A friend recently complained to me that she has a hard time finding kinky fiction that dives into the point of view of the submissive character rather than the dominant partner. I didn’t set out to find a book that proves her wrong, but I’m so pleased that I stumbled across this delicious stand-alone title. River grew on me immediately, as a character looking to expand his horizons but still clinging to a few misconceptions. I had a lot of fun getting to know him as he stumbles along on a few mediocre dates, both within and outside the scene, and meeting some spectacular secondary characters.
River obviously ends up giving Ellison a chance to prove that a physically smaller person can effectively dominate a larger person, even without the trappings of bondage. This book explores a lot of the more mental/emotional aspects of BDSM, and it’s just as sexy as anything more traditional. If anything, I enjoyed how the characters find options that work for their relationship and dynamic.
Of course, not all is smooth sailing. Both River and Ellison make missteps in their burgeoning relationship due to poor communication and assumptions that stem from their different experiences. This is about the only time I wish that Cameron also provided scenes from Ellison’s point of view because I wanted more of his thought processes about his developing feelings for River.
Otherwise, this was a sweet and sexy book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It doesn’t look like Cameron has any other titles set in this world, but I certainly would not be averse to visiting again!
Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.