Good novel, different than 50 shades of grey
924491
Unsure if I like the caracters as much as I liked the caracters in 50 shades of grey. It is a good novel and a pretty fast read.
2629206
This book was different to a lot of what is currently out there. The book consists of two different POVs, Ysabelle and Sebastian. You could not get two people with different upbringings and current situations and yet despite all of that they are drawn to one another. At first Sebastian was drawn to her as she resembled a lost love but he soon became obsessed with the woman that she was. Only problem was that he was married with a young son and she.well she was a high class escort.

A large part of the novel covers the years where the two are growing up separately. Ysas life is not a happy one, her mother is a drug taking prostitute who leaves her young daughter to fend for herself. To such an extent that she starts to exchange sexual favours at a young age. At the age of 16 she runs away, lies about her age and starts working in a bar where Madam finds her and recruits her to her world of VIPs.

Sebastians life is completely different, his father is a doctor and he lives a life of privilege. He lives next door to Julia, his best friend from the day that she was born. When Julia is 10yrs old her parents adopt another little girl of the same age, Olivia, and it is love at first sight for the pair. However Sebastian does not want to upset his Babygirl, Julia, and they keep their attraction to eachother secret for years and hide the fact that they have been intimate. However by trying to prevent them hurting Julia he ends up hurting Olivia which end up leading to devastating consequences.

Ultimately Sebastian and Julia come together and get married and they are happy and in love. However when Sebastian, literally, bumps into Ysabelle at a party the pair enter into a relationship that neither of them ever envisioned. He knows what she does for a living, in fact he is paying Madam for her time. Can a relationship like theirs survive?

The book is slow to get going and perhaps it would have been better had the pair met earlier on in the book. I loved Ysa, she knows what she is and is not ashamed of it, she does what she needs to do to survive. Sebastian I liked too however I have to say that he came across, at times, as quite a selfish character. Julia I just did not like, youll have to read the book to find out why, she just did not come across as anything other than whiney and demanding. The only other thing that I have to say is that if I hear the endearment Babygirl one more time I may scream!! Seriously gahhh!!! A book that is well worth the read, go on, give it a go.

Please note I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
445501
This novel was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Instead of what I expected to be another titillating yet run-of-the-mill, steamy, BDSM-sex only story, I found this story to have a bit more depth, the characters and their issues more fully explored and the relationship between Dom and sub more fully developed.

Liz, our sub, is cajoled into attending a "Buy a Dom for a Night" charity auction being held at a BDSM club, by her friend and roommate, Connie, who, along with her Dom boyfriend, Stephen, are club members. Liz is new to this scene, intrigued by it, and curious to learn whether or not the issues she's had in previous relationships might have been the result of her unacknowledged submissiveness and her previous partners' lack of dominance.

When Liz sets eyes on Master Gareth, she's more than intrigued, and after placing the winning bid for his services for the night, he introduces her to his world, yet doesn't have sex with her, even though she's perfectly willing. And so begins her education into the lifestyle and her wanting more than one night with Gareth.

This is the point at which I assumed this novel would follow the standard pattern. It doesn't. Instead, Ms. d"Abo explores Gareth's past history, the loss of his wife and sub, Rachel, 4 years earlier, and his inability to move forward emotionally. Liz also has issues, coming to terms with her own needs and her own sexuality. Complicating matters is her boss, who's arrested and indicted for raping and abusing women, and the inevitable office chatter about how sick and depraved the BDSM lifestyle and its participants are. Is she depraved? Is there something wrong with her for craving domination? What does her sexual preference say about her? Is she a freak? Is Gareth? Could they possible ever have a "normal" relationship?

These are only some of the questions that are posed within this steamy tale, and I'm not giving away the answers, but I will recommend it, especially to those of you who are also curious about the lifestyle and were intrigued, but unfortunately misinformed by reading 50 Shades of Gray.
3433216
It was not as good as fifty shades,but it had a nice storyline to it. I don't think it was as good as it could have been had she been in different circumstances.
2053069
It is rare to find a same-gender love story that isn't simply a cover for porn. I enjoyed this novel and found the tension between the main characters quite believable. I do wish the author had tamed down the sex scenes if for no other reason that to prove it is not necessary for good gay fiction.
2192796
I'm surprised that the other reviewers on this page are so lukewarm to Persuasion.  True, it is not a perfect book, but I found it immensly enjoyable and well written.  It is different to Austen's other novels, and having just finished Emma the difference was obvious to me, but it is also a completely different kind of book.  It is written by an older and more serious woman than the one who penned Pride and Prejudice and Emma, and tells the story of an older, though still relatively young woman, who is haunted by a terrible choice she made several years ago to please her family and friends.
The book is far more Romantic than anything else Austen wrote, and I also found it more streamlined and focussed.  There are no chapters on how to set the table, like there were in Emma.
I was a little disappointed in the end, as Austen doesn't record the conversation between Anne Eliot and Captain Wentworth, but instead tells us in a detached way what topics they spoke of. Still, that's a fairly minor quibble against what was really a very good book.
2150758
I liked this book,
The sex scenes were over the top, but not jumped into right away. Loved how the parents and friends were accepting of  her, and didn't make race an issue.
4642105
I had just finished reading the Fifty Shades books (twice) and had read a short interview by the author with her take on the trilogy.  I decided to give this book a shot.  My typical book interests are not romance or erotic and for the most part I stay clear of the non-fiction sections all together, but after enjoying Fifty so much I thought this memoir would be the perfect next book to read.

I was a bit shocked at parts; not because of the context so much but by the fact that someone actually enjoyed what was taking place.  It was insightful and written in a way that allowed you to easily read through.  I actually read in it over a period of about 4 hours.  It was a good point of reference for a fan of the Fifty Shades as to how far off the trilogy was to the actual lifestyle depicted in this book.  I did enjoy the book and will be passing it along to my friends.

That being said, this lifestyle is not for everyone.  I did not walk away thinking that something was wrong with her or that she was being abused - she is an adult that has a different sense of desire than most and is being completely honest with herself.  I don't understand it - and cringed a few times at some of the punishments but it was a good book.  For the most part when you are given examples of this type of lifestyle it is typically a woman clad in leather with a whip or some woman who has had a rough upbringing and is loaded with esteem issues and other sexual issues altogether.  This was not the case for Sophie.  Her story is that of a woman who found out that the normal did not offer as much excitement and pleasure; rather than live with a dark secret she explored her feelings.

If your initial take on the BDSM world is that it an abusive and oppressing life choice then don't even bother.  I don't quite understand why so much pain can be pleasurable, a bit of play can be exciting but welts not so much.  The book was eyeopening in the fact that it showed a person with a good head on her shoulders enjoying something that is typically referenced by someone who has a history of dysfunction and sexual assault.  Here was a normal girl with a good healthy home life and work life who was honest with herself about her own limits and desires; something most of us can't say for ourselves.  You don't have to agree with her choices but it does create a realistic view of why and how some enjoy this.

Just understand this is not a romantic tale; although her last encounter was a bit of a Christian and Ana scenario.  If you want to open your mind or explore your own feelings read this book.  If you are under the impression that something is mentally wrong with a person who gets their kicks by whips and canes then stick to the fictional tales.
4822358
Imaginative erotica, well written but not graphic.  If you liked 50 shades of Gray, you might like this if you are ito magic and fantasy.
880664
I liked this book against my better judgement.  The main characters seem way too perfect at first.  Ultra rich and take your breath away beautiful kind of people.  But the author gives them flawed souls, just enough to make them a little more interesting.  There is a plot to the story, it's thin but it is there.  I won't give it away except to say that it involves lots and lots of kinky sex.  There is some moderate BDSM play involved, including multiple partners.  It almost gets a little old after a while.  The heroine, Nell, despite her acceptance of this spends a lot of time whining about a lot of other things to the point where I wondered why any self-respecting Dom would put up with her.  The Hero, Jeremy, likes to talk dirty but does a laughably poor job of it.  He especially likes the word "hole" -- it got a little silly.  Like I said, I actually liked the book, these were minor irritations.  The author is good at her craft and it was certainly better written than 50 Shades.  Based on this book, I also purchased the 2nd of the series, Caressa's Knees (don't let the title fool you, they don't do anything kinky on her knees).
3569983
Almost like 50 shades of grey but very different. I can't wait to red more of this story of them.
2417721
I enjoyed this book. It was so different from many romance novels I have read.  It seemed a little slow in places, but was interesting enough to keep on reading to see what happens.  I did get frustrated at times with the two sisters and their interactions.  And very frustrated with the stupidity of Laynie and her sense of nobleness.  But the characters were interesting and developed, and the plot intriguing.
2834853
I love this book and I would highly recommend it to readers who want a little more variety in their dialogue and better character development than Fifty Shades of Grey. However, it wasn't a five star book in my mind simply because the basic plot of the story was told in the first half and then rehashed until the ending.

Day does a good job in showing how two people can overcome past abuses to try and work through a relationship and in fact, enjoy a healthy and somewhat normal sexual relationship. But they do have their problems and the main plot point was can they overcome these problems. Rather than find new ways and new twists in the story, they really just agreed to stick by each other. The ending was so sudden that I felt like Day knew it was time to get out as even she seemed tired of rehashing the story.

Would I go and buy the next one in the series. You betcha. As I said, it was a highly enjoyable read...just not a perfect one.
2361094
First off, I don't see anything in the book description that this book compares to 50 Shades of Grey...or why are there so many reviews comparing the books?

I personally liked this book. It was an interesting story and the characters were very likeable. I will admit that the book was short and there were a few things that were left unanswered. For instance, the whole murder thing was never fully solved. The author kept me guessing throughout the whole book because I honestly thought that "Logan" was going to be someone else. I thought the storyline was going to typical but it wasn't.

I would recommend this book to others. There are a few moments when I got frustrated but I don't think it takes away from the overall book. There were a few minor editing issues and some words misspelled but I liked the book.
4476657
A good novel, although not quite what I expected. I think from the cover art I expected a twist on Jane Austen's "Sanditon" (but I also sort of mis-read the title!).  This is a novel set in late 18th century London, contemporary with Austen's time period, but the similarity stops there. This is a good novel, especially for anyone who enjoyed "Dangerous Liaisons."
4776194
I downloaded The Boss on a whim because 8 liked the author's blogging, particularly her deconstruction of 50 Shades. The Boss is basically 50 Shades with well-rounded characters, a sense of humor, and non-abusive relationships. Oh, and the BDSM stuff is both hotter and more realistic. Totally worth a try, especially as the first book in the series is free. (I  paid for the two sequels, not even for the porn but because I wanted to find out what happened to the characters.)
1806281
People seem to either love Fifty Shades of Grey or they hate it. I happen to love it -- so sue me. Mainly, it's the chemistry between Ana and Christian that draws me in every time, much like the chemistry between Bella and Edward in The Twilight Saga. Of course, that's not surprising considering Fifty Shades started out as Twilight fan fiction.

I wasn't shocked that E. L. James went ahead and wrote the story from Christian's point-of-view. There was a teaser of it at the end of Fifty Shades Freed. Also, Stephanie Meyer started to do the same thing with Twilight, but stopped when people preemptively shared the work.

All that being said, I really enjoyed reading Grey. Yes, the story is basically the same and conversations and emails/texts between Christian and Ana are rehashed. However, it's embellished with Christian's feelings and insight.

It was also enlightening to read about Christian's past experiences with Elena and Layla. If you're into BDSM, there are descriptions of more hardcore activities than Christian and Ana's "kinky fuckery." But really, BDSM is a red herring. Fifty Shades is not really about BDSM, it's about a romance. I can think of other novels that are better examples of BDSM romances. (Please see my reviews of Lana Fox's Cream, Lily Harlem's In Expert Hands, and Elizabeth SaFleur's Elite Doms of DC Series -- just to name a few.)

James did a better job of writing an American voice this time and I appreciated that she ended it on a more positive, less heart-wrenching point in the story. I know there will be a lot of groans from the haters and people who are sick to death of Fifty Shades, but I hope she continues the story from Christian's point-of-view. There are events in Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed that I'd love to read from Christian's perspective.