New Leather

I could be unkind and give this a lower rating for a number of reasons but the truth is I genuinely enjoyed it.

To enjoy this sensitively written and well intentioned book about one man'a initiation into the BDSM lifestyle you need to do a couple of things:

go back to a pre-FSOG world before we all knew way too much about BDSM (or maybe that's just me). By virtue of necessity and plot the book is a bit of a primer on how or why of BDSM practices.get over the unfortunate use of Dominate instead of Dominant, it doesn't appear on print often, but still annoying and jarring. Also a couple of mentions of “tits”, I prefer nipples or pecs but maybe it's a way of the Dom thinking of his male sub as precisely that: a Sub.

On to the book!!!

In order to gain insight into the BDSM lifestyle Carl, a journalist, enters into a contract with James, Chef & owner of a hot restaurant and also a Dominant, for six weeks. Each man starts the relationship for different reasons. Carl is researching a story about a lifestyle he is sure is crazy and could hold no personal appeal for him. James wants to prove a theory about what he calls “Romantic Dominance” by which he means that the gratifications of a D/s relationship are richer if there is an emotional investment between the parties and not the anonymous scene at a club.

Needless to say during the course of the weeks Carl comes to reassess everything he believed about himself in terms of his sexual proclivities and likes and James not only proves his theories but learns that to gain what he wants he must also risk what he fears to lose.

I liked the way the whole story was treated and if sometimes there was a bit of tell and not show or an ABC on BDSM that was okay and justified as a journalistic inquiry.

I liked that though the rug gets pulled out from under him Carl is not a whiny, woe-is-me kind of guy. He feels something new, thinks about, processes it and moves on.

I liked Carl's family and friends. His mother is a superstar and Tony is delightful.

As usual for me the Doms have a higher bar to pass and James to me was the lesser of the couple. He should count his lucky stars that Carl even likes him. Yes he is a successful chef, business owner and caring Dom. However like most Doms in M/M he is the insecure one, the one who wants things without really opening up. Towards the end he does redeem himself in how he relates to Carl and that is probably my favorite thing about this book. It ends not in a hard and fast HEA but rather on an open door to a future full of possibilities and that's the best we can wish for in our own lives.

What a pity that this seems to be the only book by this author because I think there is real potential here. She doesn't make either of these guys a chick with a dick as many M/M books do and thank heavens!