Dream Master
Claire ThompsonBDSM
Available from Romance Unbound Publishing
ISBN: 9781615089543
January 2011
| Dream Master provides a hard look at the difference between abusive and selfish D/s relationships and those that are healthy and respectful. Ella and Phillip are drawn into a dream world where they enact various BDSM scenarios. At first, both are intrigued. As the story continues, they realize they are being forced to follow a script they both find physically and emotionally abusive. When they try to exert their own will, they are separated and punished. Because it all happens in a dream, nobody is really hurt, though they both find the nightmares highly disturbing. At the beginning, Ella and Phillip are strangers. Though they work for the same law firm, their paths don't often cross. After the dreams begin, they develop a friendship that soon blooms into a romance. Ella and Phillip must break the cycle and then deal with the real-life threat.
I applaud Ms. Thompson's attempt to illustrate the differences between the perception of a D/s relationship and the reality. Her references to the type of BDSM found in hardcore writings are obscure for those unfamiliar with the kinds of writings out there that don't fall under the heading of erotic romance, but I think they're illustrated well enough for everyone to get the idea. The idea of someone controlling others through their dreams is really creative, and the ending is structured to be very suspenseful and exciting. Warning: This book is not for the faint-of-heart or those easily offended. My only complaint is that the characters don't always ring true. Outside of the dream world, they lack chemistry, which was disappointing because I wanted the romantic BDSM encounters to balance the disturbing ones. The writing is sometimes laborious and it contains a lot of passive sentences that slow the action. Some parts move fast, mostly the dream sequences. Overall, I found it very interesting.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Clare |
