WARNING: This book changes women's attitudes about relationship dynamics, forever.
In Geneviéve's journey of discovery she dabbles in the BDSM lifestyle which forces her to recognize and acknowledge her true nature. Her memoir, woven together with that of a male slave, draws the reader into an intense odyssey of sexual expression triumphing over sexual repression while delivering fascinating insight about a different kind of love.
"Dommemoir delivers on so many levels that it defies categorization. ... It quickly sucks you in and envelopes you in the bondage of its spell. ... Dommemoir is a character study that breathes complex and compelling life into its hero, the devastating Lady Geneviéve and the fortunate submissives who worship at her feet ... placing you in the delicious bondage of its dark and compelling landscape..." -- Larry Brooks, USA Today bestselling author of Darkness Bound and Bait and Switch
I trade words for cash, specializing in erotic and transgressive fiction and poetry since 2001. My erotic short stories appear in anthologies produced by publishers in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. My longer work ranges in scope from romantic erotica (Dommemoir) to tragedy (Choices) to BDSM Space Opera (The Lady & The Spyder series).
A FemDom, I own the man I adore. Although dominant in the rest of his life, he demonstrates his love by serving as my submissive. Much of my I.G. Frederick fiction and poetry celebrate finding love in BDSM relationships from the authority of one enjoying that for more than a decade.
A former newspaper reporter and trained observer, I also watch the many ways human interactions turn ugly. I write about abusive and tragic relationships as Korin I. Dushayl. Under both names, I tell stories of characters spanning a wide range of gender and sexuality.
In addition, I share my BDSM knowledge and experience in my nonfiction work. I won the National Leather Association — International Cynthia Slater Nonfiction Article Award in 2014 and Connecting to Kink: Safely exploring your BDSM fantasies online was a Finalist for a 2016 Golden Flogger Award.
(I accept most friend requests for both names on this profile. Friend ≠ endorsement of any kind. Books read are not added in any order relative to when I read them.)
I've just had the honor of been given a free copy of this book for review by the author via BDSM group TPE BAR Read2Review and hope that this review is of help to readers and the author... thank you.
In short, I think this book is about love and finding the 'one' - or as in this case the 'two', set within a strong femdom scene of female godesses and male submissives.
I've given this 4 stars simply because I think it is well written, especially compared to a lot of other books in this genre. It is a slick read, with consistent characters and a plot that does make sense. At the same time there is nothing extraordinary in there, neither in style, detail or plot. As such this should have been a 3, but, as I said, it is overall well done, and if you like 'that' sort of thing, you'll be well entertained.
Fetish and BDSM This book is about a particular fetish of dominant women and VERY submissive males. I don't want to call them slaves as generally all is consensual, no one is really abused, and the submissive males do enjoy what they are doing. There is no torture in this, very little discipline and only a bit of fetish related sex - though there is a lot of sex in this - see below - in fact I feel this book is more about DOMESTIC SERVITUDUE. The problem is, this does nothing for me personally, neither does the overly consentual submission of males grovelling at their godesses feet. BUT, everyone their own, and if you like that kind of thing, than you will be very well entertained - and aroused - indeed :) This I think might touch male readers. For female readers there is a strong element of femdom control and OWNERSHIP, including collaring, piercing and branding (all again consensual and not focusing much on the pain). Again, you will find this exciting if it is your thing...
Sex and Erotic There is quite a big of sex going on in here, which is strongly focused on males orally serving their goddess - and the occasional pegging. The scenes are not badly written, i.e. they don't make you cringe, not at all in fact, but, and I can't explain why, they didn't fully 'do it for me'. I can't explain why, but I didn't feel 'aroused' when reading it. I think I felt the writer was a bit detached from what was happening, looking at it with as a detached observer, penning it down in pretty words... Again, this surely is a matter of taste...
The Characters Very well composed, consistent characters. A bit of character development going on there, but, and more about this below under plot, it gets a bit tedious at some points, as we are encountering the same situations and characters again and again... Generally I felt the characters were believable and interesting enough to 'care'...
The Plot The plot is quite basic: our heroin after her divorce finally understands that she is a true dominant and embarks on the search for the other one. This initially doesn't go too well as she finds a number of matching partner's who then, for one or the other reason, run away. Ultimately she ends up with two 'boys' whom she collars. The problem I have with this plot is that it is quite a bit repetitive and I had a couple of 'here we go again' moments. At the same time the plot is not wrong, and the details of the various engagements are interesting, so yes, overall an ok read from this perspective. I must admit a couple of scenes had me chuckling, for instance a nosy neighbour concerned with the goings-on in our heroine's flat :) Regarding this I would say that this book, though about love and relationships, is in fact on the lighter side of things, certainly not what we would call 'dark'. The ending I felt was a bit abrupt, I felt a bit cheated: long build up to find a / two submissives, and then, happy end, we all live happily ever after, with two collared slaves. But I must admit I cant right now think of a better ending either... It just felt, as many book, that at some point the author had run out of steam and it was like: ok we know where this goes, let's finish it off quickly rather than labouring the point... A bit of a shame...
The Writing Style As I said before, well written, easy to read. At times I felt the author didnt know how much to explain to the non initiated, which put me off in times. Surely, if you are into this kind of thing you know what a collar is and means, or you'll deduce it from the story. Oh, and a note to author and publisher: please, don't do a Glossary. It's not needed or means the author has done a bad job. In this case, the former. The only time Glossaries are allowed are in scientific text books and Frank Hebert's Dune, where the Glossary - arguably - reads better than the novel. But then you could say that Dune is kind of a scientific text book (well - ish).
Anyway, back to style: well written, as I said, but at the same time not a style you'll recognise or not a book to be read because of the style.
Interestingly the story is told in more or less alternating chapters from the position of the Mistress and her submissives. This generally works, except, I find in the cases where the same scene is told twice from different perspectives. I have seen this been done in erotic literature before and found it always boring. But, I know that some people do like this, I personally felt it didn't add much to the story...
Conclusion Worth a read if you like the scenario / setting / fetish it is about. I'd say it's a good read for a holiday or on the train.
I wanted to read something new, a dynamic that I am not as familiar with. I haven't read really any FemDom books, only one other then this and it was a DNF. I.G. Frederick does a great job, in giving us insight into this power exchange, and this book, I think is a lot less fiction then its shelved as. I have read quite a few M/s based books and this one, besides the the obvious aspect of it being a women in control, is nothing like them. There is no glorified, hot and steamy, sexy power exchange going on here, just a middle aged divorcee, realizing and accepting who and what she really is.
"It started with a dirty bathtub."
After Her divorce of a marriage of almost twenty years, Lady Genevieve starts out on Her own realizing that She is a horrible house keeper. Never having to clean Her home while She was married, Genevieve sets out to get Her bathtub cleaned. After hiring a random cleaning company The Lady breaks into tears when She realizes what She really wants and needs is a boy, naked and fulfilling Her domestic needs. This leads Her to look into BDSM based websites, where She finds men who crave to do these duties, happily and willingly.
While having Her home needs met, The Lady also stumbles into a hot fling with a young, gorgeous co-worker named jarod, who's fetish is pleasing a women orally for hours on end. While you would think that Miss G has it made, She starts to feel that Her life is still lacking. She ends up making friends that have experience in this lifestyle choice, and She is convinced that She needs more then just clean floors and lunch breaks filled with multiple orgasm. She needs a 24/7 total power exchange relationship.
"I long to control everything about a man: what he wears, if and what he eats, where he sleeps, where he works. I want to mark him as My property."
"I've searched for you since I was five years old. All those things you want from a man, I want to give."
nicolas is a middle aged, divorcee who has known he was different since he was a child. he found that he loved being used by girls when he found a playmate in school that would make him lick the dirt off her feet. he loved it, and when he turned 18 he found himself working at a bed and breakfast that catered to his needs for submission. After being forced to do something he wasn't ready for or comfortable with nicolas left the B and B, and went to pursue a more normal life. he got married, where he found himself unhappy because his wife couldn't find any understanding to his needs. he struggled to suppress them, and when he couldn't his marriage ended and he was left to find a Mistress that he could worship. nicolas' subservient needs had him traveling across the country, where he found some very unpleasant women. he was about to give up his search and his life all together when he made contact with the Lady G.
Mistress Genevieve's search is looking like it might be over. She agrees to meet with nicolas, and They seem to be a good match. They take things slow, and while She is finding everything She needs with nicolas, She also ends up finding that her boy toy jarod, has all the same desires as nicolas.
I.G. Frederick gives us a great love story. The book gives us enough history for us to be able to understand how the characters became who they are. nicolas POV, is a must in this read. I don't think that this book would be as easy to accept and understand without it. This book delivered in giving me something different, and if you can accept this dynamic and lifestyle then you should be able to enjoy this story.
"Lady Genevieve, I offer You my trust, respect, loyalty, and obedience. I solemnly promise to obey Your orders, to accept Your dominance, to provide for Your needs, to always seek ways to please You, and to love You with all my heart."
***provided by the Author through BDSM group TPE BAR Read2Review***
In all my reading I have never read about BDSM and being a professional FemDom. I. G. Frederick did a wonderful job in how she expressed Lady Genevieve’s livelyhood and her view of being a FemDom before just letting the reader have it. Fredrick takes it to a different level in having a memoir of Lady Genevieve, but also a memoir of her Male Slave, Nicholas.
Frederick interpreted Slave Nicholas' memoir very well. It is very interesting to see how a person sees themselves as a slave to a woman. The Slave Nicholas experienced this lifestyle since a very young age and how he felt so comfortable with it. Slave Nicholas expresses his feelings towards Lady Genevieve and adores her to the point of being branded to show that he is property to someone. I got to see how he tried to live what a person calls a normal life but that life is not for him. There was one piece in this memoir that stuck to my mind—a quote from Slave Nicholas, "I love my Mistress, adored everything about her. In some ways, she was like a drug and I was a complete and total addict."
Frederick interpreted Lady Genevieve's memoir very well. Lady Genevieve lived her life with her husband, but like any relationship, not all of them will last. Finding her way back to the world of BDSM is something that she seems not to be able to get away from. She needs the attention at all times since her previous relationship did not give her that. Finding someone that would tend to her 24/7 to all of her needs and solely to her is what she looked for. This is something that I believe all women want—someone to love and for that other person to love them no matter what. Yes, she does take it to the next level but this is the lifestyle she chooses to live. It is very interesting since I have never known too much about the lifestyle. Here is a quote from her memoir, "a naked slave kneels on the floor in front of me, massaging and kissing my feet. I own him-mind, body, and spirit. He finds the fulfillment and contentment he seeks in life by devoting every minute to pleasing and serving me."
Slave Nicholas and Lady Genevieve's lives are not really that different of what we might call a normal life. After reading this book I have a better understanding of how they live and have a better understanding of their lifestyle. This book will make you see that there might not really be a real difference. Just one example that I will share, in the book they call it branding their property. We call this a tattoo with our significant other's name. But the only difference is that the tattoo is done with a needle and ink and branding is a hot iron rod shaped in what you would like. This book allows you to see in the eyes of the dominant and the slave. I recommend this book if you have no idea what a FemDom lifestyle is and would want to see it through their eyes.
Dommemoir is interestingly written in the first person point of view from both Lady G (Genevieve) and Nicholas. Their stories alternate through the book, giving the reader a better understanding of how they entered the lifestyle and eventually become Domina and slave. It really does bring the reader closer to the feelings and impressions of each character. I was left wondering if this truly was real. That’s good writing right there.
To glimpse into the life of a woman emerging as a Domina was quite eye opening. Are there really men out there willing to clean house while naked? All for the chance to worship a Domina’s feet (ie. foot fetish)? I mean, for real? It’s those little gems than really made this book stand out from the others. Some books get into the pain and the red marks from a paddling, but this went deeper.
Nicholas’ story mirrors his future Mistress in his search to fulfill a need, but in his case, he needs to be dominated. He wishes to serve, to worship. And yeah, he has a foot fetish. He goes through hell to find a Mistress he cares for and in turn answers his needs. He first approaches his wife, but when she is disgusted by his requests, it leads to an eventual divorce, and his search begins online–and eventually meets Genevieve.
There are a few disturbing scenes in the book. At one point Genevieve takes part in some group sex that was very uncomfortable to read as it was plain she’d been duped, and just went with the moment to get it over with. Yeah…disturbing.
If readers are used to the rules many pubs set up about no golden showers, you’re forewarned. They happen in this book. I need not say more.
Overall, I really liked Dommemoir. It is very open in its look at the Dominant/submissive dynamic. There is so much more to the relationship between a Domina and her slave than sex. It is about fulfilling the innermost needs: the need to serve and worship and the need to control and be worshiped as a Goddess. Very refreshing and satisfying book.
Definitely recommended reading for those curious of the D/s lifestyle and FemDom erotica.
Note: Dommemoir was sent to me in exchange for a review. I was not paid to review the book. I agreed to review the book as it was FemDom.
This book had me having to remind myself that it is a work of fiction. The characters are very real. Lady Genevieve embarks on a journey to discover her path to a clean house but finds love and happiness .I fell in love with the two slaves immediately .Their love for Lady Genevieve both Domme and sadist was so sweet and yet heart breaking . The author gave us an insiders view of the awaking of a Domme and two slaves as to there true nature.It is a wickedly funny journey that left me thinking about the characters long after I finished the last page. Once I started I could not put it down. Recommend if you like to read about the Domme/sadist and slave dynamic includes some M/M .
***provided by the Author through BDSM group TPE BAR Read2Review***
This would be my first F/m/m fiction after Exit to Eden ages ago. The book was very well written; simple language with a glossary of terms for the uninitiated. It was very easy to identify and connect with the characters.
as a female submissive, it was very interesting to get a perspective on the mindframe of a male submissive. The dynamics of an F/m Ds r'ship are so very different and it was very well brought out in the book.
all in all a nice read; with not many heavy sex scenes; but fantastic on emotions and desires of Dommes and male subs.