Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink (BDSM, D/s)
Genre: Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
Toy Box by Delphine Dryden
48 pages
I really enjoyed Dryden’s recent nerd romance stories, so I thought I’d try some of her backlist.
Rafe and Lauren started their relationship as Dom/sub, but everything turned vanilla when their first child arrived. Now the kids are spending the weekend with the grandparents and Rafe decides it’s time to step into his Dom role once more.
Ahhhh. I love a good husband and wife reuniting story and I really liked that there wasn’t any real conflict in this short (such as overcoming infidelity). It was all about them connecting with their Dom/sub relationship again. I highly recommend this quick read.
moderate kink
The Seduction Hypothesis by Delphine Dryden
Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM lite, Nerd-manceSeries: The Science of Temptation #2
Reviewed by Anne
This is going to be a hard review for me to write, mostly because I’m having to reign in my desire to just squee like a fan girl about how good this book is. Because it’s good. And I really liked it. And it’s funny. And it’s good and I liked it and you should really, really read it, because it’s good. And…
OK, let me try again. I’m a huge Big Bang Theory fan, and when the first book in this series, The Theory of Attraction, came out it made me think of BBT and I really wanted to read it. So, I bought it and read it ASAP. I enjoyed that one and told all my friends about it. This was back before we started the blog, but it was an honorable mention on my Best of 2012 list here. I liked it and all my friends knew about it. So when the second book, The Seduction Hypothesis showed up on Netgalley, I think either Kay or Kate messaged me about it and I put in a request to read it. Thankfully the publisher (yay Carina Press!) approved a copy for me. I enjoyed this one even more than the first.
Ben and Lindsey are in the same nerdy social circle, and that’s been a bit painful lately, because they dated for a while and then broke up. Lindsey would like to try some BDSM, but even hinting about it to Ben got a bad reaction. At the same time, Ben doesn’t like the way he sees her watching their friend, Ivan. His jealousy and her desire for more lead to them breaking up. And that makes for one uncomfortable trip to BeastCon, the fan convention their group of friends is attending together. When Ben begins to realize just why Lindsey left him, he’s already been regretting their break up. He sees the BDSM comic she’s reading. He sees her watching not just Ivan, but watching Ivan AND Ivan’s girlfriend, Cami. He sees the D/s vibe between Ivan and Cami and things click into place. He decides the Con will be a great place to try to win Lindsey back.
This book is the second in this series, but it does stand alone very well. If you read Theory of Attraction first you’ll really appreciate the scenes with Cami and Ivan in this book, but you’d be fine without having read it. This book is both hot and funny. Ben throws himself into learning the ways of BDSM, but he’s not perfect. Lindsey and Ben share some giggly moments in the middle of their sexy times, and that read so true to me.
Dryden has GOT to be a nerd. Either that or she knows a lot of them, because I have some nerd cred and she knows how nerds talk. There’s a sentence in the book where the characters talk about cake being merely a vector for the icing delivery as salad is for dressing. I’ve had conversations like that. Seriously. They are both funny and effortless in real life when you’re immersed in such subjects. Dryden really nails that in this book. She also has countless geek references that all made me smile. So much fun!
So, when you read The Seduction Hypothesis you get all the goodness I just wrote about, PLUS you have a female lead with a Cthulhu tattoo and a male lead who isn’t afraid research BDSM and make a crib sheet on how to carry it out. I love this book and I highly recommend it. It’s going on my best of 2013 list!
So I’m curious… If you read this book or Theory of Attraction, did it work for you? Is there more good nerd-mance out there? What would you recommend?
So I’m curious… If you read this book or Theory of Attraction, did it work for you? Is there more good nerd-mance out there? What would you recommend?
Master of the Mountain by Cherise Sinclair
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Medium Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSMSeries: Mountain Masters #1
Reviewed by Kate
Rebecca’s boyfriend can check off every item on her perfect-boyfriend list, but maybe one of those checks should have read “sexually compatible.” Despite a lack luster bedroom life, Rebecca is determine to make the relationship work. When he suggests she join him on a weekend vacation with his swingers group (a group she didn’t know about), she reluctantly agrees to give it a try. She quickly decides the swinging lifestyle is not for her. She actually finds herself drawn to lodge owner Logan and his dominant ways. He doesn’t meet any of the requirements on her list, but he’s strong and assertive and makes her feel comfortable and safe.
Logan has been plagued by horrible nightmares since he returned from the war. His brother has the scar to prove that it’s not safe for Logan to fall asleep around anyone. So Logan knows his relationship with Rebecca will only last until the end of the weekend. Despite the limited time frame, he wants to help Rebecca explore her submissive nature.
This was the first BDSM romance I read and I loved it. It is not terribly intense as far as the BDSM goes. Commands, restraints, and some anal play. No intense pain in this one. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading BDSM without a focus on pain or anyone new to the BDSM romance world.
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