Midnight Caller by NJ Cole

As hard as it is not to write a good review for someone, I feel being honest is one of the more important things one can do. I can’t tell you about the end of the story Midnight Caller because, in all honesty, I couldn’t get past page 97 of this book. In the pages that I did read, there were so many inconsistencies, illogical reactions, and misrepresentations of the BDSM lifestyle that it became distracting. I feel that lack of patience , general publishing knowledge, and writing experience are big factors contributing to the errors in this book.

*From here on out are major spoilers to the story, so if you do not wish to know more about the plot then please stop reading now.*

The way this story started out made me feel like it was out of order, and to be honest, a lot of what I read continued to feel that way. In one moment, the character Oliver “Sir/Master” Durant says he likes one thing, or won’t do something, and a few sentences later he says how he has done it before. For example: Oliver is telling us how he doesn’t usually use a leash and collar on his submissives, and then in the next paragraph, he is telling us how he has put it on a few different submissives. Farther in the story, Rebecca “Butterfly” Summers is talking about how she shaves and keeps her bikini area trimmed and neat, but in just the next sentence she talks about her curls. Now, I know you can be trimmed and neat and still have hair, I’m not disputing that, but if it is neat then they wouldn’t be curls at all, they’d be short hairs. These are just a couple of examples on some of the inconsistencies that were in the pages that I did read.    

Another thing that bothered me was the incorrect use of words. The author has written how Gretchen puts herself in the inspection position – which is kneeling with legs spread shoulder-width apart – but then she describes it as Gretchen in the prone position as in prayer. The Webster definition of the word “prone” is lying in a face-down position. This would be an incorrect use of the word as she has it in the story.

Now going to the illogical reactions, I don’t know anyone in fiction, or real life, who wouldn’t completely freak out at having a complete stranger know personal information about them and be okay with it. I know that this story is fiction, but even fictional characters have to have normal human reactions. The character “Butterfly” is completely fine with a stranger being able to see her while she pleasures herself. I understand that submissives, and people with submissive personalities, have the tendency to let dominant people decide how things are, but it was uncomfortable to read a woman who lacked any sense of self-preservation. Not only that, but she lets him have power over her body to the point that she’s not even allowed to physically see him. I can’t fathom doing something like that, but then, maybe that is just me.

Now the way the BDSM lifestyle is presented here, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, is obviously distorted. The reactions that “Sir” expects “Butterfly” to have – without ever having true experience as a submissive – are profoundly unrealistic. In a way, Oliver expects her not to make any mistakes the first time he is giving her commands, but for someone – regardless of her tendencies – to not make those mistakes is too farfetched to feel correct. The amount of trust Oliver is expecting out of Rebecca from the very beginning is not the amount of trust a complete stranger would be given. Respect and trust is something that is slowly earned through time, which is not respectfully portrayed in this story.

Now I don’t want you all to think that there wasn’t anything good in the book. The sex scenes that I did read were actually very well written and quite enjoyable. The author was able to describe those moments with an abundance of passion and enthusiasm that would rival any other erotica story.

Overall, I can only give this story one flower, and that is due to the well-written sex scenes. I wish this author the best of luck when she begins to write her sequel, but my journey with these characters will end here.

(review by oneof eddiesgirls) 

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Surviving Raine by Shay Savage

As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.

Let me start out by saying I really did enjoy the book. It was very well written and flowed pretty well. My only two real hang-ups with the story were; it being written from the male characters point of view and his crassness, and that the epilogue kind of felt like it came out of left field. If Shay’s epilogue is a set of for a second book, then it makes sense.

So to discuss the first issue... Bastian is a very crass character that mainly thinks about his dick. Which is true of most men, but because I deal with WAY too many men in my daily life, and use reading as my escape, it became an issue for me. Now please don’t take this as a negative, if that is something you enjoy or are not bothered by then I highly recommend you read this. Again the crassness of the way Bastian thinks is only a turnoff for me.

The story overall is quite fun to read. You want to pull for them to be rescued, and once they are you just want them to be back to being the two of them again. The growth of both characters throughout the story is natural and does not feel forced in anyway. The way Shay’s written the story makes you want to be in that raft with Bastian and helping him rid himself of his past demons.

Raine’s need and desire to learn not only more about Bastian, but his link to her past, as well as her will to survive is what makes her strong enough to deal with Bastian. Her determination is very honorable.

I give the story 4 flowers because my personal feelings on the male point of view should not take away from the good job done on the story over all. And on a side note, my inner nerd chuckled for at least 5 chapters because every time I read the name Bastian I had the theme song to The Neverending Story playing through my head.

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