Although I finished 3 books this week, I’m only going to address one today because it is my turn for the TLC Book Tours Secret Life of a Submissive book tour.
In this book, the writer, Sarah, decides she wants to explore some sexual fantasies she’s had – namely, she’d like to try being spanked. Instead of finding a normal relationship in which her lover agrees to this, she gets full on involved in the BDSM community. She therefore learns that the real life of a submissive (which is never capitalized!) involved doing whatever she is told at all times, including coming to a restaurant wearing nothing under her coat and sleeping on the floor separate from Max, who gets the bed. She also allows herself to be beaten. Not just spanked, actually beaten. And while she says she enjoys it, I found it difficult to believe. It just seemed like abuse to me. I am not sure what the newest version of the DSM says, but sadism and masochism are both considered disorders in the DSM-IV TR.
Sarah K apparently has many other published books, but since this is a pseudonym I don’t know what those other books are. I do wonder if she used the word “heady” so many times in her other books! And you know, the phrase “I did as I was told” was a bit overused too. There was a bit where Max explained his past to Sarah and although it was all in quotations, as if Max was speaking, it was not natural dialogue at all.
This book gave me insight into a community I have no desire to ever be a part of! While interesting, I must not have much of an open mind, because I was mostly repulsed by the things described in this book. To be honest, I’m not sure who this book would appeal to, aside from those who read 50 Shades of Grey and might be interested in finding out more about people like Christian Grey – before Ana transformed him into a subdued husband!
Thanks so much to the publisher for providing me with this book to review!
