Quinton’s Crucible (Dominion Trust, #4) – Cailin’s Review
It’s taken me a while to write this review. I’m hard pressed to settle on a rating. Parts of this book I absolutely loved. Female domination of a man, submissive or not, is the kind of tasty read that makes me glad I own a Kindle. There were some incredibly hot scenes that rate a five.
The author’s tendency to detail every event the main character experiences is less bothersome in this book, than in Her Troika where Quinton’s back story is told. That’s probably because that novel involved pony play, which isn’t my thing. Fem Dom is, but even so, the beatings seemed to go on and on.
The premise had a lot going for it. Alpha male sadist who refuses to keep to the right side of consensual is forced to endure similar treatment by a female sadist. What starts out as retribution turns into something more when the Domme starts to fall for her victim who’s turning into a new man.
That’s where the stars drop down on this book. Quinton seems to roll over much too quickly and for reasons that weren’t believable. We’re also supposed to go along with the idea that it’s okay for the Domme to engage in non-consensual sadistic behavior because she doesn’t leave permanent scars. Although she does have his nipples pierced. She sees something in him that makes her believe he can be transformed into a nice person. That makes it all okay. That and the Trust and his father allowing it to be done to him in lieu of having him arrested. Mind you Quinton is an adult and he didn’t agree to or expect what happened to him.
In the end, the hot scenes weren’t enough to keep this novel above 3 stars. I keep thinking about what an amazing book this could have been if a more realistic psychology had been used, and the author got into the characters’ heads like Jillian Verne does in her Masters of the Order series.
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
Heat Rating: Ack! I think I burnt myself
This little book is like a scattering of semi-precious stones mixed in with a handful of gravel. As you read, some of the pieces have the shine of a faceted amethyst or the spark of a fire opal. What appeals will depend on the reader. For me, the poetry at the beginning of the book was the best. The author is good at taking a moment in time and crystallizing the emotion, thoughts, and sensations of that instant. When he broadens his timeline he’s not as deft.