**3.5 Stars**This is Genna Donaghy’s debut novel and I really enjoyed this book and it certainly had me hooked right from the start, it’s an interesting concept and my depraved mind would really like to see her explore this world more, she certainly has me intrigued!
There is nothing conventional about this book, and Genna Donaghy has created a world, not divided by male and female, but by those that are dominant and submissive, where the doms holds all the power and natural subs are helpless but to obey, and instead of the usual attraction that forms a relationship we instead have mated pairs and finding your true life partner can only be achieved through touch, not easy, especially when only a handful of the population can be your true mate. This is similar to a shifter story where the pair need to bond, with the whole mating process, mind speak and a connection on a whole other level, but without the shifter part.. I know it sounds a bit vague but this is a whole new concept to me, paranormal meets BDSM and neither are what you think they are but it worked and I loved it!
With a BDSM label and a society where dominants and submissives thrive, you would think… as I did, that this book would be all about the sex and the lifestyle, well it’s not… there is actually very little sex in this book and the D/s part is very subtle, you won’t find any whips, bondage or toys, what this book is really about is power and the dynamics of the relationships between a sub and dom… good and bad!
Jake Alric’s life is turned upside down when Waterstone’s start buying up local properties for the mineral rights and Jake’s ranch is one of their targets and as a submissive Jake has no rights, especially if one of the doms the company keep sending round to see him turn out to be his mate, he would lose everything he holds dear… his free will and his land.
I loved Jake and he pulled on my heart strings right from the start, he is a submissive but not a conventional one as determined by this alternate world. Instead of actively looking for a mate like other subs and wanting to submit, he is constantly battling his own bodies natural urge. In his head he relives the nightmare of seeing his submissive Mother broken by his bullying dom of a Father, it is those memories that fill him with fear of having a dom, hating the thought of helplessness and putting the control of his life in the hands of another.
Playing the good Samaritan and helping a drunk turned out to be Jake’s worst nightmare, because as it turned out, the man was his mate and running out on him before he came to his senses took all his strength as the call to submit was strong. Henry Waterstone is the enemy in Jake’s eyes, the son of the man trying to force him from his ranch and playing every dirty trick in the book to achieve it… Only Henry has no idea about the underhand tactics of the man in charge of operations and this part of the book gets pretty intense, I had my heart in my mouth on more than one occasion!
Henry is a very strong and powerful dom, he hadn’t been looking for his mate but now he had found Jake there was no way he can pull back, but he has no need for a sub to kowtow to him, Jake is everything he wants, a sub but still strong willed and compelling him to submit would only break him. Henry also see’s the fear in Jake, so he fights his natural urge to claim and dominate and instead he uses his charm, restraint and patience to try and get to know the man that already has such a hold over him.
If I’m honest, really I would have liked to have seen the relationship developed more the other side of the mating, they went through so much to finally be together and then we only have a glimpse of them in their true D/s relationship, I just wanted to see them explore the dynamics more. Also the beginning didn’t sit quite right with me, Henry is controlled, powerful and restrained, so after getting to know him in the book, I felt the drunk Henry Jake rescue’s at the beginning was totally out of character with the all powerful dom I came to love.
Personally I prefer my BDSM with a little more bite, but for those that like light the lighter side of the genre then this book is perfect for you. Ms. Donaghy did a great job of keeping me engrossed in the action and the emotional development of our two MC’s… I will definitely be reading more from this author and hope she continues with this world she has created… Great debut novel!!!
