Possible Spoilers below......
The bad: The relationship. Presley Flynn, the heroine, was simply too weak and vulnerable to be involved in a sexual relationship of this intensity. She was on public display and under a whip in their second scene. Dmitri Pratt. the male lead, admitted to using his club relationships with subs as a means to control his dominate nature in his business and personal life; his sexual "dominance" appearing more like pure misplaced aggression. Not a great combination.
The rest: Okay. This is the sort of book that makes BDSM look bad to outsiders. The dynamic between the male and female is very similar to the storyline in the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy; the very story that was misinterpreted by thousands of readers as being true BDSM. when, in fact, it was the story of two deeply damaged people overcoming their issues and finding happiness together. In this story you have a young woman who has such a strong desire to please everyone that she has absolutely no emotional shields, something that the male lead addresses later in the book. He recognizes this trait in her, but takes advantage anyway. You have a "best friend" and roommate, Cora, who is already in the lifestyle who introduces Presley to Dmitri and the club scene because Presley reads a lot of BDSM erotica. Cora thinks Presley, because of her reading preference, should join a private sex club. I, and thousands of others, read BDSM erotica and would emasculate a man who tried to use his dominance in a relationship.
