... of the "abuse friendly" claim and I was not disappointed so far
349481
I purchased these because of the "abuse friendly" claim and I was not disappointed so far. $15 for 5 cables that work great is a deal to me. I would love a way to pick different sizes of cables. the 3 foot ones are easy to use. the 6 foot one is a little hard to find a use for, and the 10 foot cable I gave to my girlfriend. Just ordered another set of them, I use my phone a lot and it needs charged frequently. these cables work great with my external power bank I bought during the black friday sale.
586993
To pay for her senior year of college, Sasha applies for a job as a submissive for part of her summer.  Its a month long gig which will pay handsomely leaving a bit of pocket money after the bills.  Plus it is located in a resort outside of Big Bear.  While having never actually submitted, she has been curious of the BDSM for a while.  To her, it seems like a win win situation.

Anderson is a grumpy man who has been burned before and now holds resentment and mistrust towards all submissives.  Although already an introvert, he now has become further aloof even at the retreat he started.  As a defense mechanism he withholds himself from enjoying the lifestyle he finds innate.

Andersons closest friends have pushed the issue to hire a submissive for him.  So as a forced situation, he is initially quite resistant to it.  But after a short period of time, he realizes how new she is and feels the urge to protect and mold her.  The bigger question is will she teach him to trust again.

I found this to be intriguing and at times even a bit uncomfortable.  I love a good BDSM book!  In some ways I would love to get on my soapbox about it not being a responsible view of the lifestyle in how much Sasha would do with Anderson that wasn't agreed upon, however, we don't really know what the agreement was other than she accepted to be his submissive for a month.  Their relationship also tends to lean towards a 24/7 D/s or even a M/s liaison.  I, personally, find the M/s relationships to be unnerving but that has more to do with a your kink is fine its just not my kink kind of way.  This story seems to lack romance but not emotion.  It is an erotic display of an arranged relationship with an option to decide to continue.  It reminds me quite a bit of Red Phoenixs Brie series with a bit of the Hotel Bentmoore series by Shelby Cross.

Rating:  4 Stars

To see more reviews like this, go to <a href="http://www.smutandbonbons.com">Smut and Bonbons.</a>
~Complimentary copy received in exchange for honest review.~
2717414
When I first started the book I was worried that I wasn't going to like it.  There was just something about the way this was written that bugged me right away.  I still cannot put my finger on what the issue was.....

Well, the blurb about the book really is the story.  There are no big surprises or anything crazy that happens.  What I really did like was the very end, it was very cute.  Overall, the book had no major issues to it, it was a decent story and I guess a little more wholesome than I was expecting (not a bad thing, but it was advertised as a bad boy story and it did start rather not wholesome.)
1860523
I've only been using the product for about 10 days, but am happy so far. The installation directions were a little lengthier than I expected (but not difficult). I'm glad I read them, however, because they were thorough and anticipated my questions. The screen protector went on smoothly and has worked flawlessly so far. Admittedly I have not dropped my phone yet nor tried to scratch it. But I expect the screen protector will work as well as can be expected when the inevitable drop or scratch comes along.
4077942
~3.5/5
I know that this book has some real issues. Quite a bit of the way that Shirotani's issues are handled are very problematic. He's really fragile here, and yet Kurose does appear to abuse that. It's hard to tell if any of this is actually helping Shirotani or not; he's still pretty much in the same state as when the series started, maybe even worse.

This does really bother me, but at the same time, I'm still quite enjoying this series. I like it for the problematic, dirty smut that it is.

I do like how intense Shirotani's reactions are, though. Every time someone touches him, when he's worried about germs, when him and Kurose start getting intimate. I can really tell what is happening in his head, and his worries and reactions feel very real.

This volume gets quite dirty, as well. There are a couple of really intense and dirty scenes between the two, and I quite like them.

Even if parts of this series aren't good, I'm really enjoying reading it for what it is. I want to read more.

[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]
2201831
If you are bothered by an undisguised advocate for a the purest meritocracy you aren't going to enjoy this book,

This is a story of an altruistic David vs the evil and corrupt Goliath. The negative comments about the simplistic goodness of the Freehold vs the simplistic evil of the UN are valid, as are those frustrated by the handling of sexual situations. However, at least for me, those aspects didn't prevent my enjoyment of the story. Admittedly I'm a small government kind of guy who believes that while regulations are sometimes necessary, they should be kept to the absolute minimum. I also believe that over time bureaucracies grow to enlarge and enhance their power at the expense of the purpose they were created to serve. So I have no problem with the characterization of the UN as a corrupt self-serving institution whose costs far exceed its benefits. Those who disagree would be well served to study the history surrounding the purpose for the creation of the UN. A fair analysis provides rather strong support for my view.

I was tempted to give this book 4 stars. Its an easy read that moves well. Yes from time to time it bogs down in a bit to much detail, but not for long. More development of the side characters would have been nice, but again it didn't prevent my enjoyment. I thought that the "hardening" of the man character as she fights a brutal war was well handled. I don't want to drop a spoiler here, so I'll just say the method by which the war ended stretched my credulity a bit to far and cost the book its fourth star. All in all a solid book which I'm happy to recommend, with the previously mentioned caveats of course.
207815
I've a lot of experience as both a dominant and a submissive in local scenes. I've been skimming a lot of the other similar bdsm tales, and usually just delete them as garbage after a page or two. But this one kept me engaged, and that's made me happy. I found the conversations to be realistic and adult, and the subject matter engaging. It was a pleasant read, and the realistic ending was a welcome change from the ridiculous fantasies that flood the genre.
1246021
This book had a genuineness to it that I couldn't have anticipated. I hope that anyone seeking to truly understand what its like to be a child abuse victim, be it sexual, physical, or emotional, will read this to learn how to be an advocate, friend, and/or support for someone in need of that.
602412
This story must be a common story in the real world. Sure with all kind of shades of bullying. Glad the author doesn't go down of the details of their abuse but we can feel the damage mostly in Paul. Also glad that the sotry ended in a positive way for Leigh and Paul.
3313055
I admire Michelle for her efforts in putting together her story.  She deserves nothing but respect for everything that she endured and experienced throughout her ordeal.  The other girls seem mean-spirited to leave her out of their lives.  Obviously, they saw her abuse and regardless of what she may have done to cause the loss of empathy by them, they should take responsibility for improving the divide that is obvious between them.  Michelle probably was more verbally aggressive with Castro, their kidnapper.  Maybe the other girls perceived that as Michelle having been a trouble maker.  However, Castro was clearly partial to them and they probably had to endure much less abuse from him because he appeared to have been more focused on the abuse of Michelle.  Michelle was probably hardened by the abuse she had already been subjected to prior to her kidnapping by Castro. She, therefore, may have handled him entirely differently than the other two girls.  They should recognize the pain they are subjecting Michelle to by their choice to separate themselves from her.  They should embrace her and allow her that comfort because they, above all, know what she has had to go through.  I can't imagine that Gina would want to do anything to cause more pain for Michelle after they spent so many years trapped together.  Surely that bond outweighs anything and everything that would cause Gina to remove herself from Michelle's life the way she apparently has.  To Michelle:  You go girl!  I'm impressed with who you are!  The odds should be in your favor now for a good life.  Don't allow the other girls to make you feel like an outcast.  Just try to remember that your character is above theirs and for whatever reason, they are not behaving like the grateful human beings that they should be being and the fault obviously lies with them and not you!
3774104
As a mature reader, I didn't have a problem with the very graphic violence.  I suspect it was true to the time.
4559328
...and I'm enjoying it. It wasn't as down and dirty, balls to the wall graphic as I was hoping for, but I did enjoy it. My friend who turned several of us onto that story was afraid it might be too hard core for us. Hahahahaha! If there is such a thing, I haven't found it yet. But I'm still looking.
4580904
I was unsure about continuing to read this series as I read the reviews but I am glad I have.  It can be frustrating at times because you want them to just enjoy life for a little while, but they can't.  Not yet anyway as their lives and existence hang in the balance.  As far as the typos many readers seem to complain about, yes they are there but it has not taken away from the storyline for me.
4269496
The author does moderately well describing the history of bigotry towards Catholics. The prejudice does exist. That is undeniable. The author was very clever about the narrative he constructed in regards to the sexual abuse that occurred for decades within the church. The narrative was extremely subtle and very well written. It begins with acknowledgments of child sexual abuse and ends with victim blaming. The author indicates that there is a strong possibility the children instigated the physical contact (abuse)and that this type of behavior is normal in homosexual culture.
Please take notice of the evolution of descriptors from beginning to end. It starts with abuse, then alleged abuse, then misconduct, then misbehavior, then misunderstanding. It has been a few years since I read this but I remember the main points. I had a lengthy discussion with my college professor, who happens to be Catholic, about the way this narrative within the book was constructed.
Btw, both of my children were baptized Catholic. Half of my family is Catholic. I am not prejudice in the slightest. I don't condone any of the abuse that occurred or the way it was covered up by the powers-that-be. I have strong opinions about that but I do not hold the same opinions for the Catholic religion or people who practice the Catholic faith
4730988
I have a mean mother and cut off relations five years ago. Others who have mean mothers, or those who know my mom well, are 100% supportive. As evidenced by at least one of the negative reviews of this book, some view those of us who have cut off relations as immature. IMHO unless you yourself have/had a mean mother, you are in no position to judge. Cutting off my mom was one of the healthiest things I have ever done.

What I loved about this book was that it validated my decision and a better understanding of how my mother has affected my life. The first part of the book, in which examples of mean mothers were described, was excellent - well organized, with a lot of very cogent insights. The second half of the book I felt rambled a bit, being rather more descriptive of various stories, and did not drive to any specific conclusions. Therefore, where the book fell a bit short for me was in delivering on the subtitle: "Overcoming the Legacy of Hurt" which is why I rated the book 4 stars and not 5 stars. I don't feel that this part of the story was told as well as the first part, perhaps because we never really do overcome the legacy of hurt - we just move past it. As such, I don't feel the subtitle was warranted.
2839178
it was pretty good. nothing offensive in it. Has physical attacks in it from abusive people, and trolls.
586327
The description of the area throughout the book, i didn't care for the abuse but that made read true to what can happen.