Review: Bound by Marina Anderson

Title: Bound
Author: Marina Anderson
Serial: The Dining Club, Part 2
Release Date: 27 August 2013

Grace has surprised herself by falling hard for the breathtaking financier David. But now she knows that in order to keep this man, she will have to explore his darker side.

Grace is shocked by her body's instinctive response to the private club David has introduced her to: the Dining Club - a secret society where members can explore their most forbidden fantasies. David got her through the Club's exclusive doors - but to stay she must pass a series of erotic trials.

Wrapped in a luxurious dress of chiffon and lace that David gave her for her first challenge, Grace is anxious and excited to enter into the heart of the Dining Club. Little does she know that one of its members, the dazzling and domineering Amber, has every intention of keeping David all to herself...

In my review for Desire;, the first part of this serial, I mentioned that I had some reservations regarding David. These concerns have increased with each paragraph I read in Bound.

David is not only distant and emotionally manipulative, he's cold, and demanding, and a jerk, and seems to have a weird double-standard, and is even kind of elitist. There's just not much there for me to like.

Early in the book Grace is talking about what it means to be 'nice' to someone you care about - caring about their feelings, making them feel loved and cherished. David responds with: "There are other ways of making a woman feel loved and cherished..." I don't disagree that there are many ways to make someone feel loved and cherished, but caring how your partner feels should be at the top of the list in any relationship.

I think my main problem with this is that the book is trying to act like it's BDSM - more about domination and submission than any other aspect, so far, and one of the most important things in that type of relationship is the trust and communication between partners. There's no communication here. Grace is thrown into situations, expected to react in a way that passes the 'trial' and the whole while with the ultimatum hanging over her head of if you don't pass, we're through. The first trial: For one hour five people will take turns teasing her, attempting to bring her to climax (though only three actively participate) and "If you climax more than twice, then you will fail the trial." It's hard to gain that kind of control over your body - harder for some people than for others. One hour of people actively trying to make her climax and she's supposed to have instantaneous control? I was more than a little outraged. Especially when he brought up the whole 'you know what happens if you fail,' crap again.

Then there's the fact that the whole time Grace is going through this trial David is distant and aloof - she remarks on it more than once. What-the-ever-living-hell? You bring her here to do this, ostensibly to prove her love for you, and then you aren't even emotionally involved with her while you've turned her over to complete strangers to pass a test that you've demanded? Kick to the head - repeatedly.

On top of that women are apparently just objects - set dressings to be replaced as needed.

"She disobeyed and order last night and had to be punished for it. Amber has had problems with Laura before, but the twins [Laura and Amy] add something to the Dining Club. I hope we don't have to let them go." [said David]

"Did Amy cause a problem too?"

"Not that I know of, but aesthetically it would be the same to keep one of the girls. The Dining Club would have to train up another pair of twins if Laura doesn't improve."

(emphasis mine)

Are you *($*)@#*)@ kidding me??! I can't. I just can't.

The sexy times, meh. Just not that sexy to me. I don't know what the obsession is with squeezing the 'globes' of their breasts so hard it leaves marks, over and over and over again. Everyone does it. Actually squeezing at that level is pretty much done all over. I'll grant this is likely a personal preference thing for me, but it just doesn't work. When someone pressed hard on Grace's pubic bone, I cringed in sympathy. That hurts...

At this point, I'm sincerely hoping that Grace gets through the trials, dumps the asshole David and rides off into the sunset with Andrew.

With Andrew what you saw was what you got, and she liked what she saw. David didn't let you see very much, but she realized that was probably why she was so obsessed with him.

(emphasis mine)

Obsessed, not in love any longer, obsessed. Yup, I'm good with her dumping David and going with Andrew who actually seems to care and is kind and maybe just plain old nice.

Grade: D- 


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Review: Desire by Marina Anderson

Title: Desire
Author: Marina Anderson
Serial: The Dining Club, Part 1
Release Date: 20 August 2013  

Young, ambitious theatre director Grace has no time for distractions, but she just cannot resist enigmatic city financier, David. Alluring, charismatic and an incredible lover - David never lets Grace get too close. So when he invites her to a weekend at his private club, Grace is thrilled.

Arriving at the secluded location, and excited by her nerves, David reveals the truth behind the Dining Club: a place where guests are taught to open their minds, and their bodies to erotic challenges. If she passes the tests, she is promised ecstasy beyond her wildest fantasies. If she fails, she's forbidden to ever set foot in the exclusive club again. But even as David's seductive commands make Grace feel more daring than ever before, she begins to fear for their future. What if she fails one of the Club's tantalizing trials? Will David still want her or will she lose him forever?

Desire, being the first part in a serialized novel, is a little hard to discuss on it’s own. It’s an introduction, to the characters and to the set-up of the weekend at The Dining Club. I’ll talk a little about my thoughts in these short thirty-odd pages.

Grace and David have been together for six months and Grace believes she’s starting to fall in love. David’s courteous, attentive, loving, and the sex is fabulous; however she realizes that David isn’t quite in the same place as her. He’s holding something back and she’s not quite sure what.

David cares about Grace a lot, and wants to take their relationship to the next level so he suggests a weekend at The Dining Club, an exclusive club at which he’s a member. Here he’ll finally be able to tell her, show her, the things he’s been holding back.   Honestly, I find the chemistry between Grace and David a little…forced. I feel like they’re both saying the right things, thinking the right things, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. At first I wondered if this wasn’t going to be a story where she showed up with one person and ended up with another but now I doubt that.

As you might have guessed, The Dining Club is a place where sexual fantasies can be carried out. A place for members to bring their significant others and be safe in finding out if they can fulfill each other’s sexual needs. They meet once a month and there’s only ever one ‘newbie’. This month is Grace. If they work out on this first visit, they’ll come back to go through several more ‘tables’.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike deception? Six months they’ve been together and the implication is that David has still been going to his club every month. I kind of have a problem with this. There isn’t anything in the text about them promising exclusivity, but it’s kind of been implied, and then there’s the scene with the woman at the club just before he goes to pick up Grace.

Look, I like some of the ‘more unusual sexual needs,’ as David puts it, but I also like openness and honesty in a relationship. I like that a lot. In fact it’s kind of one of my must-haves. I’m reserving a bit of judgment on this, but it did bother me here.

My other problem is the treading-the-line of manipulation that David pulls out near the end to convince Grace to stay. Maybe I’m a bit more sensitive to it because I’ve been in that sort of relationship. The ‘if you love me…’ and ‘I thought you’d want to do this for me…’ sort of comments roll off me badly.

Because of the format, serialized, these sorts of things can make or break a story. Because I have the next three installments I’m reserving my thoughts until I’ve read a bit further – and as they’re so short, it could be I do a complete 180 on my feelings for David, and Grace. But this is one of the downfalls of this format. The first one has to set the tone, and right now I’m not too happy with one of the main characters.

Grade: Due to my personal issues, I’m going to grade this in two different ways:

Writing: B
Story/Characters: C-

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