Kris‘ review of Magician’s Chains by Michelle Polaris
Jesse and Savin shared one strange, hot kiss and an even stranger mystical connection over a decade ago. Now reunited at a BDSM-flavored erotic magic show in Las Vegas, Jesse finds Savin performing as the Dominant magician. He’s one sexy, powerful package, and Jesse fights the call to expose himself to Savin, giving up body, soul and heart. But dark fae nightmares prophesy a more dangerous magic than stage tricks at work as their lives collide.
Jesse has given up on his dreams after a personal tragedy. Savin’s only dream is to be human, although he is not. Drawn to one another, the men enter into a weekend Master/slave contract. In Savin’s chains, Jesse submits, letting loose destructive passion and grief. Both resist the craving to make their bond permanent, sure that if they do they place one another in jeopardy. If they cannot accept the magic they create together and their joined destinies, the survival of two worlds will be at stake.
The story starts with Jesse and his girlfriend at a magic show in Las Vegas. She has dragged him there trying to get him to open up and he happy again. They have been together for three years but in the two years since his parents died he has been remote and easy to anger. The show starts and he hears a voice that he has not heard in over ten years. This brings back memories that he has pushed aside for a long time. Jesse and his girlfriend have a fight and break up. Savin gets Jesse to promise him the weekend to sort out what is between them once and for all.
Jesse has a lot of issues to work through that stems from his parents accident ten years ago. Before that he was a free spirit who loved to travel. After the accident he was managing his father’s store and taking care of his two now invalid parents. Savin is a fae that was sent here to try to find a cure for a dying Faerie. He thinks that he can find it in the D/s scene. The others that have come with him find in it torture, but Savin refuses to go that route. But the others are getting restless and want to go home with or without the cure.
This story was very interesting. It was a M/M BDSM paranormal story. I liked that the author explained the BDSM terms that she used in the story and did not assume that the reader know what they meant. I enjoy reading D/s stories with bondage and toys and such but she had toys that I had not heard of so that was cool. So the author goes beyond just binders, blindfolds and paddles to more hardcore toys.
The worldbuilding was interesting. I liked the link that the author made for Faerie and Earth. The Fae were intriguing in their brutal tendencies with their long lives and hard to kill bodies they are bloody with each other and Savin wants to escape that. Cool story.
I give this a 4 out of 5.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.