Judith’s re

Kyriana Price has spent nearly a year trapped at her evil day job. And she does mean evil! Her boss is a mage bent on power who lets nothing stand in the way of his quest to gain more. When she sees Connul Graysn wielding a flogger at a BDSM club, she formulates an escape that will require his considerable skills as a mage and as a Dom. Going to another mage for help might not be the best plan, but it’s the only one she’s got, and at this point, she’s willing to try just about anything.

The last thing Connul expects when he finds an intruder in his house is that he’ll soon have her chained in his bedroom, her lovely body marked by his paddle. But she’s begging for his help—how can a gentleman refuse? As they learn to trust each other, he begins to realize the only thing he’s not willing to do for Kyriana is let her go.

Right up front I need to confess that I was not initially willing to either read or review this novella simply because I’m not “into” BDSM as a lifestyle or even as a literary genre. It is a category of fiction that I have steadfastly avoided. However, when I was sent this novella ebook I decided to read it anyway – there’s a first time for everything. I must also confess that I was surprised. It was not nearly as offensive as I had imagined. You see, I just don’t get the “making someone hurt in order to have pleasure” even though I know that there are literally millions of people who find this sort of stimulation captivating and possibly even necessary to whom they are. But as this was also a fantasy/paranormal kind of book as well, I was interested in that part of the story perhaps more than the BDSM components.

Kyrianna Price is a lovely woman who needed a job and signed up with a temp agency. Now this agency was probably a set up for an evil mage who was looking for mental and emotional “tools” or slaves to use again the mages whom he perceived were standing in his way to accessing real power. A truly evil controlling spell was put in her mind so that she would, whenever commanded to do so, obey without question. Not to obey was to be in severe pain. So when Kyrianna was commanded to break into Connul Graysn’s home and steal The Orb, she did just that. However, knowing that only a powerful mage like Connul coming from a famous and powerful family of mages, would have the power, if given access, to overcome and remove the spell her evil boss had placed in her mind. Instead of stealing The Orb as commanded, Kyrianna begs Connul to place her in one of his submissive scenarios in order to establish a relationship with her, access her mind, and ultimately set her free.

Now this is truly an over simplification of a very complicated plot, but one that I think the writer constructed thoughtfully and which was developed well even in this shorter literary form. The BDSM in this novella is, as I understand it, very basic and at a beginning level. It is almost like BDSM 101 and most readers, unless completely opposed to such scenarios will not have too much trouble with it. The behind-the-scenes reality in this story is the determination of this seemingly soft and pliable young woman who really has nerves of steel and who finally acts on a plan to free herself from mental bondage and evil. She has to face Connul, convince him of the truth of her assertions, and then give herself over to his sexual domination. In spite of fulfilling the submissive role, she still finds herself in so many ways—gaining strength in her own self-worth, growing as a person and becoming comfortable in her own skin. She finds the strength to stand up to Connul, asserting the right to make her own life decisions. She is quite surprising overall.

As a Dom, Connul is a powerful mage but a gentle tutor. He is truly the BDSM master, one who is thought to be so good that to be accepted as one of his submissives is considered an honor. Even in the most intense dom/sub relationship he insisted that the submissive have a “safe” word that could be said at any time the person felt they could not continue. Connul immediately recognizes Kyrianna’s strengths but also recognizes that she has systematically been “put down” and made to feel inadequate. He works very hard, even in the Dom/submissive relationship, to build her self-esteem and to bring her to a greater understanding of her personal power. Giving herself to him is not the act of a weak person; rather, it is the choice of one who knows her own power and acts on that knowledge. There are times when Kyrianna is the dominate force in her relationship with Connul.

All in all, I have to admit that I was won over at least to the gentle regard, affection, and ultimately the love that grew between Kyrianna and Connul, the interesting and sometimes humorous relationship between Connul and his two mage siblings, and the truly loving relationship that is possible in a BDSM context. I was not persuaded that this kind of activity does not hold the possibility of serious injury and abuse. That’s the part that really turns me off. But in this story there is none of that. It is a love story in the truest sense of the word. I think novellas are still somewhat problematic for dealing with such a complicated plot and there were parts of the story that I thought were really a kind of literary “fast forward” rather than the development at a normal pace one would encounter in a full length novel. But the author is to be applauded for giving it a very good try and, for the most part, did a fine job.

I give this novella a rating of 3.75 out of 5.


You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place