Talk about taking a risk! Maybe it is part of being a sub, maybe Joel is just too desperate to find someone who will give him what he needs, or maybe it just makes for good fantasy-like fiction, but selling yourself for six months, sight unseen, with almost no limits is not exactly playing it safe. And while I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing that in real life, it does make for an exciting story. Of course, there is the background knowledge that the Shibari Auction House vets the Doms who come to bid there…

Either way, Joel is apparently determined to find out what submitting is all about. He is a photographer, so it is possible to put his real life on hold for six months. Understandably, once he is in the process of being auctioned off without having any say as to who will get his contract, nerves set in. Master Brent proceeds to introduce him to the lifestyle without hesitation and Joel does have a few sane moments where he asks himself what the heck he was thinking when he signed on the dotted line. On the whole, he throws himself into the experience, though, with an enthusiasm only a true sub can feel for being made to do things he never would have considered asking for.

Master Brent, the man who is determined to teach Joel about submission, is, thankfully and to my and Joel’s relief, a good Master. Yes, he is determined to be strict, but we don’t get to see his nastier side in this story. He keeps mentioning it, but a lot of it helps to build Joel’s anticipation (half the fun for both sub and Dom). Also, I did get the impression he will keep a lot of the “heavy” stuff for later on, when Joel is a little more “advanced”. He does enjoy what he is doing as much as Joel does, which is as it should be.

If you like tension-filled anticipation about what might happen to someone who has given up control over his life (most of it, anyway), if you enjoy reading about men who play at the enjoyable edge of give-and-take of the initial stages of a BDSM relationship, and if you’re looking for a very hot introduction to what submission might mean, then you will probably like this short story. I think it’s a great addition to this series, and hope there will be many more installments!


NOTE: This book was provided by Changeling Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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