audience of folks into kink, sexuality more broadly, financial issues, and gendered expressions of power which, if we are honest, impact every one of us daily. That’s what makes this book so important, and I can’t wait for Boon’s next story!
I don't know much about the financial world - the 2008 crash seemed full of esoteric terms, incompetence and evil. I don't know much about high fashion - I don't know the brands, the looks. I know only a tiny bit about BDSM - that consent is essential and the sub is the one really in control. But you don't have to know any of these worlds to appreciate the world Dr. Boon creates in Edge Play, because the real story is about coming to emotional and sexual edges, sliding along them, and coming through cut but stronger.
There is real pain here - but less the sting of a whip than the sting of betrayal. There is real power here - but less the power of top/bottom than integrity over deceit.
SPOILER ALERT It's satisfying to know the evil financial lord with his Big Swinging Dick gets taken down, but the real satisfaction is seeing protagonist Amy grow and make choices that are true to herself as she learns how to leverage her shadows.
Recommended for the sex scenes, both vanilla and kinky. Highly recommended for describing a woman's journey into her own power, something I wish for every woman (and quite a few men).
At first glance I thought this novel would be not much more than a steamy beach read, but I quickly realized I was wrong. Boone explores the nature of power dynamics on Wall Street and in the dungeon through the eyes of Amy, a former wall street associate turned reluctant dominatrix. I liked how the author focused as much on the ‘why’ of BDSM (i.e. why Amy’s clients are drawn to her services) as the scenes themselves. I also liked how Boone portrays Amy’s sexual experiences – both the kinky and the vanilla – as vehicles for her to explore her own empowerment. It gave this novel more depth, while still remaining a kinky, fun read with a happy ending ;).
I just finished Edge Play and truly loved it. I was captivated from the beginning, as Amy's character was so relatable, from her affinity for Diet Coke, to her experience of trying to succeed it in a male dominated field. It is a smart novel, that makes relevant, crucial discussions about the topics of consent and power dynamics, only they are depicted through an exhilarating narrative. I really enjoyed connecting to a truly unique set of circumstances and left the book feeling empowered (and also hungry as I now have a strong desire to make my way through Amy's NYC food scenes)!
Amy Lefevre, the heroine of Edge Play, is the long-suffering #2 to one of Wall Street's alpha dogs. She does the work, he takes credit. But when she notices that he's done some unusual deals that all become worthless during the financial crisis of '08, she goes from work wife to fired, in the blink of an eye. What happens next is where the fun begins. Amy goes from investment banking to being a dominatrix at an elite dungeon. She learns to see men and to understand power in a different light, and then she strikes back. In the topsy turvy world of Edge Play, the heroes are the sex workers and the villains are the bankers. I loved it. Couldn’t put it down.
the author played a dominatrix on tv once, and thought herself an authority to write a kink novel, and she is ... not. she gets so many things wrong and it reads very poorly. it's unfortunate, because clearly she has access and money to make such a beautiful production of a book, but the book itself is not good.
This book kept my interest piqued and I sat up late one night to finish it. I wish the ending would have been different or perhaps a 2nd book will be forthcoming? I like when the end of a book tells you what happens to all the characters and wraps everything up neatly.
Fantastic insight into a character driven world of professional female domination. Jane Bloom did her homework with vivid descriptions of professional femdom while balancing complex relationships & life outside the dungeon.
Jane Boon's dialogue is sharp, real and commanding. The story- a sensational take on some of the sleaziest behavior leading up to the financial crisis of 08- is well drawn and engaging. The relationship between the two women was vivid, supportive and passes the Bechdel test. The relationships between Amy (the banker turned dominatrix) and her sex industry clients reveal a compassion, respect and curiosity rarely depicted in fiction.
Highly recommended. It's a feminist tale, where the women find allies who help them take on the patriarchy.
Let's face it, some books are just for fun. Edge Play is a wild ride. Funny, titillating, sometimes downright smutty... But it's also a book with great characters and great character development and it was clearly written by someone who's knowledge of the various landscapes in the world of BDSM is deep. If you're looking for a fun ride with some healthy perspective and information with regard to the workings of BDSM you'll have a fun time with this first-in-a-series novel.
When I picked up “Edge play”, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I heard it was kinky, and I worried it might be extreme, but it was delicious. From the first few pages, I was captivated as the story unfolds during the financial crisis days in 2008. The novel flowed smoothly and at a relatively fast pace. It deals with a serious topic, the crisis, but even the financial details are easy to understand. At times, it is also incredibly funny and witty.
It’s a revenge story where the woman, after years of being taken advantage of by her misogynistic boss, turns the tables and takes him down. She beats him at his own game.
This novel offers kinky scenes that were light and fun to read. I've wondered about dungeons and dominatrixes, and the book explores those topics. The sex scenes were not gratuitous, they were creative and essential to the story.
It’s not your typical “mommy porn” novel. It’s about sisterhood, women's empowerment, and it offers a different way to look at gender roles.
It’s a story about money, greed, great clothes, and powerful men in navy suits being brought to their knees. It’s a book you won’t put down, till you find how that fun and sexy story reaches its peak and conclusion.
THE HEADLINE SAYS IT ALL - A THREE-WAY INTERSECTION OF WALL STREET SHENANIGANS (2008 CRASH), 50 SHADES OF GREY, AND SHOWTIME’S BILLIONS. ALL INVOLVE SOME TYPE OF “EDGE PLAY.” THE TITLE CAPTURES THE NOVEL’S ESSENCE KEEPING THE READER ON THE LITERARY EDGE THROUGHOUT.
JANE BOON CREATED A FAST-PACED STORY THAT ENGAGES THE READER FROM START TO FINISH. THE NOVEL’S SUBJECT MATTERS WERE WELL RESEARCHED, AND THE DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT CUISINES, HIGH-CLASS FASHION, HEDGE FUNDS, INVESTMENT BANKING, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, AND UNUSUAL BEHAVIORS ENHANCED THE CREDIBILITY OF THE CHARACTERS AND THE PLOT LINES; ENOUGH DETAIL TO WHET YOUR APPETITE FOR MORE.
AMY, THE PROTAGONIST (AND HER VARIOUS ALLIES - ERIKA, MICHAEL, RAPHAEL) AND VARIOUS ANTAGONISTS (FROM WALL STREET AND SFO) ALL POSSESSED COMPELLING STORIES AND MOTIVES. THE PROTAGONIST ENCOUNTERS SERIOUS ROLE REVERSALS AS SHE NAVIGATES HER BUSINESS CAREER AND PERSONAL LIFE. DESPITE SETBACKS, HER REVENGE IS SO DELICIOUS, JUSTIFIED AND LIBERATING. WOMAN EMPOWERMENT IS AN UNDERLYING THEME.
ON A SCALE OF ONE TO FIVE, I WOULD RATE THIS CLOSER TO TEN. BUT AMAZON ONLY ALLOWS FIVE.
Edge Play uniquely blends the world of BDSM with that of Wall Street high finance. It's a blend that is not unimaginable, and this story sets the stage for a very realistic scenario of the intersection. An intersection like this is somewhat seen in the TV show Billions, but not nearly to this level of detail and intensity. If someone wanted to read this novel just for the kink, a few chapters have a Penthouse Letters feel. Doing that, though, will miss the exquisite story told of the intricate relationships, greed, and deception that resulted in a disgraced Wall Street banker becoming a Pro Domme, finding and losing love, then finding it again, and getting back in Wall Street game in a big way. There's something for everyone here, not just kinksters.
What a wonderful book, Edge Play had me in its grip from start to finish. Our heroine’s (Amy) journey through the “Greed is Good” period of fat cats skimming from the top is told oh so well by the author Jane Boon. Clearly Jane has done her research into the financial crawl over anyone to get to the top and backstabbing of the time. Jane also brings to life a wonderful insight to the world of kink (D/s) and just what an intelligent, beautiful strong woman can do to bring these unscrupulous morally wrong men to heel. Each chapter takes you detailed scene after scene that will make any screenwriters job easy. This story will make for a great feature movie one day. Highly recommend you read it now before that happens.
A young mover and shaker in the world of high-stakes finance gets punted during the crash and winds up helping her friend run a very exclusive dominatrix dudgeon. I really liked this one despite expecting more from it. Author Boon does a great job of balancing the malaise and panic of the crash while keeping the main character likable, which is a big deal for people like me who have very little concern about brokers and bankers getting burned. Add in a fun and intriguing display of kink that rides the more extreme without making it goofy of too serious (cough cough, looking at you, "Bonded") and this one was a fun, sexy adventure.