The same sweet master/sub relationship apparent in most of Kim Dare's novels continues in this short, making it well worth the read for that alone. The give-and-take, the trade off between one man and another is well done, and I can't express how well she brings the reader right into the middle of Andrew's frustrations with having to continuously voice the word 'no.' Stephen twists questions and statements right around in ways Andrew never would have guessed, and though it's stated multiple times that he's a novice, his plans and manipulations are impressive.The only real problem I had with it was Andrew's lack of on-going pleasure in it - he was far too frustrated to actually ENJOY most of the exchanges, I felt - and also the names. As ridiculous as it sounds, I had trouble remembering which person 'Stephen' was and which person 'Andrew' was. I've read numerous books where those names are both used for strong, dominant males, especially since no nicknames are given or used, implying responsibility and maturity. In that at least, I kind of wish Andrew had been given a different name; not fancy or flighty or soft or anything, just different. I think I read this one before in the anthology and I might have already said this there. I didn't check. This is a really smart and interesting mind game between potential D/s partners. However, I always struggle with the really young Dom that Kim is so fond of writing. It just doesn't work for me in this case. I constantly stopped to wonder how he could be so smart at 19 and be able to read people so well. I just can't buy into it. The 19 year olds I know are usually struggling to be a fraction that self aware let alone able to look at others in such an insightful way. Are there exceptions to that? I am sure there are but I can't recall meeting or knowing one. Can I overlook it in most of her books? Yes. In this one, not so much. The psychology and attention to detail without any mistakes or loss of control of the situation is just too unlikely for me to suspend my disbelief enough throughout the story. So, although the premise is very original for the game they play, that a 19 year old newbie Dom would be able to so easily conquer a seasoned sub in his late twenties that wants to fight being conquered seemed impossible.
Do You like book Yes! (2010)?
very very clever! LOL at the stuff Steven says knowing the answer has got to be NO
—fancy
A cute m-m story that me lol at most of the story and it had a great ending.
—Gaya
My first (short) book by Kim Dare. I actually liked it very much.
—chemfreak
